Okie

Hey, babe. Um, it's just going

straight to voicemail, so you must be out of service, but, um,

I just wanted to see if you made it to your dad's yet.

Um... look, I know you didn't wanna talk about this

before you left, but the venue really needs a deposit,

and, um, we just kind of have to make a decision,

and I-- I really love Union Station.

I mean, you liked Union Station, right?

I mean, it's beautiful, and they never have openings,

and I just feel like we have to, you know, um...

I know you have a lot going on, but, um, Dr. Martinez said that

we have to start expressing our needs, um, so...

I just-- I need you to call me, okay?

When you get to your dad's. Okay.

All right, love you.

Oh, shit!

Hey.

Travis?

Louie! What's up, man?

-Oh, my God. -My God.

-Hey, can I cut this off? -Yeah, kill it.

Just go ahead and kill it.

-No, it's not-- it's not there. -Down?

No, no, no. Down, down, down, down. Down.

-To the right, to the right. -Oh, got it, got it.

-The switch. Yeah, there you go. -Got it. Found it.

Didn't know you was back. I seen the, uh, Prius

and just figured a hipster got lost leaving the city.

Ha! No, that's mine. It's actually a Tesla.

Oh, shit. Those are electric, right? Costs like, 100 grand?

No, no. Well, you know, they can, but mine's only--

But that doesn't-- Yes. It's electric.

- -

You grew.

Yeah.

Hey, this is a nice ATV you got.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I fished some possums

out of Art Carter's crawl space

and trapped some raccoons in his barn.

-Got that as payment. - Huh. Cool.

So are you an exterminator now, or?

Nah, I'm a butcher. Running the Country Butcher in town.

-So how long you back? -Uh, I'm not. I just came to--

Well, you know, to get some of my dad's things for Hillary.

-Yeah. Sorry about that. - Nah, it's all right.

That from the beer safe?

No.

-Yeah. -Remember we'd sneak

the shit that he didn't like,

and we'd head out onto the river bottom?

- That's-- -Drink till we puked.

Didn't take too many back then, did it?

No.

Chelsea Shaw.

Meth.

JJ Calhoun.

He's a cop.

My schoolyard bully becomes a cop, huh?

Um, Ricky Malowski.

Son of a bitch robbed the ARCO.

-What? -Yeah!

-Dumb son of a bitch. -

He managed to put a baby in Lainey Gambie

before they closed the bars on him.

Lainey Gambie. Wow.

That girl was all kinds of messed up

when you left for college.

She held a candle for quite a while.

Well, if it wasn't for long distance, who knows?

But I actually just got engaged. To a great girl.

Her name's Bridgette. She's amazing.

She does PR for lifestyle brands, you know?

So...

Lainey's tending bar down at Moonshiners.

She's here all the time.

Maybe she can wiggle free if we're trying to get in trouble.

Uh, I gotta be heading back.

I was just supposed to pick up some stuff for Hill.

You know, ever since Dad passed,

she can't bring herself to come back.

Shit, you could barely bring yourself to come back

even when your old man was alive and well.

Yeah, anyway, long drive back home, so I should probably...

Come on, man. Just kick it for a little bit, huh?

You just got here. County fair's in a couple days.

Yeah, I didn't plan on this being, like,

an extended trip or anything, you know?

-So I'll probably-- -Just one night.

What's better than kicking up the old ones?

Just one text to old girl. Hmm? See what's up.

All right.

Probably shouldn't drive with a lot of beer in me anyway.

Hey, why'd you use all that stuff about me?

What do you mean?

The books.

Just seemed like you used a lot of my shit.

Dad selling Vicodin, Mom boozing on sangria, fist fights.

I don't know, it just felt like you used more of my stories

-than your own. - Right.

You know, a writer is like a sponge.

I absorb the world around me, and I--

I filter it through my voice.

Yeah, but you used your name.

Lainey, Steve, even your Pop Herman.

You used their names. Pretty near everybody in town.

But there ain't no mention of Travis in any of those books.

It just felt like you combined us

and slapped the name "Louie" on.

Well, you know, "Louie" is an amalgam.

He's-- he's everybody.

He's a symbol of what it was like growing up here.

Oh. An amalgam.

I get it now.

Oh!

-What do they call these again? -Garbage fries.

These are better than some of

the most expensive meals I've had in the city.

I'll let 'em know they should change the name.

- Yeah, you do that. -

- 'Sup, losers! -Whoa! There she is.

-Whoa. -

Thanks, Mama.

-Wow. -

Is that Lucky Louie? I didn't--

I didn't see any Mercedes parked anywhere.

No, no, no. He drives a Prius that cost him 100 grand.

Oh, my God.

-$100,000 car. -That's not-- Okay.

So.

You here for more material, or you just in town for the fair?

I asked the same damn question.

But no, Lucky Louie ain't gonna be around for long.

What's with the "Lucky Louie"?

That's what people here call you.

You know, 'cause you're lucky.

Making it and all.

Oh, my God. Really?

It's a bit reductive, don't you think?

I mean, the publishing industry

-isn't even that lucrative-- -Oh, my God.

We got it, we got it. Hey, you working tonight?

No, I got my shift covered. And Mama's watching Jackson,

-so I am free as a bird. -All right.

Hey, that's right. Um, congrats on the kid.

Love the little fucker, but he is a cash suck, so...

And this is a great little reunion.

Everything but free time is precious for a single mama.

So what are we-- what are we getting into here?

Actually, I was thinking if you guys wanted to,

we could head back to my place.

I've got that app Heads Up, you know, on my phone.

It's like charades.

It was-- it was developed by Ellen. That's not--

I mean, I know she's a divisive figure now, but--

Oh, the races are tonight. Corey Boyd's driving.

Mmm!

That fucker hits on me all the time.

All I have to do is give him the right idea,

-he's gonna get us into it. -Oh, yeah.

Wait, you wanna go to the dirt track?

I mean, don't people get knifed there?

They check pockets now, it's all good.

You getting pussy on us, Lucky Louie?

Uh...

Uh-oh. Is that the future ball and chain?

What's that?

Um...

Should I grab us some more beers?

-Yes. -Oh.

-Got some roadies from the bar. -Hey, I got that.

Ooh! You gotta be quicker than that here.

-I guess so. -I don't know if you remember.

I'll go look for Corey in the pits.

Back in a sec.

Sorry to hear about your daddy.

Yeah, he was a good man.

Thanks. That's nice to hear.

Especially since some people feel like I...

wrote him out to be some kind of monster.

Yeah.

I think you were a little hard on him.

He was a character.

He was symbolic.

He was an amalgam.

"He encroached like a barbaric bull.

His blood boiled as he coiled his fist, ready to strike."

You read my book?

I don't look like a reader?

No-- no, yeah, no, of course.

I'm talking to the sixth grade spelling bee champ.