"Hard day at the office?" "I spent half the day taking apart this customer's bike looking for a rattle." "Would a cold beer help?" "I'll let you know when I get inside and crack one open." "I'm buying." "No, I'm staying in all night long." "Join the club." "Come on, why don't you come upstairs?" "We can order ourselves a pizza." "Nah, I'll take a rain check." "Fine." "I'll save you a pepperoni for breakfast." "None of that designer pizza." "The real deal with everything but anchovies." "The works." "We'll have ourselves a little party." "I'm worried about this hospitality." "What's broken..." "Surprise!" " Happy birthday, buddy." " Thank you." "Pizza." "It worked like a charm." "I'll remember that." "Coming through." "Coming through." "Yes, we promised." "We deliver." " Speech!" " Yeah." "He's at a loss for words." "Birthday boy, give us some pearls of wisdom." "You wanna live to old age?" "Don't surprise me again." "How'd you guys know it was my birthday?" "Lucky guess." "A man has to be careful with his wallet." "You can learn a lot from someone's driver's license." "It could've been worse." "I didn't take his money." "Speaking of money, I have the graveyard shift." "Sorry to miss the excitement." " Be careful." " I'll try not to die of boredom." "What are you complaining about?" "You get paid for cruising." " Bye." " Be careful." "Excuse me, I'm looking for Jake Hanson." "He lives here, doesn't he?" " Yeah, right down there." " Thank you." "But he's not there." "He's in number six." " Is he expecting you?" " I seriously doubt it." "How about that beer you promised me?" " Get it yourself." " It's my birthday." "Hi, sorry to intrude, but I'm looking for Jake Hanson." "You can have him." "He's grabbing a beer." "We were having a celebration." "It's his birthday." "That's kind of why I'm here." "I didn't realize there was a party." "Neither did Jake." "Did you two have plans?" "No, I thought I'd surprise him." "But seems like we had the same idea." " What did you say your name was?" " Stella, Stella Rivers." "Hello there." "Michael Mancini." "How do you do?" "Come on in." "Stella, can I get you a beer or something?" "She prefers bourbon." "Jake, my God, look at you." "Why, you're..." "You are gorgeous!" "Oh, it's so good to see you." "Oh, solid as a rock." "What are you doing here?" "It's your birthday." "What better excuse for a visit?" "Well, aren't you gonna tell your friends who I am?" "Guys, meet my mom." "Here, and keep the change." "It's so hard to get a cab to drive me down here." "But since the trouble, riding the bus scares the living daylights out of me." " Thank you." " Have a nice night, OK?" "All right." "Got a light?" "Come on." "It is the humidity, but I like the humidity." "You know why?" " It does good things to your skin." " My whole skin starts to plump out." "I've always..." "Your mom's a big hit." "Guess those years of charm school paid off." "Why are you so hard on her?" "She came all this way for your birthday." " I told you, I don't like surprises." " Cut her some slack." "She's trying." "Sandy, you don't know anything." "Stay the hell out of it." "I'll get it." "Hello?" "What?" "No, no." "No, it's all right." "I'll be right down." "Fine, I'll be..." "Bye." "What's wrong?" "It's Billy." "He's at the police station." "He was robbed." " Is he all right?" " He was robbed?" "I don't..." "I don't know." "I think so." "He needs a lift, so I'm gonna do that." "I'm going with you." "No, don't break up the party." "It's fine." " You sure?" " It's fine." "We'll follow up on the descriptions and get back to you." " Which means?" " Look on the bright side." "You're in one piece." "I wouldn't count on staying that way unless you get picky about your fares." "Next thing you're gonna tell me is I have to stay in after dark." " Works for me." " I know where these guys hang out." "This fast-food joint near where I was robbed." "I saw them before the robbery." "We'll be in touch, Mr Campbell." "Billy!" " Oh, are you OK?" " Fine." "Couldn't be better." " You're not hurt?" " No, not a scratch." " The cab didn't make it out so well." " Who gives a damn about the stupid cab?" "These people make me feel like I committed the crime by going down there." " What are they gonna do?" " Nothing." "I guess I'll just be another statistic." "A very lucky statistic." "So you want me to guess?" " What?" " What you're really doing here." "Please." "Like I need a reason to see my kid on his birthday." "After five years." "You show up on my doorstep." " Haven't you heard of calling?" " I'm