"Mmm!" "I whispered, "I am too young"" "And then "I am old enough"" "Wherefore I threw a brown penny" " to find out if I might love" " Who is that?" " That is Yates." " Who the fuck is Yates?" "Oh, just a minor Irish poet..." "Whoever the fuck that is." "Your ignorance is so infectious!" "Oh, wait a minute..." "Oh, my dear lord..." "Oh, Hannah, my love..." "Well done!" "Keep going." "I want to hear the rest of the poem." "Love is the wicked thing..." "There is no one wise enough to find it out" "For he would be thinking of love till the stars had run from the sky" "Disgusting." " On his bowl." " Hey, do you want some of this?" "Well, I'll try anything twice." " There you go." "Keep the change." " OK, thank you." " Fenton Dillane, my man!" " Irving, how are you?" "Good." "How's the family?" "Baby Lou?" "Baby Lou ain't a baby no more." "She's a three-year-old wrecking ball." "That Cali sun got you soft." "It's not that sunny in San Francisco." "No?" "Don't tell me you're a Nets fan now..." "Come on, man, Knicks for life!" "I gotta give Phil some time to build." "Man, it's really great seeing you." "Hey, man, good seeing you too." "Don't be away so long, OK?" " I got it from here." " You sure?" "Yeah." " Very pungent." " That means it's dead." " Mom?" " All right." "Oh, it's Fenton." "Fenton, this is a surprise." "Wasn't expecting..." "You're home!" "Yeah." "New me." "What's up, buddy?" "John." "Thank you..." "John." "Didn't think I wanted to be home for..." "the latest?" "I wasn't sure." "Oh, shoot, the sea bass." "If someone's near the oven would you shut it off?" "It's good, man?" "Things good in San Fran?" "Haven't seen you in, what, a year?" " Yeah." "I guess." " Yeah." "Were you just selling my mom weed?" "Oh, strictly at cost." "She... she smokes weed?" "Oh, yeah..." "No... not a lot." "Sometimes." "Listen, The Georgian's having people over tomorrow night." " Good old Georgian party." " Yeah." "Fenton, come say hi to your sister, and there's someone I want you to meet." "Be right there." "Well, well, well..." "Layla." "Welcome home, brother." "Fenton, this is my friend, Ahmed." " Nice to meet you." " OK." "Hello." "Layla, would you be a dear and, open another bottle of wine?" "Oh, yeah." "I'm on it." "Layla, let me, give you a hand with that." "I can..." "What is going on?" " What?" " I mean who is he?" "He's a friend of Mom's." "They met at a Studies of The Far East group at the Met." "So, what, they go to museums, they look at ceramics from the Khyber Pass, like...?" "If his presence is so offensive to you, just give notice the next time you feel like visiting." "Wow." " Are they like..." " Fucking?" "Jesus, Layla!" "I hope so." "But Mom's not Dad, so I wouldn't count on it." "It's big of you to come home for this." "Back for what?" "You tell me." "What, back for Dad?" "I wrote something I'm not sure I want to publish." "What's going on, Fenton?" "It doesn't work like that." "You don't get to leave the way you did and then come back and expect everything to be OK." "Because you just left, for a long time." "You would too if every New York asshole with a blog or a column was comparing you to bags of douche or Alec fucking Baldwin." "They're just reacting to the what, Fenton, not the who." "If you ever leave like that again..." "I'm gonna kill you." "Seriously." "I'm gonna kill you." "OK." "Never again." "I promise." "Layla, what are you..." "studying in college?" "Lots of stuff." "Really, just a four year delay to my unemployment." "Lay, are you still, dating that guy with the... red hair?" "What was his name, Dick?" "He had braces, yeah?" "And a mullet." " A mullet?" " Fuck both of you." "And who are you dating right now?" "I came back for Jessie." "Fenton... why don't we smoke some of this lovely, purple marijuana that you brought, John?" " Mom..." " What?" "You walked in on the deal." "Regardless, you can take pride in the fact that this is some excellent shit." "Yeah." "I'll get it." "Hello?" "Really?" "We're eating dinner, you cocksucker!" "Which cocksucker was that?" "It was another one of those reporters asking if I had anything to say about my father." "Happy you're back." "Ma... are you..." "You OK?" "Me?" "I'm fine." "Oh, you mean the... marijuana." "It helps me... relax." "I wasn't talking about that." "Oh." "No, I was just... you know, about Dad." "Him!" "It'll be fine." "I was going to go see him tomorrow." "That's what you're back for." "Yeah, sure." "You know, for Pop." "I'm working on something... and could use his advice." "It's good to have you home." "You look... thin." "So far, Fenton, these chapters..." "Wow!" "I mean..." "I mean, they're hilarious." "I loved your story, The Birthday Party." "Really?" "You know it forced me into exile." "I'm serious." "And this novel picks up right where that left off." "I feel like we know these people." "That they exist." "And after the reception of the story, it's totally marketable." "Because we do it like one of those memoirs where we're not sure if what