" Oh, hello." " Hey." "You look amazing." " And you're all glowing." " Yeah, it's nothing." "Oh, no, it's not nothing, it's something." " Something pretty spectacular." " Thank you." "You know, honey, I don't really have anything planned." " If you wanted to take the morning to..." " Oh, no, no, no." "Don't, don't, don't." "Please." "What's that smell?" "Nothing, it's airbrush bronzing system." " Spray tan?" " Yeah." "You just did a spray tan?" "Don't mock me." "My agent will kill me if I show up to this go-see with streaks." " So please, no touching." " No streaks, no touching." " Okay?" " Okay." "Okay, go." "See." "Be seen." "Hope it's worth it." "I'm sorry it's been so busy lately with meeting, photo shoot." "Honey, do you wanna do something romantic tonight?" "Just the two of us?" "Of course, yeah." " Okay." "Okay, I will organize it." " I've gotta go." "I'm late." "Love you." "That's what it all comes down to, Francie." "Self-esteem." "Self-esteem." "All right, all you radio-land..." "Okay, lovely listeners, stick with me, I'll be right back after a word from my sponsor." "If you've been dreaming about installing a garage..." "Mom." "God, you scared me to death." " What are you doing?" " Nothing." "Nothing?" "Who were you talking to?" "No one." "I wasn't talking to anyone." "Really?" "That's funny." "Because I think I just heard you talking." "All right, okay." "I was practicing." "I have an audition today at the radio station." " Wait, is that happening?" " Yes, that's happening." " What?" " Yeah." "They're gonna call the show Dear Mom and I might be the mom." "Mom, that's..." "Congratulations." "That's awesome." " Why do they want you again?" " Justin." "I'm kidding." "You're gonna be amazing." "Well, the producer wants the host to be a real mom with real mothering know-how." "Now, I may not have a lot of experience in the workplace, but listening to people's problems, helping them sort themselves out, that I have experience with." "That I can do, can't I?" "Yes, you can." "Yes, you can." "So ask me something." "Just ask me anything." "Okay." "How long after I eat can I go swimming?" " Oh, come on, be serious." " What?" "What?" " What's bothering you?" " Nothing's bothering me." "I'm fine." "Why are you here at 7:30 in the morning?" "Okay, I guess I'm having a little trouble since Rebecca left." "I can't sleep." "I wake up every morning and go for a run, but it feels like no matter how much I run, I still can't sleep." "Oh, sweetheart, I had no idea." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I'm gonna call the radio station..." "No, no." "Oh, Mom, come on." "No, no, no." "Look, look, here, here." "Practice, right?" "Pretend I'm just some call-in guest, all right?" "So give me this." "Practice." "Shoot." "Running is good." "Running is very good." "It helps keep you fit while you're..." "While..." "Life is not a piece of cake." "Cake is good." "Try a slice of cake and a glass of milk at bed." "It works every..." "And you know what?" "I happen to have some cake." "Chocolate." "I think I will just wrap this up and you can take it home with you." "There you go." "Mom, you're..." "Really, that's great advice." "You're gonna be fantastic." " Do you want some milk with that?" " Yes, please." " What is going on with you?" " I'm having coffee." "That's not what I mean." "You didn't come to bed last night." "Oh, well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm the only lawyer in my firm." "I don't even have a secretary yet." "You're working too hard." "I've barely seen you in days." "Well, I'm on a losing streak, but I'm gonna turn that around." "You know, before it was all about helping rich people keep their money." "But telling a squillionaire that he can't afford a second yacht isn't exactly the same as telling someone with a disability he's not gonna get his benefits." "You haven't lost your cases." "I did tell a fifth grader he didn't have to go to his abusive parents." "That felt good." "You know, so much of what I do seems to boil down to the fact that someone who shouldn't have had kids had kids." " Awful and completely unfair to the kids." " It's unfair to us." "We can't go get drunk and knock each other up on a date." "We've