The Spitfire Grill

[Indistinct talking, typing, phones ringing]

Maine tourist office. How can I help you today?

Yes, ma'am,

I can connect you to the Alagash Hotel.

Just between us, it's awful busy that time of year.

The pine tree in Dawesport

is just a skip up the road...

For hardly half the price.

Me, ma'am?

I come up here to stay goin' on 5 years now.

And I don't believe I could leave Maine now

if I wanted to.

Oh, no, ma'am.

There's nothing else like it nowhere.

When the sugar maples turn scarlet...

And the hickories go all gold,

it's like--

it's like seeing the colors of paradise

come back to you,

even if it don't last but a week.

You're welcome, ma'am.

It's been real nice talking to you, too.

Have a nice day.

"Like seeing the colors of paradise come back to you."

Where you get that shit from, Percy?

Girl, all you seen of Maine is the inside of this prison.

Most people would rather hear a good lie

over the truth any day, Jolene.

Now that you gettin' out, you best watch that lyin'.

Maine tourist office. How can I help you today?

Don't say I told you, but I was there,

and that's what she said, Sarah.

What's this?

Shelby! Shelby!

Didn't I say this morning

my blue shirt needed washin'?

I did all the white ones,

but there wasn't full enough for a colored load.

I'm showin' the quarry tomorrow, Shel.

I told you, I need the blue shirt.

Warden Minton said he was gonna call.

Yeah, he called, all right,

about someone lookin' to start fresh here or something.

Truth be told, I didn't take him serious.

Nothing much starts in Gilead these days.

But here you are.

Yes, sir.

Well, tell me why you chose Gilead.

Is something wrong with this place?

No, I wouldn't say that.

Well, if you give any account to the Indian legends,

it was just around here--

well, the story goes...

That when the gods heard how beautiful the land was,

they left heaven to see it for themselves.

I mean, it does have more pegmatite rock formations...

Than just about any other county in the country.

Is that right?

Yes, sir.

I had a caller once

who wanted to know all about stuff like that.

Hmm.

You lost your last waitress this winter,

and with your hip and all--

Another body in here ain't gonna cure my hip, Gar.

Well, Hannah, I mean, it don't have to be permanent.

You've got that empty room upstairs.

And you need the help.

And, Hannah...

You'd be doin' me a big favor.

I don't owe you no favors.

Bathroom's at the end of the hall.

There's hot water enough,

but not if you dawdle while you're washin'.

There's extra blankets and sheets in the sideboard.

I give you breakfast at 6:00.

Work starts right at 6:30.

Anything else you need to know

can wait till then.

Lamp's on the right.

Wood's gotta come in for the stove.

Leave the tendin' of the fire to me for now.

Water's gotta be set to boil for the cereal.

Greens gotta come up from the root cellar.

And if there ain't a gallon of coffee out there in 15 minutes,

I'll hear about it for the rest of the day.

You got that, have you?

Yeah.

And I don't allow no smoking in the kitchen, either.

Get that hair out of your face, workin' around food.

I ain't open yet, Effy.

I know what time you open, Hannah.

Just come to see

if there was something you needed from the store.

Well, I don't.

And her name is Percy. You happy now?

Don't turn around,

but she's comin' right down there at his table.

What can I bring for you?

Hannah knows what I'm havin'.

That one's been popular today.

You gonna want coffee with that?

She's gonna pour his coffee.

I saw her last night.

I was on the phone with Sarah.

Let me tell you something about this girl--

What's she doin' here anyway?

Don't know and don't care.

When she came in on the bus last night,

I saw her comin'--

Say, Hannah,

did I forget to mention

that I've been in prison down in Windham

for the last 5 years?

And I only got sent to solitary 3 times.

Imagine that.

Percy.

Percy!

Evenin' to you, Hannah.

Brought you some supplies back from Bethel.

Got you a box of them new scrubbin' pads.

New scrubbin' pads?

Yeah.

I ain't had no complaints about the old ones.

Had another chat with those fellas

about the quarry again today.

They'll be comin' over to look at it anytime now.

Well, you let me know when the rush starts.

Percy.

I'm Nahum Goddard.

Hannah there's my aunt. You'd be--

perchance Talbott. Percy will do.

I've got that real estate office

across the street there.

Where you come from, Percy?

Ohio.

Ohio, huh?

I had some clients from Ohio once.

They didn't sound like you.

I wouldn't mind comin' from someplace else

if that doesn't suit you.

Well...uh, I sort of look after Hannah now,

so you're apt to be seeing quite a bit of me.

How much do you really know about this girl?

Well... You've met Henry Minton,

the warden up there at Windham.

Minton.

Short and stout, kind of balding?

He called...

And asked if I could lend her a hand.

That's all it is.

Well, just the same,

I think you'd been better off

to talk to me about all this.

Hannah's a grown woman. She's got a mind of her own.

She's gettin' on, gar.

I can't say I'm warm to the prospect

of some criminal living there with her.

Who do you suppose is gonna keep an eye on this girl?

Well, if she's workin' at the spitfire...Who won't?

Hey, Nahum, did you know that...

We've got more pegmatite formations around here

than any other county?

Pegmatite.

Mm-hmm.

No.

I just know we got about a million ton of granite

down there in that hole.

Ain't gonna dig itself out.

Uh, what's that you're readin'?

"And rosy-fingered dawn came upon the sleeping sailors,

and they woke to resume their long journey."

Uh, I don't think I know that one.

It's a pretty old story.

Uh, my name is, uh--

Joe.

Yeah.

I was here when Hannah set you to work, remember?

And I'm just guessin',

but I bet you already heard mine more than once.

Percy.

Listen, I was thinkin'

I might take a ride over to Millfield later on.