"My ears hear what others cannot hear." "Small, faraway things people cannot normally see are visible to me." "These senses are the fruits of a lifetime of longing." "Longing to be rescued." "To be completed." "Just as the skirt needs the wind to billow I'm not formed by things that are of myself alone." "I wear my father's belt tied around my mother's blouse." "And shoes which are from my uncle." "This is me." "Just as a flower does not choose its color we are not responsible for what we have come to be." "Only once you realize this do you become free." "And to become adult is to become free." "Happy Birthday" "Happy Birthday India" "Richard!" "No!" "A family man devoted husband to his wife, Evelyn loving father to his daughter, India." "He was a model to our town and of what it means to be a man who walks through the world with openness, honesty and integrity." "India?" "Richard Stoker was taken from us by a cruel twist of fate." "India?" "The reasons for which are unknown and unknowable." "By an accident nobody would have predicted." "It would have been impossible for even an outstanding architect like Richard to understand God's great design." "India?" "India." "The guests will be here soon." "Can you help Mrs. McGarrick in the kitchen?" "Please?" "Don't do this to me, India." "Not today." "When they pried open his car..." "...you know, his body was burned" "To a crisp." "Terrible accident." "Poor thing." "India was so close to her father." "Who's gonna look after her?" "She's still got her mother." "Her mother look after her?" "More like the other way around." "You know what?" "This whole accident is so strange." "Have you heard all the rumors floating around...?" "You don't think he meant to drive off the bridge?" "Why did he have to go two states away?" "I don't know." "Everything all right?" "Yes, Mrs. McGarrick." "Now I'm wondering if I kept them in the fridge too long." "What do you think?" "Was I too stingy with the paprika?" "Your deviled eggs remind me of when I was a little girl." "Well, you may be all grown up, but you still get eggshells all over the floor." "Have you outgrown your shoes?" "Did you find your birthday present yet?" "I found the box, but it was empty." "Are you sure?" "Did you check?" "Check again." "Every year I thought it was my father who left me shoes on my birthday." "But all this time, it's been" "Tell me what it opens." "How would I know?" "All right." "That was my brother...." "You know, originally they were part of a set of four but then I broke one as a kid." "Now I'm seeing in this house someone must have let another break." "No, it wasn't me." "When we" " When we moved in, it broke as the housekeepers were unpacking it." "India." "Come and say hello to your Uncle Charlie." "India?" "Come over." "See you soon." "Hello, India." "Come on." "She hates to be touched." "I'm her mother." "What a curse." "You know, Charlie, Richard used to say that we had lost you to the rest of the world forever." "Why, India, you're white as a sheet." "Is something wrong?" "Yes." "My father is dead." "How beautiful." "Richard was so proud of India's hunting that he stuffed every single thing she killed." "What a tragic waste of life." "These live particularly deep in the forest." "They'd be very hard to catch." "I guess Richard and India were a good team." "It's kind of disrespectful, him not wearing black to his own brother's funeral." "He must have come back today from the Middle East or something." "It's just part of a dig in some old part of Istanbul?" "No, I think he was digging for something quite different." "Gold in Indonesia." "I really want to thank you for your words this morning." "Well, you and Richard deserve every word." "The wine's good." "There you are." "Come and join us." "This is Richard's brother." "Hello." "He's back." "Nice to meet you." "These are the Blooms, good friends of ours." "Good evening." "I didn't know Richard had a brother." "Nice to meet you." "We're sorry for your loss." "How did you know Richard?" "Got his doctorate from Oxford when he was 24." "Stoker sure had the brains." "Yeah." "Just look at India." "Hello, again." "Do you want to know why you feel at a disadvantage right now?" "Because I didn't know you existed until today?" "Because you're standing below me." "You look like my father." "I am so sorry." "It's your loss too." "In about 60 seconds, your mother's gonna tell you that I'm gonna be staying here for a while but I want it to be your decision too." "Why?" "Because it's important to me." "This really is a beautiful garden." "The soil is so soft." "Good for digging." "I'm not exactly sure what you're driving at." "I don't want any trouble." "I am the only one who would know anything about it." "I did everything you asked of me." "I kept you informed every year." "I was your eyes, your ears, your hands all this time." "You're acting like you're in diapers now and you've done this to me ever since you were a child." "I'm tired of it." "I am tired of it." "All right." "Mrs. McGarrick?" "Mrs. McGarrick?" "Where is she?" "I haven't seen her