"If he's not ready to go when it's time to leave, we're going without him." "We're not going to the funeral without him." "Hey, he's your son." "I'm only his stepfather." "But he's not gonna waltz in here after all these years and expect me to dance to his tune." "Could you help me with this?" "I just don't like his attitude, that's all." "Frank..." "And don't tell me he doesn't have an attitude, 'cause he does." "I'm just not gonna put up with it this time, that's it." "I wish we could all just get along this time." "Okay?" "I gotta check on the driver." "Do you think we could do that?" "I can do that." "Talk to him." "Listen, we've got 27 minutes." "It's a 20-minute drive." "I'll be right down." "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." "I'll be right there." "Mommy, when is Grandpa Everett coming back?" "He isn't coming back, Billy." "We talked about that, remember?" "No." "Sure you do." "We're going to the church today with Uncle Frank and Aunt Katherine to say good-bye to him." "I don't want to." "All right, let's go, let's go." "Uh-uh." "I'm going to wait here for Great-grandpa." "He's coming back." "You're gonna apply the seat of your pants to the seat of that car before I put your butt in a sling." "You got that, plebe?" "No!" "Hey!" "Oh, it's okay, Frank." "It's okay." "He can stay here with me." "I've got a lot to do before everyone gets back, anyway." "He's not the first kid that had to face up to something he didn't want to." "No." "But he's my kid." "So I guess I get to decide whether he goes or stays home." "All right." "But don't come crying to me when he wants to wear a dress to the senior prom." "You almost ready?" "Almost." "It's great to see these home movies again." "Karyn found them in the attic." "She thought you'd get a kick out of them." "We'd better go." "We're going to be late." "No, we're not." "Frank set all the clocks ahead ten minutes." "I checked." "You checked our clocks?" "Well, I figured Frank might do something like that just to keep us on schedule." "See?" "Right on time." "You're not going to make him crazy?" "Of course not." "On the other hand, it never hurts just to let Frank sweat it out a little." "Makes his neck get all kind of red just above the collar." "You have a strong streak of your grandfather in you." "I know." "Well, don't push it too far." "You won't like the way my neck turns red just above the collar." "I'm right behind you." "Honest." "Everett Wendell Currier wasn't like other people." "Oh, I know every kid on Earth thinks his grandfather is special, different than everyone else." "But my grandfather, he had a gift." "I mean, he was great at the usual stuff, pitching baseballs to you, showing you how to build things, running behind you on your two-wheeler till you got the balance just right, sitting up with you all night helping you memorize your graduation speech," "and then sticking around after the ceremonies to tell you it was okay you forgot most of it." "In fact, whenever you needed him, he had a knack of being real close by." "But his real gift..." "His real gift was knowing how to not take life too seriously." "I mean, he had a way of sitting back and looking at the silly ways things have of turning out sometimes, and knowing that that's exactly the way they're supposed to be." "And I wouldn't be surprised at all if that's pretty much what he's doing right now." "I know he'd be proud of me for remembering this whole speech" "without him helping me learn it." "But the thing he'd be most proud of and that would be most important to him" "would be knowing that we all got together here to remember the good times we had with him," "and not feel sorry for ourselves because we have to go on now, without him." "I'll miss him." "But I really can't believe he'll ever be very far away." "As part of my grandfather's last requests," "Miss Winobe of the Tidewater Community Church Choir will sing his favorite song." "Oh happy day" "I fixed my choice" "On thee, my Savior and my God" "I can't believe he actually chose Oh Happy Day for his funeral." "He didn't." "He chose Goodbye Cruel World." "I thought this was more appropriate." "Katherine!" "Have some of the food your cousin Karyn spent two days preparing." "Katherine!" "Hi." "Whoo!" "Gee!" "Karyn, you scared me to death." "I would have thought by now you would've learned not to sneak up on people." "What are you talking about?" "I don't sneak up on people." "You do, too." "You always did." "That's a terrible thing