"Glasses." "I can't find my glasses." "Not today." "Please, God, not today." "Has anybody seen my glasses?" "Right here, Mr. Ben." "Do you have the list?" "No, it's in the kitchen." "I think 40 will cover it." "Maybe you can send Eugenia to the market." "Okay." " How's the lasagna?" " Oh, I just put it in." "It looks delicious." " Let me see." " Sweetie, do you have any cash?" " Not too early to put it in?" " I know what I'm doing." " Close the door and go." " So how do I look?" "You look fantastic." " Both of you." " It's almost 11." "George, we have to go." " I'm waiting for you." " I need cash for Eugenia." " You smell good too." " Thank you." " Let's go." "Thank you, Zlata." " We'll be back about 1:30." " You got the papers?" " Yes, I've got them, Vera Vague." "Let's go." "They're all full, George." "Don't worry." "We'll still be okay." "Don't worry." "We might have better luck on 6th." "Come on." "Wait." "George?" " You all right?" " I don't want to get all sweaty." "You look fine." "You look fine." "But we can't just wander." "We can't just wander." "We should have hired a car service." "Yes, you keep saying that." "We are gathered here today... in the presence of these witnesses... with the purpose of uniting in matrimony..." "George Esteban Garea..." "Benjamin Arthur Hull." "Everybody who's here, I'd like to ask you... to try to stop thinking about your jobs, your marriage, your schoolwork... what you have to do tomorrow, what you forgot today... and let us focus all of our energies... and all of our love... on these two men here:" "George and Ben." "So I'd like to ask of you... if you would commit to honor and support... these two individuals... and their love and their life and in their marriage together." " Yes, yes, yes!" " Yes!" "Yes!" "There is a question I have to ask and it may seem obvious, the answer... but it's still a very important question." "Are you both making this decision of your own free will?" "Yes." "He's already weighing at me, I only know." " What do you think?" "No, no." " Come on, come on." "Away." "Would you like a cookie?" "Excuse me for interrupting you." "I made them." "You made them for real?" "Sure." "Excuse me." "Roberto, would you like...?" "No, thank you." "Thattaboy, Georgie." "That's me he's talking about." "Your part, Ted." "This is the sexy part." "Oh, yeah." "Okay, here we..." "Take it home now." "Not just in the kitchen." "Georgie, I love you!" "Guys, guys, guys." "Quiet, quiet." "I just wanna say something." "When I met my husband..." "My husband." "Elliot here... he was walking around with a camera... making amazing videos with people he met on the street... creating scenes out of ordinary situations." "I was just finishing my first novel... and I immediately thought, "We make a great pair. "" "Two independent spirits committed to our art." "So we started to go out... and he said that he wanted me to meet his Uncle Ben." "I said, "Well, why your uncle?" Elliot said that since his mother had passed... his uncle was his favorite person in his family." "Thank you, Elliot." "Not including siblings, Mindy." "So we came here one night." "You guys had just moved into this apartment... and George had prepared us a delicious spaghetti Bolognese." "We drank wine and we sang... and we drank some more... and it was just wonderful." "And when we left..." "Elliot said to me, "I wanted you to meet the two of them... because they have been together for more than 20 years. "" "So I understood..." "Oh, my, I'm going to cry." "I understood that..." "That he was proposing to me because you guys..." "Your love, your dedication, your commitment to each other." "Are an example to be followed." "May this love, may this marriage... last forever and beyond." " To Ben and George." " Thank you, Kate." " And to Petra!" " Petra!" " Petra Von Kant!" " Petra, Petra!" "Petra, Petra!" ""All who serve in the archdiocese should believe in God... support belief in Jesus Christ... engage in prayer... respect ecclesiastical authority... not take a public position contrary to the Catholic Church... "" "Are you going to read me the whole Witness Statement?" "The Christian Witness Statement, George." "You signed it when you took this job." "How long have we known each other?" "Twelve years." " You have to understand that..." " Understand what?" "That day when you announced you were getting married... at the spring semester meeting..." "You've all known that Ben and I have been living together." "Word got out to the archdiocese." "Then someone showed pictures to the bishop... of you and Ben in Petra." "On Facebook, of all places." "I wouldn't have done anything any differently." "I'm not saying you should have, George." "But the bishop wasn't happy." "And what about the students?" "I've known them since they were kids." "And their parents." "They've been to my house, played