"Hey, Kara." "Chip." " Tomorrow's the big day, huh?" " Yeah." " What?" "What's that?" " It's her one year." "Oh, yeah." "No, no, no." "I knew that." "I was just..." " What kind of cake do you have in mind?" " Birthday's suck." "Come on." " Come on." "It's your one year." " You got to have a cake." "Honestly, I don't want to make a big deal out of it." "Well, you don't have to." "That's what I'm here for." "It's a big deal and you need a big cake to mark the occasion, to draw a line that separates your past from your future." "So, what kind of cake do you want?" " Where's your board?" " It's in the shop." "It's busted." " Oh." "What's your plan?" " Double me." " What?" " Double me." "No, man, I can't double you." "There's no room up here." "It's too tight." "What?" "Come..." "You double chicks all the time." "Yeah." "Please tell me you see the difference with that." " Oh, man." "This is hard work, dude." " Yeah." "Savor the experience." " All right." "Lean." " Okay..." " Lean!" " I am!" "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Dude, you've got to lean with me, not against me." " I'm not!" " Okay." "No." "You have to hold on to me and lean with me, otherwise we're going down." "Christ!" "So, did Jerry give you a timeline of when he wants you out?" "Yeah, I'm still not entirely sure it's a done deal, man." "I hate to say this, bud, but it seems like you're shit out of angles." " Nah, I've got one last play, man." " Chip, please don't say "side-tables."" " No, I'm going to go see Tilly." "Lean." " Tilly?" " Lean!" " Whoa!" "Whoa!" "I can't believe you made me walk." "Man, come on." "We're too old to..." "Not "too old."" "This bike's not good for that." "Are you really going to go see Tilly?" "How's she going to help you solve the Jerry problem?" "If anything, she's going to cause new problems." "Yeah, I think I can get her to talk to Jerry." "That chick has brought you nothing but pain and misery." "She's just always made you feel small and invisible." "Yeah, I know." "I'm the one who was married to her." "Since when can you get her to do anything?" "You have no currency with her." "No, but we do have history." "Yeah, and if history's taught us anything, it's that people are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again." "You know?" "Dude?" "In here." " What are you doing?" " I told you, I've got to go see Tilly." " Now you expect me to give you a ride?" " You know I can't drive." "After you just made me get off your bike and walk home?" "I stayed with you." "Bikes are hard to ride at a walking pace." "I have things to take care of, man." "Find some other sucker with a day to burn." "Thank you, man, for letting me tag along." "I can't be too long, though, 'cause I've got a bunch of shit to take care of." " Is it mostly paddle-related?" " Yeah, mostly." "Damn." "How much do you think these palaces go for?" " I don't know, man." " Wow." " Are you looking for a new pad?" " It's what keeps me going, dude." "Like, the dream of owning one of these spreads." "That's why I've got to keep going to those open-mic slots, and pop!" "Then, I've got a stand-up career." "Then, pop, series regular on a goofball show." "Pop, money just coming from everywhere." "That's how this world works." "You mean "snap"?" "Snap what?" "Well, I mean, you were saying "pop," but you kept snap..." "Well..." "Dude, what's the deal with that London chick?" "What do you mean?" "What?" "What do you mean "deal"?" "There's no deal." "I just, like, I heard you installed her in your store, but then Dennis took her out on a date, and that confused me." " Installed?" "No, I just..." "God..." " Okay." " She needed a place to crash." " Cool." "That's really nice of you, man." "Do you know how that date went, by any chance?" "Like, did..." "No, I don't..." "Why do I care?" "I don't know." "I've got Kara." "Okay." "I care, Chip, 'cause, you know," "I just want to know the second she becomes available so I can, you know..." " Pop?" " Snap her up." "It's just up here on the right." "Whoa, man, check out all the camera dudes." "Wait for me here." "I'll only be a minute." "I'm not going anywhere, man." "This is so exciting." "Oh, bro, that is the nicest drive-thru I've ever seen." "Yeah, we'll take a number one Happy Meal and a large Sprite!" "You should say that when she comes back on and see." "She'll probably get a kick out of that, dude." "Why don't I write that down?" "Why don't I carry notepads?" "Whoa." "You think she'd