"Get!" "Get out of here!" " Get out of here!" " Here, Mom." "Thank you, sweetheart." "Get back!" "They like to spit!" "Get out of here!" "Get out of here!" "Get out of here!" "Get out of the bay!" "Get out of here, pesky seagulls!" "Hurry up, son." "Come on." "All right, Dad." "Give me the bucket, quick!" "Quick, before the boat burns up!" "One of 'em just shat a pile of hot coals." "Jerk!" "Stand back, stand back!" "Kevin Coulson." "I thought that was you." " Hello, Mrs. Kitteridge." " Mind if I get in?" "The wind." "Yeah, sure." "That is some wind." "Would you like one?" "They're fresh." "No thanks." "You're in New York now, aren't you?" "Yep." "I heard you went to medical school." "Does everybody here know everything?" "Well, sure." "What else is there to do?" "So, what brings you back?" "I'm just visiting." "Well, not a lot has changed." "Except a few chain stores have moved in." "Good news if you're greedy and like to buy in bulk." "You remember Patty Crane?" "She married the older Howe boy." "Keeps having miscarriages." "Makes her sad." "I suspect they'll fix her up one of these days, and then she'll pop out triplets." "I'd forgotten about Patty." "She was always so nice to me." "She used to share her lunch with me when my mom forgot to pack one." "Well, she's still nice." "She gives me extra donut holes even though I gave her "C's. "" "You gave everyone "C's. "" "Except for you." "You did your work." "What kind of doctor are you training to be?" "Psychiatry." " Do you remember Doyle Larkin?" " The rich kid." "He's in prison now." "He went whacko and killed a girl." " Jesus!" " Now there's a case for you to study." "How's Christopher?" "He's a podiatrist." "He has a practice here in town." "So he came back." "A lot of bad feet around here, apparently." "Business is booming." "I'm glad that he's doing well." "He's getting married tomorrow." "To another doctor, she's a proctologist." "Can you imagine where her hands have been?" "I've thought about you, Kevin Coulson, I have." "I liked your mother." "She was an interesting woman." " Smart." " Yes, she was." " She couldn't help it, you know." " She was bipolar." "She was never diagnosed." "I wondered about that with my father." "He shot himself." "Don't know if you knew that." "No, I didn't." "No note." "Mother had a hard time with that." "She thought it was the least he could do, leave a little note the way he did when he went to the store." "Poor thing." "Because he hadn't really gone anywhere, had he?" "He was right there in the kitchen." "My mom mailed me a letter." "I think she was worried that if she left a note, that I might not find it." "Or that the cops might take it." "Did it help?" "The letter?" "She left instructions on how to use the washing machine." "And to watch out for the purple snakes in the dryer." "It was helpful, don't you think?" "Yeah." "I don't think my father was bipolar." "I think he was just depressed." "Yeah, that could be." "Christopher has it." "The depression." "It runs in the family on both sides." "If he has kids with this Dr. Sue, let's hope they get her genes." "Is she pretty stable?" "Cool as a cucumber, this one." "Well, that's good, I guess." "You with anyone?" "Not anymore." "What happened?" "She had problems." "Was she a nut job?" "You mean did I go for someone like my mother?" "It happens." "I didn't marry my father, fortunately." "That's not the case with Henry and me." "Well, that's good." "And Christopher is not marrying me." "As far as I can tell, thank God for that." "She used a razor to cut a happy face in her stomach." "Who did?" "This girlfriend of yours?" "Yeah, that's whacko, all right." "Yeah." "But I bet you couldn't get enough of her." "Yeah." "Pretty much." "Crazy wind." "Now what's she doing?" "Picking flowers, it looks like." "Well, she doesn't have much of a yard." "It'll be hell on the wedding if it's like this tomorrow." "They're going to have it outdoors, in the yard." "Dr. Sue insisted on programs." "They'll all go flying." "And guess who'll be the one who picks them up?" "I spent the whole spring working on Christopher's garden." "And then Dr. Sue's mother