to say." "Yes, but it's true." "I had to be sneaky when we were kids." "You guys were always trying to ditch me." "Well, that's because boy cousins don't like their little girl cousins around when they're kids." "That's what Grandpa said." "I didn't buy it from him either." "So, are you gonna stick around Tidewater a while?" "Oh, I swore I wasn't going to ask you that." "Pretend I never said that." "I don't even want to know." "Really." "I don't even wanna know." "Why don't you have some zucchini sticks?" "Oh." "Nobody ever eats them except you and Grandpa." "Hey, I'll take care of it." "Okay, I gotta go check on the..." "Something in the kitchen." "Hi." "How'd you like to help me finish off these zucchini sticks?" "Are you really my cousin?" "Well, I'm your mom's cousin." "See, when your mom and I were your age, we used to come over here and stay with your great-grandpa." "With her other cousin, Joey." "Yeah." "Anyway, your great-grandpa used to make these zucchini sticks for us, but I was the only one who figured out how good they were." "See?" "Mmm." "Here." "Try one." "Shh!" "Tastes like squash." "That's the secret ingredient." "Here." "Just save one for me, okay?" "Hi." "Oh." "Hi." "I was looking for that box of Dad's and I keep running across things." "Memories." "Look at these." "Karyn's first tap shoes." "Now, don't tell her her grandfather saved them." "She'll cry for a week." "She always had a flair for the dramatic." "Dad always made her wear them when you kids would stay with him." "I think it was so she couldn't sneak up on him." "She and Billy are going to stay the weekend." "What, with her divorce and Dad's death," "Billy's having a hard time adjusting." "Joey's boxing gloves." "Remember these?" "I think I'll give them to Billy." "I don't think Joey would mind." "Do you think Joey..." "You rotten kid!" "I was sure I gave that mask to the church bazaar years ago." "You did." "Grandpa bought it back for me." "He said he was saving it for me." "Oh." "The box." "Can I ask you a question?" "As long as I don't have to promise to answer." "How's Frank?" "Why don't you ask him?" "As long as Frank can fly, he's okay." "We should take a run out and see his air freight company while you're here." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Well, I got a lot of things to do while I'm here." "It hasn't been easy on Frank." "Retirement." "What, with the company eating up our savings and having to move back in with Dad." "Frank's got a lot of pride." "Ah!" "Victory." "Your grandfather's grandfather received a letter, right after the war between the states, signed by Abraham Lincoln." "Yeah, I used to make him drag it out every summer to show my friends." "He felt it was the only thing he had of real value." "He wanted you to have it." "I'd almost forgotten about this." "It isn't here." "What?" "The letter's gone." "Katherine!" "Katherine!" "What the hell is it with you people?" "Frank, the letter's gone." "Remember the one Dad showed us at Christmas?" "Didn't you hear me calling you?" "We were looking for the letter, Frank." "People are leaving." "You're up here looking for some old letter?" "It's not just some old letter." "Listen, people have come from all over to pay their respects to Everett." "They're wondering where you are." "I didn't think it would take us this long." "I'm sure they'll understand." "You're sure they'll understand, I see." "That changes everything, doesn't it?" "We're on our way, right now." "No." "Wait a minute." " Thomas." "We'll look for the letter later." "Frank's right." "I'll be downstairs." "It's been a few years since you've seen these people yourself, you know." "I know how long it's been, Frank." "I don't believe it." "Don Eddy Rice." "Bad news." "I can only stay a month." "Hey..." "I told my boss if he didn't give me the weekend off, I was gonna quit." "Four Corners." "We're going out to Mike's place." "Nope." "I had the graveyard, you know, otherwise I would have been here this morning." "But what can you do?" "Veronica's?" "No, we're not going out to Veronica's." "That's right, we're not." "You're right. we're not." "Remember, she moved to Fairfax Township in her senior year." "Yeah, that's right." "Now, don't tell me." "I'll get this." "All right." "Hey, man, I gotta tell you, I'm real sorry I missed the funeral." "I spent so much time at that house, he might just as well have been my grandfather." "Well, I'm just glad you're here." "Tidewater High." "Ta-da!" "Huh?" "What do you