"Hi, Mom." "And Paul and Patricia." "Well, I'm here." "It's not exactly the Holiday Inn, as you can see." "Mostly..." "Mostly we're filling sandbags and cleaning vehicle filters." "In this war, it's important to keep the mechanisms clean because of all the sand, which can be as much of a threat as any missile that Saddam can send, Capt. Sommers says." "I can't say much, but pretty soon we're gonna get into the real action and we're well-prepared, I'll tell you." "Guys, can you...?" "Do you mind?" "I'm sending this home to my folks." "I'll be done in a minute!" "Just..." "I'm sorry." "What else?" "We're protecting your ass, folks!" "I love you, America." "Thank you!" "Bailey, come on, I'm just..." " You want to say hello to Victor's folks?" " Hi, Mom!" "Come on, you guys, damn it!" "Sorry, Mom," "Some of these guys are kind of crazy, They're good soldiers," "I'm getting a lot of responsibility here," "I think it's been very beneficial, in terms of personal leadership skills," ", and getting a job, A lot more than had I stayed at home," "Well, I've got a lot to do before lights out, so until next time," ", this is Pvt, 1st Class Victor Kovitch signing off," "Hey, buddy, brought you the latest South Park," "Fuck, David." "Hey, sleepyhead." "You know, I had the weirdest dream." " Really?" " Yeah." "This guy comes into my house at, like, 4 a.m." "He climbs into my bed, but instead of having his way with me he just passes out!" "And all night long, he keeps jerking." "That is weird." " And he talked in his sleep." " Yeah, what did he say?" "It was completely unintelligible, but angry." " There was even teeth-grinding." " Well, that explains the headaches." "I was thinking that exposure to formaldehyde gives me a brain tumor." "Would you like some caffeine with that tumor?" "Okay." " David, I can't." " Why not?" "Because last night, I drove Mr. Senopolis' body to San Jose, then straight back." "I barely got four hours' sleep, and frankly I'm tired of getting the shitty jobs you don't want." " I'm half-owner of the business," " You can't legally do intake without me." "You're not a licensed funeral director." " I'm getting my license next month, - lf you pass the test." "Thanks for the vote of confidence." "How am I supposed to study for that test on four hours' sleep?" "Coffee and diet pills worked for me." "I can 't pick her up, I've got a deacon 's meeting, ...and Rico's got Vanessa's ultrasound." " Shit," "Last time I picked somebody up at a nursing home nobody told the roommate she was dead." "I had to." "Just be thankful we've got the business." "Just thankful I'm not you." "What?" "Oh, it's Mr. Senopolis, sorry." "Fuck, I smell like a dead guy!" "No, you smell fine." "Your life stinks, you complain all the time and that's really dull." " Didn't realize I was boring you." " Nate, you need to take a break." "Some major stress release that's not me." "It's too much responsibility." "I thought you liked being an undertaker's girlfriend." "Is that what I am to you?" "Your girlfriend?" "I like to think of you as my mistress." "Well, then, you better start buying me a lot more shit, mister." "God, I love you." "Okay." "I said it." "Let's just move on." "Let's go to Two Bunch Palms this weekend." " What?" " Fuck it, yes." "I'm gonna take the weekend off, and David can bite me." " This weekend?" " Yeah, we'll sit in hot mud we'll get massages, we'll eat like pigs, we'll drink a lot." "If we leave Friday night, we can be naked for two whole days." " I got three clients this Saturday." " Well, postpone, cancel, lie." "Come on, we've never taken a trip together." "We need to do this." "Two whole days?" " What if we drive each other crazy?" " Well, we don't." "Hovering." "Claire, I've invited a friend of mine over for dinner tonight." " Okay." " And I want you to be nice to him." "Is this the guy?" " The guy that...?" " Yes." "Okay." "Thanks for your patience, everybody." "I know we're running late." "By the way, I spoke to Father Clark this morning." "He's holding up well." "He says you folks are the most thorough search committee he has ever encountered." "David, I understand you're the last one to meet with him." " This afternoon." " Good." "We've been interviewing associate priests for three months." "It'll be nice to have an open mind." "Clark struck me as a player, man of God, wants to listen, but there's ego there." "You didn't want Jack." "Connie, you say that so easily, and you know it's not true." "I've never seen you so desperate." "Listen, you folks have to