"My Brilliant Career" "I need help with my globe." "Gracie?" "I'm busy." "Oh, come on, you two." "I could use some help." "Don't you kids remember your first day of school?" "I do-- 'cause I threw up." "Well, this is like my first day of school." "Are you gonna throw up?" "Not if my children behave perfectly." "Get the vomit bag." "There's tuna salad in the fridge if you want a snack later." "I'll make dinner when I get home tonight." "We should be making you dinner to celebrate your first day at work." "Honey, that is so incredibly... sweet." "Are you wearing purple eye shadow?" "Yeah." "Oh, honey, I don't have time to talk about this." "Now, go wash it off." "Why?" "'Cause first of all, it's much too much..." "and since when are you wearing that much eye makeup to school?" "Since today." "Okay, Grace, please." "I'm late." "I'm nervous." "You can talk about this in therapy someday." "Right now, I can't handle it." "Mom, you should tell them that Grandpa just died." "You think so, honey?" "Why?" "Because they'll be nice to you." "They'll know you're fragile." "Oh, sweetie, come here." "Come here, you." "Everybody was really nice to me at school this week." "They were?" "Even Marisa Dandruff." "Her last name is Dandruff?" "That's what I call her." "I'm downstairs!" "You girls ready?" "I need help with my globe." "Jake, could you please come help Zoe?" "On my way." "Okay, everybody." "Wish me good luck." "Good luck." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Good luck." "Okay, Zoe's lunch is in the refrig" "Hi, Daddy." "Hi, sweetie." "Oh, God!" "What is this?" "It's my Earth Day project." "It shows the polar ice caps are melting..." "and soon, we'll all be underwater." "We're not gonna be underwater, sweetie." "Get your stuff." "Go on." "Scoot." "Get it." " You're in denial." " Graciousness, you ready?" "Almost." "The day Grace was born... when they put her in the crook of my arm... she was so tiny and so bald..." "I stopped breathing." "Grace." "You look beautiful." "I wish." "Well, your wish has come true." "Very sophisticated." "Let's go." "Eat it, mutant man!" "You'll never defeat the dark soldier of Thoron!" "Civilian casualty!" "Civilian casualty!" "Uh, are you all right?" "I'm sorry." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I--yeah." "Don't call the medics." "Are you looking for somebody?" "Yeah--Christie Parker." "You're here to see Christie, and I just shot you." "Yeah, I'm her new assistant." " Good one, Sime." " Cool." "There are a few things that piss me off." "This is one of them." "Anyway, bottom line, he's in rehab." "His piece is really late, and now I'm screwed." " Lily..." " Hi." "Welcome to the asylum." "Well, I'm glad to be here." "Well, we're gonna have to really hit the ground running." "Okay." "We have got mounds of submissions." "We're starting up three new columns... and I'll probably have to ghostwrite for rehab boy... 'cause his piece is already announced." "What's it about?" "His mother, so I guess now it'll be about my mother." "No." "If I know his neuroses, working backward... do you think I could figure out what his mother's like?" " Blame the mother?" "Isn't that a little bit retro?" " No." "I mean, not to blame, but to explain... or some such psychobabble." "Anyway, Lily, you're a mother." "You can give me some insights." "I'd be happy to try." "Yeah, well, the good thing is, when you write... something horrible about someone you know" "They never recognize themselves." "At least my mother never does, thank God." "Okay, we are also way backed up on editing... so... oh, God, let me get you started on something." "Uh, each person on this list gets a T-shirt." "Now, make sure that the right sizes go to the right people." "Oh, I want the addresses-- which are here-- done by hand." "We're gonna tie them on with these." "It's kind of fun." "Um... oh, do you have good handwriting?" " I think so." " Because if you don't... you should let me know right now." "No, I have excellent handwriting." "Okay." "All right." "Oh." "Hi." "You