my piano." "They've sung with Ben and me." "The decision is effective immediately." "George, let's pray." "It's important that you don't question your faith." "Thank you very much, Father." "I still believe in Jesus Christ as my savior and that won't change... but at this moment, I think I'd like to pray on my own." "Well, let's not forget that the real estate agent... gets a first-month commission." "The co-op board gets a month... plus they charge a 5 percent administration fee." "A month?" "That's ridiculous." "Why do they charge an administration fee?" " To discourage rentals in the building." " I hate co-ops." " Hard to find a condo in Manhattan." " Not true anymore." "Anyway, we're trying to explain why renting doesn't help us because..." "You've been to my house, right?" "You know how much my real-estate taxes are?" "Three thousand." "For the whole year." "It's Poughkeepsie, Mindy." "Renting would leave us owing about a thousand a month." "If we find a studio for, say, 1500..." "And that's very hard." "I mean, we're starting each month at 3000." "And you can't afford that?" "Well, with my private lessons and Ben's pension..." "Why did you guys go on such a fancy honeymoon?" "Mindy!" "It's none of your business." "Of course it is." "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." "I'm just saying." "There's nothing wrong with Provincetown." " Have a seat." " Everything okay?" "Yeah." "Just wanted to talk to you." "Now, we invited you all here today because, well, you're family." "Are you telling us you're getting divorced?" " That's what I thought too." " No." "We..." "We have to sell the apartment." "And we found a buyer already... so pretty soon we're gonna have to move out." "Now, it won't be long before I get another job... and it shouldn't be long before we find another apartment... but in the meantime..." "It's just a transition phase." "Probably just a week or two." "We need a place to stay." "Wait a minute." "Did I miss something here?" "These last weeks have been tough on us, Elliot." "Losing the job, looking for health insurance." " We need a breather." " Yeah." "Moving out of here is the last thing we want to do." "It's only temporary." "We'll find a new place." "Very soon." "Uncle, I'm sorry I was a little bit rough in there." " Let's go." "Elliot." " Think positive, Ben." "Thanks for the beer." "I love you guys." "I'll call you during the week." "We're right here." " Good night." "Bye-bye." " Bye, Mama." "I feel bad that I can't help out, but you've seen my apartment." "It's okay." "They can stay with me." "I had a feeling that they were hoping to stay with one of us here in the city." " Didn't you see the look on their faces?" " What are you talking about?" "I'm saying they don't want to go live upstate." "Country boys all of a sudden." "I can't see that." " It's temporary." " Honey's right." "Maybe there's something that we can do." " I thought we figured it all out already." " Mindy." "I'm the only one with the extra bedroom." "No, it's not about that, Mindy." "It's Poughkeepsie." " When were you there last?" " That doesn't matter." "George has his private students here." "Ben has his galleries." "They need to look for an apartment." "Doesn't make sense to live two and a half hours away." " It's an hour and a half." " Not by bus." " By car." " They don't drive." "They can very well learn how to." " Are you really serious, Mindy?" " Shut the fuck up, Honey." "You're not even family, so you don't get to decide anything." "They're right upstairs, you guys." "Since we're here, why don't we step inside my apartment." "Elliot, let's go." "I still have some work to do." " Can we just figure this out?" " It's almost 7:00." " Please." " We'll miss supper." "So why don't you tell me how and where... we can accommodate a crowd this size if we can't close the street at 7." "Dad." "No, that's because you told me we had a permit." "Dad, can we just talk for a second?" "James, hold on." "So the geography project that I have to do?" "No, help me out." " Sustainable development." " Yes." "They're painting Vlad's house, so I told him to come here." "No, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. That's what I requested." " Dad." " Please, hold on." "They're painting Vlad's house." "I told him to come here." "Are you gonna be in the living room all day?" " Joey, this is important." " It's quick." "He's on his way." "Sorry, son." "James, you know two hours can make all the difference in the world." "Close the street..." " Who is this?" " Vlad." "He can come in." "It's my friend." "Thanks." " What's up?" " I found a book on the Amazon." "Some really cool pictures of naked natives and everything." "Nice." " Your dad is home?" " Yeah." " Do you not understand?" " Go to your room?" " I gotta talk to my mom first, but..." " Okay." " Can I get some water?" " Yeah, sure." "I'll