"Let me go, just for a minute." "You've been looking at that baby so much you're going to stare her right into a coma." "Stop exaggerating." "Honey, it's not good for you to be checking on the baby every five minutes and imagining one terrible thing or another." " I know." "I know." " Here it starts." "Here we go." "Rudyard..." "Rudyard, she's not breathing." "Honey, she's sleeping." "The baby's sleeping." "No." "Rudyard, it's crib death." "It's sleep!" "She's asleep, honey." " Maybe." " Come on!" "Emma!" "Good." "That's better." "No, thank you." " Thanks." "Emma?" " Glad to help." "He was one of the most dependable men that ever worked for me." " I know." "Thank you." " He was a good man." "Hey, I'm real sorry about your daddy." "Take care of your momma." "Emma." "Emma, wake up, please." " Wake up." " What's wrong?" "I was tense." "I was tense, and I was wondering how you were feeling." " Would you like to sleep in my bed?" " No, thank you." "Would you like to sleep in my bed again?" "Yes!" "What are we gonna do with this hair?" "Hey, Emma." "Patsy, hurry up!" "You're going to miss him." "That's what they were looking at!" " Good night, honey." " Where's Momma?" "She's out back with that old fart who's trying to get in her pants." "Aren't you gonna wait and see if the astronaut shows up?" "They've got one on every corner in Houston!" "Come on." "I gotta get my bus." " Okay." "Say hi to Race for me." " Okay." " Okay." " Love you." "Astronauts!" " So?" " We better get going." "I'm gonna say goodbye to my mother." "You want to go with?" "No." "I don't think I'm up to it today." "Sure would be nice to have a mother somebody liked." "Why don't you face up to the fact that you have certain biological needs?" " Because I don't." " Mom!" "I'm going now." "Excuse me." "Can you believe it?" "He wants to take me to Tahiti." "I don't know why you treat these men like this." "They have feelings, too." "You always make so much of things." " Has the astronaut moved in yet?" " Who?" ""Who?" Is Patsy teaching you coy lessons?" "Breedlove, Garrett." "Next door." "Has he moved in?" " Put your socks up!" " All right." "Come say goodbye to Patsy." "11:00." "You be home by 11:00, and no later than 11:00." "Say goodbye to Patsy." " Goodbye, Patsy!" " Thank you." "Goodbye, Mrs Greenway." "In this day and age, anything goes!" "I feel really foolish getting stoned to hear Mary Martin." "See, Patsy, this is not Mary Martin." "This is Ethel Merman." "This is the last time we're gonna be like this." "I just plain refuse to get into that kind of thinking, Patsy." "It should not stop." "I mean, we're gonna be best friends." "Our babies are gonna be best friends." "We're all gonna grow up and be best friends." " Emma?" " Oh, God!" " Just a minute, Ma." " Open the door." " Emma?" " Yes." " Open the door, please." " Just a minute, Ma." "What do you mean?" " Emma, I need to talk to you!" " All right." "I'm getting married." "What the hell?" " Would you meet me in my room?" " Yes." "What do you think she wants?" "I don't know." "Maybe she's going to tell you how to have sex." "What?" "No." "She only knows how to avoid it." " Okay, hang on." " I can't believe you just said that." "I didn't mean it." "I didn't mean it, I swear." " What have you been doing, Emma?" " Nothing." "What is it, Momma?" "I really would like to get some sleep so I could look halfway decent for tomorrow." "Come on." "What is it?" "You wouldn't want me to be silent about something that's for your own good, even if it might hurt a little, would you?" "Yes, ma'am, I certainly would!" "Okay, come on." "Come on." "I've been in here all night." "I've been trying to decide what wedding gift to get you." "I thought of that Renoir that my mother gave me." "But I couldn't reach a conclusion." "Then I came to grips with the reason why I couldn't think of a wedding gift for you." "Momma, it's all right." "I need dishes of any kind, CorningWare, a rotisserie, the car, a house." "Emma." "I'm totally convinced if you marry Flap Horton tomorrow, it will be a mistake of such gigantic proportions, it will ruin your life and make wretched your destiny." "Why are you doing this to me?" "You are not special enough to overcome a bad marriage." "Emma, use your brains." "Flap is limited." "He hasn't got any imagination." "Even at this age, all he wants is a secure teaching job." "Mother, I'm marrying Flap Horton tomorrow." "I thank God for Flap for getting me out of here." "And if this is your attitude, you shouldn't bother showing up to my wedding." "That's right." "No, I think you're right." "The hypocrisy was bothering me, too." "My own mother's not coming to my wedding." "Listen to her." "She's going crazy." "I'll give her until noon tomorrow." "That's about all she can take." "Emma, your mother boycotted your wedding, she hates your husband, and she only holds you in medium esteem." "Medium esteem." "That is so cute." "That is so cute." "Wouldn't it have been strange if one of us married a person who didn't read?" "God, there's millions of interesting people out there who just never pick up a book." "Flap, I feel so totally good about us." "I hope I get pregnant tonight." "That would be nice." "Emma." "I love the way you look." "You're so nice." "You're my sweet-ass gal." "Here comes the bride!" "How do you..." "Yeah." "Wait, Flap." "Where did you learn how to do that?" " Quit moving." " Flap?" "That is the strangest music to make love to." "I know." "Leave me alone." "I don't want to talk to you right now." "I'm happy." "I don't want to talk to you." "No." "Did you see the tablecloth Rosie gave me?" "It's beautiful." "It's got red flowers on it." "Yeah." "I think she made it." "No." "No, not yet." "No, I made omelettes." "I started 'em." "Kind of Tex-Mex." "No." "That was the worst thing you've ever done to me in my life, Mother!" "Well, I think you owe my husband an apology." "Until you apologise to my husband, I'm not listening to any of your gossip." "No." "Well, he's right here." "Hold on." " Yes." " No." " Yes." " No." "No." "Yes." "Hello, Mrs Greenway." "No, ma'am, I am not enjoying your predicament." "Momma, you be nice." "I swear." "As a matter of fact, I don't need or desire an apology." "All I want is for you to understand and appreciate my position, to respect our marriage," "and to maybe wait another 15 minutes before you call in the morning." "Yes, I guess I've said my piece." "Okay, I'll put her on." "He's so great!" "I told you." "I'll talk to you later." "All right?" "I don't care about the neighbourhood." "Can't you stay a little while longer?" "I thought we were having a real good time, didn't you?" "Listen, don't go yet." "One more minute." "No, I've got something I want to show you." "No, really." " Thanks." " Good night." " I bought you something." " What?" "A tie." "Emma." "You didn't buy this tie for me." "You were worried about how I was gonna look to your mother." "Now I wish you would stop being such a quisling where she is concerned." "Why is it every time I get happy, you turn perverse?" " Buying this tie made you happy?" " Yes!" "Yes!" "I wish you could understand this, 'cause you really don't." "I mean, it made me very happy, buying this tie." "I went to two or three places before I finally found the right place." "And then describing your jacket to the salesman and knowing how perfect it would match with what you were wearing, which, by the way, it certainly does." "I mean, it was fun!" "It was a goddamn Mardi Gras, and