" You keeping busy?" " Yeah, I've been busy." "You know." " Busy doing what?" " Busy in the garden." "In the garden." "You know what?" "You're missing work." "That's what." " I can see that." " No, I'm not missing work." "Yeah, you're missing the buzz and the jokes and the guys." "I know that." " Don't tell me that's not true." "Yeah." " Maybe a little." "Are you gonna buy some meat or what?" "Yeah, I'm gonna buy some meat." "I'm looking at some meat right now." " I want to get some real good steak." " I got a special here on the rump." "Forget the specials." "I got the children visiting me this weekend from all over the country." "Got them all around the same table, all four of them." "Clean up aisle five." "Clean up aisle five, please." "Excuse me." "Do you know about these wines?" " The wine?" "These wines?" " Yeah." "I stock this section." "Why?" "Is there a problem?" "No, I just wanna get some expensive bottles of wine for my children." " This isn't for children." " I know it's not for children." "It's for my children that aren't children any more." "What would be the best one..." "Ones of this?" "Well, we got wines from all over the world." "We got English wines, you know, from France." "We got Italian wines from all over Europe." "I wanna make a good impression on my kids." "You will." "Definitely." "It's got a built-in tenderising gauge for steaks and poultry with seven different grades." "And there's an automatic spritz to calm flames if the oil catches." "It is guaranteed for five years with a premium protective seal." "It has an automatic rotisserie, and when the lid is closed, the oxygers reduced to a level that does not support or encourage the fats to ignite." "Yeah." " Is that what it's going for?" " 648." "That's the sale price." "That's a heck of a deal for this model." "That's as low as I can go." " How about 6?" " Done." "Sure." "Absolutely." " Where do I..." " You can just put it right in there." " Looks like somebody's having a party." " Yeah, it's just the family." " Hello?" " Dad, it's Robert." "Robert." "Dad, listen, things aren't looking very good..." " Sorry." " Well, that's a shame." "That's a real shame." "Yeah, you're gonna miss out on having some fancy wine" " and filet mignon steak and..." " Have you heard from the others?" "Yeah, so far all of them are coming." "Some Friday night, some Saturday morning." " I'm sorry again, Dad." " Yeah, I'm sorry, too, Rob, but you gotta get back to that orchestra, Son." " I will." "You take care." "Okay." " Okay." "You take care, too." "Okay." "Okay." "Dad, hi." "I can't stop right now." "I'm back on stage in a few minutes." "The producers are flying in from Paris and wanna see the original cast, so I just can't get away this weekend." "I'm sorry." "I know I haven't been home since the funeral, but I'm trying, I promise." "I love you." "I'm thinking of you." "Big kiss." "Hey, Dad." "It's Amy." "I'm really sorry to have to do this, but things have just gotten really crazy at the agency and Jack's sick with a fever." "He missed school today." "So between one thing and another, we're not gonna be able to make it this weekend." "I'm really sorry, Dad." "And to make things worse," "I spoke to David today, and he can't make it, either." "He's got a lot going on, a painting or something, but..." "Anyway, I promise we'll make it to you soon." "Okay?" "Love you." "Well, you can't." "You can't just go flying all across the country," " not in your condition." " Who said anything about flying?" "What about buses?" "What about trains?" "I'm worried about your lungs, Frank." "Don't worry about my lungs." "Worry about your lungs." "My lungs are fine." "Fibrosis of the lungs requires you to take things easy." "Now, you know that." "I'm just going on the buses, on the trains..." "You picked the wrong job, Frank." "I mean, breathing in humidified PVC all those years..." "You know, it's just about seeing the family." "You know, I..." "Jean always kept in touch with everybody, and now it's..." "You know how it is." "Now it's down to me." " How are you managing on your own?" " I'm fine." " You're fine?" "Yeah, fine?" " Fine, yeah." "I'm fine." "You know, when I lost my wife," "I found myself talking to her like she was still there." "It went on for months." ""Where the hell are my shorts?"" "No, no." "There's nobody there." "No." "Talking to myself." "Crazy, huh?" " You do that, Frank?" " No." " No?" "No?" " Not yet." "Look, I hear what you're saying, I do, but this trip, it's not what you need right now." "You gotta take things easy." "You do." "Stay home." "You know what you should do?" "Spend more time in the garden." "Ed said it was fine." "He said just take enough medication and stick to trains and buses." "And I'll take plenty of pictures, and I'll bring home the news." "I'll start with David in New York." "And if anything goes wrong, I'll be right home." "Got my keys, got my wallet." "My keys, got my medication." "Camera." "Got my keys." "Next." "New York City." "One way, please." " $87." " $87." "There's 100." " I'm going to see my son." " Very good." " You know what he does?" " Absolutely no idea." " He's an artist." " Gate 7." "Thank you." " Next." " Thank you." "What do you think of my work?" "You've been looking at it ever since we left the station." "I'm sorry, I don't understand." "No, don't look at me." "Look back out the window." "Tell me what you see." " Cars?" " No." " Trees?" " Well, yes, but no." "Houses?" "Just remember that you've been looking at it" " ever since we left the station." " The window." "The glass?" "No." "Not bad, but it's a start..." "But..." " Birds?" " No." "Not birds." " Rocks?" " Not rocks." "No, that's ridiculous." "Rocks!" "You're just guessing." "I'm gonna stick with this lady here." "I think she has an idea." "No, honestly, I really have no idea what you mean." "You know, just look for the rhythm." " The telephone poles?" " Close." "Close." " The wire?" " Yeah." "Keep going." "Keep going." " Really, I give up." " No, no." "Okay." "That's it." "That's it." "The wire, that's good." "I mean, I didn't make the wire, I didn't hang the wire, but I coated the wire." "I protected it with PVC coating against the rain, the moisture, heat, stuff like that." "So, what you actually see is not the wire." "It's my PVC coating." "I ran 1,000 miles of wire a week, non-stop." " Wow." " Non-stop." "If you just think for a minute, all the conversations that have taken place over that wire." "Breaking good news and bad news." "Yeah." " I'll show you something." " Sure." "These are my children." "Robert, the conductor." "David, the artist." "Rosie, the dancer." "Amy, very