CARTER: Get out for a uh—stroll now and then? Fresh air. Blood pumping?

VINNIE: I walk everywhere.

CARTER: Good! That’s good. Gotta keep your health up. Funny how the mind follows the body. Ever noticed that? You get sick, first thing you know the mind starts going straight to hell.

VINNIE: I walked clear to Glendora yesterday.

CARTER: Glendora?

VINNIE: Yeah. Clear to Glendora and back.

CARTER: That’s quite a hike—Glendora. Out near where Shoemaker had his big wreck isn’t it?

VINNIE: You know very well where Glendora is.

CARTER: What happened to that car I bought you?

VINNIE: Sold it.

CARTER: Why’d you do that?

VINNIE: Jap car.

CARTER: Well, you shoulda told me what you wanted, Vinnie. I could’ve got you an American car easy enough. Little Jeep Cherokee or something. All you gotta do is ask.

VINNIE: Cherokees flip. They’re unstable.

CARTER: Well, a Mustang then or—

VINNIE: I don’t need a car. I walk. Ever since I lost my Buick I walk.

Pause.

CARTER: Okay. Just seems like you might need some wheels to get around out here, that’s all. We always used to.

VINNIE: I don’t.

CARTER: All right. Good. Fair enough. I’m just trying to look out for you, Vinnie. (Pause.) Everything okay otherwise? Need some more cash? New shirts? You got that TV I sent you, didn’t you?

VINNIE: Sold that too.

Small pause.

CARTER: They don’t make American TVs anymore, Vinnie. They don’t exist. They haven’t made a purebred American TV for over forty years now.

VINNIE: I know that. “RCA”.

CARTER: Whatever.

VINNIE: “His Master’s Voice”.

CARTER: Yeah—

VINNIE: Who was his Master anyway?

CARTER: Look—You wanted to talk to me, right? You called me. You’ve got some kind of a major crisis going on. Something that couldn’t wait.

VINNIE: I do. Crisis is my middle name.

CARTER: I flew all the way out here just to talk to you, Vinnie. Do you wanna talk or do you wanna be cryptic and weird?

VINNIE: I appreciate that.

CARTER: What.

VINNIE: That you came all the way out here. Just to talk. I appreciate that.

CARTER: No problem. Our friendship always comes first. You know that. Always has.

VINNIE: If you say so.

CARTER: I do.

VINNIE: I haven’t asked you for much special treatment over the years, have I Carter?

CARTER: No you haven’t. You’ve been very understanding about this whole business.

VINNIE: Never called you collect in the middle of the night.

CARTER: Never.

VINNIE: Never interfered with your private life.

CARTER: No.

VINNIE: I’ve been extremely discreet.

CARTER: You have, Vinnie.

VINNIE: I’ve been a good boy.

CARTER: Yes.

VINNIE: Because I could really hurt you if I wanted to—

CARTER: All right, look Vinnie—let’s—