" I am stretched on your grave and I'll lie there forever if your hands were in mine" "I'd be sure they could not sever my apple tree, my brightness" "it's time we were together for I smell of the earth and am worn by the weather" "when my family thinks that I'm safely in my bed from morn until night" "I am stretched out at your head calling out to the earth with tears hot and wild my grief for the girl that I loved as a child" "do you remember the night we were lost in the shade of the blackthorn and the chill of the frost so I'm stretched on your grave and will lie there forever if your hands were in mine" "I'd be sure they could not sever my apple tree, my brightness" "it's time we were together for I smell of the earth and am worn by the weather" "my apple tree, my brightness" "it's time we were together for I smell of the earth" "and am worn by the weather" " um, maybe right down there?" " Yeah." " Okay." "I'm so sorry." " Shannon, thanks for coming." " You okay?" " Ah, hanging in there." "Sam, good to see you again." " I'm sorry, Aiden." " And look at this one here." "A man before my eyes." "She'd be pleased to know that you were here." " You must be Liam." "I hear you're quite the Irish dancer." " Yeah, I guess so." " I'm Sam." "This is my wife Shannon." " Of course!" "Maggie's daughter." "Aiden told me so much about you." " Is it okay if I take this down there?" " Of course, please." " Hey, there's grandma and grandpa." " Thank you for coming." " Aiden, I'm sorry for your loss." "If there's anything we can do." " John, thank you." "Thanks for coming, Maureen." "Thanks for making the trip down." "I appreciate it." " And where should we sit, sweetie?" " Why not just join Sam." "He's right up front." " Okay." " Can I talk to you?" " Is everything all right?" " Yeah, I just want to talk to you for a minute." " Okay." "You know, I fell in love many times in my life." "Trouble was, it was always with the same woman." " I know you loved her, Aiden." " That wonderful, wicked woman." " I'm so sorry." " Shannon, I know I'm only your stepfather and really have no right to ask you, but will you please say a few words" "to honor your mother?" " Oh, I don't think I'm the right person for that." " Of course you are." " I have no idea what I would say." " It would mean the world to me if you'd try." "Shannon, I can't go up there and talk about her right now." "I'm asking you, please, would you do this for me?" " Sure, okay, yeah." "I'll say something, yeah." "I'll say something." " Liam, please put the phone away." "What was that all about?" "Is everything okay?" " He wants me to say a few words." " Are you okay with that?" " Yeah." " Welcome to all on this blessed day as a child of god returns to the kingdom of heaven." "Before proceeding to the cemetery for the burial service," "Maggie's daughter Shannon is now going to come up and say a few words." "Shannon?" " Did you know she was gonna talk?" " No." "Didn't know that." " It's making me most uncomfortable." " Let's just try to be supportive, okay?" " Oh, supportive." "I think we're supportive just by being in here." " Shh!" "Three Irishmen were adrift at sea, terribly thirsty." "Suddenly a mermaid swims up and says," ""I shall Grant you one wish."" "Without thinking, one of the Irishmen says," ""turn the sea to beer."" "The mermaid says, "let it be!"" "And the sea was turned to beer." "Then one of the other Irishmen stands up and says," ""shite!" "Where are we gonna piss?"" "For those of you who don't know me," "I am Shannon, Maggie's daughter." "I was given up for adoption at birth." "I guess it was so I wouldn't have to listen to her jokes." "Funny thing is that I didn't get to know Maggie until recently." "Those of you who know her, you know how tough she was." "Had to be." "But what most of you might not know is she was a great artist, an artist that was never given the opportunity to pursue her passion." "In addition to my blue eyes and..." "God, her eyes, and my fair skin," "I too am an artist." "About a year ago I decided to rent a place, send out invitations because I was going to paint a family portrait." "My whole family." " Hurry up!" "Let's go, c'mon." "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" "C'mon, c'mon." "Hurry up!" "Come on!" "Stop." "After you." " Whoa!" "Oh my god!" " Yeah." " Think it's big enough?" "Yeah, over here." " Mom, how did you find this place?" " Oh, a friend recommended it to me." "You'll appreciate this." "I had the canvas delivered a few days ago." " Yeah, what is with the canvas?" " I wanted to paint the family, and get us together for a few days, away from the house." " Cool." " Remember, take plenty of photos this weekend." " Okay." "Yeah, no problem." "I'll just, ah, I'll do that." " You little!" " C'mon, c'mon!" " Oh, shut it!" "I'll get you." " Hey, I brought the bags in." "How's the studio?" "Because it cannot be any better than this kitchen and there is a smoker and a barbecue out back." " It's perfect." "What did I say?" " You're right." " I love you." " I love you." " All right you." " Wait before you pull in here." " Oh just sh-sh-sh." "I think this is it." "What do you