EXT. HILLTOP VIEW TO TEXAS HILL COUNTRY - DAY
A tire swing hangs from the limb of one of the Texas live oaks that shade the grassy vista of the surrounding hills. Lean-to with fire-pit, horseshoe ring, a tree house, archery bullseye, old Ford Ranchero on flat tires under shade.
Grey sky and breeze that stirs leaves. A WHITETAIL DOE leaves upon the first FAINT NOTE OF ATV ENGINE WHINE, LOUDER before two emerge from the woods, the first of which, driven by Roberto with Rodrigo as passenger, parks at the treehouse into which the boys climb to hang a rope ladder.
Gil, with Hunter as passenger, drives the other into view, parks it at what seems the beginning of a trail. Cans of Victoria beer in their cupholders. FAINT CHIR OF BLACK-CAPPED VIREO.
HUNTER: How long have you been here?
GIL: Since I can remember. Dad bought the land when I was two, started building a couple years later.
HUNTER: What did he do?
GIL: He and his brother, my late uncle Danny, used their G-I bills to start a hardware company in San Antonio. And both were carpenters.
HUNTER: World War Two.
GIL: Yessir. Dad was Army in Europe, Danny was a Marine in the Pacific.
HUNTER: My grandfather was Navy in the Solomon Islands.
GIL: On a boat I might have heard of?
HUNTER: U-S-S Helena.
GIL: Survived Pearl Harbor, sunk in Kula Gulf.
HUNTER: He was there.
GIL: Did he come home?
HUNTER: After a shark bite and five days in a life raft.
GIL: Did he talk about it?
HUNTER: Not much. A little when I interviewed him for a story I wrote for my college newspaper. After a couple margaritas. My mom said he had nightmares until she was in high school.
GIL: My dad didn't sleep so well.
DISTANT THUNDER.
HUNTER: Tom was in Vietnam.
GIL: Yessir. Did he talk about it?
HUNTER: No. We were going to get back to it. Ruth said that youn were there too and might be willing to talk about it.
GIL: She mentioned it might come up. Maybe when you're back.
HUNTER: Thank you.
GIL: I have pictures from R and R we spent in Bangkok.
HUNTER: Really?
GIL: And plenty of others going way back. to when we were kids.
HUNTER: You were a Marine, too.
GIL: Army. Tom was going to be too, we were going to do what they called a buddy plan. But when we got to the recruiting depot, a Marine pulled Tom aside and informed him that Uncle Sam had a different schedule.
HUNTER: Drafted?
GIL: Got our cards the same day. We'll talk more when you're back.
HUNTER: Alright. Thank you. I do have one more question, if you don't mind.
GIL: I don't mind.
HUNTER: Did Tom ever talk about an Army Warrant Officer Cedric Turner?
GIL: Does not ring a bell. But my memory isn't what it used to be. Maybe you can jog it?
HUNTER: Cedric Turner is married to my ex-wife's aunt. They live in Wilson, Wyoming. According to Cedric, Tom saved his life. Tom remembered the name but we didn't talk about it. I'm going to meet Cedric at some point and he's going to tell me.
GIL: Well, I'd like to hear about it if you wouldn't mind sharing Mister Turner is okay with that.
HUNTER: I'll keep you in the loop.
GIL: Deer at your three o'clock.
Hunter turns to his three o'clock and the whitetail buck seeming to look back at them from fifty yards away.
HUNTER: Did Tom hunt?
GIL: He did. Got his first here on his thirteenth birthday. Me, my dad, Tom and his. Got pictures of that and other hunts too. But if he ever pulled a trigger after he got back he never told me about it.
HUNTER: Back from Vietnam.
GIL: Yessir.
LOUDER THUNDER, STRONGER BREEZE.
GIL (CONT.) Have you ever hunted, Hunter?
HUNTER: No.
GIL: No interest?
HUNTER: None.
GIL: Same with the boys.
HUNTER: But he fished.
GIL: Oh yeah. Have you ever?
HUNTER: Once when I was a kid. I told Tom about it. Hooked my ear.
GIL: Hooks happen. Scarred for life and would never do it again?
HUNTER: Tom was going to take me.
GIL: Really?
HUNTER: Teach me how to tie and cast a fly.
GIL: I could help ya with that. Food for thought.
HUNTER: Where would we go?
GIL: Plenty of choices but I'd take you to Tom's favorite on the river.
HUNTER: What river?
GIL: North prong of the Medina.
HUNTER: What will we be fishing for?
GIL: We'd be angling for a couple largemouth bass to batter up and put in the skillet.
HUNTER: I'd be up for that.
GIL: Then it's a date.
LOUD THUNDER, STRONGER WIND and FIRST DROPS OF RAIN. Gil WHISTLES to the boys who are quickly out of the tree house and into the ATV.
GIL (CONT.): Probably a good time to head back.
He starts the engine. Rodrigo now driving starts his and drives it and Roberto out of view into the woods from whence they came.
GIL (CONT): After lunch I'll show you a few photos if you're interested.
Hunter nods. Gil turns the ATV around, follows the boys out of view.
The ATV ENGINE WHINE fades and is replaced by LOUDER THUNDER and HARDER RAIN. e continued.
[CUT TO:
EXT. RUTH'S PORCH - NIGHT
HEAVY RAIN, THUNDER and Ruth, Wanda and Hunter with bowls of Ruth's homemade peach ice cream.]