like the big bottles or the small bottles?" "You guys setting up for a party?" "No." "Would you like a drink, Chip?" "Love one." "I just don't know if my sponsor would..." "No, I..." "Arnold Palmer would be fine." "Thanks." "Of course." "Would you like to come through?" "Tilly will be down in a second." "Sure." "Okay." "How long..." "how long you worked for Tilly?" "No, that's funny." "I don't work for Tilly." "We're just friends." " What's up, man?" " Hey." "You, like, a photographer or something?" " What tipped you off?" " All of the cameras and shit." "Do you shoot stuff for newspapers and magazines?" "Magazines, yeah, and websites." "How do you do that?" "Do you, like... take it first... take the picture, and then you just, like, sell it to people, or...?" "It's a bit more complicated than that, but... yeah." "Yeah." "Do you have to go to college for that?" "I went to college for..." "Awesome." "That's great." "I'm excited." "Yeah!" "Okay, I'm jumping off." "Bye!" "You, too." "Bye!" "Bye!" "Bye, everyone." " Sorry." " Hi, honey." "I'm home." "A lot of... photographers out there." "Are they all here for you?" "No, they're for you." "Yeah..." " Is there anything I can get for you?" " I'm fine." "It's great that you've got a bunch of friends around." "Probably helps you keep it real." " No, Laura works for me." " Oh." "A lot of..." "A lot of auditions, huh?" "That's great." " I could help you run lines if you want." " These are actually offers." "Are they?" "That's great for you." "Good." "That's a lot." "You know what?" "I always really loved doing that, running lines with you." "That's..." "I always thought that that was when we were at our best." "Just you and me, late at night, lying awake in that little studio above the store." "That place was a dump." "Sure, I mean, it could use a coat of paint." "Although, what does it matter now?" "It's going to be gone soon, right?" "You haven't talked to your dad yet?" "No." "I haven't talked to Jerry in years." "So, you didn't know that... that he's thinking about unloading my... the... his building?" "Oh, I see." " What?" " The reason for the surprise visit." "You want me to talk to Jerry and tell him what, exactly?" "No, it's just..." "I mean, out of the blue, all of a sudden, he wants to cash out?" " Shouldn't we be concerned?" " Jerry's Jerry." "If Jerry wants to sell up, then that's what he wants to do." "Yeah, I know." "Forgive me for saying it, but that wasn't part of the deal." " It's been ten years." " Yeah, I know, but you can't just, out of the blue, just..." " That was the deal." " I'm sorry." "Tilly?" "Just a minute." "Look... maybe it's time for you to make a fresh start." "Look for a new challenge." "Sometimes it's good to let go of the past." "Yeah, but does this need to be one of those "sometimes"?" "Are you ever going to sign our divorce?" "I think it might help untangle you, set you free." " I did." " When?" "Three years ago." "The lawyer refuses to file it with the court." "Based on what?" "Misappropriation of funds." "How's that?" "He claims that he misses the appropriate funds... from me." " Oh, Chip..." " I know." "I know." " You've got to get on that." " I am." "I'm on it." "Gracias, muchachos." "Hey, guys." " Hey..." " What the fuck?" " Kara..." " You said you'd be here three hours ago." "I know." "I'm sorry." "It's just that..." "Time got away from me." "I got a little jammed." "I'm so sorry." " I thought you wanted to hear our sound." " I do." "It's just that..." "I thought musicians didn't like outsiders to sit in on rehearsals, you know?" "So, we're cool?" " Wait." "Who let you in?" " London let me in." "So, does she work here now?" "No." "London?" "No." "No, she's just..." "Did I not tell you?" "She..." "Dennis asked if she could crash in the studio, and so, you know, I can't say no to Dennis." "Listen..." "I'm sorry." "Can we hang later?" "I mean, I've got nothing to do except for... except for finding a really big cake." "And I've been going all over town." "Yeah?" "It's hard to picture you east of Lincoln." "I'll take that as a compliment." "Come find me." "I'll be home." "Okay." "Keep up the good work, guys." "It's an awful world." "Somebody's got to sing about it." "Hey." " Hey." " Hey." "Sorry." "I didn't mean to startle you." "No, you didn't." "I..." "For a second there, I thought I had a customer." " Are you good?" "Can I get you anything?" " Yeah, no." "I'm fine." "Yeah, I was looking for a router for the Internet." " I didn't know if you had Wi-Fi." " Oh, no." "Yeah." "I don't have anything like..." "I don't even have a cell phone." "Can I get you a drink or...?" "I thought you didn't drink." " I don't." "Why?" "Did you...?" " No." "No, yeah." "Water's good." "Okay, great." "Yeah." "Just grab a seat." "Or a stool." "Yeah." "I actually designed these." " You did?" " Yeah." "Well, don't take my word for it." "Honorable Mention at the "SoCal Design Awards." 