think?" " Well..." "Yep, those are the longhorns on the gate." " Uh-huh." " Yep, this is it." " Okay." "This is nice." " A little rustic, huh?" " Wow." " Daddy?" " Your parents are here." " Yeah." "They're here!" "Uh-oh, I can't miss." "Oh!" " Hey!" " Oh, momma!" " Well, we got the right place." " Yes you do." " It's so pretty." " Ooh, I'm so happy you're here!" " Me too." " Oh!" " Give me some!" " Oh, you'll get some." " Good to see ya, kid!" "You look great." "My god, look at you!" "Oh my god, you look amazing." "I can't believe you did all this." " Yeah, you proud?" " Mmm, proud!" " C'mon inside." " Okay!" " Hey, Francis, good to see you!" "Hey, I got the list." "We're gonna head out to the store." "Anybody need anything?" " Yes!" "We need bottles of wine, vodka, beer." " Wife's a lush!" " Shut it." "Oh, get something for dessert too, please." " Ice cream?" " Ah, see what they have." " All right, I'll leave it up to Liam." "We'll stop at the dairy mart on the way there." " Mm-hmm!" " All right." " If it's okay, I'm gonna put you down here." "That way you don't have to deal with too many stairs." " Stairs don't bother me none." " He's wearing one of those watches that records your steps." " Yeah, it counts my steps, measures my heart rate, it even notifies me when my subscription to playboy arrives!" " Sh, sh, stop it." " He's in better shape than I am." " Oh, don't say that." " I'll wake you for cocktails." " Okay." " All right." "I'm putting you two upstairs." " Are there more stairs?" " Oh!" " What did you bring, your whole closet?" "!" " Oh, this is great!" "You know, you could have stuck us anywhere." " Oh, speak for yourself." " There's plenty of closet space, a big balcony, private bathroom down the hall." " Oh!" " Dad?" " Uh-huh?" "What?" "Oh." " Look at that view." " Oh, that's perfect." "Oh my god." "But, honey, you gotta stop worrying about us." " I couldn't figure out what to wear, so I bought everything." "Including the sheets." " Yeah." " You're kidding." " No, you've spoiled her." " Oh, I couldn't figure out who slept on this bed." "I mean, it could be somebody who's been infected by some horrible rash or lord knows what else." " Yeah, well..." " Now, I have something I want to show you." "It's all my new clothes." " No, no, no, honey, just try 'em on in a little while." "I want a moment with my daughter." "Mm-hmm." "Now, you told us to bring something special, right, something that meant something to us?" " Mm-hmm." " Have I ever showed this to you?" "No?" "This is our family's scrapbook." "It goes back many generations, all the way back to Ireland." "Huh?" "Yeah, it's full of memories." "And in the back, there's some blank pages, ready for you to put some more in." "Oh, ah." "Here, just flip through it when you get a second." " It's perfect." "I love you." " I love you too." "Okay, honey!" "All yours!" " Thank you!" " I'm gonna get a drink, all right?" " Ah, you would be so proud of me." "I separated all my dresses." "Party, daytime, formal." " What's in the other bag?" " Shoes." " Oh." "Of course." " All right, what do ya think?" " Ah, it's..." " Unh-uh." " No?" "" " Nuh-uh." " Okay." "You know, before we left, I treated myself to a manicure and a pedicure and some highlights," "and I don't even think your father noticed." " Well, you look great, mom." "That, great." " I'm glad you like it." "'Cause I bought it for you." " You didn't have to do that." " Yes I did, 'cause I liked it." "I looked at it in the store and I just saw you in it." "I thought, gosh, you'd just look beautiful in that." "You know, when you invited everybody, you said on the invitation that you wanted something personal, something special?" "Something that would inspire you, right?" " Mm-hmm." " Well, your daddy brought you the photo album, and I brought you this." "It's Seana's." " Yup, she made it for me when she knew I was going to be a mother." "You see the three stars, that's her, that's me, and that's you." "Three." " I can't take this." " What?" "Yes you can." " It's yours." " Shannon, you know that I have always said flowers are for the living." "That's yours." " Thanks, mom." " I love you." " Love you." " What is this?" " Oh, a beer?" " Yeah, absolutely." "Love these tops." " Yeah." " Yeah." " Salut." " Salut." " Ah, that is good." "I think we're just gonna order some pizza." " Oh, well, that's fine with me." " All right, what kind ya want?" " Well, anything but" "Canadian bacon." " I thought you liked bacon." " Oh, I love bacon, but Canadian bacon isn't bacon, it's ham." "It's Canadian ham, you know what I mean?" "I don't know how they get away with calling it bacon." "It's ham!" "I'm gonna file an injunction." " All right, I'm with ya." " So how's my grandson doin'?" " Hey." "Hello!" "How's my grandson?" " Doin' good, grandpa." "Just staying' busy." "School, studying', dancin'." "Same ol', same ol'." " Well, there ya go." "So how's the butcher business, Dr. scalpel?" " Same ol'." "Oh, here they go." "How cute." "Did she end up with a Unitard?" " Ha, that'll clear a room." " Stop it." " We're just gonna order pizza." " You just went to the store." " I just thought that it would be