"UNANSWERED PRAYERS" "Pass the ball." "You better pass it." "Pass it." "Get it." "Get it." "Get it." "Boom!" "Man, what a hit!" "Guys, you think you could turn that down to just below the pain threshold, please?" "Hey, hey, there she is." "Hon, come in here." "That's Mom?" "That is." "Mom, check it out!" "Oh, my God." "I cannot believe I could ever do that." "Well, believe it." "You could do that." "Lorrie, that skirt." "You could see halfway to Paris." "Where'd you guys find the tapes?" "Behind the workbench in the garage." "The boys were cleaning." "Jess, put on your second birthday at Wheeler Farm." "Those giant turtle races." "Come on, you were a hottie." "What do you mean, "Was"?" "Exactly." "Who's a hottie?" "Your wife, dear." "Is supper ready soon?" "Your father's about to chew wood." "Almost." "Hey, hey." "Everybody quiet down." "Here it comes." "This is your father's defining moment, Son." "Keep your eye on number 32." "I'm on it, Dad." "Henry, take your hand out of the chicken salad." "Third and long." "Whitman drops back." "Lets it fly." "Deep, deep." "Interception!" "Interception!" "Yeah!" "Back to the 15!" "He's going!" "He's going!" "To the 10!" "To the five!" "Touchdown, Wolverines!" "And the crowd goes insane!" "And that was the game." "That was good." "Hey, hero boy, do you think you could help me set the table?" "Okay." "Now, enough of you." "Now here is Jesse at the turtle races." "No." "Hold on." "Hold on." "You're gonna miss the glorious aftermath." "Ben Beck, you just won the Super Bowl." "Now where are you going now?" "Who is that?" "She was hot." "Come on." "Help us set the table." "Hey!" "It was just getting good." "Come on." "Let's go, bud." "Dinner is served." "Hallelujah." "And may we always be mindful of the needs of others." "Amen." "Amen." "Okay." "So, who's that smoking hot chick that was all over you?" "Jesse, pass the salad." "She was a friend of mine." "We dated for a while." "She was looking definitely friendly." "Best chicken salad I ever tasted, honey." "Hmm." "I remember those cheerleading uniforms." "Very short." "Mmm-hmm." "Yes, Mom." "Too short." "We all agree." "Daddy, the biscuits are made from scratch." "What is scratch?" "What does that even mean?" "Ava Andersson, right?" "The brunette?" "Always reminded me of Ava Gardner." "Anybody need anything?" "When Ava moved to this town, it was like" "Angelina Jolie had just enrolled at Stone Creek High." "Oh, my God." "I forgot to tell you." "She died." "Angelina Jolie?" "Ava?" "No, no." "Her mother." "Lila." "They found her last week on the kitchen floor." "Marlene Cox told me." "Of course, that woman went through enough with that daughter." "Irene, here." "Have some iced tea." "She must be in town now, funeral and all." "Hey, Jess, you guys ready for that game against Lynchburg Wednesday?" "They're looking tough." "Mmm-hmm." "Last I heard, she was living in Europe." "Husband number two." "Mom, can you stop gossiping?" "I could, Lorrie." "I absolutely could." "But what fun would that be?" "Mom." "Hey." "Hey." "I got something for you." "Yeah?" "More bills?" "Yeah." "Very funny." "Close your eyes." "Just close them." "Go on." "Okay." "I found it in a box." "Where I'm sure it was quite happy." "Hey, why did you turn that video off?" "Huh?" "When?" "When Ava had you in the lip lock." "You didn't want your son to see that his dad had the smokingest girl in high school?" "Hey, Dad married the smokingest girl in high school." "Right answer." "Mmm-hmm." "Put it on?" "Get out of here." "Come on." "I'm all greasy." "I'll get you all greasy." "Get me all greasy." "Come over here." "Hey, hon." "I was just about to call you." "Hey." "The bushes for the dance floor are filled with aphids." "They look like hell." "So what I'm thinking we should do is just..." "Lose them." "Uh-huh!" "And I scored the band." "For free, thank you very much." "Nice work." "It's Mary Jo's cousin, so keep your fingers crossed." "And I saw Ava Andersson at the hardware store." "Lord, she looks amazing." "I mean truly depressingly amazing." "Her mother just passed." "I think I'm gonna pay my respects." "You are?" "Well, I just got to go with you, 'cause I want to see the inside of that house." "All right." "I'll call you, Jeanette." "Back." "Back." "You got it, Pete." "Your mom did the paychecks." "Here." "And I went over the Lofton proposal." "What did you think?" "I think you bid it right." "Can we bid any lower?" "I just don't want this one to get away." "Can you bid any lower and make any money?" "Not really." "Then unless you want to do this just for the exercise, I think you've probably got a good number." "I'm going." "Thanks, Daddy." "See you, Pete." "Take care, Lorrie!" "Yeah, I think he's gonna be fine with it." "He's gonna be able to open that up..." "Hey, boys." "That's my wife." "Got to go." "Thanks." "All right." "Later." "Hey, fellas." "Hey, Ben." "Hey, baby." "Paychecks." "Excellent." "How's it coming?" "Mmm." "Good." "Gonna wrap this thing up tomorrow, I think." "Listen, I'm a little worried about next month." "I'm not worried." "I'm betting on Lofton coming through." "Hey." "Okay." "What if it doesn't?" "Look, what if it rains tomatoes?" "We'll make Bloody Marys." "Well, what if the bank..." "The bank wants to loan us a bucketload of money, then we'll gladly accept it." "Well, I set the meeting for Wednesday, but we need to seriously come up with a plan." "Hon." "I mean, if..." "Hon, look." "I've got Jimmy Horton here doing his inspection." "Can we put this discussion on ice?" "Yes." "Speaking of which, I brought you a smoothie." "Oh!" "Bless you." "I got them for everybody." "Jimmy Horton included." "Now, would that be considered..." "No." "You are good." "That's why you married me." "Come on." "Give us a cheer." "Hey, Jimmy!" "I really loved that article." "It was really beautiful." "I was, like, in tears." "So, he went back to Somalia, right?" "Yeah." "Do you still keep in contact with him?" "Yeah, you know, we tweet and tweet and tweet." "Stop." "This is for you." "I'll see you later, okay?" "Thanks." "Bye." "Bye, Michelle." "See you!" "Call me!" "What do you got there?" "A cupcake." "Let me see that." "Hey!" "No eating and driving." "Do the drill." "Adjust seat, check mirrors." "Don't run anybody over." "Good idea." "Man, this is excellent." "You should have brought one for yourself." "I did, actually." "So, how was school today?" "Same old, same old." "How was work?" "Same old, same old." "Hey, you know, I caught the end of practice." "You're looking a little slow out there." "Slow?" "Yeah, Frankie was all over you." "You have to know where he is at all times." "You gotta feel him behind you." "Just get that body's radar going." "Where do I get that installed?" "Becks are born with it." "Slow down." "You're doing 40 in a 30." "Everybody does 40." "Yeah, well, not you, pal." "Good choice." "Who's it from?" "Monet?" "It's Monet." "You know, like the artist?" "Oh!" "Tattoo girl?" "Yeah." "Well, she's an artist with a cupcake, I'll tell you that." "She works part time at the Baby Cakes, so they give her