2008." "Yeah..." "You just happen to have that laying around?" "I usually pretend to look for it." "What do you have against four-legged stools?" "Nothing." "Live and let live." "No, it's more that I have a thing for the number three." "This is going to sound pretentious, but a few years ago," "I was kind of at a low point." "Nothing really made sense to me." "I was so desperate that I read a book on philosophy, and there was something in the book that really stood out for me." "It was the three transcendentals of being." "Truth, unity, and goodness." "Yeah, you're right." "That does sound pretentious." " I fixed it." " Amazing." "Thank you." "Hey, man." "I didn't know you were here." " Yeah, I was." "I am." " I thought you had things to take care of." "Yeah, well, he very kindly came to bring me this." " De-humidifier." " We live in L.A." "It has a reverse." "Ah, the 2008 "SoCal Design Awards."" " Honorable Mention." " Did you pretend to look for it?" "Not this time." " How'd it go this morning?" " This morning?" "Yeah." "You were looking for a ride to Tilly's?" "Yeah, no, it's good." "Good, yeah." " Who's Tilly?" " Just a friend." " His wife." " Ex-wife." "Now, she's just a friend." "I thought you weren't divorced yet." "Well, I don't think London wants to hear about this." " Oh, no." "Yeah, I do." " Oh, she does." "That's what I went up there to take care of." "So, not about the store?" "Well, I was going to get her to sign some papers." " So, you're still married?" " State of California thinks so." "I'm trying to untangle my past." " Well, I..." "Yeah, I have to go to work." " Okay." "See ya." "Bye, London." "I'll see you tomorrow night." " Yeah." "Tomorrow night?" " Yeah." "I'm going to cook a little dinner for us, you know, at the house." " Good for you." " Yeah, I know." "It is good for me." "Dennis!" "Hey, man." "I've been thinking about your little dinner here tomorrow, and I can totally disappear for the night." "Thanks, man." "Yeah, I've actually been doing some thinking, too." "No, no, dude." "Don't sweat it." "Honestly, it's no problem." "No." "I was actually thinking that now may be a good time for me to move out." "Oh, yeah?" " Where to?" " Into the main house." " With me?" " No, you'd just... you'd pop into here." " In the guesthouse." " For the night?" "Yeah, for the night." "For subsequent nights on a more permanent basis." "Huh." "You sure that's a good idea?" "To move back into your mom's house and sleep in her bed?" " It's not like she'll be in it." " No, no." "I know." "But that's still... it's so..." "it's so loaded for you." " I mean, full of memories." " I feel good right now." "I've worked the steps." "I've owned my resentments." "No, no." "I know you have and I'm proud of you, but I just..." "I can't sit back and watch you undo all of that hard work." "Dude, what are you talking about?" "I'm in a really good place right now." "Yeah." "It's called the guesthouse." "Are you telling me that I can't move into my own house?" "Your mother's house." "What?" "So, you're saying no." " I want you to hear it as a "yes."" " But it's a "no."" "Yes." "You are unbelievable, man." "Please don't take that as a compliment." " Hey, Mar Vista." " Stop saying that shit, man!" " You don't know me." " I liked your jokes." "I don't tell jokes, man!" "That's my thing!" "So, you know what I mean?" "Take off!" "Fuck." " Hey, man." " Everything all right?" "Yeah, cool." "So cool." "This guy just came into the..." "he came to a show the other night, so..." "Oh." "So, he's angry." " Feels cheated." " Yeah." "Hey, I wanted to come by and say sorry for yesterday, just 'cause I had to split, so..." "I knew you must have had a good reason." "Yeah." "Wait." "How'd that go?" "Did you make it back?" "No, Cooler, I'm still there." "Sick." "Hey, I'm going to go." " You've got to split?" " Yeah." " Yeah." " Right on." "What'd I tell you, man?" "My boy is an artist." "Look, George, you didn't have to do this, man." "I was on it." " Sure you were." " Actually, I