*
He's back.
* 'Long as I remember
* The rain been comin' down
* Clouds of mystery pourin'
* Confusion on the ground
* Good men through the ages
* Tryin' to find the sun
* And I wonder Still I wonder *
* Who'll stop the rain
* I went down Virginia
* Seekin' shelter from the storm *
* Caught up in the fable *
* I watched the tower grow
* Five-year plans and new deals *
* Wrapped in golden chains
* And I wonder Still I wonder *
* Who'll stop the rain
My name's Lidia Simmons, and I'm twelve years old.
And these here are my memoirs.
I can't really tell you much about me nor my life...
without first I tell you about my brother Stu.
All spring Stu had been kinda quiet.
Perhaps it was because a couple months earlier...
our father had gone out looking for work and never returned.
It wasn't the first time Dad went away.
Ever since he'd come back from Vietnam,
things hadn't been just right.
Mom held two jobs just to make ends meet,
and we were still dirt poor like everybody else in Juliette, Mississippi.
But this June morning in 1970 was different.
All the flowers were in bloom,
and along with the color and the sweet smell of summer,
our father had come home.
Looks lonely.
Looks more lonely than anybody I ever seen.
Mom says that war destroyed our lives.
It's how come he couldn't find work.
It's why he's been gone all this time.
Says if it weren't for the damn war,
we'd still have that house.
The house had termites.
That's why the county condemned it.
I'll see you later.
Don't get arrested.
As I watched my brother walk to my dad,
I knew he would start talkin' to him as if no time had passed at all.
No one in my family ever seemed to say "hello."
I guess that was our way of never havin' to say good-bye.
We sure had ourselves a lot of good times...
in this old place, didn't we?
Yeah. We sure did.
Simmons!
Your house is on fire again!
Oh, no! No, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
You okay? Shoot!
I'm fine.
Stu, don't you dare.
Why don't you go and wake up your dad
tell him breakfast is about ready.
Yes, ma'am.
Dad. Dad.
Hey, Dad. Dad.
Dad! Dad!
Jeez!
You all right?
Yeah, I'm fine, son.
I'm sorry.
Get ready for a brutal three days of sun;
Hi.
hazy, hot and humid.
By afternoon on Tuesday expect temperatures to break 100
humidity at 90 percent--
Mmm. Mmm!
Eggs and everything!
Look how nice it all goes together.
You don't think it's too well done?
No. No, not at all.
I just pretend like I'm a starvin' Indian...
and this is my last piece of sausage,
and I got into a fight over it with another starvin' Indian,
it tumbled into the fire,
and this is all that's left between me and death.
I'm that Indian.
Give it here. Give it back.
Give it back, Dad.
Stu, you wanna do us the honor of saying grace?
Dear Lord, bless this food.
Please.
"Polk Salad Annie" ]
Hey, asshole!
Stu! Stuart!
Hey! That's enough.
That's enough now, both of you!
Just quit it.
You all right, son?
Tell your sister I'll be gunnin' for her.
Yeah, all right, Lester.
I'll tell her you was gunnin' for her in a doughnut shop
you moron!
You'll see, Simmons. I'm gonna kick your ass too!
What was that all about?
Stuart, I turn my back in there for just a second
you're in the middle of a fight.
Who is that boy?
His name's Lester Lucket.
He's the reason Lidia got stuck in summer school.
She hit him in the tooth with a rock,
and he told the principal she'd been cheatin' off all his papers.
She hit him in the mouth with a rock?
Oh, yeah.
He's always calling her names.
So last year she vowed to knock every tooth in his head out.
I'm gonna have to talk
She doin' anything else I should know about?
Well, yeah, she's doin' a lot of things,
but I don't think you should know about 'em.
I didn't bring you down here to referee a boxing match, Stuart.
I brought you down here to tell you about somethin' I've been puttin' off.
You know how all this time I been out lookin' for work?
Yeah.
Well, somethin' about that ain't entirely accurate.
The truth of the matter is, I been in a--
I been in a hospital.
For what?
Well, it has to do with me bein' in the war.
Well, I went--
I went nuts for a little while.
Them doctors called it post-traumatic stress.
You remember how I used to--
Remember, I used to do things before
they didn't make no sense?
Well, it's 'cause there's a lot of pain in my head.
And I'm gonna tell you somethin' else too.
I landed three jobs after the war.
And I lost every one of 'em 'cause of them dreams.
It wasn't 'cause I couldn't do the work, son.
They're findin' out...
a lot of men who go off to war...
they just don't come back the same.
A lot of them.
But not-- not me.
I'm-- I'm definitely gettin' better.
Come on, let's finish our coffee and doughnuts.
You dreamt one of them dreams this morning, huh?
What was it about?
I don't--
I don't think I ever told ya I had a friend in the Marines.
Dodge.
Mama told me his name.
She didn't mean to do nothin' wrong.
It's okay.
We were good friends, Dodge and me.
We'd gone through boot camp together.
There was this one night our platoon was sweeping a village in the hills...
just west of Khe Sanh.
The village had been taken by the N.V.A. and retaken by us so many damn times...
that the poor people there had to dig their own trenches...
just to stay alive.
Boo!
What's wrong with you?
Been with you in the bush too long.
I notice as long as I been in the bush
you been behind my butt.
We were good friends, Dodge and me.
He was a big son of a bitch.
'Scuse me, but he was.
He was the biggest man I ev--
Biggest man I could ever call my friend.
Right flank, talk to me!
We did everything together.
Left flank, talk to me! Move it out.
Dodge!
* So long to get where I'm goin' *
Get on the radio! We need artillery!
* I've been waiting so long *
Come on! Get down, down, down!
- Dodge! - Get down!
Fox Trot Five!
* To get where I'm going
* To the sunshine of your lo-o-o-ove *
You worked too hard, you ate too much,
the cheesecake made you green.
Let your aching head and stomach hear this message from old Speedy!
* Alka Seltzer
* Plop plop, fizz fizz, Oh, what a relief it is *
And then what happened?
What happened to Dodge?
Come on, Stu!
What say I tell you about it all some other time?
Right now you gotta go build that tree house of yours,
and I gotta...
find me a job.
All right, Dad. Good luck.
Lidia Simmons
you get your skinny ass off of Lipnicki's property now,
before they tell your dad!
That's an order!
I don't see nobody, Elvadine.
I heard somethin'. Let's get outta here.
I don't get what you're so worried about.
There's no one home.
What if that old man Lipnicki crawls out from under that junk pile and eats us?
You worry too much.
Let's get outta here!
Look at all that awesome garbage!
We'll be able to build a humongous tree fort!
Merry Christmas, ladies!
I don't think you get it, Simmons.
We don't give a dead rat about building your dorky fort.
What the hell? Yahoo!
- Let's get outta here. - Hold up. I wanna see this.
That's Leo Lipnicki!
All right!
Yes! They're playin' suicide!
Damn!
And there's Arliss.
Good job, Arliss!
Whoo!
Are they nuts, or are they nuts?
Are you trying to talk about my family? Uh-- Uh--
Hey there, Ula.
How's life treatin' ya today?
Don't talk to me. Don't look at me neither.
Hey, Arliss! Leo!
Caught me some trespassers over here!
Hold 'em! Well, nice speakin' with ya.
Yeah! We wanna have a little conversation with 'em!
Don't let 'em go nowhere, now!
Let's get outta here! Cut 'em off, Ula!
