""There was the police car with four policemen" ""that Clancy had sent from headquarters." "He held back the traffic so Mrs. Mallard and the"" " Ducklings!" ""...could march across the street" ""right into the public garden." ""And then inside, they all turned around to say"" "What to the policemen?" ""Cause they'd been so nice."" " Thank you." ""Thank you," ""and the policemen smiled and waved good-bye." "And when they reached the pond and swam across to the little island,"" " there was who?" " Mr. Mallard." ""Mr. Mallard, just as he had promised." "I bet he missed them."" "Mm-hmm." ""And the ducklings liked the new island so much,"" "they decided to what?" "Live there." "Yes."And all day long, they follow the swan boats and eat"" "Peanuts." ""When night falls," ""they swim to their little island with their parents, and they go to"" " Sleep." ""Sleep."" "And now... it's about that time." "Come on." "One more." "Please?" "One more." "No." "Mama's gotta go to work." " Come on." "Please?" " No." "Tomorrow." "We're gonna step it out." "No, man." "Let's..." "See?" "I told you." " Go, Dog!" "Go!" "?" " Goodnight Moon and Make Way for Ducklings, twice." "Here she is, ladies and gentlemen." "Better late than never, Julia Sandburg." "¶ ¶" "¶ One day while strolIin' through the park ¶" "¶ I overheard a lovers' conversation ¶" "¶ They didn't say, "I love you, dear" ¶" "¶ All they did was whisper in each other's ear ¶" "¶ They said Ooh-shoobe-doo-de, ooh ¶" "¶ Ooh, ooh shoobe-- ¶" "It was wonderful, as usual." "Thank you." " Thanks." " Thank you." "Julia, I'd Iike to introduce you to a friend of mine." " Hi." " Hi." "Big, big fan." "Great set tonight." "And congratulations on the voice piece." "Oh, well, that was kind of a fluke." " Marcus is with Delancy Records." " Uh-huh." "You put this out yourself, right?" " More or less." " Well, listen, we should talk." "We don't have the biggest budgets in town, but we think maybe we could do a Iittle better for you." "Production-wise." "Help out with promotion." "Great." "Thank you." "Sure." "Sweetheart, you want this toast?" "Chris, where's my, uh-- my briefcase?" " It's right there, Dad." " Oh." "I sit okay if I stay over at Toby Rutherford's on Saturday?" " Um..." " Did you sing?" " Yes." " I guess so." " How many songs?" " T al k to you r mom." "About ten." "Did people clap?" "Yep." "Do you Iike cheese?" "Some kinds." "I've got a late meeting probably till around 7." "Can you get Chris from school?" "He's got his kung fu thing to learn at 4:30 today." "Yep." " How'd it go last night?" " Good." " I'll tell you more when I'm awake." " Dad?" "Yeah, I know." "We're late." "Have you got your backpack?" " Yeah." " Say good morning to your mother." " Kiss, please." " Good morning, Ma." " Bye." " Have a great day." "Love you." "Bye, sweetie." "Be good." "And as for you..." "Let's go to the park." "Oh." "Okay." "Let me see." "Come on." "Let me see." " Does it hurt?" " A little bit." " Okay." " Just a small ow." "Yeah." "Oh, miss?" "Miss?" "I think she have another one there." "Oh, no, thanks." "That's just a birth mark." "Yeah." "I always had that." "Where's Maggie?" "Oh, where, oh, where can she be?" "I got you!" "Okay, and then one last bounce, and we have to go." "Okay, Maggie." "Time to go!" "Come on, sweetheart." "Where's Maggie?" "Oh, where, oh, where can she be?" "Maggie!" "Maggie!" "Maggie!" "Did you see a Iittle girl in a blue coat?" "No." "Sorry." "Maggie!" "Answer me!" "Maggie!" "Thank you very much." "Enjoy your weekend." "You, too." "She's lobbying for a mountaintop somewhere, under a tree and barefoot." "And then after, we'll grill up some hot dogs." "You are" " You are such a liar!" "Just because I don't think we should rent out Radio City Music Hall." "No." "I'm just saying, if we're gonna have a wedding, we may as well have a wedding." "We will." "Wait till you see his dad's backyard." " It is" " It's perfect." " Mm-hmm." "Chris has been putting a hell of a lot of work into that house." "I haven't been down there in a couple of weeks, but I hear" " It's stunning." "It's really stunning." " Really?" "He says it isn't finished or anything like that, but you can just tell." "You can tell." "He is just so talented." "So it might be a Iittle cold when we say our vows." "Who cares?" "Hey, come on." "Your love will warm us all." "Exactly." "It's all right." "It's, uh, you know, by the water and everything." "It's very cool." "So when Celeste told me that she and Chris had decided to make honest people of each other-- ... finally, it wasn't exactly a complete surprise." "We already had the invitations for this engagement party printed up, to be honest." "Hired the caterers." "We were a Iittle ahead of them." "But they've caught up nicely, don't you think?" "Aw." "Anyway, Chris, what can I say?" "Chris is the kind of young man that Dave and..." " Mom" " I'm sorry." "I promised I wasn't gonna do this." "My Lord." "Okay." "Well, if you think this is bad now, just wait for the wedding." "Um, anyway..." "All right." "Here." "Let's see now." "Yes." "It's an old cliché that you're not losing a daughter, you're gaining a son." "And, uh, we are also, of course, gaining a grandchild." "I don't know if I'm ready for that." "But we just want to say, Chris, welcome to our family." " Cheers." " Cheers." " Doug." " Yeah." "Well, I " " I am Doug Sandburg." "I am Chris's dad." "And, uh, first, we'd