we're reading really happened or not." "But James, this is... this is fiction." "Well, of course it is." "Now, when do you think you'll be finished?" "You're home!" "Huh." "Look at this." "Front page." "Of course, the turds weren't interested when I won my National Book Award, but..." "Was that girl that was just here, was she from the car crash?" "Yeah." "She's an excellent writer." "Well, this should be a lesson for you and your sister:" "Always wear seat belts." "If I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, you'd be standing over a headstone right now." "Why didn't you just leave Mom years ago?" "I can't leave your mother." "She understands me." "This is humiliating." "Oh, I know." "For all of us." "Oh, you don't know the half of it." "Well, then again, maybe you do." "This does contradict your public image." "Well, not only that, the other girl's parents are suing me and the university." "All of these young girls throwing themselves at me, you'd think your mother would understand..." "Keep it in your pants, Dad." "Don't blame Mom!" "No, no." "I'm not blaming her." "I'm just saying it's not all my fault." "What the f..." "Are you writing?" "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about this publisher..." "By the way, those bastards were just waiting to tear apart your story." "They had it out for you." "They wanted to tear your story apart right from the beginning." "It's just the way it is." "Sons of bitches." "Anyway, I'm glad you made it down here for this." "You've been off the radar for quite a long time." "I look good here." "That's a damn good picture of me." "I saw Dad today." "Yeah, if we had any sense we'd just leave him there to rot." "Have you seen Dad cry?" "No." "That's so random." "Why?" "I don't know, just... just thinking." "Well, you shouldn't." " We already know he's a fucking prick." " Enough!" "Whatever." "I'm going to The Georgian's tonight." "You are?" "Yeah." "He's having a party." "Why don't you come?" "I thought you hated him?" "I do." "What?" "Nothing." " That is how we fucking do it in Tbilisi." " Where's that?" "Georgia." "The Republic of Georgia." "Oh, my cousin went to Georgia Tech." "No, listen, where Joseph Stalin is from." "Where the original Santa Claus is from." "Where the most beautiful food in the world..." "What the fuck?" "Yo, holy shit!" "Fenton!" "When'd you get back in fucking town?" " Yesterday." " Oh, my God, it's been a long time!" " Yo, how are you holding up?" " Oh, man, I'm good." "Your fucking dad though, huh?" "Man after my own heart though, huh?" "Fuck, Fenton!" "Let's get a fucking drink." " Yes, please!" " Come on." "Holy shit, Fenton!" "You got it." "Can I just squeeze..." "Yeah, just..." "Nothing?" "All right." "Hi." "Can..." "OK." "I'm trying to get a drink." " I see that." " Maybe I'll just..." "No?" "OK." "Hi." "How are you doing?" "Johnny, what's up, man!" "What's up, dude?" "Good to see you." " Can you hook me up with some kind?" " Sorry, boss." "I'm off-duty tonight." "All right?" "Come on, man." "Please." "One-fifty." "Dude..." "I'm opening up the chimney for you." "One-fifty?" "Come on, man, I can't." "Then, I can't help you." "Have your parents put more money in your checking account, yeah?" " You want to help me out there, or...?" " No, not at all." " No?" " That was too fun to watch." "Well, now I know what happens when a guy who can define a credit default swap starts slinging dope." "It's pretty impressive." "All in the game, yo." " Hey." " O.M.M.G!" " Layla." " The Georgian." "Hi." " My goodness, you've grown!" " All right, all right." "You're still throwing the best parties in New York." "Congratulations." "Thank you." "Look at you, you're all grown up." "Yeah, it happens." "What are you drinking?" "I'll get you something special." "Don't roofie my sister." "Are you kidding me?" "She's like my little baby sister, this one." "Gross." " Hey!" "John, have a drink." " All right." "Have a drink..." "But tell me, what is your dad gonna do now that everyone is calling him a fraud?" "Same thing I did when this town called me a fraud." "He's gonna leave." "He's not that much of an asshole." "Dad gets dizzy crossing the Washington Bridge." "He's not going anywhere." " He's a genius, your dad." "A genius." " You would think that." "Pops is like Charlie Sheen with a PHD." "Oh shit..." "Shit!" "This is bad." "Excuse me." "Sorry." "Jess, hey." "I've got nothing to say to you." "Oh, I'll do the talking then." "Listen..." "Great, I'll be doing the leaving." "Jessie." "Jessie, wait." "Jess..." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "Pardon me." " Whoa!" " I'm sorry." "Hey." "Hey!" "God, would you stop following me?" "!" " Give me a break!" " Give you a break?" "For what?" "Leaving?" "Or for writing that fucking story?" "You know, my parents didn't talk for months after that." "Hey, you guys, you have to be really careful what you say around this guy, because you never know what's going to end up in print." " Asshole." " Jessie..." "Jessie..." " Hi." " Hey." "What do you want?" "Don't you think we should talk?" "Now?" "!" "We could go somewhere else." "Wow..." "You are unbelievable." " That's a big ring." " You didn't get the invite?" ""The invite"?" "I invited you to hurt you." "There you go again, love." "Chatting with good-looking strangers." "Victor, this is Fenton." "The... the infamous." "Don't you live in California?" "Yeah." "I'm back." " For us?" " No." "No shit." "How thoughtful." "Promise to write nice things about it." "I've never written a bad word about a church in my life." "How about a gallery?" "The wedding is at our gallery." "Yeah." "Yeah, right, right." "That was on the invite." "Sweetie, we need to go." "I promised Matthew and Bjork we'd stop by." "Maybe I'll stop by too." "To the gallery, I mean." "Check out some art." "Well if you're serious about contemporary art, please, come by anytime." "Yeah, no, I'm serious about it." "About contemporary art." "I love it." " I'll definitely stop by." " Great." "Well it has to be before Saturday." "OK." "The wedding is this Saturday, Fenton." "This..." "Wait, this Saturday?" "It was on the invite." "Good to meet you." "Rough night?" " Yeah." " We have to leave soon." "Your father wants us all there when he's released from the hospital." "I'm sure because he wants to look good for the press." "The... forgiving, supportive family and all." "Wouldn't want to spoil the illusion." "Jessie sent me an invite to her wedding, didn't she?" "What, you just weren't going to tell me?" " No, I wasn't." " Why not?" "Because after the way you left, I didn't... think you'd care." "You didn't think I'd care?" "!" " Let's do this another time." " No, let's do this now." " No, we're going to be late." " She's getting married on Saturday!" "And she deserves to be happy." "What about me?" "What about you?" "I don't deserve to be happy, too?" "Of course, but not at her expense." "What are you talking about?" "The way you wrote about her family, your relationship with her, in that story was exploitive." "It felt all too familiar." "Mom, it was fiction." "You, of all people, should know there's no such thing as fiction." "Just ask your father." "Layla, we have to leave!" "Ah, the welcoming committee!" "Layla!" " Hey, Dad." " You look wonderful." "Thanks." "I did it just for you." "Fenton, you look like shit." "Good to see you too, Dad." "Thank you for doing this." "Happy family." "And thank you both, too." "We didn't really have a choice." "Let's keep up appearances, darling, at least until we get home." " OK." " Oh, my phone!" " Nope, I forgot my phone." " I'll get it." "Pamela, I can..." "I can manage on my crutches." "Hospital protocol, Mr. Dillane." "Protocol." "How I've missed those hands." ""I can't wait to have you in my mouth."" "Wow." " Anna!" " Is it so hard for you?" " I don't understand." " I have male friends." " Yes, I know." " I'm not screwing them." " Well..." " And please, please..." "Please don't try to tell me that you're ending up in the middle of Rebecca" " or whoever as a bad reaction to Prozac." " You've misinterpreted what exactly that text said..." "Anna, do you want to talk about this?" "Fenton, will you tell this guy to slow down, please?" "I don't want to interrupt him." "He's on the phone." " Why don't you pay attention..." " Excuse me, sir." " Do you mind slowing down a little?" " Annabel, listen..." "Hey, why don't you hang up the phone and fucking drive?" "!" " Don't piss him off." " Shut up!" "I have no control over this girl, she's very young and impressionable." " Clearly." " Please..." "Must be your prowess in between the sheets." "Though it's been so long, I don't really remember." "You know it's illegal to talk on the phone and drive at the same time, right?" "No, not illegal." "Bluetooth." " Hands free, see?" " Look out!" " Watch it!" " Watch the road, yutz!" " Be civil." "You wanted a united front." " I never said that..." " You always said that!" " All right, let's not go there." "Ever since you dragged us to that Hamptons party two summers ago." " Kids, you know why?" " Don't bring that up." " You want to know why?" " Would you please stop?" "The host of the party suspected your father was sleeping with his wife." "Stop already!" "Hold up." "I went to the Hamptons for that?" "!" "I thought we had to go because we were going to impress Dad's agent." " Exactly." " Dad's agent was the host, Layla." "Gross." "What is it with all these young women and blowjobs?" "!" "Oh, come on..." "No, she's not talking to me!" "Please do not yell." "Anna, are you going to talk to me?" "Thank you, lady." "My wife thinks I'm with a prostitute now!" "What did you just say?" "!" "You know, Jane Underhill said she caught her 14-year-old hosting a blowjob party." "Chris, is that where you met your girlfriend?" "Layla, what are your thoughts on all this cocksucking?" "Excuse me?" "Sir, do you have a daughter?" "Does it bother..." "You know what?" "You know what?" "OK, that's enough." "That's