Grab 'em, Willard! Hey, come on!
Oww! Stop! Oww! Uncle!
Uncle, man!
Maybe we oughta help him learn his friends some manners.
How 'bout we says a rhyme and they gotta finish it,
slurrin' his friends?
Only if it don't rhyme, he has to eat a dirt clod.
You think that up just now? That's a classic.
Did you hear that, trespasser? Oww.
All right, who gots a rhyme? I got one.
Here I sit, eatin' a pastry strudel--
Bingo, Ula. Go on, trespasser.
Think up a rhyme to "pastry strudel."
Here I sit, eatin' a strudel--
Uh-- Go on.
Chet plays with Barbies and Stu eats doggie doodle.
Hey!
Why don't you just let him go,
pick on somebody your own size.
What's the matter? You guys afraid of a fair fight, one on one?
Maybe you got a point.
Ebb.
Ebb what? Stu!
- Stu, don't get yourself killed! - - Get him good!
Say "Uncle," man!
Say "Uncle"!
He'll kill ya! Stay put!
Kick him again!
Hey, you kids! What's goin' on?
Nothin'. He just fell.
Better get your butts outta here before the cops get wind of y'all.
Quarry's ours, and you'd better don't come back,
unless you wanna leave here in an ambulance.
Pick a finger.
Come on, let's get outta here.
You know, one of us oughta go back there and kick some ass.
I'm serious, guys. My brother's got more fireworks than Ho Chi Minh.
We could hole up in that fort you wanna build,
those mongrels won't be able to touch us.
What do you say, Stu?
Stu?
* The love bug done bit me *
* Didn't mean for him to get me *
* Whoo, get up in the mornin' *
* And I'm filled with desire *
* No, no, I can't stop the fire *
* Love is a real live wire *
* Ooh, it's a burnin' sensation *
* Far beyond imagination
* Love is like an itchin' in my heart *
* Tearin' it all apart
* Just an itchin' in my heart *
* And, baby I can't scratch it *
Whoo, that was fun.
Come on, let's go to the tree.
You got an extra smoke?
Why don't you hawk your own damn cigarettes?
Dang, girl,
I risk my neck all mornin' for your dumb behind.
You think I at least entitled to a 5-second break
or a puff off of your scag.
What do you mean, "riskin' your neck"?
Well, what you call trompin' 'round...
in them crazy, gap-toothed,
banjo-pickin', no-eyelid hillbilly yard...
stealin' all their junk?
Dang! They ever do find out we robbed 'em,
I reckon they gonna whup my behind
till it's flat as yours.
You didn't even go onto Lipnicki's property.
I'm the one that got everything.
And quit nigger-lippin' my smoke. Give it here.
Excuse me?
What the hell you just say?
- Give me my smoke. What? - You know what.
Girl, you'd better get outta my face.
You call your friends that.
How I calls my kin ain't none of your business.
Whoo-ooh!
Ooh-ooh, it's a fight! What'd I miss?
- I'm sorry. - What's she sorry fo'?
I think you have somethin' that belongs to me--
my mood ring.
Where's my puka shell necklace?
I'll see you gets it!
Look, I said I was sorry.
My mama said I don't hafta
hang out with nobody who degrades me that-a-way,
even if they is my best girl.
But I'm gonna let it go this time.
But you're on probation,
and don't think I'm gonna forget about it neither.
Now put your eyes back in your head and let's go.
Wastin' all our time. Lordy, lordy, lordy.
What I hafta put up with.
Are you sure this be the short cut?
Oh, damn it!
No way! Bull-honky, man!
Come on!
This is our territory, man! We never hawk your ideas!
They ain't gonna move.
How you know?
Hey! I'll race you for it.
- Winner gets all. - You any good at runnin'?
I'd sooner die than to lose a footrace to my brother.
Come on. To the tree.
One, two, three!
Go, Stu! Go, Lidia!
Tie! Guess we're gonna hafta share it!
Oh, damn!
No fair!
Us girls got there first, and we raced for it and tied!
I said we'd try it, and we tried it.
- I want all our stuff back! - Simmer down, now!
All right.
I say y'all try to get along one more day.
- Oh, come on, Dad!
- If y'all cannot work together after that,
then I guess you are gonna have to
put a little daylight between yourselves.
Share it on the split.
You boys can have it in the morning
when the girls'll be in school.
And in the afternoon you take off,
you let them enjoy it.
And I don't wanna hear about you raisin' your fists again.
You got that? Yes, sir.
You all got that?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Daddy? What?
Can I give you a French twist tonight
with Dippity Do?
If I can give you a French twist with a...
dip-dilly-dew.
Whose turn is it to help me with this laundry,
Lidia Joanne?
Promise? Yeah.
I'm comin'.
"Up On Cripple Creek" by The Band ]
* When I get off of this mountain *
* You know where I wanna go *
* Straight down the Mississippi River *
* To the Gulf of Mexico
How you doin' these days, Elvadine?
My life be a wreck. How you be?
Pretty good.
Hey, Elvadine, Amber, come on,
help me with the laundry!
Bye, Mr. Simmons.
Good-bye, Elvadine.
Good-bye, Amber.
I'm proud of you for sharin' that fort with your sister.
You treat her good,
she'll be in your corner the rest of your life.
Somethin' happen to your lip?
Got kicked in the face.
- By who? - Lipnickis.
They oughta call 'em the Lip... kickis.
I think the Lipdickis.
Y'all, uh, y'all feudin' with them too?
I hold my temper.
It's just sometimes I feel like I could wring his scrawny little neck.
Boy, sometimes all it takes is a split second...
to do somethin' you'll regret the whole rest of your life.
Stuart, sometimes...
"sometimes" is too much.
Anyhow, got me a job today.
Workin' for the state.
Get out. Are you serious?
Yes, sir.
Your old grammar school.
I'm the new custodial engineer.
Hey, Ma!
Dad got a janitor job at the school!
I heard! Isn't it wonderful?
It's too bad I graduated. We could hang out.
That's really boss, Dad.
Well, thank you. I'll see you later.
Dad?
Yeah?
Better come in here a minute.
- I think it's ready. - Oh, Lidia, I'm--
Honey, I'm workin' on the radio.
Come on, Dad.
Come on, you promised. Sit down.
Oh, Lidia.
I wish you'd-- What're you gonna do to it?
I'm just takin' it up.
You're just what?
I'm just takin' it up.
Gosh, Dad.
Dad? Hmm?
How come you and Mom don't talk no more?
Well, I been gone a long time, Lidia.
We're just givin' each other a little space right now.
You better start crowdin' her, Dad.
Put your arms around the woman
every once in a while,
or she's gonna think you don't like her no more.
Now, I'm givin' you this advice...
'cause I can see you just don't know
what you're doin'.
Well, I'm gonna take that to heart.
"Soul Of Sadness" by Mother Earth ]
Lidia suggested that I dance with you.
That is if you're still interested in takin' my hand.
I've been waitin' on you to ask for the longest time.
You even got your hair done up for the occasion.
* I knew it had
* To be
In all the years I'd known my mother,
this was the only time I'd ever seen her cry from happiness.
Then again, maybe it was just Dad steppin' on her toes.
* Then some must be
* Set free
* Yeah
* I been workin' Amber's railroad *
* All my livin' long day
* I been workin' Amber's railroad-- *
Excuse me, fat girl.
Is it absolutely necessary that you serenade us?
