guitar.
JOHNNY
Hey, softer on the strings. Strum them, don’t bang them.
TOM
(trying to strum) Like that?
JOHNNY
Yeah, sort of …
TOM
You used to play, eh?
JOHNNY
Yeah. Ever heard of “J.R. and the Falling Stars”?
TOM
No.
JOHNNY
You’re looking at “J.R.”
MURIEL comes out of her house carrying a bag of garbage.
MURIEL
(to TOM) What are you doing?
TOM
The UIC don’t open till nine o’clock.
MURIEL
Yeah, but there’s gonna be a lineup.
TOM
It’s a waste of time. They never get ya jobs anyhow.
MURIEL
Well, don’t think you’re gonna hang around here doing nothing.
TOM
Okay, okay. Ma, I need some bus fare and some money for lunch.
MURIEL
You can come home for lunch.
TOM
Ma …
MURIEL
I’m not giving you any money to bum around with.
TOM goes into the house with his guitar.
MURIEL
And you leave my purse alone in there, too.
TOM
(coming back out with her purse) Ma, I want my allowance.
MURIEL
What allowance? You don’t go to school no more.
TOM
I want my money.
MURIEL
Gimme that purse. Gimme that goddamn purse.
She snatches her purse away from TOM, opens it, and gives him some bus tickets.
MURIEL
That’s it … that’s all you get.
TOM
Fuck!
MURIEL
Don’t you swear at me. Don’t you ever swear at me.
TOM exits.
JOHNNY
(singing) “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go.”
MURIEL
(to JOHNNY) You’re not funny.
JOHNNY
You’re a little hard on the kid, aren’t ya, Muriel?
MURIEL
Yeah well, look what happened to you.
JOHNNY
Fuck! What’s with everybody today? Is it the heat or what?
He goes into his house. CÉCILE comes out on her balcony. She notices MURIEL’s wash hanging from the clothesline.
CÉCILE
It’s so nice to see that, madame.
MURIEL
See what?
CÉCILE
To see you put up the washing the right way. First the white clothes, then the dark ones. The young girls, they don’t care anymore.
MURIEL
Yeah well, why should they?
CÉCILE
Having children is not easy today? Eh?
MURIEL
Ah, they don’t know what’s good for them.
CÉCILE
Oui, I suppose.
MURIEL
When I was a kid, you just did what you were told and that was it.
CÉCILE
Yes, I remember that, too.
MURIEL
Everybody got along all right. Now, nobody knows their ass from their elbow.
CÉCILE
Elbow? … Yes …
THIBAULT enters on his bike again. He is looking for his cap.
CÉCILE
Allô, Thibault. Comment ça va?
THIBAULT
Ma casquette …
CÉCILE
Ta casquette?
THIBAULT
Ben oui, j’ai perdu ma casquette. Oh, elle est en bas.
He looks under the stairs and finds his cap.
J’veux pas la perdre. J’ai payé quatre dollars chez Kresge.
CÉCILE
Eh, Thibault, ton boss était pas trop fâché?
THIBAULT
Il a sacré un peu après moi, but so what, eh? Il est jamais content anyway. Qu’tu fasses n’importe quoi.
CÉCILE