enough!" " You can get the fuck out of my cab." " Wait a minute!" "Hold on!" " Be reasonable!" " No, no, no." "I got it." "No." "No." "Get out of my cab!" "You guys can take the bus." " The fuck?" "You can't kick us out." " I'm in crutches here!" "Get out of my cab!" " We've got ten blocks to go here!" " I do not care." "Your crippled ass can get out of here because your wife is not bringing my daughter into this!" "There will be no cock sucking." "Take the fucking train!" " Get the fuck out of my cab!" " Come on, let's get out of here." "Get out of the cab now!" "Get the fuck out!" "Smells like a urinal in here anyway." " Go take the train." " Unbelievable!" "Go!" "Hey, one of you motherfuckers better pay me!" "I'm gonna piss, then I'll report you!" "Well, I hope you're happy." "I'm thrilled." "It's great we can be together like this." " Just..." "We should do it more often." " Taxi!" "I am not getting in another cab." " I'm gonna walk." " You can't walk." " I can walk!" " Well, no one's carrying you." "I can't do this anymore." "Couldn't you have waited till we got back to the apartment, huh?" "Instead of in front of the children?" "!" "Or the entire population of the Upper East Side?" "Why, so you can save it for your next book?" "!" " That was unfair." " Mom!" "I couldn't control that girl from texting me." "No." "You controlled whether or not to fuck the girl." "Here." "Come here." " What's the matter?" " Dad, you've got to do something." "You've got to do something." "You got to apologize, she's leaving." "Oh." "Anna, can we talk about this?" " Will you do something?" " She's not going anywhere." " What do you want me to do?" " You guys suck!" "Look, everything's going to be all right." "Hold on." "Anna, please, one minute." "One minute." "Would you reconsider if I told you that I had cancer?" " Dad...?" " What?" "Daddy, what are you saying?" "I don't have cancer." "I'm just saying, would it be so easy for you to walk out on me if I told you that I did?" "Huh?" " Unbelievable." " Mom..." "Oy vey." "Honey, it was just a question." "Don't cry." "Would you like me to get you a taxi, Mrs. Dillane?" "Yes, Irving." "Please." " Mom." " I'm sorry to run out." "You're hardly ever home." "Cut the shit, Mom." "I am, Fenton." "This is..." " Well, it's..." " Mom, it's totally fucked up." "I couldn't say it better myself." "I should..." "I..." "I want to go." "I know." "Mom..." "I'm sorry." "For what?" "If I wasn't so..." "I should have been more available for you, Ma." " I knew you were sad..." " It's not your fault." "No, but, it is." "Look, Layla was always better at going after Dad for his shit, but I..." "I never did anything." "Neither did I." "Help me with my bags?" "Hey Irv, can you throw these in the trunk for us?" " Sure." " Thanks." "Wait, Mom..." "I'm going to be fine, Fenton." "I just..." "I need a few days to... gather..." "You got enough pot?" "Enough to... go into this with a clear head." "Be careful." "Stay out of trouble." "What's up, buddy?" " Thirsty?" " Dehydrated." "What are we..." "What are we drinking here?" "Everything." "Here." "That's for you." "Whoa." "How'd you know I was here?" "I called you." "You told me." "You all right?" "Hey." "To my... to parents' impending divorce and to..." "Jessie's impending marriage." "Yeah." " You gonna go?" " Of course not." "Because it's never gonna happen." "I gotta piss..." "It's that way." "Live a little better." " What the fuck?" "!" " I need a little of that shit." "Hey, Fenton, it's James." "I hope we're still good for Friday." " Hey, Fenton, I thought that was you." " Oh, shit." "Yeah, hey." "Well, I..." "I was just going to go in." " Check it out." " All right." "This is the door." "You've almost made it." "There you are." "All right, yeah." "Hey, love." "I brought the spy in from the cold." "I really need you for a second." "It's the caterers." "All right." "Can you give us a minute?" "I've got a Joe Bradley, some Nate Lowmans." " They aren't cheap." " I'm not worried about that." "Hi." "Hello?" "Yes." "What time exactly?" "Alright." "Let me see if that works." "What's wrong?" "Oh." "Nothing." "You look pale and you're rubbing your head." "I am?" "Yeah." "I am." "I..." " I got into a bar fight the other night." " What?" "Yeah, it was a huge, huge battle." "Tons of guys involved." "It was a ruckus." "Nothing like a good old-fashioned donnybrook." "Hope you got in a few." "Yeah, yeah, no." "I took care of business." "I'm sorry, you were in a fight?" "I mean, come on, you won't even get on a roller coaster." "Jess, that's... that's a motion sickness problem." "All right?" "That has nothing to do with fear." "I've..." "I've been in my share of..." ""donnybrooks"." "Sure." "Oh, it's my dad." "Fenton, do you want a beer or something?" "No, thank you." "I'm trying not to drink..." "so much anymore..." "I really need to take this, I'm sorry." "Sweetie, I'm starving." "Yeah, I'll get us some takeout." "Hey, Dad, how are you?" "I'll walk with you." "So, I'm