I'm on a diet, I hope you know,
'cause I have a "granular" condition.
- You got a Hostess Twinkies condition. - Funny, Marsh.
These girls are givin' me a heart attack.
Let's 86 'em.
Must be 12:30.
Why don't you guys beat it?
You heard what Dad said.
What is she talkin' about?
What did your dad say?
Every day at 12:30 we gotta walk?
I don't think so.
- I know so. - Who asked you, blubber butt?
I can go on a diet, but you'll always be ugly!
I'm gonna kick your pygmy butt.
This ain't workin' out.
Somebody's gonna hafta be the boss!
Well, let me guess--
Could that somebody possibly be you?
What do you say we go double or nothin' on a dare?
Winner runs the show here, loser has to follow orders.
Stu!
So if us girls win,
you guys hafta be our slaves?
Stu! No.
What's the dare?
Us guys'll make a list of junk.
All you gotta do is get everything on it--
ever- ything!
If so, you're the boss.
If not, you have to do exactly what we say...
for the rest of the summer.
You are on.
How we gonna find a stove,
a wading pool or a Barcalounger?
Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.
What if
that white man Lipnicki come out and shoot us?
He ain't gonna shoot us.
Why you even think somethin' like that?
'Cause I'd shoot us, and if I was white,
I'd probably aim for me!
This is all our stuff from the old house.
There's our mantelpiece.
I can't believe they took our mantelpiece.
They probably took everything.
That old thief, Lipnicki.
He doesn't even own this property,
stupid squatter.
Then he steals our stuff on top of it.
- It's Billy Lipnicki! - I knew it was him!
Quiet, Billy, before you get us all in deep!
Arliss! Leo!
Willard! Ula! Help! I'm gonna get you!
You're not gonna get away, you snot-nosed little brat!
Get him before he gets us all shot dead!
Knock it off.
I ain't gonna hurt you, you wild little goat.
Calm down.
If I let you go, you promise not to scream no more?
Any of you bring any money?
All I got's ten cent.
Billy,
you promise to keep quiet about us coming here,
and we'll give you a dime every trip.
Hmm.
I got front!
- I got shotgun! - Well, I'm drivin'!
Think they'll get any of it?
Hell, no.
They're probably at Elvadine's
having a back bend contest or somethin' stupid like that.
This is cool. All right!
Yeah! Come on!
All right!
Whoo! All right!
That was cool!
That was great!
Ooh! What smells so bad?
You could die of fumigation down here!
Golly!
Could be a cesspool.
Oh, man, it's poison ivy.
One time through here,
we'd be itchin' till our balls fell off.
There they are. I told ya.
The Lipnickis are comin'!
Way to go, Lester!
We oughta teach them and their slimy
buddy Lester Lucket a lesson.
You're not thinkin'...
what I think you're thinkin'.
They can't see it from up there.
Come on.
Think it'll work? It'll be worth it if it does.
Let's see if the Lipnickis float.
Come on.
This is our territory now.
Get lost, and leave the trolley.
What isn't your territory?
If I were you, I wouldn't go down there.
It's awful scary.
You ain't us, are ya?
We can go down any hill we please.
Well, don't say I didn't warn ya.
Watch this.
This is disgustin', stinkin' crap!
Pee-yoo!
It smells like a butt down here!
I'm gonna kick your ass for this, Simmons!
Take a bath first!
That way we won't smell ya comin'!
Butt brain!
Oh, no.
Oh, boys!
Stove, wading pool,
siding and Barcalounger.
Start buildin', slaves.
Okay, I got it--
We build it outta their stuff,
and then we'll kick 'em out.
Can't. We promised.
So what?
Everybody here knows my word ain't no good.
Like I said, start buildin', slaves.
And when you get done, you gotta paint it.
Screw you, man.
We're not doing nothin' you say, suckers.
- Hey, we had a deal. - Deal's off.
Marsh, come on!
Come on, yourself.
No way am I gonna be no slave to no girl.
Chet, carry me over here so I can reach this branch.
I'm outta here.
Hey, they got great stuff!
You guys are seriously bailin'?
Does Howdy Doody have wooden balls?
Welshers!
Who wanted the boys anyway?
We can have it all to ourselves.
Amen!
Think you could make any more noise
with that damn car of yours?
Sorry about that, Miss Higgins.
And quit tryin' to look through my dress and see my nipples.
Hi, hon.
How was your day?
Honey?
They let me go from that job today.
What? Why?
It hasn't even been a week.
Some way or another...
they found out I spent time in that mental hospital.
Well, did you tell 'em you went into that hospital voluntary,
for nightmares?
It's nothin' personal, they said.
Law says you can't work for the city
or state within the vicinity of children...
if you've spent time in a mental hospital
or corrective institution.
It's on account of our government
you wound up in that place.
And now they're turning you down
for work like you're some kind of criminal?
What is that?
We still got my jobs,
and we can get food stamps and--
Food stamps?
God bless America. They--
They give you a handout before they give you a job.
Don't tell the kids just yet.
They gonna find out. I know.
'Cause I'm gonna tell 'em.
Just not till
Just don't want them gettin' the idea the world's against us.
You know, my father, he used to say...
nothin' you ever do in this lifetime...
is gonna make a difference.
Wouldn't you know, Lois,
out of all the remarks anybody ever said to me,
that's the one I held on to.
Maybe that's why I joined up--
a chance to do something good--
when they was draftin'.
Then I let my best friend die
'cause I didn't have enough guts to stand up--
Don't do this to yourself, Stephen.
You done the only thing you knew.
Well, I don't want our kids growin' up
thinkin' they're powerless 'cause of me!
Everything they do in this world
has a consequence.
Our children still believe in miracles,
they still believe anything's possible.
And so long as they believe like that,
they're gonna be somethin'.
They're gonna make a difference in this world.
And that means I made a difference.
I'm gonna get a job.
I'll get one.
* Summertime, time, time
I need five men!
How about me, boss? You, with the suspenders.
You with the denim, you with the thermos jug.
* Fish are jumpin' now
* And the cotton, Lord
* Cotton's high
* We gone so high
* Your daddy's rich
* And your ma's
* So good-lookin', babe
* She's lookin' good, now
You know, he could use some help, you guys.
Child, it is too hot to work.
I might catch me a stroke out here.
* No, no, no, no Don't you cry *
* Don't you cry
We can't lift this. Come on.
We almost got it. Come on.
All right, let's try this one more time.
I can't lift that.
Poor son of a gun.
He wants to build that place so bad,
he's willing to put up with anything.
One, two, three!
Look how they got him sweatin'.
Am I lying or what?
It brings tears to a man's eyes to see.
You guys wanted that up there,
then why didn't you ask me?
Put that thing up there.
That the way you ask me?
Ain't you heard the word "please"?
Please?
Get out of my way, lightweight.
* You're gonna rise
* Rise up singin'
Wait a minute. Wait.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Hallelujah! Wow!
Way to go! I knew you could do it!
Come on, Marsh!
Way to go! How'd you do that?
I don't get it.
Well, she's for sale, Stuart.
Been repossessed.
Found out today bank's
had her on the market fourteen months.
Nobody's interested,
on account of she's so close to the train tracks.
Tragic, isn't it?
Dad, nobody wants it 'cause she's a wreck.
Why, how dare you?
Paint's chippin' off the walls,
cracked windows--
Lipstick and rouge, that's all that is.