easier." " Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-no." "Once everyone's here, we're not leaving." " Why don't you come on out and show me where we're gonna have that portrait, huh?" " Check the lighting, honey." "Whew." " Yeah." " Whoo." "I don't think there's enough whiskey in all of Ireland to get through this weekend." " Forget Ireland." "Check the trunk of my car." " Thank you." " Bless me." " Oh, it is so beautiful." " Yeah." "I thought the same thing the first time I came out here." " You know who I think is the most excited about being here?" " Hm?" " Your granddad." "He rushed around the house trying to find his captain's uniform." "For the portrait, you know." "Is that all right?" " Absolutely." "Is he doin' okay?" " Yeah." "He gets tired, you know, but he still wants to be in complete control." "He sat in the backseat of the car and he was barking directions all the way here." "He is who he is." " Mom?" "About this weekend." " What is it, honey?" " Hey, mom." "Let me get a picture of you and Nana." " You better get my best side, you know." " All right, make sure that those end up in my studio." " Yes, ma'am." " You know who would have loved it here?" " Hm?" " Your grandma, Seana." "Oh, what a terrific lady." "Complicated, dressed to the nines, but very strict." "Did I ever tell you about the time" "I was in the bathroom, and she walked in on me, and she yelled at me because I wasn't sitting up straight enough on the toilet?" "I guess that's how she tried to love me." " I guess." " What's the matter, honey?" "What is it?" "Sometimes..." " What?" " I don't feel like I belong." " I don't think you should feel that way." "I mean, we're all here because we're connected to you." "We love you." "Well, I don't know what to say except," "why don't we have a drink?" "What do ya say?" "For your grandma." "We'll toast." " Hey, mom!" " Oh, hey!" " What are you doin'?" " Setting up, getting organized." "Whatcha got?" " Remember how you asked everybody to bring somethin' special for the portrait?" " Mm-hmm." "Aww." "Wow." " Remember?" " Of course I do." "It's the first show I ever took you to." " It was great, wasn't it?" " Mm-hmm." " I remember thinkin' it would be so great to learn how to dance like that." " And now you do." "Wow." " Oh, we took the pictures with 'em too, remember?" " Yeah!" "That really is a great night." "Wonderful memory." "Thank you." " Thanks, mom." "All right, see ya." " See ya." " Hello, sweetie." "Wine?" " Absolutely." " All right." "Liam, drink?" " Beer me!" " Yes, all right." " Beer me, what?" " There ya go." "There ya go!" " Poor baby." " Sorry." " A nice try though." " I would have given you one." " You sit down and tell me what you've been doin'." " Well, just getting organized." " Did you get our Liam's present?" " I did, and the album?" "It's amazing." " Yeah." "Did your mother tell you we're planning a cruise in the fall?" " No, she didn't." " Her idea." " Ugh, he sounds really excited, doesn't he?" " Mm-hmm." " It's a small boat, about 200 people." "We're goin' to Alaska before global warming destroys all the polar bears." " Mom, you don't like cold weather." " Oh, I know, but your daddy's gonna buy me a beautiful jacket, aren't you, daddy dear?" " Well, that's why we're goin', so she can get a new jacket." " Sounds fun, grandma." " Yeah, well, you can come along with us if you're not in school." " I can miss school to go see polar bears die." " No, you can't." " Dad?" " No, you can't." " Oh well, we'll work on him, okay." "See if we can work it, huh?" " Mmm." " If he help us to go, he can go." " All right, stop." "I wanna find out something." "How did you find this place?" " A friend of mine, she works at the gallery, she's been here before, so, yeah." " It's gorgeous." "It's perfect and rustic and great for a family gathering." "And I love it." " I'll drink to that." " He'll drink to anything." " Cheers." " Oh, did we wake you up?" " I'll get it." " Nuh-nuh-no." "I got it." " Everybody good on drinks?" " Yeah." " Hey." "It's good to see you." "Come on in." "Um, Maggie, Aiden, you remember my parents, and here are Francis, Liam, and Sam." " John, Maureen." "" " Sam." " Hi." "" " Hi." " Hey, Liam baby, take a picture of Nana for me." " Whose is that?" " Yo." "Yeah, just a sec." " Liam, where are you going?" " Sorry, Nana, I gotta take this." " I hate cellphones." " I am so sorry." " Hey, what's up?" "Yeah, we're at that house in the middle of nowhere." "My mom's painting a portrait." " Hey, Liam." " Baby, it's fine." " I guess so, sort of." "Yeah, the whole family." "She even brought her real mom and stepfather." "Can you believe that?" "I told you she was adopted." "Huh, I guess you can call them my grandparents, technically." "Hadn't thought of it." "Yeah, grandma and grandpa are here." "Yeah yeah, and Franny." "Oh no kidding, it was so ugly." "They came in last night." " Smoke bothering you?" " It's important to her." " Liam!" "Hang up the phone and get over here." " Sam." " It's rude." " Listen, I gotta go." "We're still on for tomorrow night." "Yep, yep, a'ight, later." " Honey, can we take a break for a minute?" " You know what, that