say, right?" "Well, you gotta expect a little something when you come home for the first time in 15 years." "Duke of Earl, duke, duke" "Duke of Earl, duke, duke" "Duke of Earl, duke, duke" "Duke of Earl, duke, duke" "As I walk through this world" "Nothing can stop the Duke of Earl" "And you, you are my girl" "No one can hurt you Shh!" "'Cause I..." "Shh!" "You could've at least told me her whole family was there." "I felt so..." "Guilty!" "No!" "Old." "Hey, listen, it happens to all of us, except maybe your cousin, you know." "Karyn?" "Yeah, I never noticed how good-looking she was when we were growing up." "I can't believe it, I mean, she was married." "Shh!" "Frank." "Forgot, forgot, forgot..." "Shouldn't he be off invading Poland or something?" "No, he retired." "You gotta pick your guard up." "That's the first thing you gotta do." "Just like that." "You're not keeping your guard up." "All right." "Come on." "All right, hit back." "Come on, you little creep." "Do you think he sold it?" "No, he was emphatic." ""The letter goes to Tom."" "Stop it!" "Watch yourself." "Watch yourself." "Watch it." "Hold it." "Come over here." "Boy, it's Joey all over again." "There was another key." "Come on, you little rascal." "What's he trying to do?" "Make Billy run away, too?" "Keep your guard up, I told you." "It's gone." "The other key is gone." "Who knew about it?" "I don't know." "You, me, Karyn." "Frank?" "Any number of Dad's friends." "I don't know." "So we start with who had a motive." "Oh, Tom, this is your family." "Look, somebody took that letter..." "billy:" "Let me down!" "Get away!" "Get off me!" "Winner and still champion." "Put me down!" "Put him down." "Hell, you gotta be tough to take on the champ." "Put him down, Frank." "Ah, a contender." "A challenger to take on the champ." "Let's see what you've got." "Come on." "Put it there." "Come on." "Come on." "You got what it takes, you think?" "Come on, give me one right there, what do you say?" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Dropped your gun." "Wanna run away from a fight?" "Come on." "Nobody beats Frank Peterson." "Nobody." "Frank has to go out to the airport." "He asked if you'd like to come along." "People have funny ways of saying, "I'm sorry."" "Why do you put up with him?" "I don't have to." "He doesn't have anything to prove with me." "Maybe it was a mistake for me to come home." "How can you say that?" "Your grandfather just died." "I would think you could put your personal feelings..." "You're right." "You're right. ...about Frank aside." "Long enough to come home for the funeral." "You're right." "If you have as much of your grandfather in you as I think you do..." "He was much more forgiving than I am." "I don't think so." "Well..." "Place looks like a second-rate pile of used tin, doesn't it?" "No." "It looks good." "Don't kid a kidder." "It looks like a grade-B company." "Which it is." "Or I should say it was." "Right on schedule." "Peterson Air Freight has just expanded." "What do you say we take a little spin?" "Come on." "Frank, what on Earth?" "I thought we were waiting." "We don't have the money." "You don't need money, my dear, when you have charm and influence." "I named her Katherine." "Well, let's not all jump up and down at once." "You don't buy airplanes with charm and influence, Frank." "What is this?" "I just think we have a right to know" "Are you interrogating me?" "where you got the money." "You do." "You do." "You think you can come back here once every 15 years or so and start asking a lot of questions?" "If you wanna know what's going on, come home every once in a while." "Come on, I'll show you the inside." "Where did you get the money, Frank?" "It's none of your damn business." "Frank." "You stay out of this, Katherine." "No, I'm not going to let you do this anymore." "I've tried to look the other way when you walked all over my mother." "Thomas, that's not true!" "No, I..." "No!" "Now, I've tried to convince myself not to worry that you're dragging her into bankruptcy with this joke of a company." "But when you start stealing from us, somebody's got to draw the line." "Stealing..." "Are you calling me a thief?" "I'd just like to know how far you'd go to keep Peterson Air Freight alive." "Sell a family heirloom?" "Turn something of sentimental value into a business investment for Frank Peterson." "I ought to..." "Oh, what?" "Hit me?" "That always works." "Doesn't it?" "Stop it, both of you." "I mean, you've always bullied