assuming you're not going to buy art today?" "That was really strange." "What?" "You and Victor in the gallery." "I mean, come on." "Yeah, maybe I should've called you first." "You know, let you know I was stopping by." "OK, well, I would've said no." "Hey, Jess..." "I'm really sorry." "Wow." "Being in San Francisco did re-invent you." "Damn." "I can be pretentious, huh?" "You are." "Smoke?" "Pretentious and predictable." "You know, I didn't know how it'd be seeing you." "If I'd burst into tears." "If I'd hit you." "If you what?" "Thankfully, neither." "Yeah, because both times have been a surprise." "I..." "You know, I haven't had time to think or process, really, what it'd be like to see you." "This it?" "Let me buy you a beer." "Come on, just while you wait for your takeout." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Hey, the gallery's..." "you know, it's charming." "It's small." "Yeah, but it's charming and..." "And congratulations, Jessie." "Pretty quick, no?" "What?" "I don't know." "Getting married and all." "I don't think so." "Where'd you guys meet?" "It doesn't matter." "That's ours." "Being around you, it's... weird." "Oh, what, that surprises you?" "I mean, all I can think about is the end." "And defending that story, stupidly." "And then you, up and leaving for California." "Look, this is hard for me." "What?" "You don't get any chance of sympathy right now." "Look, everywhere I go out there, everything I see," "Jessie, I..." "Look, I see you." "All right?" "I miss you." "And yet you never called." " Come back again" " Thank you." "I want you back, Jess." "That's really great, Fenton." "It's too late for that." "Yeah." "I know that now." "And also, even without Victor, what?" "You thought one apology would eradicate you treating me like shit?" " No." " I've spent time with you." "We've talked now, twice." "I've had time to process this whole thing." "You know, I've thought a lot about this." "To hell with you, Fenton." "I'm still mad at you." "Wow." "Look at that." "What?" "That... that freckle right there." "Well, that's extraordinary!" " That tickles." " What?" "You have a freckle on your breast and it's... it's ticklish." " Yes." "Maybe it's from your beard." " Maybe." "Can I have it?" "Have what?" "Can I have..." "Can I have this freckle right here?" "Can it be mine?" "Someone keeps calling me." "Do you recognize this number?" "That's Layla." "Well, aren't you going to answer it?" "On September 12, 2001, I bought her a phone." "Programmed it, told her to keep it on her always." "In all the years since, she hasn't called me once." "That... is my husband." "Oh..." "Try this." "I thought you were getting wine?" "May I ask a question?" "If you must." "Who is this character, Ahmed Hussein?" "Hussaini." "Hussaini, huh?" "And how the hell did you stumble across that name getting wine?" "Well, I was walking by your room and the door was open, so..." "Oh, my God!" "Did you call him from my phone?" "Yeah." "You really need to set some boundaries, man." "I am concerned about your safety." "Yeah?" "My safety from what?" "People, Layla." "People." "I saw that rather exotic name and I was worried." " You're fucking nuts." " Who is he?" "He's a friend of Mom's." "Just what I thought." "Where did she meet him?" "I don't know." "They met somewhere." "Does it matter?" "He's nice to her." "Are they fucking?" "I didn't say that." "And how should I know?" "All right, never mind." "It doesn't matter." "She'll be back." "She'll be back." "Give me one of those, would you?" " No, stop it." " Give me a cigarette!" " You don't even smoke!" " I do now." "Hello?" "Oh, my God." "What happened?" "What happened to you?" "No one knows." "John found him on the bathroom floor at a bar." "Jessie's getting married Saturday." "Goddamn it!" "That is enough!" "No one's gonna feel sorry for themselves in this house!" "What are we, a bunch of sad sacks?" "!" "I'm taking us out to dinner." "Do something with your hair, it looks like you combed it with a towel." "Stop smoking so much." "Well, so San Francisco is a terrible town." "You should've gone to Hollywood." "You said a serious writer should never go to Hollywood." "Who said you were a serious writer?" "Dad!" "Do you always have to be such a douchebag?" "Oh, come." "I'm joking." "I'm trying to cheer him up." "It's not working." "Well, is the booze helping?" " Yes." " No." "Another round?" "Well, so who is this girlfriend of yours, Mary?" "Her name is Jessie." " Oh?" " I don't want to talk about it." "I heard he's rich." "Who is he?" "Victor Dell." " I'm sorry." " The curator!" "Shit!" "Fenton, you're in trouble." "He's loaded." "His father, Max, makes those un-watchable, giant extravaganzas." "Total bullshit." "But very successful." "His son's got to be an asshole." "It's never going to last." "That's what I keep telling her." "What about you?" "When are you going to get yourself a boyfriend?" "Oh, gee, Dad, I don't know." "Well, you're not a lesbian are you?" "I mean, I'd be OK with