Original subtitles

Bye.

Who is once a shameless full -time dope fiend?

Yeah, me, Bob.

This sweet mother's son.

Me and my crew robbed drugstores.

I had done them all, up and down the Pacific Northwest with pharmacies open

close.

Didn't matter, except for technique.

But don't get the idea it was easy.

It's hard being a dope fiend.

And it's even harder running a crew.

Diane was my wife.

I loved her.

Man, did she love dope.

So we made a good couple.

Whenever I got out of the joint, I always ended up with Diane.

Rick was my sidekick.

My muscle.

He was no novice to the life of crime.

His record showed a steady climb from juvenile offender to small -time thief.

He was gonna do just fine.

Nadine was Rick's old lady, the counter girl he picked up during one of our

jobs.

She was a piece of work.

She had no record, just a smile that caught us all a little off guard.

I was the undisputed leader then. I carried the whole goddamn outfit on my

like it was my own newborn son.

But I guess deep down, I knew he could never win.

We played a game he couldn't win.

To the utmost.

Morning. Good morning. I like your hat.

You have wintergreen gum.

I'm sorry. I don't think we carry that.

Hey!

Just a minute, ma 'am.

Wait a minute, man. There's foam in here.

I need an ambulance.

A woman is having an epileptic seizure.

This is how we do.

Are you sure you're okay?

Hey, let's go. Come on.

Hurry up.

I told you to walk, not crawl.

You said walk, and that's what we did. Yeah, I said walk, but I didn't mean to

go window shop.

God damn it, Bob.

Why do you got a fix in the car?

Can't you wait till we get home like everybody else?

Shut up and watch it drive.

Christ,

look at this traffic up here. Shit.

We gotta get home.

Idiot, move over.

After any kind of drug haul, everyone in the crew indulged.

I laughed to myself as I pictured blues dilaudid in such great amounts of the

spoon. It would literally be overflowing.

Upon entering my vein, the drug would start a warm itch that would surge along

until the brain consumed it in a gentle explosion that began in the back of the

neck and rose rapidly until I felt such pleasure that the whole world

sympathized and took on a soft, lofty appeal.

Everything was grand then.

Your worst enemy wasn't so bad.

The ants in the grass, they were just, you know, doing their thing.

Everything took on the rosy hue of unlimited success.

You could do no wrong.

And as long as it lasted, life was beautiful.

God damn it.

Screw you, buddy.

Where'd you get your goddamn license, shithead?

All

right,

now everybody just act cool.

It's like we just got back from church.

Has anybody seen my lighter?

So, I was working for this guy out, out of Valdez.

And, um, he had this great idea.

He, like,

just put shit on

them and water.

Nadine? Give me the same as Rick, I guess.

I don't think so.

Why not?

Nadine, you can't shoot no goddamn blue.

Give her half of one, Bob. That'll keep her in the crap for all afternoon.

God damn it. I was in there just like you. I had to get the same as everyone

else. Even if I can't shoot it all right now.

I don't need the way things work around here, Nadine.

You don't do shit.

It's me that's taking the big risk.

What about Diane? She didn't do anything either.

Really?

Is that what you think?

Don't give her a goddamn thing, Bob.

Just kick her ass out in the street where we found her. No, no.

Fair is fair.

You want your fourth.

You got it, Nadine.

But I ain't taking on no apprentices and giving them a full end of my thing.

You take it.

Get out.

You take your half a blue sheet and go puke a while.

Everybody's just that cool, ain't they, Dean? Come on, pick up the truck.

Rick, get your gun out and get in the bedroom.

David.

This is David.

David, what do you want?

I just want to see you for a minute, Bob. Come on, let me in.

You alone?

Oh, yes, I'm alone. What, did you think I brought my rat -faced granny along to

hold my hand?

David, you're an asshole.

Finally gone completely crazy or something, man.

What the fuck do you want?

What are you holding? I ain't holding diddly small fry.

I was just thinking about going by your place to see if you had any speed.

Yo, I got some speed.

Really?

So you got speed?

What kind of speed you got? I got crystal meth green.

This shit is good, man.

I've been up all night on this stuff.

Here, man.

Try one on the house.

How much of this shit you got on you right now?

I got 10 grams.

Let me talk to Diane.

Why don't you sit back and watch a little TV?

All right.

Ooh.

Baby.

Let's get out of here so she's got speed.

What do you want that goddamn speed for? You know how ringy it makes you. I

know, I know. But listen, what night is it tonight? It's Saturday night, right?

Let's get some speed. We'll fix up.

Then we'll go hit that big fat pharmacy. You know the one right next to the

unemployment office.

Baby, you know how these things go. It's like a crap game.

When you're hot, you shoot everything. You shoot the works. When you're cold,

you lay off a bit.