to spend thousands on a surrogate." "We still wind up where we started." "You know, we could probably afford to try again if that's something..." "Now?" "Scotty, I am so busy, I'd neglect you and the kid." "Look, I'm just ranting." "I got a phone call." "Hey, hey, hey." "Promise me you won't work too hard." "Come to bed tonight, I miss you." "As soon as my head hits the pillow, I'll be asleep." "That isn't exactly what I had in mind." "We're home." "I can't believe I made it." "What, are you kidding?" "I could barely keep up with you." "Yeah, well, they don't call me "turbo" for nothing." "Yeah, well, I've seen grown men in tears before that first mile marker." " I am impressed." " Oh, me too." "You know, I don't think I've been on my feet that long since I went to the last Barney's warehouse sale." "At least at the end of this, we had a gorgeous view instead of a credit-card bill." "Yeah, but I wish we didn't have to hike so far up there to see it." "I mean, at least at Barney's, they send you the bill." "I don't think I can feel my legs." "That is so weird." "But I definitely can." "You know, I should probably take a shower." "Oh, I could join you." "You know, conserve water." "Kitty." "Kitty." "Hello..." "Oh, hello." " I'm Justin." "Kitty's brother." " Who's here." " Were you guys just working out?" " Hiking." "Hiking." "I had the day free, so I figured I would drive up and..." "And visit me." "Yeah." " Is that a problem?" " No, no, no." "Good because, you know, I'm..." "I really wanted to see you and Evan today and..." "I'm sorry, I'm going through a breakup and..." " No, a divorce." "A divorce, actually." " It's a divorce." " Look, I don't wanna interrupt." " No, you know what?" "No." "No." "We were just about... to make lunch." "Do you want...?" "Stay." " Really?" " Yeah, absolutely." " Oh, thank you." " I'm really sorry about your wife, man." "But I brought some fish that I caught." "Why don't I get that started?" " Yeah." " Thank you." " He caught the fish." " Caught some fish, huh?" "Sweet." "Definitely." "Is that the famous Jack?" "Please, Justin, he's not famous." "Are you sure you're cool with me being...?" "Like, are you guys...?" "No, no, no." "He..." "There is nothing going on." "We're friends." "Well, thank you because I could really use the company." "Of course." "Always." "Any time." "I think..." "Hey, Jack, you need a hand in there?" "Thanks for coming in, Nora, and the muffins, wow." "You really are the perfect mom." "Well, I'm so excited to be here." "So, what do you want me to do?" "Well, it's really very simple." "We're going to do a sample show." "We'll put you on the air and..." "On the air today?" "People will call in, ask mom-type questions, you'll answer them." "Can you handle it?" "Yeah." "Yes, I can." "I can." "I've got five kids." "I've been training for this my whole life." "There is just one slight hiccup." "Look, if it was up to me, the job would be yours." "But the station guys wanna think about maybe going a different way." "What different way?" "Well, they've called in Alexandra Kirby as well." " Oh, my God, Dr. Alex?" " Oh, so you've heard of her?" "Oh, my God, yes." "I'm a fan." "I've read all her books." "I follow her on Twitter." "Oh, heavens, I'm so sorry I'm late." "Ken, be a dear." "This is the last kind of first impression I wanna make." "It's just with running the charity and shopping for my grandbaby's birthday, and the book tour, I'm simply swamped." "Oh, where are my manners?" " You must be Nora Walker." " Yes, hi." "I have to tell you, my assistant has been Googling you all morning." "You are keeping a low profile, lady." "God, I wish I could do that." "The grass is always greener, right?" " Oh, come here, you." " I guess so." "I'm so excited to have a challenge." "People are usually too scared to even compete with me, you know?" "Oh, this is gonna be a fun day, don't you think?" "Oh, fun day." "Really fun day." "Okay, so, what are you thinking for desserts?" "You could go crazy and do a heart-shaped strawberry torte kind of thing." "I don't really think I'm a heart-shaped strawberry torte kind of gal." "Then again, you know what?" "Let's go with the torte." "I want this picnic to be really