look good." "Did you... do something different with your hair?" "No." "I mean, maybe in an alternate universe..." "But not in this one." "So, look, my father plays jazz piano" "Oh." "Your father's a musician?" "That's so cool." "Well, actually, he's a systems analyst... but he does his music thing whenever he can." "And he's subbing tonight for a friend... who has this dinner gig at Juno's." "I know that place." "I'm gonna go, and there's a free meal involved." "You want to come?" "Definitely." "That sounds great." "Okay." "I mean, I have to ask." "Oh, watch out." "Excuse me, kids." "You okay?" "Yeah." "Let's go." "Christie Parker's office." "Who's calling?" "Can you hold, please?" "Christie Parker's office." "I need you to get me Susan Sirillo right away." "Could you hold, please?" "Her number's on the hand-held." "It's not on the computer." "Okay." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Hello?" " You lost that one, huh?" "Who was it?" " Oh, yeah." "I didn't have time to write it down." "Ethel Dyson, I think she said." "No, not Ethel-- Esther Dyson." "Damn it." "Okay, that is the call I have been waiting for." "Oh, Christie, I'm so sorry." "You don't even know who she is, do you?" "No, I don't." "Well, if she doesn't call back, try her voice mail" "I have a delivery for Lily Manning." " That's me." "Oh, my goodness." " Okay." " Could you move that?" "Thank you." " Sign here, please." "Orchids." "Beautiful." "They might need more water." "Ooh, elegant." "Is it your birthday, Christie?" "No, the flowers are for Lily, my new assistant." "Hi." "Hi." "I'm Rita in accounting." "Rita, nice to meet you." " Hey, cool." "Cymbidiums, right?" " Yeah." "Do we get to know who they're from?" "They're from the man I'm seeing." "Rick." "Well, uh, the kitchen's in there if you need water." "Okay, I'll do that." "I'll just" "I better put a little in." "Excuse me." "I'll be right back." "Oh, God!" "I'm so sorry." "It's okay." "I'll get that, okay?" "You sure?" "I'll be right back." "Christie Parker." " Lily?" " Yes?" "It's for you." "He's gonna pick us up at 6:30." "Grace, I can't talk about this now." "And they're giving us dinner." "What happened to you cooking me dinner?" "Tomorrow night-- I promise." "Okay, Grace, I can't talk about this now." "Call me at lunch." "Christie Parker's office." "I'm gonna call my dad." "It's a school night, Grace." "I know, Daddy, but Jared's father hardly ever plays around here." "And it would only be for, like, an hour." "And I have to eat anyway, so it won't cut into my homework time." "Please say yes." "Jared gave me his father's number at work if you want to call him." "Okay, what's the number?" "This is gonna sound horrible... but I think I'm my father's favorite... 'cause I can pretty much always get him... to do the things that I want him to do... which I should not even be saying out loud." "Is this gonna be a real phone?" "Or is it gonna be a pay phone at the school..." "And you'll be the receptionist... and Jared will talk in a deep voice." ""Hello, Mr. Manning." "How are you?"" "Daddy, don't you trust me... at all?" "Guess I better trust you, huh?" "Now that you're-- now that you're going on dates." "Is that a "yes"?" "If everything checks out." "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." "You're, like, the perfect dad." "I love you." "I know how to do it." "She said I'm the perfect dad." "See?" "That's what I've been saying." "You're the dad every girl wishes she had." "How's it going?" "Great." "Is this a six or a zero?" "Oh, it's a six." "Oh." "Oh, I see." "It's twisted on its side." "Is your hand getting tired?" "No, no." "I--I'll be more careful." "Take a break if you need to." "Could I finish these in the morning?" "I actually was hoping..." "What happened to the hand-held?" "Christie Parker's office." "I think that you've erased half a month of my life." "Jake, I absolutely cannot talk now." "Is everybody okay?" "Jake, later." "Let me see." "I'm sure I can get it back." "No, don't worry about