Well, right now, baby, I'm so hot, I'm burning up all over.

All right, Buster.

You're so goddamn hot.

Why don't you lay me down on the bed right now and make love to me? Oh, come

Diane. You know what I mean.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

So did you watch I Spy last night?

No, I watched Outer Limits.

I'm hot to steal.

Shit, we can do that any time.

Besides, we got company.

So, like, do you think you could get me a TV?

Yeah, I could get you a TV.

26 -inch? Yeah, but what could you do for me, man? I'll do it. I love some

volume, man.

I feel like you could use it.

10 milligram, 60 volume.

That's cool.

Hey, Twerpy, we're gonna fix you up now.

Hey, man, you guys got any blues?

Blues? Me?

Hell no. You know how hard it is to get blues these days, David.

Now, how about some morphine? I got some good old morphine. What'd you get, man?

Morphine's sulfated. You know, you're crazy, man, because I can't even read a

stop sign when I'm on that crap.

My eye's been so far out of focus.

Besides, I'm not trading no uptown crank for no downtown trash.

What can I say, David? That's all I got. That's all I can give.

That's bullshit, man.

You guys think I'm dumb.

I'm not as dumb as you think I am.

Hey, David.

Too bad we couldn't do business, pal.

All right, man.

Fuck. I'm sorry, okay?

I didn't mean anything.

All right.

So how many quarter grains of that morphine you didn't give me for this?

I'll hit you with nine quarters per package, and that's just because I'm

good. And because you're a real stand -up dude, I'll take all ten grams from

you. Ten grams? All right, that's nine apiece. Nine times ten is, uh... So it's

75. Yeah, 75. All right. That's 90, Bob.

Yeah, Bob, that's 90.

Hey, Bob, how much do you want for her? How much is... How much do you want for

the fox female?

Hey, what do you think I am, some kind of closet pimp?

I've never heard of such a violation of women's rights in all my life.

David, just out of curiosity, how many bags of speed would you give me for this

girl?

I don't know. Oh, Torb, you touch me and I'll knock your blood off.

Excuse me, ma 'am. All right, all right.

Let's finish this deal.

All right. Get your stuff, David, and go.

All right, bye.

Here, Bob. Yeah.

All right, man.

All right, thanks.

All right, you guys have a good evening.

Next time you step in the middle of one of my deals to help you with my

arithmetic.

I'll tell you the first one -eyed carnival freak I can find for a pack of

chewing gum.

Look at me, babe. I'm hysterical.

Sorry, Pop.

Diane, what are you, going crazy or something?

Diane, what the fuck are you doing?

What are you, on glue or something? Diane, look.

Look, we ought to be out working, man. I know this hospital up on the coast. I

know it's a virgin. I know it is.

This place has got security zero.

I bet they got coke, Mammy.

All those hospitals, they always hold big -time coke.

You're crazy, Bob.

Man, we just pulled off the best score we make in a month, and now you try it

looking for more.

Come on, take a break.

Come on, Bob.

I can't stand to go on forever like this.

Come on.

Just take me in the bedroom and just hold me for a while.

What do you want me to hold you for? Look, Diane, you ought to be out

I thought you loved me.

Why don't we just... You won't fuck me and I always have to drive.

Look, why don't we just head up to the hospital right now and see if we can't

make it up there before it gets daylight out. I mean, babe.

You just, you know, flip out and you see this one, man. I mean...

I can just see all those colored bottles of pills

that hospital's holding for me right now.

All right, you can turn around.

You know, I just said the other day it looks like Bobby Hughes finally slows

down a little bit and then bang, you knock off another farmer. Bullshit, man.

didn't mean to drop Bobby. I didn't mean to drop Bobby.

Bullshit.

Look, man.

That's a lineup.

Oh,

my Lord.

Do I look like me, is it?

She's a shit.

That's real nice, Bob.

It's like you're hooked to the gills.

You got a warrant? Yeah, I got a warrant.

I got it pasted on the end of one of these plugs.

Now, you give me any more shit, and I'll give you a good close look at one of

them.

Oh, heavy, man.

You guys been reading too much Mickey Spillane or something? Hey, you don't

to understand, Bobby.

Hey, come on, knock those clubs. Those are my Ben Hogans, man.

Why you gotta mess with the club?

I got my handicap down here around eight.

Eight?

Bullshit. Where do you play?

Mayfield. I hit a 75 last time I was out there.

I don't play those public courses, Greaseball. Mayfield is for pussies, and

that's why you have an eight handicap.

Well, how am I supposed to play? My clubs are all broke. Come on, man.

Have a heart.

Break two more, and then leave the fucking clubs alone.

All right?

Thanks, man.

Diane.

You haven't gone and hit the drug in some stupid place like the Frosted

again, have you?