you're just too dumb to understand that kind of happiness!" "I'm sorry." "I'm being terrible." "Going to your mother's, it makes me a little irrational." " Can I help?" " Yes." "Thank you, Flap." "Would you take this candle to Emma?" "I need another one." " In the kitchen?" " Yes." "That looks great." "Who's that short gentleman?" "Not that it's any of your business, but..." "Just leave it at that." "What are you looking at?" "She isn't there any more." "She'll be back." "I'm Edward Johnson, Aurora's friend." "Pleased to meet you." "Vernon Dahlart." "God, isn't she something?" "Here she comes." "I met her two weeks ago at church." "I guess you might say she's God's gift to Vernon Dahlart." " Then you like her?" " Oh, no." "Does it show?" "Good food." "Well, this is what I used to serve when I lived in Boston." "Vernon, you haven't said a word." "Is that right?" "I feel like I haven't stopped talking since I came in." "I guess because I've been thinking about you so much." "Can I give you a suggestion on how to handle me, Vernon?" "Yes, ma'am." "Don't worship me until I've earned it." "Thank you, ma'am." "I appreciate any advice you can give me." "Don't talk with your mouth full, Vernon." "I wouldn't do that, really." "I just did it to make you laugh." "What's wrong with you?" " I got some good news." " What's that?" "I'm unofficially pregnant." "We haven't gotten the tests back yet, but you know me." "I'm never late." "Well..." "I don't understand." "If you're not happy for me..." "I'm gonna get so mad if you're not happy." "Why should I?" "Why should I be happy about being a grandmother?" "Does this mean you won't be knitting the baby any booties?" "Flap." "Every time you get more than two drinks in you, you confront me." "And I won't have it." "I won't have it, not in this house." "Excuse me." "Do you need some help?" "No." "I'll be fine just as soon as I stretch my legs." " Oh, God." " Mr Breedlove." "You're bleeding." "Yeah." "It's okay." " Come on in." " No, thank you." " What are you afraid of, Doris?" " Afraid?" "Well, why not..." "Why not come on in then?" "Because you're much older than the boys I date, 'cause you're drunk, and because when I went there tonight to see a United States astronaut give a lecture," "I didn't expect him to prowl after us all night long." "I didn't expect some silly flirt who had to keep his jacket open because his belly's getting too big." "I expected a hero." "Well, okay, Doris, don't come in." "I don't want you in my house." "Lee Anne, would you like to come in?" "You better tend to that cut." "Tommy, show me your belly." "Come on." "Come on!" "How can you let him run around dressed like that?" "He's adorable." "Look at him." "Great, Tommy." "That's Vernon, I'm sure." "So tell him that I'm..." "Out?" "No." "Tell him I'm resting." "Hello?" "Hi, Flap." "Where?" "No." "Tell me now." "I want to know now." "Flap, you did not expect I'd be happy." "Let's be honest with each other before we start pretending." "Look, Mom's staring at me right now, so can I talk about it later to you?" "Yeah." "All right." "Bye." "How long you going to keep this a secret?" "The only school that would accept Flap for his associate professorship is in Des Moines." "He can't even do the simple things, like fail locally." "It's gonna be fine, Momma." "It's Des Moines." " Say, "Bye bye, house."" " Bye bye, house." "All right." "Be careful going down these steps." "I don't want you to break your leg." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Stay sweet, honey." "Rosie." "That's enough, Rosie." "They have to get started." "You tell Momma to drive you home when you work late." "Have some fun, Rosie." "Don't act so brave." "I know you're gonna go crazy without me to nag." "You be good to her, or else we're gonna get you." "I mean it." "Bye, Flap." "Have a good drive." "Okay, fingers and toes in." "Take Momma's purse." "Momma, that's the first time I stopped hugging first." "I like that." "Get yourself a decent maternity dress." "You had to get one in, didn't you?" "Will you tell her, Patsy?" "She keeps thinking it's me when I say those things." "Tom." "Are you gonna be good to your mother and take care of her?" " Bye, Mrs Greenway." " Goodbye." "Listen, you write as soon as you get there, so I'll have your address and all, okay?" "You shape up, Patsy." "Dropped my gum." "We'll get you another piece, sweetheart." "The phone bill is gonna be enormous, you know that?" "I'll miss you, Momma." " Can we go now?" " Yeah." "Pull away slow." "Honey, I think it's gonna be so good for us to be away from your..." " Our families." " I miss Houston." "You don't know how lucky you are." "Everybody wants to go to Des Moines." "People come from all over the world just to get one look at Des Moines before they die." "Some people say it's the best city in Iowa." "I know you're teasing me." "Texas is the best!" "Well, I think you should stop worrying." "We're going to see some terrific new things." "We are." "Would you please, if you will, hold it down over there?" "Sorry, I can't hear you." "Hold it down!" "Have some respect for other people's feelings!" "Come over a little closer." "Hey, you in the bush, I can't hear you!" "I'm sorry, but I just took a sauna, and it's real hard not to yell when you hit that cold water." "You're not gonna ignore me when I speak directly to you?" "I'm not ignoring you." "What am I supposed to say?" "Okay, it's kind of hard not to yell when you hit that cold water." "Hey, come here." "Come here?" " What is your name?" "Aurora?" " Yes." "You want a shock?" "No, not especially." "What?" "Well, we're going to have this dinner at..." "A NASA dinner at the White House." "You know, some cosmonauts and all of us, and..." "I didn't know who I could take." "'Cause all the people that I flew with, well, their wives would give me bitch bites all up and down my back if I showed up with one of my regular girls." "I didn't know anybody old enough, so I thought," ""Well, I'll ask my next-door neighbour."" "Well, anyway, they canceled the dinner, but I was really thinking about asking you out." "Seriously, ain't that a shocker?" "Yes." "Imagine you having a date with someone where it wasn't necessarily a felony." "Yeah, well..." "What would you have said if I asked you?" "Seriously." "I would have said I'd like to see the White House." "So you would have come?" "What the hell?" "You want to have dinner out some time?" " No, thank you." " What about lunch?" "You ladies, you like to have lunch a lot, don't you?" "You know, there's something about your manner." "It's like you're trying to toy with me." "That's right, Aurora." "I'm playing with you." "No, this is the element." " This is exactly..." " Do you want to play, Aurora?" "You wanna go to lunch?" "We'll have lunch." "Well, if you want to have lunch with me in some restaurant so we could improve the atmosphere in this neighbourhood," "I wouldn't exactly say no." "Come here." "We're too far apart to talk." "Now, Aurora." "Since you've agreed, why don't we just forget about the rest of it?" "I mean, I know how you feel." "There were countdowns when I had my doubts." "But I said to myself, "You agreed to do it."" ""You're strapped in, and you're in the hands"" ""of something bigger and more powerful than yourself."" ""So why not just lay back and enjoy the ride?"" "I'm not going." "There is something wrong with you." "God, I'm such a shit." "Wait a minute." "Wait a minute." "That must be it right over there." "Right there?" "Oh, God." "Flap, it's great." "Is that it, really?" " I think that's it." " It's great." "Isn't that sweet?" " That was a bump." " Yeah." " What is that?" " Shall we go see the house?" "You stay here." "I'll come around and get you." "Stay right there." "Come on." "Let's get this off." "Come on." "Come on!" "Come on, sweetheart." "Did you hurt yourself?" "Nope, not yet." "Do you like it?" "Do you like it?" "It's great." "Flap, it's great!" "Oh, my God." "We'll leave the mattress down here." "We can sleep here." "I'm really tired." "You ever made love in Iowa?" "You know what's great?" "Tommy's room is clear on the other side of the hall, so we can get as noisy as we want." "Good." "You get to make your little high-pitched squeak." "Stop it!" "What about you?" "What about you?" ""Here I come." "Here I come again!