"Did you make your list of amends?" "Yeah, yeah." "Got 'em right here." "Here you are." "No, please, read aloud." "Number one, to see my daughter, get her to talk to me again." "How long has it been now?" "Eight years." "Number two, get my gig back at the club." "Playing piano down at Drake's?" "Yeah." "Number three, get my family to forgive me." "Which are you doing first?" "My daughter." "What are you going to do?" "I got a plan." "You have one unheard message, sent today at 9:35 A.M." "Hello, Othell." "I got your voice message, and my answer is no." "No, I will not help you see Nima." "She doesn't want to see you." "She doesn't need to see you." "She's good now." "And I'm..." "I'm good, too." "Don't call me again." "And don't contact Nima." "Hey, baby." "What are you working on?" "Just some new projects." "What are you up to?" "Here's your lunch I promised." "Did you make this?" "I did." "Try it." "Turkey." "That's good." "Do you think I'm thoughtful?" "I was reading this article on perfect partnerships, and it says that a good partner is always thoughtful." "That's why I'm asking you if you think I'm thoughtful." "Yes, I think you are very thoughtful." "Absolutely." "You know, I think about all the thoughtful things you do and the thoughtful person you are, and I just..." "I get misty-eyed." "Stop it." "Go on, eat." "Eat it right now?" "With you watching me?" "Just take a bite, I want to see if you like it." "Yeah." "I was thinking..." "Do you think having your father walk me down the aisle is going to look weird?" "Would you rather your father do it?" "Not unless there was a firing squad at the other end." "Okay." "Are you picking me up for dinner?" "Absolutely." "I'm gonna go finish up the music for my concert." "How's that coming?" "It's good." "I'm just a little bit nervous." "It's the first time I'm composing several pieces." "Don't be." "You're great." "You are talented." "You're beautiful." "I'll see you tonight." "Absolutely." "Eat all your lunch!" "Bye-bye -bye!" "How can I help... you." "No, there's no need for that." "Security." "I need you in here right now." "You don't need to do that." "I just want to talk to you for a few minutes." "I know how it looks." "Just wait right there." "Security!" "I know you're thinking it's something else, but I just need a few minutes of your time." "Security!" "You think you can give me a few minutes of your time, sir?" "You don't really know me, you know, but you do kind of know me." "Come with me, sir." "Look, I'm Nima's father!" "We got a breach." "Nima Simone Babineaux, born September the 20th, 1985." "She has a scar on her knee that she tells people comes from climbing a tree when she was 8." "I mean, that girl's never climbed a tree in her life." "He's okay." "You sure?" "Yeah, that girl don't climb no trees." "I'll be right outside." "Mr. Babineaux." "So you're Nima's father." "Yes." "Well..." "What can I do for you?" "I need you to help me find a way that I can see Nima." "You know, I really wish I could help you, but I don't think she wants to see you." "I need you to make it so that she does." "Mr. Babineaux..." "I'm just meeting you for the first time, and Nima barely mentions you." "Let's say..." "I'm dying." "Are you dying, Mr. Babineaux?" "A little." "You're dying a little." "I don't follow." "My counselor told me that I could have died if I didn't stop drinking." "You could have died." "Did you stop drinking?" "Yes." "But..." "I could have died." "Can we play that up?" "No, I'm sorry." "I wish I could help you, but I really can't." "My counselor..." "Wanted me to work on this list." "I'm sorry, I..." "I wish I could help, I really do." "I just have way too much on my plate right now." "I'm sorry." "Babe, how was your day?" "Interesting." "Why?" "What happened?" "Nothing, just had to turn down a project." "Busy with more important things." "Well, don't be mad." "I paid for the flowers today." "I just wanted it done." "No, you just..." "You just didn't trust me to do what I said I was gonna do." "I told you I was gonna take care of the flowers, and you decided to handle it yourself." "Spence, let's not get in an argument over calla lilies." "It's not about the flowers, it's never about just flowers." "It's..." "I told you I was..." "Hey, Nima." "Mr. Babineaux, what are you doing here?" "I thought maybe we could talk." "Right now