high up in advertising." "A million feet of wire to get them where they are today." " It's a nice picture." " Thank you." "Million feet of wire to get them where they are today." " Rocks?" " Yeah, right." "That's right." "Rocks." "They were all..." "They were all supposed to visit me, and we were gonna have a family reunion, and instead they all cancelled on me at the last minute." "You lock yourself out, honey?" "No, I didn't lock myself out." "My son lives here." "I'm just waiting for him." "You can come wait with me if you want." "I know a place." "Thank you." "That's nice of you, though." " You sure?" " Thank you." "You wanna see my leg?" "You wanna see mine?" " Come on." " Are we here?" "Oh, man." " Dude, I can't believe you, man." " What?" "I can't believe you, all night..." "David." "What are you gonna do when you grow up?" "I wanna be a painter and do my pictures." "No, not a painter." "Christ, painters paint walls, and dogs pee on walls." "You're gonna be an artist." "Artists paint pictures that change people's lives." " So what are you gonna be?" " An artist." "That's right, an artist." "So, you gonna work hard?" "Yes, Dad." " You gonna make me proud?" " I'm trying, Dad." "Unfortunately, it's going to be on top of the coast sometime tomorrow." "Right now, Hurricane Alice is packing winds of 165 miles per hour." "We've got a Category 5 hurricane." "The pressure..." "Looks like a bad storm." "A bad storm." "I'm 94." " I keep away from the doctors." " Boy." "I have three children, six grandchildren." "They're busy." "They're too busy to talk to me." "I gotta make an appointment." "They got lost someplace." "They don't need anybody." "People changed, life is changed." "Today, you shake hands with somebody, you gotta count your fingers to make sure you got five fingers back." " Hi." " Hi." " Can I help you?" " Do the bells work?" "Yeah." "My son lives in apartment 9." "I'm not sure if he's home." " All right." " Thank you." "David?" "Amy, it's Rosie." " Dad's not answering his phone." " Well, don't call him." "Not till we know what's going on with David." " Is there any more news?" " No." "I just had that one call from Mexico saying he'd been arrested." "I keep leaving messages, but no one's calling back." " I think we should tell Dad." " Not until we know what's going on." "Just avoid talking to him for a couple of days" " till we know the facts, okay?" " Okay." " Oh, my God!" " Surprise." "Yeah, definitely." "Come on in, Grandpa." " Man, does Mom know?" " No, I hope not." "Well, hey, look at you." "I thought you were supposed to be in bed with a fever." " I don't know, am I?" " That's what she told me." "Yeah, I think I was..." " It's got a handle." " Of course it's got a handle." " I didn't know that." " It's got wheels." " Yeah." "Look how big you got." " I know, right?" " Gee." " Hey, listen." "I'm online." " I'll be back in a minute." " All right." "You do your thing." " Mom's out back." " Okay, good." "No, I need to get down there." "Yeah." "Can you check out some flights and see what's available?" "Amy!" "Dad?" "What are you doing here?" "What do you mean, what am I doing here?" "Everybody didn't show up for the visit." "So I said, "If you don't come to me, I'm gonna go to you."" "You crazy man." "Look at you." "You haven't been well." "You shouldn't be travelling." " Did you check with the doctor?" " I checked with the doctor." " You checked with him?" " Of course I checked with the doctor." " Jeff home?" " No, not yet." "Let me find out when he's coming back." "So everybody dropped out of the visit?" "I didn't realise." "I had no idea." "How did you get here?" " You didn't fly, did you?" " No, of course I didn't fly." "I took a train to New York to see David, and he wasrt there so I took a bus here." " You took a bus?" "To Chicago?" " Yeah." "All by myself." " Oh, my God." "I can't believe it!" " Yeah." "Jack got better fast." "Yeah, no, he did." "Definitely, it was a 24-hour thing." "I like the house." " Yeah?" "But you've seen pictures." " I've seen pictures." "I haven't seen the house, not the real thing." " Hey, everyone." " Hey, Jack." " How's it going?" " Good." "Jack, why don't you take Grandpa outside and show him your golf?" " You play golf?" " Sure, I'm a natural." " Yeah, I'd like to see that." " You wanna see that?" " Where are you hitting it?" " To that flag over there." "All the way out there?" "Oh, boy." "Okay." " My record's three." " Three?" "I'll believe that when I see it." "Come on, let's go." " You watch." " Okay." "Not bad." " Beat that." " I'll beat that, easily, but..." "All right." "Now I'll just have to show you a few things." "Yeah, that was good, but not good enough." "Frank, the pro." " Come on, Tiger Woods." " You ready?" " Take your time." " Okay, ready?" "Yeah." " Oh, shit!" "Sorry." " What was that?" "Shot that..." "That was just a practise shot." "Give me another one of those." "I'm going after this." "Here we go." "Shit!" "Christ!" "Sorry." " You hit the spice garden." " One more." "Come on." "This is the last one." "Come on." "This is..." "I'm your guest." "One more." "Let's go." "Come on." "One more." "One more." "Let's go." " This is my last one." " One more." " Don't lose this one, too." " Give me another ball." "Put it down." "Be a sport." " I wanna watch this baby fly." " Ready?" " Ready?" " Impress me." "Oh, shit." "Damn." "Fucking Christ." "Sorry." "Sorry." "Can you just..." "Yes, Chinese food would be fine." "No, of course not." "No, he doesn't know anything." "So, I hear you're doing very well at school." " Nah, not really." " What do you mean "not really"?" "Your mother says you're at the top of your class." " Does she?" " Yeah." " You have to work hard at school." " Yeah, I know." "I'll tell you what I used to tell your mother when she was your age." "About being the best and getting to the top?" " That's right." " Yeah, she warned me about that." " Jeff's home." " Okay." " Hey, Frank." " Hi, Jeff." "What's all this?" "Come here, come here." " Surprise." " Big surprise." "Big surprise." " Look at you." "You're looking so well." " You, too." "It's good to see you." "Oh, my God!" "What a day!" "You don't wanna know." "I'm sorry I'm so late." " Can you believe this?" " Can I believe it?" "Well, nothing surprises me about this guy." "Well, the place was really crowded today." "I can't believe I was able to get out of there alive." "Don't just eat your rice." "Make sure you eat your chicken." "Okay?" "Let me get you a fork." "You don't know how to use chopsticks?" "Yeah, I can use them." "I can use them to beat you at golf, that's how well I can use them." " You like making fun of me, don't