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"" "Here I come again." "Yes." "Yes." "Oh, God." "You just made me wet." "How can you do that with your voice, just like that?" "You just make your voice like that." "God, if Tommy can't hear us, we can't hear Tommy!" " He's fine, mother!" " Don't get pissy." "I'll be right back!" "I have eight or nine papers left to grade." "This isn't love." "It's selfishness." "Well, it's been almost a whole week since we've been together." "I don't think we've gone a whole week, Flap." " Sure, we've gone a week." " No, only in the real pregnant months." "And you're always getting home so late, Flap." "Forget it." "Forget it!" "Just do me a favor, Flap." "Don't make me feel silly, I won't make you feel guilty, all right?" "Fair enough." "I have to hurry." "Be a good boy." "Emma?" "I absolutely love that you came back." "You're saving our lives." "You know you're saving our lives by doing this." "I love that you came back, Flap." "I love it!" "Tommy, breakfast will be ready in a minute." "You just wait right there." "Let's hurry." "I've got to grade those papers." "God, I just can't believe it." " I'll give everybody a B!" " Come on." "Wait!" "Wait!" "Emma, come on!" "Hello?" "Hi, Mother." "Look, could we talk later?" "'Cause I've got to get the boys off, and it's not a good time for me to be on the phone." "Don't be so inconsiderate." "I'm all set to have a nice, good talk with you." "Besides, you've got almost an hour to get the boys off." "What's wrong?" " Nothing." " Stop right here." "Tell me what it is." "Okay, Mother." "I need some money." "I need you to loan me some money." "I really and truly need it, so will you?" "Mother, please don't be quiet." "You know how hard that was for me to ask you." "You can say no, but please don't be quiet." "I'm sorry, sweetheart." "I was just thinking." "Thinking what?" "How much I hate to part with money." "Well, I wouldn't have asked if..." "Don't yell, but I really think that I may be pregnant again." "Oh, no!" "Oh, no!" "Oh, no!" "And you're going to have it, I suppose?" "Yes, of course." "What's happening to you, anyway?" "Don't act like that's so terrible, Emma." "I keep hearing about lots of bright, young women who are having simple abortions." "Simple?" "And then they get wonderful jobs." "You can go right across the state to Colorado and have it." "I don't know why I tell you anything." "I mean, I seem to like you less and less, Mom." "You know why, Emma?" "It is because I am the only person who tells you the truth." "Go get dressed, okay?" "How is your life gonna get better if you keep having children with that man?" "What miracle is going to come along to rescue you?" "Leave me alone." "I need the money." "Why don't you give me the painting to sell?" "No!" "I won't do that." "That's your security." "I will not have you using that for rent!" "Let's not do this." "All right?" "All right?" "I'll talk to you later." "All right?" " All right." "If the money would mean..." " No, no, don't give me the money." " It would make you crazy." " Yes, it would." "We'll talk later." "You call me tonight if you want, all right?" "Goodbye." "Daddy just got home." "Hey, no kidding?" "Is it tough being a genius?" "Boy!" "Great news." "I know what my topic is." "I have it all figured out." "What's wrong?" "Where have you been all night, Flap?" "I'm sorry, Ems." "I fell asleep on that big sofa at the library again." "I don't know what's wrong with me." "I'm on to you." " I'm not doing anything." " Yes, you are." "I hate it when you get this unhappy, okay?" "We go through this stage every time." "No, no." "Don't change the subject." "What's the subject?" "That I'm on to you." "You wouldn't try to look so innocent unless you were guilty." "You're gonna have to take my word for it." "You have no other choice." "No, no, no, no, no." "Excuse me." "Emma, you always get a little paranoid in your first few months, okay?" "Just..." "If you are doing something, and you're trying to make me feel crazy because I'm bearing our child, then you may have just sunk to a point so low that you will never recover." "You may have just panicked, Flap, and trying to save yourself, you've thrown out your character and your principles." "Now the only way you could possibly redeem yourself and be the man that God intended you to be is to admit to me anything that you might have been doing last night." "'Cause if you don't do that, if you don't do that right now, you are a lost man." "A shell, a bag of shit dust." "You've got to tell me." "For us, honey." "Come on." "Hello?" "Hello, Aurora." "How are you?" "Yes, she is." "She's right here." "Nice to hear your voice again." "I don't know why you don't get a job if you're worried about money." "What am I going to do with the baby?" "It's supposed to be a great day when you get tenure!" "Flap, we don't have enough money to pay the bills now, all tenure means is, we won't have enough money forever!" "I don't see why you don't ask your mother!" "That's convenient for you!" "I should ask my mother!" "Go ahead!" "Call her!" "Why should today be any different?" "Get on the phone, Emma!" "Get on the phone!" "Why don't you call?" "Yeah, right." "I'm gonna call Aurora, right!" "Get on the phone!" "Get on the phone!" "Get on the phone, Emma!" "Get on the phone!" "Get on the damn phone!" " Mommy said to wait right here." " Stay if you want." "What are you guys doing here?" "I told you to wait out in front of the house." "Answer me, Tommy." "I didn't want people to think we live there." "What?" "I said I didn't want people to think we live there." "Cut it out." "Okay." "You're allowed to say one mean thing to me a year." " That'll do till you're 10." " You're driving Daddy away." "Okay, Tommy." "Stand up and follow me." "Don't make me hit you on the street." "Hurry up." "I said hurry." "Come on!" "$44." "Twenty, 30..." "Let's see." "That's $38.40." "You don't have enough money?" "I don't have any cheques." "I guess I'll have to put some things back." "Can I have the register key?" "She doesn't have enough money!" "It's not such a big thing." "I brought the wrong purse." "Here, take this." "$43.75." "$41.35." "Mom, you promised I could have something!" "I'm not gonna give her real food, all right?" " Can't you give her this?" " No way!" " $40.35." " Mom!" "All right." "Here." "$40.55." "$40.75." "Hey, we're going in the wrong direction." "Why do you have to be so goddamn nasty?" "I mean, it's not going to help anything." "We're both people, you know?" "$40.75." "I don't need it." "Mrs Horton, I'm Sam Burns from the bank." "I turned you down on the second on your house." "Of