probably isn't the best time." "Nima?" "Geez." "Nice." "Nima!" "How do you know him?" "I don't." "He showed up at my office today." "Did you invite him?" "No." "He came by to ask if I could help him talk to you." "You just listened to what he had to say?" "I mean, yeah." "After everything I've told you." "Baby, all you ever said was that he wasn't around." "Any time his name comes up, you get so angry, we can't even have a conversation." "What else would I have to say?" "What did you expect me to do?" "Can you please take me home?" "Are you mad at me?" "Just take me home." "Mr. Babineaux." "Well, y'all will never believe who I saw yesterday." "Who?" "My father." "What?" "Yes." "My father." "Did you shake him?" "Did you toss hot grease in his lap?" "Did you open-palm slap him?" "I need details." "Okay, Rochelle, she would never do that." "I would absolutely do all of that, Tiffany." "All right..." "But I didn't." "I just left." "Why was he there in the first place?" "Spence claims that he came by the office to see him and he asked for his help in repairing our relationship." "Cute." "No." "Exactly." "Nima, it's... it's time for you to fix things with him." "Sweetie, you're getting married." "What does getting married have to do with any of that?" "Because you're starting a new life, and, typically, you want all to be well in your world." "All is well." "You know, you just..." "You don't understand." "Okay, I see." "It's because I have a dad, right?" "Is that what it is?" "Yes." "Okay." "You two, I..." "But Rochelle and I have the better version of dads." "Okay, what's that?" "They're called moms." "Whatever." "You know what?" "Boo!" "Othell Babineaux." "Come here, man!" "Benny Mitchell!" "How you doing, brother?" "What's happening, cat daddy?" "Man, I ain't see you in what, five years?" "We were in that Mexican jail." "You were in that Mexican jail." "Stop." "You playing anywhere?" "Well, you know, I'm..." "I fix cars." "All that talent and you changing oil?" "You got something here for me, Benny?" "Man." "I can't..." "Not after the missed practices, showing up to gigs drunk." "I mean, you punched a guy in the audience, Othell." "He was heckling me, man." "He was clapping, o." "Look..." "I need this, Benny." "I'm clean." "How long?" "Two months, four days, and seven and a half hours." "O..." "I'm rooting for you more than anybody." "But you gotta prove you can be a reliable musician, man." "Yeah, we got another spot for a piano player, but I can only give it to someone who's gonna show up on time, come to rehearsal without a bottle in his hand, and not throw up during a set, brother." "That happened once." "It was on the bass player." "Jimmy's still mad about that?" "The suit was new." "Look..." "If you can stay clean another month, come back and see me." "You know, I can look at you and tell you ain't ready yet." "Let me introduce you to my wife, Martha, while you're here." "Hey, baby." "You have got to be kidding me." "You still stalking me?" "I want you and Nima to come to my mama's 80th birthday party in Savannah." "Yeah." "Well, good-bye, Mr. Babineaux." "Wait, wait, wait, Spence, please, just give me a minute." "You know, I made it very clear to you before..." "I can't help you." "And instead of sitting down and figuring out what you could do for your daughter, the first thing you do is ask her to do something for you." "You're everything she always said you were." "You're selfish." "Then don't do this for me." "Do it for Nima." "Come on, Spence, you're a good man, but we both know that deep down inside," "Nima wants to fix this, too." "You're a psychologist now?" "No, no." "But I let my issues with my daddy ruin my marriage." "Well, I'm not gonna let that happen to ours." "You can't control how people respond to pain." "I don't want to hurt her again." "I just want a chance." "Will you give me that?" "Are you gonna..." "Finish this?" "Baby, you want a drink?" "No, I'm fine." "Babe..." "What's the story with your dad?" "I need to know." "You know what?" "I don't like talking about him." "Not even for me?" "Please?" "Why this sudden interest?" "It's not sudden." "I always wanted to know." "Baby, that's in the past." "That has nothing to do with you and me." "Mwah." "Except that it has absolutely everything to do with you and me." "What does that mean?" "Baby, you don't trust me." "Yes, I