All language subtitles for The Wonder Years s05e03 The Hardware Store.eng

? What would you do
if I sang out of tune? ?

? Would you stand up
and walk out on me? ?

? Lend me your ears,
and I'll sing you a song ?

? I will try not to sing
out of key, yeah ?

? Oh, baby, I get by ?
? By with a little help from my friends ?

? All I need is my buddies ?

? High with a little help
from my friends ?

? I'm sayin' I'm gonna get higher ? -?
Try with a little help from my friends ?

? Whoa-oa-oa-oa ?

? Oh, oh, oh, oh ?

? Somebody who knows
quite sure ?

? Baby ?

? By with a little help
from my friends ?

? Said I'm gonna make it
with my friends ?

? Try with a little help
from my friends ?

? Oh, I'm gonna
keep on trying ?

? High with a little help
from my friends ?

? I'm gonna keep on trying now,
baby ?

? Ooh, ooh, ooh ?

They say you
never forget your first job.

I know I remember mine...

Harris' hardware store,

down the hill
from where I lived,

the year I started 10th grade.

It was the kind of place
you don't see much anymore,

filled to the rafters
with brackets and bolts

and old screens.

You know, stuff on the
cutting-edge of obsolescence.

It started as a summer job,

but once school began,

Mr. Harris cut back my hours
so I could keep working.

With the allowance Dad was
paying me, I had no choice.

What do you mean you can't ship
orders of less than a gross?

Since when?

Old man Harris,
Mr. hardware himself.

Let me tell you something.

I've been ordering what I need
from you people

since before you were born.

You heard my offer.
I stand by it.

[ Receiver slams ]

Are we looking or working?

Working.

Then what stopped you?

Nothing!

Then get to work.

Yes, sir.

As far as I could tell,

his system of organizing
the merchandise

was based on the maximum
number of times

I could climb from the bottom
shelf to the top shelf

and back again.

Not so fast. What are these?

They're bolts.

You sure?

Uh...

Yeah. Toggle bolts.

Used for what?

Used for... Fastening things.

In plasterboard.

Good.

It wasn't enough he knew
everything there was to know

about the business.

He seemed to think I should,
too.

So...

Should they go
with the sheet-metal bolts

or over there,
closer to the plaster supplies?

Well, I...

[ Sighs ]
With the plaster supplies.

Do it, then.

Not that I wasn't grateful
for the education.

I wasn't.

[ Scoffs ] Give me a break.

What was that?

Nothing.

Mr. Harris,
shouldn't we knock off?

It's almost 6:00.

So?

Almost 6:00 is not 6:00.

Besides,
there might be customers.

Sam?

Why don't you let him go
a little early?

Well...

[ Sighs ] All right.

All right!

Thanks, Mrs. Harris.

And there you had it.

Two days a week after school,

Saturdays till 6:00,

I hauled, packed,
and loaded my life away

for a grand total
of 18 bucks and change.

Not that money was my only
reason for being there.

I had a bigger reason,

a more compelling reason.

So, how was work today?

My father had gotten me
the job.

Work's work.

Old man's
running your tail off, huh?

Kinda.

[ Chuckles ]

For some reason, Dad seemed
to find a certain humor

in seeing his youngest child
do time at hard labor.

Come to think of it,
so did my whole family.

So, how was your day, honey?

Shut up, butthead!

I think it sounds like fun...

working in a store,
meeting people,

talking to customers.

Well, see, Mom,
that's kind of the problem.

No one...

that Harris...
he's one-of-a-kind.

Nobody knows hardware
like he does.

Do you know, he sold me

the first full set of tools
I ever owned.

Yes, I do, Dad, but...

that was before either of you
was even born.

Look, it's boring,
it's hard work,

and it's no fun, okay?

Okay?!

Just to set the record straight
here.

No fun?

Oh, no.

Who the hell ever said a job
is supposed to be fun?

[ Laughing ]

Well, I didn't mean...

let me just give you
a piece of advice.

Listen to the old guy.
Pay attention.

He just might
teach you something.

And that was that.

I was stymied

by timeless values
and an ironclad work ethic,

which left only one place
to turn.

[ "Taking care of business"
plays ]

The mall.
? You get up every morning ?

? From your
alarm clock's warning ?

Hillcrest Plaza.

One-stop shopping.

A browser's bonanza.

A teenager's field of dreams.

Who is that?

Gretchen Tyler. 11th grade.

She goes to our school?

It was a place to ponder
the burning issues of life.

Come on, guys.
I think I need some fries.

Yeah.

Yeah, this was the ticket.

Girls to the left of us.
Girls to the right.

Girls nine deep

around some kid in a stupid hat
and a plastic name tag.

I don't believe it!

Look at that guy.

Robby Cashion.
He's in my biology class.

Made you wonder where his Dad
bought his first set of tools.