was." "Well, now you don't have to be." "All you've got to do is make sure the cake gets to the meeting and you're a hero." "Is that a fork mark?" "I just had a little taste, just to make sure." "I guess you got the cake." "I guess." "Of course." "Nicoise." "It's not predictable to her because it's her first time." "I take it you've already picked the music?" "Something hauntingly beautiful?" "Jazz, actually." "Well, as you know, I still have no official position on jazz." "Yeah." "How could I forget?" "So it looks like you have an artistic side." "Nice." "How could she not fall in love with me now?" "Yeah." "I'm sure you'll find a way." "I think you're frighteningly good at all of this subterfuge, and please do take that as a compliment." "Man, I'm sorry about yesterday." "I know I was kind of being a dick." "Don't worry about it." "I was kind of being a dick, too." "Yeah, I know." "That's..." "kind of what I was leading up to." "Hey, look, it's okay." "You've got a lot of stuff going on." "That's for sure." "Yeah." "Sometimes you've got to let go of the past." "Yeah." "So, then, is now not a good time to tell you that Tilly called?" "Probably not." "Did she say what she wanted?" "Hi!" "You brought me a cake?" "Oh, uh..." "No." "This is for a friend." "Don't you usually surf Malibu or something?" "No, I like it here." "This is where I learned." "And I have a meeting in Santa Monica later." " You want to use my board?" " I still don't surf." "After all of these years in Venice?" "You wanted to talk to me about something?" "Yeah." "Walk me to the hotel." "We can talk there." "If you have time." "Yeah." "All right." "Don't you have an assistant for this?" "Or... friend?" "I never could resist you." "You were always the one for me." "Oh, Chip..." "No, that was..." "that's the line from the script." "You always were a good actor." "No, you're supposed to say "I love you" back to me." "No, that's good." "That smile's enough." "So, I've been doing a little thinking about your predicament." "Yeah?" "And I think I might've found a way out that helps us both." "I'm all ears." "It's pretty simple." "Basically, you file those papers on the table and I talk to my dad." "Fuck." "Thanks." " Can you zip me up?" " Yeah." "How come you want me to sign after all of this time?" "I met someone." "Is that Chip?" "Oh, my God." "He was so fat." " No, that's me, actually." " Oh." "Sorry." "Wait." "So, this is your house?" "Yeah, yeah." "Well, it's my... yeah." "But you live in the guesthouse and Chip lives in the main house?" "Yeah, for now." "He first moved in when he was... when I was in Europe." "Oh." "When was that?" "Um..." "Ten years ago." "I was in Paris." "I had to get out of Venice." " That's cute." " Oh, yeah." "Career day." "I did a talk at a school." "About wine?" "Yeah." "So, where are you from?" "Um..." "San Diego." "Oh." "Sorry about that." "Let's get that..." "San Diego?" "Yeah." "Your dad, is he in the military?" "No." "Did Chip live here with his ex-wife?" "What was her name again?" "Tilly." "No." "No, he didn't." "He lived here with my mom." "Not, like, in a romantic way or anything." "No, it was right after the separation and right before she, you know..." "Died?" "Close." "She moved to Palm Springs." " Sorry." " No, it's all right." "So, do you have family in San Diego?" "Mm-hmm." "Yeah." "Both parents still live there, just not together." "And I..." "I had a brother, but he..." "Moved to Palm Springs?" "Died." "Oh, shit." "I am sorry." "Yeah." "No, it was..." "it was a long time ago, so..." "No, but still, I am so sorry." "That's... that's tough." "Yeah." "Death is, you know, so final." " Mm-hmm." " Especially at the end, when it's all over and that curtain's finally drawn." "Hey." "Hey." "I'm so sorry." "I had to take care of this thing." "It's always a thing." "Yeah, but..." "I really wanted to give you this cake." "No, you wanted the credit, and you lived off of it before you did it, and then, you didn't fucking do it, but you still bagged the credit." "I'm doing it now." "Look, Kara, it's all crap." "People like you and me, it's like... it's like we're wearing these glasses, and we see through all of that crap that just, like, sits there like a layer of fog or mud that... of mud that's, like, rolled down from the mountain, over the town... slid down and sits over the town." "You know what?" "You were right, Chip." "A birthday is a good time to draw the line that separates your past from your future."