the day-olds." "Hey, you know, Coach T says the scout from UVA is coming." "Great." "When?" "Homecoming." "Sweet." "No pressure, huh?" "Make a right." "Right!" "Right here." "All right." "Okay." "What was that about?" "That was about being on your toes." "Huh?" "When you're driving, you know." "It's reaction time." "Sometimes you just got to think fast, okay?" "So that was a test." "That's right." "That was a test." "'Cause you never know when something's gonna pop out at you, okay?" "All right." "All right." "Stop sign." "Did you read Jesse's story in the school paper?" "No." "I'll show it to you." "It's about a Somalian exchange student." "It's really touching." "I think he has a gift." "Hey, you know, Rick called." "He wanted to know what the company was donating for the event." "I told him we were kind of feeling the crunch this year." "No, no." "Dad got us a four-wheeler." "Honey, we can't afford a four-wheeler." "Brian Paul needed his driveway fixed, so he traded." "Thank you, Pop." "Mmm-hmm." "I'll take it to the hotel tomorrow." "Then Jeanette and I are gonna go over to Ava Andersson's." "Yeah?" "I thought we'd bring her some flowers, a casserole, something." "Well, that's nice of you." "Yeah." "Do you want to..." "No." "No." "You sure?" "Yeah, no, no, no." "You go." "I figured you didn't..." "Yeah." "Oh!" "I don't think Jesse meant this for me." "What is it?" ""You were looking so fly today." ""I can't wait to tap that."" "I think that was meant for Monet." "Monet?" "Well, actually, it's Monet." "You know, like the artist." "She makes cupcakes." "Ah!" "Enter." "How's the homework coming?" "You know, it is so exciting, Mom." "All this knowledge." "Well, it would be really fly if you could tap that chemistry." "Mom." "Monet?" "Crap." "Mmm." "Good night." "Good night." "Oh, my God." "This house." "Why am I nervous?" "You're the one that should be nervous." "Why should I be nervous?" "You know, the history." "Ancient, Jeanette." "Yeah, well, she ain't looking so ancient." "Anyway, I got the guy." "Oh, my God." "Lorrie." "And..." "Jeanette." "Jeanette Tuttle." "We were in Algebra ll together." "Right." "You girls look so wonderful." "You look great." "No, please." "I'm in the middle of cleaning." "I look a wreck." "We brought you..." "We're so sorry about your mom." "Thank you." "That is so sweet." "Come in." "Fantastic!" "Let me put on some coffee." "Oh!" "This house is gorgeous." "What year was it built?" "1908." "So, my mom said you're living in Europe?" "That was years ago." "I've been in Chicago." "This is all so interesting!" "All this exotic artwork." "I would pick up things for Mom over the years." "I was a buyer for Marshall Field's." "Come sit." "Thank you." "So fill me in." "What have I missed?" "Well, I married Ricky Keisel." "And Ricky is superintendent of the county school board." "And we have three kids." "Three kids?" "Wow!" "And you?" "Kids?" "No." "No kids." "Three husbands, but no kids." "That's something." "So, Lorrie, how's Ben?" "He's fine." "He's doing great." "Just great." "He joined our family construction company." "Completely took to it." "This is Chloe Rose, our youngest." "She's eight." "And this is Danny, our middle one." "He's the smart one." "Okay." "And Lorrie, what about you?" "I work at the company, as well." "I'm sort of the business side" "of the business." "That's great." "Oh, Ben and Lorrie are together 24/7." "I don't know how they do it." "The best part of my day is when Ricky leaves for work." "Anyway, this is Lane." "Uh-huh." "And he's in high school." "Plays football." "He's on the bench mostly, but that's fine with me 'cause then he doesn't get hurt." "So, is your husband here with you?" "No, Jerry and I divorced years ago." "I'm sorry." "No, believe me, it was the right thing." "Oh!" "So, you're single?" "Yes, sirree." "I'm gonna go get that coffee." "I'll be right back." "Great." "Thank you, Ava." "You know, if you're gonna be around on this Saturday, because we're having something called the Harvest Ball." "We're raising funds for the community pool." "Oh!" "Well, Jeanette, we didn't come here to sell raffle tickets." "No, I would love to see everybody." "I'll try to make it." "Ava?" "Yeah?" "Can I ask you a question, kind of personal?" "Sure." "Have you had something done?" "Some kind of plastic surgery?" "Jeanette!" "Well, you know, we're aging on fast-forward." "She's, like, on pause." "No, I have not had any work done." "I guess it's good genes." "I don't know." "Maybe it's just the lighting." "Goodbye." "You take care." "Have a great day." "Thank you." "Oh!" "I'm surprised your mom didn't break her neck on this sidewalk." "Jeanette." "Inappropriate." "Why?" "Mother just died." "Bye." "And the winner is Jan McCauley." "Come get your beautiful chain saw, which matches your lovely dress." "Use it..." "Use it in good health." "Now we have an oil painting from our own local Rembrandt, Ricky "The Easel" Keisel." "And the lucky winner is" "Sump Larson." "Come on down." "You can put that right above your fireplace." "Or you can hang it in your garage." "Love you, too, honey." "All right, all right." "For our final item." "And actually, this is a good one." "It is a romantic weekend for two in Miami Beach, hotel and airfare included." "And the winner is..." "Drum roll, please." "No name on the ticket." "Read the number, honey." "Yeah." "My wife, who's more brilliant than me, "Read the number." Okay." "1478625." "Bingo!" "That's us!" "It's my dad." "This was not fixed." "What are we gonna do with a romantic weekend?" "I'd rather have the chain saw." "Well, if I remember correctly, this gentleman was quite the dancer." "Oh, my goodness, Ava, look at you." "Shall we?" "Well, if you think you can keep up." "I'll try." "How did we do tonight?" "The take was a B-minus." "The emcee an A-plus." "Thanks for doing it." "Thank you, Ava." "Thank you." "I think this is my dance." "Hi, Ben." "Ava." "Sorry to hear about your mom." "Thank you." "Do you want to dance?" "I'm kind of danced out at the moment." "Lorrie looks beautiful." "She came by." "She's so lovely." "Yeah, she is." "And you have a son." "Yep." "Jesse." "Listen, can we at least move our feet a little bit?" "I'm feeling a little stupid." "I have to sell my mom's house." "And it needs some work." "Does your company do that sort of thing?" "Sure." "I can send someone out, get you a bid." "Okay." "Thanks." "Ben, I need to say some things to you." "Ava, look, I'm having a really great time tonight." "And to tell you the truth, I don't want to hear them." "Was the night a success?" "It was wonderful, honey." "Absolutely wonderful." "I don't see here that you have enough collateral to guarantee this loan extension." "Our heavy equipment is worth over two million." "So here's the deal." "We're gonna need to level it first." "Can't you just lay down the asphalt?" "No, not unless you want a lake here when it rains." "Well, that's something, but we don't usually collateralize against..." "We're waiting for a go from the state on a job up in Lofton." "Well, how much we talking