do." "Not with your whole heart." "You remember when your grandfather was terminally ill?" "You didn't tell me for two weeks, and you claimed it was 'cause I was busy at work, but I'm never too busy for you." "You don't trust me emotionally." "Okay." "Wait." "Where is this coming from?" "Did you talk to him again?" "A little." "You talked to him a little?" "Look, he came by my job today when I was having lunch, and we talked." "He's actually getting to you." "These are my feelings." "They're not his." "He's a conniving liar, Spence." "What did he say?" "Okay, I know this is out of nowhere and it's last-minute, but he said he wants us to go with him to Savannah for your grandmother's 80th birthday party." "No!" "Do you know how selfish that is for him to even ask me that?" "But I want to fix this." "I want to fix this." "No, no, no, no." "You're trying to fix me." "Yeah." "I'm gonna go." "I have to leave." "Babe." "Okay?" "Good night." "Baby?" "Where are my shoes?" "I live here." "You go." "Okay." "I knew you lived here." "I didn't know what you were doing." "Did you think about it?" "Yeah." "And?" "Yeah, you know, I just..." "I don't..." "I don't want to." "I have no desire to mend my relationship with him." "I know that sounds horrible, but it's true." "Baby, he stalked me." "I know." "No, I want you to think about that, almost to the point of getting arrested." "He stalked me for three weeks." "Baby, he wanted me to lie and tell you he was dying." "He's crafty." "No, baby, he's desperate." "So maybe you could look deep inside that beautiful heart of yours and do this because he needs it." "Not because you do." "Look at these." "It's pretty." "What you reading?" "My favorite magazine." "Are you really ready to do this, Nima?" "I thought about it all night." "But I've decided I'm going to go to Savannah." "It should earn me double heaven points." "Heaven points?" "Yes." "When you perform selfless acts, you get points that help get you into heaven." "Everyone knows that." "Who's here?" "I'm not expecting anybody." "It's probably Charles." "Charles?" "Charles who?" "He's just a friend of mine." "Why is Charles at my door?" "He doesn't live far from here, and since I was coming to see you..." "Well, it didn't make sense for him to drive across town." "You are looking too good today." "Good afternoon!" "You must be Nima, the beautiful daughter of this beautiful woman." "And you are?" "Charles, Covington, Dr. Charles Covington." "You work with my mom at the hospital?" "Yes, yeah." "I'm a gynecologist." "Of course you are." "Where are you taking my mother?" "I've had the finest restaurant downtown shut down just so we could dance alone." "Romantic?" "Sounds like a waste of money." "My dear, nothing is a waste of money when you have enough." "Yeah, you're like the p." "Diddy of reproduction." "Diddy?" "Yeah, I like that!" "No." "Could you wait right here one minute?" "Maybe." "What is wrong with you?" "Mama, who is that crazy dude?" "He's my date." "He is a bad decision." "Yeah." "I'll be right with you." "Can I help you?" "Yeah, I want to use one of the pianos." "Yes." "Just sign in right here." "Miss Babineaux." "What are you doing here?" "I thought it was your day off." "It is." "Did I leave my music sheets here?" "Yes, you did." "I think." "Thanks." "Does that say "Othell Babineaux?"" "Spence told me to give you this whenever you found out." "He paid for some gentleman to use the extra piano to practice for some gig." "Of course he did." "He was only supposed to be here on your day off." "Hey!" "Mr. Babineaux." "You know, I thought I said I could come get you." "Well, you know, I wanted to show you this." "Okay." "I guess that saves time." "Othell?" "Well, you're looking better." "You look really nice yourself." "It's really good to see you again." "I gotta go." "Hi." "Hello, Nima." "It's gonna be a long trip." "Finally getting on the road." "Would anyone like a Lancaster soft cream?" "You used to love caramel, Nima." "I love these things." "Yeah, I used to..." "Okay." "Is he okay?" "Mama!" "Mama!" "Hey!" "Mama!" "You made it!" "Go on back to the table, Melinda." "All these extra people." "I'm so happy to see you!" "How are you?" "Well..." "I'm doing fine, mama." "I'm fine." "You put on a few extra pounds there, son." "Yes, I have." "I have." "Well, who are these young, attractive people you