yet." "Good morning." "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FUNERALS AND MOURNING" "It's afternoon." "I guess it is." "Do you think you could--?" "That's my girl." "Thank you." "What are you doing today?" "Thought I'd draw the curtains, stop the clocks cover the mirrors and then retire to my room." "Don't be morbid." "Get rid of that dress." "What is that?" "It's my mourning attire." "Why don't we get out of here?" "Go shopping." "We could get some ice cream." "In Victorian times, a widow was expected to mourn her husband for two years." "At least." "India." "But in Ancient China they built a straw hut beside the grave and lived there for three years doing nothing." "You and me, ice cream, fresh air." "Come on, all these years of hunting trips with him and all I'm asking for is one afternoon with me." "That's what your father would have wanted." "You know, your father and I weren't always so distant." "I miss when he was young." "PASSPORT United States of America" "India!" "India!" "Mature aroma." "You chose a good year." "You can't compare it to a younger wine." "Too tannic." "Not ready to be open." "You should have come with us, India." "Oh, the open top the air." "It felt so good." "We stopped and Uncle Charlie got some ice cream for you." "One chocolate, one vanilla." "Did I get it right?" "I like the swirl kind." "You can make the swirl yourself, you lazy thing." "Where's Mrs. McGarrick?" "She's still not here." "What?" "What are we supposed to do?" "I'm not much in the kitchen." "I can cook a little." "No, you don't have to do that." "I'd love to." "Charlie, who in the world are you?" "India, would you take these down to the freezer, please?" "Do as your uncle tells you." "Thank you." "Thank you, India." "Too cold down there?" "No." "You know, there was a time Richard used to cook meals like this." "Wasn't there, India?" "I'm sorry, of course." "That was before you were born." "Where did you learn to cook like this, Charlie?" "Madame Jacquin." "She ran a Michelin-starred restaurant outside of Toulouse called "L'Institution."" "A female chef." "In her opinion, there was nothing a man could master that a woman couldn't make." "What do you mean?" "It sounds better in French." "Did I tell you on the way home?" "Your French accent is perfect." "One of the perks of a first-class education." "I could stay locked up in this house for the rest of my life yet still speak impeccable French." "I know you're not gonna spend the rest of your life locked up in this house." "How do you spend your days?" "I want to know my brother's wife." "Oh, I don't know where to start." "Charlie, you didn't even touch your food." "Did you put poison in the food just for us girls?" "But India ate everything." "Practically licked it clean." "I'm glad you enjoyed it." "Now, can I get you anything else?" "Maybe some ice cream?" "No." ""No, thank you."" "I mean, no, thank you." "Would you like to play something for us after dinner?" "I don't think so." "Would you?" "India." "I mean, no, thank you." "Why didn't you tell me I had an uncle?" "Because I barely knew about Charlie myself." "I mean, he's been traveling the world for as long as I've known your father." "You know, he used to say to me:" ""What kind of family is family that never comes home?"" "Let's stop talking about Richard." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "1994." "The year you were born." "What do you want from me?" "To be friends." "We don't need to be friends." "We're family." "It takes time to observe attentively." "Wait for the moment that our eyes finally penetrate the inside of the subject." "Look, Marv see that flower?" "The way it just hangs there?" "My eyes are penetrating the inside of you." "Observe carefully and you'll note that this plant...." "Check out Pitts." "I want you to really...." "Hey." "Pitts." "Yes, Mr. Feldman?" "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" "Yeah, I've got something I'd like to share." "With India." "MHS" "He's gorgeous." "Hey." "Come back." "Mom?" "It's going to rain." "Relax." "There." "Curl your fingers." "No." "Watch me." "You see?" "I'm teaching him piano." "Uncle Charlie is a complete beginner." "Put on some dry clothes and come play with us." "Why don't you take a hot shower first or you'll catch a cold." "Come on." "Here." "Good morning, sweetie." "Charlie cleared off the court yesterday." "So we're just gonna walk on over." "You don't want to come, do you?" "Hello, India." "I took one of Richard's belts." "His whites are a little big." "Ready?" "Let's go." "India?" "It's me." "Come and give your Auntie Gin a hug." "What time did you get in, Gwendolyn?" "Around 4." "That's right." "And when do you fly out?" "That remains to be seen." "I'd originally planned to stay for only a day or two but now I'm thinking I should stay a bit longer." "Spend a little quality time with India." "How nice for her." "Charles?" "Auntie Gin." "How long have you been here?" "Not long." "We're so grateful that he's taken time away from his commitments in Europe." "Europe?" "Yes." "Evie, dear, after dinner, I