impulsive." "I get something in my head, I just do it." "You're the same way." " You need money?" " No!" "Well, come on, then." "What is it?" "I left Hank." "I couldn't take it anymore, Jake." "So I just up and walked out on the son of a bitch." "It wasn't only his drinking." "Lord knows I'm the last to complain about that." "But I've cut way back." "You wouldn't believe it." "I'm glad to hear that." "Hank took it hard, his being out of work." "After a while he started taking it out on me." "And I was on the next bus to L.A." " So, what do you want from me?" " I'd settle for a little compassion." "I had nowhere else to go." "So I came here." "I won't stay long." "And I won't get in your way." "I just need a place to be until I can figure out what's next." "That's funny." "When I needed a place to be, you kicked me out." "Jake, I never kicked you out." "You never wanted me." "Look, I didn't expect this to be easy." "Even I'm not that big a fool." "But I did expect half a chance." "I've changed, kiddo." "You'll see." "Just give me a chance to prove it." "Now, that's not too much to ask, is it?" "There they are." "Are you OK?" "We were worried sick about you." " Yeah, I'm fine." "All in one piece." " You must have been terrified." " A real E-ticket ride." " At least you're not hurt." "That's what everybody's saying." "I should write a note to the gangbangers." "What did the police say?" "Should've seen this detective." "He was great." "Barely bothered to take down my statement." ""Yeah, yeah, yeah, next!"" "Those guys see a ton of robberies." "Yeah, and me, I was victim ten billion and one." "I've never felt so powerless in my life." "You have no idea what it was like to be attacked." "I just had to sit there and take it." "Those people can have that part of town." "I'm never driving down there." "Down where, Billy?" "To the jungle?" "I didn't say that." "Those people..." "Those people?" "What people?" "People like me, Billy?" "Black people?" "What are we?" "Look, don't turn this thing around." "I was the one that got ripped off." "What do you expect from those people?" "Wait, don't be trying to make me out to be some kind of racist." "I mean, I've been around blacks all my life." "Yeah, like the one who cleaned your parents' house?" "Or your yardman?" "No, wait, he was probably Hispanic." "Where do you get off?" "I was the yardman." "And I played ball with black kids." "Got my ass kicked too." "Of course." "That's what those people do best, right?" "Play ball, dance, loot, burn." " That's not what I said." " But that's what you meant." "Excuse this person if she leaves before she forgets her place and tells you to go to hell." "Got a light?" "Hey..." " How you feeling?" " I can't even write about last night." "I mean, I can see every last detail, and I can taste how it felt, but putting it down in words, it comes out like that stupid screenplay I wrote." " And I lived this." " Well..." "You're working through it." "That's healthy." "I just hate feeling so angry and frustrated." " It's just not me." " No, it's not." "But you are gonna get through it." "I had a nightmare last night about someone breaking in." "I didn't see him." "But I knew he was there." "You must've been thinking about Billy." "Yeah, hearing what happened to him combined with my hormones" " makes for a wonderful night's sleep." " You should've woken me up." "I tried." "Come here." "Get over here." "Honey, it makes me so nervous thinking about raising a child in these times." "Jane, that's what people always say, generation after generation, and everything always seems to work out fine." "Besides, honey, I'm here to protect you." "Both of you." "Good." "We have that baby seminar tonight." " Are we really gonna do that?" " You promised." " Pick me up from work?" " I'll call you." " Don't cancel, or I'll kick your butt." " I'll do my best." "I'll see you at seven." "Smells interesting." "Morning." "Shouldn't sneak up on a girl like that." "Not unless you want diced fingers in your Denver omelet." "When did you become Susie Homemaker?" "Humor me." "I don't whip up breakfast for every guy that lets me crash on his couch, you know." " Where'd you learn to cook?" " Haven't." "If I was any good at this, I'd be a chef and not a waitress." "But I did make a mean pot of chili, if you'll recall." "Barely." "Look, just don't start getting too comfortable here." "Would you lighten up?" "I don't want anything from you." "There's no other shoe about to drop." "I have no hidden agenda." "There is nothing up my sleeve." "You just needed