"Bucking the wind" was Daddy's phrase
for what people had to do together in life.
At times, life is going to be stormy,
sweetheart.
And when those winds blow,
you gonna have to plant your little feet...
...lean into it, and buck the wind.
"Bucking the wind" was also daddy's
excuse on a cold winter night...
...for a quick trip to the corner store
to buy another bottle of bourbon.
I came of age when
he took me along.
- How about some ice cream?
- In the snow?
- That's the best time.
- I'll get it.
Good evening, Ray.
What can I do for you?
Carton of vanilla...
...and a fifth of Wild Turkey.
Listen, Vern,
I've been meaning to talk to you.
My partner, Edward Atkins and I
are looking for just a right guy...
...to go into the business
investment of a lifetime.
A man of vision, someone who's
not afraid to step out of the mold.
Take a risk.
Vern, a man such as yourself.
Vern looked like anything
but a man of vision.
What is it this time?
Nap-Renew.
It's a miraculous formula.
A revolutionary new process
which actually enables us...
...to restore the nap
on old and worn serge suits.
There's a fortune to be made here.
Cleaning fluids are the investment
of the future.
- I have to think about it.
- You do that.
Don't take too long.
An opportunity like this
comes along once in a blue moon.
Come on, Sonya.
Let's get home before the ice cream melts.
Wait up!
- That will be $8.50.
- Put it on my tab.
"Give me land, lots of land
Under starry skies above
"Don't fence me in
"Let me ride through the wide
Open country that I love"
Years later, this memory would
always haunt my imagination.
Hand-in-hand,
singing in the deserted snowy streets.
Me with the father who had the audacity
to buy ice cream...
...on the coldest night of the year.
Sonya?
Get out of bed this instant.
Come on, rise and shine.
The early bird catches the worm.
We don't want to be late for Edgemont.
Get up. I want to see you up.
- I'm up.
- That's a girl.
- Good morning, sweetie.
- Good morning, Dad.
Greta, make sure Sonya gets out of bed.
Roxie's packing.
She's leaving us the hair dryer.
She's packing?
What did she say?
Not much. She looked kind of mad.
Sonya, I was trying to keep track.
Is Roxie No. 11 or No. 12?
Knock it off, Greta.
- Why?
- Pay me my money.
I'll have the cash by the week's end.
You've been saying that for months. Bye!
Usually an employee gives
the employer a notice.
Goddamn son of a bitch!
Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
All right, girls. Let's go.
I told you I had a bad feeling about Roxie.
Sonya, you have a bad feeling
about all of them.
Roxie was No. 12, wasn't she?
Now, don't you start.
Sweetheart, you're the family historian.
If you say 12, then 12 it must be.
It was 12.
Dad, about Edgemont...
We've discussed this enough.
A promise is a promise.
Ray Weiler never welshes on a promise.
They're not going to take me
for just one year anyway.
Miss Tate.
It's such a pleasure to finally meet you.
My daughter, Sonya.
I've heard a lot about you over the years.
Oh, really? From whom?
My wife was an Edgemont girl.
Class of '34. Hardly a day went by
without her discussing the school.
And the influence you had on her.
What is your wife's name?
Weiler. Valery Weiler.
Beecham, when she was here.
Beecham. 1934.
Let's see...
Of course I remember Valery.
She was in one of my first classes.
Do ask her to come see me.
I like to see what becomes of our girls.
Valery died eight years ago.
I'm terribly sorry, Sonya.
Thank you.
I promised...
...Valery that I would send
her two daughters to Edgemont.
Are you raising two young girls
all on your own?
That is most admirable.
Sonya's records.
All A's.
Mostly all A's.
I know Valery would feel that even a year
under your influence would be...
...invaluable.
Mr. Weiler,
why did you wait so long to apply?
Our semester has begun.
Enrollment is full.
You can't imagine...
...the pain it causes me
to be sitting here before you...
...at this late date.
But circumstances have not
permitted me to do so sooner.
What can I say?
Except that I know that you...
...with your culture and refinement
would appreciate the burden...
...the burden of love, of course...
...but nonetheless a burden of trying
to raise two motherless children.
To try to keep a little home
together for them.
And inculcate in them
the values that you...
...so steadfastly uphold here at Edgemont.
Miss Tate...
...if you knew what it meant to me
to be able to entrust Sonya to your care...
Well...
Miss Tate.
I am beyond words.
Well...
I appreciate your sentiment, Mr. Weiler.
And...
...it's most unusual...
...but I'm willing...
...to make an exception.
Welcome to Edgemont, Miss Weiler.
Thank you.
Good. Then that's settled.
Since you're here,
you'll start school with the other girls.
You'll need to leave a deposit
for the tuition with our cashier.
I forgot my checkbook.
My assistant will handle it this afternoon.
Fine.
Valery Weiler sits at the kitchen table...