tell you what I don't understand." "This has been on the schedule..." "Oh, hello." "I'm Vlad." "My name is Eugenia." "I work for Joey's parents." " Are you Russian?" " Yes." "We might go to the library." "But isn't Vlad here?" "Yeah." "I told you." "So then why don't you just work here?" "Why?" "What?" "Well, just wake him gently, then." "You do it." "I'm not..." "Joey." "Uncle Ben?" "Uncle Ben, I'm so sorry to wake you." "Hi." "Joey has something that he needs to ask you." "Mom..." " Hi, Uncle Ben." " Hey." "Hi." "My friend Vlad is here... and we need to work on a school presentation... and there's nowhere else for us to study." "Who?" "Oh, Vlad." "Good to meet you." "Heard a lot about you." "Hi, Uncle Ben." "Sorry, I..." "I guess I'd fallen asleep." "What time is it?" "It's 2." "2:05." "So what's this presentation you're working on?" "This little box connects directly to our Netflix account... our iTunes, our YouTube." "Here." "Hang on." "Watch." "Let me show you." " Oh, have you seen this?" " No, what is that?" "You have never seen this?" "It's Game of Thrones." "Oh, look." "Daenerys Targaryen." "I love her." "She's so regal." "Yeah, I can see that." "She's shopping for an army in Slaver's Bay." "It's quite sexy, isn't it, the whole thing?" "I could do with one of those slaves myself." "Why does she need a whole army of them?" "She's a princess in exile who's coming back to the Seven Kingdoms." "She needs an army." "And her brother was..." "No, I'm not even gonna tell you because you are going to watch it with me." "We are?" "Hey, guys." "George, you met my friend Doreen, right?" " Doreen." " Hey." " Hi, George." " I need your help in the kitchen." "Just two minutes, babe." " How are your new daddies treating you?" " Oh, I can't complain." "I've always liked this couch." "I've taken good naps here." "It's a good bed too." "If I drink too much, maybe I'll sleep here with you tonight." "Ours is on mixed farming, which is when a farmer manages... a mix of different crops and animals." "So why is that eco-friendly?" "Well, nobody says "eco-friendly" anymore." " Isn't it "eco-efficient" now?" " It's "sustainable. "" "Sustainable agriculture." "So how is mixed farming sustainable, then?" "Well, the crop residues are used as food for the animals... and the excrements from the animals... is used as a nutrient for the crop." "Joey." "Your uncle's still eating." "Oh, sorry." "Yeah, well, they're only just now deciding to have dinner." "No, I can't." "I've got a student in the morning." "Anybody in?" "Hello." " Linda, hey!" " I can't believe it." "Someone's just turned up with a bloody baby." "Look at me." "See?" "See?" "Doreen, Doreen." "No, I went to the diner, got some matzo ball soup." "I made my beef stew tonight." "Yeah, I think they did." "They ate the whole thing." "But they didn't say anything." "No." "No, they're very nice." "But sometimes... when you live with people... you know them better than you care to, and so..." "I miss you too." "Yeah, well, this is what..." "What I don't quite understand." "Why is it that we're only seeing... $17,535 in profit?" "To start, you have to take into account the 1 percent New York City transfer tax... the 4 percent New York State tax, plus 6 percent to me." "That's 60,000 right there." "I understand that, but according to my calculations..." " ... that should still leave..." " Don't forget your co-op also has... a flip tax of 25 percent on whatever profit you make... if you sell before five years." "It is five years." "I mean, it's been five years." "We bought in 2007." "It's now 2013." "But, Mr. Garea, you didn't actually close until January, if you remember." "So that's 2008, and they go by the calendar year." "So you would actually have to sell in 2014 to avoid the flip tax." "This is really like something out of Kafka." "Look at it this way." "You've lived in a nice apartment for 20 years." "Five of that..." "Well, nearly five of that." "As an owner." "And you sold it at a profit." "You're getting $17,535, which is all yours." "Thank you." "Did I tell you my gallerist friend is a big fan of yours?" "What?" "Who?" " A fan of mine?" " Yeah, she loves your book." "I need some tea." "You want some?" "I would love some." "Thank you." "You remember her, right?" " Who?" " Aida." "My gallerist friend." "On the Lower East Side, yes." "I think that I met her." "Tall blond." "Swedish." "Yes, I met her." "Last week I stopped by the gallery and she was reading your book." "I screamed." "I absolutely screamed." "She had no idea that you were my niece." "You know my favorite story of yours?" "The one about the old high-school friend who shows up at the diner." "She sees him..." "But I can't remember why she can't be sure it's her friend." "The worst part of getting old is memory." "It only gets worse with time, let me tell you." "She can't see