someone when your life was falling apart." "Not someone." "My son." "Jake, why am I such a threat?" "It wouldn't be because you're terrified you might not be as tough as you think?" "That you might just begin to thaw around me in spite of yourself?" "That if you don't kick me out pronto," "I just might get to you after all?" "Mothers are like that." "Only ones who were really mothers in the first place." "We don't need to make up for lost time." "Then do us both a favor." "Relax and enjoy the visit." "Here, give me that." "Give me that." "Let me show you how to make a real omelet." "You gotta coddle it, watch it every minute." "It takes time and patience." "See, it can fall apart so easily." "Yeah, I guess I never was much of a cook." " Hi." " Hi." " Everything OK?" " Why don't you ask your roommate?" "Look, Rhonda, Billy didn't mean anything by last night." "That's not the point." "It's not just what came out, Alison." "It's the way it came out." "But why does it have to change anything?" "Are we different people than we were yesterday morning?" "No, but it seems we're a lot more honest people." "He was upset." "It was a very traumatic experience." "And I guess his true colors just came through." "No pun intended." "Look I don't pretend to understand all you're feeling, but I want to." "Walk the walk, Alison, talk the talk." "But when it comes down to it, you would've reacted the exact same way Billy did." "All of you would've." "I'm not saying you can help it, or it was intentional, but that doesn't make it any easier." "It could've been a white person who robbed Billy." "When a white guy rips you off, you don't blame the entire race." "Think about it, Alison." "Or don't." "It doesn't make much difference." "You can't change the way you are any more than I can." " So where do we go from here?" " I wish I knew." "I'd still have to take a message, or you could call her back." "You have a nice day too." " Hi." " Hi." "You look positively positive." "I'm not gonna go off the deep end over this thing." "I'm ticked, yeah." "But like Michael said, it's natural." "I'll survive." "Glad to hear it." "I wondered if I could I borrow your car." "They towed my cab, and I wanted to run to the insurance company to file a claim." "I had to bum a lift over here." "Sure." "I don't need the car, except to get home." "Well, here's some cab fare in case I don't get back by quitting time." "How long does it take to file an insurance claim?" "D  D Advertising." "You're swamped here." "I'll get out." "Are your keys in your purse?" "All right." " Appreciate it." " Would you hold a sec?" "Billy?" "!" "Oh, damn." "'Morning." "Mind if I fry along with you?" "Be my guest." "So how long will you be staying?" "Funny, Jake asked me the same thing, 15 or 20 times." "Couldn't quite bring myself to tell him I'm planning on settling here in L.A." "I have one of those '90s jobs, allows you to work anywhere you want." "A waitress is always in demand." "Oh, my God, I'm a waitress too, at the bar around the corner." " I'm really an actress, though." " I'm really a waitress." "Never aimed much higher, professionally, that is." "But I guess Jake's told you something about me, right?" "Well, you know how Jake is." "I mean, it's hard imagining him even having a mother." "There's a first time for everything." "Support the back of the head." "Remember that there are no muscles in back of the neck to hold it up." "Good, now, let's rub the baby's back, gently and in circular motions." "Burping helps release air bubbles that can cause indigestion." "Look at this guy." "He's totally into it." "Now we're gonna dress our babies." "We don't want them too warm or too cold." "And new parents tend to over-dress their infants." "Let's start with T-shirts then move to jump suits." " You dress her." " Don't call him "her."" " Whatever." " I don't believe this." "Four and a half years of medical training," " and I'm playing with a doll." " Are you gonna dress it, or am I gonna be the parent that always dresses our child?" "Gently." "We're very fragile." " Careful, honey." " I got it, I got it." "They make these things too small, these shirts." "Here, no, let me help." "I said I can do it." "Michael, you broke its arm." "They're poorly constructed." "You know a real baby isn't gonna be any less fragile." "It was an accident." " There." "Good as new, doctor." " Thank you." " Alison's gonna kill me." " If I don't kill you first." "Take your number." "Rhonda's got numero uno." "Sorry I wasn't there for the fireworks." "Sorry I wasn't there to meet