that if you are." "I'm not going to dignify that with a response." " Do I seem like a lesbian?" " Yeah, sometimes." "I'm very sorry, I have to meet someone." "Completely forgot about it." "You need some cash?" "Cocktails, taxis..." "That shit's expensive." "Yeah..." "Can we have one more?" "We probably will need one more." " One more?" " Yeah." "Fenton..." "I don't want your sister riding in the subway at night." "Oh, but Dad, that's where I meet all my girlfriends." "No wonder Mom left him." " Someone should really kick his ass." " I'll do it." "What's up, sexy?" "Hannah..." "What?" " This is going to hurt." " What is?" "Chris, what's wrong?" "We can't see one another anymore." "I wasn't exactly single when I met you." "I know." "I know, but I love you." "I..." "No, you don't." "I mean, you think you do..." "Don't tell me what I feel and what I don't." "Well..." "Hannah..." "You teach me how to write, but that's not how your cock ended up in my mouth." "A little too much to drink." "Fuck you." "Don't treat me like I'm your daughter." " Excuse me?" " What is it?" "I hate you so fucking much." "You're... you're Christopher Dillane?" "Unfortunately, at this moment, I am." "I just wanted to come by and thank you." "Oh?" "I'm doing a dissertation on your novel, Wife." "Oh?" "Anyway..." "like I said, I just wanted to thank you." "The novel inspired me to tell my parents that I was gay." "Well, that's wonderful!" "Thank you." "Can I buy you a drink?" "Anything?" "No, no, that's great." "Thank you." "Have a great night." "Hannah, sweetheart, don't be upset." "I mean..." "You're going to... meet someone else." "How about that guy Matt in class?" "I see the way he looks at you..." "I can't believe you're suggesting other men right now." "Are you fucking crazy?" "I'm just trying to smooth the road for you." " Smooth the road?" "Fuck you!" " Oh!" "Hey..." "Hey, I have fights all the time like that with my daughter." "Yeah." "Yo, buddy." "Hey, what's going on?" "Nothing." "Just chilling." " It's kinda late for a pop-in." " A pop-in." "Hey, do you..." "Do you know my buddy Chad from Greenpoint?" " No." " Really?" "I could have sworn you had." "You met him, I mean." "He's a good dude." "Well..." "Chad..." "has this younger sister, like, awesome girl." "Best chick." "And... this boy, Ralph, sort of had this thing for her." "And so Ralph..." "Wait, John, are you..." "Are you here to see Layla?" "No." "Yes." "Yeah." "Is there a Ralph?" "No." "I'm Ralph." "For the story, I changed my name." "I really like her, Fenton." "OK." "Is that OK?" "Does she know about it?" "Yeah." "Of course." "John, I'll be out in just a minute!" "Oh." "Yeah." "You have my blessing." "That's all I ever wanted." "Fenton, let me ask you something." "Did you really mean what you wrote about me in your story?" "I didn't know you read it." "I'm not a clown." "John, it wasn't about you." "It sure felt like it was about me." "I don't know what to say." "Look." "People talk shit, I know that." "You know, people couldn't believe that Johnny Roth got a job at Goldman." "Oh, funny man becomes a finance guy!" "What?" "!" "I know they all had "told you so" smirks when I got fired though." "I know that." "I want to know that you're not gonna be disappointed with Layla for being with me." "Come on, man." "I never said anything like that." "But it's what you wrote." "Fenton, it hurt me." "You know, I have only ever tried to be a friend to you." " Hey man, we are friends..." " Good." "Then, treat me like it!" "All right?" "Things got shitty for you." "I get that." "You know, I don't know anyone who hasn't had to deal with shitty." "But you're the only one that peaced-out to California and fucking disappeared." "What are you, six?" "I'm not a clown." "I never have been." "Fucking Knicks, yo." "Madison Square Garden is like the Mecca of basketball, is it not?" "'73 was a long time ago..." "Yeah, it was." "Neither one of us was alive." "I thought you were looking for a job in there." "Oh, shit." "My bad." "My bad." "It's just, between you and the sports section it's hard to concentrate." "Oh, shit." "Do I know you?" "Yeah, I'm John." "John Roth." "Remember me?" "Should I?" "I'm Fenton's friend." "Oh." "Are you always this generous with Fenton's friends?" "I'm about as generous as you are with your students, Daddy." "Touché." "Jesus, these Knicks are worse than a dumpster fire!" "It's a shame too, because when they won in '73 this was a great town, not a mall with a bunch of tourists." "I was just saying that." "You have experience from '73 do you, kiddo?" "Well, I mean, I was just looking for a job, but... the only thing close to what I was getting at Goldman is a job in the Sanitation Department." "The only difference between bankers and garbage haulers is that we need garbage haulers because we're all a bunch of pigs." "Lay, you think I'd..." "think I'd be a good garbage man?" "You went to Dalton, John." "So did Chevy Chase." "What do you do?" "For a living, that is." "He's