him because he's outside and it's snowing." "Oh, right, he's in the car, right?" "She's not really sure that it's him." "Because of the blizzard." "Right." "So beautiful, Kate." "Really." "Just wonderful writing." "It's hot." "Which one is your favorite?" "I don't have a favorite." "It's like me with my painting." "I don't have a favorite either." "George does." "He loves those two nudes that hang in the bedroom." "That used to hang in the bedroom." " I gave those to him for his 40th." " Fortieth." "Yes." "I remember." "I love those too." "You know, maybe you could start a new painting soon." "It's the hardest thing, Kate, to be honest with you." "I brought all my stuff here, but..." " What?" " Well... it's just that I can't really work if there's someone else around." "I can't concentrate, you know?" "How did it go?" "Better than we could have ever expected." "I knew it." "I called you to see if you were coming home for dinner." " You did?" " Yes." "I left a message." "Sorry, baby." "I didn't even have a moment to check my messages." "That busy?" "Yeah." "We got it all in the can." "That's great." "I'm exhausted." "I wanna sleep, baby." "Sleep." "What is it, Kate?" "Unlike you, I didn't have a very productive day." "Was it Joey?" "Joey?" "No." "Joey hardly said two words to me today... but if you were around more, you'd see that's the norm." "Was it the neighbors again?" "No." "Elliot, it's your uncle." "When they're playing loud music, it's easy to tell them to turn it down." "But when it's Uncle Ben chatting away, it's a lot harder to tell him to shut up." "Mr. Garea?" "Yes, that's me." "This is Mr. Hull." "I'd like him to come with me." "Okay." "Right this way." "These apartments are city-sponsored and are currently accepting applications." "The tenants are selected by a lottery... but first you need to meet the criteria for the specific development... and each one has its own." " Sorry, I only have one." " We can share." "The city itself does not rent the apartments... so if you are selected, this is a private transaction... between yourselves and the developer." "You understand?" "You need to contact the developer or the marketing agent directly." "You'll see phone numbers and other info in this list I just gave you." "I have a question." "We're married." " So we'll be applying together." " Okay." "For example, this one-bedroom property in Fort Greene-Wallabout." "Five hundred and eleven dollars monthly rental... $19,509 minimum earnings figure... maximum is 23,240." "The minimum-earning figure, would that be for both of us?" "Yes, both together." "Good." "I wasn't sure about that." "Anything you find there that's interesting... you need to check to see that you meet the criteria." "Well, that's all I have for now." "Well, sounds like a good start." "Thanks very much." " Sir, can I ask you a question?" " Yes." " How old are you?" " Seventy-one." "You might want to try the DFTA as well." " DFTA?" " Department for the Aging." "They have a whole department just for us." "Isn't that encouraging." "They keep a list of affordable housing for senior citizens." "There's usually a waiting list, but it's worth a try." "Oh, thank you." "Thanks very much." "What the fuck, Vlad?" "I'm posing for your uncle's new masterpiece." "That's so gay." "People have been modeling for painters for centuries now, Joe." "All kinds of people." "He doesn't mean "homosexual," Uncle Ben." " He just means "stupid. "" " Don't worry, Vlad." "Joey and I understand each other." "You're not even a good artist anyway." " Joey." " What?" "I know you don't mean that." "Yeah, I do." "If you were, you wouldn't be sleeping on a bunk bed in your nephew's house." "Did you find him?" "He's on the fucking rooftop with Uncle Ben." " Watch the language." " I'm going out." "And Vlad?" "Uncle Ben is making him pose for a painting." " He's what?" " You heard me." "Joey, it was my idea for Ben to take the painting to the roof..." " ... because I needed to work here." " I gotta go." " You okay there?" " Yeah, we're good." "Vlad." "What were you doing up there?" "I was helping Uncle Ben with his painting." "Aren't you supposed to be studying biology?" "It's gonna be about this book on seasons and migrations... and I know the book pretty well." "If you flunk that test and your mother calls..." "I'm going to tell her that you're studying or playing?" "I don't flunk." "Uncle Ben, where should I leave this?" "Put it on the table." "I'll take care of it." "When you're here, you're my responsibility... so if you're supposed to be studying, then you should be doing that... and not posing on the roof." " Where is Joey?" " He went to the library." " I'll go meet him there." " Good idea." " Do you want to take anything?" " No, it's okay." " An apple?" "No?" " Thank you, Mrs. Kate." "I'll see you later, Uncle Ben." " Goodbye, Vlad." " Goodbye." "Bye, Vlad." "Joey