is a great idea." "Everybody, let's take a break." " I gotta hit the head." " Sam, will you help daddy set up the grill?" " Yeah, sure." " Thank you." " So are you grillin' today or...?" " All right, what's next?" " I've got coleslaw in the fridge and a bowl in that drawer." " All right." " Maggie, you need anything?" " No." " Hm." " Hm?" " No, I was just, I just said, "hm."" "It was interesting what kind of potato salad you're making." " What's that mean?" " Doesn't mean anything, it just means it's interesting, all right?" "What are you puttin' in it?" " It's an all-mustard potato salad." " Mustard?" " That's right." " No, no mayonnaise?" " That's right." "No mayonnaise." " Why?" " 'Cause I don't like mayonnaise." " Well, but you always make potato salad with mayonnaise." " Well, not this one." " All right." "And why is that?" "Is that because of health or something?" "Because I read somewhere that mayonnaise is just as healthy as an avocado." " I don't know about that, mom." " I just never liked the stuff." " That's good to know, yeah?" " Yeah." "Oh." "Oh, that's just great." "So we're gonna have potato salad with mustard." "That's dandy." " I guess you just prefer the devil's sperm." " What?" "What did you just say?" " The devil's sperm." " Oh my god." " You prefer the devil's sperm?" " You're disgusting." "Jesus." "My god." "Why do you ever let her talk to me like that?" " Maggie." " Oh, you devil you." " John?" " I'll be right there." " Looks like someone salted her pie." " Everything okay?" " It could be anything." "Hey, Aiden." "Are you still out in Coryell county?" " That's right, still there." "I do most of my work out of Jonesboro these days." " Well, what are you doin' to keep busy?" " Same thing that's kept me busy for the last 40 years, electrical work mostly." "A little carpentry, odd jobs here and there." " Oh, here we go." " We could certainly use a good handyman up in the big d." "The only thing I can manage to change are my diapers." " And we pray that he remembers to change 'em every day." " There we go, I knew it." " John, you still practice law?" " He knows the license plate of every ambulance in Tarrant county." " Yeah, I'm still a partner." "They haven't caught me yet." " What do you know about life insurance?" " I know if Maureen knew how much money we had, she would have run me over years ago." "Why, what's up?" "What do ya need?" " I, ah, I'm thinking of changing our policy, age and all, but these regulations of preexisting conditions and stuff." "I was just wondering if you knew someone" " I could talk to." "" " Mom." "Will you help me?" " Ah, well I could email you a couple of names." "You just send me all of your information and I'll do it when I get back." " If you don't mind, yeah, that'd be great." " No, I'd like to do it." " Thank you, thank you." " Sure." "Yeah, excuse me, guys, for a minute." "What's the problem, Maureen?" " You won't believe what she said to me." " Momma, please." " Can't we just..." " mom!" "Please." " Fine." " Look, look, look, look, over there on that branch." " What is that, a bird?" " That's a brown-headed cowbird." " Oh god, not this again." " What's a cowbird?" " Well, a cowbird is a member of the blackbird family and they've evolved to follow around the herds of cows and sheep and buffalos and it picks the ticks off of their backs." " Wow, this is just like animal planet." " There it is." " Keep goin', daddy." " She's a brood parasite." " What's a brood parasite?" " Ah ha, see, the curiosity of youth." "A brood parasite, see that's when the female cowbird lays her eggs in the nest of other birds, right." " So they make the other birds raise their babies?" " Exactly." " Hey!" "What're you sayin'?" " Maggie, he didn't mean anything." " God, that's, I'm sorry," "I didn't mean anything really by it." " I know." "She'll be all right, just let her go." "Probably best to just leave her alone for a bit." " Sorry." " Aren't you proud of yourself?" " Hey." " Hey." " Come back down and join us." " Nnh." "I lost my appetite." " Daddy didn't mean anything." "He has really been into birds." "We got him this book last Christmas." "I wasn't hungry anyway." " How are you?" " Fine." " The hospital?" " Took in a couple of extra shifts." "I'm workin' six days a week." " Busy's good." " Yeah, I guess." " I'm busy too." "I had a few gallery showings and a couple new commissions." " That's nice, real nice." " A lot of hard work but..." " But what?" " Why'd you stop painting?" " Oh." "Well, I never had the time or the means to do anything with it." "I was so busy at the hospital." "I just had a whole lotta things goin' on." " I'm sorry." " For what?" " Well, didn't you love it?" " Hrmph, love has nothing to do with it, Shannon." "I do what I do to survive." " I didn't mean..." " What?" "What are you talkin' about?" " I just was, was just trying to talk." " Talk about what?" " I was just tryin' to," "I really don't know you or anything about your life, my father..." " Shannon?" "I don't want to talk about it." "Besides it's really none of your business." " What do you mean?" " Ahh, well, I see where this is goin', mm-hmm." "Next thing you're