I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

Fuckwad.

How old

is she? Is she over 18?

22. You're 22 years old, right? 22.

22.

Lucky for you.

the drugs are and maybe you'll have a whole lot of trouble.

Well, you can sit there with your mouth shut and we're going to tear this place

apart board by board. Now, how's it going to be?

Man, I love cops.

If there were no hot shit cops like Gentry around, the competition would be

heavy, there'd be nothing left to steal.

Right?

All right.

You two take the car.

Get in the park.

Get something over on the west side. We haven't hit nothing over there in weeks.

It'll be pretty cool by now.

Hey, Bob. Will. Don't mess it up.

We're not gonna mess it up, Bob. It's pretty light.

All right.

Diane and I are going over to my mother's house.

Get some new thread.

Something nice.

Oh, Lord.

It's dope being thief of a son and his crazy little nymphomaniac wife.

Bye.

Hey, Mom.

Please tell me

what I did to deserve this. Never knowing when there's going to be a knock

door telling me my baby's dead.

Green with an overdose.

Shot by a mad pharmacist or run over by a car while fleeing from police pursuit.

Ma, you don't happen to have those clothes I left you last time I was sent

the joint, do you?

I threw all that stuff away years ago. I thought you were never going to get

out. Ma, how could you think that?

He is a thief and a dope fiend.

And that is more important to him than I am.

If you say so, Ma.

He can go to prison.

He likes it there anyway. Don't you, Robert?

Why do you hate Bob and I so, Mama?

What have we ever done to make you hate us so?

I don't hate you, Diane.

And I don't hate Robert either. And the good Lord knows that to be the truth.

I truly feel pity for you both.

You are grown up now.

And yet you still act as children who want to do nothing but run and play.

You cannot run and play all your life, Diane.

Is there anything else of yours up there?

If there is, just give it away. I can always get some more.

Oh, to be sure, you'll just go steal some more.

This is our new home.

Yeah, Bob.

What do they call Josephine?

I don't know.

The guy that rented it to me is named Dale.

Maybe Josephine sounds better.

The last time I dropped acid, I decided to make a self -portrait.

Groovy, isn't it?

I can just see all those bottles of pills that hospitals hold for me right

I'm Tom Peterson. It's our stereo buy of the month. And you can choose any of

these great systems for only $25 a month.

Speaking of dogs, do you think that Rick and I could get a little pup?

Just a little something to hold and pet.

And you guys are gone?

No.

No, no, no fucking dogs.

All right, Bob, what do you got against dogs?

Look, no fucking dogs, and that's final.

Why don't you tell them what happened to the last one we had, Bob?

Diane, if you want them to know so much, why don't you tell them? I don't want

to discuss it.

We had a dog once.

His name was Panda.

Cutest little pup you ever did see.

That little guy used to follow Bob wherever he'd go.

Anyway, what happened was the police were after us during a raid on a

in the city.

Little Panda got out of the car and ran away.

We looked everywhere for him, but there just wasn't any time.

The heat was on us, and we had to get out of there.

We thought the little guy got hit by a car or something.

No.

We found him.

Somehow they knew he was our dog.

They followed him all the way home.

He led them to us.

They put us in jail.

And they put little Panda to sleep.

A brighter coat, whiter teeth, and a more even disposition.

There should only be one choice.

Rich gravy, no cereal, gravy.

Lady, do you have any idea what you've done to us?

By just mentioning dogs in our home?

No, what'd I just do?

You've no idea?

No, I don't, Bob.

What'd I do?

Just put a 30 -day hex on us. That's what you did.

Our luck just flew out the window for the next 30 days.

You got a calendar so we'll know when this hex ends?

What month is it, anyway?

Jesus, Bob.

No one ever told us anything about not mentioning dogs.

The reason nobody mentioned dogs, Rick, is just to have mentioned a dog would

have been a hex in itself.

All right, well, now that we're on the subject, are there any other sacred

things we're not supposed to mention that are going to affect our future?

Yeah, as a matter of fact, there are.

And we might as well discuss them right now, being as we shut down for the next

30 days.

Hats.

Okay, hats.

If I ever see a hat on a bed in this house, man, like, you'll never see me

again. I'm gone.

That makes two of us.

Why a hat?

Because that's just the way it is, sweetie.

And there's mirrors.

Never look at the backside of a mirror.

Because when you do, it'll affect your future.

Because you're looking at yourself backwards.

No, you're looking at your inner self.

And you don't recognize it because you've never seen it before.

Anyway, you can freeze into motion your future.

And that can be either good or bad. In any case, we don't want to take any

chances.

But the most important thing is the goddamn hat.

A goddamn hat on a bed is the king of them all.

Hell, that's worth at least, what, 15 years bad luck.