romantic." "I'm trying to reenact our first date." "Oh, that is so sweet." "I'll get you a recipe." " Right." "I hope I'm not in the way here." " No, no, it's fine." "Scotty, have you ever had a spray tan?" "Excuse me?" "Just a weird thing happened this morning with me and Luc." " Weird how?" " In the bedroom weird, between us." "You know, he didn't wanna do it." "Oh, well, you know, that's normal." "Every couple goes through that." "I mean, I'm sure it's not that bad." "It's not like it's been weeks or anything." "Oh, or, you know, even if it has been..." " Do you think weeks is a long time for...?" " No, you are busy with kids and lives." "And there are plenty of reasons." "It's not like he's getting it anywhere else." " You think he's getting it somewhere?" " Stop, Sarah, you're making me nervous." "You're making me nervous." "Don't do this." "Luc loves you." "I know, but, I mean, maybe you're right." "He does stay out late a lot." "He says it's for work, but work these days for Luc is, you know, parties and spray tans." "Sarah, sometimes a spray tan is just a spray tan, okay?" "Yeah." "I mean, I'm trying not to think about her, but..." "Like on the way up here, there's this date shake place, which was, like, our place." "But I couldn't bring myself to go in." "Yeah." "I get it, man." "Facing it." "It's like a really cold lake." "You just gotta jump." "The water's never as cold as you think it is." "Easier said than done." "But, hey, thanks for letting me vent." "So you caught these fish yourself?" " Yeah, yesterday." "You wanna try?" " Yeah." "All right, well, first you've gotta slice open that belly." " Okay." " All right, go ahead." " Just get right in there?" " Just hold it down." "Justin, don't you think you should let Jack concentrate on the fish so we could eat one of these days?" "And maybe we could get you back onto the road before it's way too late?" "Are you kidding me?" "This is exactly what I needed." "Have you talked to Kitty too?" "About what?" "About Robert." "I mean, he gives great advice." "No." "No, actually, Justin, we don't really talk about Robert very much." "Well, tell her about the lake." "No, I don't think Kitty really wants to hear that one right now." "You know what?" "I should probably go get cleaned up." " Did I say something wrong?" " No." "It's..." "It's..." "We're a little bit more than friends." "Before you start to judge and start to say that this is all too soon or whatever, you just have to understand that being with Jack is the first thing that's made me not think about Robert so much." " The accident was a year ago." " He's great." "And I think that it..." " What did you say?" " It's great." "I think he's great." "And the best part is, he's not even remotely your type." "Well, what do you mean he's not my type?" "Kitty, I don't think this guy's seen a suit, let alone worn one." " Is he a Democrat or a Republican?" " I don't have the foggiest idea." "Exactly." "Not your type." "But congratulations, you just jumped." "Where are you going?" "I'm gonna go so you guys can have lunch." "Oh, just stay and eat." "No, no, no." "Thank you, but I think I'm in the mood for a shake." " Okay, it's about an hour until air time." " Okay." " You know the drill?" " Yes." "I'm gonna answer questions for about two hours and then Dr. Alex will answer questions for about two hour..." "Are you sure you want me to go first?" "Are you kidding?" "Do you really wanna follow Dr. Alex?" "No, I don't wanna follow Dr. Alex." "I don't wanna do that." "As long as you can find some time to get your point of view out, you still have a shot, Nora." "Okay, I can do that." "There you are, you rascal." "You've been hiding from me?" "No." "No, Alexandra." "What's going on?" "Oh, good, Nora's here too." "This concerns you as well, darling." "Now, I know we all agreed to this two-shift scheme of yours, Frank, but I talked to the station execs upstairs and we all thought," ""Wouldn't it be so much more fun if we went on the air together?"" "Don't they need to evaluate us individually?" "Pish, I'm sure they'll be able to tell which way the wind is blowing." "Oh, come on." "What do you say, Nora?" "A two-mom smackdown." "A smackdown?" "A smackdown." "I don't