...dealing herself a hand of solitaire.
That's mostly what my mother did.
She smoked Lucky's, played cards...
...and read paperback mysteries.
One after the other.
I've got some big news for my gals tonight.
Everything lit up when my father
came through the door at night.
Honey...
...Weiler and Atkins...
...are about to patent...
...an invention that's going to
revolutionize the mining industry.
Where's Sonya?
Ladies and gentlemen,
Miss Carmen Miranda!
Hello, amigo.
"I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say:
"Bananas have to ripen in a certain way"
You didn't tell me
bombshells were playing Portland.
Sorry, Ray, I was sworn to secrecy.
Daddy, what's under there?
Baby, you are looking
at Daddy's first $1,000,000.
Now, if you ladies would have a seat...
He brought a sense of excitement
from the outside world...
...into the tiny basement apartment.
Voil!
Ladies, I present to you...
...the "Finders Keepers. "
What does it do?
This revolutionary device...
...is so simple to use,
even a child can strike it rich.
Finally, the little guy will have a chance
against the mining companies.
Valery, the market for these babies
is going to be so big...
...and so profitable...
...that we're just a technicality away
from your dream house.
My mother's one big wish
in life was modest.
She wanted out
of our one-room apartment.
She wanted a home of her own.
Any home would do.
Now...
Who would like to participate?
Hide the coin.
Anywhere you want.
Close your eyes.
We are ready.
Try going left.
No hints from the audience.
Mommy, I'm hungry.
I know.
The "Finders Keepers" went to
the same mysterious place...
...where all my father's other
revolutionary devices ended up.
My mother returned to her cigarettes
and solitaire and...
...her dream house remained
just a technicality away.
Sonya, dinner!
How do you spell "electricity"?
How do you think?
E - L...
...E-C-T...
...R-I-C-I-T-Y.
Very good.
That's very good.
You picked Benjamin Franklin?
What are you working on?
American heroes. My report for school.
I got one for you.
Charles A. Steen.
She already picked.
The Uranium King.
He's the kind of man
that makes this country great.
He strikes out on his own...
...stakes everything he's got on a piece
of land in the middle of nowhere.
He works that mine with his bare hands...
...and comes out with $50,000,000.
Dad, she already picked Benjamin Franklin.
A few years ago, he didn't know
where he'd get his next Geiger counter.
That is what is beautiful about America.
That sort of opportunity...
I'm not home.
That kind of spirit,
that's what makes this country great.
To have a dream.
No matter what the odds are
or who's against you.
Oh, Mr. Garrity.
He's not home now.
Can I have him call you back?
The rent is in the mail.
It's on the way.
That guy has nerve,
disturbing a family at dinner.
Where was I?
He didn't know where he'd get
his next Geiger counter.
Right.
Everybody on the Colorado Plateau
called him crazy.
Now his dog is eating T-bone steaks...
...and he's flying his own plane
to Utah to take rhumba lessons.
Where is he now?
He's probably in Hollywood,
doing the rhumba with Sandra Dee.
How do you spell "rhumba"?
R - H - U - M - B - A.
"Has anyone supposed it lucky to be born?
"I hasten to inform him or her,
it is just as lucky to die, and I know it.
"I pass death with the dying,
and birth with the new-washed babe...
"... and I am not contained
between my hat and my boots
"And peruse manifold objects,
no two alike... "
How did you get just a one-year sentence
at Wretchmont?
"I am not on earth
nor adjunct of an earth... "
Just lucky.
"I am the mate and companion of people...
"... all just as immortal
and fathomless as myself.
"And they do not know how immortal...
"... but I know.
"Every kind for itself and its own,
For me mine male and female
"For me all that have been boys... "
Sometimes he gets so involved in reading,
he forgets we're here.
A lot of girls ditched while
he was reading Julius Caesar.
"For me the mothers
and mothers of mothers
"For me lips that have smiled,
eyes that have shed tears
"For me children
and the begetters of children. "
And he never, ever sits down.
- Not even to grade papers.
- Miss Jenkins.
I know your mouth is as big
as that bag you carry...
...but I would appreciate it
if you kept them both closed in my class.
I was just telling Sonya
about reading Julius Caesar.
Miss Weiler.
If you have something more important
to say than Walt Whitman...
...why don't you share it
with the rest of the class?
No?
Good. Okay.
"I see through the broadcloth
and gingham whether or no
"And am around, tenacious, acquisitive...
- "... tireless, and can...
- Gum?
"... never be shaken away. "
Bobby Darren.
Yeah, I'll take Bobby Darren.
It's not the way he looks.
You have to listen to his lyrics.
Who cares about lyrics?
Look at Frankie Avalon.
What is it with you two?
He's sexy.
Margaret thinks Frankie Avalon is sexy.
- Doesn't mean he was sexy.