Or even death.

And I'd rather have death because I couldn't face no 15 -year hex.

Relax, hon.

Go lay down a while.

You've been on the go for days now. This 30 days thing ain't gonna kill us.

Don't let it get you down, Bob.

Sometimes bad luck can be good luck.

I mean, think of all the times we had a flat tire or engine trouble or

something.

We made it to our score late thinking it was bad luck.

Only to find out for some reason it was good luck.

You know what I mean?

Hell, I can't figure it out.

I just know from years of experience.

The things to look for.

And the signs.

And, you know, it's like, it's like, who's ever managing such things is

go out there and get it.

It's there for the taking, kid.

Everything's free this week.

I'll let you know when your time's up.

All you gotta do is look for the sign.

Sorry, baby.

Sorry about that, baby.

What's going on?

Look, why don't we just go in there, we plant some stuff on them, we drag them

on in, it works all the time.

I'll tell you why not.

Because I don't want to get Bob Hughes on no bullshit possession beef. That's

all we're going to get him on unless we catch him cold.

On his way home from a score, you know that.

I don't know. I thought you knew.

Hi. Did I wake you up?

No, no, no.

We were awake, weren't we, Rick? Well, I don't know what to think. I saw this

sinister -looking man with a ladder creeping around outside

my bedroom window. I know that I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink.

If I thought there was some crazy sex maniac running around loose out there.

well, well, well. Now, you just relax.

We'll go down there and check it out immediately.

Oh, thank you very much. Yeah, we'll check it out as soon as we can. Good

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Bye -bye.

What the hell is she doing up there?

It's Gentry Yeah, I bet he followed us when we moved

Yeah,

well I guess we'll have to

teach him a little lesson, huh

The reason you can never get Bob Hughes for possession of narcotics is that he

has an arrangement with the guy that lives on the north side of him. They

line running between their houses.

And Bob signals the guy when he wants the stuff.

The next -door neighbor puts it on the string, and Bob pulls over what he needs

and leaves the rest in the other house where you can never find it.

Bye -bye.

Excuse me, you got a second?

Yeah. You live here, right? Right.

Look, I live next door. I know it's none of my business.

What do you suppose he has in that sack?

You think it might be junk?

One thing I am positive of, it's not his goddamn lunch.

At about 2 o 'clock this morning, I look out my window, and sure enough, there

the guy is, a big, ugly son of a bitch. And he's wearing a long, dark raincoat,

and he's standing on top of his ladder, looking in your upstairs windows.

He's got one hand underneath his raincoat.

From where I was standing, I gotta tell you, it looked kind of sick.

I'll shoot the son of a bitch. I'll shoot the son of a bitch right in the

Now, hang on a second, mister.

Look, look, look.

You see the way they talk to each other, all the gestures and such?

They got something going on.

They ain't just casual acquaintances.

I can see that.

You know, for a second there, it looked like that big guy was going to jump on

you and stomp his guts out.

I would have liked to have seen that.

Okay, I know what you guys are thinking.

What's old Bob got me into this time? Well, let me tell you, this is going to

something. You guys are going to love this.

Diane, where are you going?

I'm just going to go get my cigarettes, Bob.

All right, hurry up. You're not going to want to miss this one. This is going to

be it. Rick, where are you going? Just getting a beer. All right,

don't come crying to me when you miss out.

All

right,

making their move.

One guy lining up the ladder.

Oh, I hope he gets pissed off at that, man.

Hey, neighbor's going out of the house.

Oh, shit.

He's got a shotgun.

Well, I'll be a son of a bitch.

Showtime!

Bob, I want to talk to you about what happened last night.

Well, we told the investigating officer everything we knew.

Nothing further to add.

You little punk.

Halimer and Trusinski know you set them up, and I can honestly say they are

anything but happy about it.

Now, Bob, I'm going to make a suggestion to you.

Why don't you take a nice long drive somewhere far away from here?

Now, wait a minute, Gentry.

I won the goddamn war, not you.

Who are you to dictate the terms?

Why don't you go find some small -town police department where you can step in

the sheriff?

Well, all you gotta do is worry about the usual Saturday night drunks and kids

bucking around.

So you think you won the war, huh?

Check him out.

You're just a junkie that got one of my officers shot.

And as soon as he gets a hold of you, everybody's going to forget that you

existed.

Bob, let him go.

Let me give you a hand up,

Bob.

Don't forget your clubs, pal.

Work on your handicap.

Now, I don't think that Gentry was running us out of town because I could

that heat.

No, we were splitting because things were going all wrong.

Nadine's hex was a little more powerful than I had calculated.

It was time to change the scenery, which is what happened when you went cross

-roading.

Diane got the narcotics together and sent them ahead by bus to depots across

Pacific Northwest so we could rendezvous with the drugs if we needed them.