represent the whole congregation." "And believe me, if Clark's not right I'm ready to start from the beginning." " Let's vote right now." "You know him, David." "He's been a visiting rector." "You've got his r'esum'e." "All the deacons are here." "You can vote now." "I'll be happy to leave the room." "No, I want to meet with Father Clark myself so I can make the most informed decision." "This how it works?" "You bring in the new-generation deacon the new deacon brings in the radical priest you want?" "I can assure you there's no agenda here, Mr. Kriegenthaler." "Except yours." "Don't worry, Dave." "I had a parish in Ohio where punches got thrown." "Steelworkers." "St. Bart's doesn't even come close." "Actually, David, your father was against Jack here." "And as I said at the time, your father was wrong." "Roll over," "Okay, okay." "There you go, there you go." "Shit!" "Fuck, Billy!" " Fuck you!" " I've seen pictures on the Internet, but..." "The rule is, you call before you come over, okay?" "Sorry, I was biking down the boardwalk." "I didn't have my cell phone." "Good morning, Nate." "Bill." "I got some great shots of these hookers on Sunset I want to show you." "Real human tragedy shit." "I think they're really good." "Well, your mom walked in on us once so I guess we're even." "This chick has seen the fucking worst life has to offer." " Jesus, Billy, these are incredible." " And what is that thing on her neck?" "She's got, like, this big tumor, and she's still turning tricks." "And you just know there is some freak for whom that is a big turn-on." "I love the Bank of America in the background." " Well, I have to go to work." " Bring out your dead!" "They're great." "Don't forget, cancel those appointments on Saturday." "See you later." "So, what's Saturday?" "We're going to California Cactus World out on Rosemead Boulevard." "I want to get something really weird to plant out back." " Yo, Dave!" " In here!" "I'm sorry, there was an accident on the 405." "Both cars totaled." "I should've handed out cards." "This is Paul Kovitch." "His brother, Victor, just passed away." " I'm sorry." " This is my brother, Nate." "Paul Kovitch, you went to Bonaventure High." " Yeah." " I was there when you pinned that guy and won the wrestling championship." "You were the man!" "Me and my friends were jealous because we knew you were getting laid." " You wrestle?" " No, played baseball, but we always lost." " So, what are you doing now?" " I run Kovitch Trucking up in Camarillo." "Why, so you know how expensive you can be?" " No..." " Paul and I were just going over the options for his brother's funeral." "Okay, I run a business too." "Let's just cut right to it." " Of course." " I buried both my parents and, no offense, but I hate you guys." "I hate what you do." "The whole thing of "let's gather and look at this plastic dead version of our loved one." It's really twisted." "I want Victor cremated." "No coffin." "Put him in one of those cardboard boxes you charge 100 bucks for." "I'll take him up to where our mother's buried up in Tehachapi and let his ashes blow away." "I see Victor's a veteran." "If you like, we can research benefits he might be due." "No, Vic hated the Army." "Me and him been fighting the Army for seven years." "His unit cleaned up a place called Bunker 73 in the Iraqi desert." "Chemicals all over, Saddam's stuff we blew up." "As soon as he came back, he got sick." "Lung cancer at the age of 29, never smoked a day in his life." "Still, no one will say the words "Gulf War Syndrome."" "He just wasted away in and out of that hospital." "So fuck the Army." "Let them keep their fucking money." "I gotta fly up to Idaho Falls to tell my stepfather." "He's got Alzheimer's." "I don't know if he'll hear me or not." "You're absolutely sure you wouldn't like the opportunity to say goodbye to Victor before...?" " I already said goodbye." "Just do it." "And as for a receptacle for his cremains...?" "A paper sack ought to do just fine." "Nine hundred bucks." "Well, he obviously doesn't know about the Poseidon Society or that's 900 we'd be out of." "That guy was the shit when I was in high school." "You know, I never knew he had a brother." "It's time you introduced yourself." "He's at the VA Hospital." "First, I just gotta talk to you about something." "It's out of the question." "I cannot spare you." "We have three bodies right now." "Mr. Jacobsen's going into the ground tomorrow and Vic Kovitch will be toast by the weekend." "What if we get another body?" "Or