calls me and wants to know if there's a good florist in Portland." "She's gonna pay good money for all the same flowers I had been growing." "They're from California, the parents." "Golfing types." "The father has one of those tans." "So you still teaching?" "I just retired." "I've had it." " You remember Mr. O'Casey?" " Sure." "He liked you." "Thought you were bright." "He taught us some pretty edgy stuff." "He was an odd guy." "I always wondered if his accident was deliberate." "You wondered that?" "Yeah, it crossed my mind, sure." "You sure you don't want a donut?" "Mrs. Kitteridge, I have to get going." "Wait." "What in the hell?" "Dear God!" "She went over!" "Hurry!" "Hurry up!" "Hurry!" "Jesus!" "Hold on!" "Be careful!" "Patty, hold on!" "Be careful!" "Dear God!" "Patty, hold on!" "Go!" "Okay, here we go." "Let's get this on." "Get her some more coffee, Jo." "You got it." "Like that..." "She gonna be okay?" "She's fine." "Cold." " Kevin, you still there?" " Yeah, Mom." "I'm doing fine, honey." "You can go." "You sure?" "Yeah, I'm sure." "Mom?" "Yeah?" "Is there a bird on your hand?" "No, sweetheart, there isn't." "Are you decent?" "I got some clothes for you." "Here, Christopher sent these over." "We're gonna meet him at the rehearsal dinner." "No, no, no." "I don't wanna crash his party." "I'm just gonna be taking off." "No, you aren't." "You're gonna spend the night." "Get dressed." " Are we late?" " No, we're on time." "Come on." " Hi, Angela." " Hey, Olive." " I'll introduce you to everyone." " No, that's all right." "No, they'll love to meet you, Kevin." "You're a local hero." "There's the mother of the bride." "Hi." "He has no interest in meeting her, Henry." " Hi, Joyce." "How are you?" " Hello, you two." " How are you?" " Olive." "Joyce, this is Kevin." "He's an old friend of Christopher's, and he helped save a young woman's life today." " How wonderful." " Yeah, yeah." "He jumped into the water near the marina and he helped get her to shore." "Are you certified, Kevin?" " Certified?" " In lifesaving." "Suzanne took the course when she was in college." "She spent her summers working as a lifeguard at the local public pool." "Pulled out quite a few children." "Were they drowning, or just ill-behaved?" " Hey, kiddo." " Hi, Mom." " Come say hello to Blake." " Yeah." " Kevin." "Hey!" " Hey." "Hey, man." "Hi." "I heard about you and Patty." "Jeez, is she lucky you were there." "Your mom was the one that saw her." "I was just following directions." "Yeah, she doesn't give you much of a choice." "She says jump, you jump." " Hello, Joshua." "How are you?" " I'm good, thanks." "Hi, I'm Mrs. Kitteridge, the mother of the groom." "So how long you here?" "I'm leaving tomorrow." "Congratulations on getting married." " Hey, hon." " Yeah?" "Come on over here." "I want you to meet Kevin." "Kevin, hello." "I'm Suzanne." " Hi." " So great that you could come up." " You came up from Nerw York?" " Yeah." " He went to Columbia." " Fantastic." "I got accepted there, but I decided to go to Duke." "I just needed a quieter campus." "I'm just that kind of a person, you know?" "Yeah, sure." "How do you two know each other?" "High school?" " Junior high." " So you go way back." "Kevin had Mom for math." "God." "Chris said she was a terror." "She wasn't that bad, actually." "We got along." "Well, I'm sure she can be a real sweetheart once you get to know her." " I wouldn't go that far." " Well, we're trying." "We're all trying." " I was worried about the seating." " Don't worry about it." "Henry, no, no, no." "You take this seat." "Blake, sit down, please." "I'm gonna go check on the seating." "I think there's an issue with Dad and the head of the table." "Dad?" "Family." "Yeah." "So how's New York?" "You really don't have to stand here and talk to me." " No." "No, I'm glad you're here." " It's okay." "Really, it's okay." "I'm just gonna go hang out at the bar." "Well, you know, once a month's enough for me." " Hey, can I have a Pabst, please?" " Sure." "Excuse me." "What does that napkin say?" "Don't know." "Here." "So, what's it say?" ""Save us from shotguns and fathers' suicides. "" "It's