Lipstick and rouge.
This here's a fine old girl.
You just gotta look a little deeper.
She's got good pipes.
Sound foundation.
She gonna keep us cool in the summer,
keep us warm in the winter,
give us clean water to drink.
And I mean through the pipes, not the roof.
Yeah, but Dad--
Listen to that water pressure.
Brings tears to my eyes.
Dad, you've gone stark, ravin' mad.
Shh.
Mmm. She speak-a to me.
Yeah? What's she sayin'?
"You can buy me."
Did she happen to say where to get the money?
She did not mention that.
Come here. I want to show you somethin'.
I figure in there's gonna be your room.
Dad.
It's the biggest room I ever seen.
It is, isn't it?
Upstairs there's a vanity in the master suite.
Yeah? How do you know?
'Cause last time I was here,
I climbed up a tree, snuck a peek.
Your mama's always wanted her very own vanity.
I'm gonna build her a French potty in here.
You know, one of them bidets?
"Walter Crouly Home."
Next owner is none other than--
Us.
Stu,
it's gonna take a good while
'fore I can get enough money together...
to get this place.
I'd like to surprise your mom.
You think--
You think maybe we could keep
this whole thing under our hats?
I won't tell a soul.
Good. Good.
Are we just pretendin' we're gonna buy this place?
We are hopin', son.
So long as we got hope, there's always a chance.
All right,
let's be pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em down.
Hey, son!
That man over there
says you know somethin' about a minin' job.
Go to hell.
Excuse me? Did I-- Did I say somethin'?
Just go on and get your jollies off of somebody else.
All right,
I'm tired of all y'all makin' fun about my car!
First shot I get at a decent job,
and my car blows up.
I'm tired of people makin' fun of my car too,
but it runs.
It does, huh?
When I got money to put gas in her,
she does.
If you got a line on a good job,
I got a car.
Maybe we should have dinner tonight at my house,
discuss it.
What you havin'?
How come all we ever eat is potatoes any more?
We eat mashed potatoes, fried potatoes,
baked potatoes.
Hey, everybody! Hey, Dad.
Hi.
I want you to meet my new friend, Moe Henry.
Hi, everybody.
You want somethin' to eat?
Yes, ma'am. Not much.
Moe and me got hired on as miners this afternoon.
Hey! Good job, Dad!
Problem is, if I don't show up tomorrow morning,
foreman's gonna give my position to someone else.
Moe knows how to get me a card tonight, right?
That's right.
The problem is, it's gonna cost fifty smackers.
Fifty dollars for a union card?
Where you gonna get that from, Dad? Tell 'em about the dollar.
If I get the card,
Moe's gonna ride to work with me,
pay me a dollar every day.
That's right! For gas!
Lois, it pays ten times what I'm makin' now.
Got the first installment right here!
Why do you think that is, Stephen?
Don't fight me on this, honey.
Hey, Daddy,
I got five and some change if you need it.
Not here, not now.
I believe I got seventeen dollars.
Seventeen plus this, what Moe had,
that's eighteen.
I have 800 Coke bottles you can have.
That should give you about 35, 40 dollars at least.
- Mama, I thought you was saving that money for a--
- Special occasion?
That is exactly right. That is what this is.
Your daddy just landed the best job of his life.
Congratulations, Stephen, Moe.
Thank you, Mrs. Simmons.
We'd better run before that place closes.
Moe. Okay.
Can I come with you? Sure!
It's near 50 miles to that marble mine.
Think Flossie'll make it, Dad?
It took you six months to save that.
Now he's gonna go blowin'
it on a job he'll probably lose inside the first week.
Come outside.
Come on, Flossie, don't fail me now.
She busted again. Mm-hmm.
Lidia Simmons, what is the matter with you?
It's you.
You don't got good shoes.
You hardly ever eat anything.
You work all the time.
This money was gonna be a new chance for you.
Why you always givin' your chances away?
Now, listen here.
All your dad has ever done
is fought to make this world a better place for us.
Yes, he struggles.
Yes, he has had dirt kicked in his face.
All the more reason he needs our help.
Now, you don't wanna help him,
that's okay.
You gotta follow your instincts.
But I will not listen to you knock him.
He's part of me.
You cut him down, you're cuttin' me down.
You're cuttin' down yourself.
Dad?
Would you like to go back to bed?
What are you doing up this late, Pocahontas?
Well,
I dreamt I had to pee,
and then I woke up and it was real.
Dad, Stu says them dreams give you
a nervous breakdown,
and that's how come you had to go away.
Are you going away again?
I ain't goin' nowhere...
you can't come.
You believe in angels?
Sure.
Why?
Don't you believe in anything you can't see?
No. So do you think I have a guardian angel?
Lidia, I bet you got a dozen of them.
Like who, for example?
Well, I bet your grandfather's watching over you.
Well, I thought you said he was an alcoholic.
Uh, Lidia, it's, wh--
Lidia, it's two o'clock in the morning. Don't--
Dad, listen,
when you get old and die,
you'd better fire whoever's got my case...
and take over the job yourself.
I'll tell you what.
When the Lord calls me home,
I'll just ask Him about that. Okay?
But right now I think
we both oughta be hittin' the sack, hon.
Look here, I cut my arm.
That makes 31 scars.
I must got more scars than you now.
Hell you do.
I got more scars than Frankenstein.
Put your arm up here next to mine.
Come this-a-way.
Them cigar burns you give yourself don't count.
Gotta be an accident.
I'm itchin' like a wet dog. You smell like one too.
Shut up.
Orbiting Pluto, Billy?
No.
We never get to do nothin' good.
I hate this town.
I hate these ugly clothes, ugly shoes--
Why don't you just say
you hate everything under the universe...
and give our ears a break?
She's gotta recite
the whole encyclopedia of hates every damn day.
It's clear.
You done good by us, Billy boy.
Thanks.
People said Billy Lipnicki was nuts...
and saw visions and talked to the spirits.
The only thing that I knew is that he loved dimes.
But what I didn't know at the time
was that that very same day...
my father had pulled out his only decent shirt,
ironed it perfectly
and put his tie on to look respectable...
so he could buy us
a new house at the county auction.
Flossie stall again, Dad?
What the hell's the matter with you? Can't you drive?
Come on, Flossie.
Get that piece of junk off the road!
* I'm a-gonna raise a fuss and I'm gonna raise a holler *
Go around him, stupid!
Did she stall again, Dad? Yes.
What's the matter with you? Move it!
He's just doin' it to spite ya!
That's why he cut you off!
Yeah! Move it!
What the hell?-
Dad, he's hittin' our car!
I see that.
- Hit him again, Dad! - Do somethin'!
What do you want I should do,
go stand between the bumper?
Quit hittin' our car, you big, fat son of a bitch!
Son, don't-- d-don't say that.
What the hell'd you say to me?
That's the way you teach your kids,
to back-talk adults?
Well, no,
but I think he seen you slammin' against our car like that,
he got-- he got a little emotional.
Dad, he tricked us into fallin' into poison ivy!
Yeah, I got dung all over me 'cause of him!
- You throw my kid in a cesspool? - No!
Liar, liar, pants on fire, hangin' from a telephone wire!
You lyin' to me, son?
You better don't catch yourself lyin' to me!
Don't let him talk to you that way! He's a liar!
Hit him, Dad! Let's let this go.
Come on, Dad!
Seems like our kids are gonna live.