it, okay?" "Don't touch it." "Don't try to fix it." "Okay." "So... who's Jake?" "My ex-husband." "Almost ex." "Lily, can I say something?" "Yeah." "Um, one thing that you need to know about me" "I'm a little claustrophobic." "And I totally sympathize with your situation... but right now, I kind of feel like I'm sharing my office... with your kids, your ex-husband... your boyfriend..." "Christie, I'm so sorry." " It's getting a little crowded." " It won't keep happening." "We're just trying to figure out a new schedule" "Stop." "I don't need to know the details, okay?" "I just need you to handle it." "I--I absolutely will... and I--I will stay and finish these." "Oh, great." "Yeah, they really need to go out by messenger tonight." "It's the nature of the job-- being flexible." "Okay." "I do need to call my kids." "Oh, yeah, totally." "I'm actually gonna head out to my class... but I'm gonna be reachable in the car for 20 minutes... if the call from Esther Dyson comes through." "Okay." "Mom, this is so important to me." "Look, Grace, this is a rough time for everybody." "I need you to be flexible." "You can explain it to your friend, all right?" "No, it's not all right, because I really want to do this." "Grace, I can't talk right now." "The answer is no." "That's it." "I'll call you later about dinner." "Christie Parker's office." "Christie, it's Esther Dyson." "Hang on." "Esther?" "Esther?" "Hey, everybody." "I'm home." "I made you dinner." "Oh." "That's the most beautiful plate of food I've ever seen." "Thank you, honey." "Sure." "It's even good cold." " Mom?" " Yeah?" "I have an idea." "What if Zoe and I stayed with Daddy this week?" "You can get settled at work, and you won't have to worry about us." "Your dad's not gonna go for that." "I already asked him, and he said yes." "I don't think it's a good idea." "Why not?" "Because, honey, it's just-- it's too disruptive." "It's disruptive for me to have to cancel the most important thing that's happened to me." "This is so unfair." "You won't let me grow up." "Grace, how tired do I look?" "Well, I'm tired of being treated like a baby." "Mom, I do see how tired you are." "Okay, I was just really disappointed tonight." "And if you're tired... wouldn't it make your life easier?" "Does Zoe want to do this, too?" "Fine." "I'll call your father." "I'll put them to work around the restaurant after school." "They'll love it." "When my father made me work at the restaurant, I hated it." "Well..." "Yeah." "Hey, listen, you're under a lot of pressure, Lil... and I'm glad I can help out." "Thanks, Jake." "You don't have to go there, you know." "Yeah, we know." "Pack your things tonight, okay?" "Stop that." "No, I wasn't asleep." "Here, listen." "The sound of brewing coffee." "I am touching the petal of the most stunning orchid." "I'm sorry-- yesterday was so crazy..." "I never even had a chance to call you." "It's okay." "No, thank you." "You're so thoughtful." "Well, I'm glad you like them." "I love it." "I love you." " Oh, got to go." " Sorry." " I didn't mean to interrupt." " Oh, no." "The place looks great." "Oh, thank you." "Doggie..." "Who's this?" "Hey." "Lily, this is Charlotte Bronte." "Charlotte was at the vet yesterday, and we all missed her very much." "Pretty girl." "Hi, sweetie." "Oh, she likes you." "That's a good sign." "I like you, too, Charlotte." "I see you've actually made a dent in the chaos." "Oh." "I tried." "Oh." "We are having a staff meeting at noon today." "Noon." "Great." "Yeah, if you could take Charlotte for a walk then... it would be perfect." "I'm so glad I'm gonna get to spend this time with you kids." "Really?" "It's not, like, an imposition?" "When you're not with me, I miss you guys--every single day." "I miss you, too." "Thank you." "So, when you're at the restaurant now, do you think about Grandpa a lot?" "Yeah, I do." "He really--he created something, you know?" "I mean, I've-- I've changed it a bit... but..." "I hope I can carry on his spirit." "Oh, you can." "Ever think about helping out?" "Now, I'm not saying you should do this or anything." "I just" "I don't know." "Maybe one day, you could run the restaurant." "What do you think?" "Manning and daughter, restaurateurs, huh?" "Well, I--I don't know." "I mean, I guess... maybe." "I like to eat." "That's how I got started." "I thought you said I should be a lawyer." "No, what I said was if I ever needed a lawyer, I'd hire you... 