from a John Berryman poem." "Okay." "You want something to read?" "John Berryman." "Take a look, see what clicks." "You really messed up this book." "Yeah, it's the only way I can read now." "Me too." "I mark up a lot of books." "Good, it shows you're thinking." "It gets me in trouble." "Damn the authorities, that's what I say." "Full speed ahead." "Just you and your mom here?" "Yeah." "Where's your dad?" "He remarried." "He lives in Arizona, he sends money." "You ever thought about running away?" " From home?" " Hitch a ride..." "Jump a steamer, see the world." "No." "Don't have to stick around to look after your mom, son." "Don't let her hold you down." "She doesn't." "She's out of it most of the time." "How can she hold me down?" "Got a girlfriend yet?" "No." "Mm..." "When you start seeing women, be careful of the crazy ones." "They'll tear your guts out." "It's a great and terrible ride." "Okay." "And watch out for the quiet ones." "The ones that pair your socks." "Christ help you, you marry one of them." "Christ help her." "I'm not getting married." "Good lad." "Hi, sweetie." "I haven't seen you before." "You here for the wedding?" "No." "I'm just here to listen to you." "Olive and I..." "Olive and I would like to welcome the Hales to Maine." "We'd like to thank Joyce and Blake for making the long trip out here from California." "Now, I know the kids were torn between which coast to have the wedding." "And all I can say is that..." "I so wish..." "I so wish that we could all have been both places at once." "It's all right, Henry, you won fair and square." " Well..." " Dad!" "This wasn't a contest." "No, no, no, we're happy to be here." "Well, we're happy to have you." "And we're so happy... we're so happy that Suzanne's gonna be part of our family." "You and Joyce did a remarkable job..." "Raising this young woman." "And," "Suzanne, um..." "All I can say is that, uh..." "Christopher is the luckiest man in the world that he found you." "No, I'm lucky that I found him." "Christopher." "So..." "I'm so proud of you, son." "I am so proud you've grown up to be a truly good man." " Thank you, Pop." " Yeah!" "Wonderful men make wonderful sons." " To you, Henry." " To Henry!" "Thank you." "Thank you very much." " Henry, that was nice." " Thank you, thank you." "Lovely, Pop." "Do you know what I heard the mother say in the parking lot?" " Joyce." " I know her name." "Well, what did she say, Olive?" "She said she thought that the food was ordinary." "Well, Suzanne told me that her parents had a wonderful time." " Well, what else is she gonna say?" " What do you care?" "She is not as nice as you think she is, Henry." " Joyce?" " Dr. Sue." " Come on." " Just a feeling." "There's where Jim O'Casey lost control of his car, Kevin." "I don't think anyone needs to be reminded of that fact." " Just pointing out the sights." " I know." " What do you think of Dr. Sue, Kevin?" " Ollie!" " Don't put him on the spot like that." " His field is psychology." "He's seen all the types." "Do you think she'll make Christopher happy?" "I don't know." "It depends on what Christopher wants." "I don't know what he wants." "What do you think he wants, Henry?" "I think he wants to be loved." " So it doesn't matter if she's not nice?" " She's nice." "And she loves him very much." "Well, the two don't always go together." "I'm not very nice to you, Henry." " True." " Are you happy?" " Happy as a clam, Ollie." " Yeah, there you go." "Happy, happy, happy." "Kevin?" "You can wear this to the wedding tomorrow." "Yeah." "Let me see." "Yeah." "Yeah, jacket size is pretty close." "Pretty close." "Okay." "So, can I get you anything else tonight?" " Glass of water?" " No, thanks." "I'm fine." " Okay." " You go ahead in, Henry." "I'll be right there." "I'm gonna go check for snails in the garden." "All right." "Okay." "Well, it's nice having you here, son." "You sleep well." "Get your keys." "And where were you planning to do the deed?" "In the woods back of my old house." "What on earth for?" "Doing it in my apartment... just didn't seem fair to the next tenant." "I thought it'd be cleaner to do it