Show him who's boss!
Doesn't look like there's any damage
to our fine automobiles.
You bein' smart with me?
If you lookin' for a fight, I'll fight you right now.
He couldn't beat himself out of a wet paper bag.
I don't believe in fightin'.
I'll bet you don't.
You yellow-tailed, chicken-livered wussy.
Go, Dad! Whoo!
Tell him like it is! Go, Dad!
Way to tell him!
Beat him up, Dad! Way to go, Dad!
At least he don't smell like a drunken skunk!
I oughta break your neck, you little shithead!
Dad! Dad!
'Fraid I can't allow you to put your hands on my son.
You don't see me correctin' your children.
I don't mind so much you plowin' into my car...
and callin' me names,
but you go after my child,
you're gonna push a button on me,
and then I'm gonna lose control and kill ya.
Now, apologize to my son.
I apologize.
That's mighty kind of you.
My son has somethin' to tell you.
Apologize to Mr. Lipnicki, Stu.
Tell him you're sorry for insultin' him.
Sorry, Mr. Lipnicki.
It's all over now.
* Oooh, ooooh
* Baby love My baby love *
* I need ya Oh, how I need ya *
* But all you do is treat me bad *
Let's get outta here!
- * You're gonna be in trouble * - For what?
Takin' stuff off the Lipnickis' yard.
- It just so happens I got permission. - I don't believe you.
You know I'm gonna tell on you,
and when they find out, they're gonna kick your ass.
Don't say nothin', Lester.
Name me one reason why I shouldn't.
You're goin' to summer school again, aren't ya?
So?
If you keep your big, fat mouth closed,
I'll do all your homework.
First time I get less than a "B," I'm tellin'.
Either way, I got you.
Well, did you put your best foot forward?
We're tryin' to.
You know, uh,
bank tries not to encourage the cheapskates...
by suggestin' an openin' offer of $5,000.
Some of these people been writin' us checks
for, oh, a nickel.
It's really causin' some problems around here.
Well, my check ain't for nowheres near $5,000.
You reckon I'd still have a chance?
Neighbor, I'd like to say yeah,
but I don't wanna lie to you.
Haven't you ever considered buyin' a mobile home?
- Sign says, "No minimum bid." - Yes, sir, it does.
I really like the white house the best.
You wanna kiss it for added luck?
Good luck to you.
What say we go get your mom
and your sister some cotton candy?
All right.
You stay right there.
Can I get two, please?
Dad?
Dad!
Hey, punk!
Don't you know you can't buy no houses with food stamps?
No, Willard, his daddy has a job.
Remember we seen him pluckin' spuds out in the field?
Then again,
maybe he was just thievin' them taters for supper.
Hey!
That's enough!
I hate them kids! All right.
...a series of operations against
Communist-occupied areas of Cambodia.
Go on. Go on, get on with your business.
...our presence in South Vietnam.
This past weekend, in the western White House,
I met with Secretary Laird.
I guess this is all my fault.
If I can't control myself, how I expect you to?
* Let the river rock you like a cradle * Hey, trespasser!
I know of a house your daddy could afford.
Course, couple of robins livin' in it now.
Get in the car.
* Let your hand tie a knot across the table *
* Come and touch the things you cannot feel *
* And close your finger tip
* And fly where I can't hold you *
* Let the sun rain fall
* And let the dewy clouds enfold you *
* And maybe you can think
I hope you know them're the
kids that just beat me up.
I know who they are, son.
Why'd you give them Mom and Lidia's cotton candy?
'Cause it looked like they hadn't been given nothin'
in a long time.
* That don't mind me
* 'Cause I ain't nothin' but a dream *
My goodness, you're doin' a beautiful job on that.
Where you gettin' all the stuff?
I don't know.
Lidia gets it.
Stu?
Son, have you tried talkin' to them Lipnickis?
It's self defense, Dad!
You went to war to fight for people you didn't even know!
Yes, I did!
Because I wanted to help people.
But in the end,
I killed more people than I saved.
I lost more friends than I ever made before or since.
I lost my dignity, I lost my house,
I 'bout lost my family.
None of that was your fault, Dad.
You done the right thing, goin' to war.
Stu,
I think it's time I finished
tellin' you about them nightmares.
Aw, Dad. Just listen!
I started to tell you...
that I had this friend Dodge?
We'd gone through boot camp together?
Swore we'd stick by one another, come what may?
* The sunshine of your lo-oo-ve *
* I've been waitin' Aaah!
There was an explosion.
And I could hear him.
Stephen!
It was Dodge, and he was callin' my name.
Stephen!
He was hurt. We were all hurt.
- You and me, man. - You and me.
You and me, man.
We're gettin' our asses on the next bus outta here!
You just hold on!
I carried him. I swear I carried him as far as I could.
You and me, man.
We got to that helicopter just as--
just as the enemy was comin' in.
Leave him! Just you!
Everybody in the company had died, it was just--
- It was just me and Dodge. - Come on, let's go!
I was scared out of my mind.
Craft's too heavy!
We can take one man, that's it!
He's gonna be all right!
We can't lift off with any more than one!
Let's just give it
You gotta make a decision!
I can't leave him! It's your choice, man.
It's one of you or none of you.
I can't... leave him.
You understand?
We're not the enemy!
Dodge was so bad off, he didn't know from nothin'.
And I was so scared of being left behind that I--
I laid my best friend down on the ground and
told him to go with God.
He let go of my hand,
then he just closed his eyes.
I got inside of that helicopter and I flew away.
Two days later,
my country...
presented me with a Purple Heart...
and a Bronze Star for bravery.
Why didn't you make 'em take him, Dad?
'Cause I lost my mind.
Fightin' had consumed us, and we'd all gone nuts.
And that's what my struggle's been about...
all these years.
Tryin' to forgive myself, pardon my country.
Daddy.
I can't tell you never to fight, Stu.
But if you wanna know what I think,
I think the only thing that keeps people...
truly safe and happy is love.
I think, I think that's where men get their courage.
That's where countries get their strength.
And that's where God grants us Her miracles.
And in the absence of love, Stuart,
there is nothin',
nothin' in this world, worth fightin' for.
I'll try to work it out with the Lipnickis,
all right?
I know you will.
You're--
I love you. I love you too, Dad.
You're my son.
Good mornin', girls and boys.
My name... is Miss Strapford.
Now, this summer, we are gonna be familiarizin' ourselves...
with what I believe...
is just the finest book ever come into print.
It is entitled,
Why My Life Is Like a Bowl of Cherries.
Now, doesn't that title just give ya a thrill?
Excuse me, darlin'.
When the teacher is speakin',
the polite thing for girls and boys to do...
is to shut their little mouths and listen,
you understand?
Yes, ma'am.
Now,
once we are finished with this book,
we are gonna be devotin' our time...
to writing our memoirs.
This is where you will indicate to me...
why your life...
is like a bowl of cherries.
Let's get this class into some sort of order.
Son, you're a tall boy. Why don't you swap seats...
with that little girl back there in the plaid?
Go on.
Pick up your stuff and move on back.
And you, with the hearing aid!
Why don't you have a seat back there?
Just crank up that little thing of yours.
And, uh, you, sweetheart,
why don't you have a seat up here?
Oh, my, you're a big girl.
I'm sure you'll see just fine in the rear aisle.
Go on.
And now, you, little girl,
why don't you have a seat in the back with your friend?