two?" "We cannot afford to turn down business." " No, I'm sorry." " I don't need your permission." "Do you know how long it's been since I've had two days off?" "See, here's the difference." "You're willing to live like that, I'm not." "I've invited my friend Hiram Gunderson over to dinner tonight." "You're welcome to join us." "Wouldn't a restaurant be better?" "This is our home." "This is my home." "Oh, the camping guy." "Okay." "Can I bring Brenda?" "Hiram will be cooking." "He spent 17 years as a top chef in Chicago." "The critic of the Sun-Times called him the "father of the new rustic cuisine."" "And then, he gave it all up to become a hairdresser." "And he has never been happier!" "You're multiplying differing variables, so you have to simplify." "Okay, and then finally, oops, look at that." "Same variable, okay?" "Four and four gives us what?" "Eight!" "And finally, these two binomials right here, are exactly the same so we what?" "Combine!" "Two X to the third, Y to the fourth." "Okay?" "Any questions?" "Claire Fisher." "What?" "Can you explain this formula to the class?" "Not really." "Maybe if you paid attention instead of reading." "Maybe if you talked about something that was gonna be useful to me, I would." "Oh, algebra is useless?" "I know a lot of physicists who'd beg to differ." "Well, I don't want to be a physicist." "Algebra forces your mind to solve problems logically." " It's one of the only perfect sciences..." " You think the world runs on logic?" " Come on, open your eyes." " I'll see you after class, Miss Fisher." "What are you doing?" "All right, now let's try another one, and I'm gonna make this a little tougher." "Okay, X to the A power times Y to the B power." "Okay, now we've got two..." "Of course we have catalogs for wedding package but you have to come in and look." "I can't show you over the phone." "Website?" "What website?" "We don't have website." "Mister, you have to come into my shop and look at my work." "Website." " The day just gets brighter." " Hush." "So who's dead now, and what do you need?" "Nobody's dead." "I came to return these vases." "You should recycle them, save a little money." "So thoughtful." "I am touched." "Don't be silly." "It's wasteful, that's all." "Here." " You still have that sign in the window." " Yes, you know somebody good?" " I do." "Me." " You?" "I am interested." "Let's talk." "Robbie, I going to lunch." "I'm not going to lunch with you, Nikolai." "I'm seeing someone." " So what?" "This is business." " I hope so." " Because otherwise, I withdraw my offer." " Tell me, why I should hire you?" "I've been working with people for 30 years, and I treat them with respect." "I respect people too." "You're pompous and arrogant and you're full of yourself." " You act like the customer needs you." " Of course the customer needs me." " I have what he wants." " You'll never build a business that way." "I'm better with people and I know about flowers." "If you don't think so, you can fire me." "Fire you?" "How I can fire you?" "You don't even work yet." "My parish in New Mexico, I think they were afraid of me." " They recommend you highly." " They always do after I'm gone." "I won't lie to you, David, I'll push for some change at St. Bart's." "This is one of those congregations that thinks sitting through church absolves them of moral responsibility and they can ignore the plight of others." "Don't get me wrong, they're good people." "They're just lazy." "I don't think that's entirely fair, Clark." "We have a homeless outreach..." "You know you're the swing vote." "I've been a deacon three weeks." "I'm still getting used to how political this is." "Religion is politics, David." "Jesus was a revolutionary." "He threatened those in power, and they had him assassinated." "They'd do the same thing to him today." "I'm not sure how much luck you'll have getting St. Bart's to stage a coup." "The last thing that God wants from us is complacency." " You should be in the Peace Corps." " Already done it." "Three years in Nicaragua, fresh out of divinity school." "That's where I lost my wife." "I'm sorry." "The hardest part about my work is the fact that most people don't want a real relationship with God." "Sure, they'll pray to a man nailed to a cross but they'll ignore the gay kid who gets strung up or the black man who gets dragged behind a car or someone's mother living in a box." "Were you this forthcoming with the other deacons?" "Hardly." "What did you and Walter Kriegenthaler talk about?" "Golf." "So why did