gonna tell me" "I'm the one that ruined your life." "Hm?" " You don't get it, do you?" "I was nine years old when I had my first sleepover, and it was great, until it was time to go to bed." "I was just lying there, thinkin', worrying, that no one was going to come back and pick me up in the morning." "My friend's mother found me in the middle of the night, crying in a corner." "She had to call my parents to come pick me up." "So it's my fault that you couldn't spend the night at your friend's house?" " I stood in the front door in my nightgown for my parents to come." "I didn't think they were coming." "But, of course, they did." " So it's all about you, isn't it?" "Well..." "I was 17, thought I was in love, and I got pregnant and I didn't want to have a baby." "Your father blamed me for it, so did my parents." "No, I didn't want to have you, but I didn't have a choice." "And when I gave you up, you weren't supposed to come back, ever." "I moved on with my life." "Do you understand?" "This has nothin' to do with love." "This has nothin' to do with whether I loved you or not." "The truth is, the day you were born was the worst day of my life, 'cause I wasn't ready to grow up." " Sorry you feel that way." " I shouldn't be judged for being honest." " No." "Not at all." "You are who you are." " All right, here we go!" " Honey, could you give me a minute so I could run into the little ladies' room and check my face?" " That's right, you're the only one in this damn picture." " It is not a picture, it is a portrait." "It is a family portrait." "Now, I think it means a great deal to Shannon, so I think we should all look our best." " No, you're right, Maureen." "Your face could use some more work." " Maggie, give it a break, will ya?" " Just shut your face." " I hit a nerve, did I?" " Dammit, that's enough!" "Maybe we should all stop thinking about ourselves for a few minutes and try to remember why we're here." " I think that's a very good idea." " And I thought pork chop hill was bad." " Ugh, you would not believe what's goin' on." "Naw, we're all out there posing' for the portrait, and my grandma starts picking' a fight with my mom's real mom." "Classic." "They did not trade blows." "That would have been cool." "Yeah, yeah, I'll be out there in about 20 minutes." "Mm-hmm, yeah, we passed it on the way in." "I'll meet ya there." "All right, bye." " So..." "How you doin', honey?" " I'm starting to think this weekend was a mistake." " No, it wasn't a mistake." "The guest list was a mistake." " Mom." " Oh, she's a hateful woman." " Mom, god!" "It's not about you." " I know it was your decision, but I think you could be a little bit more understanding about the other people around here." "I mean, your daddy and Sam, Liam, me..." " are you saying I'm not being sympathetic?" " No, I'm not saying that." "You convinced yourself that this was gonna be one big happy family this weekend." "I mean, w-we've talked about this." "You do it a lot." "You make up your mind and then the doors close and the lock is locked and nobody can get in anym..." " maybe I don't want anyone in!" "Do you ever think about that?" "Maybe I just want to fit in, something I've been trying to do since the fifth grade and those fucking, fucking family trees." " Whew." "Well, you know you were four-weeks-old when your daddy and I brought you home." "I remember asking the woman at the adoption agency what I should do, and she said, "oh, you just take her home and you love her."" "Well, that sure wasn't enough." "Can't tell you how long it took for me to feel adequate and not guilty for taking you away" "from another woman, a woman who happened to be your mother." "Dammit, I knew it." "I knew when you were young that at some point you were gonna go out and you would try to find her." "That real mother of yours." "Oh god, I was so scared, so scared that you'd love her more than you love me." " Hey, Liam." "Where ya headed?" " Goin' for a run." " Yeah, I guess we both needed to get out of there for a little bit." " What's goin' on with them, dad?" "Why they fightin' over mom?" " It's complicated." " It's just weird." "Why can't they just get along anyways?" " That would be great." "They just don't see it that way." " Well, at least I got some good photos." "They're even smiling in some, so guess they got along okay, right?" " Yeah, a picture's worth a thousand words, right?" " Yeah, I guess so." " Do you know why people smile in pictures?" "Because we tell 'em to." "You can tell somebody to smile and say "cheese,"" "but you can't really fake being happy." "Your mom, she's just, she's trying to figure it all out." "You know, find a way to be happy." "Or at least content." " Mom's not happy?" " It's not that simple." "Sometimes she's happy." "She's trying to connect with her past." "Trying to connect with her past and present." "She wants to find out where she came from so that she understands who she is." "Life isn't just a picture." "It's a series of events all strung together, like a puzzle, but no matter how hard she tries," "she may never find all the pieces." "And let's face it, women have more pieces than men." " I think I'm