everybody who ever loved you until they can't stand to be around you anymore." "That's a lie!" "Yeah?" "What about Joey?" "I wonder what he'd say about that." "Thomas." "I never bullied Joey." "That's a damn lie." "Maybe you were right." "Maybe you shouldn't have come home." "I just can't believe what you're saying." "I mean, Frank is a lot of things." "Okay, he's loud and he's pushy, but he's basically an honorable guy." "I mean, he's not a thief." "Who else knew about the extra key?" "I did." "Are you going to start thinking I took it?" "All I'm saying is he had a motive, he had opportunity." "Maybe you've been doing this Pl stuff too long." "You start looking at your friends and family as suspects." "It's private investigator, and somebody took that letter." "Maybe Grandpa Everett has it." "You can ask him when he gets back." "Billy, he's not coming back." "Sweetie, you know that." "He is, too!" "Billy, stop..." "Ow!" "You okay?" "I'm all right." "You want me to go..." "No." "I'll go." "Look, I know you and Frank have had your problems for a long time." "This has nothing to do with that." "I just think you have to be careful what you're doing." "You could pull this whole family apart." "No." "That's Frank's style." "I'm just standing up to him, finally." "I need a ride into town." "No problem." "If you want my opinion..." "All right, even if you don't want my opinion." "Come on, Tom, Frank is a jerk." "I can't deny that." "But let's face it." "The guy worships the ground your mom walks on." "He's not gonna sell something that belongs to her." "MRS. wilson:" "Bingo!" "A letter signed Abraham Lincoln, authenticated, went for $48,000 last month." "Written to the Secretary of State, it outlined some form of policy." "That's the wrong one." "Oh." "Drat!" "Well, I'll keep my ears to the ground." "Could it have been sold privately?" "Without an offering?" "Well, anything's possible in this crazy business." "But I'd say it's most likely that he turned it over to an agent who would give him an advance on the auction price." "What kind of advance?" "Oh, around 10%." "Enough for a down payment on a refurbished DC-3." "Okay, where do we go now?" "To see a man about a loan." "Thanks, Mrs. Wilson." "I took this one the day they dedicated the memorial." "Should've been there." "Should've seen all the Vietnam vets." "It was really something." "I guess you guys have been out there." "No." "Not yet." "Oh, you got to go." "It's got this," "I don't know, feeling about it that's..." "Well, you shouldn't miss it." "Anyway, let me get those papers for you." "I'm kind of surprised Frank didn't call to tell me you were coming after them." "He doesn't know I'm here." "I wasn't sure you'd show me the loan papers." "That's why I said Frank needed them." "I'm afraid I've gotten into some bad habits." "I'm sorry." "You don't have to show me the papers if you don't feel like it, Skip." "Well, I just wish you'd asked." "See, there's some question as to where Frank got the down payment." "You don't know about this?" "He took out a trust deed on the house." "What house?" "Your grandfather's." "Everett signed it over to Frank about two years ago." "He never told you?" "I thought you were Frank." "Where is he?" "I've decided to pack everything away." "Quit looking for the letter." "I can't believe Dad meant for it to cause such pain." "After the fireworks between the two of you, he took the plane up." "He hasn't come back yet." "Why didn't you tell me about the house?" "Did he tell you he mortgaged it?" "You've been prying into Frank's business affairs." "Did he tell you?" "No." "This house..." "This house belongs to you." "Now, why did you let Grandpa sign it over to Frank?" "Frank is my husband." "He has every right to this house." "And a right to lose it?" "When are you gonna start saying no to him?" "You're on dangerous ground here, Tom." "No." "We are on very dangerous ground." "Don't you see that?" "I'm not going to let him hurt you the way he hurt Joey." "He didn't." "Don't you know?" "He used to cry himself to sleep because he wasn't good enough for Frank." "He wouldn't live up to all the standards that Frank set for him." "Why do you think he ran away?" "Why do you think he didn't come back?" "Do you think I haven't asked myself that?" "Do you think I haven't sat up nights just staring at stars, blaming Frank, blaming myself, blaming you?" "Me?" "You never considered that you were partly to blame?" "All the letters, the photographs, the medals, the honors." "You