Iike to thank" "Dave and Sarah for everything they've done for this wonderful event." "Uh, Chris has chosen his in-laws well." "He's a smart man." "Not to mention..." "Well, what can we say about Celeste?" "From the very first time we met her, we knew." "We could all... just tell that she fit-- that she belonged in this" "with us-- all of us." "And..." "I'm sorry." "What I'm trying to say is how happy we are to have her... as our new daughter." "To Chris and Celeste." "To Chris and Celeste." "Cheers." "Hi." "Hi, Julia." "How are you?" " Hi." " It's good to see you." " You remember Amanda?" " Of course." "Hi." " Hi." "Good to see you." " Good to see you." " And, uh, her son Dean." " Hey." "Hey." "So, did you find a place to live yet?" " Oh, yes." "Yes." " Ah." "I'm all settled." "Uh, six weeks now." "I'm renting, but it's-- it's cozy." "Good." "I was up in Toronto, but my firm said they needed me down here." "Yes, I know." "Doug told me you" "How have you found New York?" "Uh, now, you'd met Dave and Sarah before, right?" " No." "This is the first time, actually." " Oh." "Uh-huh." "And they're terrific." "It was perfect." "Congratulations, Julia, about Chris and Celeste." "If you're half as excited as Doug is..." "Oh, I am." "I am." "Well..." "Thank you." "Yeah." "Yeah, that's right." "Hey." "I never saw you come in." "Oh, I-I-I was late." "Sorry." "Did you get a chance to say hello to Celeste's parents?" "They seem terrific." "How about Celeste?" "Mom, can you go back inside and say hi to Celeste?" "let her introduce you to her parents." "I'll write them a nice note." "Mom..." "At least say you're happy for us." "I am happy for you." "Can I go home now?" "Hi." "Problem?" "Yeah." "The... hinge is sitting too deep." "Oh." "Okay." "I gotta go to the shop over the weekend and cut some shims, which means that I can't put the chandelier up till next weekend." "Honey..." "She came." "She wasn't the life of the party, but she showed up." "Yeah, she made an appearance." "She just moved back to the city, you know." "Just give her some time." "She's gonna..." "Whoo!" "Oh!" " What?" " Can you feel this?" "Come on, baby." "Do it again." "Do it again!" "Anyway, it's just bullshit." "You knew what you did." "The fuck I did." "What kind of thing is that to say?" " What is the matter with you?" " Keep your voice down, for Christ's sake." "The bottom Iine-- this is just not my problem." "Well, whose problem is it?" "Well, I guess it's yours, isn't it?" "What am I supposed to do now?" "Oh, for Christ's sake, stop crying." "I can't believe you're being such a prick-- that you can just sit there" "Fine." "God." " Hi." " Hi." "Oh, shit." "Just a moment, miss." "Are you gonna pay for those glasses?" " They're mine." "I wore them in." " No, you didn't." "What, are you crazy?" "Do you want me to call the police?" "I've had these glasses for years." "You took 'em right off the rack." "You think I don't know my own merchandise?" "These glasses belonged to my mother." "Okay?" "She gave them to me right before she died" " from leukemia, you asshole." " Right." " Tell it to the police." " Just a minute." "She did have the glasses on when she came in." "I saw her." "In fact, I saw her earlier at a restaurant, and she had them on then, too." "Hey!" "Hey!" "I'm late for work." "Why'd you do that?" "That's exactly what I want to talk to you about." "The whole construction process." "With those heavy treads, they track in mud, they track in..." " Hey, Flaco." " Oh, hey, boss." " Thanks." " Gracias." "I know you Iike your extra Sweet'n Low." "Thanks, man." "So what's going on?" "I got a phone call from Leo." " Good luck." " A crisis inside?" "There's a lot of people in and out." " But they're always different." " Yeah, there are" "Mrs. Kareken." "Mrs. Kareken." "They are 19 people that we've worked with before." " How you doing?" "I'm Chris." " Ah, yes." " You remember me?" " Oh, yes, Chris." "You all right?" "Do they have to be so noisy?" "Come on over here." "Let's get out of their way." "A little noise is a good thing." "It means that we're actually doing some work." "Now, every day, either Leo or I are gonna be here on the site." "We'll get a progress report faxed to you by the end of the day." "If you got any problems, then you just call me 24/7." " You got my cell phone, right?" " It sounds very organized." "I had no idea they were going to be so noisy." "Demolitions are noisy, Mrs. Kareken." " Hey, hey, hey." " Uh-huh." "Calm down." "Just don't worry." "When we get done here, you're gonna have a beautiful home, all right?" "Thanks." " I'll see you later." " Good night." " Have a good weekend." " Yeah." " Good night." " Good night." "You work really late." "It's not Iike I've been here all day." "I did some stuff and came back." "I thought I'd..." "You ran off before I could say thanks." "That guy in the drugstore-- such a dickhead." "You did take those glasses." "Yeah." "Oh, Jesus." "Hey, wait." "Will you stop?" "I just wanna talk to you for one minute." "Whatever you want from me, forget it." " I just wanted to tell you that" " Do you understand?" "Whatever you have to say to me, I don't care." "There was this guy." "I met him in Michigan." "That's where I'm from." "He's this, um, successful guy from New York on a business trip or whatever." "So we hook up, and he's there for, Iike, three days." "And he says if I come to