you?" " Yeah, you're funny." " Yeah, I'm funny, huh?" " Try this." "Thanks." "A fork." "A regular fork." "Now I can eat without dropping this all down my shirt." "Jack, can you pass Dad the chilli sauce, please?" "Jack?" "No." " Jack, pass him the sauce." " I'm not passing anything." "Don't be silly." "I don't really want it." "It's fine." "I don't need it." " You sure?" " Stop asking him." "He's not stupid." "If he says no, he means no." "If he changes his mind, he knows where it is." " He can get it himself." " Jack." " I'm sorry, Dad." " That's okay." "So, what are your plans?" "Well, I thought that I would stay a day or two or so, and then head on out to see Robert." "Surprise him on his tour." "That would have been so great." "It's just, this week's really difficult." "I feel awful." "I got this huge pitch to oversee at the agency, and Jeff's flying out on business tomorrow." "We should arrange it properly, another time." "Well, maybe I can just spend time with Jack?" "Yeah, that would have been great, too, but he starts school again tomorrow, and then he's off on a field trip for three days." " A field trip?" "Where are you going?" " I don't know." "Nobody tells me anything any more." "Well, you know, look, that's what happens when you show up unexpectedly." "I understand." "You're busy." "That's fine." "Look..." "Oh, God, I feel awful." "Any other time but this week." "Listen, I've had a good time." "I've seen the house." "I've seen Jeff and you, and I let this guy beat me at golf, so all in all it's been a pretty good trip." " I'm really sorry, Dad." "Really." " No." "I'm gonna call Robert tonight and find out where he's gonna be at." "I just..." "He's really busy." "He's on tour, and I just don't know if it's gonna be possible." "What?" "No, don't call him, because I wanna surprise him." " Okay." " Promise?" "Yeah, promise." "Absolutely." "Yeah." "I'm putting Dad on the train tomorrow." "He'll be with you in Denver the next morning." "What?" "No, I'm rehearsing." "I haven't got time to meet him." "Well, he can't stay here!" "I need to get on a flight to Mexico to see what's going on with David." "Is he okay?" "Have you spoken to him?" "No, but I got through to the police today." "No surprise." "They said the arrest was drug related, but they won't give me any more details over the phone." "So I'm gonna try and get on a flight tomorrow." "Amy, listen, I don't know if I can lie to Dad about David when he gets here." "Well, just make up an excuse to get him to Rosie's." "Say you're flying off to Europe for a concert or something." "That's too obvious." "I'm not gonna do that." " Well, think of something yourself!" " Are you okay?" "Jeff, come on!" "Jeff, come on." "Dad's waiting to take a photo!" "Just get it out, and I'll look at it when I get there." " All right." "Okay, bye." " I'll take one of you two first." " Okay." " All right." "Here?" "Little over this way." "Okay." "Little..." "Together." "Everybody together." "Together." " Where's the..." " It's the silver button on top." " Oh, my God." "This is film." "This is great." " Smile." "Watch your finger." "Your finger's on the edge." "Yep." "Okay!" "Give me a beautiful..." "All right." "You said Jack was at the top of his class," " but he says he's not doing that well." " Well, he was at the top of his class." "He's struggling at the moment, that's all." "I tell you the good news and spare you the bad." "Isn't that what Mom used to do for you when we were kids?" "It doesn't matter what your mother did." "Tell me the bad news as well as the good news from now on." " Do you understand?" " Fine." "You doing okay at home?" " You doing okay at home?" " Fine." " You sure?" " Yeah." "Are you sure?" "I didn't realise there was so much to do around the house." "Mom would have loved to hear you say that." "Yeah." "What was all that at dinner last night with the chilli sauce?" "Jeff just doesn't let Jack get his own way all the time, that's all." "They always fight." "I checked the train times." "There's one in a few hours." "I just gotta drop by the office first." " Advertising?" " Advertising agency, yeah." " Your agency?" " Part mine." "Amy." "Wait, wait, wait." "To your left a little." "To your left, to your left." " Okay." " One more." "It's okay." "Just hold on." " A little to your left." "Left, left, left." " I'm so sorry." "That's it." " I got it." "Yeah." " You got it?" " Yeah, no, that's a fish." "It looks great." " It looks good." " I think it works perfectly..." " So remind me of the market." "Yep." "It's home owners, blue collar to middle class." " Like my dad." " I guess, yeah." "Sure." " I guess." " Just like your dad." "Sure." "So, pitch it to him." "Let's see what he thinks." "Hey, Dad." "Come over here." " Right now?" "Sure." " Yeah." " Hey." "Tom." " Tom?" "Hi, Tom." "Frank." " Frank, I'm Steph." " Steph?" " Hi, Dad. "Dad" 'cause of..." " Hi." "Frank." "We got a TV commercial." "They're gonna pitch it to you." "Okay?" " To..." " Sit down." " Sit here?" " Yeah." " In your chair?" " Yeah." " Now you're in charge." " Nice chair." "Okay, so it's an ad for TV, for a financial organisation..." " Yeah, don't tell him." "Just pitch it." " I'm so sorry." "Okay." "So there's a guy by the lake, and he is fishing just like this." "Pine forests." "Snow-covered mountains." "And he's wearing a quilted jacket 'cause, you know..." "It's, like, really cold." "What do you do when it gets cold?" "Put a quilted jacket on." " He's a little nippy." " A couple layers." "Okay, here we go." "Big fish jumps out of the water." "I'm talking a big mother with big beady eyes." " Kind of looks like..." "Right?" " Just like that." "Looks at the guy, right in the eyes, and he says," ""Hey, brother, you looking for me?" Voice over." ""Ever wonder why life wasrt this easy?" ""At Crest and Landing, transferring multiple loans to one company" " "can be this easy."" " Okay." "We cut to a shot right here of this guy by a campfire." "We see that big fish right above some coals, right?" "Close-up of the fish." "Boom, right there!" "As he says," ""Hey, buddy, I'm done on this side." "Wanna turn me over?"" "That's..." " You like it?" " Yeah, it's funny." "It's funny." "The fish talking, it makes me laugh." "Yeah, it's funny." "It's very funny." "Fish usually don't talk." "That's why it's..." "The fish with the face and the voice." "It looks like a fish." "You look like a fish." "Oh, my God, I just said that to him yesterday." "That he looked like..." "His mom looks like a flounder." " What was it for?" " What, the fish?" " No, the spot." "What was it selling?" " Yeah, the loans." "That..." "It's..." "Transferring