you decide to be so honest with me?" "Because I can tell that right and wrong actually matter to you." "Fuck." "This is medieval." "We gotta get it fixed before somebody loses a finger." "You never cared until it was your finger." " Rico, a little help?" " Why should I?" "You know, it's because of you I'm gonna work double shifts this weekend." "That's just David being dramatic." "We'd have to get at least two new bodies for that to be necessary." "They come in bigger numbers than that." "Just forget it." "I know the score." "It's never gonna be Fisher  Sons  Diaz." "I know that." " Let's see what we got." " This one's a cremation." " Nothing for you." " Oh, fuck, what is that?" "Shouldn't just burn people like they're garbage." "What the...?" "Look, it came with fries." "Look at this." "Doesn't even look like the same guy, does it?" "This says he applied to be buried at the National Cemetery." "He signed requests for a flag fold, military escort." "Oh, man." "Then you can't burn him." "I can make him look like that again." "Well, almost." "You could ace algebra, Claire, and we both know it." ""Power rests on the kind of knowledge one holds."" "What's the use of knowing something useless?" " Don't quote Castaneda at me." " Why not?" "You quote Bob Dylan at me." " You need algebra for college." " You're assuming I'm going to college." "You're taking the PSAT tomorrow." "That means you're thinking about it." "Is that the only option?" "Go to college, get a job, be a good consumer until you drop dead of exhaustion." "I don't want that!" "So, what do you want?" "I just want something to matter." "Maybe I should wander around the desert and eat peyote and see God." "Yeah, be a homeless drug addict." "You'd get bored with that pretty fast." "Hey, have you heard of the Sierra Crossroads program?" "What's that, like, bungee jumping for Jesus?" "No, no, it's not affiliated with any religion." "It's actually a great program." "I spent a couple of years there as an instructor." " I think you might really like it." " Why?" "Because it would get you out of yourself, get you out of your head." "Now, I'll warn you, it's hard but exhilarating." "It might give you the challenge you're looking for." "There's an expedition over spring break." "I could pull some strings, see if I could get you in." " Why do you care what happens to me?" " Because I like you." "And I want to see good things happen for you, and I know they can." "We had to dig his service records out of St. Louis." "Then there's the question of whether his cancer was service related." "That means finding a doctor who thinks it was." "It took me four months to get all the approvals but it means a burial allowance of up to 1500 from the VA." "Might as well take that stuff too." "I packed it up for him." "That's too bad nobody told his brother what he wanted." "I did." "Oh, yeah." "I gave Paul the forms." "I found them later in the trash." "It's mostly somebody else's writing on the forms." "It doesn't match Victor's signature at all." "I filled them out for him." "He tried to do it himself, but those boxes are pretty small and he shook a lot." "Gulf War Victory Parade?" "Victor said marching in it was the proudest moment of his life." "Why would he keep it and watch it over and over if he hated the Army?" " Did Paul visit him much?" " Yeah, three or four times a week." "He was really good about it." " So how come he...?" " He couldn't." "Paul would say, "The fucking Army stole your life, Vic."" "And Vic would keep his mouth shut." "I can tell you this." "Victor wanted to believe that what he did in the Gulf meant something that his life was not a waste." "I only counsel." "I'm not supposed to interfere with what the family wants." "So you taped his medals to him, fished his files out and passed them to me." "Well, you can always blow it off." "I mean, you didn't even know the guy, right?" "What are you doing?" "There was a form that said he's getting a military funeral." " Who authorized this?" "Nate?" " Yeah." "How many times have I told you when Nate gives you instructions, check with me?" "Turn him off." "I'll drive him to the crematorium right now." "Do I have to do it myself?" "Fucking Nate." "Paul Kovitch is who our contract is with and if he finds out about this, he will either sue us or break our legs." " Tomatoes right there." " Okay." " Look who's here." " Hello, Mrs. Fisher." "Hello, dear." " Hello, I'm Brenda." " Hiram Gunderson." "I understand you like to camp." "Why, yes, I do." "I wish I could