The Book of Ruth

"DeeDee: [offscreen] ... two whole days! Maylene: [hands her a drink she poured] Here, drink up, DeeDee; it's good for the nerves. DeeDee: [shaking head] Probably hooked up with some trucker and is off gone on down the interstate. Maylene: Oh, honey... DeeDee: Aren't you going to have one? Maylene: Oh, no. [raises hand in refusal] Maylene: Never before 5:00. [DeeDee speaks indistinctly while Ruth is shown in the background, with a voiceover] Ruth: My mother's friend DeeDee thought Maylene had a TV show life. Maylene: [gasps in the middle of the voiceover] There you are, Honey. Ruth: Being blessed with a son who was a recognized genius. Maylene: Look at you, Honey. I pressed your suit, Mark. Oh, and I snipped off all those little stray threads; there's always stray threads on new suits. DeeDee: Mm, mm. Maylene: Can I just get this one last... Mark: Mom, Mom! Maylene: I'm sorry; sorry! Ruth: When Mark looked at me, I could see him searching me for signs of lief. Mark: [looking at Ruth] Is that what you're wearing? Maylene: Yeah; it-it's from the Goodwill. She looks as good as she ever... will. Goodwill. [bursts into laughter with DeeDee] Ruth: [voiceover] When is it that her heart turned to stone? Or was she just born with unhappiness inside her?"

"Policeman: [siren wails in the background and men speak as the camera is trained on a beaten, traumatized Ruth] Who called it in? Policeman 2: A man across the way heard screams; said it wasn't the first time. Policeman: I need to see him. So, what do we got? Policeman 2: A dead body and a mute. [walks over to Ruth] Policeman 2: Talk to me, Ruth. Those bruises are pretty bad. How'd you get those bruises, Ruth? What happened, Ruth? Ruth: [voiceover] I'm the only one that can tell the story from beginning to end. What it begins with is Maylene, my mother, and the lessons she taught me."