gonna take off." " I don't blame ya." "Hey, Liam?" "You got your cellphone on ya?" "All right, don't stay gone too long." " All right, let's play ball!" " All right, let's go it." " Now you see close only counts in horseshoes..." "And hand grenades!" " Hey!" " Right, pop?" " He was in the Korean war." " Wow, what was that like?" " It was like a beautiful picnic, set on fire." " Nice shot!" " Franny?" "Stay awake." "Hey!" " I'm so hungry I could eat the ass out of a low-flying duck." "Oh, great." "Well, have a seat and you two are gonna sit next to Franny." " Can I get anybody else a drink while I'm up?" "Hey pops, I got you a bourbon and water, all right?" " Ah, you talked me into it." " For the love of Pete!" "Who made this Shepherd's pie?" " Wow." " Team effort." " I was part of the team!" " I watched while they made it." "Hey, can you help me out and bring it over?" " Oh, sure." " Oh, I can smell it from here." "Look at that." " Looks delicious." " Oh, that looks good." " Ooh!" " There we go, Aiden." " All right." "I would like to make a toast." "Thank you all for coming." "I know I've thrown you some curveballs." " Some curveballs?" " It's not what you were expecting, but I've been thinking about this weekend for a long time." "It's been a dream of mine and the gifts you have brought, they meant a lot to me." "So, thank you and cheers." " Cheers." " Cheers." " If it's okay, I'd like to read something." "It's a letter I sent home to your grandma from the war in Korea." "It was pork chop hill." ""Good morning, darling." ""Here is another day without you," ""but nevertheless, you are forever on my mind." ""Yesterday I received your letter." ""You'll never know how happy that made me." ""It gave me new life and new strength to carry on." ""This is the first chance I've had to write" ""since we staged an attack in two villages" ""in the high mountain." ""We fought all day and only advanced a few miles" ""and we paid for it dearly with blood and lives." ""I was in a daze for most of it," ""with a prayer and your name on my lips." ""Every step I took I thought of you," ""and about our time when we would be together soon." ""At present, I have 12 men under my command" ""and we're guarding 80 enemy prisoners." ""This'll all be over soon," ""and I'll be on my way home to your loving arms." ""I love you more than the words of this letter can express." ""Your loving husband, Francis."" "I brought this for you, sweetie." " I love you." " Would you mind if I said a blessing?" " Please." " Bless, o lord, this food we are about to eat and we pray you, god, that it will be good for our body and soul." "And if there be any poor creatures hungry or thirsty walking along the road, send them in to us that we could share this food with them, just as you share your gifts with all of us." "Amen." " Amen." "" " Amen." " All right!" "Where are you going?" "Ah." " Dun-dun-dah!" "All right, all right, everybody smile." " Okay." " Smile, c'mon!" " All right!" "Now who would like some Shepherd's pie?" "All right, you're gonna have to pass your plates." "It's too hot." " This looks fantastic." " Want some butter?" "Thank you." " You want some bread?" " I think I'm gonna..." " This is so good." " Could someone pass me some bread, please?" " Oh, sure." " Would you like some butter?" " There we go." " There we go." " And me too." "Pass it down." " I'd like some more whiskey." "Is that okay?" " Sure." " Me too." " Trade ya." "Get this stuff off of..." " Oh, that smells so good, darling." " There ya go." " Liam, did you know that Maggie was quite a dancer in her day?" " Maggie?" "A dancer?" "I didn't know that." "I wouldn't have known that in a million years." " So you danced?" " Oh yeah, as a girl I did," "a little." "We went on a tour a little bit one summer." " Liam darling, would you pass the salt and pepper?" " There you go." " Thank you for all of it." " Shannon," "I bought something dear to my heart too..." "For you." "Yeah." "There's these newlyweds and they're in a hotel room in the honeymoon suite," "and the groom decides that he's gonna let the wife know exactly where she stands before the marriage, so he takes off his trousers and he throws them at her, and he says, "put those on!"" "And she says, "I can't wear your trousers!"" "And he says, "and don't you forget it!" "'Cause I'm the one that's always gonna wear the pants in this family."" "And the bride," "she takes off her knickers." "Throws 'em at him and says," ""well try these on."" "And the groom says, "I can't wear your g..."" "oh!" "No, no!" ""I can't get into your knickers!"" "And the bride says, "and don't-"" "oh, "and you never bloody will if you don't change your attitude."" " See what I live with?" " Well, better you than us." "Ohh." "What is wrong with you?" " Me?" " Yeah, you." "I'm just trying to lighten things up a little bit, but oh, no." " You're doing a hell of a job, yeah." " Woman, you're a nasty piece of work." " Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute." " You are nasty." " No no, wait one second." "Anybody else, you want a drink, do you want another drink here at the table?" " Well, I think she's had