tell you where Nate is, but I have no idea." "It's okay." "I can exist without him." " Toasted sesame seeds in the salad?" " Yes, that would be lovely." "There's my little girl." "Claire, honey, this is Hiram Gunderson." "Pleasure to meet you, Claire." "Hi." "This is delicious, Mrs. Fisher." "Hiram is a chef." "I can't get enough of his cock!" "Mom, I need $ 1200 so I can go to Sierra Crossroads over spring break." "And I need you to sign this form, like, in case I die or something." "Is this a school trip?" "No, you go to the mountains and confront fear and get in touch with your most basic self." "It looks good on your college application." "Sorry I'm late." "There was an accident on the Long Beach Freeway." "You always seem to hit the bad traffic." " Hi, I'm Nate." " Hiram, I've heard a lot about you." "Well, don't believe a word of it." "Hey, I'm sorry." "Don't be." "I'm having fun." " So, what did I miss?" " I want to go to Sierra Crossroads." "We'll talk about it later, Claire." "Mom, you should let her go." "Crossroads is great." " You went?" " Yeah." "We went kayaking down the Colorado River the summer I was, what, 17?" " I don't think you were even born yet." " I don't remember this." "That's because I lied to you and Dad." "Dad would never let me go, so I told you I was going to Sacramento to witness state government in action." "Oh, by the way, everyone, I got a job." " Cool." " I'll be working at Nikolai's flower shop." "I start tomorrow." "It's just part-time." " You didn't tell me about that." " Didn't I?" "Need some help?" "Incidentally, I dropped Victor Kovitch off at the Oak Valley Crematory." "I need you to pick him up tomorrow." "Oh, fuck, David, he wanted a military funeral." "He filled out the forms." "Is he paying our bill?" "You were with his brother." "It was clear he did not want the body embalmed." "He could sue us, and we wouldn't have a case." "Okay, you know what?" "When you talk to me like this, it makes me want to not listen to you." "You and I could lose everything." "Mom could lose her home." "Vic is eligible for a bigger allowance from the VA than we thought." "Really?" " I'm leaving." " I'll walk you down." " Bye, David." " Bye." "Why don't you come over, spend the night?" "I've gotta be in Pasadena tomorrow." "It would add an extra hour to my trip." "Okay." "Give me five minutes." "I'll follow you." " Tonight wasn't so bad, was it?" " I suppose not." "I don't know why I was so nervous." "I mean, for heaven's sake, I gave birth to those people." "You know what occurred to me tonight that's really strange?" "I wish you'd known my husband." "I think the two of you would've liked each other." "Oh, Ruth." "Who would get me a gift basket?" "It's probably some Hollywood bigwig that secretly wants to sleep with you." "It's from my brother, and it is addressed to both of us." ""Sorry about this morning." "Have fun at Cactus World."" "Who knows." "This is nice." "We can take it with us this weekend." "I cannot wait to get out of here." "I'm in dire need of some serious relaxation." " Oh, fabulous." " Smoked oysters." "Really, is there any caviar?" "No, but there are condoms." " And, okay, edible underpants." " That's a little scary." " I'd say this whole thing's a little scary." " No, it just means he likes you." "Believe me, there are guys Billy didn't like." "It's much better this way." "I've been meaning to ask you." "What's up with those matching tattoos you and he have?" "We were in Vegas, we were very drunk, and..." "Oh, dear." "These things always struck me as kind of ridiculous." "Would you just stop that?" "What does he think we're gonna do with this?" "This is, like, hostile." "Look, Billy's bipolar." "He's medicated." "His sense of what's appropriate can be a little off at times." "Look, you have no idea what he's been through." "Don't judge him, please." "All right." "All right." "Thank you." "You're never gonna get out of this one," "I was nowhere near the latrine, sir, I promise," " Give it up, private, Your ass is busted," " Yeah, you're in big trouble," "But my father's on the Joint Chiefs of Staff," "Well, maybe we can 't court-martial you, but there is something else we can do," "Yeah, come on, private, yeah," "You love that, don 't you?" " Hello?" " David, Walter Kriegenthaler." " Did you meet with Father Clark?" " Yes, today." "We'd like to meet at 9:30 tomorrow and vote," " Can you make it?" " Absolutely." "Let me ask you a question, David." "Do you think Clark is gay?" "I don't think so." "He mentioned something