Sure beats working
in a hardware store, huh, Kev?

Speaking of tools...

What's that supposed to mean?

Yeah, there's nothing wrong
with his job.

Thanks, Paul.

I mean, one thing for me
to grouse about my job, but...

Except for the long hours

and old man Harris

and that stupid tie.

Tell me about it.

[ Laughing ]

Ah, what did they know, anyway?

Some guys got all the glamour.
So what?

There were certain benefits
to working where I worked.

Flange pipes.

Top shelf.

And be sure you check
the inventory thoroughly.

Okay, the benefits stunk.

That didn't mean there weren't
opportunities here.

[ Bell jangles ] - Excuse me.

My husband says
we need a washer.

Oh, your husband is a plumber?

Oh, no. He's an accountant.

Oh. [ Laughs ]

So is my oldest.

He does my taxes.

I don't let him near my sink.

Yep... the chance to watch
a master salesman at work.

Now, let me see this.

Oh. Rubber.

See, one crack,
and you lose the seal.

They use plastic now.
Very good.

Brass, copper, they last.

Absolutely indestructible.

Unless you have hard water.
Then you get rust.

Do you have hard water or soft?

Uh, I'm not sure.

Um... Look, I'm sorry,
but I've got to meet the 5:15.

My husband will be waiting.

Why don't I just stop back
another time?

Well...

Thanks, anyway.

Let's face it.

The old man's idea
of salesmanship

was a little outmoded.

So seemed it was up to me

to bring him
into the 20th century.

Mr. Harris?

What?

On the other hand...

Well, I was just thinking.

Do I really have to wear
this tie?

I mean, 'cause if it's okay
with you, I'd just as soon...

let me tell you something.

When you're outside playing,
you can wear what you want.

But when you're in here working,
you'll wear the tie.

Am I understood?

Yes, sir.

Needless to say,
the whole thing hadn't gone

quite as well as I'd hoped.

[ School bell rings ]

Hey, Robby! Wait up.

So I decided to explore
the alternatives.

I saw you the other day
at the mall,

and I was just wondering,
do you like your job?

Oh, well...

Yeah, it's okay.

You know, it's a job.

And what do you
have to do there?

I don't know.

You serve stuff. You hang out.

And that's it?

Well, all the fries
you can eat.

Hmm.

Seemed like a job
for a special kind of guy.

Like, say, me.

Why? You interested?

Nah.

How much do they pay?

Uh, a buck sixty an hour.

Buck sixty an hour?

Even Dad couldn't argue
with economic reality.

Dad, I've been thinking.

Mm?

You work hard for your money,
right?

Mm.

So, say you were
working somewhere,

and you thought
you deserved more.

You'd do something about it,
right?

You betcha.

Even if it meant...
Making your boss mad?

A buck's a buck.

There. Sounded like
a clear mandate to me.

Thinking about asking
old man Harris for a raise?

Kinda.

Mm.

And with that ringing
endorsement in hand,

I made up my mind.

- Mr. Harris?
- Yes?

There was only one way
to do this...

honestly, directly.

I don't think I'm gonna be
able to make it on Saturday.

Oh?

Yeah.

Actually, I don't think

I'm gonna be able to come in
at all anymore.

I see.

Yeah.

See, there's this other job
I may be taking.

And where is this new place
of employment?

In the mall.

The mall?

That's where
you want to go work?

Selling crap that doesn't work

to people who don't need it
in the first place?

What would you be doing?

Working.

In a restaurant.

Food service management.

Ah, what the hell?

It's a burger joint.

And this is how you
want to spend your time...

flipping hamburgers
and watching the girls walk by?

Bingo.

He finally understood.

No.

Then, why would you do
a thing like this?

Because they pay 15 cents more
an hour.

Oh.

So that's it.

I see.

[ Sighs ]

15 cents an hour.

Sure, it was a bitter pill.

But what else could the guy do?

I'll pay you 20.

What?

Just prove to me
that you're worth it. Sweep!

Rats!

What do you mean,
he wouldn't let you quit?

If you quit, you quit!

I told you, Paul.
He gave me a raise.

20 cents more an hour.
What was I gonna do?

[ Scoffs ] I wouldn't work
for that old geezer

if he paid me
a hundred bucks an hour.

I had only one defense.

Insanity.

Hey, look,
he's not an old geezer.

And besides, he knows more
about hardware

than you guys will
in your entire lives.

- Whoa!
- Whoa!

Don't you get it, Kev?

The guy bought you.

He owns you.

Lock, stock, and lug nuts.

Pretty funny.

But I could hold my own here.

Lewis, you're full of crap.

Oh, yeah? Prove it.

Take Saturday off.
Hang out here with us.

Hey, I could if I want to.

Not that I cared
what they thought.

[ Scoffs ]

I was wondering if I could have
the day off Saturday.

Why?

