Scott's New Old Friend (1983)

e e [Music] when the plant switched his mother from the first shift to the second shift life changed for Scott except for breakfast and weekends and holidays of course the whole family hardly ever had a chance to be together anymore [Music] they all tried to keep everything feeling as homey as it had always been but it was different [Music] [Music] his mom took Becky to the sitter on the way to work and dad picked her up when he got off but from the time Scott got home from school until Dad and Becky showed up a couple of hours later there wasn't much to do there is me what it is I'd he used to think it would be great to work on his models without a four-year-old sister pestering him but sometimes the parts wouldn't fit even when Becky wasn't there to blame it on just nothing to do I'm on [Music] Ronnie which is why Scott didn't always go straight home why he stopped by the park a lot of times [Music] we [Music] have there was an old old lady in the park all wrinkly and gray and funny looking but she never Hur anyone all she ever wanted to do was read your books if you laid them down come leave wild now Adrian ad see you later Scott see see you Joe see you I just like to keep in touch you know I hope you don't mind bye nice to see you [Music] the funny old lady was always there rain or [Music] shine but nobody wanted to get mixed up with her [Music] it's getting late Scott yeah Mom about ready for some reason it just came to Scott one morning that the old lady might be someone too poor to buy any books of her own and because that made him feel sort of sorry for her well there were some Comics he was finished with but no not Spider-Man for an old lady probably scarer so why not one of the books his mother used to read to them them before she changed shifts and wasn't home at bedtime really going to have to scoot bye Dad bye bye Scotty bye Scotty now you come straight home after school you hear stop [Music] freaking delightful just delightful [Music] oh what you sing or something right there easy 29 I won't forget [Applause] 29 there was kind of an Unwritten rule that nobody paid any attention to the funny old lady so Scott didn't either but he wondered if maybe she wasn't trying to remember what page she was on sure enough there was a single single gray hair something you'd hardly ever notice in a million years sticking out of his book at page 29 let's try FR anyone else got one yeah I got one people do funny things sometimes things they can't explain to anyone else or even to themselves but since Scott had brought the book for the the old lady to read it seemed like he ought to let her finish it so he carried it to school and back for several days until he was pretty sure she had read it all later tomorrow later tomorrow see you tomorrow bye you know how it's fun to have a secret something you only share with one other person well it was almost like he and the old lady had a secret so one after another he let her read the children's books his parents had given to him and Becky why he never told anyone what he was doing he didn't know because it almost got him in trouble Scott yeah have you seen Cricket in Times Square Becky wants me to read it to her and we can't find it anywhere she probably left it somewhere you go on I'll find [Applause] it and she had one silk ear her left ear was made out of silk and it was real soft and everybody in the whole country wanted to feel her my fault I forgot to put it back on the Shelf thanks Scotty thank so read the cricket on the next day was the first time Scott ever said a word to the old lady com hurry up in a minute she was untied I couldn't bring it today my dad reading it to my little sister but after he said something to her sometimes she got up nerve enough to say something to him come on I want you on my team God Walk it anymore to the library too old you make anything out of that I think she's tell me she's too old to go to the library why wouldn't we care man is she weird maybe so but Scott felt like she might be explaining to him why she read their books [Music] are you okay fine I'm fine now don't you worry about me I'm fine you needing your help Mr RAR oh thank you no Lester my young friend is here maybe you could just walk along with me as far as my house it's just over there you're never supposed to go with strangers but she wasn't really a stranger was she the patrolman knew her and so did he maybe she was right they were friends [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] I don't know how to thank you it's okay I hate to ask but could you just help me off with my jacket and put it there and I'll rest and I'll be all right I promise I thought you didn't have any books mhm all the time I was bringing those books I thought you didn't have none any didn't have any but those are from when I used to teach years ago and I wonder what the children are learning now what they like to read I'm just so pleased with your new textbooks and those stories you brought from home a child's world is so much wider now I guess this where you want your jacket mhm thank you here have a treat it's all right can you come back sometime with my arthritis I don't know how much longer I can walk to the park May maybe I don't [Music] know Scott had never thought about school books opening a door to the world but whenever he saw something new about science or social