about having a deceased wife." "I mean, I don 't care if he is, I just don 't want him to push that agenda," "You know, marriage, that whole thing," "I have a cousin in D.C. Whose church split because of that." "Literally half the congregation left." "I don 't want that to happen to St, Bart's, I've been going there for 40 years," "Well, it's late, I'll see you tomorrow morning, Good night," "Okay, I got Victor, but I called the National Cemetery from the car and you know what?" "They can bury an urn." "They call it "inurnment." We can do it today at 3." "Why are you so determined to sabotage our business?" "I don't think Paul knew how his brother really felt." " Nate, why do you even care?" " Because it's what Victor wanted." "And he deserves it." "He got a raw fucking deal." "Victor Kovitch did not hate the Army." "Watch these tapes he made in the Gulf." "Yes, sir, fuck me, sergeant," " Fuck, yeah, Give it to me," " Come on, private," "Oh, come on!" "Come on, that was funny!" "I have someplace I have to be." "Dave, Dave, it's okay!" "I watch porn too!" "So you guys taking the PSAT this afternoon too?" "Yeah." "So, what happens to you guys?" "I go to UC Irvine and Northwestern Law meet a totally great guy, he's a triathlete we get married and I practice law for eight years and we get really rich, and then I have two great kids." " So you're, like, unbelievably happy?" " Kind of." "I get a master's in French and then live in Paris for 6 months and hate it, so I come back, become a TV development executive and I work out all the time." "I'm fairly miserable and have a slight substance-abuse problem." " But you look great." " Thanks." "I start an interior-lighting design firm with my college roommate and it totally takes off and then I die of ovarian cancer before I'm 30." " Oh, that sucks." " Tell me about it." "Well, good luck." "What a freak." " Father Jack?" " David." "Come in, sit." "And call me "Jack." We're beyond that." " Meeting over already?" " Yes." " Damn." " We all admire Clark's energy but there is some concern that he may end up being divisive." "As you said yourself, if we have to start over from the beginning..." "And find some conservative lap dog, who won't challenge anybody?" "Yeah, that's what we need here." "Scotch?" "No, thank you." " Clark thought he came on too strong." " I liked him, Jack." "The world would be better if there were more like him." "I just don't think that he's a good fit for St. Bart's." "Do you really think that Father Clark would be happy here?" "Why should he be happy?" "How happy are you?" "You're right, I'm not happy." "My life is very complicated and confusing." "I've experienced a lot of loss recently, my father and my..." "And the thing that helps me deal with it is having a place that hasn't changed like everything else in my life." "There's a reason they call it a sanctuary." "I think the majority of our congregation feels the same way and my responsibility is to them, not you." "Well, I've got a business to run." "Yo." "Speaking." "Yes." "What can I do for you, Mr. Gilardi?" " Here, this is good choice here." " I don't like yellow." "The bridesmaids' dresses are lilac." "If the flowers are yellow, it's gonna look like an Easter egg hunt." "How about white tulips?" "Very simple." "Just bunched together with a ribbon." "I was kind of thinking I would be the only one with white flowers." "Or you could be the only one holding a gorgeous bouquet of color against your white dress." " People do that?" "It's your day." "You can do whatever you want." "Don't you think that would be pretty?" " I love the tulips thing." " Tulips are one of my favorite flowers." "So graceful and classic, like little ballerinas." "Only reason I even met Victor was I jumped off a humvee and broke my feet." "Here I am in the hospital with this guy who's dying, listening to me complain." "Playing cards, giving me his dessert." "I wish he didn't die." "It sucks." "Thank you." "Have you heard from Paul yet?" "Not since I told him his brother was ready to be picked up." "Well, without his consent in writing, I cannot allow this funeral to take place." "Fine." "At least we'll know we made an effort." "When we were in the Gulf Victor used to make these videotapes to send home to his family." "We were always giving him a hard time messing him up." "He was a real good sport." "The perpetual optimist." " So my brother ready?" " Yes, he's right in here." " What is this?" " Victor's friends wanted to say goodbye." "The hospital referred them." "It's