- They're both a couple of greaseballs.
Think of all the money they're making.
I'd like some.
Besides, what kind of talk is that anyway
from two Edgemont girls?
Sexy?
What the hell are they teaching you?
Not to swear.
Your dad just told me
he's buying land in the Rockies.
He says we can go skiing.
Sounds really great.
Come on.
A big one.
Sonya, come on.
See these flecks of metal, girls?
These little flecks...
...are going to make us all rich someday.
Eddie and I are staking four claims here.
We named them after you girls.
Sonya 1, Sonya 2, and Greta 1...
...and Greta 2.
How original.
Did you say something?
Before we go any further...
...let's go over the three rules
by which we live in the mountains.
No. 1...
Dad, we've gone over this 100 times.
We know them by heart.
And I already filled Margaret in.
Three rules by which we live
in the mountains...
You can't be too careful.
Someday these claims
will belong to you and Greta.
You will need to come up
and check on the operation.
That's right. I forgot.
No. 1?
Always carry matches.
No. 2?
Speak up. I can't hear you.
Look for Forest Service markers.
I wasn't talking to you.
I was helping Sonya.
I don't need your help.
Don't snap at your sister like that.
Come back!
There's one more rule to go.
Don't walk away from me.
- What is the third rule?
- Let go of me!
- What is the third rule?
- Let go of me!
Always follow rivers downstream!
God!
Just...!
Anybody down there?
Jarvis, over here!
You okay?
Stay there while Daddy and Uncle Eddie
speak with Mr. Jarvis.
Hello, Ray.
How are you?
Follow me.
It's okay, Sonya.
Okay?
You know that was not too cool.
Making a move like that on Jarvis.
Don't worry.
I've got it covered.
"In my hungry fatigue...
"... and shopping for images...
"... I went into the neon fruit supermarket
dreaming of your enumerations.
"What peaches and penumbras.
"Whole families shopping at night.
"Aisles full of husbands.
Wives in the avocados.
"Babes in the tomatoes.
"And you, Garcia Lorca...
"... what were you doing
down by your watermelons?"
Get this back at the end of the day,
Miss Weiler.
"I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless...
"... lonely old grubber, poking
among the meats in the refrigerator...
"... and eyeing the grocery boys. "
Valery Weiler was addicted to the movies.
She named me after Sonya Henie
and Greta for Garbo in Camille.
No matter what the movie was,
my mother always cried.
The best part is when Bette Davis
is on the stairs...
...and says to the people at the party:
"Fasten your seatbelts... "
"... you're in for a bumpy night. "
Movies were her only social life
outside our small apartment.
Every Wednesday night, we took the bus
to the magnificent Fox Theater...
...with its gilded, golden globes.
Wednesday's were raffle night
and she always wore her lucky scarf.
Oh, Matt, you were right.
We have missed six wonderful,
exciting years.
I've been so blind.
Why didn't you make me see?
Why didn't I make you see?
Put your hankies away, ladies.
Tonight is the night
of the Wednesday-night raffle.
The winning number is:
...nine...
...two...
...five.
Miss Valery Weiler!
My mother's face was flushed.
She always dreamed about winning,
but never expected it to happen.
Now that all eyes were on her,
she didn't know what to do.
As we made our way to the stage together
to claim her prize...
...I wondered if this would be her thrill
of a lifetime.
And a lovely mother-to-be, too.
Congratulations, Mrs. Weiler.
Thank you.
My mother smiled for a week.
I'd never seen her so happy.
Even if the dishes were cheap
and an ugly shade of pink...
...at least they were hers.
What color is that, anyway?
You can't call it pink.
It looks more like flesh.
Who would want to eat off flesh?
Don't you talk about my dishes that way.
Valery remembered her other dishes...
...the ones my father had hocked years ago
to finance some imaginary gold mine.
Hell, honey...
...you don't need that crap.
When the checks clear
on the Anaconda deal...
...I'll get you the finest china
money can buy.
She told herself it doesn't matter.
Someday Ray is sure to strike it rich.
She swallows her disappointment.
She knows times were hard for everyone.
It's not exactly Fitzgerald.
Not yet, anyway.
Do you have any more stories?
No.
Well, yes.
Just a couple.
Miss Weiler.
I think...
...you may have the makings of a writer.
No, they're just little stories that I...
I'll expect you to keep up with the reading.
That is essential.
But you can turn in your stories
instead of some of the assignments.
Thank you.
No, don't thank me
until you've read my notes.
For instance...
..."gilded golden globes. "
I think you can do better than that.
You have to be careful with alliteration.
Keep it personal.
Use your own voice.
Sonya's a lovely child.
- I've noticed.
- Very responsible. Very grown-up.
- Very good qualities.
- Very willing to help out.
- She takes good care of her sister.
- Does she really?
Grace and balance, Sonya,
grace and balance.
