In the Mud (En el barro)

EVENTS AND CHARACTERS ARE FICTIONAL,

ANY LIKENESS TO REALITY IS COINCIDENTAL.

No souvenirs. Everything in the bag. Don't be stupid.

Really? That's my mother's birthday.

Yeah.

Hand it over.

Well, hello there.

Good evening.

-Champagne, huh? -You want one?

Mm-hmm.

Salud.

-Santé. -Santé.

-Ah! -Oh shit!

Uh, server, please. Another bottle.

Yeah, the same. Uh, the same brand.

-Suck me off. -No, no, no. You do me.

Hey!

Drink, drink, drink.

Let's go.

-Watch your step. -Oh!

Oh, yes, yes!

Hey, man, what's up?

Sure.

Hey, let's go, let's go! Move it! Come on, hurry!

We should've left hours ago! You skanks fall in love in there or what?

Move it!

Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go!

Hurry up, dumbass. Move it!

-She talking to me? -Yes. Let's go!

Your pay for last week.

What the hell? Why is it short?

I had to dock you for fuckin' up the pallets of maté you broke, didn't I?

Is that a fucking joke? They came broken on the truck.

You're the person who signed for it. Who else would I fucking dock it from?

-You fucking son of a-- -What? What am I a son of?

You should be grateful to even have this job at all!

Because a convict like you can either do this job

or you can go work as a maid scrubbing shit out of public toilets!

Did you take any of the training courses I told you about?

Yeah.

Classical ballet was my favorite.

-I'll be on pointe at Teatro Colón. -You've been out for a year and a half.

You should be taking a course every six months.

I work 12-hour shifts. Hmm?

I'm working my ass off, and I'm still broke.

When do you expect me to take these precious courses exactly?

-Your grandson? -He's good.

Is he going to school every single day?

Yeah, I'd cut off my hand before I let him quit school.

Juan Pablo is fine.

Kids aren't stupid.

They can tell what's going on with us better than we can.

Mm, just like dogs.

Okay, can I go now?

I dunno. This place reminds me of prison.

This place is here to help.

The sooner you accept that, the faster your reintegration will be.

"Reintegration"?

I'm a big girl.

I'm a grandma, not a first-time mom.

This "reintegration" of yours isn't real.

Hmm?

I've been marked.

By my life and by prison.

Nothing is gonna change that now, okay?

Look, I agree with you.

The job you have to work is shit.

The whole system is shit. I'm not disputing that.

I'm only saying that the point of this is not to fuck it up.

Of all the people here, half of them go back inside.

And then most of them stay there forever.

Got it?

Gladys.

This is great. You were finally able to make it here.

Hi.

There's something I wanted to mention to you.

And, well, I didn't wanna have to put it on his school record.

Is there a problem with Juan Pablo?

Well, lately, he's been a little aggressive

in the way he expresses himself.

Today, he had a fight at recess.

Now, all of this is just a cry for attention if you ask me.

But is he the only one fighting?

All kids go around fighting. Don't they?

Yes, they do, absolutely.

It's more the threatening expressions that he's been using.

He told one of his classmates that he was a Borges.

And whenever a Borges wants, they can have you killed.

Let's move this pillow. You'll sleep better that way.

Okay, buddy. Come on, give me the phone.

Tomorrow, you have school, so you have to rest.

That's it for the phone.

When will I get my own? You promised me.

Well, it depends. It depends on your grades.

Okay, darling.

Get some rest. See you tomorrow.

Off with the lights. Off with the lights.

"Off with the lights. Off with the lights."

-Just give it a fucking rest, Claudia. -Well…

-I'm sick of your "off with the lights." -We have to watch everything.

The bastards won't stop raising the rates.

Then unplug the fridge. It's empty, right?

Don't be stupid. I'm not saying it in a bad way.

But you've seen the price of things lately.

No, Claudia, you're obsessed. You have to stop. It's insane.

We have to do something because, yesterday,

the prick who owns this dump says to me, "Hey, Claudia,

if you don't pay rent in a week, I'll throw you out on your fucking ass."

-Sh! -Seriously!

He knows we have a kid here. He knows. He's not stupid.

That's right, Claudia. He's not stupid.

Think like Mario. "You don't have a dime, you don't have a fucking future."

Oh, Saint Mario, you asshole, throw us a bone.

I don't have time to wait for a miracle.

We need money now. I'm getting the boys together.

You did tell this guy seven at night, yeah?

No, 7:00 a.m. We're all here just to get to know each other.

What are you, stupid?

-There he is. -There's Reinaldo.

Jesus, finally.

Good evening.

You're half an hour late.

Such an attitude.

How I miss that husband of yours.

At least he had a little more patience.

Patience is for people who can sit around scratching their balls.

We don't have that luxury anymore.

Well, come on.

Aquino trusts you because of the relationship I had with your husband.

That shit's fresh.

This is the first shipment. We've got a lot more.

But first, we wanna know how you'll manage with this.

Let's see.

It's good. It's good.

You're not gonna find anything better around here.

-He's got the best. -And what's the split?

I'm sticking my neck out for you. I'm giving you this with no insurance.

So why don't we do this?

I say we split it up 70-30 and leave it at that.

Shit sells fucking fast.

Forty or I'm not taking it.

I'm the insurance.

The plan is simple.

We deliver the merchandise, take the money,

set aside 55% for Reinaldo, and we're done.

Evening.

-What's up, Esqueleto? -What's up, Gladys?

Hey, slow down. Come here.

Open it.

-What's wrong? You nervous? -Do I look nervous?

Calambre.

Go ahead.

-Go on, dumbass. -Go on, fatty.

I'm sorry, Gladys.

-Come out with your hands up! -Dammit!

-Let's go! Let's get out of here! -That fat fuck sold us out!

Go to fucking hell!

Get me out of here, goddamn it!

-Get me out of here! -Stop, stop, stop! Get off!

Come on, dude!

Let's go, let's go!

Go, go, go, go!

Come on, you son of a bitch!

Fuck you!

-Goddammit, the door's locked! -Oh fuck!

I'll see you in hell!

Go, go, go! Run! Run, Gladys, run!

Go, go, go!

No!

God fucking damn it!

Hide, hide, hide! Get behind the metal sheets!

Keep going, Gladys. Go, get out!

Think of your kid, dammit! Go! I'll cover you! I'll cover you!

Take that, motherfucker!

Freeze! Drop the gun. Don't fucking move, you fat bitch.

IN THE MUD

Here's the last two pieces. Eat them quick or we'll be late.

Mm.

Hello?

-Put him on. -Of course.

Gaspi, it's your mommy.

Hi, Mom.

Are you working at the beach again today?

Hey, my love.

Yeah.

Mommy works a lot.

But I'm always gonna call, okay?

Every day, before you go to school.

You have a big quiz today, right?

Yes. And then I have Joaco's birthday.

It's my birthday soon.

Will you be able to come?

I'm gonna try, my love.

It's just that I work a lot, and I…

I'm gonna do everything I can, okay?

-I love you so much. -Bye.

Put Grandma on now.

You finish up. Then we'll go.

So? Were you able to find out if everything went okay?

Did the money come in?