here, Ben?" "'Cause you know I got a friend in this business, and..." "Look, if you have a friend who will do the job better than me for a better price, then I say, "Go for it."" "You have a commitment letter?" "No." "Not yet." "Okay." "You got me." "It's all right, Charlie." "Everybody always has a friend." "What about this?" "When we expanded our offices," "I financed the loan through First National." "What if we refinanced that loan with you?" "I'll fax over a bid for you." "You'll be happy." "A friendly bid?" "Yeah, a friendly bid." "I'll get it to you today." "Hey, hon, how'd it go?" "It was dicey, but we got a little creative, and I think we're gonna make it work." "Excellent." "I just signed Moreno." "It's not huge, but it's something." "Hey, I got Yanni calling on the other line." "Let me call you back." "Love you." "I love you." "Hey, Yanni, what's up?" "Hey, Yanni." "The leaking pipe, man." "That's what's caused the sidewalk to settle." "We need to install a new water line, bypass it altogether." "Yeah." "Let's just get the Bobcat in here, put in a new sidewalk." "Ouch!" "It sounds worse than it is." "Yanni will fix it up." "Yeah, don't worry." "I'll take care of it." "Okay." "Hey, Ben, would you mind looking at the fireplace?" "I started a fire last night and nearly smoked myself out." "Jesse?" "Mom, give me a sec." "Jess, are you all right?" "Ma, I told you to wait." "So, what happened to you and football?" "Blew my knee out at UVA." "Didn't want to be part of the gimp squad, so I came back to Ashland." "Wow, this is a mess." "You got a lot of creosote buildup in here." "Want to see?" "Yeah." "Don't build anymore fires, or you could have the town's biggest blowtorch." "There you go." "See what I mean?" "Okay." "I'll have Lester Gill come out and take care of it." "Hey, thanks for doing all this work around here." "Don't be afraid to send me a bill." "In that department, I'm fearless." "Ben, I want to talk about what happened." "Ava, it's okay." "No, it's not." "We were kids." "Forget it." "I can't forget it." "See." "Here's the thing." "You had 20 years to explain." "And I wanted to." "I know." "My line was busy, right?" "Listen, I was embarrassed, okay?" "You were away at college." "I panicked." "And Don Cahoon, he was my ticket out of town." "You know, his fancy clothes and his stupid Porsche." "That is such a relief." "I thought you left me for Don Cahoon." "I didn't know what to say without hurting you, so I just chose not to say..." "You know what?" "You did hurt me." "I called you for weeks." "And then I had to call your mother to get the scoop." "I know." "You and I were talking about getting engaged." "Did I miss something?" "I just kept procrastinating, and months went by." "Month after month, and then I didn't know what to say." "So I just..." "I'm sorry." "I am sorry that I hurt you." "How many times have you been back here, huh?" "Christmas?" "Thanksgiving?" "Fourth of July?" "What, three years ago, you wave to me from across the park." "What the hell is that?" "I don't know." "Hey." "Hi." "Are you busy?" "No." "We're having a little situation at the house with Jesse." "I could kind of use your help." "Where are you?" "I'm on a job, but I'm done." "So, I'll be home." "I can be there in 20 minutes." "Okay?" "Good." "Bye." "Everything okay?" "Yeah." "Teenagers." "Mom, you know Monet." "Well, I didn't, but I do now." "Hi, Mrs. Beck." "I've got to get to work, okay?" "Bye." "It was really nice to meet you." "Hey." "Where are you going?" "I got practice." "Well, look, I don't think this is very cool." "Ditching school, coming here, and then you go to practice?" "Hey, I'm gonna wait in the car." "No, no." "I'm coming." "Jess." "Well, that was humiliating." "Look, I'm sorry." "She's never home..." "It's cool." "I'm a big girl." "I guess we just call the game, big-time interference?" "Yeah." "Thanks for your help." "Yeah." "Ben," "I'm sorry I hurt you." "I'd give anything to do it all different." "So, how long has this been going on?" "A little while." "A few weeks." "I guess you know about STDs." "Mom." "Well, I'm sorry if this is embarrassing for you." "It was kind of embarrassing for me." "Now, I hope she's using birth control." "Jess, if you get this girl pregnant..." "Would you chill out?" "Don't tell me to chill out." "Look, we're not stupid, okay?" "Okay, okay." "Let's all chill." "Look, you've have a lot on your plate right now." "You've got the homecoming game, the UVA..." "Football, football." ""Football, football" what?" "You don't want to play football anymore?" "Did I say that?" "Look, I want to play football, Dad." "But not 24/7." "Okay?" "I'm not you." "Can you take it down a few, Jess?" "I don't want you to be me." "I want you to be better than me." "Are we done here?" "I got homework." "No, we're not done." "Sit down." "Sit down." "Now, football is your best shot at a scholarship." "Your mom and I want you to go to college and make something of yourself." "You always have the family business to come back to." "What if I don't want the family business, huh?" "That's your choice." "Look, you have a lot of options." "You could do whatever you want." "But I am telling you right now, if you get this girl pregnant, you will ruin your life." "I just don't want you to use this house as a crash pad." "Okay?" "One last thing." "I know what it's like to think you're in love." "But love is more than these romantic feelings." "It's about respect." "It's about care, loyalty, and honesty, okay?" "Okay, Dad." "Lor?" "Lorrie?" "Hey." "Hey." "You okay?" "That was awkward." "Ben, did I ruin your life?" "What?" "When you quit school and came back here and we started dating, did I ruin your life?" "Why would you say that?" "You just said it to Jesse." ""If you get that girl pregnant," ""you're gonna ruin your life."" "Come on, Lorrie." "What?" "I got pregnant, and you did the right thing by me." "You married me, and then I go and miscarry." "And, I mean, did you ever feel like I trapped you?" "Hey." "Stop this." "I wanted to marry you." "Do you think that I regret any of it?" "You or Jesse?" "Honey, don't ever, ever think that." "I've been in love with you since the fifth grade." "You didn't even know I was alive." "Yes, I did." "Bull." "In the fifth grade, you wore this crazy little leopard skirt that I was nuts about." "I wouldn't be caught dead in a leopard skirt." "I've got news for you, baby." "You wore it." "I think you're confusing me with Charlene Pugh." "No." "Sorry." "Now, she would have worn a leopard skirt." "Come here." "God, Ben." "You should have seen their faces when I came through the door." "Monet." "She probably named herself that." "She's an artist." "She's got this big tattoo on her forearm of a dragon or a gargoyle." "Like on the buildings?" "The demons?" "And the thing in her nose." "I hate that." "That's just unsanitary." "Yeah." "How does she blow her nose?" "Anyway, she's like, "Hi, Mrs. Beck." "It's nice to meet you,"" "as she comes waltzing out of his bedroom." "Like not even the least bit embarrassed?" "Not even remotely." "And Jesse." "Jesse is pissed at me because I came home unannounced in the middle of the afternoon." "That's so rude." "I'm sorry." "You can't let them do that." "Thank you." "Whatever happened to doing it in the backseat of a car?" "Or we used to do it at the quarry." "That was nice." "Or in the old luggage room at the train station." "You did it in the old luggage room at the train station?" "You didn't?" "No, sweetheart." "What?" "What about Connie's parents' pool house?" "No way." "It'll be all over Facebook." "$6.75." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Hey, you got to buy something, 'cause they don't like it when you just hang out." "I don't have any money, so..." "Thank you." "I will take one of your delicious oatmeal cookies." "Mmm." "Thank you." "So, there's this old luggage room behind the train station." "No one ever goes inside." "No way." "Yuck." "That is so gross." "Forget it." "Eight ball across side." "Bring it on." "I'm thirsty." "Yeah, baby!" "Ohhh!" "I think this round's on you, my friend." "Okay, hotshot." "Just rack 'em." "What do you want, Ben?" "Two more." "Here you go, folks." "All right." "Did you order?" "Okay." "Yeah." "Hey, Ben!" "Hey, Hank." "Give me a sec." "Hey, Ava." "Hey." "Kenny, this is Ben." "We went to high school together." "Good to meet you, man." "Nice to meet you." "You alone?" "No, I'm here with a buddy." "Kenny's my real estate agent." "Oh!" "He's giving me a lecture on curb appeal." "Apparently my mom's curb isn't appealing enough." "It's a tough market." "Yeah." "You want to join us?" "No," "I'm in the midst of being pummeled to death." "Think I'm gonna try and go salvage my dignity." "Take it easy, Kenny." "See you, bud." "All right." "You are toast." "Okay, wait a minute." "Wait a minute." "Fourth grade, Jimmy Sorenson." "Jimmy Sorenson?" "With those humongous ears?" "Yes, honey." "And I loved them both." "Oh, my God." "First love, so powerful." "Honey, I'm telling you." "Nothing like it." "So, Lorrie, who was yours?" "Oh, my God." "That's so easy." "It was Ben." "Aw!" "Stop." "Stop." "Lorrie." "You..." "Got time for a game of eight ball?" "I thought you went home." "Nope." "Good-looking dude, that real estate agent of yours." "Let's just hope that he's good at selling." "So, who breaks?" "Visiting team from Chicago." "You know, my dad hates your tattoo." "Yeah, my mom hates my tattoo, too." "So, I'm going to New York this summer." "Why?" "Alvin Ailey, he was this famous dancer, he has this program." "I go every year." "It's pretty cool." "Oh!" "That's great." "You'll be in New York getting all famous, and I'll be stuck here driving a truck with rocks in the back." "Yeah, so famous." "It's just a workshop." "So stay here." "Jess, the whole reason I slave away in this muffin factory every year is so I can pay for my summer, because my mom can't." "So you're just gonna leave me." "Aw!" "It's not like that." "You know I love to dance." "It's my passion." "I thought I was your passion." "No." "Football is your passion." "It is?" "It's not?" "I thought you loved football." "I play football." "Now, my dad, he loves football." "So you play football because your dad loves football?" "Can you just stop talking and kiss me?" "Sure." "Yes!" "Well played." "I had a good teacher." "So, after Mr. Porsche?" "Which got repossessed, by the way." "Did I tell you that part?" "No way." "Yes." "He was basically in tears on the street." "Seven, corner." "Man, not the Porsche." "So, after that whole debacle, I got a job buying for Marshall Field's, and I was traveling all over Europe and Asia, and I met this very interesting and charming older man." "Eleven, corner." "Jean Richard." "He was an art dealer." "Nice." "He taught me about art and culture, and, you know, this little small-town, naive girl from Virginia." "Right." "Yeah." "He showed me the world." "And we were married." "Everything was wonderful until..." "Nine ball." "Are you gonna clean the table?" "I'm hoping so." "Until what?" "He was indicted for fraud." "Really?" "Yeah." "Apparently he was selling some European master paintings that were painted in Taiwan." "Well, that's not nice." "No." "And last and possibly least was Jerry the Stockbroker from Chicago." "Now, what could be wrong with Jerry the Stockbroker?" "He was just crazy." "Then why the hell did you marry him?" "I didn't know he was crazy until after I married him." "Give me some credit." "That would be game." "Want another beer?" "Yeah." "Hey." "Hi." "Did you have fun with the girls?" "Oh!" "Yeah, we always have fun." "You?" "I shot some pool with Hank." "Good." "Jesse home?" "He's asleep." "I'm exhausted." "You coming to bed?" "I'll be in a bit." "You can pay these, Mom." "Lor, why don't you and Ben take that trip we won to Miami?" "Why?" "You guys should have that vacation." "I couldn't drag your father to a beach with a backhoe." "You two go." "Just get away." "We'll see." "If the Lofton thing comes through, please, God, we'll be swamped." "What's this?" "Ava Andersson?" "Oh, yeah, Yanni and his crew were doing some repair work up there." "Nothing big." "Didn't Ben tell you?" "No." "Now, here it's still gonna need a two-degree grade, so let's put the retaining pond here on the north side." "Knock, knock." "Hey, guys." "Hey." "I'm sorry to interrupt." "I need your John Hancock here." "It's marked for the loan extension and the re-fi." "Nice." "So, I didn't know we were doing a job up at Ava's." "I had some of the guys fixing a few things, helping out a little." "You know, for resale." "Oh!" "She's paying for it." "Yes." "I can see." "And it helps keep our guys working while things are slow." "Mmm-hmm." "I didn't tell you?" "No." "You know, there was a broken pipe, sidewalk." "Jeanette pointed that out." "I mean, what could I do?" "She asked, so..." "No, I know." "It's fine." "It's great." "I just was surprised." "I usually know what jobs we're working on." "But it was so small." "You didn't mention it." "Well, I thought I had." "I was surprised." "That's all." "Yeah." "Thank you." "Thanks." "Carry on." "So, listen..." "Holy crap." "This is a major honor." "I guess." "You guess?" "What are you so bummed about?" "Just look at the dates." "August 3 to..." "Summer football practice." "So skip it." "See, that won't go down with a number of people." "One in particular." "Where are we going?" "You'll see." "Jess, hello!" "This is your passion." "You're this amazing writer, and the people at the university totally get you." "They get you so much, they're willing to pay for you to go." "What do you want to do more?" "Big guess." "Penn's like an hour away from New York." "Sounds pretty good." "There you go." "Decision made." "I should be a therapist or something." "What is this?" "Is this the old luggage room?" "Yeah." "I scored the key." "No way I'm going in there." "Come on." "You'll see I cleaned it up." "I even made us a little love den that we can canoodle in." "Oh, Jesse, this is so gross." "I mean, you're cute, but this is not happening." "Hon, the Saints lost to the Bengals 35-9." "Mmm-hmm." "I can't believe it." "I'm