" Oh, hey, Alan." " Hey, Herb." "Jake, your dad's here." " So how's it going?" " All good." "Good." " You?" " Good." "Well, good." "Yeah, good." "Good." "Oh, I, uh..." "I see you've put in a new mailbox." "Oh, yeah." "The old one was pretty shoddy." "Whoever put it in didn't anchor the pole correctly." "That would be me." "Oh, sorry." "The mailman was complaining about the wiggle." "Herb, the mailmars a pothead." "Yeah, I know." "I caught him eating my tomato plants." "Anyway, I decided to replace the whole thing." "Yeah, I see it, uh..." "It now says "The Melnicks. "" "Well, I paid for the mailbox." "I get my mail there." " My name's Melnick." " Yeah, yeah, I get it." "What's it say on your mailbox?" "Charlie Harper." "Jake!" "No need to yell, he's in the bathroom." "Big surprise, eh?" "He's either shoveling it in or shooting it out." "Ha, ha." "Yeah, he's a regular Play-Doh Fun Factory." "Just go make sure he hasn't fallen asleep in there again." "Yes, dear." "So how's everything?" "Fine." "Uh, listen, Alan, I've been thinking, now that Jake's a teenager he'd benefit from spending some more time with his dad." "Oh." "Oh, that would be great." "Nothing would make me happier than spending time with my son." " Good." " Ha, ha." " Hey, Dad." " Oh, hey, buddy." "All finished in the bathroom?" "For now." "You should've seen the last one." "It looked like a question mark." " Terrific." " And it came out of my colon, get it?" " Hilarious." " Commas are easy." "Go." "Um, so, uh, what are we talking about here?" "An extra day or two every other week?" "I was thinking more a solid three months." "In a row?" "Alan, how many sons do you have?" "As many as you do." " Look, do you want your kid or not?" " Well, of course, but..." "Well, I'll have to clear it with Charlie and..." " And there is the financial issue." " What financial issue?" "If he's living with me, I should get a sizable break on the child support." " You're certainly entitled to your opinion." " Well, thank you." "Wait a minute." "Three months in a row?" " Oh, come on, it'll be fun." " For who?" "All he does is eat, sleep, and clog up the toilets." " Shh." "Let's talk about this later." " Oh, please." "Chowderhead can't hear us." "Right, chowderhead?" " See?" " Oh, just admit it." "You love having him around." "I love having him around because I always know he's leaving." "Don't take the leaving part away from me, Alan." "Let's just give it a chance, see how it works." "That's what Poland said about the Germans." "Been watching History Channel again?" "It's Nazi week." "It's always Nazi week." "Look, uh, tell you what, why don't I take you and Jake out to dinner tonight?" "Can we get chili burgers?" "Wow, this is fun, huh?" "The three Harper boys sitting round the campfire, putting on the feedbag." "Yeah, bite me." "So, numbnuts any thoughts why your mom dumped you off on us?" " Charlie." " Oh, like you're not curious." "No." "No, I am not curious." "She thought it'd be a good idea to spend time with his father." "And I'm trying to save girls a long ride home on the freeway." "So, what's your theory, Alfalfa?" "You're pretending to be considerate so you can have sex with them." "No, no." "I mean, about your mother and Herb." "Oh, well, they are fighting a lot." " They're fighting?" " Yep, 31." "Thirty-one?" "It's what you get when you add 24 and seven." "You know, they're fighting all the time, 24/7." "Thirty-one." " I'm not gonna make it three months, Alan." " You'll be fine." " They're fighting in front of you?" " They don't think they are because when I wear the headphones, I turn the music off." "And you figured that out all by yourself?" "Hey, you may think I'm dumb, but you overestimate me." "My mistake." "So, what are they arguing about?" "Well, she doesn't like his parents, he doesn't like her spending and something about sex." " What about sex?" "That's when I turn the music back on, you sick freak." " Sorry." " I mean, that's my mother." "I said I'm sorry." "Man, I'm not gonna make it three months." "Oh, great." "Now he's got the moral high ground." "Forget about that." "The important thing is Judith and Herb are having marital problems." " Why does that make you happy?" " Well, it's not happiness exactly." "It's just that all these years she's been blaming me for the failure of our marriage and now..." "Yeah, I