Oliver Sherman

bus sounds

foot steps

train

birds chirping

knocking

foot steps

door opening

Hi.

Can I help you?

If you're Franklin Page.

Sherman.

Yes sir.

I, I didn't know

if you want to

see someone like me again.

Come on in,

come on in at least.

I just thought

I'd look you up.

Honey this is

Sherman Oliver,

an old friend.

Sherman this is my wife Irene.

Hi, pleased to meet

you Mr. Oliver.

Ma'am.

And this Jacob.

Jacob can you say

'hi' to Sherman?

laugh He's shy;

don't worry,

he'll be vying for your

attention soon enough.

Are you hungry Sherman;

I was just gonna finish

feeding the kids and then

make something

for Franklin and me?

I could eat.

So how did you

get here Sherman?

Walked.

Walked?

I lost my license

a while back.

I mean I bused in from

the city but I walked

from your depot.

You must be tired.

Not especially.

That's quite a trek.

I don't mind walking.

It's how you get

to know a place.

I think so too.

So are you from the

city originally?

No ma'am.

So where is it

you're from then?

Oh...

I guess I'm from all over.

laugh

sound of crickets outside

door creaking open

You've let your

hair grow;

beard.

I guess I never wanted to see

a razor again after I got out.

How'd you end up

out here anyway?

I had a hard go of it

that first year out.

Fleeing one town

to the next.

Eventually I wound up

with a mill job

around here.

Walked into the office that

first day and man oh man,

there she was -

Irene.

First time

I saw her I knew,

I knew she was

the one I wanted

to spend everything on.

All the money I'd saved,

all the...

experience I'd gained,

all the love I could

never give away --

so I did.

Wife and kids.

Just like we used

to talk about;

dream about.

I don't remember too many

dreams of domesticity

back then Sherman.

I kind of remember

us playing poker

with some girls

sitting on our laps.

laugh

You're right Frank,

that's right.

You ever see any of

those boys anymore?

No,

actually I...

I lost touch.

You?

Not much.

Has it been seven years?

Mhm.

Man.

You know I heard once that

everything takes seven years;

serious illness,

broken heart,

you name it.

Anything bad takes seven years

to come to terms with

and...

I don't know,

maybe now,

right now

is your time.

Mm...

maybe it is,

Frank.

undressing sounds

Are you drunk?

A little bit,

yeah.

Nicely done.

Thank you.

Your friend

doesn't talk much.

He calls me ma'am.

He loosens up a bit when

you get a drink in him.

Well I'll leave

that to you.

sighs

Did he tell you

why he's here?

No, I just think he's

feeling a bit lost,

that's all.

Were you guys

close or something?

Not particularly.

We were in the

same company.

It's just that

one day he, ah...

he got pretty banged up,

shot in the head actually

and all the other guys

said, just leave him.

But I ran out there

and picked him up

and I carried him back.

Rescued him I guess.

I don't know.

You never told me that.

You don't need to

hear about that stuff.

There's nothing I don't

want to hear about.

You know that.

Right?

Yes ma'am.

Sherman Oliver.

Sherman Oliver.

church bells

You got my number at the

mill if you need anything.

Yes sir.

If you get hungry there's

a caf just up ahead.

Okay.

Sherman,

I'll be back just after

five to pick you up.

dog barking

chair dragging on floor

Aaaaah...

Eat your Peas,

please, Jacob.

Num,

nums?

Atta boy.

How's the library.

All right.

Yeah; what

were you reading?

Books about war.

I like to hear

what people have

to say on the subject.

Any you enjoy

in particular?

All of 'em.

So you lived here

all your life?

Oh, yeah.

laugh

Thirty-seven years now.

I went away to university

for a while

but,

otherwise.

And you work the

same place as Frank?

Well he worked at

the same place as me

and then he knocked me up

to force me out.

He impregnated you

to get you to quit?

No.

laughs

No, no,

I was just joking.

Oh.

mutters under his breath

Stupid.

Um...

water running

Frank, he said when

he first saw you there

he knew you were

the girl he wanted

to spend everything on.

All the money he'd saved,

all the experience

he'd gained

and the love he'd never

been able to give away.

He said that?

laugh

That's embarrassing,

Jesus.

Ten cents,

ten cents.

Yes, thank you,

honey.

I meant to say gosh.

blues

blues

You know almost

that whole year

I was in the hospital

I thought my name was

actually Oliver Sherman.

Some nurse wrote all my

information down backwards.

That's army

bureaucracy for you, huh?

For a year;

I wasn't even me

and I didn't know

the difference.

How'd you finally

find out?

I got a letter with

my real name on it.

I always thought that kinda

said something

about my life,

you know.

Oliver Sherman,

almost right,

but not quite.

So how'd you get that?

Lose it,

I mean.

Oh...

it was that day actually.

When I went to grab

you I didn't see

your leg was caught up

in razor wire

and I started running

and with each step

the wire cuts deeper

and by the time

we get to safety

it's just dangling like a

teabag from a string.

I'm sorry.

Oh...

It's just a finger;

really half a one.

I'm probably not

even worth that.

Sherman don't say that.

It's not true.

Mm...

Hell half a finger for

all the drinks you

bought me here tonight,

I figure I'm coming

out ahead.

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