sorry, babe." "They needed you on defense." "That goes without saying." "Mom gave us their trip to Miami." "That was sweet." "Mmm-hmm." "I said, "No," but..." "But maybe we should take it." "When?" "Christmas?" "We better be up in Lofton over Christmas." "Yeah." "But it would be nice to get away just for a few days." "Just the grown-ups." "Let Jesse have his play palace all to himself." "What do you think?" "About?" "Miami." "Oh, I don't know." "Let's just see what happens with Lofton, okay?" "Okay." "I love you." "Love you." "Morning, sunshine." "There's pancakes." "I'm good." "What's up with you?" "I'm just tired." "You need to get to bed earlier, Jess." "He's up late texting his girlfriend." "Her name is Monet, Dad." "How about a little less Monet and a little more focusing on the games to come?" "Grab a banana." "And a yogurt." "Good arm." "All right." "Later." "Have a great day." "Perfect." "This is exactly what he needs now." "Do we..." "Do we have any butter?" "Lor, are you gonna call on the Lofton deal today?" "Uh..." "No." "Why?" "I think you should." "I don't want to look desperate." "Well, we are, babe." "I don't see any butter." "And how long does it take to read a proposal?" "Maybe we're out." "We're out of butter?" "I didn't think things were that bad." "Hey, I've been busy." "I need to get to the store." "Why are you so grumpy?" "I don't know." "I talked to Coach T. "Jesse's great, an amazing talent."" "You know..." "La, la, la, la." "He just lacks the drive." "Doesn't think he wants it enough." "Okay." "Maybe he doesn't." "Maybe he doesn't, or maybe he's lazy." "Come on." "That's the last thing that kid is." "Hey, when I was on the team, every Saturday 6:00 a.m., we're out there." "Every minute we're late, we did a mile." "I sure as hell wasn't tapping girls in my bedroom." "And how do you suggest we pay for his college without a scholarship?" "We gonna use the money we just loaned to the company?" "He can get a student loan." "He's a bright kid." "What if we don't get the loan?" "What if it rains tomatoes?" "Then we'll make Bloody Marys or gazpacho or something." "Have some jam, babe." "I'm fine." "I'll grab something from the roach coach." "See you later." "Number five is good." "What are you doing here?" "I had to take a break from packing boxes, and I wanted to see your son play." "He can play?" "Better than his dad." "He's a looker, too." "Mmm-hmm." "That would be his mom." "You must be proud." "Yes." "I am." "Ava, to be honest, I don't really know how to be around you." "I know." "It's strange for me, too." "Did they get that chimney all worked out?" "Yeah." "Pulls beautifully." "And Yanni, he's brilliant with cement." "Yeah." "Yanni's the best." "Ben, I hope that you take this the right way, but I always thought if I came back to Ashland that you might be here." "Oh, I am definitely here." "No, I mean like we were before." "I know it's selfish, but when things would get bad in my life, my one refuge was imagining that you were here waiting for me." "I did wait for you, Ava." "I know." "I know you did." "Well, hey." "Hey." "Yeah, I'm just picking up my son." "Got to get him some new shoes." "Seems to be growing out of everything." "I'm sorry." "Did I interrupt?" "You didn't interrupt." "Got to drag him off the field before the stores close." "You know, they're going late today." "Lane!" "Let's do this!" "Bye." "Bye." "Bye, Jeanette." "I can see our picture tomorrow, front page of the Ashland Times-Dispatch." "Ben, I'm trying to get things in order and get out of town." "I don't want to complicate things for you." "I don't know." "I'm having trouble." "I can't seem to leave this place." "Hey, I'm the one who should be pissed off." "Jeanette needs to keep her damn nose out of everybody else's damn business." "Well, darling, that ain't gonna happen in this lifetime." "And why should you be pissed off?" "I'm not pissed off." "But if I was, it's because you and Ava keep having these secret little meetings." "At our son's football practice?" "I didn't even know she was gonna be there." "Well, why the hell was she there?" "How would I know?" "Some nostalgia thing." "She wanted to watch a football game." "She's lonely." "She doesn't have any friends in town." "Well, she certainly seems to have you." "We are doing work at her house." "My God, are you jealous of her?" "Should I be?" "I don't think so." "You don't think so?" "Hey, guys." "Good morning." "What?" "What's wrong?" "We just got a call." "What now?" "We got the contract!" "Lofton?" "Yes." "It came through!" "You're kidding." "Oh, my God." "And we set up production site tomorrow." "Oh, yeah!" "I ran out and I got champagne." "Irene, we got some paper cups?" "In the bathroom." "Now you're talking." "Nice work, you two." "Can I be honest?" "I was sweating this one." "Can I be honest, Yanni?" "We were, too." "It was all Lorrie." "It really was." "They're our best team." "Yeah." "Hey, Ben." "Hey, there." "Plumbers just left." "We're 100% copper now." "You have a good crew." "Yeah." "Listen," "I'm gonna have to send Danny Keller over tomorrow to finish up the repairs." "A big job came through, and I'm not gonna have any guys available." "Jeanette called Lorrie." "Yeah." "That, too." "Ava, listen, I have a good marriage." "I know you do." "You have a perfect life." "Here's to a perfect life." "Well, nothing is perfect." "It's damn near perfect." "Ashland, the tomato capital of the Commonwealth." "Having been born here, grown up here," "I know practically everybody." "But if I have to drive down Main Street one more time..." "I don't know, sometimes I envy you for getting out of Dodge." "I've lived all over the world, Ben." "Dodge is looking pretty sweet to me right now." "Hey, I went to the farmers' market today, and I bought some goat cheese and fresh pears." "Do you have dinner waiting?" "Frozen lasagna at home waiting to be nuked." "Lorrie and her mom are at book club, so..." "Get your ass in here, then." "Let's eat some real food." "No, no, no." "I should really get back." "To nuked lasagna?" "There's no sense us both eating alone." "Come on." "What were their names, the farmers?" "Do you remember?" "Lester Gill did an A-1 job with this chimney." "Remember?" "The twin brothers." "One was really skinny, the other..." "Floyd and Lloyd." "Who is your daddy now?" "Fat Floyd and Lean Lloyd!" "They wore the same coveralls." "What was that?" "And we took one of their horses." "No, no, no." "Let me correct that." "Not we." "You." "You stole him." "I borrowed him for the night." "And then showed up at your house." "Yeah, with no saddle." "I dared you." "And then we rode up Fern Hill." "Mmm-hmm." "And you held me so tight from behind." "Give me a break." "I'm not a horseman, all right?" "No, I liked it." "It thought it was sexy." "And then we tied him up at the quarry, then we swam." "Yeah." "First we swam." "First we swam." "God, we were crazy." "How about it?" "About what?" "The quarry." "What, now?" "Yeah, why not?" "For old times' sake." "No, I don't think so." "Why not?" "Because we can't." "Come on." "I dare