course." "I remember who you are." "Look, can I help you make up the difference here?" "Thanks." "I'd appreciate it." "I'll pay you back tomorrow." "Oh, no." "You're a very rude young woman." "I know Douglas from the Rotary, and I can't believe he'd want you treating customers so badly." "I don't think I was treating her badly." "Then you must be from New York." " Be careful, Teddy!" " What?" "Be careful!" " Where's your car?" " Right here." "It was looking like the worst time I've ever had." "I didn't know I could get cheered up so fast." "I'm grateful." " No problem." " Come on, Mom." " Wait over by the car a second, honey." " Come on!" " Wait over by the car, honey." " No!" "Come on!" " Wait over by the car, honey." " But..." "Wait over by the car, honey!" "Over by the car!" "Now!" "Now!" "Now!" "Nice boys." "You're great with them, too." "Really." "I think all three of us are going through a stage." " Hey, thanks again." " No thanks required." " I've had a lovely time." " Me, too." " I'll get the money back to you." " Don't bother yourself." "You could just drop it in the mail if you like." " To the bank?" " Sure." "You could even use a cheque-by-mail envelope." "Or you could come in." "Whichever." "Maybe I'll come in some time." "Well, that'd be fine." " Hey, can I help you with that?" " No, thanks." "I'm used to this." "And so, another birthday for a gal named Aurora Greenway." "Even though 50, she still takes my breath away." "Mere mortals just gaze as she lights up their sky." "A heavenly object, a siren's cry." "You're the best." "Happy birthday." " Thank you, Edward." " Excuse me, Aurora." "Thank you." "Do you want one, Vernon?" "Would you like a kiss?" "You're not lying about your age, are you?" "Of course not." "I thought you were 52." "She's really 52." "Come on, Aurora, how do you expect to fool a family doctor?" " It seems to me she said her age." " Thank you, Vernon." "Thank you." "My point is, the number doesn't matter, but the effort to conceal it does." " Rosie, why does he keep talking?" " Dr Ratcher..." "Damn it, I'm trying to do some good here!" " Now, the way to adjust to old age..." " Doctor." "Doctor, I think you're a mite confused, because of being recently widowed and all." "You okay?" "Aurora?" "Let's give her some privacy." "Yeah?" "The door's open." "Just a minute." "Well, hello." "Hi." "I was curious if you still wanted to take me to lunch." "I wasn't aware that we..." "I don't know what you..." "A few years back, you invited me to lunch." " A few years back?" " That's right." "I wondered if the invitation still exists." "Would you like to?" "Do lunch." " Not dinner, remember?" "It was lunch." " Why not?" "No." "Good." "When?" " Tomorrow?" " Tomorrow?" "All right." "All right." "Good." " 12:30?" " 12:00." "Good." "Thank you." "If you mind the open air, I could get the top." "No." "Don't worry." "Grown women are prepared for life's little emergencies." "Us going out together." "Not bad?" "Do you think..." "Do you think you could possibly put the top up?" "The top's at home in the garage." "Hello, there." "How are you?" " How are you, Ali?" " Hello." "How are you?" "It's nice to see you." "Fred, that we met at that bar." "He asked me out." " Oh, God." " We went to the Cadillac Bar." "Have you ever been there?" "It's a fun place if you're with the right people, it really is, but I wasn't." "Well, I'm starving!" "No hidden meaning in that remark." "Well." "Would you like an oyster?" "No." " Thank you." " It's good." "I think that is extremely rude, noticing other women when you're with me." "I think we're going to have to get drunk." "I don't get drunk, and I don't care for escorts who do." "You got me into this." "You're just gonna have to trust me about this one thing." "You need a lot of drinks." "To break the ice?" "To kill the bug that you have up your ass." "May I get you something?" "Yes, I think I will have some bourbon, preferably Wild Turkey." " Aurora?" " Yes?" "You're not fun, by any chance, are you?" "I don't really think we should think about that right now." "Impatient boys sometimes miss dessert." "We both got here at the same time!" "Hi, Sam." "How are you?" "It's nice to see you." "It's always so nice to see you." "I can hardly believe it." "You, too." "What I didn't expect was that there would be moments where I'd forget to be scared that someone would see us together." "Sam, you don't have to be scared." "I mean, contemplating sin is all we've done." "It doesn't mean anything." "I'm glad that you've been contemplating it, too." "I didn't know that." "Well, all these lunches, all this hand holding?" "Emma." "I'm not going back to the bank this afternoon." "I have to go out and inspect a new house." "It's pretty far out, and well, it's empty." " I gotta pick up my kids at 5:00." " Okay." "Well, I understand." "Look, don't give it a thought." "Emma." "I haven't made love to a woman" " in almost three years." " How come?" "My wife has a disc problem." "And she can't take having any weight on her." "Sam, I hope you don't mind me asking you this, but have you ever thought of your wife getting on top?" "She wouldn't do that." "She may surprise you." "No, I don't think so." "It would be so unlike her." "Did you ask?" "About 600 times." "What are you thinking?" "Tell me, do you prefer Texas to Iowa?" "Come on, Sam." "What were you really thinking?" "Really, that's exactly what I was thinking when you just asked me that." "I don't know." "There seems to be an absence of wildness, you know?" "Even in the people!" "Well, we're farmers, and we talk poor, because the farmer aspect of things is," ""don't let anybody know you have anything", and, "don't call attention to yourself"." "My wife says..." "Well, I guess we shouldn't talk about Dottie." "Wind in the hair!" "Lead in the pencil!" "Feet controlling the universe!" "Breedlove at the helm!" "Just keep pumping that throttle!" "Keep giving it that gas!" "I see the Gulf of Mexico below me!" " I'm not enjoying this!" " Give it a chance." " I am going to stop!" " Fly me to the moon!" "How are you?" "It's not my fault, but I'm sorry." "If you wanted to get me on my back, you just had to ask me." " My hand!" " Get it out of there!" " I can't!" "I swear!" " Get it out!" " I swear I can't get it loose." " Out!" "I swear to God!" "We were having such a good time, and you had to go do this!" "Please..." "Please, anything!" "Bend down!" "Bend down!" " Why did you have to get drunk?" " I'm not drunk any more!" "The pain sobered me up." "Oh, no." "Emma, this might be a terrible thing to ask, but are you thinking about your husband at all?" " I was a little." " We can go back right now." "No, Sam." "Stop it." "Look, I want to do this." "I'm glad that I don't know whether or not Flap's been with someone else." "I'd hate to think that I was doing this just to get even." "Just..." "Look..." "Great!" "Fine!" "Great!" "You're parked in my driveway!" "You're breaking the law!" "Thank you!" "Would you like to come in?" "I'd rather stick needles in my eyes." "Everything would have been just fine if you hadn't gotten drunk." "I was..." "I just didn't want you to think I was like one of your other girls." "Not much danger in that unless you curtsy on my face real soon." "Garrett!" "What is it that makes you so insistent on shocking and insulting me?" "I mean, I really hate that way of talking." "You must know that." "Why do you do it?" "I'll tell you, Aurora." "I don't know what it is about you, but you do