outside." "There are kids that live in that house, you know." "What if they were the ones that found your remains?" "Did you ever think of that?" "It's never clean." "You should know that." "Got a wedding in the morning." "Let's go to bed." "I could see you coming down the cliff." "You must have banged yourself up pretty good." "You all right?" "Yeah." "I just scraped up my chest a little bit." "Can I see?" "Gosh." "I'm so sorry." "No, it's nothing terrible." "How about you?" "I got a..." " Jeez." " Yeah." "I got a few on my legs too, but..." "they're not so bad." "They'll go away." "Did you jump?" "No..." "No." "I lost my balance." "I slipped." "But you were sad." "That's why I was picking flowers, to cheer myself up." "A couple of lousy flowers?" " Is that really all it takes for you?" " Well, yeah, actually." "Yeah." "What's wrong, sweetie?" "Hey." "You're all right." "You're all right." "You know, I think the dress turned out well." "It has." "You look absolutely splendid, Ollie." "Ollie?" "That was Denise on the phone." "She and Jerry are here visiting his parents, and they'd like to stop by." "So..." "You didn't say yes, did you?" "Well, they won't be here for long, just for a cup of coffee for God's sake." "Fine." " What?" " No." "I just..." "I love it that you're making your own dress for the wedding." " Do you?" " Yeah." "Some people would say I was just cheap." "They're wrong." "You're a woman who's good with her hands, and I think that's wonderful." "You don't have to flatter me, Henry, so I'll be nice to the mouse." "Thank God I got you to tell me what I'm thinking, Ollie." "Yeah, you do." "I don't know what you'd do without me, Henry." "And this is when..." "Bradley and Michael from a couple Easters ago." "Michael's hair isn't that light anymore." "Yeah, they change fast." "Yeah, I know." "Those are old pictures." "Why'd you bring those?" "Because I thought Henry and Olive would want to see the boys at all their different ages." "Michael wasn't even born the last time we saw them." "For goodness sake!" " Time flies, doesn't it?" " It sure does!" "It just..." "Leaves me breathless." "Let's see..." "Here is a more recent one." "That's Bradley." "Yeah?" " Where was this?" " That is our backyard in Houston last summer." "We put the pool in last year." "It's a smart thing to do, good for property value." " Terrific." " How old is he here?" " He's 13." " Not an easy age." "My gosh, you said it!" "I think we're in for a long ride." "That's 'cause you give in to him all the time." "No, not really." "If you don't stand up straight when you talk to him, he's not gonna respect you." "Right?" "She slumps her shoulders." "We're working on it." "Henry sold the pharmacy, did he tell you?" "Yes." "My gosh, we saw it when we were driving in." "I couldn't believe they put in one of those awful chains." "Well..." "But they don't care about people the way you do." "No, but the prices are right." " Did they buy you out, Henry?" " Yeah, they did." "Yep." "You should have called me, I know how to deal with these chains." "They like to rip off folks like you." "Well, thank you, Jerry." "But I got a good price." "How much did you get?" "Well, that's none of your business." "I was just curious." "As I said, I could have helped." "Well, as I said, I did very well." "Olive and I will be quite comfortable." "That's all we could ever wish for, isn't it?" " Just to feel secure." " That's right, Denise." "Yep." "More coffee?" "No thank you." "It'll just make me have to tinkle." "We're with people, Denise." "Why would you say something like that?" "Well, it's all right, Denise." "We're not people." "We're family here." "You say whatever you want." " Sorry." " No." "I don't think before I speak." "That's one more thing to work on." "Well, I have to tinkle too." "Pardon me, Jerry." "Bye-bye." "He turned into a real snot-wot, didn't he?" "Well..." "You know, if her Henry were alive..." " She'd be loved and happy." " You don't know that." "He might've gotten tired of her eventually." "No, I don't think so." "They were soul mates." "Henry Kitteridge." "You wouldn't have lasted six months with