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Adopt a Highway (2019)
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[APPLAUSE] PRESIDENT CLINTON: And those who commit crimes should be punished, and those who commit repeated violent crimes should be told, "When you commit a third violent crime, you will be put away and put away for good. Three strikes, and you are out." [APPLAUSE] MAN: ...going to be incarcerated, but the people's families. - It affects our community. - [OVERLAPPING TALKING] - If you look at California... - It's the classic sacred cow. WOMAN: We live in a country with consequences. You steal, you cheat, you rob someone, you go to jail. MAN: So you think you should lock somebody up potentially for a life sentence or 25 years to life because they smoked a little weed? MAN #1: ...nonviolent offenses, but three strikes is three strikes. MAN #2: ...normally a misdemeanor... - MAN #3: Even a pizza? - MAN #2: Even a pizza. WOMAN: ...intersect with things like class and race disparities. WOMAN #2: You already had two strikes before. I don't understand why this is an issue. MAN: That third strike has proven to not reduce crime in any way. It's only thrown people's lives away for years. We overreached. We launched a war on drugs. MAN #2: ...reevaluate the whole way we've dealt with prison. MAN #3: ...that the black community has suffered through. MAN #4: We cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation. MAN #3: I absolutely apologize for voting for that bill. MAN: ...to spend taxpayer money to keep nonviolent people in prison. RUSSELL: These first two offenses were not significant, and I made a mistake, and I'm sorry. - OFFICER: Millings. - I'm really sorry. OFFICER: Millings. At 5:00, okay? [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING] Okay, Millings. Let's go. It's game time, buddy. [INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS] On the move. Hey, good luck out there, Millings. [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING] Step aside. Step aside. [INDISTINCT TALKING] [INDISTINCT SHOUTING] - Russell Millings? - Mm-hmm. Big day. Wilson. All right. Got your personal belongings from entry. This is yours. We also got you a change of clothes. - Okay. - Let's go. You better stop texting at work. You're walking like you don't want to leave. What's up? You okay? Okay, I want you to quickly change into those. Take a seat right there, okay? An administrator is gonna come in and talk to you. WOMAN: Mr. Millings? I am Tracy Westmore. I am going to need your signature on these documents. Okay? Here's my pen. Sign right there, please. Okay. Very good. I'll need you to sign right there. Okay. Do you have any more questions for me? Um... Okay. You know what? Let's get you out of here. All right? So just grab your stuff. Follow me. Pleasure. I left my blues on that table there. You don't need them. [GATE BUZZES, UNLOCKS] Best of luck out there, Russell. Okay. One day at a time. [WATER SPRAYING] [METAL CLANGING] Okay, Russell. I got to get you off the clock. Morning shift can put the rest away. [SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE] [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] WOMAN'S VOICE: Next stop... [MUSIC CONTINUES] [MUSIC STOPS] WOMAN: Whatever. Who the [BLEEP] cares? That's stupid. It's not a big deal. WOMAN #2: [SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY] WOMAN: Okay, whatever. I wanted you to meet me. - I wanted to meet you. - No, you didn't. You missed the flight, you missed the boat, you missed the bus. I'm so mad at you. WOMAN #1: I don't care if you're mad at me. You know I always want you to be happy. Don't lie. Tell me. You're mad at me, that I said you missed the flight and the bus. WOMAN #3: Terrifying car chase ends in comedy. [INDISTINCT TALKING] Thanks again, Ben. Okay. After the break... MAN: The Senate hearings are gonna start in the a.m., and they won't let up till late, or early Thursday morning. MAN: I'm real proud of you, you know? It's a little bittersweet. It's gonna be our last meeting in person. Your parole will be satisfied in a few months, and then you can start to start over, but I am gonna need those PPRs every other Tuesday, okay? - Mm-hmm. - On my desk. Okay. And mail them here? No. No, you can just... you can just e-mail them to me. Nobody mails anything anymore. - Yeah, but