think I have the right shoes for a smackdown." "Oh, you are so funny." " So, what do you say, Frank, are we on?" " I guess." "Oh, great." "Looking forward to it." " I'll go find out what's going on." " Okay." "Kevin, I don't know where you are or what you're doing, but I need you." "I'm about to get smacked." "Hey." " Kevin, where have you been?" " What?" "Some kind of entourage you are." "We're about ready to go on." "How are you feeling?" "Confident?" "Oh, God, no." "I can't go up against Dr. Alex." " I can't do that, Kevin." " Okay, okay, Mom, you're the underdog." "No question about it." "But that might be an advantage." " What?" " This is all about likeability." "There's one thing America likes, it's an underdog." "I'm not ready." "I can't do this." "I'm not ready." "Are you kidding me?" "You're Nora Walker." "You're ready for anything." "Good." "Now, get out there and show them what you got." "You never saw Rocky?" "All right, one date shake." "I can do this." "All right." "Come on." "It's not a battle." "It's just a date shake." "What can I get you?" " One date shake." " Coming right up." " Can you just give me a second?" " Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, no hurries." "So who were you talking to back there?" "Got an imaginary friend?" "Oh, my God." "You heard that." "Sorry." "I couldn't help but notice." "We don't get a lot of cute guys strolling up here alone, so..." "I'm gonna go get you that shake." "How much is it, actually?" "You know, it's on the house." "Consider it a kind gesture from a stranger." "You look like you could use one." "Thank..." "You didn't have to do that." "So, what's wrong?" "Nothing." "I don't know." "I was just, you know, driving, trying to clear my head, get out of the city." " Bad breakup?" " Yeah." "God, am I that obvious?" "No." "I just know the feeling." "Sometimes you gotta just move on, you know?" "Hey, are you in town for a while?" "I was actually here." "I'm on my way back down to the city." "It's just I get off in a couple hours and there is a bar down the street." "And a great band is playing tonight." "And really good beer." "Do you wanna come?" "Well, I don't drink," "but I love music." " Yeah, sure, I'd love to." " Great." "Great." "I will get you that shake." " Date shake." "Yeah, that's your..." " Okay." "Today, we have a special show for you, Dear Mom, homespun advice for better living." "We have two moms, so don't hold back." "They'll both be serving up their brand of apple pie just for you." "To my right, I have Nora Walker." "Oh, that's my turn." "Okay." "Hi, I'm Nora Walker." "I'm a homemaker from Pasadena." "The mother of five." "And a cook." "Well, I'm not a professional cook, but I do make the chocolate cheesecake for my son-in-law's restaurant." " Great." "Thank you, Nora." " Okay." "And to my left, we have acclaimed author and commentator, Dr. Alexandra Kirby." "Author, commentator and licensed therapist." "Don't forget those three little letters Ph.D." "And I just want to remind everybody out there that my new book, Moron-proof Mothering, comes out next week." "And the phone lines are already lighting up." "You're on the air, caller." "Who would you like to direct your question to?" "Oh, my God, Dr. Alex," "I was so excited when I heard you were gonna be on the air today." "Well, thank you, darling." "When's the next time you're coming to Pittsburgh?" "We waited in line for like three hours to see you last..." "Hey there." "I am in the middle of making you a very, very special surprise." "Luc, hello?" "Can you hear me?" "Oh, please, you're being ridiculous." "Well, I wouldn't say it's ridiculous." "A little old-fashioned, maybe, but..." "Luc, darling, you were amazing." "Me?" "That was all you." "I was just laying there." "Luc?" "Are you busy later today?" "Well, I have this dinner thing, but I can..." ""Dinner thing?" I am making you a strawberry torte, you..." "Fabulous." "Just me and a cabana at the hotel, then we have a date." " This afternoon, 3 p.m." " Perfect." "Oh, my God." "Scotty, it's me." "Listen, we need to talk." "The statistics back me up on this." "Monitor your child's interactions with their peers." "It'll help you avoid problems and they'll thank you