Care for a mint?
I think it's commendable, your taking care
of those two girls on your own.
I can't imagine Margaret's father
doing that.
I can't imagine Margaret's mother
doing that either.
He's missing out on life's greatest joy.
My business may suffer...
...but all I need to do is look over...
...here...
...at my little girl to know
it's worth every sacrifice.
Mrs. Rucklehaus?
Please, call me Ginny, Mr. Weiler.
It's Ray, Ginny.
Ladies?
No, thank you.
What business did you say you're in?
Mining, mostly.
But I keep my hands in many enterprises.
Isn't that enterprising of you?
Do you have your hands
in anything interesting now?
You must keep this
under your hats, ladies...
...but, yes...
...my partner and I are on to one of the...
...biggest...
...veins this side of the Rockies.
My lips are zipped.
But maybe...
...you should talk to my husband.
He's vice-president of First Federal.
He's always, always, always...
...looking for a good investment.
I'll remember that.
In fact, Sonya...
...why don't you come over this weekend?
Gigi's having a get-together
for her girlfriends.
I'd love to...
...thank you, but I must take my sister
to dance class.
Don't worry about that, Sonya.
I'll drop you off at the party myself
and I'll take care of Greta.
I don't know why they do it.
Take Tony Curtis.
You know what his real name is?
Bernard Schwartz.
I just heard a story about a girl.
She teases her hair and one night,
when she's sleeping...
...a rat crawls inside of her hair and dies.
What's worse is one time,
when she's out with her boyfriend...
...the rat tail is going down her face
when he goes to kiss her.
Isn't that yucky?
Ray, good to see you!
Come on in, meet Bud.
Sonya's in with the other girls.
Bud, this is Ray Weiler, Sonya's father.
Remember I told you about him?
From the tea.
- How are you?
- Hello.
Pleasure.
Can I get you a drink?
No, thank you. It's kind of you to offer,
but it's too early for me.
Please, Ray, don't run off. Please.
Bud's really quite the bartender.
Mix Ray a drink.
Well, if you insist.
Scotch on the rocks.
- But only a short one.
- You got it.
Dad?
Having fun, honey?
Go on and sit down.
I'll get us something to nibble on.
Here you go.
Thank you.
It's quite a home you have here.
Wonderful grain in the wood.
Cedar and hemlock, if I'm not mistaken.
- I like to think I know my woods.
- You obviously do.
Did you see the corner over here?
It's glass to glass. Mitered.
The seam virtually disappears.
Cheers.
Cin cin.
My wife loved this song.
We used to dance to this music.
So Ginny tells me you're
in the mining business.
Mining, yes.
Mostly mining.
She mentioned a deal in the Cascades.
I'm so sorry.
I don't have to tell you how iffy
these things are, but frankly...
...a deal this good...
...comes along once in a blue moon.
As I was telling your wife...
...my partner and I have staked
four claims in the mountains.
Named them after Sonya and her sister.
Every summer, my mother,
Greta, and I took the boat to Canada...
...to stay with my grandmother, Nonna.
Can I tell Mom your joke?
Why did the moron throw the clock
out the window?
Wrong!
Because he wanted to see time fly.
You understand your daddy, don't you?
Each year, our father saw us off
at the dock.
But he never came along.
The journey lasted a night and day.
There, in that world of open sky
and saltwater tides...
...my mother was another person.
Gone were the paperbacks
and decks of cards.
Gone were my father's latest schemes
and inventions.
She had escaped...
...to that familiar landscape where she
was born and where she felt most alive.
Our last summer there, when I was nine,
I learned to ride a bicycle.
Greta learned to toddle
and say, "Mommy"...
...and "up. "
Every night, I stayed out playing
long after dark.
And I wished on Nonna's favorite star
that the summer would never end.
That summer, my mother spent
a lot of time with Everett McGregor...
...her old sweetheart.
She seemed happier with him
than she ever was with Ray.
Then it suddenly occurred to me.
If he had been my father,
it would have changed everything.
Towards the end of that summer,
my mother learned that she had cancer...
...after an examination
by the doctor in town.
Strange days followed.
My confusion was greater than anyone's
because the others knew.
Maybe if they had told me...
...maybe I could've done something
to help her.
You know it.
I heard it from a specialist in town.
I thought you'd think...
They found something
on the right side as well.
I don't know.
Can you pick the girls up?
Ray, I'm scared.
You just got here!
I haven't shown you the cave by the lake!
I know. Maybe next year. Right now,
your mother and I must go to Portland.
- I want to show you the cave!
- Not now, Sonya!
See you soon.
Bye, honey.
I love you.
Why aren't they taking me with them?
It's okay.
It was three months before I left Canada
for the new dream house.
Is this it?
It's so pretty!
I didn't know my mother
when I finally saw her.