self-employed." "Doing what?" "I'm in... alternative healthcare." "I sell weed." "Huh." "Well, stick with that." "Morning." "Dad, you running a bed and breakfast now?" "More like a brothel." "Sit down, I made breakfast." "I know." "I don't have time." "What's the hurry?" "Yeah, seriously where are you going?" "I have things to do." "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." "I don't think he heard me." "I don't think we're going to be listening to you anytime soon, Pops." "What are you doing here?" "Hi!" "I..." "Look, I just..." "Something just happened, I got some news." "What?" "You know what, it's..." "It's not important." "I swear, it isn't." "OK, I just..." "I had to see you." "All right?" "I didn't like how the other night ended." "Me neither." "Yeah." "So I thought it would be a good idea to come over here, you know, unannounced again, and remind you what a selfish prick I am before tomorrow happens." "Wait, is that a smile on your face?" "Do you...?" "You are hallucinating." "I have to go." "Yeah, I get it." "Wedding stuff." "No, work stuff." "And now I'm late." "Why are you..." "Because you keep showing up like the cute..." "Thank you very much." "Irish psycho in Sleeping with the Enemy." "I don't know why you're working again, Jess." "Because I have to make a living." "You're getting married tomorrow." "Yeah." "Everything's pretty much set up." "Victor's with his parents." "The only tradition he seems to believe in is not seeing me the night before." "And I really don't want to see my parents, so..." "I thought that I should work." "Let me come with you?" "No." "That's crazy." "Hey, Stash." " Stash?" " You're late." "I'm sorry." "It's his fault." "Nice going." "Now I'm running late." "Well, I can come back." "No, no, no, no." "The selections are laid out for you are over here." "Ruined my day here." "I have to try and get 20 naked Czech models to do what I want them to do." "Ciao." "Ciao." ""Ciao." "Ciao."" "He's an artist." "Oh." "God, you are still the same." "So judgmental." "OK." "Yeah, maybe I'm still a little judgmental." "But..." "You remember the day that you gave me your freckle?" "I'm just curious, is it still mine or did you give it to somebody else, or...?" "Yeah." "Sure." "Well that one's great." "Yeah, it is." "It's beautiful." "Do you remember our road trip?" "How could I forget spring break?" "Yeah, all our friends went to Mexico and you took me to Des Moines, Iowa." "On a..." "On a photo safari." "I got some great images." "The butter sculptures." "Well I'm not sure that that qualifies as a great image." "The melting David." "I don't know, Michelangelo would have been proud." "I've still got the... that picture you took of the cornfield in my... in my room." "You ever do anything with the rest of those?" "I thought you were going to show them or something." "Someday." "You should, you know." "You're serious about that now?" "You know, I always thought that you were gonna be the one." "I was so sure of it." "We had something... really wonderful for a while." "And then you had to fuck it up." "No, Fenton." "Don't." " Wait, stop!" "This is wrong." " Why?" "Oh, my God..." "I have to go." "I'm getting married tomorrow." "Jessie!" "Hold up!" "Hey." "Oh, shit..." "What?" "!" "I don't think you should get married." " I love Victor." " I love you, Jess." "Jesus Christ, Jessie, we just broke up, like, a year ago!" "A year and a half." " We just made love..." " No, we fucked!" "Jess, you're making a mistake." "Yeah, I did make a mistake, a huge one with you." "What, you thought my mistake was marrying Victor?" "That's something I'll find out with him, Fenton." "Something you have nothing to do with." "I mean, what did you think was going to happen?" "I would just wait for you?" "No." "Yes." "No, I don't know what I thought." "You left me." "Yeah." "I know I did." "And I was there for you." "Even after what you wrote about us in that stupid story." ""The tragically pretty, comfortably affluent girl so riddled with insecurities she'd rather sell other people's art than make her own?"" "Do you remember writing that?" "Look, I fucked up." "Wow." "You are being way too kind to yourself." " You ruined my family." " No." "I exposed a failed marriage." "It wasn't yours to expose!" "But I wasn't even writing about your parents, Jess!" "All right?" "It was mine." "Goddamn it, it's like all this time everybody's up my ass because they think that every character in the story is them!" "That's because everyone knows you use your gift of observation just to hurt people." "Wow." "Look, I made a mistake, Jess." "No." "You made a choice." "And I've made mine." "Fuck." "Fuck." "Fuck." "Layla!" " Layla!" " Ho!" " Fuck." " What's going on in there?" "Fuck, I had some pages right here, some new pages and they're missing." "And I need to tear them to shreds... shit!" "Fuck." " I have them and I read them." " What?" "They're good." " Yeah, they're not yours to read, Dad." " I know, but they're good." "Cheer up." "Cheer