her." "Stop moping." "Excuse me." "Did you have breakfast?" "No, I was too busy putting together those damn centerpieces." "You should eat something, it's gonna be a long day." "Not hungry." "You know... most kids move away when they get married." "Christopher's gonna settle down right here." "How about that?" "Must have done something right." "Sure, we gave him a nice hunk of land, is what we did." "Well, I think Chris and Suzanne will be glad to have us nearby." "Why not?" "Free babysitting." "That won't be so bad." "They'll be good in the garden." "I'll pay 'em a penny a weed." "For when people start arriving, and they're having drinks and everything." "We're definitely gonna need more glasses than this." "Will this be all right?" "Okay." "Look at how beautiful those flowers are, Ollie." "Someone let them slide in the car." "There you are!" " Hi, Joyce." "Big day." " Yes, it is." "This is your corsage, Olive." "I thought you told me we weren't wearing corsages." "It was just a last-minute thing." "And Blake thought all the gents should have boutonnieres." "Splendid." "Thank you so much." "I thought just simple, white roses." "They go with everything." "Since I didn't know what you were wearing." "I can do that for you, Henry." "It can be hard to get it right." "Yeah." "Do you want me to do yours for you, Olive?" "No, I know how to use a pin, thank you." " Where's my son?" " He's inside with Suzanne." "They wanted to have a little moment together before the ceremony." " Yeah." " That's strange, don't you think?" " Why?" " They're going to see each other" " at the altar, for God's sake." " I think it's lovely." "It's a beautiful day." "Got lucky with the weather, didn't we?" "Yes." "Yes, I was worried." "I know you have rain here in the summertime." " Well..." " In California... you don't have to worry about that." "No, it seems you don't." "Is that young man here?" "Did you bring him with you?" "No." "He left." "I wish you'd told me." "I'd already rearranged all the seating for him." "Well, he's flown the coop, so you can arrange it back." "I'm gonna go check on the musicians." " Where were we?" " I know you don't like her." "But just try to be kind." "I think she's sad 'cause her daughter won't be nearby." "I thought I was good." "What the hell?" "Little girl!" "Little girl, what are you doing?" " I'm the flower girl." " Well, those are not your flowers." "They're not to be picked." " What happened?" " She shouldn't be in there." "Well, you didn't need to yell at her." "Well, there are bees in there." "She could have been stung." "Are you okay?" "Don't worry about her." "Excuse me, ma'am, we're prepping in here." "You can get some iced tea outside." "I'm the groom's mother." "Don't you dare chase me off." " Hi, Mom." " Hey, kiddo." "I'm looking for Joyce." "Suzanne wants to start this thing." "Good idea." "We're all starving." "Let's hope the ceremony's short." "Jesus, Ma." "Here, have some nuts." " That's a good window." " Yeah, it is." "I look out of it a lot." "I like the way the light is always changing." "It's pretty wonderful." " Is Kevin still here?" " No, left this morning." "Mm." "Good." "Suzanne thought he was strange." " Did she?" " Come on, Ma, you know he is." "Well, I'm strange too." "But I suppose there should only be one per wedding." "There you are." "I have the musicians all set." " Are you and Suzanne ready?" " Yes." " Thanks, Joyce, let's go ahead." " I'll start seating the guests." "Olive, would you like me to show you where you and Henry will be?" "Thank you, I know where to sit." "I'm glad she'll be on the other coast." "Well, kiddo, let's hope your Dr. Sue doesn't turn out to be like her." "Okay, Mom, I'm gonna get Suzanne." "Just saying." "I'll see you out there." " Nuts?" " Thank God." "I'm starving." "Yeah, well, eat up." "The chicken's still raw." "We may never eat." " The dress turned out well." " Fabric was a beast to work with." "Well, I told you it would be." "Honey!" " But you pulled it off." " I'm pleased." "Olive, put the nuts away." " Do you want me to walk with you?" " No." "Okay, we need to throw the petals." "Honey, what's wrong?" "What's