I thought that there was some mistake.
Who was that other woman
in the green chenille robe?
No matter how hard I looked...
...I couldn't find the woman
who left me that summer in Canada.
Over in the double bed...
...frozen in a mute tableau...
...my father is holding his wife.
In the crib against the wall,
Greta sleeps through her mother's death...
...whom she will not remember.
I kept staring at my mother's face.
It was pale and white
and it didn't look like her.
I was too young to understand
that her eyes were closed forever.
I would never hear her voice again.
Are you sure this is it?
This is the address on the roster.
Don't have a cow.
Look at the plants.
Must be a woman in the house.
He doesn't wear a wedding band.
He's living with someone, living in sin.
What about the tricycle?
He's got an illegitimate son, a bastard.
I guess "still waters run deep. "
What are you doing?
Jesus!
I can't believe you did that!
He almost got you! Oh, my God!
I was this close.
This close.
He looked so different.
Yeah.
Anybody home?
Hello, girls.
Where's your pops?
He's away.
We don't know when he'll return.
How come every time I call or come by,
your pop is away on some big trip?
Ray Weiler is a very busy man who needs
to be away on business frequently.
Don't be smart with me.
Your pop owes me six months rent.
If he can't return my calls,
you two will be on the street.
Good afternoon, girls.
Mr. Garrity.
To what do we owe this honor?
What do you think? I'm here for the rent.
The money you owe me every month
that you haven't paid in six months.
There, that settles what I owe you.
And here's for the next two months,
in case I'm forced to travel again.
Don't bother my girls.
Pay the rent, I won't bother them.
Oh, boy!
Oh, boy!
Here it is!
Now do you believe all the things
I've been telling you all these years?
Our ship has come in.
The old Weilers...
...stuck together...
...and we made it.
I like it when your ships come in.
Why are we here?
Daddy is so sorry he has to take his girls
on this little detour.
But he has important business to discuss
with Uncle Eddie.
You mean a beer with Eddie.
After Valery's death,
my father fell into a profound despair...
...and lost all pretense of keeping up
with the rent on the new dream house.
We moved from place to place...
...finally landing
at a transient hotel downtown.
I tried to drive all thoughts
of my mother underground.
I filled the empty weekends taking
snapshots of Greta with an old camera.
She didn't like being ordered around.
But she couldn't protest...
...because I was all she had.
This is a snapshot.
A moment in time.
No one looking at it could know
that Greta had been deaf for three months.
She had also stopped talking.
Of course, Daddy and I noticed,
but we refused to discuss it.
We didn't go to a doctor.
We didn't want to hear something else
was wrong with someone we loved.
We didn't want to hear,
"Your little girl is deaf and dumb. "
Once or twice, we attempted to test her...
...by sneaking up behind her and yelling.
Fire!
But she never moved, turned around...
Can you hear me, sweetheart?
...or even changed expression.
She didn't respond in any way.
I knew Greta's deafness was my fault
and it put me in a chronic state of panic.
I was responsible for her,
but I couldn't take care of myself.
Where are your brains?
Playing so close to the edge
with your sister.
Can't close my eyes for a minute.
One day,
after several months had passed...
...the deafness disappeared
just as mysteriously as it had begun.
I need to go to the bathroom.
Daddy and I never talked about it...
...but a great weight seemed to lift
from his shoulders.
I was so relieved.
I stopped making Greta pose for me.
And I promised myself...
...she'd never feel that lonely again.
You see mine in there?
It's nice to see some of you ladies
actually listen to me when I speak.
You want to talk about your papers,
we can talk about them tomorrow.
You tell me to write about what I know
and then you tear it apart.
You only saw the criticism.
You didn't see the meaning of it.
That's all there is to see.
There's red marks everywhere.
Sonya, your story was beautiful.
I noticed you haven't signed up
for the college exams.
You do plan on going, don't you?
To college, I mean.
No, Mr. Webster. Actually, I don't.
You see, things are
just a little complicated at home.
I gathered that.
You can't let that stop you.
You don't know my father.
In a way...
...I do.
I have to get to class.
He's not home.
I don't know where he is.
I don't know when he'll be back.
I'll give him the message.
That was Mr. Jarvis again.
What, darling?
He said that if you want him to stay
involved in the deal...
...you'd better stop avoiding his calls.
Who's avoiding his calls?
Would you turn that goddamn noise off?
I want an explanation for this.
I want an explanation of what
this cheap crap is doing in your room.
Look at me, numbskull!
Where the hell are your brains?
Did you hear what I said?
It's just a book.
Don't play dumb with me.
I know trash...
...when I see it.
I've tried to bring you up.
To teach you culture and refinement.
And you...
Goddamn it!
I have forbidden you to read this trash!
I have tried to teach you to appreciate
the finer things of life.
But all you do...
...is read cheap crap!