that... - Okay? So... Look, have you not... have you not gotten an e-mail address yet? No, I didn't. Well, I did. No, I did. I did, but the trouble is that if you want to get an e-mail, like, you have to have an e-mail, and if you don't have an e-mail, it... it doesn't... Okay, Russell, then just figure it out, okay? Just figure it out. You do not want to fudge up these last few steps. All right? We don't need you sliding backwards. It is not pretty. I have seen it. Okay? So you just don't... don't step in it again. - Okay, Russell? - Mm-hmm. - Do not step in it. - Okay. All right? All right. You're a good man. - You keep going. - Yeah. - Okay? Yeah? - Okay. MAN: Welcome to Troy's Burgers. How can I help you? [MID-TEMPO HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING] Hi. Um, I'd like to use the Internet. Okay. - Just any... anywhere? - Go wherever. Yeah. [PACK UNZIPS] So then you just... you just scroll up. RUSSELL: Just scroll? And then you just type in, like, whoever or whatever you're looking for in the search field. What's your dad's name? David Millings. David. All right. So you got a lot of hits, so you're gonna have to narrow down your search. Like, uh, you could do his, like, middle name or... or put in your mom's name too, I guess. Hey, is it cool if I take a picture with you real quick? I mean, it's just that how often is it that you meet someone who's never been online? [CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS] [DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] WOMAN: It's okay, Russ. It's the first time you've been late. I'm just glad I didn't have to call Derek to cover. Just try to remember that breaks are 15 minutes unless you're pulling a double, okay? Okay. I can't lose this job. Russ, you're not gonna lose this job, okay? Hell, I wish I had 10 of you. Just relax. [WATER SPRAYING] - [INDISTINCT TALKING] - [CALLIOPE MUSIC PLAYING] WOMAN: Whoo! Yeah! MAN: Hey, hurry up. There's no line. [DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING] - [METAL CLANGS] - Russ. I need a dumpster run, and then take your lunch. Hey, Russ. Can you do a double tonight? Okay. Yeah, I guess. I mean, I hate to ask, but Derek is sick, and Todd's already into his overtime. Okay. You're the best. - Hey, Becca? - Yeah? Is it cool if... if I run an errand over... over there for a minute? What? Is it okay if I... if I run an errand over there if... if it's really quick? Duh! You're on break. You can do whatever you want. Long as you come back on time. Just don't be a weirdo. Okay. Thanks. Okay. Welcome. MAN: Welcome to Troy's Burger's. How can I help you? You don't... You don't have a cellphone? No. And you don't have an e-mail address? No. [LAUGHING] That's... That's fucking cool, man. Where the fuck you been, dude? In prison? [LAUGHS] Yeah. Oh, shit. Wait, y-you would have had to been in there for what, like... 20 years. - 20 years? - 21, yeah. Holy shit. Damn, dude. What... Hey, is it okay if I ask? Did you, like... I-It was possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute. You did 20 years in prison for dealing drugs? Well, how many pounds were you slinging? An ounce. Of pot. Shut the fuck up. You are literally fucking me right now. I'm not literally fucking you. I'm not. Well, then how the... Wh... What? You're not black. It was my third offense in the state of California, so it was my third strike. Wait, they still do that shit? No, they don't do it anymore. Well, you know it's practically legal now, right? Dude, let... let's get you an e-mail. Hey, so how much longer, you think? Oh, I have... have this, I have the women's, and then the trash. Okay. So I'm gonna skate early. Are you cool closing up? This is my spare key to the back door, and the office is already locked. But if I lock the door behind me, w-what do I do with the key? You just give it back to me tomorrow. But I don't work till Saturday. It's cool. You can give it to me then. [TENSE MUSIC PLAYS] [MUFFLED BABY CRYING] [BABY CRYING] [CRYING CONTINUES] [CRYING CONTINUES] I'm gonna... I'm gonna make a... a call, okay? Uh. It's locked. Maybe I... E-Ella? Hi. Oh. [ELLA CRYING] [CRYING CONTINUES] Hi. Hi. - [STOPS CRYING] - Hi, hi. - Hi. - [CRYING] Hi. Hi. Hi. Hey. Hi. [DIAL TONE] [DIALING] [LINE RINGS] WOMAN: 911. What's your emergency? Um... I, um... Sir, I can't understand you. You're gonna have to speak up. There's no