your mother." "We both got ambushed last night." "Rhonda's way out of line on this." "I mean, it's not about black or white, you know?" "It's about right or wrong." "It's about somebody getting in your face, ripping you off, making you feel like some worthless piece of crap." "Well, I guess there's a lot of people here who feel that way all the time." " You think I'm wrong for doing this?" " No." "I think you're crazy." "So am I for tagging along." "Not only is this dangerous, you don't have a prayer of finding these guys." "This is where they hang out." "If we wait long enough, they'll show up." "For a woman who rarely drinks, you're making up for lost time." "Yep." "Where have I been all of these years?" "Thanks." " Billy's got you bent out of shape." " Well, it's certainly confusing, Matt." "I mean, I try to live my life color-blind." "Like everyone's a person first." "I hoped everyone did the same thing." "And then Billy went off like that, and I just snapped." "It was a culmination of all of those veiled remarks and little slips" " I've ignored all my life." " I know." "I know how it feels." "Most people don't know that I'm gay, you know." "I don't wear a sign." "So you'd be amazed at how every day I hear the stupid jokes, the hateful remarks." "It builds up." " You had a right to be upset." " I know." "Last spring when all the looting and burning was going on," "I watched it on TV like everyone else." "I was outraged by that verdict and horrified by the aftermath." "But I didn't do a damn thing." "Well, it pretty overwhelming." "It's tough to know what to do." "Yeah, but I tried to disassociate myself from it, like it's not a problem." "The point is, I can't do that anymore." "They're my people, my community." "I've been so busy trying to live my life color-blind," "I've become blind to people my own color." "It's tough to live in a world filled with prejudice." "Sometimes you want to confront it, sometimes pretend like it doesn't exist." "I've come to realize that I..." "We have a responsibility to help change all that." "What do they say?" ""If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."" " What are we gonna do tonight?" " I don't know, man." "Hey, wake up, Rambo." "Time to go home." "Your pals are not gonna show." "Oh, come one, just a little longer." "I mean, it's not even..." "Oh, my God, it's so late." "Alison's probably put out an APB." "Do you wanna do the honors or should I?" "Oh, my God, there it is!" " You sure?" " That's it." "We got 'em." "It's 1 JLl293." "We got 'em!" "They'll have to blow this sky-high to get the cash." "Should I chain it to the steering wheel too?" "Those bastards are gonna get nailed any time now the police have their license number." "I couldn't have done it without your help." "I'm sorry I can't share in your enthusiasm." "How many times you want me to say sorry?" "Say it till you're blue in the face." "It doesn't make it true." "You conned me." " You would've never let me use the car." " I didn't." "You took it." "I never would've loaned you the car to play vigilante." " I brought it back in one piece." " It is not about the car, Billy." " You could've gotten yourself killed." " I didn't, I didn't." "I nailed those punks, which is more than the police were able to do." "You said this whole incident opened a side you weren't comfortable with." "I can understand your desire to get justice." "But I wouldn't try locking my feelings in a box and pretending it's over." " What is that supposed to mean?" " It means you didn't solve anything." "Keys, please." "I'm going to work." "Jane, you're overreacting." "This is a doll we're talking about." "A surrogate baby, that wasn't even wiggling." "What is gonna happen when we're both sleep deprived?" "I'm already sleep deprived." "You know what the problem is?" "You have no patience." "That is not true." "A baby needs a patient father." "Work on this." "Jane, I've got news for you." "I'm not perfect." "No kid in the history of the world has ever had perfect parents." "I'd rather be a little impatient than overbearingly protective." "I am not overbearingly protective." "I just want to be prepared." "Guess what." "You won't be." "I mean, I don't care how many classes or how many books..." "When we have this baby, we're the ones who are gonna be feeling helpless." "How are you?" "Fine." "I'll be better when I get my apartment back." "I don't see why you don't get along." "Don't take my head off here." "You brought it up." "Stella seems like a fine lady from where I sit." "And she obviously adores