Excuse me.
I'll fix you one of my pick-me-up specials.
No, sweetheart,
I just need a few moments of quiet.
And this cup of coffee.
Good morning.
So, I'll be back around 4:00.
Hold your horses. Where are you going?
You have to take Greta
to her dance recital.
Can't you take her just this once?
I've got to meet Eddie.
I have to go meet Margaret.
You have to call Margaret and tell her
you'll be there when you get there.
Go get dressed, and hurry up.
Let me see how you look. Turn around.
There's your friend.
You're sort of cute in your tutu.
Thanks.
I've got to go get changed.
I'll go get a seat.
No. You better go
or you'll be late for your test.
I love you.
You'll do great.
Good luck.
Okay, go.
Does everyone have a sharpened pencil?
Let me see it.
All right, everything's going to be fine.
Don't worry. She'll be okay.
Does anyone know her?
Do you know her?
God!
Did I faint again?
- Are you okay?
- I thought you'd never get here.
Remember Artie?
The guy from the Calverton deal?
Artie Skaggs.
Big talk, no underwear.
He stopped in the Dover last night
and we started talking.
I started talking about Greta and Sonya.
Not the girls, the claims.
How many times must I tell you
not to talk about business?
Jesus.
Anyway, he starts teling
me about couple of guys
he knows that got this great
deal around the same parts.
So what? It's a big mountain.
That's right. It's a big mountain.
So I ask him who these guys
got this deal from.
It's Miller.
He sold our land to someone else.
What does Skaggs know?
Miller said he wouldn't do anything
without telling me first.
That was a while ago.
I hope you're right.
Jarvis.
Just the man I wanted to see.
- I just told Eddie...
- Cut the crap.
You've avoided me for weeks
and I don't like it.
We've been up in the mountains
getting things set up.
What things?
You ever started up
a mining operation, Jarvis?
There's equipment to lease.
We got a great deal on a backhoe.
And there's men to hire.
These things take time.
And money, Jarvis.
I know, Ray. It's my money.
We've all got a lot tied up here.
We?
So far the only one I see putting up
any cash is yours truly.
And I'm getting nervous.
What's the matter?
I thought you were a high roller.
You're not the only one
with something on the line.
Who else?
Bud Rucklehaus...
...for one.
Bud Rucklehaus?
Should I be impressed?
Who the hell is Bud Rucklehaus?
He's vice president of First Federal.
Our kids go to school together.
You better not be bullshitting me.
And the next time I'm looking for you...
...be here.
Take it easy.
Shut up!
Stop!
Sonya, this is for you.
University of California?
Aren't you going to open it?
Come on.
I can't believe it!
I'm going away to college!
I'm going away to college.
They accepted me.
You're going away?
Congratulations.
Don't you dare say anything
until I figure out how to tell him.
What do you think I am?
Hello, girls.
Don't I deserve
more enthusiasm than that?
Daddy has had a rough day.
Has anyone started...
...dinner?
Sonya's going away to college.
What is she talking about?
I got accepted to the University
of California at Berkeley.
What the hell are you thinking about?
College?
Why not?
There are a thousand reasons.
Name one.
Jesus Christ!
Honey...
You don't know what you're talking about.
You're too young to know.
Your daddy knows about college.
Your daddy knows about professors.
I know. Don't think I don't know.
I've been around.
Those pinko intellectuals...
...will distort your values.
And do everything in their power
to turn your head around.
And ruin everything...
...that I, and all decent
upstanding Americans...
...like your daddy, hold precious.
Well.
Precious darling.
Since you feel that strongly about it...
...who is Daddy to try and stop you?
How could anyone's father be so selfish?
Sometimes Daddy would turn
to the housekeepers...
...for advice on how to raise us.
Hi, honey.
I didn't hear you come in.
Svedka and I are having a little chat.
So.
It snows a great deal in Finland?
"My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Once, instead of calling a doctor
when I had the flu...
...he came and sat on my bed
with a Bible...
...held in uncertain hands and faked it
so well that I recovered in no time.
Sometimes he didn't have the answers...
...and there was nowhere to turn.
Daddy, I need some money.
What for?
Just something I need.
Something?
What thing?
It's something from the store.
Money doesn't grow on trees, you know.
Daddy, I need money for Kotex.
Never has a man less-equipped
for parenthood, tried so hard.
I'll be a son of a bitch.
The guy was being straight with me.
This is private property.
I know. It's my private property.
I'm one of the partners in this.
You're one of the Carver brothers?
I don't think so.
They're twins and I've met both.
You don't even remind me of them.
Wait.
There must be a misunderstanding.
I'm with Ray Weiler.
You know, Unified Minerals?
There's a misunderstanding all right,
but it's on your end.
This property is owned and being mined
by the Carver Brothers.
I remember some talk that another
company was undercut on this deal.