emergency. Shit. Stupid. [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] [WATER RUNNING] [KNOCK ON DOOR] [KNOCK ON DOOR] [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] Are you Russell Millings? RUSSELL: Yeah. I'm me. Can you open the door, please? We're, uh, following up on a 911 call you made earlier this evening. Did you have an emergency? I... I didn't, and I told them. Do you have your license on you? I have an I.D. card. - That'll do. - [ELLA FUSSING] Is that your child in there? Yeah. Boy or girl? Girl. OFFICER: Okay. Do you mind grabbing that I.D. for me, Mr. Millings? [CRYING CONTINUES] [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] [CRYING CONTINUES] [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] Okay, Mr. Millings. Sorry to have disturbed you tonight. I'll let you get back to the little lady. Tummy massage. She's got colic. You got to massage her tummy. Look, now, you can get colic tabs, but someone once told me about a tummy massage, and we always found that that worked best on my little guy. Hang in there. It gets better. All right. You have a good night. OFFICER: Good night. [CRYING CONTINUES] Shh, shh. Shh. Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream [STOPS CRYING] Merrily, merrily merrily, merrily Life is but a dream [HUMMING TUNE] [ELLA CRYING] [MUMBLING] These are... These are pretty yummy. This is pretty yummy. You want... Here you go. Here, you're gonna like this. There you go. - Okay, that... - [COUGHS, CRYING] I got a better idea. I got a better idea. And... All right, we got... Let's see. Hey, hey, hey, hey. All right, all right. Shh, shh. There you go. There you go. That's good. That's good. You're really good. You're really very good. Oh, you're done. Oh. Wow! You finished it. You are hungry. - [CRYING] - Okay, okay, okay. Hold on. [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] Excuse me. Do you know where colic medicine is? Aisle four in the middle. - Aisle four in the mi... - Wait a minute. How old is your baby? Um, three or four months, I guess. You guess? Give me this bottle. You don't need to be using these bottles for a colicky baby, okay? These bottles are for infants, not newborns. Ooh, goodness. My feet hurt. See, you need the bottles with the vent system. The vent system keeps that air off of them bellies. Bet you the mama does all of the work. RUSSELL: No, she... Well, do... do you have the vent-system bottles here? I don't have a lot of time. Yeah. I'm taking them to you right now. Aisle four in the middle, right here. - Well... - Okay. Now these are all of our bottles. Here the colic tabs. I like the gripe water, though. That always helped me when my kids was little. Now, how are you burping the baby after you feed it? I mean, because a lot of people make the mistake of patting the baby. You don't need to pat a baby. You got to bounce that baby. - Is it a boy or girl? - It's a girl. Oh! What's her name? - Ella. - Ella? Like Ella Fitzgerald! Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo That's... I got five rock-head boys. - I can't stand them. - But... Now, what you want to do is, you want to bounce Ella. Don't pat. Bounce Ella. Bounce that burp right out of Ella. I bet you that wife of yours is patting. That's why she got that colic. Which one are the vented bottles? - That right over there. - The pink one? - Mm-hmm. - Mm-hmm. Is your wife breastfeeding? - Is she what? - Does she breastfeed? - Oh, no. - No? And what kind of formula are you using? Hydrolyzed, soy, casein? Is it concentrated powder? Is it ready to go? I wouldn't use that casein. That casein, something wrong with it. They trying to trick us, because those babies get sick, and probably cause that colic. I would use the hydrolyzed because the hydrolyzed is better on the digestive system. Thank you very much. Well, good luck! [UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] Ah! [MUTTERING] Malibu to San Diego San Francisco, San Mateo [GRUNTING] [GROANS] Oh, oh, up in California We've been up in California Oh, oh - [ELLA COOING] - Hi, Ella. You're okay. You're okay. Hmm. [FARTING] [SNIFFS] [VOCALIZING] Hi, Ella. Okay. Whoa! Whoa. Whoa. Are you... Are you okay? Are you okay? You are? That scared me. But you're okay? I thought you were going to hit your head. Washing is fun - [CRIES] - Okay. Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Hey. Don't cry. Do you want to know something funny? I've lived in California almost 25 years, and I've never been to the beach. I had kind of an idea. Would you want to spend the day at the ocean with me? Is that a yes? - [BABBLING] - Yeah? You want to? Yeah? You do? [LAUGHS] I do, too! There's a train! We can take a train. [CRYING] That's the ocean. Look, Ella. Here. Did I ever tell you that my dad used to collect stamps? He had an incredible collection. Do you know that they have a different stamp for every animal? Yeah. I'll always remember going into his study where he kept his library of stamp books. The place was covered with ash because he smoked all the time. But we would sit in there, and we would write down all the catalog numbers of the stamps that we wanted to to mail away for. And I used to love watching him open the envelopes when they arrived because they always were exactly the same, in these brown wax envelopes with the exact same handwriting... Philip Caruso from Appleton, Wisconsin. But you never knew what stamp was gonna be inside, you know? So it was... it was really exciting. Yeah. And then he would separate all his from the ocean-life stamps, and then he would give those to me, and he would explain their Latin names and where they came from. His hands used to shake. You could see it when he was mounting the stamps under the magnifying glass, you know? Or you could see it in his handwriting. Or you'd hear it in the ice in his whiskey. But you would like him, though. And he would like you. He would. Do you think that you would like to collect stamps? Hmm? I wonder what your favorite animal is. "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." Yeah. What? Oh. Sorry. You dropped your spoon. [GRUNTS] [THUD] [CRYING] [GASPS] Oh, my God. Are you okay? I'm so sorry. Shh. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but... [SNIFFLES] [CRYING] Ella, I'm so sorry. - [SMOOCHING] - [ELLA CONTINUES CRYING] WOMAN: Please take a seat and fill out this form. But I'm... I'm not here for me. I'm here for Ella. You still need to fill out the form before I can process either you or your daughter. Okay. [FUSSING] [DOOR OPENS] Sir? Are you Mr. Millings? Uh, yeah. Mm-hmm. I hear you may have found this little angel. Yeah. I found her. Where did you find her? Um... In a dumpster. - Hi. - Her name is Ella. I see. Hi, Ella. Ohh! Is that how you hit your head, sweetie pie? Okay. Uh, now, with all abandoned-child cases, it's mandatory for both the LAPD and the DCFS to be involved. Both have been notified and should be here shortly. But I'm also going to have to take little Ella to be looked at, okay? What, you mean... you mean now? Yes. I mean now. But the authorities and the Department of Child and Family Services will need you to stay here. They just need to ask you a few questions about how you found the poor thing. Um... Will I... Will I be able to see her again? I can't answer that question at this time. Oh, but here are the people who can. [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] Come on, sweetie. Yes, yes, yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Um, oh, well, this is hers. Her stuffy. No, I need to see the bag and anything else that might have been in the crime scene, sir. Oh, no. There's no crime scene. It's not... This is just her walrus. All missing and abandoned children cases are a crime. Yeah, I know, but this it's not... not a crime scene. It's... It's just... It's your walrus. Do you want your walrus? - [ELLA CRYING] - I know. I'll take this. Oh! Shh, shh, shh. - Yeah. - Bye, Ella. I'm Officer Cato. This is Mrs. Deeks from DCFS. We need to ask you some questions. - Okay. - All right. Um, where did you say you found the child? Dumpster. A lot of dumpsters out there. Any one in particular? [ELLA CRYING] Um, the one by where I work. In the back. And what time did you say you found her this morning? Um... It was... I don't remember. Early. CATO: Okay. Can you, um, walk us through the event? I know this must be hard for you, Mister, uh, Millings, but we need you to be very specific about what happened. How did you know she was in the dumpster? 