got with you?" "Mama..." "That's Nima..." "And her fiancé, Spence." "My granddaughter." "Baby!" "Honey!" "I been waiting my whole life to meet you." "Well..." "Please, go on in." "Y'all just in time for dinner." "Look who's here!" "Hey, everybody." "Y'all not gonna say hello?" "Hello." "Hey, bro." "Well, o brought his daughter, Nima." "And her fiancé, Spence." "Well, this is your uncle James and his wife, Denise." "People used to always say that James and Othell looked the most alike." "This is your uncle Joseph and his wife, Nancy." "Joseph is the quiet one of the bunch." "And this is my second oldest, Melinda." "And my youngest, Marvin." "His family couldn't make it." "Well, y'all go on and sit down." "His family never makes it." "Well, y'all know that I'm not much for words." "Right, mama." "But I just wanted to say thank you, all of you, for coming out to my 80th birthday party." "I want to thank my second-eldest Melinda." "She did a beautiful job with this party." "Thank you." "And I want to thank James and Joseph for the cake and the lovely portrait for the living room." "But I am most excited that Othell and my granddaughter Nima are sitting at this table together." "Nima and Spence, I'm so glad to have you here." "Let's eat!" "Yes!" "Mama, did James tell you about his good news?" "No, baby, what happened?" "Well, mama, I was offered a position at hennig and white." "My baby brother now works for the largest law firm in the country." "Soon to be walking in his father's footsteps, becoming a judge." "Well, congratulations, baby." "Joseph has good news, too." "Go ahead, Joseph." "Go on, tell her." "I passed the bar." "Congratulations, baby brother." "Now, let's see." "Dad, god rest his soul, was an esteemed judge." "Mama, a retired nurse." "I'm a doctor." "We have two lawyers." "And, Marvin, he's a top financial advisor." "Yes." "Good." "Othell, what do you do?" "Your brother's fine, Melinda." "Mama, I know he's fine." "It's just been such a long time." "I haven't seen him in years." "I don't remember what he does." "I have a..." "A car repair shop." "You have, or you had?" "Melinda!" "No, mama." "This is a special day for family." "Not for a man who was too drunk to attend his own father's funeral." "Would you shut up?" "How could you ruin my birthday party with this your stupid, stuck-up ways?" "I'm sorry, mama." "I'm sorry." "Shut up!" "Just shut up." "Hey, what do you say we take a walk, check out the pond?" "Now, I haven't seen the pond in years." "Sure." "It's still there." "All right, I'll get something out of the car." "I'll catch up with you." "All right." "A lot of memories down here." "Yeah, yeah." "Yeah, there is." "What you been up to, man?" "I tried to..." "I tried to call you a couple of times." "Your number keeps changing." "Well, I ain't been doing nothing, man." "Did you ever get your..." "Your gig back at the club?" "No." "I got a promotion on Friday." "$10,000 raise." "My wife..." "She's pregnant with our third child." "Good things are happening." "And I..." "I hate it." "I..." "I hate my life, Othell." "What?" "I hate my job." "I hate..." "I don't like my wife..." "Very much." "I'm living a life I ain't choose." "That's 'cause daddy chose it for you." "I..." "I didn't like it, but..." "I understood why you didn't come to the funeral, you know." "I mean, you were the only one out of all of us who ever went after your dreams instead of just doing what senior told us to do." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, and he hated me for it." "Y'all all did." "I don't." "You... you shut me out." "I was always envious of you." "You know, I can't keep a job to save my life." "I'm an alcoholic." "I lost my wife..." "My best friend." "And my daughter wishes that I was dead." "You envious of that?" "Yeah." "At least you chose your misery." "Man." "You're crazy, man." "You're crazy." "Daddy, he..." "He just didn't understand you, Othell." "You scared him." "He was a man of routine." "He knew one way to get to success." "We all just fell in line." "You refused." "You know, the day he died..." "I started rummaging through..." "Through his closet in the library." "Remember, he didn't let anybody go into it?" "He kept these." "Those are the playbills, man." "He was proud of you, brother." "He just didn't know how to show it." "Thank you." "Thank you, man." "Come