you." "No." "I double dare you." "No!" "Why?" "Okay, first of all, it's freezing up there." "Yeah, so?" "That never stopped us before." "What, are we too old to have fun?" "Yes." "We are." "No." "Come on." "No." "What are we doing?" "This is insane!" "It's raining!" "Ah!" "Come on!" "We're gonna get wet anyway!" "Beat you there." "I'll race you." "Come on." "Wait, wait, wait." "Oh, God." "Wait." "It's freezing!" "We proved we were still crazy." "Let's get out." "No, you wuss!" "Who you calling a wuss?" "Race, I'll race you to the rocks." "No!" "Yes!" "You're insane!" "You're..." "Does it get any hotter?" "Give it a chance." "It needs to warm up." "Stop being a wuss." "That was fun." "Admit it." "All right, all right, I'll admit it." "It was fun." "But I think it will be more fun once I get feeling back in my toes." "There you go." "Things don't turn out the way you think they're going to, do they?" "Hmm?" "Everybody thinks I've lived this exotic and exciting life." "And here I am, back in the front seat of my old high school sweetheart's truck." "My married old high school sweetheart's truck." "Hey, I'm not that old." "And I've lost my mom, my sweet, sweet mom." "I know." "I know." "It's hard." "I've been there." "You know, I was lying in bed last night in my mom's big, empty house and it hit me." "I don't have any children." "I don't have any family to speak of." "I mean, I've got a crazy ex back in Chicago." "But I'm all alone." "No." "Yeah." "It shouldn't be so hard to be happy, should it?" "We've got to go." "Yeah." "Whoa!" "He's in here." "Thank you." "Ben?" "Hey." "Hey." "I'm okay." "The doctor just wanted me to lie here for a while." "But she said I don't have a concussion, so..." "You sure you're okay?" "Yeah, no." "I'm fine." "I'm fine." "I'm ready to go home." "They don't want to watch him?" "No, he's good to go." "Have you checked on Mr. Bayard?" "What happened?" "Well, this tree fell across the road." "It was pouring down rain." "I lost control of the truck." "Oh, my God." "Thank God you're okay." "Here you are." "And Ms. Andersson left this." "You want to bring the car out front?" "I need to wheel him out." "Sure." "Lorrie, come on." "I was half-sloshed." "Driving half-sloshed?" "Isn't that something you warn your son about?" "I know." "It was stupid." "But we went to the quarry, goofing off, and we just..." "Just?" "We were talking about how we used to swim there." "We were just being crazy." "We literally jumped in for one second, and we were out." "Wait a minute." "You and Ava went swimming in November?" "Skinny-dipping?" "Is that what you're trying to tell me?" "Nothing happened." "So you didn't have sex with her?" "No." "I didn't." "Oh!" "Good." "Why not?" "You two are sloshing around naked in the quarry." "Why not have sex with her?" "No one would know." "You didn't even kiss her?" "I'm not gonna lie to you, Lorrie." "I did kiss her." "You kissed her, but you didn't have sex with her?" "I did not have sex with her, okay?" "Why not?" "We didn't have sex." "What's wrong with you two?" "But I wanted to, damn it!" "Is that what you want to hear?" "Does that make you happy?" "Are you happy now, Lorrie?" "I want you out of the house." "Go sleep in a motel or a friend's or something." "What are you gonna tell Jesse?" "You can have the honor." "Hey." "What's up?" "Jess?" "You know, all my life, my dad," "Mr. Big Guy in Town, big football hero, all my life, I did it for him." "For him!" "What happened?" "He cheated on my mom!" "Okay?" "And she kicked him out!" "That is so not right." "I mean, you know, he didn't totally cheat." "But almost totally." "Anyway, she's pissed as hell." "What did he say to you?" "No, he has nothing to say to me." "Nothing!" "I mean, how could he do this to my mom?" "Who's the woman?" "It's some high school old flame chick of his." "I mean, it's really pathetic." "Wow." "This really, really sucks." "Yeah." "It really does." "Do you think they'll split?" "Maybe they won't split." "Maybe they'll work it out." "Guess who." "He's left me like a thousand messages today." "You've got to talk to him." "No." "Actually, I don't." "Let's just go back to your place." "I can't." "I'm sorry." "You know I wish I could." "But I've got to get back to work." "You know, people need their lattes or they'll die." "Hey." "I love you." "Text me every minute what's going on, okay?" "No, they gave us the quote for two trailers." "Make them honor it." "Yanni..." "Yanni, I spoke to the guy." "Please just handle it." "I got to go." "Jesse?" "Son?" "Hey, Jess." "You rang?" "Yeah." "Listen, I feel terrible about everything that's been going on." "Why, Dad?" "We all feel great." "Look, this is kind of awkward and bizarre for me, so just say what you want to say." "Well, first of all, I want you to know that I love your mom." "And I didn't have sex with this woman." "It was just one of those things that snowballed." "Mmm-hmm." "Bottom line is, it never should have happened." "And I'm sorry that I let you and your mom down." "Mmm-hmm." "Damn it, Jesse, it was a mistake." "I made a mistake." "People are not perfect." "I'm not perfect." "Well, here's the problem, I always thought you were." "Okay, you lectured me about respect for Monet, about respecting your partners." "How about respect for your wife?" "Okay, you don't owe me an apology." "You owe it to Mom." "Jess..." "You know what, Dad?" "And homecoming game, don't even think about it." "And if I find out you're there, I am walking off the field." "Hi." "You're out late." "I was worried." "I had a game at Lynchburg, remember?" "Oh, my God." "I completely forgot." "How did you do?" "It's all good." "We won." "I'm sorry that you heard what happened last night, that..." "That we brought you into it." "I'm glad I heard." "I'm glad I know what's really going on in this house." "Jesse, whatever your dad did to me or I did to him, you have to know he loves you, right?" "So what happens now?" "I honestly don't know." "I'm heading up to Lofton, get the crew going." "Probably be up there for a couple of weeks." "Good idea." "Lorrie..." "Don't." "Hi!" "I'm late for my accountant meeting." "I had to drop Henry off at his podiatrist." "Approve these, would you?" "How you doing?" "I'm okay." "What's with you two?" "Ben's just heading up to Lofton." "Yeah." "Just gonna get things going." "See you later." "What's going on?" "Ben and I are just taking a little break." "Why?" "What happened?" "Mom, this is so hard." "Is it Ava?" "How did you know?" "Lorrie, small town, people talk." "It's okay, baby." "Shh!" "It will be okay." "Hi, Ben." "I hope you're feeling okay." "I'm fine." "I'm a little stiff, but I'm fine." "But I just wanted to say I'm sorry for messing things up again." "So will you give me a call whenever you can?" "Okay." "So, did they do it?" "All I know is that he wanted to." "He said that?" "Oh, yeah." "Well, at least he's being honest." "Well, what else could he say?" "He was caught half-naked, dripping wet in the truck with her, which is basically totaled, by the way." "I had a bad feeling about her the minute I saw