bring out the devil in me." "Where are you?" "I'm in the laundry room so nobody could hear me." "Yes." "But, Sam, I can't hear you either." "Wait a minute." "We're getting a quieter cycle." " Okay." " Can you hear me now?" " Yeah." " Good." "Is it bad to call?" "No, no, I'm definitely in the market for a little sweet talk." " Mom, I have to go!" " Just a minute." " What?" " Really!" "Hurry up." " What is it?" " Just how absolutely good I feel." "And even though I'm scared, and we've committed adultery, no matter what happens, I'm just so grateful to God or the devil" "for letting me feel this way again." "I'm so glad you told me that." " Don't flush!" " You told me always to!" "No, not this time." "Emma, is everything okay?" " Can you talk?" " No, it's all right." " Can I hold Melanie?" " Yes." " Honey, is everything okay?" " What?" " Is everything okay?" " Everything's fine." " Yeah." "Everything's fine." " Emma..." "I have an emergency phone call from Mrs Aurora Greenway in Houston, Texas for Emma Horton." "Oh, no!" "No." "She always does that when the line's busy." "It's fine." " Will you release?" " Of course, Operator." "Sorry, we were just talking." "I'll talk to you later, Sam." "Bye." "Hi." "How'd it go?" "The astronaut is impossible." "An arrogant, self-centred, and yes, somewhat entertaining man, who has realised his ambition and is at last and forever a spoiled child." "Talk about your match made in heaven." "Yeah, you'd think so, wouldn't you?" "I don't think he wants to have anything more to do with me." "Why?" "I don't wanna go into it." "Was it because you wouldn't go to bed with him?" "On a first date, Emma?" "It's hardly a first date, Mother." "You've been living 10 feet away from him for 15 years." "Why don't you talk about the real reason?" "I don't know what you mean." "Because it's been about that long since you've done it." "Shut up!" "I mean it!" "Shut up!" "Come on, it's just me." " No." " Call him!" " No, no, no!" "I'm hanging up." " No, no." "Okay, I'm sorry." " I'm hanging up." " Call him now!" "So long." " Hello?" " Hello, Garrett." "Yes?" "Well, I was just sitting here realising..." "Realising that I had never shown you my Renoir." "What are you talking about?" "I'm inviting you to come over and look at my Renoir." "You're inviting me to bed." "Yes, it happens to be in my bedroom." "Is the Renoir under the covers?" "Don't cackle, Garrett." " Do you want to see it?" " Do I want to come to your bedroom?" " Let me think." " Do you?" "Just give me a minute." "It's a tough one." "Yeah, okay." "I guess so." "Sure, why not?" "I'll see you in a bit." "If I don't answer the bell, that means that the back door's open." "The back door's open." "My God." "He ran it." "Hi." "I was doing laps when you called." "Lucky for us, I only did eight." "This is it." "This is the Renoir." "I like it." "I like the painting." "I like everything in here." "Relax, baby..." "Now, just who do you think you're talking to like this?" "Don't you realize I'm a grandmother?" "It's not flattering to look too surprised." "I'll just be a minute." " I like the lights on." " Then go home and turn them on." "I'm sorry." "Come on." "Dad." "Come on." "Wake up, Dad." " What?" "What?" " Melanie's sick." " What?" " Melanie's sick." " The baby's sick." " The baby's sick?" "Are you coming, Flap?" "See, Mom, see?" "See." "What do you think is wrong?" "I have to look first." "Come on, Dad." "Thank you." "You can go to bed." "She's gonna be all right." "She is." "Go on." " I couldn't sleep." "So why can't I stay up?" " Go to bed." "I'll be there soon." "It's bad enough we're making this a drama." "It's not going to qualify as high drama." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Thanks." "I'm sure it's the croup." "Remember?" "Tommy had it twice." "Guess you were in the library." "That's the worst sound in the world." "How long do you keep her in here?" "Why?" "Are you going back to bed?" "I just asked how long." "I don't know." "Until her throat clears, or I lose 20 pounds, whichever comes first." "I don't know." "About 20 minutes, I guess." "I've been offered a job." "What?" "Why didn't you say something?" "I just wanted to think about it." "It's head of the English Department at Kearney State College." "It's for about the same money." " Where is it?" " Nebraska." "I really don't want to move from here." "I love the school, the paediatricians..." "It's the head of the department." "We'll talk about it, all right?" "I like it here, Flap." "Head of the department, that's..." "That's great." " Goodbye, Mom." " Bye." "Come on, Teddy." "Don't kiss the baby." "She may still be sick." "Have a good day at school." "You don't know the night I had!" "Melanie decided to get the croup, and of course, it happened at 3:00 a.m., so I don't think I've even gotten any sleep yet." "Anyway, I don't know if he's kidding." "Flap told me that he's taking us to some college in Nebraska." "And I'm not sure, but I think Sam is becoming someone that I need in a strange way." "I'm lying here next to the astronaut." "Are you really?" "How was it?" "I'll speak to you later." "I'll let you go." "I feel so good for you." "I do." "You call me as soon as you can." "Okay?" " Bye." " Bye." "Mel." "Okay, Mel!" "I just want to make this clear, you know." "I see other women." "I didn't exactly think we were engaged." " Okay, okay." " Your ego, really!" "Okay." "Let's stay in tonight." " Boy, you're saving a fortune on me." " I'll cook." "It's been three weeks, and you haven't even seen my house." "My best instincts had me avoiding it." "What are you thinking?" "I'll tell you what." "I think this is really sad, that you feel that you need all this stuff to impress girls with." "Need it?" "Sometimes it isn't enough." "I don't think there's anything wrong with using all your assets." "Except, you see, I think that it turns your profession into a sex trap." "Come on." "Everybody uses whatever they have." "I earned it!" "There's 106 astronauts in the whole fucking world, and I'm one of them!" "It's as much a part of me as anything else." "I'm sorry." "I didn't..." "I didn't mean to trip on such a deeply felt principle." "Do you want to know what bothers me?" "None of us ever got together in one room, locked all the doors, and compared notes on the experience." "I think there was a rule we had to pretend that it wasn't the fun that it was." "You do sense the speed." "I remember looking out the window of the spacecraft." "God, I sound like somebody with a big belly telling stories about Korea." "Anyway, this one time, I'm looking out the window." "I see a piece of the spacecraft, and it's whistling along the ground." "It doesn't make a sound." "The only sound you hear, the only noise in the entire world is your heart beating." "It's indescribable." "Anyway, I can't think of a better way of saying it, but that was it." "That was my moment, the one that doesn't go away." "You know what I mean?" "Yes." "Hey." "This is my moment." "No, don't get nervous, Garrett." "Flap?" "Anybody?" "You don't think it's love because we're having fun." "Love can be fun." "Would you stop making faces?" "That's wonderful." "I think what we have here is a typical grad school girl crush." "Would you please, please, please stop telling me that this is just a crush?" "Janice, the whole fun with getting involved with someone who is unavailable and a little bit older is that sometimes you get to hear what's really going on." " Flap, you are such a..." " Incredible asshole!" "Excuse me." " Excuse me." " Watch it, buddy!" "Emma." "God damn it, Emma." "You're gonna ruin us!" " 'Cause you're a spectacle!" " I am not!" "Stop jiggling her like that." "She's gonna throw up." "Your timing was perfect." "You caught us before we did anything." "I'm taking the car, and I'm gonna take the kids." "I'm gonna go to Houston." "Give me the baby." "You don't know what I did." "You don't know." "Just like I don't know what you do on your little afternoon drives." "Take the..." "Professor Horton, can I speak to you about my grade?" "You ought to be happy that I'm going off." "If I stayed here, I'd make life hell for you." "Don't follow me." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "It's them." "It's them!" " Garrett, you're gonna meet Emma." " No, you don't need outsiders." " You're no outsider!" " I'll see them later." "Please, come with me." "Em, Em, this is Garrett." " The one..." " Pleasure to meet you." "I've heard so much about you." "Your mother's really been looking forward to this, too." "So, go ahead." " Anything wrong, Garrett?" " No." "It was very nice to have met you." "Must be nice to be home." "It's great." "It's great." "I'll be over later." "They're probably tired anyway and will get to sleep early, and I'd like to get to bed early." "Grandma, Grandma, Grandma!" "Come on." "Bye-bye." "Come on out." "All right." "This one likes to squeeze." "Teddy likes to squeeze." "Tommy likes a squeeze." "You both get a squeeze." "And..." "The baby." "Where's the baby?" "There is my baby." "Look at the baby!" "I keep thinking she looks a little like you." "A little?" "It's like looking in the mirror." "She loved the ride." "She hardly cried at all." " Bring in the suitcases." " Okay." " Mom." " Well, I talk to you every day." " Mother, you look great." " And you look terrible." "Nobody wants a girl who's washed-out and tired-looking all the time." "I just drove about 1,000 miles." "Besides, all the men love me the way I am, Mother." "It's just like you that when you finally take one small step away from Flap, it's with a married, unavailable, older lowan." " Tell me about the astronaut." " We have to talk about it." "Are you going to sleep now, or are we gonna talk?" "How's the astronaut, Mother?" "Really?" " Oh, really?" " Yes!" " He has a name, though." " You really like him." "Yeah." "Well, it's just so..." "It's so strange that relatively..." "Relatively late in life, I've found that sex is so..." "So..." "So..." "So..." "So fan-fucking-tastic!" "Anyway, that's what he calls it." "A moth to flame." "This affair is going to kill me." "No." "Maybe not." "Why do you say that?" "Come on, Mom." "I never thought I'd start to need him." "You're so lucky you have a pool." "Come on." "Stand there." "Just stand there!" " Okay." " Okay." "Let's talk about Los Angeles." "Do you miss it?" "It was so interesting dating Jews after the divorce." " They are so lively." " Really?" "Yeah." "In Los Angeles, they were so anxious to make you feel as if they understood your secret thoughts better than anybody." "Patsy!" "And I was just glad I had some." "Honey, there's a telephone call for you." "Hello." "Hi, Flap." "How are you?" "I'm fine." " I guess I look older, like everyone else." " She does not." "Flap, you sound the same, and I'm not sure that's such a good thing." "Yeah, she's right here." "No, we have not." "We have other things to talk about besides you." "Hello." "I'm fine." "What's up?" "Feeling contrite?" "You don't seem to understand, Flap." "I saw you together." "What?" "You know, Flap, I can't believe you're doing this to us." "Well, I think you're spiteful, and I don't know when the hell that happened." "No!" "Goodbye." "I'll..." "Goodbye." "Flap accepted the job at Kearney, Nebraska." "I gotta go back." "We're gonna move in a week." "Emma, I don't know why you don't leave him." "Honestly, I don't know, either." "He's cute." "I've been packing for us all week." " Sure remembers her daddy." " Yeah." "So, are you gonna stay mad?" "I think being uprooted with my kids without my consent is at least worth a pout, don't you?" "Come on." " Head of the department." " I know." "I know." "Here." " Aurora?" " Garrett!" "I'm back here." "Well, hello, stranger." "What's it been, about two days?" "Your family still around?" "No, they left." "What?" "You probably know what I'm going to say." "Maybe not." "I hope not." "Well..." "You're some kind of woman, but I'm the wrong kind of man, and it doesn't look like my shot at being the right kind is as good as I was hoping for." "You don't even know how much you're gonna miss me." "I don't want to blow smoke up your ass." "What a relief." "It's just that I'm starting to feel an obligation here." "And it makes it rough, especially living next door." "I'm starting to think I gotta watch what I'm doing..." "I am gonna miss you." "And I do feel bad." "You're lucky." "I feel humiliated." "Can I have a picture of you?" "Well, yeah, but the only one I have has Flap in it." "I don't mind." "Come here." "Give me a kiss." "When you finish this, I need this kind of type or something close." " Hello, Emma." "Hi, baby." " Hi." "She wanted her daddy to see her dressed up before she went to the doctor." "He'll be here any minute." " I'll talk to you later." " Okay." "Excuse me." " Miss?" " Miss?" "Don't make me run after you." "I have a toddler here!" "Are you the reason that we came to Nebraska?" "I think that Flap should talk to you." "We discussed that." "I don't want to say anything until he does, except that" "I don't think there's an emotion that you're having I couldn't validate." "Tell you what." "If you see Flap, you tell him that his wife and his baby went to the doctor's to get their flu shots, all right?" "Why don't you do that?" "Just hold still." "That's a good girl." "Okay?" "You're all finished, all right?" "It's all over." "If it makes you feel any better, Mommy's gonna get a shot, too." " Can I give her one of those?" " Sure." " Here." " There you go." "Are they gonna tell me in the other room if my husband calls?" "You have a lump in your armpit." " How long has it been there?" " I don't know." "Melanie, stop kicking the cabinet!" "There's two of them." "It's not very big, though." "I have to be out of town next week, and I hate to make it wait that long." "They should come out and be looked at." "Come out?" "Should I be scared?" "All it means is, if you're scared, why, you'll be that much happier when it turns out to be nothing." "Dr Budge, Mom should get a pop, too, for her shot." " Right." "Here, Mom." " Thanks, Mel." "Well, I know what it is." "You don't know how to keep yourself up, so your sweat glands have clogged up." " It's a cyst." " So I shouldn't worry, right?" "It's a cyst." "It's right where your oil glands are, and they've clogged up." "You never did know how to eat right, and you've never learned how to wash." "You're right." "You're right." "Thanks." "Talk to Melanie." " Say hi." " Hi." "Hello, how are you?" "I sent you a blouse." " Say goodbye." " Bye." "Okay." "Say good..." "Say goodbye to your mother." " What's her name?" " Janice." "What did the doctor say?" "I told you, Flap." "The scariest thing about it is that he wants to do it so fast." "Janice." "With her little folder under her arm." ""I can't say anything until he does." "We've discussed it, Flap and I."" "I mean, really, Flap!" ""Validate my feelings"." "Your taste!" "But that thing that the doctor said about