See, we couldn't afford to be caught with a car full of narcotics.

So we had a backup plan in the form of a hole punched through the floorboard of

our car.

When the flashing red lights became a reality, bingo, down the hall went the

stage.

Something the matter, officer?

Then we'd scramble to the next rendezvous, which was hopefully within

hours before the drugs were off.

I'll tell you, no construction stiff work in overtime takes more stress and

strain than we did just trying to stay high.

I get up in the morning, save things for breakfast, so that every mouth can be

fed.

Oh, the Israelizer.

I said, my wife, I'm a kid, so get back up and leave me. Darling, she said I was

yours to receive.

Oh, the Israelizer.

Look, I took my tear off 12 days ago.

The reason we rented this truck is not necessarily because we need another

vehicle.

But we can move easier in a vehicle like this.

We've got the right license plates on us, so this way, the average Joe will

think we're a couple farm boys in a prop suit in town for a little joyride.

Hey, you guys want to be a farmer, Bob?

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Did you guys see that?

What? The trans.

You guys didn't see the open transom?

No.

What's a transom, Bob?

It's all clear in the back.

All right.

Give me a list. I need you on that.

Ready?

One, two, three.

Nadine, take these and put it inside the truck.

Rick, step in here a minute. I want you to look at these two safes. You see them

over there?

Who's winning?

I'm not sure.

Nothing.

Cocaine.

Shit. What is it, Bob? What did you find?

Powdered dilaudid. That's what.

A whole untouched one -eighth ounce bottle of powdered D.

Woo -hoo!

Should be another part of the building.

Do you have any idea what this little bottle's worth?

No, Bob. What's it worth?

This here little bottle.

It's got 840 some odd sixteenths. And at $10 a sixteenth, that comes to around

$8 ,400 of the best goddamn pharmaceutical dope money can buy.

What a find.

This here little bottle ought to last the three of us a week.

I better take that. Good work, Bob.

Guess you must outrun that hex we had in us, eh, Bob?

Sure glad we started cross -roading.

Bob, let's shoot it.

Be careful with this stuff. It could kill you.

Diane, get a glass of water.

I'll show

you

how we're gonna hide this stuff.

Yeah, we'll take this stuff.

And we'll cross over a couple of these units and stash it over somebody else's

home.

Hey. Hey.

Come on, fuck up.

So you blew it. Big deal.

Listen, we're gonna go out for a couple hours, but... We'll be back again in

bed.

What did that son of a bitch say about me?

He didn't say anything about you.

Yeah, but he's not going to take me along anymore.

Is he?

Then one day you all just drop me off somewhere.

And you'll never come back.

Nadine, what are you talking about?

Come on, honey, you're with me. I'm not going to leave you anywhere.

He is a goddamn... Shut up! Hog!

Hog! Hog!

Hey, shut up, shut up. Come on. Hog!

Don't do that.

See, Edie?

We've got a good thing going here.

Why do you want to rock the boat?

I just can't stand their superior ways and all that crap about hexes.

You don't believe that stuff, do you? Look, Edie, I don't know, okay?

You know, all we have to do is not talk about pets in their presence and not

leave any hats on any beds.

Now, what's hard about that?

You know, I'm just going to prove to all of you,

The hat on the bed doesn't mean anything.

Hey, Rick, let's go. Come on.

I really wish you hadn't done that.

I'm just going out with him tonight.

When you come back, I'll show all of you.

When I come back, I don't want to see the hat on the bed, all right, honey?

Don't be too aggressive, man. We're just trying to create a

diversion, okay?

I don't want anybody getting hurt.

Okay, Mom.

you baby yeah

Prepare to die.

That wrong.

She didn't like him.

Bob was like a rabbit.

In and out and no nonsense.

That goes for a lot more than a hospital pharmacy.

Dr. Brown, line 237.

Dr. Wendell Brown, line 237. Okay,

Tom, I'll be right there. Okay.

This is Jane.

I don't think he's gonna come.

Why don't we go back?

They got him.

Bastards got him.

I know it.

I can feel it in my heart.

Dirty bastards.

Did he?

Honey? Mom?

You're not gonna believe the shit that happened to me tonight.

What's going on?

Who put the goddamn hat on the bed?

She did, Bob.

She didn't mean anything by it.

She bit it.

Where'd she get the stuff?

She couldn't have done this on the 216th. What's she been doing, saving it

Who gave you this?

What is it?

Man, she must have picked it up off the floor of the truck when we were

collecting these...

You can't say that about her, Pop.

She's dead.

You don't say anything bad about her.

Rick.

She beat you.

Your own woman beat you out of your cut.

Listen, man.

Not only that, she threw a hex on us. We'll all be lucky to outrun, huh?