Now, isn't this much better?
Nigger lover. Shut up!
Colored girl, didn't I just tell you to hush up?
I wasn't sayin' nothin'.
Well, now, I distinctly heard you whisperin'.
Stand up and tell the class...
what was so important that you had to interrupt me again.
I already told you. I wasn't sayin' nothin'.
I know you did. And I wanna hear what it was.
We're all waitin'.
She already told you.
I think she can speak for herself.
All right. I'll tell you.
I was sayin', "Elvadine, what you gots to write about?
"Been in the sixth grade your whole good-for-nothin' life.
"Ain't got no daddy.
"Never goes anywhere but where your feets take you.
"Onliest money ever belonged to you in the whole world...
"was 20 dollars you got yourself in a birthday card...
from your uncle last year."
But it really wasn't for my birthday, really.
It was for layin' over his lap, lettin' him spank me...
with my underpants down.
Now here you come along,
shovin' me in the back of the room...
where I's can't even see good,
which means I probably not gonna graduate this summer neither.
Just 'cause you read how some white man say...
life be like a bowl full of cherries,
I gots to come up with somethin' to fit his sayin'.
Well, fine.
I'll just write down how happy I'm gonna be...
to get 20 more dollars on my birthday.
Never mind what he got planned for me this year.
And I'm gonna write how maybe the new man my mama's seein'...
might stop drinkin' and treat me nice.
And maybe he gonna 'dopt me and take us off the welfare.
And at the end, I'm gonna be sure and put,
"Life sure is a bowl full of cherries."
But to tell you the truth, Miss Strapford,
I think you and that book and this whole class...
be a bowl full of shit!
Go to the principal's office.
Now.
Didn't you hear a damn word she said?
Excuse me?
She told you the best truth she knows.
And you don't got no right to put her out or call her a liar neither.
My mama says folks who treat people bad only do it because they're ignorant.
So I'm gonna help you.
She's gonna sit up front where she can see from now on.
She ain't gonna go by "colored girl" no more neither.
You're gonna learn her name.
I don't know about you, but all my friends have names.
And this just so happens to be my best friend.
Her name is Elvadine.
No, no.
My daughter knows the difference between cruelty...
and sensitivity.
So I wrote my memoirs for Miss Strapford.
And the summer just drifted on by.
Dad got his union card and a job pumpin' water...
out of an abandoned portion of the Foothill Marble Mine,
two counties north of us.
It was a good job
'cause there was three million gallons of water to pump.
I hear they ain't been workin' in this section of the mine...
for, uh, 20 years now. It's kinda spooky, really.
Lemme get it.
What was that?
I don't know.
Moe!
Help!
I can't move.
All right, let me see.
Stephen?
Am I all right?
All right, this is not gonna feel too good.
No, no, Stephen.
Stephen, it ain't no use.
Ain't no use.
Best go, get out of here while you can.
You know I can't do that.
You still owe me three dollars for gasoline.
I want you to know,
if I gotta break your leg into ten pieces,
I'm takin' you outta here.
Oh, thanks.
That makes me feel a whole lot better.
Third time's the charmer.
Grit your teeth...
and get ready to swim.
All right, don't move back there. Keep apace.
Move 'em back, move 'em back.
My name is Lois Simmons.
Yes, ma'am.
Stephen Simmons is my husband. Is he all right?
I don't know. Uh, I hope so.
Move back!
Get out of the way. Move over!
Moe. Moe!
Oh, my God! What happened?
Stu?
He saved my life.
Your daddy saved my life.
Hey!
- Dad! Dad, what happened? - Let me see him.
Get back, son.
We're in a hurry. You all right?
Stay back, son. Dad! Dad! No!
Dad!
Is he gonna live?
I've heard of others like him that have pulled through,
but I gotta tell you,
what's keepin' him alive hasn't got a thing to do with medicine.
He's got massive thoracic injuries.
One of his lungs is collapsed.
He's hemorrhaging--
his heart's bruised awful bad.
Dad.
Oh, Dad.
They say he should've died instantly.
They didn't know my dad. And he hung on.
Stu never said much about that day.
He just went straight over to the tree house and started in on it.
For the rest of that day and most of the night,
he kept himself busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kickin' contest.
I guess around dawn, Stu finally passed out.
Meanwhile, little John D. Rockefeller just kept on hoardin' his loot,
bidin' his time till he seen a chance to spend it.
Do you have a bag?
And spend it he did.
Arliss! Leo! Willard!
Get your good-for-nothing carcasses over here!
Look at him, every last one of ya, look at him!
He can't even move, for Christ's sake!
What's the matter with him?
Well, now, you tell me!
Uh, I don't know. Ice cream coma?
He's your goddamned brother!
You're supposed to take care of him!
If your mama could see how you's treatin' him,
she'd come down from heaven and kill every one of us!
I oughta beat the hell
out of every one of ya for lettin' him...
wallow in the dirt like that!
Ow!
Now, get him cleaned up before the ants carry him off!
And from now on,
if any of you leave this yard without him,
it's gonna be on a stretcher!
Get up!
I almost got my ears torn off, stupid idiot!
I wish we'd never even had you.
Where'd you get that, anyhow?
Big airplane just dropped 'em out of the sky.
You don't honest up, Billy,
we're gonna scrub you down with lipstick...
so everyone thinks you got diaper rash,
how 'bout it?
Nuh-uh! Yes-huh!
After that,
we're gonna shave your head bald as a witch's tit.
I ain't gonna look like no witch's tit.
You will if you don't tell us.
You can cut off every hair on my head,
but I ain't tellin' you...
ding-dittly-ding-dittly- ding-dang-dong.
* Sunny, ooh-hoo
* Yesterday my life was filled with rain *
* Sunny * Oh, Sunny
* You smiled at me and really eased the pain *
* Oh, the dark days are gone * * Dark days are gone
* And the bright days are here * * Bright days are here
* My Sunny one shines so sincere *
* Oh, Sunny one so true
* I love you
Oh, my God!
The Lipnickis are coming!
Oh, great! That makes for a perfect day.
What the hell they doin' here?
Hey, did you guys tell 'em about this place?
- Of course not! - No way, man!
I gots to go home. My mom gots to do my hair.
See you, Lid.
- Stu? - What?
I was gonna tell you.
Tell me what? What'd you do, Lidia?
I mentioned to the little kid Lipnicki Billy that
we was buildin' a fort.
He ain't even allowed off his property.
How could you be talkin' to him?
What?
All the junk come from the Lipnickis' yard.
Oh, no!
- No! - Oh, man, I warned you, Stu!
A walkin', talkin' broadcast station,
that's what she is!
Oh, man, I fold.
They're halfway across the lot. What are we doin'?
Go on, stall a minute. I gotta think.
Simmons!
Simmons, you better get your butt down here!
Uh, Stu, it's kinda important you come out here now!
I admit it. I shouldn't have been there.
Yeah.
So I screwed up. Yeah.
All right, let's not make a big thing outta this.
So, now what?
I don't know. I'm not goin' out there to fight 'em.
Oh, Stu! You're not thinkin' of handin' it all back?
This is our house! Maybe the only one we're ever gonna have.
Don't you think we oughta fight for it?
Don't you recall a damn thing Daddy's taught us?
He finds out we been fightin', he's gonna be real disappointed.
Oh, Stu!
Well, maybe this ain't the time.
But haven't you considered that maybe he's never gonna find out?