feeling good when it turns out..." "No!" "No, no." "Forget about it." "I'm not gonna make you feel better." "I'm too mad." "Dinner!" " Dear, you have a malignancy." " Malignancy." " Say it again?" " Malignancy." "Rosie." "Rosie, our girl is in trouble." "She had a cyst, a kind of a cyst, and it turned out to be malignant." "And they're going to take her to a hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska." "We'll release her in a few days." "We do more and more on an outpatient basis." "We shouldn't need to take her back here at all unless the illness escalates." " But you're not telling me anything." " What are you confused about?" "How is she?" "I always tell people to hope for the best and prepare for the worst." "And they let you get away with that?" "Look, you're wrong to take the attitude that everything is so desperate and serious now." "And it won't do your daughter any good to get those signals, either." "What's wrong now?" "I am so frustrated with that doctor." "But it all boils down to this." "You're getting out of here tomorrow, and you don't have to stay here again." "Unless the illness spreads." "I really don't feel sick." "Emma." "I want you to come to New York for a visit." "My treat." "Great." "I mean, we'll have to see." "You guys have to see these letters from the kids." "Look, Teddy says that he couldn't sleep at all, but Melanie slept fine." "Tommy says that he really doesn't think there's anything to be concerned about." "Hey, I mean it!" "You have some time before you have to see the doctor again." "Come see New York for a few days." "I don't think it's a bad idea, have a vacation by yourself." "Rosie and I are here with the kids." " Take advantage of your freedom." " I know you wanna go." "This isn't like when they take those kids to Disneyland right before the end?" "Stop!" " I'm sorry." " Patsy, I'm kidding!" "Okay." "Okay." "Do you feel funny about leaving the kids?" "I'm not leaving them." "I'm entrusting them to their father." "I thought as long as your mother and Rosie are in town..." "Not them." "You." " Emma." "Emma, look!" "Look!" "Look!" " Are we there yet?" " God!" "I can't believe I'm here!" " Isn't it beautiful?" "Hey, I want you to meet some of my friends." "Not friends like you and I are friends." " Hi." " Hi." "Emma, this is Lizbeth." " Hi, Elizabeth." " Hi." "It's Lizbeth." "Isn't that what I said?" "No, you said "Elizabeth" with an "E"." "It's Lizbeth." " Two names?" "Liz Beth?" " No, no, one." "Lizbeth." " Lizbeth?" " Never mind." " And this is Jane." " Thank heavens!" " Here, that's Melanie." " Look at that!" "Teddy's the younger one, and Tommy's the older one." " The little girl, she's incredible." " Yeah, don't think she doesn't know it." "Patsy's got a real thing going with her." "I mean, the boys, too." "Are you gonna wait till she's in school before you go back to work?" "I never really worked." " Well, that's okay." " Thanks." "Great." "When did she find out?" " About a month ago." " There." " What's wrong?" " Nothing." "It was a great honor meeting you, Emma." " I hope you have a wonderful time here." " Thank you." "I think those beautiful children are lucky to have you for a mommy." "Y'all go ahead." "Take the first cab." "We're not in a hurry." " You sure?" " Yeah." "That's fine." "See you." " Bye bye, Patsy." " Bye, darling." " You told them, didn't you?" " You don't mind, do you?" "Of course not." "Emma, come on." "They're jerks." "They don't know anything." "Why do those women have to act like that?" "Emma, talk to me!" "It's not you, Patsy." "I don't care." "I don't mind them knowing." "In less than two hours, two of them told me that they'd had abortions." "Three of them told me they were divorced." "One hasn't talked to her mother in four years." "And the one that has her little Natalie in a boarding school because she has to travel for her job?" "I mean, hell, Patsy!" "The one with the yeast disease that thought she had vaginal herpes?" "If that's fit conversation for lunch, what's so god-awful terrible about my little tumours?" "Yeah, of course, but..." "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to tell them it ain't so tragic!" "People do get better." "Tell them it's okay to talk about the cancer!" "Patsy tells us you have cancer." "We should really talk later." "I'm a nutritionist, and my husband's with Ticketron." "Thanks, Patsy." " Hello." " Hello, Flap?" " Yes." " Have you heard anything?" "No." "Emma hasn't called you either?" "No." "How are the children?" "I wish I were so carefree." "Yes, well, they don't have anything to feel ashamed about." "You know something, Aurora?" "You always seem to lose your manners around me." "Stop it, Flap." "Let me know if you hear." "And if you talk to Emma, don't sound as frightened as you do to me." "I don't sound frightened!" "Daddy." "Hi, Mother." "Look, they're having this party for me, so I can't talk for very long." "But I think I'm coming home a few days early." "Not really." "It's about time they gave us this room." "God, Mother, I can't believe you did this." " It's great." " Sure." "Careful there!" "These are worth more than you'll ever make in your lifetime." "I grew up with her my whole life." "You can take it for a couple of minutes." "This is fine." "Thank you so much." "Thank you." " They're wonderful!" " They look good next to each other." "Help me with this, Melanie." "Gorgeous isn't everything." "This one." "This one." "Two more." "The response to the drugs we tried isn't what we hoped." "But there are investigatory drugs which we are willing to utilise." "However, if you become incapacitated, or it becomes unreasonable for you to handle your affairs for a block of time," "it might be wise to make some decisions now." " Any questions?" " No." "I know what you're saying." "I have to figure out what to do with my kids." "Excuse me." "It is after 10:00." "Give my daughter the pain shot, please." "Mrs Greenway, I was going to." " Good." "Go ahead." " Just a few minutes." "Well, please." "It's after 10:00." "It's after 10:00." "I don't see why she has to have this pain." "Ma'am, it's not my patient." "It's time for her shot!" "You understand?" "Do something!" "All she has to do is hold on until 10:00." "And it's past 10:00." "She's in pain!" "My daughter's in pain!" " Give her the shot!" "Do you understand?" " Are you going to behave?" "Give my daughter the shot!" "Thank you very much." "Thank you." "Can I have 222, please?" "Let's get her!" "Pushing Grandma in isn't a half bad idea." "Don't you dare!" "I mean it." "Come on." " Say, "Hi, Granny."" " Hi, Granny." "Aurora?" "Well..." "Who would have expected you to be a nice guy?" " Who?" " It's good to see you." "Take care of yourself." "I'll call you." " I'm real glad I came." " Your coming meant a lot to Emma." "It meant a lot to me, Garrett." "I'll be at the hospital all the time." "I'll call you." "No, if I do that, and there's someone there," "I'll hear that funny sound in your voice." "I don't care." "Who cares?" "I don't care." "I'm glad you came." "I love you." "Garrett!" "Come here." "I was curious." "Do you have any reaction at all to my telling you I love you?" "I was just inches from a clean getaway." "Well, you're stuck, so face it." "I don't know what else to say except my stock answer." " Which is?" " I love you too, kid." "Goodbye." "I took him to the airport, and we were standing there in front of the door hugging, and kissing and saying goodbye." " And you know