for it later." "Well, Dr. Alex, I appreciate that kind of diligence, but not every mother has the time." "There comes a time when you just have to trust you've taught children the difference between right and wrong and just let the pieces fall where they may." "Well, callers, you've heard it here first." "There are some moms who don't believe their children are worth making whatever sacrifices are necessary." "That is what you mean, isn't it, Nora?" "I don't think that's what I meant." "No." "Let's take another call." "Oh, hi, yeah, question for Nora Walker." "Sure." "Can I get your name, sir?" "Well, yeah, it's Devon from L.A." "Devon, yes." "So, what's your question?" "Well, I was just thinking, you sound like someone who knows a lot about baking, so I was wondering if you could give me some hints about baking a cherry pie." "Well, if there's one thing I know about, it's cherry pies." "This is actually a two-part answer, Devon." "Because you've got your crust and you've got your filling." "Now, if you..." "If I could just jump in here before we get to the recipe." "Devon, who are you making this pie for?" "It's for my husband." " Oh, I see." "And what kind of pie is this?" " What do you mean?" "I mean, is this a birthday pie?" "Or a thank-you pie?" "It's not an apology pie, is it?" "Yeah, actually, it is." "What are you apologizing for, sweetheart?" "I've been distant lately." " Are you depressed?" " No." "God." "No, I just think I'm disappointed." "It was a very hard year for us." "We were trying for a baby that didn't work out." "It's just been a lot of things." "That's not why I'm calling." "Why don't we get back to the pie?" "I take it by distant that you are referring to the bedroom." "You know what's holding you back?" " Are you still attracted to him?" " No, of course." "It's just..." "I don't know, somehow, lately, it's all been feeling a little..." "Futile, maybe?" "Because you and your partner aren't able to have children biologically?" "Yeah." "Maybe." "I've given it a name:" "Womb envy." "Does that sound right?" "Wow, actually, it does." "Well, Devon, believe it or not, I have a chapter in my new book on this very thing." "All the answers are in my book, available online." "Oh, sorry." "Sorry." "Okay." "Thank you, Devon." " Wait, wait, wait." " No." " Wait, no, stop." "Stop." "No, I can't." " What's wrong?" " I'm really sorry, but I just..." "I'm not ready." " I'm sorry, I thought you..." "I thought we were on the same page." "No, I know." "I know, but I just..." "I can't do this." "I thought that I could, but I can't." " Kitty, I didn't mean to push you." " I can't do this." " Kitty, wait, stop." "What are you doing?" " I never should've come up here." " Where are you gonna go?" " Maybe I'll go to my mom's." "I mean, this was such a colossal mistake." " Can I beg to differ?" "Because I..." " No." "No, Jack, you can't." " Look, was it something Justin said?" " No, Jack." "Jack, you don't understand." "A month ago, I was married." "Okay, I may be kissing you, but I'm still thinking about Robert." "Look, we don't have to move this fast, Kitty." "We can slow things down." "That's sweet of you, but it's not gonna make any difference." "This is never gonna work." "We live completely different lives." "I mean, you live up here and you hike and you take very long walks in the woods." "Okay, there is more to me than that, Kitty." "Well, you know what?" "There's a lot more to me than this." "I'm sorry, but I really do need to go home." "Okay, we're gonna break for the news and be back with more Dear Mom in just a few minutes." "All this talking can make a girl thirsty." "Nora, can I get you something to drink?" "No, no, not unless you've got a shot of tequila in there, doctor." "Oh, Nora, please." "Call me Alexandra." "Yes, Alexandra." "Yes." "Fine." "Okay, tough first couple of rounds, I admit it." "Well, thank you so much." "Lot of help you were." ""Womb envy"?" "What were you thinking?" "L..." "She's a siren." "She seduced me with her bird-like voice." "Look, I can't do this." "I can't do this." "I can't go up against her." "I'm gonna tell Frank I'm sick, let's get out of here." "Mom." "Mom." "Come on, you can't just walk out of here." "No one