the loans to another company, it's as easy as getting the fish out of the water." "Good." "So, does the client like it?" " Likes it, but doesn't wanna go with it." " Why not?" "They feel uncomfortable about saying that it's easy to transfer your debt." " Because..." " Because it's not." " It's actually a nightmare." " It's, like, really hard." " It's like an impossible dream." " It's like sudoku." "Okay, but he's not paying us to advertise the fact that he has a perfectly average product." "He's paying us to be economical with the truth." "So tell him from me he's gotta go with the talking fish." "By the way, your daughter is really good at her job." " I know." "That's the way she is." " And she has great hair!" " It's healthy." " Okay." "I know." "Yeah, but you know what?" "It was fine." "But it would be really awesome, I would..." "No." "There was a line." "Sorry." "My watch is off by an hour." "Should I change it?" "You came from New York, so, yeah, you need to go back an hour." "Use Central Time." "You were laughing on the phone." "That was nice to see." " I was?" " Yeah." " It was just work." " It was nice." " Was it the fish?" " The what?" " The fish?" " Yeah, the client went with the fish." "They said they should give it a name." "I said we should call it Frank." " Because of me?" " Of course 'cause of you!" " No, not because of me." "Really?" " Yeah." "For real." " Frank the fish?" " Frank the fish." " No?" " What?" " Hi." " Hey." "Hey, you should be at your desk, shouldn't you?" "Dad, this is Tom, one of our creative directors." " Tom, this is my dad, Frank." " Hi, sir." "Nice to meet you." " Tom." " So, what are you up to?" "I was supposed to be heading out of town to meet a client, but the train got delayed." " Hey, why don't you sit down?" " No, no, no, I'd be interrupting you." " No, it's fine." "It's fine." " Really?" " Yeah." "Sit down." " Well, thank you." "So, do you live here or are you just visiting?" "No, no, I'm just staying the one night." " Here, this is for you." " What is it?" " You'll see." " Well, tell me." "No, you'll see." "You'll see." "I didn't wanna send it in the mail." " You'll see." " Okay." "You know what I'm trying to do?" "I'm trying to get us all around the same table." "The same table." "Yeah, like we used to at Christmas." "Are you happy?" " What do you mean?" " Are you happy?" "Yeah, of course I am." "I'm..." "Good." "Good." "Good girl." "A happy one." "First one on my list." "Isn't it terrible about Alice?" " Alice?" " The storm sweeping up the coast." "My name is Alice, so I took an interest." " It's Greek, I think, Alice." " Is it Greek?" " It means truth." " Truth." "Yeah, well, I heard about it." "I..." "I was there a few days ago." "I must have just missed it." " You're lucky, then." " Yeah, well, I'm always lucky." "I'm always lucky." "Amy, have you seen David?" " No, not yet." " Why not?" "Well, I had an appointment with a guy at the prison, but he didn't turn up." "And I went to the embassy and found a lawyer, but he can't meet till the morning." "I've just been running around." "Hopefully tomorrow I'll start to get somewhere" " and we can tell Dad." " Okay." "Look, I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on." "But, listen, don't worry." "Okay?" "Could you take a picture of me in front of this?" "Yeah." "And one more just to..." "Like..." "Could you..." "Yeah." "Okay, everybody, it's a new day, an opportunity for all of us to make amends." "So, why don't we start at the beginning?" "Horns, trumpets, very percussive in the first section." "Strings, more energy in those bows." "Ready?" " It's fine." "I'll take you right through." " Thank you." "They're rehearsing right now." " Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?" " What am I doing?" "I've come to see you conduct." " What are you doing?" " I'm rehearsing." " Arert you conducting?" " Not today." "No." "I'm..." " You're playing the drum." " I am." "It's percussion." "It's what I do." " I thought you were conducting." " Not today." "I'll explain." "I should get back." "You just walked off the stage and nobody noticed?" "Come on, stop it." "What are you doing here?" "I'm visiting." "It's a surprise." "I came to spend some time with my son, the conductor." " That's my cue." " Well, get back, get back." "Okay." " That's very good." " Very good." "Yeah." "Never hit a drum in my life, but suddenly I'm very good." "Without training, without skill, without all the musical talent that you have." "Never said I was conducting, Dad." "Yeah, well, your mother said you were doing well, that you were conducting and composing and doing your music." "I am doing my music." "It's percussion." "It suits me just fine." "But the drum?" "It's low pressure, and I enjoy it." "I get to travel, the money's fine, I got no ties." "Everybody said that you had a talent, that you had a future." "People are polite, Dad." "You know, they don't always tell you the truth." "The truth is, I was never quite good enough." "But all that education, and now you're disappointed?" "I'm not disappointed." "I'm not disappointed, but you obviously are." "No, I'm not disappointed." "It just seems like a waste, that's all." "Of what?" "What's it a waste of?" "Of your telephone wire?" "No, no." "It's not that." "I didn't say that." "You know, I still compose, and I conduct in my spare time, but nobody wants to employ me to do that professionally." "That's just the way it is." "Well, I guess I'm just saying it's never too late." "You could..." "You could keep at it and go back to studying," " and I could help you out." " It doesn't work like that, Dad." "If it was going to have happened, it would have happened by now." "Besides, I'm not sure it's what I wanted." "I think maybe I was doing it for you." "I don't believe that." "Dad, the point is, this suits me just fine." "This is what I want." "Hey." "Hey." "Are you managing okay at home?" " Yeah, I'm cooking every day." " Cooking?" "Yeah?" " Do you know what you're doing?" " No, I just make it up, but..." "Well, I thought we could spend a couple of days together." "I..." "Dad, I fly to Europe this evening." "It's a big trip." "We gotta pack up this afternoon." "I wish I could, honestly, but you know..." "I'm sorry, Dad." "That would have been great." "Well..." "I went to see David in New York." "Is he still at the same address?" "Yeah." "I think so." "Yeah, I want to check his address and phone number with you." "Sure." " I need some fresh air." " All right." " Robert, come on." "Don't smoke." " What do you mean, don't smoke?" "Don't smoke." "You know better." "Come on." "Don't smoke." "All right, I won't smoke." "Not