her in the paint aisle at the hardware store." "Yeah, well, I didn't want to go there." "Honey, men can't help themselves." "They are hardwired that way." "And even the good ones have just an ounce more control." "And don't look now, because somebody is looking at you." "I'm sure." "I look so attractive right now." "Anyway, I think we should ding dong ditch that bitch." "Hey, would you like to dance?" "Look, actually, my friend doesn't feel like dancing." "You kind of caught her at a bad time." "Actually, Jeanette," "I would like to dance." "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "What's wrong?" "No, I really appreciate it, but I just..." "Jeanette, I'm gonna go." "Wait." "Wait a minute!" "Monet!" "Hey!" "Come sit with us." "This is the new girlfriend, yeah." "Okay." "Hi." "Come on up here." "Here." "What a great hat." "Thanks." "I've rented two 988 Cat loaders." "Do you think that's enough?" "Ben?" "Yeah, two is good." "And we've gotten started here at Stone Creek Stadium." "The Gunlock Gunners won the toss and elected to receive." "Jackson kicking off for the Wolverines." "And it's a beautiful kick, deep in the end zone." "Smith takes it out." "He's running it out." "A couple of big blocks." "And Smith goes down at the Gunners' 27-yard line." "Hi!" "We're here." "We're late." "Finally." "Hey." "Hey." "Honey, do you see Lane?" "He's on the bench." "Good." "Jeanette." "This is Monet." "Hi!" "Hi." "Nice to meet you." "We've surveyed from Route 54 to Route 1 and..." "Yanni, can you walk him through this?" "Yeah." "Of course, Ben." "Of course." "Excuse me." "Here." "So, what we really need to do now..." "Six minutes remaining in the second quarter." "Blue 42!" "Here's the snap." "Option, right side." "Hands to the fullback." "Boom!" "Hit short of the first down." "That's my baby." "Jesse Beck on the tackle." "Reilly on a nice 12-yard catch, taken down at the Wolverine 45." "First and 10." "And the Wolverines send in backup receiver, number 90, Lane Keisel." "Dear God." "Oh, God." "He's going in." "He's going in." "Oh, no." "Keisel, you're on the wrong side!" "Go, man!" "The Gunners' defense sniffs it out." "Fumble!" "The ball is loose!" "Keisel picks it up!" "Leave it!" "Trying to make a move." "Ooh!" "What a hit!" "Keisel is dogpiled at the Wolverine 30." "That's a 15-yard loss." "At half-time, the Wolverines are ahead, 17-13." "He's up." "He's up!" "He is?" "Keisel!" "Nice!" "Honey, he's fine." "This way." "Good job!" "Nice ups!" "Taking one for the team." "Here, hon, give her some slaw." "I am!" "Tight game?" "Jesse's doing amazing, though." "His dad put a helmet on him when he was five years old, and we could never get it off of him." "Yeah." "Boy, this is good." "Ricky, this is the best fried chicken I've ever eaten." "Don't get a swelled head, Ricky." "He says that about anything he puts in his mouth." "Mom!" "The chicken's great, Rick." "It's deli." "Don't tell her it's from a deli." "What?" "It's from a deli." "And the Wolverines looking to increase their lead with a 35-yard field goal attempt." "There's the snap." "The kick." "And it's good!" "So with 3:11 left in the third quarter, the Wolverines have widened their lead to 20 to 16." "We are number one!" "And with that completion, the Wolverines are first and 10." "Yes!" "Fourth quarter, 20 to 16." "Wolverines leading with nine seconds left in the game." "Defense!" "Defense!" "Come on!" "Let's do it!" "Beck, you're in!" "The Gunlock Gunners have one timeout left if the Wolverines' defense can hold them here." "Gunners wide receiver Smith split out wide." "Blue 42!" "Beck lined up tight against him." "Come on, Jess." "Come on!" "Shotgun." "Come on, Jesse." "Set, hut!" "Ellis drops back." "He goes deep." "Come on, Jess." "Down the sideline to Smith." "Beck is right with him." "In the end zone!" "It's a touchdown!" "Smith scores with nine seconds left in the game!" "Beck just unable to deflect the ball away from Smith." "Damn it." "Damn it." "He played a great game." "He played a great game." "Really good." "On Homecoming Day, the Gunlock Gunners have stunned the Stone Creek Wolverines." "What a heartbreaker for the Wolverines and their fans." "It's gonna be a tough homecoming dance tonight, ladies and gentlemen." "Jess!" "Jess." "It's okay." "Oh, yeah?" "For who?" "Let's just let him be with his teammates." "I told you not to come." "I listened on the radio." "I drove down after." "Just spare me the speech." "I screwed up." "And you screwed up." "So we're both even?" "It was a tough loss." "Dad, I blew it." "Hey, it happens sometimes." "It's part of the game." "But, man, you played your heart out." "You gave it your best." "You know, one pass got by you." "Hell, you can take that." "It will be funny reading tomorrow's paper." "Beck, unassisted, sends Stone Creek right into the toilet." "And if it says that, it's not gonna break you." "And what I did and what your mom's going through right now, that's not gonna break you either." "Jess, life's complicated, man." "But we learn from these kind of things." "And we get up and we keep going." "And what else can you do?" "Come on, bud." "I'll take you home." "Hey, by the way, that was one hell of a tackle in the first quarter." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Hey." "Hi." "You want to come in?" "No." "No, no." "I've only got a second." "I'm sorry about the game." "I was listening to it on the radio." "Jesse doing okay?" "Yeah, he's good." "You know, he's a tough kid." "Life lesson, what doesn't kill you..." "Makes you stronger." "Exactly." "The story of my life." "I think I know why you're here." "Ava, you have been an important part of my life." "You know, when you left me for Don "Porsche" Cahoon," "I prayed." "I actually prayed that you'd come back to me." "But that didn't happen." "And it was tough." "But something good did happen." "I love Lorrie with everything that's in me, and I don't know if I'm even gonna get her back, but I'm sure as hell gonna try." "And you should." "You're a good man, Ben Beck." "You deserve to be happy." "So, what are you gonna do?" "I think I'm gonna move back to Chicago, start a design business with the money from Mom's house." "Good luck with that." "Thanks." "And who knows?" "I'm sure I'll find someone." "All right, then do me one favor." "Try and stay away from the crazies." "I'll try." "Good." "Be well, okay?" "Goodbye, Ben." "Bye." "Jess?" "Jesse, did you forget something?" "What are you doing here?" "I waited until Jesse left for school." "You think we can talk?" "What are you gonna say?" "That you love me?" "That goes without saying." "Does it?" "I hope so." "You know, I'm not like those wives who can stand stoic and brave next to their philandering husbands." "Because right now, I just want to throw something at you." "You know what?" "You go with Ava." "You've been carrying her around with you for 20 years." "Now she's yours!" "Go!" "I don't want her." "I want you." "I want my family back." "Well, Ben, you can't always get what you want." "Lorrie, please." "No, I can't..." "I can't hear it right