Dialogue From Perdition Rhapsody That Led to the Characters Singing Bob Seger's Like-A-Rock

First Scene in Darius’ parents' home (Darius Sr. and Hazel Millan)

It’s about 6:30 P.M.?Hazel is in the kitchen cooking something, while Darius, Sr is sitting at the table in pajamas with his constant companion: a glass of scotch

Hazel: Baby listen for Jr.’s call. I left a message for him to call (She says excitedly)

Darius Sr shaking his head in disbelief

You know the boy is not going to talk to me (He says in resigned confidence)

Hazel: Well maybe it’s because he always hear such disdain in your voice when you talk to him

Darius Sr: That’s not true!

Hazel: It is too. It is a shame that you can’t invite your son over for dinner anymore.?I’ve cooked kosher food, West Indian food, Italian -- all so that you can curry favor with you lawyer buddies. So, you can dam well make an effort to invite our only child over for dinner… now and then!

?Darius Sr: I’ve invited him over lots of times, but he does not come because he probably stoned out of his mind.

Hazel: He’s getting treatment!

Sr.:?How many times we’ve paid for rehab, not including the Army. You’re so na?ve! You take what he says like it’s the Gospel… he‘s a drug addict!

Hazel: The “he” you referred to is our son. You don’t even call him by his name anymore.?I could remember when you used to boast to you law buddies about Jr.’s graduation from West Point; how he’s a lieutenant in the Army’s Special Forces; how he is serving his country in Iraq; how you gonna talk him into going into JAG, so he can be a lawyer like you….

Sr: What am I to say, heh, buddies, my son the officer is now a crack head?

Hazel: You think your law buddies don’t have children who have problems, too? I think you resent me for not being able to give you more children….

Sr.: Why… why would you say something like that?

Hazel: Because you’re from that generation who want to see their name carry on! And you don’t see that in Jr. Maybe, you have some other child… children out there?

Sr.: You are talking nonsense

Hazel: I know you’ve been faithful to me, give or take a judicial conference or two….

Sr.: What? What -- you don’t know what you talking about. (Sr. is genuinely surprise) Because you don't want to face the fact that our son is an addict, you going off on a tangent, accusing me of phantom affairs. He has no discipline!

Hazel: Do you know that our son, when he speaks to you, he never uses contractions?

Judge: What do you mean?

Hazel: He always uses the Queen’s English when he speaks to you -- it’s a sign of respect. You never noticed it because a mother notices subtle things like that.

Judge:?I hope he speaks well, he had a good education, and if it is borne out of respect for his pop -- so what?

Hazel: The fact is you didn’t notice it until I brought it to your attention.?And getting back to your saying our son don’t have discipline. He had discipline when he graduated West Point, in the top ten of his class. He had discipline to go off to Iraq -- and God knows what our son did for his country….

Judge: Our son is not the only one who Served his country. I served and saw the worse of humanity - I don’t do drugs. You know how many of my friends’ internal organs I saw in Nam….

Hazel: Everybody don’t have you constitution, baby

Judge: I swear that God stopped making real men in the forties. Nobody is responsible for anything anymore -- I hear that new-age nonsense on the bench everyday: I kill because of this; I raped because of this. I do drugs because of this; my mother weaned me off her breast too quickly…You got to give it to Freud and those idiot sociologists -- that coked-out freak governs many homes and the justice system from the grave….

Hazel: You’ve become so cynical. I found it disgusting that you’re comparing our son’s problem to hardened criminals -- murderers that come into your courtroom….

Judge: Just once, say it! Our son is a drug addict -- not that he’s sick! You’re a “Jesus Freak,” what excuse can he give Jesus why he does drugs? We didn’t abuse him -- he virtually got everything he wanted. He did not grow up like me… for God's sake, he gets disability… $5,000 a month from Uncle Sam, and you still give him money -- unbelievable….

Hazel: Must everything be measured by your standard??You know when you first got appointed to the bench, I used to come and watch you. Watching you presiding over all these horrendous crimes and seeing all the mothers of these robbers and rapists and murderers supporting their sons in your courtroom. You know why they did that – day, after, day? Because it is what mothers do -- even Jeffrey Darmer’s, a serial murderer and a cannibal -- had his mother showed up to court every single day during his trial. If you cannot grasp that, then you’re missing what’s being a parent is. Furthermore, you know what, don’t come to bed tonight… I won’t be good company….

Judge: What did I do -- why don’t you visit our son? You know where he lives. Are you afraid you gonna find him drugged out of his mind? Are you afraid of getting a reality check?

Judge goes to the bar, and pours himself a drink, (which he will repeat as the song progresses), while Hazel goes to the living room and looks at the pictures of Darius on the piano and then starts playing the opening piano part to Bob Seger’s, “Like a Rock.” As the Millans sing their respective lyrics, we see pictures of Darius at important stages of his life: Darius’ baby pictures; Darius first steps; Darius in his Boy’s Scout uniform; Darius in his football uniform; Darius in his Varsity Basketball uniform; Darius graduating from high-school, West Point, and, finally, Darius in combat fatigues; and Darius in his Military Officer’s dress uniform, family Christmas pictures, Thanksgiving, etc....