on, now!" "Wait, wait!" "Come on, man." "Are you out of your mind?" "What's going on?" "What's going on?" "What's going on, Nima?" "Your daughter slapped Melinda." "She did?" "Yes." "Say something else about my mama and I will do it again." "You better get this little illegitimate cheat out of my mama's house!" "Illegitimate?" "Enough!" "Enough!" "Enough, enough!" "Quit yanking on me, James." "Lord, have mercy." "You want to kill me on my birthday?" "No, ma'am." "Now, quiet, Melinda." "Now, this..." "Is your brother." "This is your blood." "He is family." "Well, where was family during daddy's funeral?" "Melinda..." "Where was blood then, mama?" "Melinda." "Where was he when daddy kept calling for him when they took him off that machine?" "Melinda, it is over." "This is done now." "Melinda... not a day goes by..." "That I don't regret..." "Not coming to daddy's funeral." "O, you don't even have to do that." "No, mama, mama, please." "Let me say this." "I should have been there." "But I let my pride..." "And my anger..." "Stop me." "I let my pride ruin a lot of things." "James..." "Joe..." "Marvin..." "Melinda..." "Man, I was so foolish." "And I'm sorry." "I'm really..." "I'm really, really sorry that I hurt my family like that." "That's enough, o." "O, that's enough, baby." "That's good." "Now, we gonna put all of this behind us!" "Now, Nima and Spence, y'all gonna stay in the guest rooms." "No, no." "We made a reservation at a hotel." "Good." "Not anymore." "Yes, ma'am." "Now..." "Who is gonna have some cake with me?" "Today was a mess, Spence." "Tell me about it." "I can't believe you smacked that woman in the mouth." "She earned that slap." "You know, it's funny how the remark that preceded the slap was about Othell, not your mom." "No, it wasn't." "Yeah, it was." "Yeah, I was standing right there, and she said that Othell was worthless and..." "You know, it doesn't matter." "Came up with some new names." "They better be good this time." "Kennedy for a girl and Josiah for a boy." "I actually love those." "Yeah?" "Well, I think we should get started on them right during the honeymoon." "Hey, no!" "We said two years, remember?" "I don't remember saying two years." "I think that's something we should start right now." "What do you think?" "Yeah, we should start on that right away." "Spencer, your room is upstairs." "But, see, we usually..." "Not in my house." "Yes, ma'am." "I'll pack my stuff." "I'm gonna go upstairs." "I thought we made up." "No, we haven't." "When are you gonna get over this?" "Yeah, you gave me money to start my car repair shop, and it failed." "Businesses fail every day." "No, you fail every day." "You know, you hated me since we were little." "Yes, I have." "I got straight "as." I got awards." "I got accepted into one of the finest medical institutions in this nation, and my father complained the whole time about you." "He couldn't even acknowledge our accomplishments without saying that he was glad that they were not your failures." "You were his beloved project." "He reveled in your dysfunction, the tortured artiste, while we worked hard for his love, and he showered you with it." "Daddy hated me, and you know it!" "He didn't hate you!" "You always opted to go to the pain, to go for the darkness." "You know, you lived in that space." "Was it easier?" "Is it easier than trying?" "Is it easier than being successful?" "Is that easier than being loved?" "I try, Melinda." "I try, I try." "You tried?" "What about when I paid for you to go back to school 10 years ago and you quit?" "What about when I paid for your first car?" "You were too cheap to pay for the insurance." "What about when I paid for the bulk of your wedding to my best friend?" "Jeannette was my best friend, and you ruined it!" "I've..." "Already apologized for all that." "Yes, but you still refuse to do anything with your life!" "You look." "I'm through talking about this." "Nima?" "Nima?" "Little boy..." "What do you need at this hour?" "I..." "I left my toothbrush in..." "I left my toothbrush in Nima's bag." "I packed it in there." "Just a minute." "Toothbrush." "You know, mine, it has the little..." "Good night, Spence." "This will work." "Come in!" "Well..." "Since you're up..." "I thought maybe we could talk for a minute." "Yes, Ms. Babineaux." "You can call me grandma if you want." "We love you, Nima." "I wish