He's lyin' in that hospital,
on machines that're breathin' for him.
Don't you say one more word!
You just better not talk like that no more!
He's gonna be fine! He's always fine!
Okay, Stu, I'm sorry.
You just name one time he didn't turn out fine.
You're right. I'm sorry.
I-I didn't mean that, really.
We'll figure another way, that's all. No fightin'.
Oh, Stu!
I think you oughta join us out here on the patio right quick!
Stu! Oh, Stu!
- Come here, twerps! - Ow! Let go my ear!
Ow! Shut your face, freckles!
Stuart Simmons, meet Arliss Lipnicki again.
Billy there says you all been moochin' of'n our property.
This is our stuff. Your daddy took it from our old house.
Seen bird houses built better than this.
Probably fall to pieces in the first good wind.
Bitchin' lock, though. Where'd you get it?
It's my dad's.
Come from the war. Come on, give it back.
Ahh, goody gumdrops.
I think I'll just take it home and play with it.
Now, come on. Give it back.
That there's our stove, tell you that right now.
Them boards and rusty nails is our'n too.
Well, if it's just them few things, we'll dismantle 'em and give 'em back.
Stu?
Trespasser wants to give us back our ruined boards...
with ten million scratches and dog piss stains.
'Fraid I'm gonna have to lay claim to this here
piece of crap fort.
Hell, you don't need to claim it.
You guys can come visit any time.
Yeah!
Shut up, Billy, you little dip.
Hey, cool fort!
God, what the hell did they do to your head?
Same thing I'm gonna do to you!
You got five seconds to tell me an idea I like
better than seizin' this place for our own.
Four, three, two.
We'll dare you for it.
Cool, Arliss! A dare!
- What kinda dare? - Any kind you say.
But if we win, we keep the fort.
- If you lose? - It's yours.
Lock and key.
It's fine by us. See you at the quarry.
If we win,
do we get to own the fort and say who's in it?
That's what we get to do.
If I got the key, I'd have it be everyone's...
and we'd have a big party with Ring Dings, Little Debbies,
Rocket Pops and Yoo-hoos and--
Shut up, Billy, you little broken record!
Thank you, now I'm starvin'. And I mean starvin'.
God!
I'm scared.
Hold on, asshole!
I am holdin' on!
Water's calm now, but she gets real ugly when she empties.
Ohh, man.
You sure you swum down there?
You ain't psyching me out, are you?
I told you I did.
Man!
What are them noises?
It's drainin', I guess.
It'll stop sooner or later.
Stu, let's nix on this.
We can find another lot.
Look, it's real simple.
You and Leo's gonna swim to the other side and tag it.
First one back to the ladder claims all.
Either side yellow-bellies, it's a forfeit.
Y'all got that?
Oh, my God! What is that?
There ain't no way across here.
Well, we'll find out, won't we?
What's goin' on? You ain't never been down here, have you?
You swimmin' across here is a bunch of dick. It ain't as bad as it looks.
Simmons ain't afraid to swim it. That moron's crazier than you.
You swim it! Why don't you?
Fine! I will!
- Willard, go down there. - I ain't goin' down there.
Don't you knuckle on me. You want 'em to think we's chicken?
They can think whatever they like. I ain't goin' down there.
Ebb? Why? You chicken, big fella?
- Ula? - No way!
Hey, where'd Leo go?
You ready? On your marks, get set--
Hold on. Look here.
I'm gonna give you one last chance to back out.
Gimme the word, and we'll think up a different deal.
- For your sake. - You forfeit?
Lidia, count us down. On your marks,
You know there ain't no way.
- get set, go. - You psycho?
Stu! Stu, come on!
You're gonna make it, Stu!
You're halfway there!
Stu, come on!
Don't get in the middle! Stay outta the middle!
Come on, Stu, swim!
Stu! Come on, please, Stu!
Stu, come on, you can make it, Stu!
Swim!
Swim, Stu! Come on, swim!
Come on, Stu!
You can make it, Stu!
Come on, Stu!
Stu!
Stu, come on!
Come on, Stu! You can make it.
Come on!
I can't believe that lunatic made it across!
I taught him how to swim like that.
Boy, I psyched you out.
You thought we was really gonna swim it. What a cretin.
Hey! The fort's ours!
Have it.
We never wanted your cruddy old fort in the first place.
I told you I'd get you through this mess.
Hey, the lock.
Go get it yourself, why don't ya, I dare ya.
Come on, Stu, forget the key. We got the fort.
Come on, Billy, she's right.
Let's get out of here before somebody gets hurt.
So we deposited Billy on firm ground...
and went to visit Dad again.
Stu thought he looked better.
Elvadine said a prayer for him.
I'm here, honey.
Do you even know who I am?
Lois.
Stephen.
That's me.
Hey, Mom!
Stuart!
Lidia. Y'all are to come in here now.
Something wrong? Ma?
Your daddy just died.
No.
It wasn't painful.
His heart... just quit pumpin'.
But he's gonna be okay.
He cannot die. He's on machines.
Son, they took him off.
Well, tell 'em to put him back on! Call them!
Honey, he's gone.
He's-- They can't now.
I'm sorry.
Why'd they take him off, Ma? Because it cost too much?
No.
You understand, don't you?
I understand that everybody just give up on him!
Don't you know nothin' could've kept your father away from you,
given he had a choice?
I bet he's up there right now in heaven,
lookin' down on us.
He's gonna be able to look out for us the rest of our lives.
Yeah?
Well, I sure as hell hope he does a better job than when he was alive.
- Don't say that, Stu! - Why not?
You thought he was a deadbeat.
I never said that.
For all's I know, he could've been an angel.
Maybe he's lookin' down on us now.
Maybe he died in that war
and God sent him back for one last visit.
For what? To get our hopes up?
To promise us he'd stay forever?
And we's gonna have a big house
with a tire swing and a vanity and a picket fence?
And then just leave? Again?
What the hell kind of loused-up angel is that?
He didn't mean to leave, honey.
No, he didn't mean it.
I think God just took him on home.
We're his home, Ma!
The stupid Lord can have him later.
Why? Why does God take everything, Ma?
Bad enough our house and all our things.
Wh-- Why'd he have to take my daddy?
What did I do so wrong that he'd have to take my daddy?
Oh, no, you didn't do nothin'.
He could've took anybody--
Charles Manson, super-old people,
already been around 100 years.
My dad was only 34 years old.
I needed him more than you, God!
I needed him more!
Come here. No!
Hang on. I want him back, Mama.
We all do. We do.
No, Stu!
Stu--
They showed up this afternoon...
before we could get all our ammo done.
Now they're wastin' half my brother's fireworks.
How's your dad? He died.
Aw, Stu.
Is there anything we can do for you, man?
What if Dad's watchin'?
Dad's dead.
What if he knows what we're doin'?
Dad's gone, Lidia.
Here's the real stuff.
Smoke bombs.
Camouflage paint.
Uniforms. Take what you want, guys.
Oh, man!
Stu!
Hurry, hurry, hurry! Close it! Hurry!
Get 'em off! Stingin' me!
Ow!
Get 'em off!
Eat that, sucker.
You get outta my tree and stay out, and nobody gets hurt!
But if you come back, all bets are off!
Come back here!
Here's one over here! Let's clobber him!
Run!
Regroup!
You yellow-bellied chickens!
Oh, my God!
Lidia, get outta there!