'cause you can talk anybody into anything... starting with me." "Eh, I wish that were true." "Yeah, I wish it weren't." "So, does that mean I could go to see Jared's father tonight?" "Oh, come on." "Here we go." "No, he's playing again tonight, and Jared asked me." "He could pick me up at the restaurant, and you could even meet him." "I rest my case." "Okay, Miss Charlotte." "Here we go." "How does this go?" "Come on." "Help me out here." "Mommy says you love your raincoat." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Yeah, let me just slip it over your head." "Like that." "There we go." "Do you know what déjà vu is, Charlotte, huh?" "Well, I've had to put raincoats... on little creatures who didn't want them before, too... and snow boots and snowsuits and" "Charlotte, I'm 41." "What am I doing?" "This dog loves you." "Oh, God, that feels so good." "She's the only part of the job I haven't screwed up." "Oh, I'm sure that's not true." "I don't know--maybe I just have a problem taking orders... from someone who's close to Grace's age." "I tell you what, if this girl's made you feel this bad on the first day... she's a lousy manager." "She's also extremely brilliant and well-educated." "You should read her memos." "She's really good." "I could still probably take her in a fair fight." " You want me to beat her up for you?" " Yeah, would you?" "Well, you can't do it." "You're spending too much time beating yourself up." "Come on, sweetie." "You know, I don't mind walking the dog." "Or doing anything, as long as I'm not pigeonholed." "Well, I'll tell you... what makes us notice an assistant around here." " What?" " Somebody sees a situation... and figures out on their own how to be helpful." "That's gold." "That's gold, Charlotte." "What do you think?" "Should we try it?" "This is a girl who knows what she wants." "I have to go." "A woman's work is never done." "Hey." "Where's Zodiac?" "She's at the bar." "Hey, Dad..." "You know..." "Jared's black." "Oh, well, that's interesting." "Wait." "Why is that interesting?" "Well, 'cause the way you, uh, the way you just told me." "I just didn't want you to get some weird look of surprise on your face... when you meet him later." "Well, good." "And I hope you warned him, too-- you know, that I'm gonna be white." "I think he guessed." "Yeah?" "Then everything should be cool." "Well, would you show me how to make a cosmopolitan?" " Not if I want to stay out of jail." " Get off the bar!" "Off!" "I'll make you a Shirley Temple if you want." "Okay." "Rosie, my girls are growing up too fast." "Grace has these boyfriends now... that are taking her to nightclubs..." "It isn't a nightclub." "... and sip Shirley temples and break young men's hearts." " Hi." " Sounds like an old movie." "Is that Tiffany?" "Yeah." "She's gonna hang out with me while you go on your date." "How did that happen?" "I talked to Daddy." "You're not even gonna be here." "What do you care?" "Hey." "Any calls?" "Yeah." "Here's your phone sheet." "All right, what I want you to do... is put all the pieces waiting to be edited in a pile." "Okay." "I won't get to them, but at least they'll be in a pile." "Was she good?" "She was a model citizen." "You know, Christie..." "I could take some of these pieces that need editing... home with me tonight and do a pass on them." "I mean, if it's useful, you'll be ahead... and if you don't like what I do, you'll have lost nothing." "Tonight?" "And what about your kids?" "They're with their father, so I can easily take a shot." "Oh." "Okay." "Uh, if you can easily give it a shot..." "Yeah." "Great." "Go, Zoe." "Don't tell me what..." "Swim." "...to do." "It's what I want to do." "I been ridin' along." "Spin it, girl." "Come on, Grace." "Join us." "No, thanks." "And get around." "We're gonna be down... in different towns." "We'll lose this frown." "Swim!" "Get down, girl!" "Let me holler." "Nice." "Oh, you have to listen to this one, now, okay?" "Okay." "You're a good dancer." "Thanks." "You look nice, Grace." "Are you wearing eye makeup?" "Sort of." "If you want, I could give you some tips... 