you had answered one of those letters I sent you when you was in college." "I understand." "When your parents split up," "Othell came and lived with us." "And he tried." "He really did." "He tried so hard." "But then he just..." "He gave up." "Then..." "My husband just kicked him out." "But we should have..." "We should have tried harder." "We should have forced our way into your life." "And for that, I am very, very sorry." "Thank you, baby." "Now y'all get home safe, now." "You take care of yourself, son." "I will, mama." "And take care of Nima, too." "Thank you for the..." "Hospitality, Mrs. Babineaux." "You're welcome any time, Spence." "Bye, everyone." "Nima, can I talk to you for a moment?" "I wanted to make sure you had these before you left." "He spent his whole paycheck on them on your 10th birthday." "But he just didn't make it to your party." "I've had them here ever since." "Sapphire." "It's my birthstone." "I'm sorry, I can't..." "Take these." "But they're yours." "They're from your dad." "I know." "I can't." "I'm sorry." "Thank you." "Okay." "You make it home safe, now." "Okay." "Listen..." "I know I told you I needed to see more, but the owner want to fill this spot as soon as possible, so I'm putting myself on the line here, o." "Look, Benny, man..." "I ain't played in a long time, you know?" "Man, I'm still practicing." "It's like riding a bike, baby." "You got this, you know?" "Yeah, I know, but..." "See, if I had known you were gonna..." "Hey." "I'm Othell Babineaux." "All right." "Let's go." "It's been a, you know, it's been a while." "See, most of the time, I like, you know, fix cars and..." "So it's been a while." "Stop wasting my time." "Damn." "Jeannette..." "It's o." "Can we talk?" "Hey." "Hello." "You look beautiful, as usual." "You have 10 minutes." "Jeannette, can't we chat a minute?" "Now you have nine." "Well, Nima hates me a little less after Savannah." "Perhaps." "Did she tell you that she slapped Melinda?" "Yes." "How is Melinda?" "She misses you." "Still no drinking?" "This is water." "Almost three months." "Well, actually, it's been two months, 12 days, and three and a half hours." "You cannot mess this up." "You've never even given me a chance to mess up." "What about the club?" "I went to get my gig back and froze up." "What did you want to show me?" "I know it's Nima's birthday Tuesday." "Yeah?" "What is this?" "I want to do something special." "You want to take her to the bistro?" "You think she'll go?" "I'll see what I can do." "Nima?" "Nima, I thought we were meeting at the restaurant." "You remind me so much of your mother." "I know you want to know why I wasn't there and why it seems like I didn't try, but..." "I don't have those answers." "I ask myself the same thing every day." "I always... thought you deserved a father." "Just one much better than me." "I know this..." "Won't be worth much to you, but you're the kind of daughter a father would dream of having." "Smart..." "Talented." "Just..." "Just some things..." "I needed you to know." "Have a seat." "What's up, man?" "Well, I called you down here because..." "I thought about it a lot." "I talked to Jax." "I let Jax know that you're working on being clean, and you're succeeding." "So I got you another audition tomorrow." "Come on, man." "We go way back." "We done played hundreds of gigs together." "It's just a walk down memory Lane, except you're clean this time." "Well..." "I..." "I am clean, you know, I'm clean, I'm clean." "No shakes, no nothing, but..." "Ain't no buts, brother." "Tell me you got it." "Tomorrow?" "Tomorrow, 10:00." "All right, I'll be ready." "Why can't they sit next to each other?" "Trust me, they shouldn't." "Has your boss rsvp'd yet?" "Yeah, they're right here." "They want fish and steak." "Good job!" "We're done?" "We're done." "All done?" "All done!" "Finally!" "Excited?" "Did you finish the music for your concert?" "Yes." "I did." "And you're inviting your dad?" "No." "I'm not inviting him." "Okay." "Don't even think about doing that." "What?" "What did I do?" "I know you." "Just don't." "I'm not gonna invite your dad." "No, I mean it." "Benny?" "It's Spence." "Right, yeah." "It's good to hear." "Hey, listen," "Nima's doing a small performance for friends and family." "It would mean a lot if you were there, but I need you to wear a suit." "Yeah." "Yeah, between you