She left us with an OD stiff, which is paramount to a murder beef in this

It's like trying to raise a couple of kids when you're taking on a couple like

that. Trying to teach them to steal.

Know what I mean, Diane?

All these kids.

They're all TV babies.

Watching people killing and fucking each other in the boob tube for so long.

That's all they know.

They think it's legal.

They think it's the right thing to do.

Poor Nadine.

She's just a goddamn kid.

Now what?

Hello. Are you Mr. Hughes?

Yeah. Are you planning on chucking out today?

No, why?

Well, you see, sir, we have prior commitment in the form of a reservation

your room today.

Today? Let me check out today?

I'm afraid so.

You see, we're having a sheriff's convention in town, and all these rooms

been reserved in advance for them 90 days ago.

All right.

Do you think I could go down to the office and talk to you in about 10

10 minutes.

We're gonna note some of those guys, I'll bet.

I don't believe it. I don't fucking believe it.

A sheriff's convention, no less.

Why could it have been a Tupperware convention?

Better yet, an Undertaker's.

Anything?

I'm sorry, Mr. Hughes.

You should have let us know you intended on staying this long.

Look, I've got a colleague in that room, and he's sick with the mumps.

I'm afraid to move him.

I mean, what if they should spread?

The doc said all we need is another day. You can travel on another day.

One heck of a time getting her out of that crawlspace

Don't know if I'm ever going to get my nails done now.

Nadine really got to you, didn't she, Bob?

Yeah, well, I'll tell you what's wrong.

I'm afraid some big fat cop's going to come rumbling through this door any

minute and say, get out of this room, this is my room.

I love you.

I love you too.

Hey, Diane.

Hmm?

Give that blue garment back.

Diane? Don't worry, Bob.

We'll make it.

We always do, don't we?

Let's go, dear. We're going to miss our flight.

All right.

What a busy day.

What do you say we go up to the attic, divide the stuff up with Rick, give him

the big end? Don't count him short.

What's going on, Bob?

What are you thinking about?

Thinking about, uh... Getting back home.

Getting on the 21 -day methadone program.

Cleaning up my hands.

Are you kidding?

No, I'm not.

But I am.

I can't do it anymore.

Well, I'm not going on no withdrawal program.

So what's gonna happen to me?

Why don't you come with me?

No, thanks, Buster.

Not a fucking word do you mention about all this.

Right out of the clear blue sky, you say you're gonna clean up your hand.

And you know I can't.

Look, Diane, do what you want.

Take whatever we got. I only need enough to get me home.

Bye.

Have you ever been on a maintenance or withdrawal program before?

No, no.

I see.

How long have you been on drugs altogether?

All my life.

Then this isn't your first time withdrawing. No.

It's my first time withdrawing a methadone.

How old are you now?

Twenty -six.

Are you married?

Uh, yeah.

Where is your wife?

I don't know.

Do you have children?

No.

Oh.

Do you have a job?

No.

Do you have a social security number?

Have you ever been convicted of a felony?

Yeah, a few times.

What were they?

What felonies were you convicted of?

What do you want? You want my life story?

No way.

I'm a junkie. I like drugs.

I like the whole lifestyle.

But it just didn't pay off.

You know...

You don't see my kind of people.

Because my kind of people, they don't come down here and beg dope.

They go out and get it. And if they miss, they go to jail. And they kick

with nothing and some holding tank.

I'm sorry, Bob.

I don't mean to hassle you.

All this is required.

I'm sorry if you think it's unnecessary.

Have you ever considered becoming a counselor?

And helping other addicts with their problems?

No.

Why not?

Well, to begin with, nobody, and I mean nobody, can talk

a junkie out of years.

You can talk to them for years, but sooner or later they're going to get a

of something.

Maybe it's not dope.

Maybe it's booze.

Maybe it's glue. Maybe it's gasoline.

Maybe it's a gunshot in their head.

But something, something to relieve the pressures of their everyday life, like

having to tie their shoes.

Father Murphy Hey, Tom

Well

Imagine seeing you here after all these years.

You live near town?

I have nowhere else to go.

There is no demand in the priesthood for elderly drug addicts. An

indiscretion in 1970, you were inside, I believe.

Result is in my descent to this sorry state.

As a matter of fact, I'm feeling a bit sick right now.

Are you holding?

Nope.

He got me on the 21 -day thing, methadone.

What about yourself?

Oh, sure.

I'm on the program.

But sometimes I get a little bit ahead of my skit.

And sometimes I think some junkie nurse may be stepping on my

medication.

But I can't be sure.

How about it? Want to score?

No.

I'll keep you company.

This here is an artwork.

Work of art.

More artwork.

Dig a bowl on that tree there.