you." "She tries a little hard, but other than that..." "You don't know the first thing about her." "You've seen more of her in two days than I saw of her in two months." "I was just this pest she couldn't wait to get rid of." "So I left the first chance I got." "Now my life is getting on track, and she wants to barge back in?" "I'm sorry, I just..." "You know, it's not that easy to forgive and forget." "That's too bad." " She'll get over it." " No, I mean for you." "I've had my share of problems with my mom, but never to the point where I could hate her." "It must hurt, Jake, feeling these feelings for your mother." " You brought her here." " She didn't have anything else to do." "Damn it, Sandy!" "I don't want you playing peacemaker." "I felt sorry for her, Jake." "Do you realize why she came to L. A?" "She came here begging for a second chance." "Sandy, my mother is a drunk, OK?" "She put everything before me." "She did not come for a second chance." "She came for a handout!" "Get pissed." "That's the way you handle everything anyway." "But just look at her." "Look at her and tell me that you hate her." "Let me make sure I've got this right." "I'm supposed to shoot this ball..." "Oh, shoot." "I rest my case." "Car 33, pick-up kerbside Martel Plaza." "Lady specifically asked for you." "Rhonda?" " Where to?" " Florence and Normandie." "South Central Los Angeles." "I don't need my consciousness raised." "I do." "Drive?" " Where are we going?" " Sightseeing." "It's your money." "It really is a war zone out here." "You read about those 16-year-olds shot in a drive-by down here?" "Paper talked about only three fatalities." "Only three." "Like that was a good night." "Jeez." "I was raised in a middle-class suburb, Billy." "I mean, the only burning I saw was in our fireplace." "Looting was something criminals did, and riots happened 20 years ago." "You know, I can understand stealing food or other necessities or even ripping off a stereo or TV, if you've never been able to afford one." "But burning your own neighborhood?" "But it got our attention, didn't it?" "How do you know about this place?" "My friend is part of the Rebuild L.A. Effort." "They use this church as a clearinghouse." "She's tried to get me down here forever, but I've been too busy." "Too scared, really, to see how bad things were." "I'm asking us..." "I'm daring us to empower ourselves." "This is our opportunity to make great positive changes." "And we're not going to take out our frustrations in ways that hurt our community or ourselves." "I'm asking you to vote, to work, to build, to believe that we, too, can be part of this system." "I'm asking you to light the light of hope, not destruction." "The light of love, not of hatred." "To light the brightest light of all:" "The light of tomorrow." "Alison." "Where were you?" "Out doing more detective work?" "Rhonda took me for a ride." "So I went out to the beach to try and sort this whole thing out." " Do you wanna start at the beginning?" " I don't think that's far enough back." "I was always taught to respect people, all people." ""Give them the benefit of the doubt," my dad said," ""until they prove that they don't deserve it." And I did." "Or at least I thought I did." "Then I get robbed, and I'm the one feeling guilty." "So, what's the answer?" "I don't even ask the right questions." "I don't understand how I got it so wrong, let alone, how to make it right." " Well, you're gonna get your chance." " What do you mean?" "The police called." "They traced that license number you gave them, and they picked up a guy matching the description of the Cadillac driver." "Great." " So, what now?" " It's up to you." "They said all they need to put him away is your positive ID." "Damn it." "Oh, Jake, hon." "I'm sorry." "What've you been doing, drinking since lunch?" "I just met this guy, and the hours just flew by." " It's after midnight." " I'm sorry." "I've just got to get some sleep." "Yeah, Mom, you've really changed." "Jane." "Honey." "I didn't hear you come home last night." "I didn't want to wake you." "I've been thinking about the other night." "No." "No, Michael, you were right." "I overreacted." "It was a stupid doll." "I know." "But, you know, in a way, you were right." "Kids are so fragile, that the least thing you do can affect them their whole lives." "I mean, look at Jake and his mom." "Talk about what not to do." "Yeah, but as long as you love, and you care..." "Oh, I do, Jane." "You know I do." "But if having a child is going to teach me patience," " then what