and me." "All right." "You ready?" "Time to shine, baby." "All right." "Thank you, man." "Don't thank him yet." "Looks like we found our new piano player." "That's right!" "Congrats, baby boy, you're back!" "But they didn't do a good job." "No, I know." "Hey, babe." "Hey, ladies." "Hey, how are you?" "That's my seat." "You were late." "Sit right here, hon." "Snooze you lose, I'm sorry." "I get the nice view for once." "So..." "She was telling me that she likes her father again." "Okay, no, she's not saying that she likes her father, she's saying that she's trying." "Okay, don't do that." "She needs to reconcile with him." "This is a good, mature decision." "No." "Yes." "He had his chance." "Why does he get the best part of her now?" "He missed the teenage attitude, and the impoverished college years." "She's all shiny and grown-up now." "All right, maybe you didn't hear that, but Nima told us his whole life story." "The man is damaged." "That accounts for his absence." "Come on, now, he's trying." "I think she's setting herself up to get hurt again." "Okay, you are such a hypocrite." "You spoke to your father, remember?" "Yeah." "Because he was dying." "Othell still has some time to suffer." "Okay, the point is, okay, she's making some huge emotional strides in her life, and we need to be there for her, okay?" "Well, is he coming to the wedding?" "I'm permitted to speak?" "Yeah." "No, he's not." "It would be weird." "Okay." "Fine by me." "Now, can we talk about something less depressing?" "Like boys?" "No, I said less depressing." "Okay." "Come on, man." "I..." "I thought I had a suit in here." "Thank you." "Hey." "Sweetie, how are you?" "Well, hello." "Hey." "I can't wait to hear your music." "I can't wait, either." "Before you get started, I got something to tell you." "What?" "I..." "I invited your father." "He said he was coming." "Okay." "I guess that's okay." "Yeah?" "Okay." "You'll do great." "Shoot!" "I want to thank you all for coming." "It means so much." "Sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "Could everyone please give us a minute?" "Nima, listen, I..." "Shut up." "Just shut up!" "I'm tired of talking about what you don't do." "Let's talk about what you did." "I'm a mess because of you." "I can't love my fiancé the way I want to because of you." "I am curt, I'm mean, and I'm dissatisfied with life because of you." "I so desperately wanted to be a daddy's girl." "I clung to my mother's father for dear life." "And when he died, so did a piece of me." "I've put the burden on my mother to be my everything because of you, and you know what kills me?" "I keep waiting for Spence to leave." "Because I can't possibly wrap my mind around why he would stay!" "Because you didn't!" "You're my dad!" "Dads are supposed to be there." "Because I'm yours!" "Don't ever contact me again!" "Jeannette..." "You're never going to tell her, are you?" "I'm okay." "I just had to get that out." "You sure?" "I don't want to talk about it." "But aren't you, like, at least a little concerned about why he didn't show up?" "Are you serious?" "Why don't you ever take my side?" "It's not about taking sides." "I'm not taking anybody's side." "It's just that we were making some really good strides, and all of a..." ""We"?" "The last time I checked," "I was the one who was given the ultimatum about getting to know my dad or losing my fiancé." "I never said that." "I didn't..." "I never said those words." "Spence, look, I grew up without a father." "And surprise, surprise, it has affected me negatively." "Do you know how many books I've read?" "How many articles I have combed through trying to be better?" "I have made peace with the fact that I am not gonna be the girl who has a dad!" "You haven't made peace." "You're the opposite of peace." "You make war, Nima." "You make war with me every day, you make war with yourself." "You're not at peace." "Spence, I am broken." "I didn't ask for you to make me whole." "I just want you to love the pieces." "You think I don't?" "But you... you can fix those pieces." "You could fix them if you chose to." "I don't even know why we're getting married." "What did you say?" "What did you say?" "You heard what I said." "I don't think we should be getting married." "I mean, look at us!" "You don't want to get married?" "No, I don't want to get married." "You don't want