The Grief Tourist

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(Distant siren sounding)

(Tapping)

(Siren continuing)

(Muffled chattering)

(Exhaling deeply)

(Sirens sounding)

(Muffled chattering)

(Horn blaring)

Everything gets better

at night...

(Chuckling)

...even yonkers.

There's no traffic,

no aggravation.

Nice.

I've been relieving Sanchez

for the last five years,

ever since she got back

from Iraq.

She's more of a man than all

the other guys

on the four-to-twelve

put together.

She's like a friend.

We share a vice.

Hey.

Hey.

August 10th.

Did you go?

Check it out.

Here.

Sanchez:

Is that ever neat!

Self portrait.

Oh, you've got to

email me this.

Put it on my MySpace.

Hey, when you leaving?

In the morning.

You crazy?

Man, you should have

took a sick day,

come over to my place.

Me and Tina are going

to watch a&e.

They've got a son of Sam

documentary on,

being it's the anniversary

of when they caught him.

Nah. You're name's on the

schedule, you show up.

Hate it when the guard relieving

me is a no show.

Ain't right.

Screw that.

If I was going on my

vacation the next day,

I'd tell them all

to blow me.

Thought that's what

Tina was for.

So, what you hitting?

Definitely his boyhood

home.

Sure.

The juvie facility

they had him in.

Still there?

Yeah. Closed it in 2000,

but it's still there.

Definitely want to

see that.

What about the

church?

Yeah. Church

and the shed,

up in the hills.

Wow, Carl marznap.

You're really doing it.

Now, one of these years

I'm going to go with you.

No. My trips are my own.

You know that.

Big Jim's going

to cali.

Hey, if you see

Jessica alba,

bang her for me.

Hollywood,

it's for faggots.

Going about 150 Miles

north of that sh*t hole.

Take plenty of pictures.

Go f*** yourself.

Jim:
I've been at post

one 15 years almost.

I got job security.

Mostly because no one

wants my shift.

Most guards hate it

down here.

Down here you're

vulnerable.

A couple guards been robbed,

been two drive-by shootings.

And they all say it's

too lonely.

(Scoffing)

They go nuts after

a few weeks.

But not me.

I never get lonely.

I love it down here.

I had this doctor,

this little Jew f***er

the court made me see

after I got out of the

hospital,

said it wasn't no good

me being alone too much.

(Chuckling)

Said it was unhealthy.

I thought he was full

of sh*t.

I mean, the world's all

f***ed up

because nobody ever gets a

chance to be alone anymore.

You got your emails,

answering machines,

personal computers,

you always got someone

up your ass.

Makes people crazy.

You have none of that sh*t

down at post one.

It's why I like it

down here.

It's quiet.

Gives you plenty of

think time.

(Car passing)

(Car passing)

(Plane engine roaring)

The morning rush...

A long line of people

going to their deaths.

Morning, sunshine.

I know they hate their lives.

We're all caught in

the same trap.

You. Hey, hey, hey.

God, you got to get your window

fixed. Come on.

People aren't going to think

you have a job.

Get out of here.

They're all sluts,

drug addicts,

whoremongers,

child molesters.

I know they hate me.

They hate all

the guards.

Grumpy. Come on, grumpy.

Get up here.

Come on!

I've been at this way too long

not to know that.

All right, have

a great day.

You see, they don't

trust us.

Look at you.

You're the sunshine

in my day.

They think we're going

through their desks

and offices at night

when they go home and

they're right. We are.

We are worse than what they're

paying us to keep out.

So, for thirty seconds

each day,

we all pretend we're

buddies.

(Horns honking)

This new cook?

Waitress:

Yeah?

Jim:
Every day this

week, too many onions.

When's petey getting back

from Atlantic city?

Be back Friday,

degenerate gambler

that he is.

Packed yet?

You know me, ma.

I've been packed for

two weeks.

California, right?

Yeah, little town called

hatticomb.

It's in, like,

farm country.

Farm country.

This guy was a, uh,

mass murderer arsonist.

Oh, lovely.

Yeah.

F***ing awesome.

Oh, great,

Carl marznap.

Burned down a church

in '68,

killed a bunch of

people.

What the hell's

wrong with people?

Well, this guy was

gang raped as a kid.

That'll f*** you up,

ma.

I don't get what you do.

Well...

You know? It's...

It's very macabre to me. Yeah?

Yeah, macabre.

What about those people that

go to the grassy knoll?

What about 'em?

To see where Kennedy's

head exploded.

He was the president.

And somehow, that's

not weird.

But what I do is.

I don't know.

Maybe you're right.

I mean, I went

to Graceland.

Same thing.

Same thing.

He died on the shitter.

He died on the shitter?

Mm-hmm.

Did they take

pictures?

Absolutely.

No.

I don't understand that.

Is that Jean Nate?

You always smell

so good.

(Chuckling)

Thank you,

sweetie.

Just take care

of yourself.

Make sure that wherever

you're staying,

you go down by the pool,

relax.

Yeah.

What do you want me

to bring you back?

I'll trust you.

I'm going to get that

sundae going for you.

Just be careful.

Thank you.

Yes, please.

Jim:
You never took me to ballgames,

only cemeteries.

You said they were peaceful.

We hardly ever spoke.

I didn't care. I just

liked being with you.

You put something in

my blood, pop.

You made me a

grief tourist.

(Jet engine roaring)

Proudly swept

the rain clouds by

the cliffs

as on, it glided

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