in front of you." "Not if it upsets you, but you know I do smoke sometimes." "Just so you know." " Anyway, you used to smoke." " I know I used to smoke." "That's when I didn't know any better." "Now I do." "Your mother made me stop, too." "You know, I will, too, but occasionally I do smoke." "When I wanna quit, I'll quit." " Hey, Robert." " Hey, Dave." "Let me get this straight." "You worked in a wire factory smoking a couple of packs a day, but me being a percussionist and having an occasional cigarette" " isn't good enough for you?" " Come on." "You know, Mom used to say, "Make your dad proud." ""He works so hard for us." And I know you're not proud of me." "I know." " That's not true." " I can feel it." "It's fine." "I'm working hard here." "I'm doing the best I can." " Have your cigarette." " What?" "Have your cigarette, you need it." "No, you know what?" "I quit." " Hi, Robert." " Hey, I just quit smoking." " Good job." " Thanks." "I'm not quitting because you want me to." "I'm quitting 'cause I know you don't think I can." " Just to make that clear, okay?" " Okay." "Anyway, you sounded good on the drums." "I missed a beat when I heard you coming in, bumping your bag." "You kind of threw me off there." "Well, anyway, what's a missed beat here and there?" "It's good, sounded very good." "Yeah." "Thanks, Dad." "We don't see each other very often." "I wasrt trying to..." "I'm sorry, you know." "I just..." "Look, you just gave up smoking." "You're gonna be a little edgy." "Is that..." "Is that what it is?" " Well, anyway, I'm sorry." " Yeah, well, I'm sorry, too." "Hey, James, I want to introduce you to my father." " Of course." " This is James Green," " famous conductor." " Hi, James." "This is Frank, my dad." "Very famous dad." " Nice to meet you." " Nice meeting you." " Good luck with everything." " Thanks." "He's busy." "You got a girlfriend you wanna tell me about?" " There was someone up until recently." " But not any more?" "You know, she wanted to settle down." "She started talking about babies." "It's difficult with the travelling, you know?" "There's some girls in the orchestra." " I noticed." " Yeah?" "You noticed?" " I got my eye on a couple of them." " Couple, yeah?" "Well, you look..." "You look after yourself, Robert." "I'm getting the whole family together." "Amy's gonna call you." "But if not, if she forgets, you call her and you stay in touch with each other." "I will." "I will." " And you're happy?" " Happy, yeah." "I get paid to bang a big loud drum all day." "Of course I'm happy." "Okay, I'm..." "Hey, I'm sorry that we couldn't spend more time together." "I don't know." "He's..." "I'm watching him right now." "He's buying his ticket." "He arrives in Vegas at 10:00 tomorrow morning, okay?" "Okay." "I'll be there." "No, no, no." "He doesn't want you to meet him." " He wants it to be a surprise, okay?" " Of course I'm gonna meet him." " Lf I want to meet him, I'll meet him." " Rosie, he doesn't..." "Okay." "But, you know, he's not gonna like it." "How are you?" "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I am, I guess..." "You know, I wanted to spend some time with him." "I'm free tonight and tomorrow, but I just can't." "I can't do it." "I can't do it." " I don't know what to say to him." " I know." "God, I know." " Rosie." " What?" " He's asking about David." " Okay, I won't say anything." "No, I mean, there's nothing to say." "What are we gonna say?" "We don't know anything." "Where you heading?" " Where you heading?" " Las Vegas." "Not from here you ain't, not tonight." "Let me see your ticket." " What time you got?" " 10:55." "The ticket office said that there was a bus going to Las Vegas," "Bay 3, at 11:00." "Well, now, all we know for sure is that your watch ain't being completely honest with you." "There was a bus at 11:00, but now it's nearly 12:00." " 12:00?" " Where you just come from?" "New York, Chicago, Denver." "Seems like you put your watch back one too many times, my friend." "There ain't no way you gonna catch a bus that left here an hour ago." " There's no other bus?" " There's no other bus." "Not this time of night." "There's a truck stop 100 yards up the road." "If you're lucky, you might pick up a lift and catch the night train." "Okay." "Thank you." "I'm wondering, "Why is this guy trying to see his whole family," ""all over the country, all in the same trip?"" "Well, I'm not dying, if that's what you're thinking." "Hey, I'm not thinking anything." "I'm just trying to visit the kids and surprise them." "Their mother's always kept an eye on them, and now it's up to me, so..." " You lost your wife?" " About eight months ago." "I lost my husband." "Just over a year now." "I lost him to drink, but it was my fault." "I was stupid." "Ignored all the signs, you know how you do?" "I listen to that radio all day in this cab." "We got ourselves an epidemic going on out there." "You know, people eating too much, drinking too much, killing themselves, basically." "Making up excuses all along the way." "Because facing up to the truth ain't always easy." " No." " Man, people like things easy." " That's what they're used to." " Yeah." "No one likes to get hurt." "No." "Nobody likes to get hurt." "I stop off in Reno." "There's a night train from there, gets you into Vegas in the morning." "Otherwise, there's a cheap little motel where I shut down, if you don't wanna travel through the night." "Don't get all shy on me." "That wasrt a proposition." " No, I..." " Yeah, I sleep in the truck, all right?" " Take care, Frank." " I appreciate it." "Thank you." " Are you all right?" " Don't touch me." " I'm not touching anybody." "I'm just..." " Don't touch me." "You okay?" "Do your parents know where you are?" "If I give you some money, will you eat something?" "Yeah, I'm clean, man." " Do you need some money?" " I could use some money." "I mean, everyone can use some money, right?" "Okay." "Here you go." "Here." "You're okay?" " Yeah." "What's with the questions?" " Well, you could say thank you." " Could what?" " You could say thank you." "I gave you some money." "You could say thank you." "Hey, you're right." "I'm sorry, man, you're right." "Yeah." "I forgot my manners." "You got a couple of hundred dollars in there and this is my thanks." "Need that?" "Please don't do anything." "Just..." "I need..." "That's my medication." "No." "No." "Oh, God, no." "I'm not here at the moment, and Frank is probably in the garden." "Leave a message, and I'll call you back." "David?" "David?" "Of all my children, you're the one that I worry about the most." "I'm trying, Dad." " Dad!" " David!" "Tell me when I can see