'Cause I heard her. You heard her crying? And then? And then... I heard her crying, and I opened the dumpster, and I... [VOICE BREAKING] I looked in, um... Mr. Millings... It's perfectly normal for an experience like this to be traumatic. And not just for her but for you as well. You're both victims. It's okay. Just tell us what you remember. You, um... You called her Ella. How did you know her name? Or is that a name you gave her? She was in... in... in the bag, in... in this bag, and there was a note. Okay, good. What did the note say? It said, "Her name was Ella." [TELEPHONE RINGING] And where's the note? I don't know. I... - DEEKS: It's okay. - I think I lost it. CATO: Is there a number I can reach you at, Mr. Millings? [SNIFFLES] You can come to my place if you want. Can you, um, write down that information along with your name and address? Do you think that, uh... Do you think Ella is gonna be okay? - DEEKS: Yes. - Yeah? Yes, Ella will be very well taken care of. I promise. She's a ward of the state now within the Department of Children and Family Services, and we'll do our best to track down someone in her family. But if not, she'll be placed in proper foster care and then adoption. It's a bit of a process unfortunately, but... Well, I could take care of her, you know? I mean, I could... I could adopt her. I mean... That is incredibly sweet of you. Unfortunately, that's out of my power or jurisdiction to decide whether or not you qualify to foster this child. But I understand the urge to want to help. I do. And you can help us by giving us all the information you have now. If anything comes to you, please feel free to call me, okay? [SNIFFLES] Okay. [DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING] BECCA: Russ. Russ! Huh? Um, they want to talk to you. Hey, you mind stepping out and chatting with us for a second? It's okay. We don't bite. So, uh, the report says that you found the baby in a dumpster. - The dumpster here at work? - Yeah, that one. Okay, and in your statement, it says that this incident occurred yesterday morning. Okay, Mr. Millings, do you mind taking us over to that dumpster? You just found her in a gym bag with a note, nothing else? What about that walrus, though? We checked with your management, and they say you didn't work yesterday morning. In fact, they say you haven't worked since Wednesday night. What you been doing since then, Mr. Millings? We know about your record. You're still a parolee in the good state of California, aren't you? OFFICER: Bet you're counting the days till you can leave the state. Hey, um, can I get that key back? You weren't here on Friday. It's last week's paycheck. And I'm gonna have to call the higher-ups about this whole baby thing. So you being an ex-con and all, they're gonna want to know. [MUSIC INTENSIFYING] OFFICER: See, my partner and I, we don't think you found her here. We think you found her somewhere else. OFFICER #2: We also don't think you found her yesterday. You do know you can't take home abandoned children, right? OFFICER #1: We know about your record. - 20 years in Folsom. - [WHISTLES] Hell, you're still a parolee in the good state of California, aren't you? OFFICER #2: But you're not going anywhere, right? [MUSIC STOPS] MAN: Have a good one. Next. Do you have a bus to Wyoming? Okay, sir. Where in Wyoming would you like to go? 112 Trigood Avenue, Casper, Wyoming 82602. [CHUCKLES] Well, all right. Is that, uh, round trip or one way? Uh, one way. And when do you plan on leaving? Now. [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] [INDISTINCT SPEAKING OVER P.A.] [MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY] WOMAN: Denver. Just give me a second. I just had it. I literally just had it. Just put my suitcase on the bus while I find it. I know I just had it. MAN: I can't let you on without a ticket. No, I know that! I just... I mean, I just had it! Where... What the fuck?! Ugh! Ticket or no, you can't come on the bus if you're gonna be a disturbance. I'm not... WOMAN: She's stressed out. I'm not gonna disturb anyone. If you could just... MAN: Could it be in your pocket? No, it is not in my pocket! Thank you. I'll push your bag for you. [BREATHING HEAVILY] [SOBBING] Can I fucking help you? [SOBS] $9.75. Oh. Um... W-What about no chips? [SIGHS] $6.95. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. I'll put them back. You're welcome. Don't choke. Thank you. [COUGHING] Champ, you didn't listen. Oh, my God. Have some of your... your drink. Um, I am. Is that better? Mm-hmm. Don't die on me. [COUGHING] I'm okay. Would you like a sandwich? What? Would you like a sandwich? What kind of sandwich? Mm, mustard and mayo. You're gonna make me a mustard and mayonnaise sandwich? Mm-hmm, i-if you want. If you don't want... No, yeah, sure. Let's go, bro. Make me that mustard and mayonnaise sandwich. Okay. Wait, can you cut the crusts off? - Mm-hmm. - No, I'm fucking with you. I'm kidding. No, it looks... it looks amazing. That's... Okay. [JASON ISBELL'S "NOBODY'S WATCHING" PLAYS] Mm. On the brand-new moon Where you stumbled around in a tree Just sit in your room Smoking menthols and hugging your knees Smile Until you remember how evening fell Smile Until you don't need to control yourself WOMAN: Okay, I'll go first. I'm Di. I am from Fort Collins, Colorado. I'm 25 years old. Wink, wink. Um, I'm an Aries. Favorite color is purple. My favorite move is "The Year of Living Dangerously." And... ...my last name is Fountain. Mm. That's nice. [BOTH CHUCKLE] Okay, you go. Go. Go, go, go. Go. Come on. You. Well, I said my name is Russell. Yeah, I go... Hi, Russ. I got that. Okay. What else? You're making me forget. What? Russ! Come on. Before these mountains, like, devour us and we never see each other again. Hmm. Yeah. Um... - Where are you from? - Well, Casper, Wyoming. No. [SIGHS] No. Nobody is from Casper. - Oh, no, I... - Pick another place. No. But, I mean, I am. That... I'm... That's where I was born if that's what you mean. Russ, I'm fucking with you. Oh. Okay, keep going, Russ from Casper... the most boring-sounding place there is... Wyoming. Well, it... I'm... I'm 44 years old. - 44? - Mm-hmm. Like, "44." Yeah, I got you. Okay. - I mean, that's old. - Wait. Dude, like, that's "dust in the wind" old. [LAUGHS] Okay, what else? I don't... I don't know. What's your favorite color? Red. Wow. Okay. Didn't see that coming. Um... What's your favorite movie? Um, I... I liked "Predator" a lot when I was young, you know? "Predator," like... [IMITATING SCHWARZENEGGER] Arnold, "Hasta la vista, baby"? - Oh, that's... - Like that? No, that's "The Terminator," but yeah. Whatever! Oh, my God. You suck at this. Okay. Keep going. - With what? - Come on. I don't... I don't... What else? What do you mean? Like... What... What's your sign? - Oh, well, I'm Scorpio, I... - No fucking... Ungh! No! [SIGHS] - No. - What? DI: Jesus. That takes care of that. Can't fucking talk to you. [SNIFFS] [EXHALES SLOWLY] So stupid. All right, listen. I'm kidding, okay? I'm just kidding. I mean, I'm not kidding about, like, all the guys and my dad all being Scorpios, but... ...I will give you another chance. Okay. Um... All right. Okay. What's... What's your last name? Millings. - Millings? - Yeah. - Russell Millings? - Yeah. That's me. Aw, Russell Millings. - Mm-hmm. - You got a middle name? Yeah. - Earl. - Earl? - Yeah. - Earl? - Yeah. - For real? Earl? Yeah. Is that... Russell Earl Millings. Well, I guess. - Wait, what? - What? 'Cause now you don't sound so sure about it. Oh, no, I'm sure. I'm sure. That's me, yeah. [GIGGLES] Do you have some more napkins? I got to go to the bathroom. Yeah. [PACK UNZIPS] Sure. Thanks. Okay, I'll be back. [EXHALES SLOWLY] MAN: [OVER P.A.] Union Station, downtown Denver is next. [INDISTINCT TALKING] [SIGHS] Well, if you're ever in Denver, go to Greenlock's. It's my brother's caf, and if I'm still there, we can hang. Yeah. Greenlock's? - Okay, um... - Um... Good luck with life... ...Russell Earl Millings. Yeah, you too. - WOMAN: Excuse me. - RUSSELL: Oh. Uh... So sorry. Yeah. Thank you for the mustard and mayo sandwich, dude. [DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] [SIGHS] [SIGHS] [METAL CLATTERING] MAN: Yo, you've got to go. Ceremonies don't start till 9:00. Hi, Dad. Hey, Mom. This is a nice spot. Sorry it took me so long to get here. It hasn't gone the way I thought... life. Don't even know what I'm doing with myself anymore. I... I struggle with... ...myself so much, Mama. I'm sorry, Dad. Thank you for being my parents. [CHUCKLES] MAN: How can I help you, sir? RUSSELL: I'm here to open my safety deposit box. MAN: Okay. What's the number on the box? Um, my dad, he gave me his keys and told me to come here. And who's your father? David Earl Millings. What's your name? Russell. And you say that you're his son. No, I didn't say I'm his son. I'm his son. Do you have an I.D., Mr. Millings? - Just give me one sec. - Okay. Hey, Jim, can I see you for a second? I think there's a transient here. Has the key