no problem for us." "And no charge to you." " Excuse me, are you his brother?" " Yes, I'm Paul." "This man here, I don't know if you people know it was like a lion for Victor." "He made federal waves over Victor's disability case." "I found a couple pictures of us playing baseball." "Vic was a lousy batter but a pretty good infielder." "He's grinning like such a fool in these." "I thought you might like them." " Is that you?" " Yeah." " You sick?" " No." "Never got sick." "I don't know why." "A lot of guys I knew over there did." "Thanks." "Thank you for letting Victor have his military burial." "Even though I know you were against it." "I'm sure this means a lot to him." "What the fuck is this military burial shit?" "It's an option that can easily be canceled at no charge to you." "Vic didn't want a military funeral." "You think I'm lying?" "I think he was afraid to tell you what he wanted." "He filled out those forms, he kept the videos." "They filled out those forms." "This is all fucking Army PR." " I threw those forms in the trash." " I'll call the service off." "He kept Saudi Arabian candy for 10 years." " You just want to jack up your price." " No, it's paid for." "I want your brother to have the funeral he wanted for himself because that's his right." "Victor wanted to believe he died for something." "You wanna take that away?" "Jesus." "He's the only family I had left." "And he can't even tell me what he wants when he's dead?" "He thought I would've talked him out of this." "And he's right, I would've." "Why don't you sit with his friends." "Glad to have you here, man." " Where is Ruth?" " She's in the back." "Crying." "What is wrong?" "It's the smell of the flowers." " You'll get used to it." " I am used to it!" "Today, I helped people choose flowers for weddings for anniversaries, for new babies." "I can't remember being surrounded by so much happiness." "I'm used to the smell of flowers meaning something completely different." "I'm used to people crying and being exhausted." "People being shattered!" "Do not worry." "We get funerals too." "I'm so happy." "I can't wait to come back tomorrow." "You're not going to be like this every day, though, right?" "This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation as a token of our appreciation for honorable and faithful services rendered by your loved one." "Give it to one of his friends." "I love you, David." "I always will." "I could get hit by a bus on the way to the desert tonight." "Just wanted to make sure you knew that." "I love you too." " You did the right thing today." " I know." "Feels kind of good, doesn't it?" " Hello." " She can't go." "Why not?" "She has to help me pick prints." " Does she have to do it tonight?" " Yes, she does." "Billy's got a show coming up at a gallery in Westwood." "Sometimes she gives me her eyes because sometimes I go blind." "Forty-six hours I've been looking at these pictures and sometimes I see amazing things and sometimes I just see shapes, and that's when I go blind." "Because what if I lost the ability to tell the difference?" "For real." " For good." " You won't." "You say that and give me your eyes." "But what if one day, I can't give them back to you?" "Well, that won't happen." "We won't let that happen." "God, this is crap!" "This is pretentious, derivative crap!" "Well, then that's one less you have to consider." "Right?" "Right." "Billy, I'm gonna talk to Nate on the porch, okay?" "All right." "Then he's gonna go away." "We'll be right outside." "Pick out five you like and show me when I come back." " Only five?" " Or 10 or 20." "And I'll look at them, and I'll tell you what I see." "Okay." "You can fuck her some other time." "Sorry." "He's obviously off his meds." " Intentionally?" " No, it happens occasionally." "It's been a while." " Brenda, come on." " Sorry, Nate, I can't." "I'm all he has when he's like this." " You are letting him manipulate you." " You don't know him." " You don't know what he's doing." " I know he doesn't like me." "I have a feeling he doesn't like any man in your life." "Am I right?" " Answer me!" " What, you think I fucked my brother?" " Jesus, I never said that!" " Nate, he's sick!" "He's my brother, and he's sick and he needs me!" "This is who I am, this is what you get." "Fuck you." "You have no idea how much I wanted to go with you." " Can I do anything to help?" " Yeah." "You can go to the desert and sit in mud and relax and forget about everything including us." "Oh, shit." "Just go, okay?" "Goddamn it."