now!" "We got so wrapped up in our busy lives, I took you for granted." "Yes, you did." "The business has been struggling, and I feel like I've been failing you." "You did fail me!" "You failed me miserably!" "You know, cheating spouses, it's a national pastime, a national sport." "It's our entertainment." "But when it happens to you, it is not entertaining at all!" "I am completely broken up inside and I don't know how to fix it." "I wish I could, but I don't know how." "You need to go now." "Okay." "All right." "We've been waiting on this payment for three months now." "I understand that, but..." "All right." "Do what you got to do." "You made it in one piece!" "Grams left some papers and stuff for you to sign." "Great." "I get to see my son." "How's the job?" "Well, we're on schedule." "I was a little worried about rain today, but..." "How's your mom?" "Okay." "Pretty quiet." "Hey, I've got a couple things for you in the office." "Listen." "Why don't you stick around?" "We can grab dinner at the Lofton Savoy." "They've got that Friday night special." "What do you think?" "Look, Dad," "I can't work for you next summer." "Why not?" "Well, there's this high school writer's program at Penn, I got accepted." "Oh." "Yeah, you know, they're covering everything." "It's like a scholarship." "Wow." "I mean, they must be pretty thrilled with your writing." "What about pre-season football?" "No." "What do you mean, "No"?" "You can't miss that." "I guess I will." "Look, I'll play next year, but I'm going to this program." "All right, let me tell you something." "There is no way Coach T is gonna go for that." "I talked to Coach T. He's cool with it." "So is Mom." "You know, I don't care who's cool with it." "I'm not cool with it." "I'm going." "It's my decision." "It's funny." "Just when you think you got life figured out, the game changes." "Well, I guess that's what makes the game interesting." "You know, all my life, all I wanted was you to be proud of me." "Son," "I am proud of you right now, and I always have been." "Well, you..." "You think you could come home for Thanksgiving?" "I don't think I can do that to your mom." "I can't just show up unannounced at Thanksgiving dinner." "Not a good idea." "Hey." "Ben's not here." "I'm not here to see Ben." "Do you have a minute?" "I've got lots to do, Ava, running this business." "It's not glamorous, as you can see." "I guess it's not even sexy, if you think about it." "Certainly it can't top skinny-dipping at the quarry." "Though I might have waited till August." "But that's just me." "Please stop." "It was one dumb drunk night." "Nothing really happened." "I've already heard all this from Ben." "So what can I do for you?" "I guess I just..." "I want to leave town this time with a clean slate." "Ben was a gentleman." "I truly believe he had no intention of having an affair." "We just..." "We got caught up in the past." "He loves you, Lorrie." "After living with someone for 20 years, you pick up on little things like that." "I remember how touched I was when you brought me flowers." "Thank you." "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Do you love him?" "I loved them all, desperately." "I'm sorry." "Lor, this a good size?" "Yeah, Dad." "Keep chopping." "Are those the rolls?" "Yeah." "I got a little creative." "Oh." "Good." "What about the sweet potatoes?" "Oh, my mom's bringing the sweet potatoes." "With marshmallows." "Oh, boy." "Grams." "Different strokes for different folks." "Monet, your skirt reminds me of Lorrie." "Me?" "You had one just like that, honey." "I did not!" "Why does everyone keep saying that?" "No, she didn't." "Her sister did." "We got it for Marion on that trip to Mexico." "I told you." "Dab a little butter on the pan, so they don't stick." "But you used to steal it from her all the time." "I did what?" "You were so jealous of that ugly leopard skirt that you would go into her closet and steal it." "And then Marion would pitch a fit." "Oh, my God!" "Ben said that, and I didn't remember." "This isn't right." "He should be here, Mom." "Hi." "Hi." "You scared me." "Sorry." "Yeah." "Well, listen." "I came here to ask you to come to Thanksgiving dinner." "I know it's last minute, but it would mean a lot to Jesse if you would come." "And you?" "I can handle it." "Look, Lorrie, I don't want to make things harder for you." "No." "I'm okay." "No, no." "Really, really." "I was gonna head down to the Lofton Savoy for their Thanksgiving special." "$5.95, all you can eat." "I mean, if you can eat it." "Just come to dinner." "You know, I could bring dessert." "I just made a pie." "Why?" "Something to do, an homage to Thanksgiving." "You want to check it out?" "I should really get going." "Otherwise Mom is gonna start telling Monet all of our family secrets." "That's right." "Your mom likes a few nips before dinner." "And that would be one of the family secrets." "Come on." "Just a sec." "For a..." "Just for a second." "This is my humble abode." "You're living high on the hog." "Actually, I got a pretty good deal, saving the company some cash." "Well, now, that's actually kind of impressive." "What are the brown things?" "I'm not sure." "You want some coffee?" "No." "Thank you." "Okay, I'll..." "You know, I was thinking, when I was making up my pie last night, when we first met, I was helping my dad sell fruit out of the back of a truck, and your mom was shopping for peaches." "You had been running through the sprays." "Your hair was all wet." "And when Pop wasn't looking, I tossed you a peach." "I was almost seven." "Yeah." "We go back a long way, Lor." "Ben, I have a confession." "I was wrong about the leopard skirt." "It was my sister's." "But I guess I used to steal it and wear it for some inexplicable reason." "I know." "Well, you don't have to be so smug about it." "Look, I have no right to ask you this." "Then please don't." "No, but I need to." "I've got a lump in my gut that just won't stop and..." "Lorrie, 20 years ago, I took the right road." "I took the right road when I married you." "And I know that with all my heart." "I'm so sorry for the way I hurt you." "I am." "I'm asking you to trust me again, please." "God, Lorrie, I love you so damn much." "Damn it, Ben." "Just come to dinner." "Hey, is Dad coming?" "He's not coming." "He's here." "Happy Thanksgiving, Son." "Hey." "Check it out." "I brought you a really bad pumpkin pie." "Way to go, man." "Here." "No." "You brought it, you bring it in." "Come on." "Try one of those little brown things." "Hey." "Best turkey I ever tasted." "Well, I hope you have room for some pie." "I can always make room for pie." "I'll take your plate, Mom." "Well, we have apple, pecan, and a very special pumpkin pie, which Ben made himself." "Wow, Ben." "I didn't know you could bake." "Isn't anybody daring enough to try my damn pie?" "I will." "There." "A brave man." "Report back, sir." "That's not fair!" "Henry likes everything he puts in his mouth!" "Now, that is the worst pumpkin pie I've ever tasted." "Oh, Ben!" "That's a first!" "Congratulations!" "You want some coffee?"