got very upset." "He called Vlad gay... in quite an offensive fashion." "Kids have expanded the meaning of gay beyond sexual orientation, so..." " ... don't get offended." " I didn't." "I guess it just means "stupid" now." "Yes, yes, I think that you are right about that." "I don't know if Joey felt left out or..." "I don't know what in the world was going through his mind." "Well, you know... he's a teenager and... is it really appropriate to be using Joey's friend as a model?" "Mindy, it's Kate." "Hi, Kate." "How are you doing?" "I'm okay." "How's Joey?" "Oh, he's fine." "How are you?" "Everything's great." "Amazing, actually." "Yes." "I went to see this chromotherapist up in Kingston." "What?" "Chromotherapy." " You're kidding." " No." "The guy talks to you for 15 minutes... and then floats his hand over your body to feel... energy you're missing: physical... emotional, spiritual." "Hard to explain, but he feels the energy levels... and then prescribes colored lights to restore your balance." "I was just taking a nap under a greenish light he gave me." "You wouldn't believe it, but I feel like I am a different person." "That's great." "Good for you." "I am trying to work with a house full of people..." " ... and, believe me, it hasn't been easy." " Kate, I said I would take them." "I just wanted to be sure if..." "In case they don't find a place." "It's so sad." "I really feel terrible about it." "The problem is Elliot is never around, so..." "I wind up having to take care of all of his problems." "Yes?" "Hold on a second, Min." "Hi, Ben." "I didn't want to interrupt." "No." "I wanted to talk to you about earlier." " It's not..." "No, it's fine." " You sure?" "Yes." "I'm talking to Mindy." "She wants to know when you'll visit her in Poughkeepsie." "Well, send her my love." "We can talk tomorrow." "Wait." "Where am I flying?" "Explain the plot to him, okay?" " You're in a big spherical room." " Yeah." "There's a big opening at the top." "You're just gonna go:" "And see what's up there." " All right." " Are you into that?" " Plus 18?" " Yeah." "You can't have plus 18." " No fucking way." " Why you cheating?" "No, I'm sorry." "It's down here." "It's down here." "If there's a fiery pit, that's the first thing we'll look at." "Where you are perpendicular, there are two doors." "Are there exits?" " I will describe it to you." " Okay." "As your eyes begin to get used to..." "What's that word?" "Get used to..." " Luminosity." " No, but, like, when you go outside and..." "No, and you get used to..." "You acclimate or..." "Yeah, yeah." "So you start to acclimate." "Actually, you can start to see." "And what you see is this ginormous tree." " Underground?" " Yes." "You've never seen an underground tree?" "Well, you're about to." "Okay, so this tree comes up... and out from behind this tree is this giant clown." " Tree clown." " This is where it gets freakish." " Yeah." " No, I like it." "You do not want to go out there." "It's coming down." "I'll be fine." "Is he old enough to enjoy the Louvre?" "He's obsessed with the French Revolution." "I know, but you don't have to go to Paris to learn about the guillotine." "There's a group of eight, and they need two more in order to get the discount." "Is Vlad going?" " Yes." " Of course." "Of course." "How much is it gonna cost?" "It's 1800." "Hotel included." "Oh, damn." " Speak of the devil." " Who is that?" "Well, it's 10:00." "It must be Vlad." " Who is it?" " George." "I'm sorry." " Sorry." " Don't be silly." "Now stop this." "Why can't he sleep on the couch?" "Because, Joey..." "Please, son." "I talked to the principal there at PS-216." "Very nice, smart guy." "I think he really wants to bring back the music program." " Do they have the budget for it?" " Well, not right now." "But he seems capable of raising the money." "He's got a very nice, attractive personality." "That doesn't really help us that much right now, does it?" "Well, let me finish." "You never let me finish." "No job for you." "Isn't that the end of it?" "No, it's..." "You're such a pessimist." "I'm just being realistic." "Can I finish?" " Okay, go ahead." " Thank you." "Anyway, they got lots of different kids there." "White kids, black kids, Latinos." "A few Asian kids." "There was this really cute little girl." "I think she's from the Philippines." "She played "Frere Jacques" for me on her flute." "George, why don't you come down here where I can hear you better?" "It's a bunk bed." "So?" "You told me Joey's losing his patience with you." "Can you imagine if you broke his bed trying to shag your husband?" "I have missed having your body next to mine... too much to have it denied to me for reasons of bad engineering." "Well, don't blame me if this whole thing falls apart." "Come in here." "Ben... do you ever blame me for all of this?" "Why would I?" "We