 I got all messed up. Man, you must have rocks in your head. He doesn't want to hear your answers. He just wants to scream at me. How do I know why? Like, maybe it's his liver. My mother always says he's drinking too much. By the time I got in, like two o'clock, he'd had plenty. Been watching the late show, too. Maybe that's it. Maybe one of those old Paul Newman flicks about the new generation of wild boys. You know, the cat who lives it up falls into the hands of the mafia in the last reel. He really believes what he sees on the idiot box. He doesn't have idea number one about me. Like, what I'm really like. What bothers me most is the way he just stands there and looks at me when I'm talking to him. You know, as though I'm a record, he's heard a hundred times. No expression, no reaction. Except maybe once in a while a pain look like a needle is going over the scratch. You never know what he hears. He hears everything. He's penetrating that thick skull of his. He's not stupid. Oh, that story he made up last night was a masterpiece. It's not like it came straight out of a comic book. He claims he started to come home at 11.30. But his friend Ronnie wanted to stay a few minutes longer. Well, at 12.30, when he finally decided to come home alone, he'd missed the bus. And, of course, he had no money for a taxi. After all, he only gets $10 a week allowance. Do you know what I had to do for $10 when I was his age? That's what I earned for 20 hours hard work at Folti's Market. Yes, Kenneth. I know. So he couldn't take a taxi. Why didn't he tell him all? What could happen? I'm grounded, of course, until further notice. Who cares? So I miss a lousy flick. Big deal. Want to go swimming this afternoon? No, only at night. In the daytime, I'm a free man. How about tomorrow then? Okay. Me and Mr. Johnson's at 10. Better for me tomorrow, too. I'd better stick around today so we can hate me. Then, of course, Ronnie had to drop his girlfriend off. And that seems to have taken an hour. Of course, Ken doesn't know exactly because he says he waited in the car and fell asleep. You know, if I ever heard a cock and bull story... Maybe it's the truth. Yeah, maybe I'm the president of the United States. And after all, there's only one phone in the whole town. He couldn't borrow the taxi money from one of 10 friends because he couldn't have used his bike in the first place. He says only little kids use bikes at night. So, of course, he had to go home with Ronnie because Ronnie's 16 and he can drive. Of course, Ronnie can't get out of the tenth grade by the time he's 16. You know, why have all the kids in the school? He has to pick the dirtiest, with the longest hair and the most disreputable clothes. I'll never know. Now, can you imagine the girls who were at that party? Whose parents let them stroll in at two o'clock? Who else is he gonna yell at? Pick up the books, turn down the record player, mow the lawn, get a haircut. Don't talk to me in that tone. Children don't have a sense of time. Yeah. Well, that's why I gave him a watch for Christmas. It's in his dresser, he says. Broken, of course, like everything else I spend money on. You know, when I gave it to him, he promised he would be in by midnight. You know, there would be no more excuses. I just can't trust him. I just can't trust him. He just promises and doesn't keep them. He was gonna build a family room for me to entertain my friends in. We were gonna spend the summer making a trip out to the west. Although I must admit, I'm glad he blew that one. Imagine being with him 24 hours a day. It's like he's always mad at me. He's always mad at me, you know? Like I owe him something and I'm not delivering. Now, if he'd only smile at me or say something civil, the only line he seems to know is, Dad, can I have a little money? He gives me nothing but trouble. I just don't do it. You don't understand it. How about trying some dives? Nah, I don't feel like it. What's the matter with you today? Nothing's the matter. Aw, you don't kid me, man. Something's bugging you. I'm all right. I know what I should be complaining. After what I took yesterday, you think it killed him to stay up till two o'clock waiting for me. Maybe he was tired. Well, then what's all this junk about worrying about me that's himself he's worried about? That's why I have to be in by 12. Well, if he had a rough day or something. Yeah, rough. Pushing papers around all day. So let him go to sleep. They read this stuff in the papers about kids having accidents. They think all kids are the same. Besides, it didn't cost you anything. What do you mean? My allowance was cut to nothing for the rest of the summer. What did you do? I didn't do anything. My father turned the sprinkler on in the rose bed, and his new camera got ruined. He found it yesterday. What was the camera doing in the rose bed? I was trying to shoot some bees with a long lens. When my mother called me for lunch, I put it down in a rock. You see, I was going to get some more shots and the light changed. I forgot all about it. So what happened? Um, it's all my fault, of course. Even if he turned the water on. What did he say? I'll stop. You know the lines. No respect for property. No responsibility. The camera will help to go back to the shop. It might cost a hundred bucks and I'll have to pay for it. I'm neglectful. I'm a jerk. I'm a mess. I'm hopeless. So I'm dead. But your father, I'm surprised. He doesn't seem like that in the store. He's been kind of nice to me. Last week I broke an earth aware planter. 795, and he just said, Never mind. Forget it. He would have said something very different if it was me. The noise would have scared the mice out of the store. Funny, I was thinking just Saturday about what a nice guy is. You can talk to him even. Not like my father. He was telling me all about heeing units and heat convection currents. Yeah, he's great on heat. Especially under his collar. No, you gotta believe it. He really seems like a nice guy to me. Maybe fathers are different to their own kids. Yeah. Maybe they don't treat them the same. Maybe even my father. You know, I know I'm forgetting something. Light bulbs. Batteries. I'll remember on the way home. Well, that'll be $9.81 with tax. How's Ken doing? Is he giving you much trouble? Trouble. Not at all. That's a fine boy you've got. He's got a great head for figures, too. My kid? What do you mean? Well, you know, I started him in the stock room at first. A sorting merchandise. Then I discovered that he could check invoices. Well, in no time at all, he began to learn the cost control system. Well, that's right. I've got him in the office working now. He's doing a great job. You know, no wonder I haven't seen him around here. I've been in here on Saturdays. I thought he would have told you. I even gave him a little raise. Help him buy the guitar he wants. Guitar? Well, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it. But that's what Ken is really working for this summer. He mentioned he had a fight with you about money. Didn't want to ask you to pay for it. Well, that is, we didn't exactly have an argument about money. But, you know, kids these days, one day they're dying for something, the next day they've forgotten all about it. Sure. But Ken seems different. He's serious and reliable. He gets in here on time, and he isn't too hurry to leave at night. You know, he's the first kid I've had in years that I could really trust. I had my own boy working here last year. It was more trouble than it was worth. Absolutely amazing. Carson down at the hardware store was telling me about Ken. Says he's got a good head for figures. Says he's the best kid he ever had working for. I can hardly believe by years. Oh, my! Call a doctor! Get an ambulance! What's the matter? Are you hurt? No, it's Ronnie. I think he's cut his finger off. Well, where is he? He's bleeding terrible. You better call Dr. Reigns. Oh, boy. Ronnie, hold your hand up. Here, keep your head down. Don't look at the cut. All right. Now, you feel harm holding your arm? Yeah. Can you hold it that way? Good. Ken, get a blanket. That's going to be all right. I've seen worse. Okay. Ken, put the blanket around him. I feel like I'm back in the medical court. All right. Now, turn around, Ronnie. All right. Now, keep the hand up. Keep the hand up. All right. How do you feel? Okay. You think he can go in the house? I think so. All right. Let's take it easy.