wants to listen to you if you aren't famous and have a fancy title and a string of letters behind your name." "Nora Walker, snap out of it right now." "You're gonna let her hoity-toity education intimidate you?" "Yes." "Yes." "It's a show of accomplishment." "What the hell have I ever accomplished?" "Me." "That's what you've accomplished." "Me and Kitty, and Sarah and Justin and Tom." "You raised a family, and you held it together in the face of remarkable odds." "Things that would have made an average mother crumble." "And you did that without an entourage or fancy statistics or theories." "You did that with love, and with your heart, and with your instincts." "If you'd seen what I have at work recently, you would know how rare that is." "You have an amazing gift, Mom." "Amazing." "Maybe the most precious there is." " You really think that?" " No, I know that." "And this is your chance to share that with people beyond our family." " You said you wanted it." " I do, I do." "Oh, I do." "I want it so much." "Okay, so prove it." "Because the Nora Walker I know would pulverize that big-haired windbag." "Don't let her walk all over you." "This is a fight you could win, and I could sure use a win right now." "What do you say, Mom?" "I can win this." "I can't let this big windbag beat me." "No." "Oh, easy." "You're not gonna get another bathroom break for two hours." "Spit." " Good." "Now, go get them, slugger." " Okay." " Just relax." " Okay, I can do it." "I'm relaxed." " Hey." " Hi." "Nora, you just need to make sure that this mike is muted when we're not on the air, otherwise, the whole building can hear you." ""Go get them, slugger."" " Oh, my..." " It's Wednesday afternoon." " Don't these people have jobs?" " These people are too beautiful for work." "Okay, now I'm officially scarred." "It's not late to bail on this whole thing." "I wanna find out if what I heard is what I think I heard." "Where is that French man-slut?" "Bingo." "Come on, come on." "We could be at home making a heart-shaped torte, you know?" "Well, thank you." " Luc." " Hey, what are you doing here?" "I thought I'd come down and drink a glass of Cristal and screw a teenager." " How could you?" " This is not what you think it is." "Don't tell me that you're working on your tan, because we all know it's fake." "Hey." "She's a waitress." " What?" " Come on, Sarah, let's do this somewhere else." " Who are you exactly?" " I'm Luciana." "I took some test shots of your Luc for a new swimwear line." "I'm such an idiot." " I've..." "I'm..." " It's just a meeting." "I've made a horrible mistake." "I do apologize." "Oh, of course." "I understand." "I have a husband too." "I'm so sorry." " Hey, Sarah, wait, wait, wait." " No, no, no, just..." "Luc, I messed up." "I'm really sorry." "So I should..." " You're home." " Yes, I am home." " Oh, may I?" " Sure." "So I got your message." "What's the good news?" "Do you remember my friend, the photographer who took pictures of me?" " Sure." " Okay, well, he called me today, and an agent saw the pictures." "And you're never gonna believe it, but I got a meeting." "Modeling?" "I know." "I know, I know." "It's for an underwear campaign." " You're kidding me." "That's hilarious." " I know." "Yeah." "Ridiculous." "It's really well-paid." " How well-paid?" " Really well-paid." "Like, one shoot and I can paint for a year." "Are you serious?" "That money, Sarah, gives us freedom." "Wait till you see this painting." "This is the one." "I will be finished with this any day now." "I'm sorry to say, darling, but it sounds like your friend is two sandwiches short of a picnic." "You know, that's what my husband said." "I knew you'd see my side of things." " Hey, Kit." " Hi, Kev." "Where is Mom?" "She's not at home, she's not answering her cell." "And I really need to talk to her." "And if that doesn't help you, sugar, all the answers are in my book." "Okay, next up is Catherine, calling from Pasadena." "Hi, yes." "This one's for Nora Walker." "I recently lost my husband." "Well, Catherine, that sounds like a very hard situation." " Yes, but I met another man." " You did?" " Well, that's wonderful." " Yeah, but when things go too close..." "You know what I mean?" "I