to get married to me?" "Look at us!" "I don't want to get married like this." "You don't even like me." "Fine, fine!" "Fine." "Fine." "Can you please just stop the car so I can get out?" "No, I'm not stopping, no." "No, you're not gonna run away from me." "Stop the car so I can get out!" "Can you stop the car now?" "Hey, what can I get for you?" "I'll be back with you in a sec." "What in the world are you doing in a place like this?" "I should knock you out, right here in this bar, man." "You..." "You ruined my relationship..." "Just like you ruined yours." "I missed the performance tonight because if she does forgive me," "I ain't got nothing to give her." "I don't care anymore!" "Everything all right?" "So what you having, man?" "Nothing." "He's an alcoholic." "Hey, get off me!" "You're not going anywhere like this!" "You're not driving anywhere like this." "I said..." "I said get off me!" "You're not driving anywhere like this." "Now, give me them keys." "Give me the keys!" "I'm taking you home, and you're gonna sober up... and go apologize to your future wife." "Now, you come on." "Come on, son." "Come on." "Rough night?" "Rum." "I think I had too much rum." "It's not funny." "Baby, I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Spence, I don't want to be in a marriage where you won't let me be my true self." "I know, me, too." "And giving you my everything..." "It isn't hard, but it's scary." "It takes courage for you to love me the way you love me, and I always want to reciprocate that." "You do, and I'm sorry if I... if I don't make you feel like that." "I'm so happy." "You have to know that." "But you have to let me..." "Let me do things on my own time." "Okay." "Baby, do you still want to marry me?" "Yes." "How much rum did you have?" "A lot." "This is so nice!" "It actually is, mama." "There is no way that I would ever come to my grandbaby's wedding without you." "You need to be here." "Let me look at you!" "Look at you!" "You haven't aged a day!" "Well, neither have you." "Look at you!" "My goodness." "I'm just here because..." "You are her father." "Jeannette and I, we had a long talk last night." "She's gonna make it right." "Today." "I am." "Hi, baby." "Hi, mama." "Come here, sweetheart." "I want to talk to you for a minute." "What's wrong?" "This is so hard for me to say." "I've been lying to you about your father." "What do you mean?" "I know I've made it seem like he never tried to..." "To see you or call you or send you cards on your birthday." "But he did." "He sent you letters for years... along with..." "Little gifts on your birthday." "And he sent you money, whatever he had at the time." "Mama, why would you hide this from me?" "I loved your father so much, Nima." "And when he left, he took my heart with him." "I was just so mad." "All I wanted was him." "I didn't care about the money or any of that." "I just wanted him, but he never got it." "So when he left, I just decided that I would make him feel the same pain that I felt by keeping you away." "You tell me this on my wedding day?" "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." "I just want you to have a fresh start." "Thank you." "You know, one day, you just wake up and you decide not to be mad anymore?" "Today is that day." "Sweetheart, he's here." "It's Mrs. Parcell." "Nima, are you ready yet?" "You have to help me fix my face." "Okay." "Today is your day to make the memories that you want." "Who gives this woman away?" "She does." "Well, I mean, I do, but, mainly, her." "We do." "Okay." "Sheila!" "This..." "This is really a beautiful wedding." "Yeah, it actually is." "You look wonderful." "Thank you." "You do, too." "I love that dress." "You always did look good in pink." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "I've really missed you." "Well, I missed you, too." "Girl!" "I'm so happy for you." "She's gorgeous..." "And feisty, too!" "Do you know that she hit me?" "I heard!" "My god!" "I told her, too, I said, "I'm gonna get you!"" "I could not believe that when they told me." "I am so sorry." "God, that's okay." "It's quite all right." "It's so nice to get to talk to you again." "I know, you, too." "We have a last-minute surprise for the happy couple." "For their first dance, we'd like to serenade them in style." "Please let me introduce the bride's father..." "Mr. Othell Babineaux."