I have this... Appointment.

Where?

Just... Around.

Oh. Well, then, uh, certainly.

Great.

Of course. Any time you have
a social engagement

and work interferes,
you just let me know.

We'll close the store.

Hey, look, all I'm asking for
here is a just...

we have an agreement.

You work here Tuesdays,
Thursdays, and Saturdays.

And I pay you... what now?

$1.65 an hour.

Maybe now you would like me
to pay you double time

for the days
that you don't work.

And that's when it hit me.

The guys had been right.

I wasn't an employee here.

I was in bondage.

I was... A slave.

That night, I had a dream.

[ Wolf howls ]

Well?!

Are you working

or breathing?!

Working, sir.

Then do it!

Oh, please, sir...

I was just wondering...

It's almost 6:00.

May I go home now?

No!

There's plenty of time left.

I want you to stack
the one-ton bolts

on the right-hand shelf.

The top right-hand shelf!

[ Laughs evilly ]

Dad, can I talk to you
for a minute?

I had to act.
Put this in perspective.

Job stress was getting me down.

Huh?

Yeah, sure.

Your mother and I were up
half the night.

This damn drip.

What's up?

It's about Mr. Harris.

Yeah. I heard you got a raise.

That's terrific.

Yeah. Well...

What's the matter?

[ Sighs ]
Well, it came apart okay.

Put in a new washer,

and now I can't seem to get it
to hold together.

Where's your bib screw?

Huh?

You know, your bib screw.

Probably fell down the drain.

It happens all the time.

They're easy to replace.

And the way he looked at me,
for one second,

I almost felt good
about hardware.

You know, we sell bib screws
down at Harris'.

Ah, that's okay.

I'll probably shoot over
to the mall.

The mall?

Well, it's closer,
easier to park.

Besides, you know the old man.

If I stop in, he'll talk to me
for hours, chewing my ear off.

I don't have that kind of time.

You know what I mean.

I couldn't believe it.

This man, Mr. listen-and-learn,

was telling me
he didn't have time?

Sure, Dad.

I know what you mean.

But I didn't.

I just didn't.

I meant to go right to work
that afternoon.

But when I got to the store,

for some reason,
I didn't go in.

I didn't want to be there
anymore.

Hell, I knew nobody else did
either.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

I went to the mall.

Hung out with friends.

It was busy... And alive.

I hardly thought about
old Mr. Harris at all.

Well, not much, anyway.

By the time I got back,

I guess I pretty much figured
he was gonna fire me.

Maybe I was just hoping
he would.

You're late.

I know.

[ Bell jangles ]

Mr. Harris, can I talk to you?

Very well.

You were late today.
I understand.

You needed to prove something.
It's all right.

It's forgotten.
I'll see you on Tuesday.

Well, I'm not gonna be
coming in anymore.

See... I took the job
in the mall.

I start Monday.

Don't be foolish.
You work here.

But I don't want to work here
anymore.

Don't you understand that?

You're a bright boy.

You could make something better
of yourself.

I wouldn't call stocking
hardware something better!

Oh, I see.

Mr. Harris, all I do here

is move cartons
from one shelf to the other

and listen to you talk
about hardware.

No one even comes in here
anymore.

No one wants to.

Is that so?

Let me tell you something.

- Sam!
- The hardware business...

Sam.

The boy wants to go.

You don't even need me here
most of the time.

I know that.

I would like you
to keep working here,

but I won't
try to make you stay.

I've made my offer.
I stand by it.

[ Bell jangles ]

Excuse me.

About that washer...

I asked my husband,
and he said we have hard water.

Yes. Then you'll need plastic

because metal rusts
in hard water.

Let me get you one.

No, it's okay.
They're only a nickel.

Thank you.

Come again!

[ Bell jangles ]

I felt him watching me,

and somehow
I knew what he was thinking.

How much I'd learned,

how much he taught me.

But I was 15.

I lived in a world that was new
and alive and exciting.

And everything here was old.

Maybe it was stupid.

That's also part of being 15.

[ Bell jangles ]

I traded in my tie
for a stupid hat

and a plastic name tag
at the mall.

When I left a month later,
no one cared.

But every time I pick up
a flat-head screw,

I think of old man Harris

and how those cowbells clanged
as I walked out that door.

And even though I can't say
exactly what I gained,

I know I can't measure
what I lost.

? Every time it rains,
it rains ?

? Pennies from heaven ?

? Don't you know
each cloud contains ?

? Pennies from heaven? ?

? You'll find
your fortune falling ?

? All over town ?

? Be sure that your umbrella ?

? Is upside down ?

? Trade them for a package of ?

? Sunshine and flowers ?

? If you want
the things you love ?

? You must have showers ?

? So when you hear it thunder ?

? Don't run under a tree ?

? There'll be
pennies from heaven ?

? For you and me ?

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