BRANDY

McDonald’s.

 

She walks away.

 

HENRY

Let’s get a couple of Cokes.

 

JOSH

That’ll work.

 

They go to the counter and order from EDWARD.

 

EDWARD

Would you like to try our new

buffalo-meat burrito? 

 

JOSH

No way, dude.

 

EDWARD

They’re really good.  And quite

nourishing. 

 

JOSH

I’m sure.  Just two Cokes, dude.

 

In the grill area, BRANDY is getting the Cokes for them.

 

HENRY (shouting)

Hey, don’t spit in them this

time.

 

Several customers look at BRANDY, look down at their drinks.

 

BRANDY (smiling

at the customers)

He’s my little brother.  Little

brother humor. 

 

BRANDY glares at HENRY. 

 

KREBS opens the door of his office.

 

KREBS

Brandy, can I see you in my

office.  Please.

 

BRANDY

Sure, Mr. Krebs.

 

He goes back into his office.  After hesitating a little nervously, she goes into his office and shuts the door behind her.

 

JOSH and HENRY stare at the closed door and then go back to their booth.

 

JOSH

You think he’s going to fire her?

 

HENRY

I hope not.  My mom really needs

 

money.  It wouldn’t be a good time

for Brandy to be whining for

spending money every second. “I

need a CD.  I need make-up.  I need

a sports bra.”

 

JOSH

Yeah.  That’s how girls are.  They’re

all about money.  My dad says you got

to fork over the big bucks if you

wanta get in a girl’s pants.

 

HENRY

Is that what he told you when you

Guys had your facts-of-life talk?

 

JOSH

Not really.  One day he just started letting me watch Cinemax with him.

Skinamax.  And giving me little bits

of wisdom.  Stuff like, “Don’t rub it too hard.”

 

HENRY

Rub what too hard?

 

JOSH

I don’t know.

 

HENRY

Oh.

 

JOSH

Did your dad talk to you about that stuff?

 

HENRY

Yeah.  Yeah, he did.  Couple of years

ago.  Before him and mom split up.

 

JOSH

Did he, like, show you copies of Hustler?

 

HENRY

No.  He just talked.  He said you should love the girl before you have sex.

 

JOSH (joking)

What about loving a guy?  Did he give you that as an option?

 

HENRY

Fuck you.  I’m not going to talk to you.

 

JOSH

Okay.  Sorry.  Go on.  What’d he say?

Did you explain techniques?

 

HENRY

He said you fall in love, and you should be nice and gentle and never do anything the girl doesn’t want you

to do.

 

JOSH

Man, that’s not the way it works on

Cinemax.

 

HENRY

Those people aren’t in love.  They’re

just banging.  If you fall in love with

a girl, you don’t want to have sex with

her.

 

JOSH

What?

 

HENRY

Not unless you’re gonna marry her.  My dad said that, too.

 

JOSH

Man, no wonder you hate your dad.  What

a tight ass. 

 

HENRY

I don’t know.  I kind of like that idea.  You know? Loving somebody and all?

 

JOSH

Yeah, sure, you might wanta get married

some day, but you gotta get some practice in before.  You can’t wait till you’re married.  You’ll explode or something.

 

HENRY

I asked him if him and Mom had sex before they got married.

 

JOSH

You did?  Dude, you got balls.

 

HENRY

He said they did, but they loved

each other and got married, so it

was okay.

 

JOSH

Now they’re divorced and bangin’ other people.  What a load of bullshit.

 

HENRY

Yeah.  I guess. 

 

JOSH

Wasn’t your mom, like, screwin’ around on your dad before he left?

 

HENRY

That’s what he said, but she never admitted it.  She said he was just making it up so he’d have an excuse to leave.

 

JOSH

Who you believe?

 

HENRY

Even if she was, he was still just making excuses.

 

JOSH

So you think she was?

 

HENRY

No.  Dog was never around until after Dad left.

 

JOSH

Maybe she was doin’ some other guy.

 

HENRY

You been watching too many Skinamax movies with your dad. Hey, Brandy’s been in Krebs’ office a long time.

 

JOSH

I don’t think he’ll fire her.

 

HENRY

Why not?

 

JOSH

Cause he thinks she looks like

Paris Hilton.

 

HENRY

Maybe if I go apologize to him about saying that stuff about her spitting

in the drinks.

 

JOSH

Apologize to that bastard?

 

HENRY

I told you.  Mom needs money.

 

JOSH

For what?

 

HENRY

An operation or something.

 

JOSH (suddenly

subdued, sad)

Oh.

 

HENRY

You don’t think my mom has what your mom had, do you?

 

JOSH (quietly)

Breast cancer.  No, man.  Your mom

wouldn’t get that.

 

HENRY

I’m going to go see what’s going

on.

 

HENRY gets up from the booth and walks to the door of KREBS’ office. 

 

HENRY tries to listen through the door. He puts his ear to it, leaning against it, and the door pops opens.

 

HENRY stumbles into the small office and is shocked to see KREBS sitting behind his desk, the desk top cleared except for a crumbled fifty-dollar bill, and BRANDY standing on the other side with her shirt unbuttoned and her bra off, obviously displaying her breasts for KREBS.

 

KREBS and BRANDY are, of course, embarrassed to be caught.

 

HENRY stammers, gawking at his sister.

 

HENRY

I don’t get it, Brandy.  Do you like

this guy?

 

BRANDY buttons her shirt as glares at HENRY.

 

KREBS swipes the fifty-dollar-bill off his desk and stuffs it into his pants pocket.

 

KREBS

You carry a paintball gun round

with you all the time, don’t you,

boy?  It just happens—-

 

Suddenly, HENRY is in KREBS’ face, startling KREBS.

 

HENRY

You leave my sister alone.  You

don’t, and I’ll get a real gun.

 

HENRY turns and leaves the office. 

 

KREBS (as Henry is

walking away)

You’re my witness.  That psycho

little bastard threatened my

life!