better way to learn it?" " Yeah." "Maybe I'll learn to let go." "I mean, babies are fragile, but they're not plastic dolls." "And, hey, holding that doll made me realize something pretty wonderful." "What's that?" "How much I can't wait to hold our baby." "Well, it's not an omelet, but it'll have to do." "I'm really sorry about last night, Jake." "Hey, it gave me a chance to relive some childhood memories." "Believe me, that was not my intention." "I'm really embarrassed." "Here." "Drink up." "Why are you being so nice to me?" "Yesterday, Sandy and I had a talk." "She said we needed to start over again." "We need to start relating to each other like adults, not like mother and child." "Good idea." "Mom..." "From one adult to another, you can't stay here anymore." "I knew there was a catch." " So where will I go?" " That's up to you." "I can't stand being alone." "You know that." "I never could." "Why do you think I've spent my entire life attached to one man or the next?" "You're all I've got now, Jake." " You gave up on me years ago." " I didn't give up on you." "I was 19 when you were born." "Your dad left." "I couldn't handle you." "I couldn't handle being a mother." "You owe it to yourself to give both of us another chance." " We are family, Jake." " It's too little and too late." " You haven't changed." " At least I'm trying." "I'm ready to start over here in L.A. I want you to be a part of it." "Look, just because you decided 20 years too late that it would be nice if you had a son, does not mean that I have to be there for you." " I'm in trouble, Jake." " Hey, I've been in trouble too, OK?" "Plenty of times." "You never bailed me out." "Not once!" "For God sakes, I'm sorry." "Yeah." "So am I." "Do me a favor, please." "Don't be here when I come home." " Hey." " Hey." "Alison said they found one of the guys who robbed you." "Or you found him." "I'm heading to the police station in about an hour to pick him out of a line-up." "So that's that, I guess?" "Not if I don't positively identify him." "Well, how much chance is there of that?" "I don't suppose you'd ever forget his face." "I won't." "But the police don't have to know that." " So you're letting this guy walk?" " What difference does it make?" "I mean, the guy's got enough problems without me putting him behind bars." "The law is the law." "I thought you'd be happy." "Billy, this is not about making either of us happy." "Come on, let me drive you somewhere." "Take your time." "We need you to be sure." " If you can't positively identify..." " It's number five." "You certain?" " I appreciate it" " Yeah, good luck." " Hey." " Hey." "How'd it go in there?" " It's OK." "Let's get out of here." " OK." "You got a light?" "Hi, Grandma." "Get this thing out of your mouth." "What did you do this time?" "Tired of coming down here." "You're gonna get your act together." "He's a baby." "You can go home now." "Your mom's gone." "She said goodbye and she was sorry." " You know where she went?" " She's taking the bus home." "Thanks for the update." "Thanks for putting up with her." "I'll return the favor sometime." " You could do it right now." " How?" "Go say goodbye to her." "You've got the time." "Her bus isn't leaving for 20 minutes." "I'm not here to ask you to stay." "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was seven." "Besides, it's way past time I tried to go it alone." "That's not a bad idea, for both our sakes." "I couldn't be more proud of you." "I only wish I'd had more to do with it." "Me too." "I'm not much for keeping in touch." "No kidding, huh?" "But I was thinking maybe when I get settled I might send you a postcard?" "At least give you an address and phone number." "You never know when that will come in handy." "Well..." "I love you." "God knows I have a funny way of showing it, but it's true." "Remember that, Jake, if you remember nothing else about me." "Mom?" "Take care of yourself." "Well, you haven't killed each other yet." "That's a good sign." " Yeah, we declared a truce." " Yeah, one thing's clear:" "We'll never solve anything if we stop talking." "Somehow, I don't think that's gonna be a problem for you." "Seriously, I think the trick is you gotta be willing to listen." "Yeah, I mean, we can change the world, one person at a time." "Sounds like a good plan." "I gotta get this stuff inside." "Good night." " 'Night." " 'Night." "Thanks, Rhonda." "I owe you one." "It was a lesson for me too, Billy." "I should probably head in too." "I've got an early class tomorrow." "'Night, Rhonda." "'Night, Billy."