was thinking perhaps you and I could talk." "We are talking." "Alone." "About what?" "Like Richard, for instance." "Richard?" "Yes, Evie." "Richard." "My nephew, your late husband." "I don't think I'll be forgetting his name any time soon." "Of course not." "I just thought there might be arrangements to be made." "Things to be settled." "Our lawyer has said none of this has anything to do with you." "You're not in the will." "No, dear, I mean something entirely different." "Like, for example maybe we could talk about your living here with Charlie like this." "Auntie Gin isn't shy when it comes to expressing her opinions about me." "Like when Richard asked me to marry him." "What Auntie Gin might be surprised to learn is that those opinions are neither wanted, needed, or appreciated." "Evie" "You come into my home and attack me at a time like this." "Evie" "I'm sure Auntie Gin didn't mean anything." "You didn't mean anything by it, did you?" "No." "No, of course not, Evie dear." "Now, would either of you two like to play something for us after dinner?" "No, thank you." "No, thank you." "Good night, Auntie Gin." "Don't mind Evie." "She's just tired." "What was the name of your hotel again?" "The Biltmore." "The Biltmore." "Maybe we could have breakfast together." "Just us girls." "Oh, I'm not sure." "Can you take her to the Biltmore Hotel?" "I'll probably have a headache in the morning." "Drive carefully." "Auntie Gin, stay the night here." "You made the evening much nicer." "Oh, thank you, dear." "But an old woman needs time on her own to recover." "Good night, sweet child." "Call me." "Are there any other hotels in town besides the Biltmore?" "Even family ties have no meaning when food is scarce." "This one knows there is no room for his brother in the hunt." "While this sibling rivalry may seem cruel, in the end, it is for the best." "Each day in the hunt brings the eagle closer to maturity." "and chicks of his own." "The most patient of predators, the black eagle can circle for hours waiting for the perfect moment to strike." "The fish will provide much needed nourishment for her growing chicks." "I was wondering if anyone had turned in a cell phone." "I think I may have dropped it when I was checking in." "Are you absolutely certain?" "All right." "Oh, wait, wait." "What number do I have to press to dial out?" "Nine." "Yes, I thought so." "MOTEL" "PLEASE RING THE BELL AT NIGHT" "Come on." "The mountains are no place for the faint of heart." "The steep terrain and harsh climate make a challenging climate for even the strongest of species." "wings are freedom." "while the eagle prefers to find its own meals, there is nothing wrong in having a little help." "Any advantage in nature is to be appreciated, and what the left...." "a hearty meal for the hungry bird who lived to hunt another day." "thirteen pounds and a wingspan of nearly 7 feet." "You said you were staying at the Biltmore Hotel and yet, here you are." "I even had to call the cab company." "prey does not suspect the hunter is circling high above and is taken completely by surprise." "Hey, yo, yo." "Look who's here." "No kidding?" "Is it--?" "Is it true?" "Is it?" "MIDDLEBEND HIGH" "Yo, check this out." "I'm telling you, she can talk, bro." "Well, let's find out." "Oh, creepy, man." "All right." "Hey, Stoker." "Hey, Stoker." "Where you going?" "I'm talking to you." "Or do you go by Stroker now?" "Because I hear that's what your mom's been doing to your uncle." "You been getting in on that?" "What did you say?" "She speaks." ""What did you say?"" "I think you heard me, Stroker." "Say that again?" "All right." "I think you'd better watch your step, Stroker." "You know what happens to little girls who mess with me?" "Watch this." "What's up, bitch?" "What's up?" "Hey, come here, you all right?" "Oh, my God." "You okay?" "All right, Pitts." "That's enough." "Get out of here, Whip." "Follow the bouncing ball, jackass." "She's not interested." "Dude, let's just go." "Yeah, like I enjoy wasting my time on this bitch, anyways." "Let's go." "Freak." "Sorry about that." "He's an A-hole, okay?" "Just ignore him." "Hey." "Where you going?" "Too cold down there?" "India, would you take these down to the freezer, please?" "You stayed longer than I thought you would." "You probably need to move on." "You want me to leave?" "Come on." "You could return to Madame Jacquin." "Dance with me." "I always end up leading." "Well then, lead me, Evie." "You know for me it doesn't matter who you are." "I feel the same." "Really?" "It doesn't matter who I am for me, either." "Whip." "Hey." "I just thought I...." "I've never been here before." "Yeah, no kidding." "I'll see you guys tomorrow." "Have fun, bro." "So...." "You wanna go inside?" "Then where would you like to go?" "India Stoker, Middlebend straight-A student hanging out in the parking lot at Rockets?" "Doesn't really seem like you." "Not that you would know." "Well, I...." "I guess you're right." "I wouldn't." "It's just that...." "Yes." "I know what you mean." "Oh, yeah?" "How's that?" "Have you ever seen a photograph