It could have been Unified Minerals.
You son of a bitch, Weiler!
Anyone in there?
Someone's at the door for Daddy.
You go and answer it...
...and say I am not here.
Say I'm in the mountains
and you don't know when I'll be back.
Don't give me that look.
Daddy wouldn't ask you to do anything
unless it was absolutely necessary.
Come on! For Christ's sake,
get off the goddamn couch! Now!
Go answer the door!
Open up the damn door!
Don't make me bust the damn door!
Open it up!
Hello?
Tell your daddy Mr. Jarvis is here.
He's not home. He's in the mountains.
That's funny.
His partner told me he was here.
He's not. He's in the mountains.
Don't play games with me.
I know he's here.
Mr. Jarvis, you don't understand.
Ray Weiler's a very busy man.
He needs to be away on business.
Yeah, he's busy.
Stealing money from honest men!
He's not here!
What's the rush?
Got a client to meet?
We have business. You owe me.
You'll get your money back.
Your investment will come back, double.
I'm sick of your lies!
They're breaking ground Monday.
We're waiting for equipment.
Shut up, Ray! I've been up to the site!
I met the Carvers
and I phoned Rucklehaus!
It's over!
So don't insult me with your crap!
I want my money by Monday
or I swear to you...
I want my money, plus 20 percent.
That's 20 percent for aggravation.
You get it! You get it, goddamn it!
You got nice girls.
Ought to take better care of them.
It's okay.
I was trying to protect you as much as
I was trying to do the right thing.
If that old geezer hadn't sold out
from under me, it would've been fine.
- I saw a lawyer. I'm pressing charges.
- Oh, Bud. Don't do that.
Think about your daughter.
Please, I'm appealing to you, Bud.
Bud, please, have some mercy.
Daddy, are you all right?
All I needed was a few more days.
These bastards don't know the first thing
about the mining business.
A little bit of trouble, and they panic.
What will we do now?
It's the guys like Bud Rucklehaus
that really kill me.
I lay the deal of a lifetime in their laps
and look what I get.
While they sit in their offices
and never get their hands dirty.
These guys...
...have no guts.
No vision.
They can't pull this shit on Ray Weiler.
I found a...
...lawyer for your father.
Your dad will be out soon.
Desmond took care of the bail.
Mr. Webster put up the...?
Don't worry about that. He'll get it back.
You need help.
Your father is charged with grand larceny
and fraud. That's serious.
So what's going to happen now?
Well.
We got a court date in a few weeks.
I'll need you and your sister
in court every day.
It's going to upset Greta
to have to go to court.
Look.
Social Services isn't going to look kindly
on your situation.
She's my sister.
I can take care of her.
I know, but we must do everything
we can to convince them.
Let's go home, sweetheart.
Thank you, sir.
I'll see you.
My father is changing.
I can sense the shifts, the profound
upheavals taking place in him.
He's on the road a lot of these nights,
gripping the wheel of the Ford...
...driving aimlessly
through deserted streets.
I've seen him from my bedroom window,
circling the block...
...as if he were trying to decide
whether to stay with us...
...or to just run away.
I lie awake, watching the clock
long after Greta's fallen asleep.
And while I wait for him, I write.
I imagine the thoughts he must be having...
...as he stares down the darkened highway.
He's watching his dreams unravel.
When my mother was alive,
he'd be bristling with plans.
I imagine that, deep in his heart...
...he thinks he's failed her.
The thought of our future
is always on his mind.
I know he must think about leaving
and letting us shift for ourselves.
But there seems to be something
deep inside him...
...that just won't let him desert us.
Here she comes.
What are you doing here?
Can't a father pick his daughter up
after school?
Who are you, Dale Evans?
All right, sweetheart.
It's part of the surprise.
This is what they wear at the dude ranch.
What dude ranch?
The one in Reno.
I'll ride horses, you'll go to college...
...and Daddy won't have to go to jail.
What is she talking about?
I've given this...
...a lot of thought.
There are a lot of opportunities in Reno.
It's a place a guy like me
can really make a mark.
Opportunities?
I can't believe you're saying this.
You're running away?
Are you crazy?
Can't you see that the whole thing
is stacked against me?
With guys like Rucklehaus,
I don't stand a chance.
In a few months, he'll forget about it
and they won't even look for me.
We can all make a fresh start.
We don't need a fresh start.
I can't go to jail, Sonya.
Stop the car.
Stop the goddamn car, now!
We're not going with you!
Of course, you are going.
The Three Little Weilers stick together.
Three Little Weilers, Three Little Pigs!
Stop calling us that!
Stop the car, now!
Leave me alone! God!
Stop the car!
Where are you going?
Get off the road. Come off the road.
Come back to the car.
What about your promise?
You promised my mother
that I would graduate from Edgemont.
Doesn't that mean anything?
Of course, it does.
