- Instructor: You're down, lying there seemingly beaten. Hear me. Hold onto my voice. He's standing over you. He thinks he's won. And as sure as he's a coward, he will try to kick you. But because you know what he'll do, you're smiling inside.
- Slim: Hi, I have a friend whose husband beats her up.
- Desk Sergeant: She should come in here and file a complaint. If there's physical evidence of the abuse on her part, we'll come out and arrest him.
- Slim: And if he has money, he can bail himself out, right?
- Desk Sergeant: That's correct.
- Slim: And then he's free 'til it goes to trial?
- Desk Sergeant: If it goes to trial. It's up to the district attorney whether to prosecute.
- Slim: So... she comes in here, has him arrested, and... pisses him off, and there's no guarantee that he won't come after her?
- Desk Sergeant: She could get a restraining order.
- Slim: What's that? A little piece of paper that says he can't come around?
- Desk Sergeant: [nods]
- Slim: And when he comes around... what does she do? Throw it at him?
- Desk Sergeant: She calls us.
- Slim: [pauses] And what about the kid? Is the paper good for the kid, too?
- Desk Sergeant: [looks concerned] There's a child involved?
- Slim: Yeah.
- Desk Sergeant: Well that's a matter for the family courts to decide, but unless she can prove he's a danger to the child, she cannot legally bar him access...
- Slim: [walks out]
- Desk Sergeant: ...Miss... Miss!
- Instructor: So how do you win? How?
- Slim: I attack.
- Instructor: And what do you do after you attack?
- Slim: Nothing.
- Instructor: Why nothing?
- Slim: Because I never stop attacking.
- Instructor: Can you lose?
- Slim: No.
- Instructor: Can he hurt you?
- Slim: No.
- Instructor: Even though he's bigger...
- Slim: He's a lot bigger...
- Instructor: Even though he's stronger...
- Slim: He's a lot stronger...
- Waitress: Hi sweetie, what's your name?
- Gracie Hiller: [after Slim tells her to drop her chosen name "Queen Elizabeth] I don't know.
- Slim: I'm your wife and you cannot do this to me anymore!
- Mitch: [slaps her] What? I can't hit you?
- Slim: No you can't!
- Mitch: [punches her in the face] You want to fight? I'm a man, honey. It's no contest. You have to understand, Slim, and I thought you did. I make the money here, so I set the rules, right? It's my rules. You with me?
- Slim: It's your rules.
- Mitch: Yeah.
- Slim: What if I don't like the rules?
- Mitch: If you don't like them? Well come on Sweetie, life isn't just stuff we like, is it? We have to take the good with the bad, don't we? That's what marriage is. So today for you, maybe it's a bad day, but tomorrow may be great.
- Slim: Tomorrow will be great.
- Slim: You know, I've gotta make you a promise, Grace. You know ever since you were born, well, just one day I started thinking about all the awful things that could happen. People who you'd love would die, or leave you, or betray you, or break your heart, or a guy would hurt you in some way. And I thought to myself, if I could protect you from that, even once... If I could just absorb any of that myself... Here it goes.
- Slim: [while hugging Mitch] I can smell her.
- Mitch: What?
- Slim: Her perfume! Darcel or whoever.
- Mitch: Slim, we just had a drink...
- Slim: --STOP IT! Okay, you're caught! I caught you! And you're not gonna talk your way out of this!
- Slim: [after a brief pause] How many, Mitch? How many are there? How many have there been?
- Mitch: Why does it matter? It's not that our sex life hasn't been good, it's been great, Slim. But I'm a man. Men and women have different needs. That's okay. Darcel is... she's willing to take care of that and maybe... maybe that's better for everybody.
- Slim: You know what? It's better for you! You have a pretty good deal, don't you? I mean, you go out, you fool around! I sit here, I take care of your house, your kid! Well, no more, Mitch! That's it! The party is over!
- Mitch: Calm down!
- Slim: No! I'm not gonna do this anymore! Okay? I'm not gonna sit here and take it and take it and take it! Sorry! I love you, yes! But I am not a doormat! I'm your wife! I'm your wife! And you cannot do this to me! You cannot do this to me anymore!
- Mitch: [He slaps her across the face, shocking her] What? I can't hit you?
- Slim: No, you can't!
- Mitch: [He punches her in the face, knocking her to the floor] You wanna fight? I'm a man, honey, it's no contest. You have to understand, Slim, and I thought you did. I make the money here, so I set the rules, right? It's my rules. You with me?
- Slim: [Whispering] It's your rules?
- Mitch: [Whispering] Yeah.
- Slim: [Whispering] And what if I don't like the rules?
- Mitch: If you don't like them? Well, come on, sweetie. Life isn't just stuff we like, isn't it? We have to take the good with the bad, don't we? That's what marriage is. So, for you, maybe today is a bad day. Tomorrow may be great.
- Slim: [Standing up] Tomorrow will be great.
- Mitch: Yeah. Today... it's the price you pay for having such a good life. I'm gonna go out... okay? This is gonna be better, don't you think? I don't have to sneak around and pretend I'm going to work. I can just say... I'm going to Darcel's. I'll be back in a few hours.
- Mitch: You know, love is a scary thing. How powerful it is, what it does to you. That's what happened here. You see, if I ever think of... I just, I can't... I *refuse* to live without you. I think you understand what I'm saying.