you." "Dad?" " Robert, Dad wasrt on the bus." " What?" "I met the 10:00 bus like you said, and everyone else got off, but he's not on it." "Well..." "Well, did you look in the station?" "I mean..." "Yeah, of course, I looked everywhere." "I don't know what to tell you." "He was doing the 10:00." "So how can he not be on it?" "Are you all right, Frank?" "Listen, the damnedest thing happened." "I was brushing my teeth this morning, and I left my bottle of pills right on the edge of the sink." "Well, I knocked the whole thing right into the sink, and it got all wet." " There's nothing left." "In the sink." " In the sink." "Gee, God damn it," " you're as bad as me, you know that." " The damnedest thing." "Listen, I'll write a new prescription, all right?" "Just pop in." "I'll leave it in the reception." "Is that the only way to get them?" "Go to reception?" "I have to come in?" "The garden is doing..." "Is great..." "I'm..." "It's doing..." "I'm looking right at it." "Looking really good, really good." " Hello?" " Hey, it's me." "Are you home?" "No." "I'm waiting for you." "Where are you?" " He told you I was coming, didn't he?" " No." "I told him not to tell you I was coming, and he told you." " Hi, Dad." " Hi, glamour girl." " Welcome to Vegas, Dad." " Yeah." "Thanks." "I didn't order a stretch." "I just wanted something comfortable." "It's good." "No, it's got plenty of leg room, that's for sure." "That's why they call it a stretch." " I missed you." " I miss you." " I've been worried about you." " Tell me about your show." "Okay, we were at the Bellagio, and it was a big production." "Lots of underwater dance scenes, and I was the mermaid," " the lead." " Of course." " And you would have loved it." " Well, when can I go?" " It finished last week." " It finished?" "Yeah." "Next time you have to fly out and come see me." "I just..." "I didn't wanna bother you this time because I knew that you werert feeling well," " but look at you." " Well, look at you." "A dancer in a Las Vegas show on the big stage, just what you always wanted." "Are you happy?" " Very happy." " Yeah?" "So, the only thing missing now is..." "Anything?" " A man." "I know." " Well..." " This is where you live?" " No, this is an elevator." "Very good." "I think you'll like the apartment." "It's very spacious." " Well, I'm happy sleeping on a couch." " Really?" " Really." " Okay." " Wow." " You like it?" " It's..." " Very me?" "Very you." "Very impressive." " Well, do you wanna see your room?" " Sure." "Okay." "Come on." "So, bed or sofa?" "Sofa or bed?" "This is my room?" " It's huge." "Look at that television." " I know." "I've booked us dinner at a place called the Stratosphere." " Do you know what that is?" " No." "It's a revolving restaurant 800 feet above the ground." " Stay just like that." " Okay." "Okay, one more time." "I'll just get that." "Stay there, I'll be right back." "I'm gonna take another picture." " Jilly, hi." " Hi." "How are you?" "Good." "Come on in." "I want you to meet..." "I need a favour." "I have to go pick up Paul from the airport," " and I haven't got the car seat." " Okay." "I want you to meet my dad." " Great." "Hi." " Hi." " Dad, this is my friend, Jilly." " How you doing?" " Hi." "I'm Jilly." " What was it?" " Hi, Jilly." " It's a pleasure to meet you." " How are you doing?" " How are you doing?" "Who's this guy?" "This is Max, and we could really use a favour." "Could you watch him for a few hours?" "Yeah." "Well, the only thing is, is that we were gonna head out later for dinner." "You know, it's fine." "You know, I'm gonna pop downstairs." " I can just see if Helers around." " We could stay in if you want." "No." "I think you guys should go out." "No, you're tired." "It's fine." " I'm easy, whatever it is." " We'll take him." " You sure?" "You sure?" " Here, give him to me." "Thank you so much." "Well, listen, I should be back in time for you guys to go out anyway." "It'll just be a couple of hours." "But thank you again." "Okay, yeah, it's fine." "Well, I can bathe him." "Okay, I'll call if I need anything." "Honestly." "I'll be all right." "Okay." "Bye." "Slight problem." " Jilly?" " Yeah." "Paul's flight was cancelled, so he's stuck in LA and she's going to pick him up." "So, that means we have Max for the night." " Okay." " Is that okay?" "It's okay." "What's the matter?" "What's the matter?" "Okay, just stay up." "Give me your arm." " Do you want me to get that?" " No, Dad, just leave it." "It's fine." " Okay." " Thanks." "Keep your eyes closed." "Keep your eyes closed." "Hi." "I'm not here right now, so please leave me a message." "It's me." "Look, I need the apartment back sooner than I thought." "So call me." "Stop splashing!" "A nice apartment." "Yeah, it's a little big, though." " You bought it?" " No, I'm renting it, but I got a good deal." "Listen, I'm gonna leave tomorrow." "I'm gonna go back home." " But you just got here." " I know, but it's been a long trip." "I'm running low on my medication." "I just thought I'd..." "Well, can't we get you a refill?" "It's been a long trip, honey." "Yeah." "You look tired." "I'm okay." "I should get home." "Would you be okay with that?" "Yeah." "Course." "You should do what you want." "Here, take that." "I was thinking of flying." " You never fly." " I know." "Thank you." " Cheers." " Cheers." "You didn't really wanna eat out, did you?" "No." "I didn't." "Not 800 feet above the ground in a revolving restaurant." "Remember when your mother taught you how to eat spaghetti?" "Yep." "Sometimes I pick up the phone to dial her number, and then I remember." "Keep calling next time." "The number's still the same, and I'm still on the other end." " Okay." " Yeah?" " Yes." " I don't know what it is with you kids." "You always told your mother everything." "You never told me anything." "You were always on the phone with her." "I'd pick up the phone, I'd say, "Hello," you'd say "Hi, Dad." "Mom there?"" "It wasrt that bad." "It was just that" "Mom was easier to talk to and you always worried so much" " if everything wasrt perfect." " No, that's not true." " We could just talk to Mom." " But you couldn't talk to me?" "Well, she was a good listener." "You were a good talker." "Well, so that's good." "We made a good team." "Yeah." "You wouldn't change anything, would you?" "You pushed us pretty hard." "No." "That's not true." "I..." "You didn't all feel that way, did you?" "I think David felt it the most." "Yeah, well..." "I can see that." "He so never wanted to let you down." "I know." "I was never any harder on him, as far as I could see." "You were all different, and look at him today." "Did I tell you I went