of yourself taken when you didn't know you're being photographed?" "From an angle you don't get to see when you look in the mirror." "And you think, "That's me." "That's also me."" "Do you...?" "Do you know what I'm talking about?" "Yeah." "I think I do." "Well that's how I feel tonight." "So you're surprised at yourself?" "You're not afraid of being touched anymore?" "Please don't spoil it." "Holy shit." "Everyone said you were crazy." "But they have no idea, do they?" "I wanna go home now." "Let me go." "No, you don't." "You opened this door, and now you're gonna walk through it." "Quiet." "Hold still." "This is not gonna hurt." "Shit, what--?" "Stop, stop, stop." "I broke my" "Glad I borrowed your dad's belt." "Mine would've been way too short." "Shit" "All yours." "I'm seriously hurt." "Shit." "Shut up." "India, stop." "India." "Stop." "Stop." "I'll kill you." "I don't give a fuck" "CALL ME!" "Yes?" "Can I come in?" "Well, what time is it?" "Would you brush my hair?" "I was just going to bed." "Then I'll brush yours." "You're wearing the nightgown I bought you." "Tonight I felt like wearing something silk." "Now that I think about it, I never brushed your hair did I?" "You were busy." "With what?" "I don't know." "You and your father were always on your hunting trips." "How could I compete with all of those dead birds you constantly brought home?" "I saw you in the dining room today." "I don't know what you think you saw but nothing happened." "You were so still, I never even heard you there." "Dad taught me that." "Hunting." "To wait." "In silence." "We wouldn't need food or drink." "We would watch everything." "The patterns of tree branches spreading out the thousands of shapes clouds make." "I could count the number of leaves on a tree in five hours." "I always thought Dad liked hunting." "But tonight I realized he did it for me." "He used to say, "Sometimes you need to do something bad to stop you from doing something worse."" "Tomorrow, I'm gonna go to the hairdresser after I clean out your father's study." "Richard (17), Charlie (8), Jonathan (2) My 3 little monsters in a rare, quiet moment 1988" "Richard (18), Charlie (9) 1989" "India Stoker 101 Nicher Hill Road Middlebend, Chayton County CT 06003" "Dear India, happy birthday." "You are 5 years old today." "I wish I could be there for your party but your uncle is far away in Africa taking pictures for the magazine." "Dearest India, I'm writing this letter to you from Florence." "Yesterday, I circled Michelangelo's David for hours." "He carries a sling." "His belted weapon over his left shoulder." "You are my dearest and only niece." "My silent and invisible partner." "And these are the lessons for you in our many chapters together." "Dear India." "Happy birthday again." "I've missed your first teeth coming out." "I'll never see the holes in your smile or how they will fill in as you mature into a young lady." "Greetings from Saint-Ètienne, where everyone I meet insists on kissing both cheeks." "This custom of hugging and kissing." "I think you, too, would find this uncomfortable." "If I found it was you in an embrace, I could make an exception." "I wonder if you would, too." "Happy Valentine's." "Happy Halloween." "Merry Christmas." "Though I never receive a letter...." "I see your messages in the stars." "Or in the music I hear." "It is a whistling tune from a lonely man wandering in a foreign land." "I sense things so acutely until it becomes almost too much." "I wonder if for you, too, life is made difficult by" "The fact that you can hear what others cannot hear, see what they cannot see." "I know that someday you'll be very special, India, and you already are." "I know inside you feel some loneliness." "Because you are the only one." "Please know that I am with you as we share the same blood." "Tonight, I'll fall asleep as I try to imagine that you'll grow up and take over our name." "How I want to meet you." "All my love, Charlie." "All my love, Charlie." "Crawford Institute Box 6292 Crawford, PA 19086" "Happy Birthday" "You've reached the Middlebend Sheriff's Department non-emergency number." "If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911." "Otherwise, please hold for the next available operator." "Middlebend Sheriff's Department, how may I help you?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "My father had the exact same sunglasses." "He wore them only when he was driving so they were always in the glove compartment." "Now I suppose they're all melted up, along with the rest of the car." "Please leave before my mother wakes up." "Aren't you curious about what happened to Richard?" "I'm curious about what happened to Jonathan." "That's an inseparable part of what happened to Richard." "Richard was completely taken with Jonathan." "That summer, Jonathan had just learned how to climb the stairs." "Let's go again." "Let's go." "He couldn't resist climbing any staircase he came across." "It's been 20 years since your family donated this building to Crawford." "It may look old now, but Charlie's room is still very