did this together." "But I knew what might happen." "I knew more than you what we were risking." "All I know is that after 39 years, it's hard to fall asleep without you." "This situation we've got ourselves in... is really fucking with my sleeping patterns." "What happened?" "I mean, what was that?" "That's not what we talked about last week." "Interpretation." "Yes, well, I usually insist that you let the music take you somewhere." "Let it surprise you." "Even, on occasion, let it overwhelm you." "It's important as knowing the difference between a half step... and a semi-tone, but always, always you must focus... on the instrument you're playing." "And listen." "Always listen." "Listen to what the metronome's telling you." "Tick tock, tick tock." "Follow the rhythm." "Follow the rhythm." "You can't just create your own rhythm to Chopin." "All right, do it again." "Dear parents:" "By now you've all heard of my joyful news and of my sad news." "To be able to finally marry Benjamin Hull... my partner of almost 40 years, in a small ceremony here in New York... was one of the happiest moments of my life." "Unfortunately, later I found out that I could no longer continue... to teach music at St. Grace's." "Everyone at the school knew that I was gay... and that Ben was my lifelong partner." "I've always had nothing but support from all of you... so I would like to thank you and to emphasize... that what happened is not the fault of St. Grace's and its leadership." "Above all, I urge you to have a conversation with your children... about whether or not justice was served here." "The last thing I want them to take from this... is they should hide who they are or what they think... if they believe it will get them into trouble." "Life has its obstacles, but I learned early on... that they will always be lessened if faced with honesty." "I believe the world is a better place if people aren't lying." "In the words of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians:" ""Love does not delight in injustice... but rejoices with the truth. "" "Yours sincerely, George Garea." "Very good." "I don't have time to read it." "I want to." "But you don't." "Hey!" "Can I have some private time, please?" "It didn't make a big difference." "I'm sorry." "I don't want to intrude." "No." "Why don't you grab a glass and join us for some wine." "Thanks." " How was your day?" " Nice." "Yeah, George went to church... and I went to see a wonderful movie." "What did you see?" "The Gang's All Here." " You did not." "How could I forget?" " You remember that?" " What is that?" " A Busby Berkeley musical." "They have this wonderful new print... and I have to say, Elliot, I was so happy... when they came out with VHS and we could see old movies again." "And I'm glad I showed them all to you." "But..." "But this, seeing it up on the big screen, it's something else." "It's not even the same movie." " I'd love to see that." " Let's go tomorrow?" "Yes." "No." "Shit." "I can't tomorrow." "I'll go on my own." "Joey asleep?" "I think he and Vlad are still studying." "Vlad?" "What's Vlad doing here?" "Not studying." "Well, I think I'll take a look." "Don't go." "Why not?" "Last year, you two were complaining that Joey didn't have any friends." "You were so worried that he was too antisocial... you even sent him to see a therapist." " So?" " So now he has a friend." "Well, it's a little strange." "There's nothing strange." "It's his only friend, and the guy's a lot older than him." "He's 16." "He just looks older." "They're like Yogi Bear and Boo Boo." "Good night, Mr. Hull." "Joey?" "Yeah?" "You awake?" "Could I ask you a question?" "Yeah." "Have you ever been in love?" "I'm not gay." "No." "I didn't mean to imply that, Joey." " So, what do you mean?" " Love." "You know what love is." "Well, there was this girl once." "We were on vacation in Saint Croix." "It's in the Virgin islands." "Yeah, I remember when you guys went there." "There was another family who..." "They were renting a house on the same beach as us." "And they had a daughter." "And every morning, I would watch her go windsurfing." "Did you go windsurfing too?" "No." "We had Jet Skis." "But I'd watch her from the beach." "So one day I saw her watching me too." " On the Jet Skis." " Yeah." "Yeah, I saw her looking at me." "Do you know her name?" "No." "We never even said hello." "I think I might see her again though... because her family, they live in the city too." "If you do, will you say hello?" "I don't know." "I think you should." "The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint." "The ball of the arm fits into the socket at the shoulder blade... and it's kept there by the rotator cuff." "He had what we call a full thickness tear or a complete tear." " Can he paint?" " No." "I don't even want him to comb his hair for a while." "Poor Ben." " His