Come on!
We can't give up. Help me save the fort.
Oh, no.
Wait. What're you doin'?
Puttin' out another fire.
Arliss, why're you doin' that?
Why don't everyone share the fort?
For the last time, get lost, you little twerp.
God!
Ula Lipnicki!
All them times you knocked out my teeth,
I'm gonna show you now!
Get away from my friend!
You knocked out my tooth.
You knocked out another front tooth, you douche bag.
We thought if we hit 'em hard the first time,
they would surrender and the fighting would end.
But it didn't. It just got worse and worse.
And I guess somewhere along the way,
we all sort of lost our minds.
* It's just a shot away Just-a, just a shot away *
* Rape, murder
* It's just a shot away You sick, crazy bastard!
* It's just a shot away
See ya later, alligator.
I'll get you, Ebb!
I'm gonna kick your scrawny little butt
from here to kingdom come!
Army tags!
* Cold fever
* It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away *
- Oww! - Got her!
You and me, man.
Oh, my God.
Billy, don't move! Stay there!
Billy!
Hey!
Forget the key, Billy. The fort's gone.
Just stay where you are.
- The planks are rotted. - Don't move a muscle.
Hold still now, Billy. I'm gonna get ya.
Billy! Is that you, you dumb Dora?
Yeah!
Hold on! Don't do nothin' stupid.
I just came to grab the key. It's okay now.
I gotcha. I'm a-scared!
It's okay, I tell ya. Let go.
- Don't be mad at me. - Gimme your hand.
Gimme your hand.
Billy!
- Damn it, Billy! - Help!
Grab onto somethin'! Come on, you can make it!
Come on, Billy, reach!
Hang on, Billy! It's gotta stop drainin' soon.
He's headin' for the drain! Get him!
Billy!
- He's stuck in the drain! Yank him off!
Get him, get him!
Hurry!
Yank him off the drain!
Billy!
We're comin' now! Grab him!
Oh, no.
He ain't breathin', man. He ain't breathin'!
Come on, Billy! Help me now.
Take a breath.
Come on, wake up! Damn it, Billy, fight it!
Fight it!
Listen to me. I'm talkin' to you.
Come on! Come on!
Live, Billy.
- Br- eathe!
Please, God, breathe! - Stop it, you'll hurt him!
It ain't no use. He ain't takin' air.
Don't you listen to them, Billy.
We're gonna pull through this now, you and me.
Wake up!
Come on, you gotta live. You gotta live!
You gotta! Don't hurt him.
Just let him be. No!
You gotta give him a chance.
Come on, Billy, take a breath!
My daddy says people can do anything they have a mind to
as long as they believe they can.
Please, God, let him breathe!
You took my dad. Don't take Billy.
He's just a little kid.
You gotta wake up now. You gotta live!
Co-Come on, breathe!
Breathe! Don't quit now, Billy!
Will somebody please help me?
- I will. - You know what you're doing?
I sure hope so.
Wake up now, Billy.
Nobody's gonna be mad at you.
You did the best you could.
Come on, you're a real-life hero.
Come on, wake up, Billy!
He woke up.
You know, I saw an angel. A real one.
He was holdin' onto my hand.
And I was gonna live in his kingdom.
He said I must come back and take care of my daddy.
And he looked like you,
but only bigger.
Come on, Billy. Let's go home.
These were Dad's.
What are you thinkin'?
If Dad's watchin',
he can go now.
He is watchin'.
From that day on,
the Lipnickis didn't hang around the quarry no more.
We didn't see much of them,
except for Billy, who kind of adopted us all.
The guys and us started to rebuild the fort,
but after a few days,
we all got kind of disinterested, and give up.
Now Stu and his friends mainly hang out at the theater...
so as to try and pick up babes.
* Someday
* We'll be together * Ahh
* Say it, say it, say it
Mama said Daddy was at peace finally,
that he wasn't sufferin' no more.
Then a few weeks later, a visitor came to see us.
Can I help you?
Oh.
Well, good afternoon, ma'am. My name is John Ray Wilkens.
Uh, I'm with the Clairville Auction House.
Yes.
Well, about six weeks ago, your husband put down a bid...
on one of our bank-owned properties.
We tried to call y'all,
but I guess the phone's been down.
Things been a little tight. Yeah, well, uh, anyway,
your husband put a down payment bid of $432.
Well, thanks for returnin' the check. We could sure use the money.
Uh, no, ma'am, I'm not returnin' the check.
Uh, you see,
the bank took on too many of these failed mortgages,
and if they don't start gettin' rid of some of these properties,
they're gonna be bankrupt themselves.
So, the bank, uh, accepted your husband's offer,
being that it was the only one they got.
Are you tellin' me Stephen bought us a house?
Yes, ma'am.
Uh, lipstick and rouge, Ma.
Don't I know!
So, I guess these memoirs are about us gettin' a home of our own,
but they're also about learnin' what's worth fightin' for.
My daddy once said of fightin':
"We are meant for better things, you and I."
And these days whenever I'm ready to haul off and belt someone...
who's got my dander up, I hear him whisper those words in my ear.
My mama says that people's lives are like tapestries.
The color and the beauty of the designs...
depend all on the people you know,
the things you've learned.
What I learned this summer...
is that no matter how much people think they understand war,
war will never understand people.
It's like a big machine that...
don't nobody really know how to work.
Once it gets outta hand,
winds up wreckin' all the things you thought you was fightin' for--
a whole bunch of other good things you sorta forgot you had.
I learned this summer that...
my brother was right.
My daddy's... the wisest man I've ever known.
And that no matter what anybody tells you,
with God's help, human beings can do anything.
- God! - Look at it!
Come on.
* Now I've been happy lately *
* Thinking about the good things to come *
* And I believe it could be
* Something good has begun
* Oh, I've been smilin' lately *
* Dreamin' about the world as one *
* And I believe it could be
* Someday it's going to come
* 'Cause out on the edge of darkness *
* There rides the Peace Train *
* Oh, Peace Train take this country *
* Come take me home again
* Now I've been smilin' lately *
* Thinkin' about the good things to come *
* And I believe it could be
* Something good has begun
* Oh, Peace Train's soundin' louder *
* Let's ride on the Peace Train *
* Oh, oh, oh, oh
* Come on the Peace Train *
* Yes, Peace Train Holy roller *
* Everyone jump up on the Peace Train *
* Oh, oh, oh, oh
* Come on the Peace Train
* Get your bags together
* Go bring your good friends too *
* Because it's gettin' nearer *
* It soon will be with you
* Now come and join the living *
* It's not so far from you
* And it's gettin' nearer
* Soon it will all be true
* Oh, Peace Train's soundin' louder *
* Ride on the Peace Train
* Oh, oh, oh, oh
* Come on the Peace Train Peace Train *
* Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh *
* Now I've been cryin' lately *
* Thinking about the world as it is *
* Why must we go on hatin'
* Why can't we live in bliss *
* 'Cause out on the edge of darkness *
* There rides the Peace Train *
* Oh, Peace Train take this country *
* Come take me home again
* Oh, Peace Train's soundin' louder *
* Ride on the Peace Train
* Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
* Come on the Peace Train
* Yes, Peace Train Holy roller *
* Everyone jump up on the Peace Train *
* Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
* Come on, come on, come on
* Come on, Peace Train
* Yes, it's the Peace Train
* Come on the Peace Train Oh, Peace Train *