'cause I used to do it professional." "Well, semi-professional." "There they are." "Grace, your friend is here." "Dad, I need your help." "And this is Zoe right here, and that's Tiffany." "Jared and I are already, uh, good friends." "I want to get our song to play..." " but I can't get this to work." " Hi." "You gotta hit the auxiliary." "1, 2, 3..." "May I have your attention, please?" "Ladies and gentlemen..." "Mr. Wilson Pickett!" "I can't believe I missed this song." "Got to know how to pony..." "Don't we have to leave-- like now?" "Like Bony Maroni... do the mashed potato... do the alligator." "Put your hands on your hips, yeah!" "Dad!" "Let your backbone slip." "Do the Watusi..." "Like my little Lucy." "This is great!" "Grace Manning, get up here right now." "Jared, come on." "You, too." " Let's go." " Oh, we gotta go." "Your dad's a wild man." "I thought I was gonna die." "No way." "He's cool." "My father?" "Well, my theory is... he was wanting me to like him because of you... so that's pretty cool, don't you think?" "Well..." "Everything's fine." "Because you can come home tonight, honey." "You don't have to hang around there if your father's so busy." "I'll pick you up." "I thought you were working on stuff." "Oh, I can still work." "Well, I'm having fun." "Well, that's great." "You sure?" "Pretty sure." "Yeah." "Okay." "Well, let me speak to your sister." "She isn't here." "She went with Jared to see his father." "She went with Jared?" "Yeah, like she was supposed to do last night." "Why didn't I know about this?" "I don't know." "I mean..." "We're not supposed to call you at work now... right?" "Okay, uh... sweetie, can I talk to your father?" "He's in the middle of something." "Can he call you later?" "How much later?" "Want me to go ask?" "No, honey." "No, um, that's okay." "That's okay." "All right." "Sweet dreams." "Good night." "Give Grace a big kiss for me, okay?" "Okay." "Good night." "Love you." "There." "Well done." "Do you play?" "Did he teach you?" "I used to fool around a little." "Not much anymore." "How come?" "Let's just say after my father left..." "I got the definite feeling... my mother could go without hearing that piano... which was probably stupid." "That's not stupid." "You wanted to protect her." "It's kind." "Wanted to get out of practicing is more like it." "Oh, we're here." "Uh, yeah, I do a lot not to have to see... that look on my mother's face, you know, when she's hating my father." "Oh, yeah." "That look." "That look." "Yeah." "That look." "Oh, my God." "Uh, we're sorry." "Okay, Zoe." "Do you want to go inside?" "No." "No." "We're going inside." " Well, I was just leaving anyway." " Oh, no, it's okay." "We're gone, okay?" "Um, so, Zoe..." "Grace, we'll see you inside." "Bye!" "Why do I have to go to bed?" "I have opinions, too." "Yeah?" "About what?" " Come on." "March." "Mush!" " What's in it for me?" "You get to live another day." "So, are you gonna tell my dad?" "What, that you were kissing your boyfriend?" "It's not a crime, is it?" "No." "Besides, uh, maybe you should tell your dad." "Yeah... right." "No, I mean, he's pretty cool... about stuff like that, you know?" "He's not a monster." "Plus, maybe you could get some, you know, good advice," "You don't believe that, do you-- that there's, like, a separate way of being?" "Men are from Mars..." "No, I definitely-- I don't believe that." "But I have found it to be true." "Does that make sense in some weird kind of way?" "Yeah." "Totally." "Yeah, I wish it didn't, you know?" "I wish it were all just easy." "Me