enough." " Oh, yeah I've had enough." "I've had enough of you for this lifetime!" " Look, nobody is holding you hostage, dear." "You can leave any time you want." " Well, I didn't even want to come here in the first place, did I, huh?" "And I certainly never, never would have come if I'd known you were gonna be here." " Well, then why did you come?" "You can go, you are free to go." "Don't you understand?" "You have given me everything I have ever wanted with this woman at the end of the table." "So go on, go ahead, run, run." "Run away." "We don't need you here." " You're a rude fucking cow." " And you're a disgusting pig." " Yeah, well go eat shit, bitch." "You go home!" " All right, that's enough!" "That's enough!" " You bitch." " Goddamn it, that's enough!" " Maggie?" " Oof!" " Y'all are gonna wanna go see this." "No, seriously, you gotta see what I have planned." " Oh, Shannon, I'm hunting." "Come on now." " Wait!" " Ladies?" "Ladies!" "I'll take it from here." " Why did I think this would be any different than it is?" " Sweetheart, don't kick yourself too hard." "The weekend isn't over yet." "How the hell did you arrange all this without anyone gettin' wind of it?" " It was Liam." "He put the whole thing together with his friends." " C'mon." "I still got some kick left in me." " Well?" " We shall see." "Drink?" " Oh yeah." " Whoo-hoo!" " Knock, knock." "Hey." " Hey." " Been in here all night long?" " Most of it." " Everything okay?" " Eh, couldn't sleep." " I brought you some tea." " No." " Okay." "That was some surprise party last night." "I had no idea you planned it." "How did you pull that off without me findin' out?" " The dancing?" "That was all Liam." "Pretty sneaky, huh?" " Yeah, real sneaky." "Impressive." "Was it what you expected?" " I was hoping we'd all have a good time." "Maggie would relax a bit and enjoy the music, we'd all get to know each other." "Guess I was asking for too much." " "Hey, you wanna try my pants on?"" "C'mon, it was funny." " My mother didn't think so." " Yeah." "I just don't think those two are ever gonna get along." "I mean, the only thing they have in common is you." " Shouldn't that be enough?" " It should be." " I wasn't expecting this to be some big love fest." "I wanted this to pull us all closer together, not tear us further apart." " Cut yourself a break." "Heck, those two..." "It's just not gonna happen." " You really think smoking is a good idea right now?" " Not like it's gonna kill me." " I wish you wouldn't talk like that." " Well, why quit now?" " Because I'm asking you to." "Maggie, I love you." " I know you do." " Listen, I know you didn't want to come here, but you're doing this for me, so this morning, please talk to Shannon." "We need her, you need her." "Please go and find her and tell her you're sorry about last night." "Can you do that for me?" " Just for you." " Thank you." " What the hell?" "Would you please close the door?" "What are you lookin' at?" "Oh, Christ." " Mornin'." "How's everythin' goin' in here?" " Just finishing what I came here to do." " Can I come in?" " Sure." " Sable brushes." " I like the way they glide across the canvas." " May I take a peek?" "Mmm, yeah." "Oh, it's comin' along real good." " Slowly." "It's still missin' some pieces." " Yeah." "I guess we have some things we don't know about each other." " That's why I invited you here this weekend." "So we could learn those things." "Some of 'em." " Shannon, as much as you want it, you can't fit a lifetime into three days." "Will you look at me for a moment, please?" "I'm sorry about last night." "I had a few too many and I really shouldn't have acted that way." "I'm very sorry." " It's not an easy situation for any of us." "Especially you." "I appreciate you being here." " I appreciate you inviting me." "Maureen and I just..." " I love my mother." " Oh, I know you do." " She's good to me." " You know, in the world that I come from," "you didn't get pregnant unless you were married." "And even then, you sure as hell didn't tell anyone." "When it happened to me I was, hmm," "I was scared and ashamed and alone." "I wore the biggest clothes I could find, trying to hide it" "and then when I outgrew 'em, I sewed my own." "Tryin' to hide the truth." "But you can't hide the truth." "Can you, Shannon?" "You can't hide the truth." "My daddy, he screamed at me so loud." "I thought he was gonna kill me." "And my mother," "she was so drunk, you know, she couldn't stop crying." "I don't think she ever looked at me again after that." "When the nurse..." "Handed me you," "I held you so tight." "I didn't want to say goodbye." "And after that, I..." "I got numb for a while." "I started wondering', is this a dream or did it really happen?" "After that, that moment..." "I was so angry" "and bitter," "and I hated myself for what I had done to you." " I don't hate you, Maggie." "I don't." " I would not blame you if you did." " I get it." "That must have been so hard." "I am sincerely grateful for what you did." "Well, better get back to work if I'm gonna ever finish this." "We'll see ya outside, okay?" " That's why I'm here." " Hello." " Hello to you." "Can I help?" " Yeah." "Now