Scenes 91-100
91 Andy steps back into the outer rooms and finds Hadley with 91
another GUARD, a huge fellow named DEKINS.
HADLEY
That's him. That's the one.
Hadley exits. Dekins approaches Andy ominously. Andy stands
his ground, waiting for whatever comes next. Finally:
DEKINS
I'm Dekins. I been, uh, thinkin'
'bout maybe settin' up some kinda
trust fund for my kids' educations.
Andy covers his surprise. Glances at Brooks. Brooks smiles.
ANDY
I see. Well. Why don't we have a
seat and talk it over?
BROOKS
Pull down one'a them desks there.
Andy and Dekins grab a desk standing on end and tilt it to the
floor. They find chairs and settle in. Brooks returns with a
tablet of paper and a pen, slides them before Andy.
ANDY
What did you have in mind? A weekly
draw on your pay?
DEKINS
Yuh. I figured just stick it in the
bank, but Captain Hadley said check
with you first.
ANDY
He was right. You don't want your
money in a bank.
DEKINS
I don't?
ANDY
What's that gonna earn you? Two and
a half, three percent a year? We
can do a lot better than that.
(wets his pen)
So tell me, Mr. Dekins. Where do
you want to send your kids?
Harvard? Yale?
92 INT -- MESS HALL -- DAY (1949) 92
FLOYD
He didn't say that!
BROOKS
God is my witness. And Dekins, he
just blinks for a second, then
laughs his ass off. Afterward, he
actually shook Andy's hand.
HEYWOOD
My ass!
BROOKS
Shook his fuckin' hand. Just about
shit myself. All Andy needed was a
suit and tie, a jiggly little hula
girl on his desk, he would'a been
Mister Dufresne, if you please.
RED
Makin' yourself some friends, Andy.
ANDY
I wouldn't say "friends." I'm a
convicted murderer who provides
sound financial planning. That's a
wonderful pet to have.
RED
Got you out of the laundry, didn't
it?
ANDY
Maybe it can do more than that.
(off their looks)
How about expanding the library?
Get some new books in there.
HEYWOOD
How you 'spect to do that, "Mr.
Dufresne-if-you-please?"
ANDY
Ask the warden for funds.
LAUGHTER all around. Andy blinks at them.
BROOKS
Son, I've had six wardens through
here during my tenure, and I have
learned one great immutable truth
of the universe: ain't one of 'em
been born whose asshole don't
pucker up tight as a snare drum
when you ask for funds.
93 INT -- MAIN BUILDING HALLWAY -- DAY (1949) 93
DOLLYING Norton and Andy up the hall:
NORTON
Not a dime. My budget's stretched
thin as it is.
ANDY
I see. Perhaps I could write to the
State Senate and request funds
directly from them.
NORTON
Far as them Republican boys in
Augusta are concerned, there's only
three ways to spend the taxpayer's
hard-earned when it come to prisons.
More walls. More bars. More guards.
ANDY
Still, I'd like to try, with your
permission. I'll send a letter a
week. They can't ignore me forever.
NORTON
They sure can, but you write your
letters if it makes you happy. I'll
even mail 'em for you, how's that?
94 INT -- ANDY'S CELL -- NIGHT (1949) 94
Andy is on his bunk, writing a letter.
RED (V.O.)
So Andy started writing a letter a
week, just like he said.
95 INT -- GUARD DESK/NORTON'S OUTER OFFICE -- DAY (1949) 95
Andy pops his head in. The GUARD shakes his head.
RED (V.O.)
And just like Norton said, Andy got
no answers. But still he kept on.
96 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1950) 96
Andy is doing taxes. Mert Entwhistle is seated across from
him. Other off-duty guards are waiting their turn.
RED (V.O.)
The following April, Andy did tax
returns for half the guards at
Shawshank.
97 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY -- ONE YEAR LATER (1951) 97
Tax time again. Even more guards are waiting.
RED (V.O.)
Year after that, he did them all...
including the warden's.
98 EXT -- BASEBALL DIAMOND -- DAY (1952) 98
A BATTER in a "Noresby Marauders" baseball uniform WHACKS the
ball high into left field and races for first.
RED (V.O.)
Year after that, they rescheduled
the start of the intramural season
to coincide with tax season...
99 INT -- PRISON LIBRARY/ANDY'S OFFICE -- DAY (1952) 99
The Batter sits across from Andy. The line winds out the door.
RED (V.O.)
The guards on the opposing teams
all remembered to bring their W-2's.
ANDY
Moresby Prison issued you that gun,
but you actually had to pay for it?
THE BATTER
Damn right, and the holster too.
ANDY
See, that's all deductible. You get
to write that off.
RED (V.O.)
Yes sir, Andy was a regular H&R
Block. In fact, he got so busy at
tax time, he was allowed a staff.
ANGLE SHIFTS to reveal Red and Brooks doing filing chores.
ANDY
Say Red, could you hand me a stack
of those 1040s?
RED (V.O.)
Got me out of the wood shop a month
out of the year, and that was fine
by me.
100 INT -- GUARD DESK/NORTON'S OUTER OFFICE -- DAY (1953) 100
Andy enters and drops a letter on the outgoing stack.
RED (V.O.)
And still he kept sending those
letters...