too." "Well, you know, maybe it will be for you." "No, you're gonna be okay." "You're gonna be great." "So that offer you made... about the makeup... is it still good?" "Yeah, absolutely." "Are you gonna be, um, at the restaurant..." " tomorrow after school?" " Yeah." "Okay, well, I'll come by, and I'll bring my whole kit." "Thanks." "Yeah, no problem." "Oh, let's just go upstairs." "I can't." "I can't." "I need to work." "I have to work, okay?" "I do." "Do you want to go home?" "You don't want me to go home." "No, I don't." "I don't." "There's just one little thing I want to try on this one... and it shouldn't take very long." "You can watch TV or you can stare at me... or... you can eat 2-day-old macaroni and cheese in the fridge." "I'll be fine." "Hey, girl, I missed you." "Lily, I have to warn you." "I'm unfit for human company." "I am so PMS." "I just came from acupuncture for the PMS." " Oh, does that work?" " I have no idea." "They gave me these three bags of dirt..." "I'm supposed to drink as tea." "Uh, Lily, would you mind?" " Sure." " The directions are right there." "No, not at all." "They have to be followed exactly." "Ex. okay?" "Okay." "No problem." "Got it." "Christie, I have the work I did last night to show you." "Not now." "Okay." "Now, the secret is in the preheating, all right?" "Got the onions, red peppers?" "Onions, red peppers." "Good." "Now, when the pan is at exactly the right temperature" "All right." "Dad." "You throw them in, and you sauté." "Okay." "Now the eggs?" "Eggs." "You do the eggs." "I'll get the chicken." "So... tell me what, uh, what you like about Jared." "Dad!" "One question." "Your dad can't ask one little question?" "I like that he's smart." "Smart in school?" "That kind of smart?" "He is, but he's also perceptive about people." "Perceptive is good." "I like perceptive." "See, as your dad, it's my job" "Basil and chives?" "Pepper." "Here." "It's my job to make sure all potential boyfriends... demonstrate a clear understanding of your wonderfulness... and treat you with the kindness and adoration that you deserve." "Now, is that too much to ask?" "You would never in a million years... say that to anyone..." "would you?" "Oh, don't worry about it." "Your old man will never embarrass you again." "That looks gorgeous." " Thank you." " Jake, can I borrow your daughter for a few minutes?" "Absolutely." "Sure." "What are you guys making?" "Making a Spanish Torta Murcia." "Go ahead." "I'll finish up." " Okay." "I'll be back for the taste test." " Okay." "Grace, for you." "Your mom." "So, you're still having a good time?" "Well, that's great." "You getting a lot done over there?" "Yeah, I am getting a lot of work done." "Did you know Daddy's a great cook?" "He's teaching me." "What is that?" "Your dad has cooked twice in the last 10 years." "So now he's the good cook of the family?" "Lily, is that yours?" "People gotta eat in here, you know?" "Mom, you're so defensive." "I just said he was a good cook." "You're right." "Actually, you said he was a great cook." "You're making it hard to even talk to you." "Grace, I'm ready for you." "Who's ready for you?" "Tiffany-- that friend of Daddy's?" "Is my tea ready?" "I--I can't talk right now." "I'll call you back." "Yeah." "Wait." "Hang on." "Here." "Ready to go get beautiful?" "Here you go." "Thanks." "Okay, this is vile." "Throw it all out." "You know what?" "And turn on a fan, because" "Christie?" "Um, could we at least... talk about the work that I did?" " The pages on your desk?" "I gave them a quick look." " Yes." " And?" " Well, Lily, it isn't in the ballpark." "You know, things are just really crazy right now... and I don't have time to deal with it." "And then here's a trick." "If you do that, it warms it up... and then it goes on a little smoother." "Okay, now we're just gonna add some glitter." "No, I don't want to look like I'm made up for Halloween." "Oh, no." "It'll be, um, more like the Oscars." "Good." "I remember, I met your dad at a Halloween party" "Try not to blink-- and I was