studies or somewhere far off he wondered now if the old lady would be interested in it she wasn't in the park much anymore and Scott suddenly realize he missed her when he didn't see her just like you would a real friend one day he found himself checking out all the books he could check out at one time you going to read all those yep what you on a special project or what his folks probably would have had a fit come but then parents most grown-ups actually don't always give children credit for having any common sense at all anyone could see that the old lady wouldn't or couldn't hurt of called his team together and rode them off so did two of the other boys to have continued beyond the prince would not have been the thing to do here my eyes aren't so good either could you could you read it to me at the pond I called them to take the left Fork away from the city they halted in con con confusion they halted in confusion they rained and rode slowly back I said with all the extra practice he got reading to his friend Scot got pretty good at it and at some other subjects too that he learned more about from the library books 50 to one and I have heard that some have offered a hundred without finding takers mom up here Scott I'm just so pleased with your grades first thing when I got home last night I looked at them and I felt like coming in to wake you up and give you a hug he gets his brains from me I'm going be smart when I grow up oh good you know I worried when the shift thing came up the disruption in family life I was afraid but I needn't have been funny just when everyone was feeling so good that's when trouble reared its head if you like to teach so much CH you still don't they won't let me said I had to retire on account of your arthritis arthritis no after you're 65 some folks think you can't handle a job anymore because of your age they do mhm they said the same thing about me with a paper rout said I wasn't old enough you have to be 12 I'm bigger than shrimpy Nelson I can carry more papers than he can but just cuz I'm not 12 discrimination do you know what discrimination is discrimination is when people make up their minds about what you can do or not do for reasons that have nothing to do with your ability kids get that all the time what you call it discrimination can't ride your bike in the street too little can't go to neat s of movies too young can't walk outside the neighborhood can't spend your own money for a pocket knife discrimination some of it you have to admit for your own good do you really think you can handle your bike safely in city traffic have you given them any reason to think you're not old enough yet for a pocket knife but if you can't have a pocket knife how will you ever prove you're old enough well yes and just when you've proved you're old enough suddenly you're too old [Music] discrimination how could Scott know that today was a day when his mother had to stay home because Becky was sick oh God he's home Russell that she'd called his dad when he wasn't home right after school that they'd been calling all over where have you been do you know how worried we've been about you Scott I'm all right I tell you we know you're all right but where have you been friend's house what friend we called everybody we knew your teacher we even went down your class rle if nobody knew we were going to call the police don't you trust me don't you think I can take care of myself between here and school what friend I don't remember her name oh my God you don't know her name you've been in the house of someone you don't know I know she's my friend I know she gets Lonesome a lot just like me she's really nice nice you're not old enough to know who's nice and who's a maniac I am too we'll be the judge of that Mommy now look what you've done Beck's awake Scotty she's not feeling well son you don't know who's out there that your friend and who with everybody so upset there was nothing much Scott could do but take his father over to his friend's house more consideration than that you've had your mother half scared to death why hello Russell Miss rothar won't you come in oh yes Scotty oh yes I'm still turned out the old old lady used to be his dad's teacher the best one he ever had turned out his dad didn't think it was fair either that people couldn't do things they were good at like teach because of their AG turned out dad even apologized later for not thinking Scott was old enough to choose his own friends appreciated you I'm sorry we wouldn't have been so worried if we'd known that you were one of Scotty's friends I wish you would have told us son we just want to know who they are Dad this is my friend Miss rothar that funny old old lady oh no I know and I agree a person does get to be pretty funny looking all wrinkled and ban and gray never the way it turned out it seems like it's just dumb not to like people when their age is the main thing that makes them different from you home I think your mother's going to be looking for us miss rothar had known how he felt when he couldn't do things because he was too young you think we should get along I think maybe we should and he knew how she felt because he'd been home alone a lot too when you get right down to it that's how friends are made by people thinking about how other people feel and that goes whether it's someone you have just met or one of your old old friends bye [Music]