guess "happiness" pretty much sums it up." "Hey, what's this I hear about little Lord Skidmark..." "Oh, it's, uh, just for a few weeks." "Uh, I'm sure if we all pull together, you'll hardly notice." "Yeah, pull this." "Charlie." "You and me gotta have a conversation." "Nice talking to you." "Hey, Alan." " Oh, hey, Herb." " Judith asked me to drop this off for Jake." "Oh, here, let me help you." "Thanks." "So, what have you two lovebirds got planned for the next few months?" " Second honeymoon?" " No, not exactly." "Oh." "Hard to believe you're coming up on your second anniversary." "Yep, hard to believe." "Two years." "Ha, ha." "Time flies when you're having fun, eh?" "I wouldn't know." " Hey, Herb." " Hey, Charlie." "You ask him about his marriage going down the crapper?" "I was easing into it." "So was I." "What's the problem, Herb?" "Is it in the bedroom?" "It usually starts in the bedroom." "That's still my mother, you sick freak." "We usually wait till he puts on headphones before we discuss these things." "Uh, gee, Herb, uh, something you should know about the headphones..." "Shh, shh." "Don't spoil it." "So, what's the deal?" "Is it sex?" "No." "Well, yeah, but it's no big deal." "I mean, every marriage has an ebb and flow to it." " Of course." " Sure, sure." "Right now, Judith and I are kind of ebbing." "A lot." "Thirty-one." "Right, 31." "I don't know what's happening." "We can't communicate." "She constantly finds fault with me." "I don't know what to do." "I'll tell you what to do." "What my testicle-challenged brother should've done." "She starts complaining, put your foot down." "Let her know who's in charge." "And no matter what, do not let her use sex as a weapon." "Let her know if she won't satisfy your needs, there's plenty of women." " Really?" " Why would I lie?" "Women like Judith respond to strength and confidence." "Not, well, that." "Yeah, you make a compelling case." "Damn right, I do." "Now go claim what's yours." "I believe I will." "Thanks, Charlie." "I'm here for you, big guy." "Why did you do that?" "I get bored." "Hey." " Hey." " Why aren't you in school?" " I'm sick." "Sick?" "Relax, I'm just faking to get out of a Math test." "Oh, okay, good." "You scared me." "What's with the staple gun?" "Oh, the sole is coming off my shoe." "Ah." "You might wanna take it off first." "Good call." "Morning." "It's none of my business but that's one kid that can't afford to miss a single day at school." "Yeah, like school's gonna make a difference." "Ow!" "Crap!" "I stapled my fingers together." "You got a point." "Come on, honey, blow." " What's he got?" " A cold, I think." "Why didn't you leave him home?" "That way, we all don't get sick." "That's why you always take your shoes to a qualified, professional cobbler." "You know what's good?" "Apple cobbler." "What's the damage, doc?" "Will he play the violin again?" "He'll be fine." "You might wanna keep him away from staple guns." " Right." " Also nail guns, glue guns." "Pretty much anything with "gun" in it." "Got it." "Thanks, Herb." "Hey, uh, Charlie, can I talk to you for a sec?" " You wait for me in the car." " Give me the keys." "I'm not giving you the keys." " Then how am I gonna wait in the car?" " Wait by the car." "I don't have sunscreen on." "I'm very fair-skinned." "Then wait under the car." "What's up?" "Well, uh, you remember that advice you gave me about Judith?" "Oh, gee, Herb, that wasrt so much advice as, you know, social satire." "Well, it worked out great." "Really?" "She bought that king-of-the-castle crap?" "No, no." "She kicked my ass out." "The thing is, talking to you and seeing how you live I'm convinced I'm better off single." " Is that so?" " Oh, yeah." "I mean, uh, why chew on one chicken wing when you can eat from the whole bucket?" "Just so there's no confusion, chicken wings are...?" "Women, Charlie." "I was offering up a metaphor." "And you went with wings rather than breasts and thighs?" "Oh, that is better." "Anyway, I was thinking, uh maybe you and I could go out some time and, uh, get a party pack." "Sex with strange women." "Uh, I was extending the metaphor." "Of course." "Sure, let's do that sometime." "Thanks again for sewing up the kid." "So, uh, what color you like?" "Excuse me?" "Oh, I was thinking Asian but I'll take the green." " Hey, Dad." " Oh, hey." " How are