couldn't do it." "I mean, I literally could not do it." "And I panicked and I ran away." " What are you feeling now?" " Well, I feel sad." "I feel guilty." "And I'm afraid." "I'm afraid that I'm never gonna get out of this fog that I'm in." "I'm afraid that I'm never gonna be able to be with another man." " Oh, honey." "Catherine, dear..." " You know, Catherine, most people consider a year to be the minimum waiting period." " Statistics show..." " Well, that's all jim-dandy peachy-keen, Dr. Alex, but statistics can't hold your hand at night." "Or share a cup of coffee with you in the morning." "Do you have any idea how hard it is to lose a husband?" " L..." " Well, I do." "And so I know." "Listen, Catherine, you're grieving." "Not only for the husband you lost, but for the life you had envisioned." "You're grieving for the future and all the plans and dreams you had in your head." "And now that's all gone." "There's a wonderful saying:" ""You have to give up the life you've planned to find the life that's waiting for you."" "Hey, Kev." "Talk fast." "I'm meeting this girl in five minutes." " Are you listening to this?" " Listening to what?" "Mom's on the radio, 730 AM." " Mom's on the radio?" " Time, weather and..." "All our lives, we grow by giving up things." "By loss and moving on." " Goodbye." " Big things, little ones, how we handle those losses really defines who we are." "Where are you now Kitty..." "Catherine?" " I'm at my mom's house." " Great." "Great." "Good idea." "That's a really good idea." "But listen, you don't really need her to tell you what to do." "All you need from her is just to listen, that's all." "A place where you can talk out loud so you can hear what you really think." "What you think." "Not her." "You'll know what to do and what not to do." "Because that's all right too." "And you'll know when it's time to move on." "And to the gentleman who called in earlier with the "womb envy,"Devon." "What the hell is that, anyway?" "You don't want a womb, you want a child." "You tried and it didn't work out." "And that loss or disappointment, as you put it, is just as real as Catherine's." "So is the grief and sadness." "And if you don't acknowledge it, and feel it, it will never get out of your way." "Unacknowledged feelings are like a drunken cousin at a family reunion." "They never shut up so you can hear anyone else." "And you have to be able to hear what's next in your life." "What path you might wanna travel down." "With or without children." "You have to be able to see what's right there, right there, right in front of your eyes." "Did you hear that, Catherine?" " Catherine?" " I have to go, Mom." " What are you doing here, Jack?" " You don't know my whole story." "I guess I never told you where I was from." "Before I moved to Ojai." "I used to have a place up on Mulholland, worked downtown." " Really?" "Seriously?" " Yeah." "Classic story, I guess." "Successful investment banker becomes disillusioned, sells everything, and escapes to Ojai to become a carpenter." "Look, I'm not trying to replace him." "What I'm trying to say is that maybe we're not as different as you think we are." "Oh, there you are." " I'm so sorry." " You don't have to apologize." "No, I do." "Storming in on you like that, it was..." "Just when I heard that phone call, my imagination went to the worst possible version of you." "And I'm sorry." "Okay, apology's accepted." " What's all this?" " Oh, a picnic." "I was trying to recreate our first date." "It's nice." "Luc, I really don't think I'm up for all of this." "What do you mean?" "If this is what you want your life to be now." "Sitting by the swimming pool and hanging out with models, schmoozing all night at Hollywood nightclubs, I..." " What are you saying?" " One day, one of those cocktail waitresses is gonna offer you more than a drink." "Sarah, you know I'm not like that." "I will never do that to you." "I'm the man you met at that picnic and I always will be." "When was the last time you picked up a paintbrush?" "I don't know." "Look at this painting." "You have not touched that since the day you got your first modeling job." " I'm sorry, I guess I've gotten a little lost." " You said modeling was a