up!" "Come on, what's the matter with you?" "You're so antsy." "Yeah, I just..." "I just slept with Jessie." "Shit." "That's a big fucking deal." "Her wedding is tomorrow." "That's not good." "Do you remember the last time we did this?" "What?" "Took a walk together." "Yeah, Ewing was still playing for the Knicks." "Oh, well, see... that's not good." "Have a seat next to me." "You know, I don't really feel like a pep talk today." "I wasn't planning on giving one." "Come on, sit down next to your old man." "You're a good writer, Fenton." "I believe in your new stuff." " Really?" " Yeah." "Especially love that character of the dissolute novelist who's cheating on his wife." "That's the same kind of shit that got me in so much trouble in the first place." "And it's precisely what gives you so much potential." "But be more than that." "Don't do what I did." "What are you talking about?" "I didn't care about anything but being a novelist." "I was a shit husband." "Lousy father, let's face it." "Things I needed to work on, I forgot all about that." "I was just a success." "And I let everybody down, I know that." "I let myself down." "But it's not too late for you." "You're still young enough not to make my mistakes." "I think your mother is leaving me for good." "Yeah, so do I." "I feel awful." "I guess... sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is just... let them go." " Christopher?" " Ah." "No, no." "Don't get up." "Is this your... your next masterpiece?" "Yes." "The next great American novel." "Of course, you and I both know I've only written one good book my entire life." "And I remember..." "I remember you walking around with the manuscripts in a shopping bag all over the city." "Huh?" "I delivered them to every agent and publisher in New York City." "Those were mad, grand days." "They loved you." "Oh..." "We were never the same." "No..." "Can... you... come back to me?" "Full disclosure, Fenton:" "I never would have asked you to come back to New York if we weren't serious about wanting to publish this novel." "Yeah, soon, James..." "To be honest, I feel like I've just hit on something and... you know, I'd like some more time, if it's possible." "Please keep writing." "Layla." "Layla!" " I did not..." " You didn't knock." "Layla, could you please put some clothes on." "Oh, come on, don't be such a prude." "How many times have you seen me naked?" "We used to take baths together." "Yeah, when we were little kids!" "Tell her to put some clothes on, John." " Layla, put some..." " The fuck, John?" "!" "Oh, shit." "Sorry." "What do you want?" "Therapy." "Oh, and to tell you Jessie's wedding is in an hour, so..." "Hurry up or you're going to be late." "Why are you walking so fast?" "Because it's important to me." "So, you know I have to go back to Bard in a couple of days, right?" "Yeah, funny thing about that actually..." "Yeah, what's that?" "This guy up there is opening up a new bar." "Might need some help running it." "Really?" "If it doesn't jam you up, I wouldn't mind getting out of the city for a minute." "Come on, let's not be late." "One moment, please." "I think I'd feel totally un-jammed by that situation." " Oh, yeah?" " I'd really love that." "I'm so sorry, Anna." "Hey." "Go." "It's a little awkward." "Are you OK?" "No, I can't believe I fucked this up too!" " Oh!" " Hey." "Shit." "Let me out." "Are you leaving?" "No." "I was looking for you." "Dad... you remember Fenton, right." "Can you..." "Can you give us a minute?" "I'll... tell them you're having an issue with your dress." "Good to see you, sir." "Yeah." "What are you doing?" "Getting married..." "I guess." "Yeah, everyone's in there... waiting." "I don't know if I can do this." "Why not?" "Well, I didn't sleep last night." "That makes sense," " night before the wedding." " You're kidding, right?" "Well, there's that too." "I wanted to tell Victor what happened." " That's probably not a good idea." " Yeah." "He wouldn't understand." "Do you?" "Not really." "God, I'm fucking terrified, Fenton." "I mean, did I rush into this so soon after..." "He is a really good man and I love him." "God, this is so pathetic." "I was so sure a week ago." "Look, if you want I'll just..." "I'll just tell them... that you're having second thoughts, that you're scared to death you might be making a mistake." "That we had sex the other day." "That you think you might be marrying the wrong man." " Really?" "You'd do that?" " In a heartbeat." "We'll just catch a cab." "Ride off into the sunset." "Live happily ever after." "In Des Moines." "With 2.3 kids, a white picket fence, a yard." "Big fucking butter sculpture." "Jess... it's been..." "It's really hard to see you." "It's been good, you know." "I realized that your life didn't stop and mine did." "You went on." "Met new friends." "Got a new lover." "My God, look at you." "You're beautiful, Jess." "And you deserve the best." "So what do I do?" "Keep going." "OK." "You were leaving, weren't you?" "I thought so."