Kasey Cloos

George: Do you mind if I sit with ya sir?

Montag: Sure I could use some company. I’m Montag.

George: Nice to meet ya Montag, I’m George.

Montag: It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.

George: Wow, you’re lookin pretty tired sir. I’ll have the waitress bring ya some coffee.

George: Waitress!

Waitress: Yes sir?

George: Can you bring this man some coffee please?

Waitress: Okay, would you like anything else?

George: Bring me one too.

Waitress: Okay, I’ll be back with the coffees in a minute.

George: Anyways, what kinda job do you have that makes ya so tired?

Montag: I actually don’t have a job right now. It’s a really long story.

George: Well, I don’t got no where else to be if you don’t mind tellin it to me.

Montag: Well I lived in a country that hated books. I was a fireman. I burned books and houses that had books in them almost everyday. However, I met a girl Clarisse and she changed my world. She viewed things differently then everyone else. She was something special.

George: She sounds like a great gal.

Montag: Clarisse definitely was. She opened my eyes to everything and made me curious as to why our world was the way it was. It made me question why we burned books. So I decided to take some from houses.

George: Wow sir that’s mighty brave of ya.

Montag: Thank you. It was a huge risk that I was willing to take. I just knew there was something more to the books and I wanted to find out. My wife however, did not share the same feelings. You see we never had a good relationship. As soon as I revealed them to her she freaked out. I wanted her to see what I was seeing, but she was so blinded by our world that she refused. My goal was to save her from the society we lived in.

George: It sounds like you cared bout her alot Montag.

Montag: Yes I did. Did I tell you that she had tried to commit suicide a few times?

George: No you didn’t. Wow, that’s quite rough sir.

Montag: It was. Especially since she’d never remember it. She’d always overdose on pills. These guys had to pump them out of her stomach. It broke my heart to see that.

George: Gosh sir, I sure am sorry.

Montag: You don’t have to apologize. She’s in a better place now.

George: Well, that sure is good sir. May I ask what happened?

Montag: The city I lived in had a nuclear bomb dropped on it. Everything was gone. I tried to save Mildred, but she had left me before it happened. After knowing I wasn’t going to return the books I took she called the firemen on me. My house was burned down and she left me. Wish I could’ve had her stay. I wish we could’ve been more like a family. Just wish I could’ve saved her George.

George: It’s not your fault. I just lost my family too.

Montag: I’m sorry George. What happened?

George: Promise ya won’t turn me in?

Montag: Of course.

George: I had an old friend Lennie. He wasn’t right in the head ya see? He’d get scared real easy and people would end up getting hurt. We was always movin round trying to get jobs.

Montag: Sounds tough George.

George: Oh, it sure was sir. Before our last job we was workin on a ranch and he hurt a girl. You see Montag; he likes pettin things. This girl let Lennie feel her dress, and he was pettin too hard. So she started screaming. Lennie wouldn’t let go cause he was too scared. She went and told people that he raped her, but he didn’t ya see?

Montag: Yes.
George: So we had to go find a new job on a ranch. I told him to stay out of trouble, but he don’t listen too well. You see there was this woman who would give the “eye” to all of the men. I knew she was trouble. I told Lennie to stay away from her. He don’t listen though. Next thing I know, I’m lookin for Lennie and I find her dead in the barn. He broke her neck.

Montag: Your kidding? Wow, how’d he do that?

George: Lennie is a big fella. He don’t know his own strength.

Montag: Wow, what happened after you found her?

George: Lennie ran away to the spot where I told him to meet me if anythin bad were to happen. The woman’s husband found out and wanted to go kill Lennie right away. I wanted to protect him. He was like family ya know? So I stole a fella’s gun and went lookin for Lennie. I found him, and we talked about our dream.

Montag: What was your dream?

George: To get our own ranch.

Montag: Oh, I see.

George: Montag, you may hate me for what I’m about to tell ya.

Montag: No I won’t.

George: I shot him Montag. Right after we talked about our dream. I didn’t want no one else to hurt him. It was my way of protecting him from the world that didn’t understand him. He was nuts in the head.

Montag: You wanted to save him like I wanted to save Mildred. I understand George. They were family. We just wanted to save them and protect them. Both of them meant a lot to us.

George: Montag, I sure am glad you understand me.

Montag: I feel the same way. Oh, it looks like my friends are ready to leave. It was very nice talking with you George. I’m really glad we met.

George: I sure am glad too Montag. Maybe I’ll run into ya again.

Montag: I sure hope so. Goodbye George.

George: Bye Montag.