But, sweetheart...
...a diploma is a mere formality.
You take a test in Reno, they send
you some paperwork, you've graduated.
A mere formality.
A technicality.
What about Mr. Webster's bail money?
Was that a formality?
He was my friend.
He trusted me
and now you're ruining that, too.
He'll have the money back
at the end of the month, with interest.
You think I wasn't thinking about that?
You don't think about anyone or anything...
...but yourself and your deals.
What about us?
Don't you ever think about us?
What do you mean?
This has all been for you.
And your sister.
To give you what I didn't give your mother.
You conned my mother
and maybe you can con Greta...
...but I'm not listening
to any more of your lies!
Let me go!
Let me go!
I stood by you girls
and now I'm asking you to stick by me.
Maybe we would have been
better off without you.
That's how you feel?
Fine.
When I think of the opportunities
I passed up...
...because of you two...
...maybe I should have left you
a long time ago.
Is your father here?
No.
Do you know where he is?
Ray Weiler is a very busy man who needs
to be away on business frequently.
Honey, is your sister here?
What is it?
We have a warrant for the arrest
of Raymond Weiler.
I already told them...
Were you aware
he was to appear in court yesterday?
No.
Yes.
I'm Mrs. Cole from Social Services.
Miss Abigail Tate told our department
you have an unsupervised minor here.
I'm sorry. I must take your sister with me.
No, I'm 18. I can take care of her.
Sonya, you don't have legal guardianship.
Please don't make this any harder
than it already is.
Help Greta get packed and dressed.
I'm calling Mr. Drew.
It's okay.
It's okay, Greta.
Lucky I was already packed.
Yes, that was real lucky.
Come on, Greta.
Come on.
I don't want to go.
Listen, everything's going to be okay.
Greta, you've got to.
It's only temporary. Now, come on.
Sonya, stop!
Come on.
Stop it!
Stop.
- Please.
- Stop.
Here. Let go of her, Sonya.
Come on. I promise you,
you'll see her soon.
Here's how it goes.
You have a captive audience in Reno.
Lonely woman moves to town...
She's got six weeks to kill, just waiting
for her divorce to come through.
All she's got is time...
...and the ex-husband's money.
Maybe we help her catch
a case of uranium fever.
Bingo. Instant investment, right?
So, are you guys interested?
Yeah, sure.
Piece of cake for us, right?
Right, Ray?
We're in.
Your Honor?
I'm Ray Weiler.
We had a date to meet in court,
not in front of my home.
Yes, sir. I know.
If you think you'll get more sympathy
by coming here, you're very mistaken.
I am not asking anything for myself.
It's about my daughters.
They've been through enough.
Isn't it a little late
for all this fatherly concern?
You should've thought of that
before you took off.
You abandoned your children, Mr. Weiler.
I'm not much of a father.
And I've made more
than my share of mistakes.
Sonya never got to be much of a kid.
And Greta never knew her mother.
I didn't make it any easier on them.
The only thing they have now
is each other.
Please.
Don't take that away from them, too...
...because I screwed up.
Congratulations to the Edgemont
graduating class of 1962.
- Nice to meet you.
- It was a pleasure.
Nice to see you again.
I'm sorry about my father.
I never should have let you
put up that money.
I'll get a job and pay you back.
You don't have to apologize for your father.
That's between me and him.
He is one hell of a source for material,
isn't he?
I guess you could say that.
Just keep writing your stories
and I'll keep reading them.
Okay.
I believe you know where I live.
Can I go find Sonya?
It's so good to see you!
You came back.
I wouldn't have missed your graduation
for all the tea in China.
Nothing could stop me.
You look so grown up.
Just like your mother wanted.
I wish she were here with me to see you.
I wish she was, too.
I have something I want to give you.
For your stories.
You're looking at the best damn pen
money can buy. 14 carats.
If you melted that pen, the weight alone
could pay for a year of college.
When he was young,
he pursued a dream of silver in Mexico.
Later the lure was gold.
By the time Daddy got out of jail,
the Space Age was upon us...
...and he had moved onto an obsession
with rare earth metals.
By then, Greta and I were
used to being on our own.
Mr. Webster helped set me up at State.
I waited tables at night
and I wrote my stories on the weekends.
I shared an apartment with my sister,
whose school was just a block away.
She was like a daughter to me.
One November,
after many years had passed...
...our father went into the mountains
and he never came back.
A hunter found his body in the spring...
...still propped up against a tree.
I used to wonder if a con man
was capable of genuine love...
...and if that love was enough
to cancel out his crimes...
...real or imaginary.
Now I wonder if it's possible
that the wish to love...
...can be stronger than the need to hate.
We buried Ray Weiler
on the dark mountain...
...beneath the land he loved.
In time, he would harden
into mineral and ore...
...and become that thing...
...that he used to seek.