hey jerry, how it's goin'. good to see you. been a long time.
aw, pretty good. kids are drivin' me crazy and phyliss is gonna put me in the poorhouse. can't complain other than that. wouldn't do any good if i did. do you know scooter, jerry?
i remember it real well. cut them folks to pieces. his mama one of 'em.
don't look much like he could. you say he can fix a small engine like nobody's bidness.
well, i ain't scared of him workin' here. you know me. i'm a church goin' man. forgivin' man. when your time's up the lord's gonna come git you. you seared of him, scooter?
that old man of his still livin' over there on clark street i believe.
fine with me. if he steals anything, i'll take it out of your pocket anyway.
well, i've got a roomful of work for him to do. can't get scooter to do any of it.
good to know you, karl.
now it's minimal wage and there ain't nothin' but a army cot and a toilet back there.
they say you're a whiz on fixin' lawn mowers and things.
we order from dairy queen at noontime usually. we can buy your lunch till you get on your feet a little.
yeah, me too.
all right then, i'll see y'all later. karl you done a good day's work. they right about you. scooter, he's gonna knock you out of a job if you're not careful. i'll see you tomorrow.
karl, they's a blanket up in under that cot and soap in the bathroom to clean up with. now there's one more thing. the way we lock these doors at night, you can't get out. you didn't want to go anywhere, did you?
if it works out and all, maybe we'll get you a key so you can get out at night if you need to. see you later.
scooter, did i tell about the two old boys pissin' off the bridge?
there was these two old boys hung their peckers off of a bridge to piss, one old boy from california and one old boy from arkansas. old boy from california says, "boy this water's cold." old boy from arkansas says "yeah, and it's deep too." get it? that's a goodun.
well, yeah it's a classic. you know, karl, i got to thinkin' about it last night and it's just not christian of me to not let you have a key. i mean you been in lockup so long, you don't need me keepin' you locked up. you need to come and go as you please. here, take this key, it'll get you in and out that back door. them french fries good?
you got any money?
well, i'm gonna pay you today for this comin' week, so you'll have some walkin' around money. when you get off this evenin' you better go buy some toothpaste and cleanin' up supplies to have back there. some hard candy and some magazines. somethin' to keep you busy at night.
i'll let you off while it's still daylight.
now, karl, you sure you want to go stay with these folks? you're welcome to keep on stayin here. it's workin' out real good.
all right then. i'll see you bright and early. how you comin' along on that garden tiller?
you done fixed it? i'll be damned. scooter told me it couldn't be fixed. 'course scooter's about as shitless as one poor son-of-a-bitch can be. you done fixed it. i'll just be damned. see you tomorrow.
how 'bout you, jerry.
doin' pretty good. got a sick tiller here. what's got you down this way?
well, he's pretty quiet. except for them rackets and breathin' things he does. ain't threatened me with a killin' or anything. but boy you couldn't of been more right about him fixin' things. that son of a bitch is a regular eli whitney on a lawnmower. loves french fries. eats four larges and don't even so much as belch. i'm proud to have him.
he's gone to stayin' over with that wheatley boy and his mama in their garage. i think that little boy adopted him damn near like a mascot. but he's got a key here to come and go as he pleases. everything's worked out good.
sure.
scooter! run get karl for me.
karl, see if you can figure out what's wrong with this thing. it won't crank up and ever'thing seems to be put together right.
okay, stop back by. don't worry about your boy here, he's doin' good.
see there. thinks of the simplest thing first.
hey karl, they's somebody out here to see you. some gal holding a nice bouquet. come on now, she wants to talk to you. don't just set there.
scooter, let's me and you go over to dairy queen and pick up a few things for lunchtime.
goddamnit, scooter, come on. pardon my language, ma'am.
hey there karl, can you come unload a generator for me?
karl, lift this thing down and carry it to the back. it's on the blink. we'll have it for you in a day or two, walter.
oh no, that dang karl can lift a bulldozier. fix anything, too. he's mentally retarded, but he's a whiz on small engines. lord works in mysterious ways.