to one of our boxes. Last name Millings. I'll get Joey to get him out here. I'll take care of it. Thank you. Here you go, Mr. Millings. I'm Jim Pitt, manager here. I am so sorry for any misunderstandings. We were wondering when you were gonna stop by. Your father, he was a... Well, he was a client here for many years. Good man. Do you know what's in our box? Right this way. It's just back here. Jeannie. I'll give you a few moments alone. When you need me, I'll be right outside, Mr. Millings. [DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] RUSSELL: Son, I can only imagine the road that you've traveled. I'm writing you on New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is a new millennium, a new decade, a new year, a new day. Folks are saying it's all coming to an end with this Y2K shit, but I don't believe it. RUSSELL AND DAVID: I think about you a lot, Rusky. I imagine you in that prison. I try to take away the world between us. DAVID: And then I try to take away the walls that hold you. And I see you... ...asleep in your cell, hovering in the dark air, alone. I call out your name in the night. You will only ever be my boy... ...the guy I found in your mother's arms that November afternoon. You were the happiest guy. The guy who shared everything with everyone. The guy who taught me how to love. I love you, Russ. So I'm giving them all to you, Rusky. The Tyrian plum alone should get you back on your feet. And your other key is to a storage unit just down the street. Keep them, sell them. Just find your way, Russell. It's a second chance after such a bad hand. Go see the world, son. Don't look back, buddy. Your mother used to say, "Once in a while, it hits people that they don't have to experience the world in the way they have been told to." Ha ha! Smartest girl I ever met. I love you, son. That can't change the past, but the past can't change that. I love you like a wolf loves the moon. [SNIFFING] Love, Mom, Dad. [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING] DEEKS: Hi, Mr. Millings. Good to see you again. How can I help you? I was here to check on Ella. Yes, I did get all of your e-mails. Ella is doing great, and we have yet to be contacted by any of her relatives, but she is thriving in a temporary home right now. [EXHALES SHARPLY] Thanks. That's... yeah. I looked into the adoption process. - Yes. - Remember... Okay, listen. I'm gonna be completely frank with you, Mr. Millings. You are going to have a tough go at it. I'm not saying it's impossible. Do you know, I realize that's unlikely, you know, that... I mean, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to give this to you. It's for Ella. Okay? And if you could give it to her on her 18th birthday, okay? Wait, why her 18th birthday? 'Cause that's the way the trust was set up. That's what they said. That way it would be just for her, and she would be ready. Can you make sure that she gets it? - Yeah, o-of course. - Okay. I sent all this to you in a e-mail with information about the trust and instructions. And it's best if you leave the envelope i-in the plastic. It protects the stamps. Oh... Thank you. - Have a nice trip. - Thank you. Mm-hmm. Next. Where would you like to go, sir? Mm... On the brand-new moon When you stumbled around in a tree Just sit in your room Smoking menthols and hugging your knees Smile Until you remember how evening fell Smile Until you don't need to control yourself When the light goes on Will you stand in the mirror for me? Put your best shirt on There's someone important to see Smile Smile like your heart can be broken still Smile Somebody needs you and always will They always will Remind yourself there's nobody watching Remind yourself there's nobody watching Smile Smile like you've been here a thousand times Smile Like words in your heart and your memory rhyme Remind yourself there's nobody watching Remind yourself there's nobody watching Remind yourself there's nobody watching [MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS] I knew you from another man If you figured I'd forget A sunny age, it slipped away Swinging to the west But all the pavement runs the same From a dusty window ledge And the twisted face In the Plexiglas It hasn't ended yet Counting out the miles Of a million empty turns Something tells me maybe I'll never find the way |
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