Yeah, that reminds me. I used to know an old croaker. I think it was on that

street. It was the next street over.

Yeah, he'd write like a major.

Tom knew his way around the old neighborhoods.

I'd known Tom since I was an orphan boy. Benevolent Father Murphy, the most

notorious dope fiend on the coast.

When he was holding, he'd always share with those of us who weren't. He was

kind.

Tom was king then. He had it all.

His ass was covered in this life and the next.

I bet he shot a million bucks in his arm.

Okay, now this is what you call a radial arm drill ground.

Get the drill you want, putting it in the holder.

After you've got a good grip on it, that brings your drill down to your work.

Position it over the hole. That's your clutch.

This is your power feed.

This is the clutch that engages the power feed.

Put that in and just let it drill.

But you're going to go to work loaded. It's going to show.

And being loaded is like being drunk. You take a drink in the morning, you've

got to get high in the morning.

Your boss is going to see it, you're going to get fired. Then you're not

that big of a money.

Then you're going to have to do something else.

You're going to have to rob, steal, sell.

Somewhere in that robbing and stealing, you might end up killing your best

buddy. You're just going to go down and kill him. The more you use, the longer

you use.

Put it down.

You got to find your own bottom.

Put it down.

All right.

You're going to find your reading.

You didn't stay gone long, Bob.

What happened?

Nothing happened.

I hear you're on a methadone program now.

You don't think that's going to keep Krasinski from jumping your ass, do you?

To tell you the truth, I haven't given him much thought.

You know, for once, I'm not here to hassle you.

You know, Krasinski lost his gold badge over that little incident. He's working

traffic out in the North End.

He's made so many goddamn threats, he's almost going to have to hurt you.

I don't want to see that happen.

Yeah, look, what can I say? I got a job, you know?

What happened out there in the sticks, Bob?

Where's Diane?

Well, you know how whimsical women are.

She found some other dude to chase after, and off she went, chasing after

You and Diane have been running around together since you were a little kid.

You know, I hope you make out on that job of yours.

And I sincerely hope that you straighten up a little bit.

Take care of yourself, bud.

My old lady's still out there right now.

Yeah, get a bottle.

Yeah. I can't do nothing with her. I tried. I told her to come. She didn't

to come.

She was, you know, doing her thing.

Yeah, I was going right to the source.

Right to the source.

Where do they make drugs?

In the drugstores.

Yeah, now, if you want some money, you go to the bank, huh?

Man,

what are you crying for? You're the one who wants to do the drugs, man. You

gotta pay for them, man. Where's my fucking money, bitch?

Punk. Where the fuck is my money?

Come on.

Come on, what are you gonna say? Say something.

Come on. You want me to beat you up? Say something. Hey, David.

What do you think you're doing, man?

Huh?

What do you think you're doing? Just keep crying.

It's business, man. What do you care, man?

Why don't you get out of here and mind your own business?

What do you care?

It bugs me.

Here, take a walk.

Hey, man, come on.

Why don't you grow up, man?

I am growing up, asshole.

Why don't you do something, man?

What's up with you, man? I thought you... Man, I'm not buying you no lunch.

You know, Tom, you told me a lot of the old -time stories about how you used to

stick your arm in between the bars of the cell.

The guard would come by and he'd buy you up a shot of morphine.

Well, they never did that for me.

Well, they don't do that for anyone anymore.

Narcotics have been systematically scapegoated and

demonized.

The idea that anyone can use drugs and escape a horrible fate is

anathema to these idiots.

I predict in the near future, right -wingers will

use drug hysteria.

as a pretext to set up an international police

apparatus.

God, old man, I may not live to see a final solution of the drug

problem.

You know what, Tom?

You might have missed your calling. You should have been a philosopher.

Well, Bob, in another life, perhaps.

Who is it?

Wizard.

Hey.

Jesus.

What kind of a dump is this?

And where's the female? You might as well trot her out.

You don't ever change, do you, Diane?

Goddamn right I don't.

Why should I?

Hey, I was just commenting on how good you look.

Yeah? Yeah, I'll bet.

Hey, how about a cup of tea?

Yeah. Yeah?

So how's that methadone thing working out?

So -so.

Hey, I got a job, did I tell you that?

No shit.

Where are you working?

Oh, just a machine shop over on Western.

Yeah?

Well, what do you do there?

I, uh, drill holes.

Drill holes?

I drill holes that bolts fit into.

Oh, yeah?

How do you like it?

Well, I'll tell you the truth. It's kind of a drag.

And then you're really

serious. You're going to go on with this thing.

Yeah.

Hey, Diane, why don't you take your coat off and stay a while, huh?

I can't, Bob. I got people waiting for me out in the car.

I just came up to see how you were doing.

Here.

That's from Rick and the rest of us.