New York..." "Actually, it's more Iike-- it's more like, when I come to New York." "Like he expects me to come." "Like it's a done deal." "And when I do, you know-- all these promises, all this incredible stuff." "So I come." "I show up." "And he's shocked, right?" "Like, right away, he makes it abundantly clear that he doesn't want me here." "It was all bullshit, and he's got a fucking girlfriend and a life, and I was just a fuck on a fucking business trip." "Really nice." "I, Iike..." "I just really wanna get home, you know?" "I wanna go back to Michigan." "I don't have any money." "I don't know anyone here except for him and you, so..." "No, you don't know me." "Oh, that's really compassionate." "Thanks a lot." "I was talking relatively." "Jesus." "How much do you need?" "$700." "You need $700 for a bus ticket?" "Yeah." "The thing is" "I'm also pregnant." "Cash would be easier." "Sorry." "I'll take it." "Sorry." "People don't do this kind of thing for me, you know." "I'm just really grateful." "Thank you." "Don't worry about it." "Hey." "Just try this for me." "What is it?" "Well, I got a coffee machine and a grinder in my office, and I'm just trying to decide if it's a Iittle too excessive." "I mean, of course, it is excessive, but I'm just trying to decide if it's worth it." "It's good." "Yeah?" "Good." " That's for you." " No." "No, no." "I made this for you." "And anytime you want, just come on by." "It's a shame to have to go all the way down the street and..." "Well, I--l..." "Yes." "Oh, hi." "I thought I said 8, but I probably just told her the wrong time." "No, you told her the right time." "She's not gonna show up." "Of course she will." "She's probably just running late." "I graduated from high school." "She said she got the dates wrong." "I finished college." "Not a rumor." "You dropped out of college." "No, I'm just saying, don't expect her to come to the wedding." "Okay, now you're being ridiculous." "No." "You know what?" "You don't know." "This is ridiculous." "I didn't ask you to intervene here." "I mean, it was very sweet of you to try and bring us together, but" "Maybe it has nothing to do with you." "Maybe I want to get to know my future mother-in-law." "Right." "Look, I mean, if you don't want to stay" "There." "See?" "Julia!" "Hi." "I'm so sorry." " I thought I told you the wrong place or" " No, I was" " I got stuck at work, and..." " Oh." " Hi, Ma." " Hi." "Well, the food here is supposed to be really interesting." "So, Chris has a big new job." "Really?" "Yeah, it's a big East 50s place." "They, uh, haven't touched it in 40 years." "Wiring's like a museum exhibit." "Everything's gotta go." "They're very nervous." "Sounds... very good." "Julia, was-- was Chris always building things as a kid, or..." "Yes." "Yeah, Mom got me my first tool kit." "I was 6." "Doug told me you were always having to put everything back together." "Is it true that he really took apart the dishwasher one time?" "Oh, yes." " Share some more memories, Mom." " Chris..." "¶ ¶" "Hey." "Will you grab me a drink?" " I'm dying, and I can't stop laughing." " What are you doing here?" "Is that my money?" "No." "Actually, it's not." " That's my money, isn't it?" " No, it's not." "Why did you lie to me?" " Uh, she's obviously" " Ow!" " You lied to me!" " Why did you do that?" "Answer me!" " Let go of me!" "What is you r" " Why did you lie to me?" " Let go!" " What's the problem?" " I helped you!" " Mom, Mom" " No!" " I helped you!" " Julia, just calm down." " Sir, she's gonna have to leave." " Calm down, okay?" " Hang on just a second." " I think we should just get her out of here." " I'll be right back." " Don't worry about it." "It's taken care of." " You okay?" "Sure?" " Yeah." "Yeah." " Careful." "The glass." " Yeah, it's fine." "Can we get a drink for the lady?" "Yes, sir." "Absolutely." "Crazy bitch." "Mom!" "Mom!" "Hi." "Hi." "You can do it." "You a Iittle nervous?" "I'll catch you." "Come on." "Whoo!" "Very good." "Wanna do it again?" " Excuse me." " Oh, I'm sorry." "I just thought she could use a catch." "It's fine." "Okay, sweetie." "Mommy's here." "Come on." "Good girl." "Try it again?" "Hi." "What's your name?" "I'm Julia." "How old are you?" "You go down that slide." " It's amazing." " Mine." " My turn!" "Give it!" " No." "Hey." "Hey, don't fight." "Can you take turns?" "Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll let you have a turn." " Can you just share?" " I look after these children." "So look after them." "Everybody has to share." "Mind your own business." "Go." "Go, go, go." "Go all the way down." "Well done." " Hi." " Hi." "How are you?" "I called about this lady over here." " She's acting a Iittle strange." " Okay." " Hi." "Ma'am?" " Can you do it again?" "Excuse me." " Hi." " Hello." " Is that your daughter there?" " No." " Okay, um, is your child in the park today?" " No." "Excuse me." "Ma'am?" "We need to speak to you." " Can you step out of the park with us?" " No, I'm fine." " No." "Just come with us, please." " No." "I..." " Ma'am?" " Please, leave me alone." " Relax for a minute." "Listen to me." " I am completely relaxed." " You're getting upset." " Let's leave the park." " Let's take her out." " No, I'm not leaving the park." "Come with us, please." "Come with us." " Yes, everything's all right." " Will you stop pulling me?" " You have to keep moving." " Excuse me!" " I can't