Almost, Maine: Lendall lines

All of Lendall's lines from John Cariani's Almost, Maine.

Lendall! Lendall! Lendall! Len//dall—!

Gayle! What?!? What’s the matter? What’s wrong? What are you doin’? I thought you weren’t comin’ over tonight ‘cause of Sandrine’s bachelorette // party thing.

Lendall:

Gayle—what’s wrong? You okay?

Shhh! Lendall:

What?!?

I want it back.

Huh?

I want it back.

What?

All the love I gave to you?, I want it back.

What???

Now.

I—…I don’t under//stand—

I’ve got yours in the truck.

What???

All the love you gave to me?, I’ve got it in the truck.

What are you talkin’ about?

I don’t want it anymore.

What?

I’ve made a decision: We’re done.

What?!?

We’re done. I’ve decided. And, so, I’ve brought all the love you gave to me back to you. It’s the right thing to do.

Um, I—

It’s in the truck.

You said.

I can get it for you, or…you can get it.

Well, I don’t want it back.

Well, I don’t want it! What am I supposed to do with all of it, now that I don’t want it?

Well, I don’t know!

Well, under the circumstances, // it doesn’t seem right for me to keep it, so I’m gonna give it back.

Under what circumstances? Gayle, what are—? I don’t understand what—… What are you doing?

I told you. I’m getting all the love you gave to me, and I’m giving it back to you.

Well, I’m not sure I want it—whoa! Need help?

Nope. I got it. It’s not heavy. Here you go.

And this is…?

All the love you gave me, yeah.

Wow. That’s a lot.

Yeah.

Whole lot!

Yeah.

Wow. What the heck am I gonna do with all this? I mean…I don’t know if I have room.

Well, I guess you’ll have to find a place for it, won’t you? And now, I think it’s only fair for you to give me mine back, because…I want it back. All the love I gave to you?

Yeah?

I want it back. So go get it. Lendall, go get it. Please. NOW!!!

Okay.

What is that?

It’s all the love you gave me.

That’s—…? That is not—. There is no way—…That is not—. Is that all I gave you?

Yeah.

Oh. Okay.

Why don’t you open it, and—? Hey, hey—what’s goin’ on?

I told you: We’re done.

Why do you keep sayin’ that?

Because—…Because when I asked you if you ever thought we were gonna get married—remember when I asked you that? A couple weeks ago? I made pizza?

Yeah—

Yeah, well, when I asked you…that, you got so…quiet. And everybody said that that right there shoulda told me everything.

Everybody who?

Everybody!

Who?

…Marvalyn // said—

Marvalyn?!? >

Yes, Marvalyn—

Marvalyn said that, // like she’s an expert?

Yes, Marvalyn said that how quiet you got was all I needed to know!, And she’s right: You don’t love me.

What—? Gayle, no!

Shh! And I’ve been trying to fix that, I’ve tried to make you love me by giving you every bit of love I had, and now…I don’t have any love for me left, and that’s…that’s not good for a person…and…that’s why I want all the love I gave you back, because I wanna bring it with me.

Wait—where are you going?!?

I need to get away from things.

What—? What things?! There aren’t any things in this town to get away from!

Yes there are: You!

Me?

Yes. You are the things in this town I need to get away from, because I have to think and start over, and so: All the love I gave to you? I want it back. In case I need it. Because I can’t very well go around giving your love—’cause that’s all I have right now, is the love you gave me—I can’t very well go around giving your love to other guys, ‘cause // that just doesn’t seem right—

Other guys? There are other guys?!?

No, not yet, but I’m assuming there will be.

Gayle—

Shh!!! So I think—. I think that, since I know now that you’re not ready to do what comes next for people who have been together for quite a long time, I think we;re gonna be done, >

Why? Gayle—!

and, so, I think the best thing we can do now is just return the love we gave to each other, and call it…even. Oh, Jeezum Crow, is that really all the love I gave you, Lendall? I mean, I thought—. I mean, what kind of person am I if this is all the love I gave y—…No…n-n-no! I know I gave you more than that, Lendall, I know it! Did you lose it?

What?!? // No, Gayle! No!

Did you lose it, Lendall?!? ‘Cause I know I gave you more than that, and I think you’re pulling something on me, AND THIS IS NOT A GOOD TIME TO BE PULLING SOMETHING ON ME!!!

I’M NOT! Pullin’ somethin’ on you! I wouldn’t do that to you! Jeez! I think—gosh, I hate the way you’re talkin’ to me! And I think—I think maybe you should just take what you came for. And I guess I’ll see you later.

Lendall—. Lendall… Lendall—what is this?!? I don’t—…This isn’t—…Lendall: What is this?!?

It’s a ring, Gayle.

What?

It’s a ring.

What? Well— This isn’t—. This is not—…Oh, Lendall, this is a ring. Is this a…ring? A ring that you give to someone you’ve been with for quite a long time when you want to let them know that you’re ready for whOHat comes next for people who have been together for quite a long time?

Yup.

Oh. But…all the love I gave to you? Where is it?

It’s right there, Gayle.

But—

It’s right there.

But—

It is! That’s it! Right there! There was so much of it—you’ve given me so much over the years—

Eleven.

—over the eleven // years—

Eleven, yeah! // Eleven.

—yeah, eleven, yeah—shh! You’ve just given me so much that I don’t know what I’ve even done with it all. I had to put some in the garage, some in the shed. And after you asked me if I ever thought we were gonna get married, there was more of it than ever comin’ in, and I asked my dad if he had any suggestions what to do with it all, and he said, “You got a ring yet?” And I said, “No.” And he said, “Get her one. It’s time. When there’s that much of that stuff comin’ in, that’s about the only place you can put it.” He said it’d all fit. And he was right. That thing is a lot bigger than it looks. So…there it is. All the love you gave me. Just not in the same…form as when you gave it.

Yeah.

You still want it back?

Yes, I do.

Well, then…take it.

Can I keep all this?

It’s yours.

Thank you. Lendall, you didn’t have to get me a ring. That’s not what I was asking.

Yes, I did. It’s way past time. And it’s honorable.

Well…it’s very beautiful. Oh, Lendall—…I’m so sorry. It’s just—I was at Sandrine’s bachelorette party, >

I know…

and she and Martin are already gettin’ married already, and that got me thinkin’ about us, >

Shh.

and then I talked to Marvalyn, and she // said that how quiet you got was—

Shh.