to see him in New York?" " No." " Yeah, he wasrt there, but I saw some of his artwork downstairs in a gallery below his apartment." "It was right there on display." "It was just beautiful." "So look what happened to him." "He turned out okay." "You turned out okay." "I don't know, Dad." "How can you say that?" "Look at you." "You've wanted to be a dancer ever since you were a little girl." "You were gifted, and nobody pushed you." " What about your plans?" " It all worked out." "What did you wanna be when you were my age?" "I didn't have any plans." "I just wanted to hold down a job and find somebody crazy enough to marry me, like your mother." "But when you guys came along, things were different." "There were opportunities." "What kind of father would I have been if I hadrt pushed you?" "So there wasrt anything you wanted to achieve?" "No, I didn't really think much about it." "Never really gave it much thought." "All I wanted to do was just be a good father, that's all." "So you've got your boarding pass, and you're all checked in, and we know your gate." "So?" "I'll come visit you as soon as I can, I promise." "I'd like that." "I wanna get us all around the same table together." " At Christmas?" " Or before, it's up to you." "Great." "Count me in." "Here." "What's this?" "I had to give it to each of you." " Well, shall I open it?" " No, open it later." " Are you sure?" " Sure I'm sure." "Okay." "Okay." " Be good." " Just for you." " Be good." " I will." "Bye, Dad." "Have a good flight." " Rosie, where's Dad?" " He's on his way home." "I just left him." "What did you find out?" "David was caught buying some drugs in a bar." "No." "He got sick so quickly that they now think he may have panicked and swallowed some of the drugs" " when he was arrested." " Is he okay?" "Have you seen him?" "Not yet." "He was taken to a hospital." "I'm there now, but they're not being very helpful." "What do you mean?" "I keep asking if he's here, but I can't get a straight answer." "Listen, the lawyer's with me and the guy from the embassy's here." "I need you to call Robert." "I promised I'd call him before his concert, tell him what's going on." "Can you do that for me?" "Yeah." "Excuse me?" "How much longer before we land?" "Forty minutes, but there's a storm so it might take a little longer." " A storm?" " It's okay." "We go around it, not through it." " Can I have some more water, please?" " Sure." "Excuse me." "Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the seatbelt sign, so we ask you to please return to your seats as soon as possible." "Sir, you need to push your table up." "Thank you." "Sir, is everything all right?" "Okay, sir." "You're gonna be fine." "You're gonna be fine." "Just breathe for me." "You're gonna be fine." "Come on, it's ready." "Everybody sit down." "Hey, David." "Come on!" " Thank you." " How come you're home, Dad?" " I took the day off work." " But you'd never do that." "I know, but I wanted to spend some time with you guys." " Is anything wrong?" " No, nothing is wrong." "Well, you know, actually there is something." "You know, I've been asking myself a question that's been like a puzzle, and I can't figure it out." "Let's stop eating for a minute." "I keep asking myself why you all lied to me, all of you." "Amy, Jeff wore the same shirt to work the morning after I stayed." "He doesn't live with you any more, does he?" "He left home about three months ago." "There's another woman." "That's why Jack hates him." "When that man Tom came over to me at the station and shook my hand, he wanted to make an impression, didn't he?" "You pulled a chair up before he came over 'cause you were expecting him." "Tom was waiting at the station." "I wanted to know that you'd met him." "I didn't want to miss the opportunity." "In case I get sick and we never get the chance to meet?" "Robert." "I think we should go in." "I think I felt some rain." "There were posters all over the city." "You werert going to Europe." "You werert even performing that night." "We could have spent time together." "But you lied to me." "You didn't wanna be with me." "No, the truth is, Dad, there are lots of things that we don't tell you, but that doesn't mean that we want to hurt you." "Mom didn't always tell you everything and you know that." "Don't blame your mother for this, and wipe your mouth." "Rosie, the baby is yours, isn't it?" "I was going to tell you." " Go on." "Tell him the rest." " Robert, shut up." " Go on." "I'll tell him." " Shut up." "She doesn't know if she likes boys or girls." "Robert, stop it." "Did your mother know you were pregnant?" "And she kept it from me." "Why would she do that?" "We were going to tell you, but then Mom got sick." "I didn't wanna disappoint you." "David, do you still live in New York at that apartment?" "No." " Then where can I find you?" " I can't tell you." "Tell me where I can find you and when I can see you." " I don't wanna see you, Dad." " No, stop..." "Do not laugh at me." "Tell me the truth." "Wipe that smirk off your face." "Wipe the smirk off your face!" "I have your skateboard right in the shed over there." "I know exactly where it is." "I'll burn the damn thing!" "You hear me?" " Don't laugh." "Don't laugh." "Quiet!" " A two-by-four with wheels!" "After everything I've done for you, this is all you can do is laugh?" "When I'm asking you about something that's worrying me?" "Jesus!" "David!" "Your mother always asked me why I was so hard on you." "This is why." "This is exactly why!" "Have some respect!" " So what am I supposed to do?" " Act as though nothing's wrong." "That's what Mom did." "It's best for all of us." "I can't do that." "I can't act as if nothing happened." "What do I tell your mother?" "What do I say?" "Anyway, she won't ask or anything 'cause she's dead." "David!" "That's it." "I've had enough!" " I'm out of here." " Me, too!" "I'm out of here!" "Come on!" "Tell her nothing." " How can I do that?" " Lf you love her as she loves you, then you'll tell her what she wants to hear." "Tell her that we are all fine." "Dad?" "At last." "I finally have my family in the same room." "Is David here?" "Rosie's here, and Robert." "How are you feeling?" " Was it a heart attack?" " They're not sure." "Amy, is he telling the truth?" "The doctors are waiting for some test results." "Come on." "You don't have to lie to me." "I always find it so hard to believe all of you now." "Come on." "They suspected a heart attack." "They ran some tests, and they got the results, and it was a heart attack." " A mild one." " Good." "A start, at least." "I didn't wanna worry you until you had a chance to come to terms with