believe you're doing this." " You need to relax." " I am relaxed." " Stop struggling, ma'am." " Please." "Please." " Let go of me!" " Am I under arrest or something?" " No, ma'am." "What?" "You okay?" "I'm not under arrest or anything." " This your son?" " Yeah." "How you doing?" "I'm Chris Sandburg." "Would you step over here for a minute?" "Like I said on the phone, we're not gonna charge her." "But I am gonna suggest you keep a close eye on her from now on." "Yeah, yeah." "Of course." "I'm" " Look, I'm" " I'm sorry about all this." "Has she ever done anything like this before?" "No." " She on anything?" " No, no, no." "It's not Iike that." "It's, um" " She..." "My, um" " My sister..." "I had a sister who, um, when she was about 3 years old, she disappeared." "And, um... after that-- my mother..." "She's changed." "You ever find out what happened to the girl?" "Yeah" " No." "I mean, they never found anything, but a few months later, there was another, uh, murder, and, uh, it was a kid in Philadelphia." "Same kind of deal." "Vanished from a playground." "And they caught the guy, and they think that he probably did both." "He died in prison two years ago." "There's that, at least." "Well, look, keep an eye on her." "Ohh!" "Thank you." "Hey." "I'm gonna fix that for you." "Julia, are you hungry?" "I could run down to the grocery, or, um, we can order something." " No." " Sure?" "Okay, come on." "Come on, what?" "Come on." "Let's get it over with." " Please." " All right." "All right." "So what are we gonna do about this?" "Julia, we don't have to do anything tonight you don't wanna do." " You must be very tired." " You know what that cop told me?" " He told me to keep an eye on you." " I'm sure he did." "Should I be keeping an eye on you?" "If it would make you feel better." "Oh, doing that whole passive thing." "Chris, come on." "This can't go on!" "I'm sorry... about everything." "I'm sorry about the park." "I'm sorry about the restaurant." "Who was that at the restaurant?" "Someone I thought I knew." "I was wrong." "I mean, I had too much wine." "I had a bad day at work." "It was stupid." "What about the park?" "These mothers!" "You say two words to their children, they become hysterical." "But I'm not gonna make excuses." "It was a mistake." "Julia, do you wanna come stay with us for a couple days?" "It's a Iittle dusty, but there's plenty of room, and we would love to have you." "Thank you, Celeste." "I'll be all right." " Are you sure?" "It's no trouble." " I'm sure." "Thank you." "It's been, uh" "... not as simple as I expected, hoped-- coming back to the city." "I appreciate your patience." "I do." "And now..." "You were right." "I am tired." "Bye." "Bye." " l'll call you tomorrow." " Okay." "Maybe I should've stayed." "Let's" " Let's give her some breathing room tonight." "Trust me." "I think it's gonna be okay." "I do." "How do you know where I live?" "It was on your check." "Ow!" "Ow!" "Shit!" "Shit!" "That really hurt!" "Why'd you fucking close the door on my hands?" "Say "thanks," at least." "What's this?" "It's your money." "Some of it, anyway." "Why?" "You tried to help me." "I felt bad." "Were you pregnant?" "No." "Was everything a lie?" "Most of it." "You're not from Michigan?" "No." "Where do you come from?" "Right here." "Who are you?" "What?" "What's your name?" "It's Louise." "Do you think you could let me in?" "I really think I need some antiseptic or something." "Scrambled okay?" "Uh, yeah." "These are hot." "How long have you been up?" "A while." "How's your hand?" "It's okay." "It looks much better." "Can I use your shower?" "Of course." "Louise, where do you live?" "You mean right now?" "Yeah." "Kind of nowhere." "Where do you sleep?" "With guys." "And what if there's no guy?" "There's always some guy." "What about last night?" "Last night, there was you." "Extra towels are in the bathroom." "Thanks." "Louise?" "Yeah, I'll be out in a second." "There's a key on the table in the hallway." "Stay as long as you want." "Huh." "Socks." "Hmm?" "Ooh." "That's nice." "Aha." "Hmm." "I do." "Hello!" "Louise?" "Louise." "Louise!" "Where were you?" "Where did you go?" "I went out to get something to drink." "There's nothing in your kitchen." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Long day." "Have a drink." "Shit." "Right." " You know where I'd Iike to go?" "London." " ¶ ¶" "I've never been anywhere." "English men can be kind of-- I don't know-- sexually kind of iffy." "Like, some of them just want their headmasters to paddle them on the bums or something." "The women are cool, though." "There's this, um, BBC News anchorwoman." "I love her." "Her accent is so excellent." " Which one's that?" " Aahh!" " It's pad thai." " Mmm." " It's good." " Mmm." "Mmm!" " It is good." " Spicy." "All right." "Well, I was hoping to have the new numbers in by next Friday, because that's when the fed report's coming out." "That's when we can put everything together." "Mm-hmm." "I understand." "Uh-huh." "Um, yeah." "Um..." "Yeah, of course, of course, of course." "We should get that to them as soon as possible." "That's right." "No, I-I" " That's-- I understand that." "Uh, say that again." "What were you saying?" " Hey!" "You are in big trouble." " Hey." "I know." "I got caught on a job." "Make yourself a sandwich and have a beer." "You better get in there." "What's the matter with you?" "It's the second