wrong?" " Don't worry, honey." " I promise it's gonna be okay." "She won't hurt you." "Thank you." "Okay, everyone, sorry." "Here I come." "Here, throw a little bit of that." "That's how you do it, right?" "Welcome, everyone, to this beautiful spot on this perfect, glorious day." "Ollie, come in and join us." "I don't want all this blowing out into the bay." "You can do it later." "Come on." "Come have a piece of cake." "Come on." " Come on, Ollie." " For Pete's sake." "Let's go sit with Bonnie and Harmon and I'll bring these over." "Let me just take care of this first." "Excuse me." "The wind is blowing garbage all over the yard." "You need to go clean it up now." "You don't wanna wait until it's blown off a mile away." "Yes, ma'am." "We'll take care of it." "No, you won't." "You clearly don't give a damn." "Olive, come sit." "Have your cake, hon." "Save it for me." "I'm taking a break." "Okay..." " Ollie, you all right?" " Yeah, just having a quick lay down." "Close the door, for God's sake." "I don't want anyone to know I'm in here." "It's a nice room." " I was thinking that myself." " Yeah." "Reminds me of a bird's egg." "That's why I chose it." "His old bureau looks nice there." "So glad he kept it." " Yeah." " That desert thing over there doesn't fit." "No." "No." " But it's her room now." " That's right." "She can hang whatever she damn well pleases." "I can tell you want to get back to the party." "I'm sure you wanna stay till the last dog dies." "No." "It's winding down." "I think Chris and Suzanne will be kicking us all out pretty soon." " How about later we stop for donuts?" " Yeah, we can do that." "He's married a nice woman." "You rest, Ollie." "I can't breathe, Mommy." "Just breathe through your mouth, you'll be okay." "Breathe through your mouth." "See?" "There you go." "There you go." "Okay, sweetie." " Don't leave me." " No, I'm not gonna go anywhere." "I'm not gonna go anywhere." "Sorry." "I thought this was the little girl's room." "Are you all right, Olive?" "I'm taking a nap." "Yes, may I help you?" " It is not polite to stare." " You look dead." " Well, I'm not." " Are you a witch?" "Yes." "That's not your bed, it belongs to my Aunt Suzanne." " It also belongs to my son." " Did you ask their permission to be here?" "I don't need their permission." "Now, go away before I eat you up." "I'm not getting up again, to hell with it." " Hey!" " Hey, Suzie." " You want to go ahead of me?" " I'm just dropping off T.P." " Someone said we were out." " How are you holding up?" "I am ready for this day to be over." "Exhausting, isn't it?" " Family." " How are the in-laws?" "I love his father." "Henry is a doll." "I can tell that she's not the warmest person in the world." "Chris has had a hard time with her." "How so?" "Yeah, she seems a little crazy." "And what about that dress?" "I know." "It's awful, isn't it?" "But that's how people dress out here." "That door is hard to open!" "I know!" "It's a cheap door." "We need to get it replaced." "Suzanne!" "Your sister's leaving!" "All right." " Bye, Patty." " See you guys." " Thank you, dear." " How was the wedding?" " It was wonderful." " Good." " Everything went just as planned." " No, it did not." "The wind made a mess of things." " How you feeling, Patty?" " I'm okay." "I'm a little sore, but I'm happy to be alive." "Thank goodness for that." "I would have drowned if it weren't for Mrs. Kitteridge." "Kevin was the one who fished you out." "You were the one who saw me go over." "You were watching out for me, you were like my guardian angel or something." "I wouldn't go that far." "Well, you were." "Can I give you a hug, Mrs. Kitteridge?" "Yeah, all right." "Erase it from your mind." " Ready to go, Henry?" " Sure." "I'm going to the ladies'." "You know, I think our son is gonna have a wonderful life." "He married a woman who thinks she knows everything." "So did I." "I don't know everything, Henry." "You know, I wonder what Christopher and Suzanne are doing right now." "Not our business anymore, is it?" " What's going on?" " I lost an earring." " You want me to help you look?" " No, go back to sleep." "Shit!"