what?" " What?" "I got up the nerve to tell him I loved him." "You know what his reaction was, Emma?" "I don't give a shit, Mom." "I'm sick." "Not everything has something to do with you." "I've got a lot to figure out." " I just don't wanna fight any more." " What do you mean?" "When do we fight?" ""When do we fight?" You amaze me." "I always think of us as fighting." "That's just from your end." "That's 'cause you're never satisfied with me." " Have you seen her yet today?" " Yes." "I've been with her most of last night and today, as usual." "I haven't really talked to the kids yet." "I'm not sure how much they realize, but they know something bad is happening." "Flap." "Patsy wants to raise Melanie and maybe the boys." "I think they should be with me, don't you?" "What can you be thinking about?" "Raising three children, working full time and chasing women requires a lot more energy than you have." "You know, one of the nicest qualities about you has always been that you recognised your weaknesses." "Don't lose that quality now when you need it the most." "You have no right nor any invitation to discuss where or how my children live." "From what the doctor says, it's time that we have the talk now." "Do you know how much I hate the idea of losing you?" "Yes." "Well, nobody..." "Nobody seems to know that except you." " I..." "Well..." " What?" "I'm thinking about my identity and not having one any more." "I mean..." "Who am I, if I'm not the man who's failing Emma?" " You didn't fail me, Flap." " I don't wanna talk about this." "I feel like I'm sucking after forgiveness, which I probably am." "You were no more terrible than I was." "No." "Except for the cheating." "You're right." "Let's not do this." "Look, we had problems." "It was never over whether we loved each other." "Oh, God!" "That tie!" "I can't believe you wore that!" "God, the mess it must've been for you to find it." "The house still isn't in one piece." "It was in the last box I looked in." "I'll bet." "God, you're easy to please." "I don't know why I couldn't do more of it." "I'm so glad we're talking, I just am." "It just means so much to me that we can still feel like this, so much." "I swear..." "Listen, I am getting tired." "Just tell me, hon, you really want to raise 'em?" "I never thought I was the sort of man who'd give up his kids." "It's a lot of work." "As hard as you think it is, you end up wishing it were that easy." "Where do you want them?" "I don't want them to end up with Janice." "Well, she's not so bad." "I really don't think they should be with you, honey." "Well, to tell you the honest truth," "I'd probably screw it up." "I'll really miss them." "Well, maybe we should let Patsy take them." "Because it'd be very easy for me to work research summers in New York." "No." "Patsy really only wants Melanie." "Mother should have them." "You can see them any time you want." "Y'all will decide things for them and everything." " Emma, she can make that very difficult." " She won't." "Well, I guess they should be with your mother." "I probably have that coming." "Flap, will you bring the boys by tomorrow?" "I've got that one waiting for me." "I gotta do it." " Yeah." " Thanks." "Come on, Pats." "I gotta get ready." "Patsy." "Make-up!" "Is it terrible for me to say that I can't stand seeing your mother get her hands on that little girl?" "I'd just love to raise that little girl." "Look, I'd let you, but Teddy couldn't spare her." "I can't stall any more, all right?" "You go out there and send the boys in." " Well, do I get to say something ever?" " No." "We don't have to do that, right?" "Come here." "You'll be fine." "You will." "It's just this." "You're my touchstone, Emma." "The boys." "Hi." "Come on." "I love you." "I miss you." "God, I want you to come home." "Close the door." "Guys, you both look so gigantic to me." " I guess I look pretty bad to you." " Not so bad." "You both have beautiful eyes, and your hair's too long." "I don't care how long it gets in the back, but keep your bangs cut, okay?" " It's too long." " That's a matter of opinion." "Just keep it short, all right?" "Are you getting well?" "Look up." "I'm sorry about this, but I can't help it." "And I can't talk to you for too long, or I'll get real upset." "I want you to make a lot of friends." "And I want you to be real nice to the girls, 'cause they're going to be real important to you, I swear." "We're not afraid of girls." "What makes you think that?" " Well, you may be later on." " I doubt it." " Why don't you shut up?" "Shut up!" " You shut up." "Teddy, give me a kiss." "Come on." "Tommy, you be sweet." "Be sweet." "And stop trying to pretend like you hate me." "I mean, it's silly." "I like you." "Okay, then will you listen especially close?" "What?" " You'll listen real hard?" " I said, "What?"" "I know you like me." "I know it." "For the last year or two, you've been pretending like you hate me." "I love you very much." "I love you as much as I love anybody, as much as I love myself." "And in a few years, when I haven't been around to be on your tail about something or irritating you, you're gonna remember." "You're gonna remember that time I bought you the baseball glove when you thought we were too broke, or when I read you those stories, or when I let you goof off instead of mowing the lawn, lots of things like that." "And you're gonna realize that you love me, and maybe you're gonna feel badly because you never told me, but don't." "I know that you love me." "So don't ever do that to yourself, all right?" "Okay." " Okay?" " I said, "Okay."" "Okay, you two should run along." "Take care." "Give me a kiss." "I was so scared, but I think it went really well, don't you?" "Yeah?" "Tommy, if you need to talk, your dad will listen." "He's a very smart man, you know." "All you have to do is go up to him and say," ""Dad, I'm confused." "I need to have a talk."" "You know, I met this boy back in River Oaks where I live." "He was telling me that the Cub Scouts in Houston are the best ever." "We were never Scouts." "Our mother was too lazy to check it out." "No!" "Stop!" "Come on!" "Stop it!" "No!" "Listen to me!" "Listen." "It's okay, Tom." "It's okay." "Now..." "Hey!" "Stop it!" "I'm sorry, but I just can't have you criticising your mother around me." "Mr Horton." "Mr Horton?" "She's gone." "Oh, God, I'm so stupid." "So stupid." "Somehow I thought..." "Somehow I thought when she finally went, that it would be a relief." "Oh, my sweet, little darling!" "Oh, dear." "There's nothing harder." "There's nothing..." "Do you want some cake?" " Why are you standing over here?" " I don't know." "Come on." "You wanna come over and sit with me?" "Everything's gonna be all right, Tommy." "There's fantastic dance schools in Houston." " Tap?" " Tap, ballet, aerobics." "Anything you want." "Come over here and see your dad." "He really knows a pretty girl, doesn't he?" "She's too old for him." "Are you eating away at bunny?" "Here." "Better go on over to Dad and eat it." "Hi, Vern." "How are you doing here?" "I understand you're a swimmer." " Me, too." " But you're an astronaut, right?" "I'm an astronaut and a swimmer." "Pretty good-looking suit, there." "A little closer." "A little closer." "A little closer." "Do you want to see my pool?" "Well, I don't know if the time is right." "You know, funeral and everything." "I think it is." "Come on." "I'll show you the internationally infamous Breedlove crawl." "Just a little stroke I picked up out in space."