legs are okay?" " Yeah, legs are fine." "It was so hard to get him to stand up." "I thought his leg was broken." "He was in a lot of pain." "When was the last time he had a full cardiac checkup?" "We have regular checkups every year." "You need to have him see a cardiologist." "I thought he'd just fallen down the stairs." "No, he fainted." "Anyway, I don't want to speculate here." "I am an orthopedist." "I'm not a cardiologist." "All right?" "Here." "You should take these now." "Oh, thank you." "I have to leave... but there's a plate of pasta for you in the microwave." "Thank you, Kate." "Are you sure you're going to be all right?" " I'll be fine." " Okay, then." "I don't want you to worry too much." "It's not a very big deal." "We deal with similar problems every day here." "But it is serious." "No, I'm just shocked." "Joey's such a serious kid, and he's such a good student." "And so is Vlad." "Have you noticed any new books in the house?" "I haven't been paying attention." "I'm trying to finish my own new book... and Elliot's Uncle Ben is staying with us." "He's sleeping in Joey's room, so it's a bit of a..." "Yeah, complicated situation." "Vlad has confessed that he took the books out and gave them to Joey... but your son denies having them." "Vlad seems to have a great influence over my son." "I don't understand why they would steal these books." "They're all French literature books." "I have no idea." " George." " Are you all right?" "No, no, no, I'm fine." "But after the operation..." "I think it's better if I go stay with Mindy." " But then when will I see you?" " You'll come on the weekends." "Ben, are you there?" "You're not a boy anymore, son." "You're a young man." "Do you know how lucky you are this happened to you in high school?" "Because in the real world, you're in jail." "I didn't steal anything." " Hello?" " Ben, would you like some more water?" " Yes, please." " No, let's leave it the way it is." "I don't want to change anything now." "Can we do this later, please?" "Yeah, I can't talk right now." "I'll call you back in half an hour." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Where were we?" "Jail." "All right, look." "There has to be consequences with this here, so... you know that trip to Paris you wanted to go on so bad this fall?" " You can forget about that." " No, I didn't steal anything!" "The principal's lying and you didn't steal the books." "If that's true, you can let this be for other times I didn't catch you." " Elliot." " What?" " Something else you want to tell me?" " What do you mean?" "If there's something else going on, Joey..." "I would rather hear it from you now than later from someone else." " I don't know what you're talking about." " When kids steal... there's often drugs involved." "No." " Is Vlad involved with drugs?" " Dad, no." " Can I help you, Ben?" " No, I'm fine." "It's just a bit challenging maneuvering the silverware... but I'm fine." "You don't sound very sure, Joey." "Is he?" " Not that I know of." " Not that you know of?" "You spend every minute together." "And you know what?" "The only way my mind can understand how a boy... like Vlad is stealing books in the French language is if he was high." "Okay, I'm done." "Can I get up, please?" " Answer me, son." " I don't know!" "I'm not Vlad!" "Can I go to my room, please?" "I still have work to do." "Actually, we're still eating." "It's okay." "I'm almost done." " I'm sorry." " Yes." "Unbelievable." "You're too nice to him." "You don't even know." "I know where the books are." "I said, I know where the books are." "I've been in the house by myself." "I was looking for something to read... and I found these old books under my bed." " Ben, why didn't you say something?" " They were just books." "Are those the books?" "The one I picked out was Cyrano de Bergerac." "My French is a little rusty, but I got most of it." " I know the play..." " Frankly, who cares, Ben?" " Those are the books." " You listened the whole time." " You should've said something." " Kate, he didn't know." " You think I'm too nice to Joey?" " Please." "Let me tell you, Elliot." "You are too nice to your uncle." "It's very easy being nice... when you are not the one who's around all day." "Your uncle told us that the books are in here." "So where are they?" "Joey, I wanna know where those books are right now." "Why did you do this?" "We're the only ones in that whole stupid school..." " ... that'll learn French!" " It's arrogant!" "You're the one who was working." "I didn't want to get into it." "You're the one who's gotten into it." "Bullshit." " Do you want a beer?" " No." "No, thank you." "I got one for my friend, and now I can't find him." "I think he left." "We had an argument." " I'm Ian, by the way." " George." "I'm a friend of Roberto's." " Who's Roberto?" " Well, this is his party, I