quarter." "I know." "I was listening to it in the van." "That's all right." "You didn't miss much." "Hey." " Dean." " Hey." " What's the matter?" " This faucet." " It won't turn off all the way." " Here you go." "No." "No." "No." "You do not have permission." "He's gonna think we save all our repairs for when he visits." " I thought you were gonna call the plumber." " What?" "For that?" "I got my tools in the van." "It'll take two minutes." " l'll be right back." " Oh, Chris, no." "Come on." "Chris?" "All right." "Just don't take too" "Let him do it." "He loves it." "He enjoys it." " Davis on the floor with a couple of fouls." " Oh!" "See?" "Well, that's a foul." "If you slap him in the head, then that's a foul." "A little push-off." " This is pathetic." " Is that three?" "Great execution." "Good pick." "I'm worried about Mom." " Yeah?" " Sets up." "Misses the jumper." "Loose ball in the corner." "Iowa State basketball." "I had to get her the other day at a police station." "Mmm." "She had some kind of freak-out in a playground." "And then, the day before that, we were out having dinner together, and there was-- there was an incident at the restaurant." "I don't know what's going on." "I mean, I try to... not get in her way too much." "Isn't that what she wants?" "I mean, maybe it's the whole wedding thing, the baby and all the family stuff that's triggering everything." "I don't know." " Maybe I'm too hands-off." " There's nothing you can do." "You know that, right?" "No, no." "I" " I" " I don't know that." "Where is she living?" "Where's that apartment that she rented?" "Do you know?" "It's six blocks from where we used to..." "I just" " I" " Christ!" "Why couldn't she have just stayed where she was?" " It's not her fault." "She was transferred." " Yeah, right." "She had to come." "That job that she's so passionate about." "Come on." "That's not fair." "Nothing. ... is gonna shake her loose from what happened." "Chris..." "I tried for seven years to" "Just don't let her drag you down with her." "Don't let her do it." "If I hadn't found Amanda" "So what do you want me to do?" "Just" "Just ignore her and... get on with my business?" "Out of bounds." "Iowa State, with nine seconds left." "Oh, God." "I'm sorry." "This keeps happening." "I just... keep meaning to call the guy." "What is it?" "Cable or satellite?" "It's satellite." "Yeah, you gotta call the satellite guy." "Like I need these." "Can I return them and get credit?" " Where are you going?" " Out." "You wanna tell me what time you're planning to be home?" "What?" "Who do you think you are?" "Well, I'm the person who's-- who's giving you a place to stay, and..." "If you don't want me here, just say it." "Oh, come on." "Come on." "Shh." " Nice." "Yeah." " And?" " God!" "This is yours?" " Shh!" " It's my mom's." "Shh." "Be quiet." " Shh." "Be quiet." "I'm sorry." " Mom, we're home!" " No!" "Shh!" "She'll kick you out." "She's scary." " Really?" " Yeah." "Shh." "Take your shirt off." " Hey." " Hey." "Y" "I, uh, just" "Well, come on in." "Come on in." "Come on." "What?" "No." "It's..." "Well, hello." "How are you?" "How was your night?" "How was yours?" "Excellent." "So what's the deal?" "Hmm?" "Where'd you go last night?" "You have a boyfriend or something?" "No." " Girlfriend?" " No." "It's a man." "A man from work." "It's not a relationship." "Well, what's the deal?" "There's no deal, which is just fine." "I thought women your age would kill to get married." "I've been married." "What happened?" " We got divorced." " Excuse me." "You can't smoke in here." "What?" "Since when?" "Since, Iike, five years ago." "God." "Truly sorry. I'll take care of it." "Give it to me." "Give it to me." "Don't you ever go out?" "Any kids?" "Yeah." "How many?" "Two." "You're weird." "Don't you wanna know anything about me?" "Don't you wanna know who I am?" "I know who you are." "Who?" "You're a girl who, uh-- who needs a touch-up." "Let's take care of that, shall we?" "Uh, can I have the..." "There." "It's pretty close to the original color, right?" "Yeah." "Yeah." " Uh, two chocolate bars, please." " You got it." "There you go." "Enjoy." "Thank you." "All right." "There is something I wanna ask you." "Have you ever considered doing anything?" "I mean, other than this sort of drifting around?" "Ah, ambition." "Well, college?" "I'm not real big on being force-fed and regurgitating information." "What about a job?" "I've had jobs." "What?" "Florist." "Surgical nurse." "Performed in the circus for a while." "Ran guns to Ethiopia during the war." "Right." "Which war?" "You know, the war." "So, guess I'm kind of a fuckup, huh?" "Maybe." "Maybe I am, too." " You?" " Uh-huh." "Right." "Nice job, nice apartment, doing exactly what you want whenever you want." "Right." "Well, the thing to remember is we are both simply bursting with potential." "You gonna finish that?" " What?" "This?" " Yeah." " No, this is mine." " Hey." "This is mine!" "This is mine!" "Come on." "Don't be greedy." "¶ ¶" "¶ Oh-ohh-ohh, oh-ohh-ohh ¶" "¶ Turn up your stereo ¶" "¶ Oh-ohh-ohh, oh-ohh-ohh ¶" "¶ I feel... ¶" "¶ ¶" "Hello." "Hey." "I promised I'd fix the cabinet for you." "Sure." "Keeping an eye on me, eh?" "Yep." "After my little ol' brush with the law?" "That's right." "Well, don't worry." "I fought the law, and the law won." "I'm going straight from now on." "Oh, wow." "Cooking for an army." "I Iike leftovers." "Did you get a haircut or something?" "No." "Wearing it longer these days-- your sideburns?" "No." "Well, whatever it is, I like it." "How's Celeste?" "She's good." "She says the baby's been moving a lot-- doing gymnastics." "I can't feel it, but..." "She's pretty busy." "Doing a rotation at the hospital." "She's working late tonight, so..." "I'm just gonna... grab a slice of pizza or something." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "I have stuff from the office." "They really loaded me down tonight." "I don't need to be entertained." "I wasn't gonna sit down, even." "I was just gonna sort of... graze while I tackle it." "What are you doing?" "Sorry." "Uh, are those yours?" "They're mine." "Oh." "Louise, this is my son..." "Chris." " Hi." "Really nice to meet you." " How do you do?" " Nice to meet you." " Julia's told me a lot about you." "Louise works with me, Chris." "At the bank." "You work at the bank?" "Yes." "Yeah." "I just started." "Well, not just." "It's been, what, a month now?" "A little less." "Julia's been amazing." "She's completely taken me under her wing." "I've become-- Well, I guess protégé" " makes it sound too formal." " Mmm." "Uh, she's helping me out tonight with a report." "Oh, God!" "The Sullivan report." "Total nightmare." "Well, don't let me get in your way." "Um, are you gonna stay for dinner, Chris?" "I don't wanna deprive you of your leftovers." "Are you kidding?" "Stay." "She always makes too much." "Mmm." " How is it?" " Vino." "It's delicious." " I love it." " Yeah?" " Thank you." " Mm-hmm." "It's so good." " Pleasure." " Mmmm!" "Yum-yum." "Hi." "Hi." "Oh." "Thank you." "Put it right..." "Well, um..." "Well, I suppose this is a Iittle backwards now, but, uh," "I got two tickets for, uh" "Sure." "I mean, yes." "Good." "All right." "For what?" "Oh, shit." " How much for this?" " Two bucks." "Thanks." "¶ ¶" "¶ One dream ¶" "¶ In my heart ¶" "¶ One love ¶" "¶ To be living for ¶" "¶ One love ¶" "¶ To be living for ¶" "¶ This ¶" "¶ Nearly was mine ¶" " Can I ask you something?" " Sure." "Why'd you come by my place the other night?" " Did I scare you?" " No, no, no." "You" " You surprised me." "I guess I surprised myself." "Well, I'm glad you didn't surprise anyone else." "My son." "He came to stay with me the following night." "I'm glad you missed him." "'Cause I think that the idea of women visiting his father in the middle of the night would've freaked him out." "He's staying at my place right now, otherwise I would've steered us in that direction." " Oh, you would, would you?" " I would've tried." "Well, looks like I've steered us in this direction." "Ah." "But..." "But what?" "The evening didn't live up to expectations?" "No." "I had a lovely time, Raymond." "Hey, don't tell me you have a puritanical son up there." "No." "But I've got a..." "I've got a daughter." "Mmm." "She's staying with me for a while, too, so... you know how that is." "Yeah, I know." "I certainly do." "Hey." " See you tomorrow." " All right." "New one, eh?" "Who's the lucky guy?" "He's my brother." "Okay."Sub "plus U-R-B is "suburb"!" " Yeah!" " Very good." "And I have A-N-I-T-E." ""Suburbanite."Triple-word score." " God damn it, Stuart!" " It's not fair." " It's totally fair." "That's, uh, 240 to 100..." "Great." " Where is he?" " Shower." "When are you leaving?" "What?" "Well, you've had a couple of weeks." "You've had plenty of time to get back on your feet." "Whatever your next step is, I think you better take it." "So the honeymoon's over, huh?" "Yes." "Fine." " And I'll need my key back." " You want these back, too?" " No." " Thanks." "That's really fucking generous." " Don't you dare." " What is your problem all of a sudden?" " You lied to me." " When?" "About everything." "I told you I wasn't pregnant." "The Michigan thing..." "You knew all that before." "You never told me you had a brother." " What difference does that make?" " Everything!" "Stuart!" "We're going!" "I forgot my Scrabble set." "Thank you." "Do you play?" "No." "I mean, I know how." "I could help you get better." "My sister was bad, but she got better." "You just have to memorize the word sets." "I'm going to a Scrabble event in Tallahassee." "I just went to one in Providence." "What's a Scrabble event?" "Oh, it's where people get together and play Scrabble." "Not like the super champions, but people who can play." "You can even win money sometimes." "And do you?" "Sometimes." "Thanks." "You know, it's kind of a long bus ride from Providence to Tallahassee." "That's why I had to stay the night." "I wasn't trying to live here or anything." "I know." "So don't be mad at Maggie." "Wait!" "St" "You take your medication?" " You got enough?" " Yeah." "Hey, look at me." "You swear?" "I swear." "Don't fuck around with it." "Thanks, sis." "Get going, or you'll be late." "Love you." "So you were adopted?" "Yeah." "Stuart and I both were." "Well, I don't think they ever really technically adopted us, but we were-- whatever-- fosters." "I probably had, Iike, nine brothers and sisters, total." "But who were your parents?" "I guess you could say Paul and Stephanie were." "They were severely" " Oh, God." "Paul was this incredibly skinny guy, and Stephanie weighed, Iike, 400 pounds." "No wonder they had to adopt." "They're also religious fanatics." "We had to pray to a plastic statue of Jesus," "like, 50 times a