I kind of thought you might need a taste once in a while.

What happened?

What made you turn around that day? Was it me? Did I do something wrong?

No, baby, it wasn't you.

It was Nadine's death. The heck she threw on us with that hat.

And then I panicked when I looked out into the parking lot and I saw those cop

cars.

Hell, I knew I was dead.

So I started copping deuces. I prayed like I never prayed before. I said, God,

son, devil, whoever you are up there, please have pity on me.

Please let me get this poor girl's body out of this hotel room and into the

ground so I don't have to spend the rest of my life in prison.

And God, if you'll do that for me, I'll show you my appreciation by going home,

getting on the methadone program, getting a job and living a virtuous

Well, I got out.

And I promised, so here I am.

Are you going to stick with it forever?

You know, Diane, for all the boredom the street life brings, it's not that bad.

I mean, even this crummy little room ain't so bad. I mean, I actually wake up

some mornings and I feel like something good's gonna happen today. You know?

I'm a regular guy. I got my regular job. I got my regular room.

Now I got you.

You're crazy, Bob.

You're really crazy.

Hey, Diane, why don't you go downstairs and tell your friends that you're going

to spend the night and come back and bed down with me for a little while?

I'd like to, Bob, but I got another old man now.

I'm Rick's old lady now. I did a gas. I work for Rick.

There we were, teaching that brat to steal, and now I'm on his crew.

Things sure can get screwed around, can't they?

Yeah.

And, Bob, you know me.

I might have been a lot of things, but I never was a tramp.

I gotta go

Hey

Diane?

It's really good to see you.

I mean, you look really good.

I wish I could win you back.

Who is it?

Tom, it's Bob. Open the door.

Hey, what's this?

It's a gift.

I won't be needing it.

Yeah, I got my new program down.

Let's just see what's in there.

God bless you, my son. May you go to heaven.

Oh, yeah, this.

This is the square that never touched the desk.

This.

116th of Dilaudid.

This should earn you an indulgence.

Where's it at, Bob?

What do you want? I want your dope, man. Where's the dope?

You think if I had dope, I'd be sitting in this flea trap, huh?

I'm on a methadone program. You coming around me for dope? That's a laugh.

Oh, shut up.

All right, fucker, man.

You want it the hard way, and we're just the guys who are going to give it to

you.

I'll tell you, David.

You listen to me, you little punk.

I'm going straight, man. I ain't fucking bullshit. I'm going straight, man.

You ought to try it sometime.

It's good for the soul.

Fucking liar!

Where is it, Bob?

We know this is all a scam you're playing. Where is it?

Where the fuck is it?

There's nothing more life -affirming than getting the shit kicked out of you.

I knew it with my heart.

You can buck the system, but you can't buck the dark forces that lie hidden

beneath the surface.

The ones some people call superstitions.

Howling banshees.

Black cats.

Hats on beds.

Dogs in the evil eye.

So I relaxed and gave in to the notion that for the very first time in my life,

I knew exactly what was going to happen next.

Fuck.

I'm going to kill this son of a bitch.

I bet you the next bastard we capture will tell us where it's at.

It's always tough.

They ain't all tough.

I say kill him.

Did you hear me, Bob?

Let me get him for a second.

Bob,

can you hear me?

Bob, who did this to you?

Was it Straczynski?

All right, Bob, tell me, who shot you?

The hat.

The hat. Bob, did you say the hat?

Tell Diane.

Take out the hat.

So the hat shot, you're right, Bob?

No.

The TV baby shot.

The TV baby shot you, but the hat was with him. Bob, who's the hat? You gotta

tell me who the hat is so I can tell Diane. Come on.

It's this fucking life.

You never know what's going to happen next.

That's why Nadine spiked herself with Easy Way Out.

That's why Diane keeps on going like she does.

See, most people, they don't know how they're going to feel from one minute to

the next.

But a dope fiend has a pretty good idea.

All you gotta do is look at the labels on the little bottles.

You gotta know how to read the sign.

That's what the hat on the bed was, which is why I'm not scared.

I paid my debt to the hat.

The irony was fucking brilliant.

The chicken shit cops were giving me an escort to the fattest pharmacy in town.

I was still alive.

I hoped they could keep me alive.

Get up in the morning, save me for breakfast, so that every mouth can be

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh

I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde. Oh, me

Israelite.

After a song, there must be a comet that gets me in a bomb.

I said I'd get up in the morning, sit, think forever, so that every mouth can

fed.

Oh, the Israelite.

I said my wife and my kids, they'd pack up and not leave me. Darling, she said I

was yours to receive.

Oh, the Israelite.

Look, Richard, there my tear up trousers are gone. I don't want to end up like

Bonnie and Clyde.

After I come, there must

be a coming.

now working so hard.