“Constance is taking me down to get my hair cut tomorrow morning. Do you want to come?”

“What for?”

“To get your hair cut.”

“I’ve told you every day since I got here, Mom: I don’t want a haircut.”

“But it would look so much better if it was shorter, like in that picture you brought from San Francisco.”

“Didn’t I ask you not to bring up San Francisco? I don’t want to hear the name of that goddamn town ever again.”

“But you were born there.”

“No shit, Mom.”

“You’re never going back?”

“Not if I can help it.”

“That’s too bad.”

“If you say so. Can you just hush for a minute, Mom? I want to watch the end of this movie.”

“What is it?”

“A western.”

“Well, I can see that. What’s it’s name?”

“Return of the Magnificent Seven.”

“Oh! I love Yul Brynner. Just love him to death. They made three Magnificent Seven movies, you know.”

“I’m aware of that. Mom –”

“His name was Chris in every one of the movies.”

“That would make sense.”

“Huh?”

“He played the same character in both movies.”

“Three. They made three of them.”

“Yul Brynner wasn’t in the third one.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No. George Kennedy was the lead.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’m the one who went to film school. Remember?”

“Yeah. I remember. That was a long time ago.”

“It sure was. Mom, I really want to watch the end of –”

“Is that Eli Wallach?”

“No.”

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“I thought Eli Wallach was the bad guy in this one.”

“You’re thinking of the first movie.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’m the one who went to film school. Remember?”

“I remember. That was a long time ago.”

“Yes. It was.”

“Did you know Eli Wallach went to acting school in New York with Marilyn Monroe? Strassman School or something like that. Jewish.”

“Strasberg. Lee Strasberg.”

“Yeah, that’s it. Why don’t you want to get your hair cut, Brent?”

“I’m forty-eight years old, Mom. I’ve been deciding when to cut my own hair for decades now. Okay? Stop bugging me.
Besides, what d’you think would happen if I had a sudden attack of pain the barber’s chair?”

“Attack on Spain?”

“Attack of pain, I said. Where’s your hearing aid?”

“I don’t know.”

“You better find it.”

“I will. I’m always losing things but they turn up eventually. Did the doctor give you anything for your pain?”

“For Christ’s sake. Of course he did.”

“Then why aren’t you taking it?”

“I am. You keep forgetting: I have a chronic illness. The pain never completely goes away.”

“Do you want one of my Fentanyl patches?”

“I’ve told you ‘no’ ten times since I got here. That’s heavy-
duty stuff. It’s for your cancer.”

“It’s there if you want it. Knock your pain right out.”

“Whatever.”

“Do you want me to cut your hair?”

“I don’t want anybody to cut my fucking hair!”

“Don’t snap at me, goddamnit, and don’t yell at me either. Everyone always yells at me.”

“Because you’re practically deaf, Mom.”

“I think the climate here is better for your condition. What do you think?”

“It’s too dry.”

“It’s Las Vegas.”

“No shit. I saw the sign coming into town.”

“I just mean that it’s the desert.”

“I know. I drove through it to get here.”

“The desert is dry.”

“Yes.”

“How funny. Look at the TV.”

“I am looking. I’ve been trying to look.”

“Don’t you think that’s funny?”

“What? I don’t see anything funny.”

“We’re talking about the desert and they’re having a gunfight in the desert.”

“Yeah. Funny.”

“God, I loved Yul Brynner. His name was Chris in every one of these movies.”