day." "Couldn't watch any TV." "You had to eat," "like, little biscuits like you get in church" " for snacks." " Stuart" "Stuart called you Maggie." "That's what Paul and Stephanie called me." "I Iike Louise better." "But where were you before?" "I don't know." "That's the first place I remember." "Um..." " What are you doing?" " Nothing." "Sorry." "I was just looking for, uh, a book." "Um, sorry I woke you." "God, you scared me." "Do you need light?" "No." "You can't see in here." "Ah." "Got it." "Thanks." " What is it?" " Nothing." "Just some old photos." "Of you?" "Yeah." "Some of them." "Let me see." "Well, I'm awake now." "Come on." "Give it up." "They're old." "Oh, my God, is that you?" "Yes." "Oh, my God, Julia." "Look at those earrings." "That's ridiculous!" "I can't believe you wore that." "Okay." "No." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Come on." "Come on." "Show me more." "Um, you look good." "Show me pictures of your husband-- the one you divorced." " Go back to sleep." " What, is he ugly or something?" "No." "Does he have, Iike, a beard, no mustache?" "Or those Elvis things." "What are they, mutton ch" "I bet he had mutton chops." "Big fat mutton chops Iike" "No." "Show me then." "Come on." "There." "Hey, he's pretty handsome." "Nice going." "Good work." " Is that Chris?" " Yes." "He seemed nice, you know, when he came over." "He is." "Is he gay?" "What?" "Well, you don't ever really talk about him." "Did he disappoint you in some way?" "Or is he some kind of loser?" "No." "No." "He has his own construction business." "He's quite successful, actually." "Hmm." "But gay." "No, he's not gay." "He's getting married" "Why do you ask these idiotic questions?" "'Cause it's the only way to get you to say anything." "Jesus." "Julia, you look really happy." "Where is that?" "I don't remember." "Go back to sleep." "Just stay for a minute, okay?" " What?" " Just talk, okay?" "About what?" "I don't care." "Anything." "Talk about the pictures." "Well, these were..." "I guess Chris was 5." "We were still living downtown." "Tiny place." "He's starting school here." "He's 6." "Oh, no." "He must be 7, because we're uptown." "Doug was teaching that year." "I remember that lunch box." "Thor." "He wouldn't eat lunch the first week or two at school." "I mean, if Chris wasn't comfortable in a place, he didn't complain or make a fuss, he just didn't eat." "And one day, the teacher told us Chris ate his lunch, so we knew he'd settled in." "Kids just adapt." "Oh, God." "Yeah." "Doug won an award for this article he wrote, and he had to wear a tux to the dinner, so I went out and spent $150 on this dress." "I thought I'd gone absolutely insane." "I wore it for years, though." "God, look at Doug." "Look at us." "And then... you came along." "I'd always wanted a girl." "I thought I didn't care." "I thought it was... old-fashioned or sexist to care." "But I did." "And you were it." "And by then, we had the park just down the street." "And as soon as I could," "I took you there." "You loved it so much." "Oh." "Okay, everybody, are you listening?" "Listen to me." "Move together." "Everybody get close together." "Sweetheart" " Celeste, get" "No." "What" " Both together." "Oh, yes, yes." "Wedding photo." " Let me in." " Move together." "Everybody together." " All right." "Here we go." "Everybody..." " Hey, Deano." " Get in." " Come on." " And you have to be in this, Sarah." " Come on." "Let's go." " Hey, Mom, you have to come in it." " Someone do it." "Who can take a picture?" "¶ ¶" "¶ I wanna stop the cryin' ¶" "¶ I wanna stop the cryin' ¶" "¶ But she's lyin' there dyin' ¶" "¶ How can I live when you see what I've done?" "¶" "¶ How can I live when you see what I've done?" "¶" "¶ Thought I was dreamin' ¶" "¶ So I didn't hear you screamin' ¶" "¶ I'm so scared ¶" "¶ I'm so scared ¶" "I'm gonna take a nap before to night." "Honey, you should lied own, too, Celeste." "We're gonna follow you." " Bye, sweetie." " Bye." "We'll see you there." "Bye." " See you later." " What are you doing?" " Call me." " Okay, I will." "Ready?" "Hi." "Psst." "Hey." "She didn't say that she was bringing a guest." "She didn't even tell us that she was coming." "Okay." "But she's here now, so at least be happy about that." "I know, but doesn't it seem weird that she's bringing her assistant to the wedding?" " Her assistant?" " Yeah." "The girl." "She looks like the girl from the restaurant." "You know, when your mom" "Jesus." "She's done her hair all differently this time." "I didn't recognize-- So what does that mean?" "Is she her assistant or not?" "I have no idea." "Can we go inside" " and try to enjoy the evening?" " You know what?" "I remember when I went over to my mom's to see her, she had this stuff in her spare room." "Are they" " Is-- Is she living with her?" " What the fuck is going on?" " I have no idea." "And right now, I don't really care." "This is our night." "We've planned it for a year." "I'm not gonna let your mom or any of her crazy shit screw that up for me." "Are you?" "¶ ¶" "Hors d'oeuvres?" "Thank you." "They look great." " Uh, smells like..." " Vegetarian." " Crackers?" " Thank you." "I'm sorry." "If you'd just button" " Okay." "Hey." "Hey." "I'm the, uh, inconvenient stepson." "Good to meet you." "I'm Louise." "So, Iike, what's your deal?" "They set some extra places." "All right?" " It's no problem." " All