comfortable." "As you know, he was the one who wanted to stay here." "And he insisted on being discharged on this day." "Today." "Welcome to my home." "Away from home." "Until we meet again." "I'm so proud of you." "It always was your favorite car." "I think you're gonna love New York." "I got you your own apartment." "You see?" "Aren't we going to your house?" "Everything you need is in here." "Why aren't we going to your place?" "I'm not gonna see India?" "Here are the keys." "I think you'll see that I've taken care of all the details." "Why are you doing this to me?" "Do I really have to tell you something you already know?" "Why can't I go?" "Charlie." "Why not?" "Tell me." "You listen very carefully." "This is the most important thing." "If anything happens, you must call" "You still love me, don't you, Richie?" "Yes, of course, I love you, Charlie." "I just have to love you a little less now." "I can't have you" "Near my India, my family." "And I said:" "But I'm your family." "What kind of family is family you can't take home?" "Jesus." "Excuse me." "Jesus, Charlie." "Are you okay?" "I'm fine, Richie." "I'm fine now." "Thank you for asking." "Charlie?" "Oh, Charlie." "Of course, I still love you, Richard." "I just have to love you a little bit less now." "Why now?" "Why come back now?" "The day I left Crawford the day your father had his accident what day was it, do you remember?" "Yes." "I remember." "What day was it?" "It was my 18th birthday." "I was waiting." "For you." "Everything I've ever done." "For you, India." "Happy birthday, India." "Yes, sheriff." "I was hungry, so I stopped by Rockets for some fries." "I bumped into Whip at the parking lot and we decided to go for a walk." "At night?" "Those woods are dangerous." "Oh, I wasn't scared." "Not with Whip there." "He's so strong." "I see." "So we had a very nice time." "And then?" "And then I went home." "I thought Whip said he was heading home too." "Any idea what time that was?" "Well, that was...." "When did you eat the fries?" "Excuse me?" "Well, you said you went there because you were hungry?" "And then, that is, after having a nice time, you would have become even more hungry and if you went to eat some fries I could find some people that can remember what time they saw you." "I think I" "I think I must have been" "I must have been blushing." "It was my first time outside with a boy." "I didn't want to be seen." "It was 8:30 when you came home." "II Trovatore was playing on PBS." "Yeah, when I came home, my uncle was watching T.V so I watched it with him." "Just one moment." "II Trovatore." "What is it?" "It's a foreign movie?" "No." "No, it's an opera by Verdi." "Would you like me to write it down?" "I'm fine." "I do hope Whip's okay." "Well, his folks are a mess." "Then again, I have a feeling that he'll turn up." "Boys that age...." "Well, you know how they are." "I'm sure I do." "You will let me know if you hear anything, won't you?" "Will do." "Okay." "Well, I'll be in touch." "Goodbye, sheriff." "Goodbye, sheriff." "Oh, by the way, did your housekeeper ever get in touch after leaving town so quick?" "No." "She didn't." "Strange how people can just disappear on you." "He'll be back." "What are we going to do?" "I think we'll really love New York." "When do we leave?" "I'm sorry." "Tomorrow night." "Should we do it again?" "I'm hungry." "Let's eat first." "You know, I've often wondered why it is we have children in the first place." "And the conclusion I've come to is at some point in our lives, we realize things are...." "They're screwed up beyond repair." "So we decide to start again." "Wipe the slate clean." "Start afresh." "And we have children." "Little carbon copies we can turn to and say, "You will do what I could not." "You will succeed where I have failed."" "Because we want someone to get it right this time." "But not me." "Personally speaking, I can't wait to watch life tear you apart." "India who are you?" "You were supposed to love me, weren't you?" "Come up to my room, please." "I enjoyed your performance." "India, go and pack a small bag." "We'll be leaving shortly." "I...." "I came to say goodbye." "I can't allow you to do this." "Why not?" "There are little things one notices along the way, but one suppresses because...." "Because?" "Why do you think?" "Love?" "Richard loved India." "He would never have driven so far away on her birthday." "Not unless, for some reason he was called away by someone he couldn't say no to." "Auntie Gin wanted to speak to me about you but she never did come back after that night, did she?" "People disappear all the time." "Have me instead, but stay away from my daughter." "She's of age." "Of age for what?" "To live in this house on her own while her mother finally travels the world." "Don't you want to speak French in France?" "What are you suggesting?" "Come with me." "India." "India, come here and look." "India, come here." "India!" "Come here!" "Now!" "In a hurry?" "Know how fast you were going?" "Pardon?" "Effectively fast, Mister Sheriff." "Effective for what?" "To get your attention."