way for you to support your passion." "When I look around, it feels like you've given that passion up." "All right, do you know what I did the day I got that first check?" "I got this." "Oh, my God, Luc." "I just didn't give it to you yet, because I knew the man I was becoming wasn't the man you were supposed to marry." " Luc, that's crazy." "L..." "No..." " You're right." "I stopped following my dream, because I was scared." "And there are only two things I care about in this world." "It's my painting and it's you, my love." "So I'm done." "I'm done being scared." "If I can be that man again, the man you met at the picnic, the painter," "if I can be that man again, could you possibly consider being that man's wife?" "Could I consider it?" " Oh, yes." "Yes." " I love you." "Nora." "I'm glad I caught you." "Oh, thank you for everything, Frank." "I know it's not up to you." "Guess what." "You got the job." " Oh, my God." " They said they loved your honesty, they loved the way you talked to the callers as if they were your children." "I mean, I got to tell you, bottom line, you were a lot cheaper than Dr. Alex." "Yes, I imagine so." "I got the job." "I got the job!" " Nora Walker." " I gotta go." "You cagey little Pasadena homemaker, you." "I guess congratulations are in order." "Which is so fine." "I don't know what I was thinking." "I don't have the time to put this little AM radio thing in my life." "It could never be worth my while, so it's all yours." "And let me tell you something, darling." "You're not gonna be able to keep that up, you know?" " What?" " Devon?" "Catherine?" "Oh, Nora, naughty, naughty." "They're your own children, are they not?" " Not all of them." "I have more." " Nora, let me give you a piece of advice as you start on this sweet little career of yours." " Don't lie to your audience." " You didn't hear my children calling in trying to save their mother from embarrassing herself, did you?" "No, I didn't." "But that's kind of what my family does, we try to help each other." "I'm sure your children would wanna help you if they thought they could." "My children have very busy lives." "They have better things to do than to sit around listening to the radio all day." "Well, I'm sure they've called in at one time or another." " No, never." "I'm sure not." " But they've read your books." " How do you know, have you asked?" " No, I have not." " Why don't you ask them?" " I don't talk to them." "You don't talk to your kids?" "They won't call me back." "Well, then you go over to their house and you ring the doorbell." "And ring it, and ring it, and ring it until they answer." "And when they do, you look them straight in the face and say:" ""Ignore me if you want,"" "but I'm your mother and I'm never gonna leave your life." ""So we might as well get to know each other."" " You think?" " Yes, I think." "I thought you were gonna try to get to bed early tonight." "Yeah, we need to talk." "Okay." "What's going on?" "I've been afraid for the last few months." "And because I've been afraid," "I've been trying to do everything to avoid the future." "Okay, now you're freaking me out." "Should I be afraid?" "No." "No, you shouldn't." "Neither of us should be because we are happy and we're in love and..." "Did you hear Mom on the radio today?" " Yeah, I..." " She was amazing." "And it hit me." "Being a good parent, it's the greatest gift anyone can give." "And we are gonna be great parents, Scotty." " Oh, Kevin." " I think we should foster." "I think we should adopt a child because I read these files every day and there are so many kids out there who need help." "I just think now is the right time." "What do you think?" "God, Kevin, I..." "I guess I'm not ready for this." " But we are ready." "I know we are." " No, it's not that." "I think it's a great idea, I just..." "That's not the problem, Kevin." "Okay, just tell me what the problem is so we can fix it." "We can't." "What are you talking about?" "I did something, Kevin." "There was someone else." " What do you mean?" " It was one time." "It was months ago." "I didn't wanna hurt you, so I didn't tell you." "I would do anything in the world to take it back." "I am so sorry." "Kevin, say something."