you feeling?" " Fine." "Throat's not sore anymore?" "Ahem." "Oh, yeah, a little." " What happened to your fingers?" " Oh, I stapled them together." "Ah." "Hey, hey." "We do not leave our shoes on the..." "What the hell?" "We need to get rid of the staple gun." "Alan, staple guns don't staple shoes to coffee tables, idiots do." "Why are you taking your temperature?" "I think some little snot locker gave me smallpox." "Oh, man." "Leave me alone." "Is that Mom?" "You think maybe I might wanna talk to her?" " Do you?" " Of course not, it's the principle." "Well, that wasrt Mom." "It was Herb." "Why is Herb calling?" "Since Judith threw him out, he wants me to help him pick up women." "Wait, back up, back up, back up, back up, back up, back up." "Wait, Judith threw Herb out?" "When?" "I don't know." "Apparently, about a week ago." "Oh, my God." "That's terrible." "Judith must be devastated." " Alan?" " Yeah?" "You got a little evil on your face." " Other side." " Oh." "Oh, Judith, that's terrible." "You must be devastated." "You must be devastated." "Oh." " What're you doing here?" " Oh, sorry to bother you." "Apparently, uh, Jake left his Social Studies book, so here I am." "I think I saw it in the bathroom." "Why?" "Was he out of toilet paper?" "Wouldrt it be great if he could learn that way?" "You know, uh, "ass-mosis. " Heh." "What?" " Nothing." "Is Herb around?" "Uh, no." " Oh, oh, too bad." " Why?" "Oh, no reason." "I just, uh, enjoy seeing the big galoot." "Well, the galoot is not here." "Oh." "Well, uh..." " Tell him I said hi." " I will." "Herb moved out." "Our marriage is over." "Oh, Judith, that's terrible." "You must be devastated." "What exactly do you have in mind?" " Give me your hand." " Okay." "Do I feel warm to you?" "Dude." "Aw, crap." "So, uh, you fishing here, or can I throw my bobber in the water?" "Bye." " How'd you know I was here?" " I tried calling." "Your phone must be broken." "I went by your house." "Jake said you went out." "All I had to do was punch "liquor" into the in-dash navigation." "And three stops later, voilà." "So, uh, they biting tonight?" "Okay, okay." "First of all, can we stop with the fish talk?" "Believe me, it's not gonna lead any place good." "Back to the chickens?" "If we must." "I'll have what he's having." "I'm having a tall pain in the ass." "Sounds good." "Does that have rum in it?" "How did this happen?" "How did I blow another marriage?" "Oh, sweetie, you can't blame yourself." "Although you are the common denominator." "Alan, I'm 40 years old." "How am I ever gonna start over again?" "I know, I know." "And soon you're gonna be 41." "Do you have any idea what it's like to date when all the men your age are only interested in 25-year-old hard bodies?" "Well, you can't blame us." "Well, of course you can't compete hard body to hard body but you're still a very desirable woman." "You think so?" "Well, of course I do." "For your age, you're a very de..." "Hey, Charlie, I got a question for you." "Yeah?" "The hotel I'm staying in has pay-per-view adult movies." "Uh-huh." "What ever happened to pubic hair?" "Gone the way of the dodo bird, my friend." "I mean, I can understand it with the ladies, but what's the deal with the fellas?" "It's like with an ugly house, a little shrubbery helps the curb appeal." "I don't have an answer for you, Herb." "What about you?" "You trim the old hedges?" "Yeah, they're shaped like Disney characters." "Two more vodka tonics." "Cock-a-doodle-doo." " Hello." " Hello." "Allow me to introduce myself." "Dr. Herbert Melnick." " Ooh, a doctor." " Dr. Charlie Harper." "Wow, two doctors." "Maybe we should let them examine us." "In the interest of full disclosure I should let you know I'm new to the dating world and still have all my original pubic hair." "Oh, Alan, why did I ever let you go?" "Well, if I recall, it was something about me sucking the life out of you." "Oh." "Oh, I was wrong." "I was so wrong." "You're a good man and I'm never gonna let you go again." "Never?" "Never." "Never ever?" "Morning." "Morning." "What was Herb doing here?" "Oh, he, uh..." "He shaved his pubes, and passed out in your room." "You might wanna change the blade in your razor." "Thank you." "Where were you all night?" "I was in "Never Ever" land." "Um, do I wanna know?" "I took away the staple gun but he found the superglue."