dressed as a gallon of ice cream... and he was dressed as Bill Clinton... and everybody kept making jokes... about him pigging out on ice cream." "Never mind." "He was Bill Clinton?" "Yeah, you know, with the wig and the padding." "Then I knew that he was interested in me... because he wanted me to make sure... that I got that it was, you know, padding-- that the real Jake was lean and mean." "And then, our first few dates after that..." "I called your dad "Bill"." "Last Halloween, my father was a Klingon." "Maybe he was Bill Clinton at one party... and then a Klingon" "No, I definitely remember when he was Bill Clinton." "That was two Halloweens ago." "Maybe he kept the costume." "No." "So that was two Halloweens ago." "October..." "you started seeing him?" "And then he moved out in March." "Okay, Grace, it isn't what you're thinking, okay?" "Grace, your father did not leave your mother to be with me." "Grace..." "Where's Grace?" "I wanted her to taste the food we made." "You mean she's not with you?" "What's going on?" "Okay, then we should look for her." "Look for her?" "What--what do you mean?" "I'll check the ladies' room." "Tiffany, what is going on?" "Where's Grace?" "Tiffany!" "Tiffany..." "What's going on?" "Jake, what's going on?" "I'm sure nothing's going on... but if you hear from her, could you give me a buzz, please?" "Did you try the house?" "Lily, I need you!" "She hates being there alone." "Could she be with Jared?" "Yeah, she could be." "Lily, now." "Please?" "Okay, I'm gonna-- I'm gonna call the house." "Do you know how to reach Jared's parents?" "Yeah, I got his father's work number." " All right." "Call me right back." " Okay." "Lily!" "Please?" "!" "Look, my ex, who was taking care of the kids... seems to have just lost one of them... and I have to deal with it." "So if you want to fire me, you go ahead." "Because even though I now know that Esther Dyson... was the pioneer woman of the digital revolution..." "I still can't do what you do." "It was stupid of me to try." "Lily" "I'm just waiting for Jake to call me back." "I now have to go to the bathroom, if you wouldn't mind answering the phones." "Thank you." "Rita's got the phone." "Lily, is something really wrong?" "I'm sure it'll be fine." "Well, are you leaving for tonight, or are you quitting?" "Am I quitting?" "Well, we didn't get a chance to talk about the work you did." "It wasn't in the ballpark." "Well, what do you expect?" "I mean, you haven't been in the ballpark." "Okay, look, I detest sports metaphors... but, Lily, you're a rookie." "I know it must be weird working for someone so much younger... but this is where you are in your life." "You made the choices you made." " That's true." " But wouldn't it be condescending of me... to cut you slack because of your age?" "I don't want you to cut me slack, Christie." "I would like some respect." "All right, look, I have been doing this work for eight years... and for you to bop in and think that you can do my job after two days?" "That's true." "I'm sorry." "Now I really have to go." "Well, I want you to come back." "Why?" "You bring a fresh element into the office culture." "Believe me, I'm not fishing for a compliment... but what is that fresh element?" "Look around." "You're the only one here with a life." "Excuse me." " Lily?" " Yes?" "Do you have a tampon?" "I don't think so, Christie." "My period finally came." "Okay, I..." "I may have one, if it's not too mangled." "Here." "Thanks." "Lily?" "Yes?" "I'm probably not as young as you think I am." "I'm 28." "Good luck with your kid." "Gracie?" "Gracie, are you here?" "You shouldn't have come home." "I don't want you to get in trouble." "Honey, I'm not in trouble." "If I was, I'd still be here." "What's going on?" "I know the truth, that's all-- about you and Dad." "About Dad." "What truth do you think you know?" "Do I have to say it?" "He cheated on you-- with Tiffany." "God, Grace." "You didn't just find this out... from me?" "No." "No, honey, I didn't." "So it is true?" "That's