Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1998)

Michael O'Neill: Mr. Lusk

Quotes 

• Terrell Lee Lusk : [Toying with the old tin hard hat that belonged to his maternal grandfather]  So Grandpa Terrell used to wear this out in the oil fields, huh?

  Mr. Lusk : Yeah. Didn't help him.

  Terrell Lee Lusk : Huh?

  Mr. Lusk : [Tersely]  Rig chain. Damn near cut him in half... Didn't put a scratch on that hard hat, though, did it?

  Terrell Lee Lusk : People say he was a real character.

  Mr. Lusk : He was. He was one of the original wildcatters. I remember once, he... walked us into a virgin field. Put a handful of dirt in his mouth, chewed on it, said "drill here." Sure enough, we brought in a gusher.

  Terrell Lee Lusk : Really?

  Mr. Lusk : Honest to God. Then I was, uh, goin' through some of his papers a few years back. Came across a geological survey on that field dated six months earlier.

  [They both chuckle] 

  Mr. Lusk : Oh, I sure got a kick out of that old man. I'd have done anything for him.

  Terrell Lee Lusk : Even marry mama?

  Mr. Lusk : Good lord, son, don't even think thoughts like that! Get ya' both into a world of trouble.

• Mr. Lusk : Come over here, I wanna' show you something.

  Mr. Lusk : [Showing his son the company's balance sheet]  This is what it's worth, right now.

  Terrell Lee Lusk : [Nervous laughter]  Why, that's nearly three-quarters of a million dollars!

  Mr. Lusk : [Soberly]  Son, in bookkeeping, parentheses around a number means it's a negative number.

  Terrell Lee Lusk : [Slightly shocked]  We're three-quarters of a million dollars... in debt?

  Mr. Lusk : Hell, it was even worse last year.