were a big hero to him." "Why wouldn't he want to run off and try to be just like you?" "I could never do anything to hurt Joey." "How could I hurt my own brother?" "Why would Frank hurt his own son?" "Do you have any idea where Billy is?" "No." "I thought he was with you." "No." "I've been out trying to find him." "I've called the neighbors." "I've looked everywhere." "Joey, Frank, Billy." "What's happening to us?" "Anything?" "The police have put an all points bulletin out on him." "We've been up and down every street for about five miles." "I don't see how he could've gotten any further away than that." "Well, if you hear from him..." "Oh, we'll call right away." "Thank you." "I just never should've pressed him about Grandpa's death." "He would've come to accept it in time." "In his own time." "Maybe not." "Tom?" "I'll be right back." "What is it?" "What was he wearing on the day of the funeral?" "He only has one pair of Sunday best." "I think I know where he is." "I don't believe this." "Grandpa told me he tore that old tree house down." "Probably so you wouldn't sneak up on him and Billy." "Billy?" "I'm not coming back!" "My God!" "He's all right." "I'm gonna kill him." "No, wait!" "Wait, wait, wait..." "Can I see him alone?" "There's something I need to talk to him about." "All right." "I'll go back." "I'll let everyone know he's okay." "Oh, she left." "I'm not going back." "You mind if I stay awhile?" "You know, I've been thinking and thinking who might have that letter we've been looking for." "It belongs to Grandpa Everett." "Oh, you're right." "And I figured that somebody must want to keep it for him, you know." "Keep it real safe." "What if he comes back and it's gone?" "Come here." "You know, a long time ago, before you were born, somebody I loved very much went away." "Like Grandpa." "And I didn't want him to go." "So, you know what I did?" "I pretended he really wasn't gone." "I just figured that he had to come back someday if I really believed hard enough." "And, as time went on, and he didn't come back," "I started getting real mad." "I got mad at everybody who knew him because I figured it was their fault he went away." "Was it?" "No." "It wasn't anybody's fault." "He didn't come back?" "No." "And the sad part is," "I was so busy being mad," "that I never had a chance to tell him good-bye." "I don't know how to say good-bye." "I don't either." "Maybe we could figure out a way together." "Maybe." "Good-bye, Grandpa!" "Good-bye!" "Good-bye." "Any word from Frank?" "No, your mom went to the airport." "She's real scared." "You don't think Frank would do anything stupid?" "I don't know." "He was..." "I don't know." "You had a fight?" "Tom, I don't know if this is gonna make any difference, but, I want to tell you something." "Look, I..." "No." "Let me just say this." "Maybe you thought when your mom married Frank that," "I don't know, that she didn't love your dad anymore." "Or you." "No." "I..." "I know it's not the same thing, but when Billy's dad left," "I thought I'd never, ever let anyone get close to us again, me and Billy." "But as time goes on, you find out you need to be close to somebody." "So does your kid." "I think you should let your mom off the hook." "So do I." "I want you to keep this for Billy." "From Grandpa to me to him." "You're not moving back home, are you?" "I've been way out of line the last couple days..." "For years, about Frank." "When you and Joey were little, you used to love to watch the air shows." "And every Memorial Day, we'd all go together to watch Frank fly." "You would hold Joey's hand, and you'd show him which plane his father was flying." "They'd zigzag in and out and fly upside down." "And you and Joey, you'd cheer Frank on, as if he could hear you." "Funny..." "I was always so scared when Frank was flying." "And then, one time, you were explaining to Joey how some people just have a knack for flying." "And suddenly I realized," "Frank was as safe in the air as he was on the ground." "Probably safer, given the way he has of dealing with people." "How do you explain why you love someone?" "You shouldn't have to." "I guess you think I'm a real jerk where Joey's concerned." "Frank, I..." "No, no, no." "Don't deny it." "I've been doing that myself a lot of years." "You never could tell that boy anything." "I just wish..." "Come back next year." "I'll take you up for a ride." "Maybe." "Hey, it's morning." "You ever think about Joey?" "Every day." "Me, too." "Good-bye, Joey."