right." "Thanks." " I'm sorry." "She didn't mention anything." " Oh..." "Are you sure it's okay?" "Don't worry about it." "It's all taken care of." " I hope they're ready for it." " Here's to being grand parents." " Indeed." "Indeed." " Cheers." "Julia's my sponsor." "In the program." " What?" "Like AA or..." " Yeah." "I'm supposed to be with her, Iike, all the time for support." "O-kay." "Oh." "No." "Right." "No." "The program's for sex addicts." "You know, people who just fuck and fuck and fuck and fuck." "I've been struggling with it since I was, Iike, 14." "See, my mother is this, um-- Well, I guess you'd call her a supermodel." "I don't wanna say her name, but you'd know it." "Anyway, when I was growing up, she was never around." "She was always traveling, so they had to put me in a Swiss boarding school." "All-girl." "Well, you know what those are like." "Uh, yeah." " Hey, Dean." " Hey." "Hi." " How you doing?" " Good." "Hi, Chris." "Hi." "Uh, it's Louise, right?" "Yeah." "How are you?" "Good." "I, uh-- l, um..." "So you're staying with my mom, right?" "Yeah." "She's letting me crash there a Iittle while." "Wow." "She's really taken you under her wing, huh?" "Very much so." "She's been incredibly generous both in and out of the bank." "Oh, yeah." "The bank." "It's funny." "You don't really strike me as a banker type." "Hmm." "Well, you don't really strike me as the handyman type." "I'm not a handyman." "Whatever." "Builder." "You seem gentler somehow." "My brother Stuart's like that." "You remind me of him a Iittle bit, actually." "Look, I don't really" "Oh, fuck me!" "What is wrong with me?" "Congratulations on your marriage." "I should've said something before." "Thanks." " But I wanna know" " Julia's proud-- really, truly proud of you." "The life you've made." "Your business." "Everything you've done." "You know that, right, Chris?" "She may not be able to say it, but she is." "Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served." "Good." "I'm starving." "Julia, we're going to put you over here." "That's father-- either one." "Nice to meet you." " Father-in-law." " Louise." "How are you?" " No." "Mom, no." "No more speeches." " Uh, I would just" " Darling." " Mom, it's gonna be a marathon tomorrow." " I just wanted to say thank you" "Just let me do that." " Thank you to Doug and Amanda." " Good." "Very good." " Very good." " Oh, you're a terrible girl." "And I wanna say thank you, too." "And to you, I'd Iike to say, don't let him leave the state." "Now, everyone go home and have a good night's sleep." "Thank you so much." "Could I, um-- Could I say something?" "Of course." "Wait." "Everyone, Julia wants to say something." "Uh..." "I just..." "I want to say how glad I am that Chris and Celeste have found each other." "And, um, how happy I am to be here." "I " " I know I haven't always been, um, present as much as I would've liked, and I..." "I hope... to try to change that." "I hope you'll let me try to change that." "And I wish you all the happiness in the world." "Oh." "Hear, hear." "Oh, and thanks for finding an extra place for Maggie." "What did you say?" "What?" "What's" " What's your name?" " It's Louise." " Maggie." "No" " I go by either." "It's fine." "No." "No." "This is Maggie." "Is" " Is that what this is?" "Do you" " Do you" "Do you know what this is about?" "Do you understand what you're doing here?" "Do you have any idea?" " No, no, no." "Where are you going?" " Chris..." " You don't walk away!" "You look at me!" " No." "Stop." " What the fuck do you think you're doing?" " Chris!" "Maggie!" "Maggie's dead, Mom!" "She's dead." "Mom." "Thank you." "¶ ¶" " Hi." " Hey." "How are ya?" "Here she is!" "Just woke up." "Hi." "They work." "Okay, who wants what?" "We have coffee." "We have booze if you want it." " Hey, big boy." " Hey, for you." "So how's your sleep going?" "It's good." "I got four hours last night." "That's not bad." "Susan and I haven't slept for over a decade." "She actually slept through the night a few nights ago." " Can't enjoy that." " We woke up." "We went running up to her room." ""Is she all right?" "Is she all right?"" "Woke her up." " Look." "She likes you." " So cute." "Look." "She's looking right at you." "You all right?" "Yeah." "Here." "Why don't you let me get the ladder?" " Julia." " Is he all right?" "Yeah." "Eh, broken wrist." " Sixty stitches." " Oh!" "I wanted to do them for him, but, you know." "He's" " He's okay." "Uh, they're just finishing setting the bone now." " How'd you find out?" " Doug called me." "We would've called." "We just were in crisis mode." "Please..." "Um..." "Oh." "Julia, you didn't need to bring him anything." "No." "It's" " It's for her." "Uh..." "I meant to bring it before." "I should have." "Thank you." "Can I see Chris?" "Um..." "Julia" " I mean..." "He must've picked up the phone 200 times." "He wants to talk to you." "He does." "It's just been hard... after everything." "And then you didn't call, and..." "She's not your daughter." "You know that, right?" "I know." "Come on." "Thanks." "He'll be fine." "Aw." "How'd they do?" "Julia, would you..." "There you go." "There we go." "Let me see." "Hi." "I'm sorry... about everything before." "Okay?" "All the bullshit." "Okay." "Truth?" "Truth." "I don't care." "Do you have any more of this?" "On the shelf in the bath room." "Wait." "Don't want it to get cold." "Do it after dinner, Louise."