all I wanted to know." "I just wanted one person to tell me the truth!" "That's all I want!" "Grace, honey, calm down." "No, I don't want to calm down!" "I just want everybody to leave me alone!" "If that's him, I am not talking to him." "Lily?" "Grace?" "Is anybody there?" "It's me." "Hello?" "If anybody's there, can you pick up, please?" "Nice going, Jake." "You've really done it this time." "Yeah." "No, listen." "Can I just talk to her, please?" "No, she doesn't want to talk to you right now." "I'll talk to her." "Well, what are you gonna say?" "I don't know." "I'll call you later." "I'm gonna lose her." "No." "Jake..." "Okay, in the big picture, it's gonna be okay." "What were you thinking?" "I wasn't thinking, okay?" "Obviously." "I'm just not attuned to covering things up, you know?" "It just... fell out of my mouth." "I mean, it was bound to happen eventually." "But not now, okay?" "It didn't have to happen now... when Grace" "Look, if she had to find things out, you know, maybe when she's older, she can understand better." "I made it totally clear that in no way... did you leave her mother to be with me." "Okay?" "Jake, I want you to know that." "Well, thanks." "I mean..." "Lily threw me out." "Right." "Which is sort of ironic... in the most horrible..." "sort of way." "What is?" "You know-- I mean, all of this... for something that was, basically, um... meant to be nothing." "I mean, I thought I could" "I thought I could just keep heading in this direction, you know... and leave a lot of the past behind me." "Oh, God." "Look, I'd do anything... not to have been the one who..." "was careless or whatever... but Grace is a strong kid." "Yeah." "Hey, you know, maybe I wouldn't have left my marriage... but, uh..." "it isn't nothing, okay?" "For whatever that's worth." "Yeah." "Um..." "Look, you... have a lot to deal with right now... okay?" "And, um... good luck." "All right?" "I hope you figure out what to say to her." "There were times, after a crappy day at work..." "I'd be driving home to not have sex with my wife... and there would be this..." "There would be this toothless angel standing on the front stoop." "Nothing held back at all." "I couldn't believe that I was the guy... you know, that made her that happy." "I'm sorry I've been mean to you, when it was him." "He's the one." "Grace, you can't think that way." "Yes, I can." "Okay, what you found out is true." "But it's only a tiny part of the story." "Your father is a good person." "What happened between him and me is between him and me." "Your relationship with your father is yours." "He loves you so much." "No, I don't want to talk about it if you're just gonna defend him." "I'm not defending him." "People who betray other people... there should be consequences." "Grace, listen to me." "We just lost Grandpa-- my father." "And I would give anything to have him back... for another day, even an hour." "And you've got your whole life ahead of you with your father." "You want me to treat you like an adult?" "This is what grown-ups-- this is what they learn." "People make bad mistakes for complicated reasons... and it doesn't mean that you don't love them afterward." "You might even love them more because you see that they're human." "Then how come you couldn't forgive Daddy?" "I can forgive him." "Honey, I am forgiving him... but I don't think I can be in love with him anymore." "Well, what if I can't love him anymore?" "No, Grace..." "I hate him!" "I hate him so much." "I know, I know." "God, how could he do this to us?" "Not now." "Oh, honey." "Gracie, are you there, honey?" "Lily, if you're there, pick up." "Don't go." "I'm not going anywhere, honey." "I'm right here." "Anybody?" "I'm right here." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Daddy?" "You okay?" "Oh, yeah." "I'm okay, noodle." "Of course I'm okay." "Do you know how much I love you?" "Do you?" "Oh, yeah." "Can we go to Bear Lake on Sunday?" "Sunday, huh?" "Yeah, Sunday's good." "Yeah, Sunday's very good." "We'll go on Sunday, okay?"