what happened." "Well, you can worry me, all of you." "I'm a father of four, I expect that." "I know you all have problems." "I know that, and I can see you've been keeping things from me." " But right now, there's something..." " Dad, maybe you should rest." "No, I will rest, but I need an answer to a question." "You were honest with your mother, and I want you to be honest with me." "It's all right." "I'm okay." "I can handle it." "I..." "I know David is in trouble, and I just wanna know where he is and how soon I can see him." "So who's gonna tell me?" "Why don't you take it..." "Why don't you rest for a while?" "What is it?" "Just tell me the truth." "Dad, I'm sorry." "David died, Dad." "I'm sorry." "No, I..." "That's not true." " Tell me that's not true." " I'm sorry, Dad." "No." " He moved out of his apartment and..." " No." "...we knew that he was travelling." "And then we started getting calls from Mexico." "There was a lot of confusion." "We didn't wanna tell you until we were sure." "No, no..." "He had a lot of problems." "He wasrt happy, Dad." "He's been having a tough time since Mom died." "We've all been worried about him." "Yeah, but not for sure." "I..." "It was Mexico." "It could be anyone." "It could be a mistake." " It could be." " I flew out there after you visited." "I flew out there after you visited, and..." "That's why you couldn't stay." "That's why we all made excuses and..." "No." "No, no, no..." "Not my son." "That's not my son." "How?" "They said it was an overdose." "No, not my son." "That's not my son." "What are you gonna do when you grow up?" "I wanna be a painter and do my pictures." "No, not a painter." "Painters paint walls, and dogs pee on walls." "You're gonna be an artist." "You gonna work hard?" " Yes, Dad." " You gonna make me proud?" "Sorry about how everything's worked out, Dad." "It's not your fault." "I've been thinking about what I wanna do when I grow up." "Yeah?" "And what did you decide?" "I might still be an artist or I might just do a normal job, like a painter." "I'd be proud of you no matter what you did." " Really?" " Really." "Good." "I told Mom I wouldn't be long." " Give her my love." " I will." "Well, I'll see you, Dad." "David?" "I'm sorry." "It's not your fault, Dad." "David?" "David?" "Well, it was a big trip." "And if you ask me what I learned, I'd have to tell you I'm not sure." "I know if I could do it all over again, I would ask less of the kids." "As long as they were happy, that would be fine with me." "I know I have to stop thinking of them as if they're still children." "I can't tell them what to do any more." "They have to find their own way." "And sometimes you talked to me about things that" "I should have listened to you more carefully." "You presented me with the details of our childrers lives, and I..." "I..." "I ignored them." "And for that..." "But that isn't what you want to hear, I know." "What you want is the news." "Well, the news is this." "Robert, Amy and Rosie promised to visit me for the holidays, and you know what?" "This time I believe them." "And David..." "David..." "I hope he'll spend Christmas with you." "I went back to New York to buy David's painting." "The portrait, I know which one you mean, but I'm afraid it's sold." "It is sold?" "Well..." " Were you familiar with the artist or..." " Yeah, I..." "Yeah, not as much as I would like to have been, but, yeah." "Thank you." "Why don't you give me your details?" "If anything of David's comes in, I'll let you know." "Excuse me?" "Excuse me?" "I just saw your name." "I'm stupid." "I should have realised." "That's okay." "I'm sorry." "You know, I knew David." "He used to hang out at the gallery all the time, and he used to say that if it wasrt for his dad, that he never would have become an artist." "He said he would have ended up painting walls and that dogs pee on walls." "Look, we might have something of his in storage." "I can check if you'd like." " Okay, sure." " Okay." "Now, I won't pretend David's work was very commercial." "Here it is." "He had his own style, and he wasrt concerned with fashion." "But for what it's won'th, I thought he was really special." "Thank you." "Hello, this is Frank." "I'm not out..." "I mean, I'm not here at the moment." "I'm probably out shopping for the holidays." "But if you leave a message, I will call you back." "Thank you." "Don't laugh, but I promised to cook the turkey for the first time this year." "I got the whole family coming." "What's the biggest bird you got?" "Half a dozen of them." "And treat the children to some expensive wine." " You got some reds on the right." " Excellent choice, if I may say so, sir." " That's the sale price." "Yeah." " It's the sale price?" "I'm even thinking of replacing the old tree." "If I gave it to you for any cheaper, I wouldn't be making any money." "Let me tighten it." "It has to..." "You're letting it droop too much." "I need a little more slack to get around..." "How does this look?" " Dad's side's perfect." " You kidding me?" "Yours needs work." " Yeah?" " Yeah." " Thank you." " What's that sound?" " What's that?" " Turkey." " You're timing the turkey?" " Yeah." "That's so efficient." "Jesus!" "Now you're..." "It's not cooked yet, Dad." "I just checked it." " You just checked it?" " Yeah, the juices are still red." "Well, why don't you stick to the potatoes and I'll do the turkey?" "Okay." "This is you!" "Look, it has your name and the third grade written on its butt." " Do you remember that?" " I remember when I made this." "Yeah." " Hey, Dad, are you okay?" " Yeah." "Check that turkey, Grandpa." "Dad, that's a big bird." "You'd better cook it properly." " Just check the leg, Dad." " Don't worry." " Just to make sure." " I will." "I will." "Well, Mom actually would have cooked it for at least another 30 minutes." "Yeah, well, there's something I need to tell all of you about your mother." "As much as I loved her and as a good cook as she was, in all the 41 years we've been married, she always over-cooked the turkey, every single year." "I just never had the heart to tell her." "All right." "Perfect." "Hi, honey." "Will you help me get him burped?" "There we go." " This one's yours, if you want, Robert." " Yeah, that would be great." "Thanks." " I'm kind of on a diet anyway." " Good boy." " Where's his tray?" " Grandpa, watch out." "Watch out." "Okay, that's hot." "Your family is making its way in the world, and you can be proud of the children and their achievements." "And, if you were to ask me, I would have to say in all honesty," " everybody's fine." " Are you hungry?" "Everybody's fine." " Babysitter." " Yeah, I know."