take an end." "Put it down here in front of me." " And this one?" " Uh-huh." "I'm gonna set it on the end." " All right." "I just hope we don't get rained out." " Yeah, me too." " Maybe we can all hold matching umbrellas." "I think it's been done." " You got a heck of a family, Shannon." " Yeah, I like 'em." " And thanks for havin' us." "I'm really sorry about last night." " It's okay." "I talked to Maggie." " Well..." "Is there anything else I can do for you?" " Gather the troops, quickly." " No problem, I'm on it." " Thanks, Aiden." " Hey, mom." "Check this out." "Come on, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon." " I'm hurrying." " Hurry!" " Oh!" " Boom." "How ya feelin' today?" " I'm good." " How 'bout last night?" " I am so proud of you." "How did you get your friends to come here?" "You'll never know how much that meant to me." "Now, if we can just get through the rest of the day." " I'm gonna take one more." " Ah!" "Oh, jeez." " Oh man." "You have got to be kidding me." "Give me these." "I guess I will work in the studio until this passes." " Poor thing." "All those interruptions." "I don't think she's ever gonna get it finished." "What's the matter?" "Are you feelin' okay?" " Oh, I think my body's given out on me." "I'm just gonna sit here for a minute." " I'm gonna go get Sam." " No, don't bother." "Not unless he stopped bein' a doctor and started diggin' graves." " Maggie, don't talk like that." "It's gonna be okay." " You're gonna be fine." "" " Aiden." " You're gonna speak with Shannon today and you're gonna ask her." "That's why we're here, and we need to find out now." " Well, we sure didn't come for the conversation." " No, but that's exactly what we need to have, a conversation with Shannon!" " Well, how about somethin' like this?" ""Hi, sweetie!" ""I gave you up for adoption when you were born" ""because I didn't want you," ""and now I'm dyin' and I need a liver transplant" ""and I'd like you to be a living organ donor for me!"" "Hmm?" "How's that, honey?" " Go ahead, joke about it, but we have to find out if she can help." " Hey." " Hello, dear." "Get it, deer?" " Will you round everyone up?" "I think I can get what I need to finish, okay?" " Sure, I'll do it for a buck." " Oh gosh." "Go!" "Hey, it's Sam." "Ah, Shannon sent me up." "She's ready to wrap things up." "Can you guys come down?" " Ah, just a second." "Um, Maggie's runnin' out of steam." " Is everything okay?" " Um..." " I just need to freshen up." "I'll be right down." " Is there anything I can do?" " Everything's fine." "We'll be down in a few minutes." " Okay." "If there is anything I can do." " Nah, we're good." "We're good." "Uh, we'll be right down, thanks." " Okay." "Probably." "We need to get this done then we can go fishing." " Are you guys talking about fishing?" " Again." " There he is." "Hey, Liam, what's wrong?" " Why don't you ask her?" " Liam." " No, Aiden." "I think you should tell her." " Aiden, let's leave." " No, we won't." "Ask her." "Ask her right now." " Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "What are you talking about?" " I just heard them talkin' on the balcony." "She's dying, mom." "She needs a liver donor." " Maggie." " She wants you to do it." "That's the only reason they're here." " Oh, w-wait." "I don't understand what's going on." " Partial liver transplant." " They were talkin' about how they could drop it on mom so that she'd agree to it." " She's dying, Shannon." " Oh, this is unbelievable." " Maggie, why didn't you just say something?" " This whole thing is my fault." "I made her come." "Don't blame it on her." "Listen, I'm not proud of a lot of things" "I've done in my life, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand here and pretend that we weren't hoping that Shannon could help." "If we went about this the wrong way, I'm sorry." "If we hurt your feelings, I'm very, very sorry." "I don't know what to do, Shannon." "I've no right to, but I'm begging you." " Maggie?" " I never wanted any of this." "I wasn't supposed to be in your life, and you weren't supposed to be in mine." "But that all changed when you found me." "You grew up," "it was a good family." "You have a wonderful mother and father." "You married a good, smart man, kind." "Maureen, you surrounded her with a loving family," "something' I couldn't offer her." "And just knowin' that," "it's given me a sense of peace that I..." "I haven't felt in a very long time." "In a very, very long time." " It's okay." "It's okay." "We're gonna figure this out, okay?" "Maggie and I were strangers in many ways." "Who knows, maybe we weren't meant to meet." "I know she didn't think we were supposed to, but something pushed us together." "Whether it was me searching to find myself or Maggie searching for a match," "which I was not," "something forced us to connect." "Maggie thought her life was a failure because she made bad decisions." "But that's not true." "She had me, she put me up for adoption." "She gave me life." "And because of that, she gave me all the people who taught me how to live it." "And she gave me three days in August," "and for that, I am eternally grateful."