think." "Oh, right." "I don't know anybody here." "Well, that's Roberto over there." "He's the one dancing." "And the tall, cute one serving the drinks... that's Ted, his boyfriend." "They're both cops." "Can you believe that?" " Really?" "Gay cops." " Yeah, we call them the policewomen." "No, it's terrible, really." "But actually, they're very, very nice guys." "So where are you from?" "Corsham originally." "Sussex." "I'm a South London boy." "I came here when I was very young." "On my way to dinner, my friend said, "Let's stop by this party first. "" "And I said, "Sure," and now he's gone... and, well, here I am." "You must be hungry." "You were going out to dinner, then you came here and now he's gone." " You must be hungry." " I'm starving." "You?" "Should we go eat?" " Right now?" " Yeah." "I don't have to stay here." "Do you?" "Well, I..." "I'm sorry." "You don't even know me." "It's just that I hate to eat alone." "Don't you?" "Well, no." "On the contrary, I'm never bored with my own company." "It's other people who drive me crazy sometimes." "Oh, no, no, don't get me wrong." "I love people." "It's just I'm not very good with crowds." "I'd rather meet people one on one than stand around... with a glass of wine and a silly grin on my face." "I know what you mean." "Are you waiting for someone in particular?" "Well, it's not that kind of romantic situation." "So, what are you waiting for?" "I'm waiting for the orchestra to stop playing... and for the curtain to fall." " Are you high?" " No." "No, actually, before I started talking to you, I was about to fall asleep." "This is not the best place to sleep." "And yet you're sitting on my bed." "You're homeless?" "Yes." "It's a long story." "It starts with me marrying my partner of 39 years... and then... getting fired from my job, and now... looking for an apartment that we can afford." "I won't bore you with all the details." "Well, I happen to have in my pocket... the key to a rent-controlled apartment in the West Village... soon to be vacated." "It's a long story." "Shall we go eat?" "My uncle moved in here in the '70s." "So after he went back to England, I got the lease from him." "That was about eight years ago." "I've been very happy here." "I love this place." " So why are you moving?" " Because of work." "I got offered a job... at the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City." " Oh, that's an amazing place." "Yeah." " You've been there?" "So you know it doesn't get much better than that for an archeologist." "Would you like something to drink?" "Some water." "Thank you." "Is that the guy?" "Yeah." "John." "We've been going out for about a year." "I told him about Mexico tonight and he wasn't happy." "You're a heartbreaker." "On the contrary." "When I first met him..." "I was so in love, I didn't want to leave his side." "So I think I scared him off a little." "He never wanted to commit, really." "Kept pushing me away." "It's no coincidence that I interviewed for this job in Mexico." "Now he finds out that I'm leaving and decides that I'm the man of his dreams." "It's so typical and so disappointing, frankly." " Do you know how much I pay here?" " No idea." "I'm even embarrassed to say." "Fourteen hundred." "They can't raise the rent too much." "It's controlled by the city." "Bless this city." " What did you think of the Wieniawski?" " Not bad." " I thought she milked it a bit." " You think so?" "Well, when the piece is that romantic, there's no need to embellish." "I don't know." "I loved it." "I kept thinking about him and his beloved Isabella." "But that's not true." "That whole, "He composed it to convince her parents to let him marry her. "" " It's a myth." " I'm not like you." "I prefer a little embellishment." " Finally." " I'm sorry." "Sorry." "You guys look very thirsty." "What can I get you?" "Scotch on the rocks for me." "Vodka and tonic, half a lime, no ice, for the gentleman here." "Busy tonight?" "It's Friday night." " The kids have taken our spot." " Good for them." " You guys new in the neighborhood?" " Are you kidding?" "There was a famous "sip in" right here in this bar... to challenge the New York State regulation... that prohibited bars from serving homosexuals." "We have a clipping from The New York Times." "1966." "Me and four other guys, we came in here accompanied by five reporters." "When denied service, we denounced the state liquor authority." "Oh, my God." "You're that guy?" "Yeah, I was one of the guys." "Well, this round's on me, fellas." " You are such a liar." " What?" " Anything for a free drink." " Well, I knew the real guy." " Who, Frank?" " Yeah." "That was his claim to fame." " I thought it was something different." " Well, that too." "Yeah, God bless him." " Here's to Frank's memory." " Frank." " And to Ivan." " Who's Ivan?" "The angel from Sussex who got our apartment." " Ian." " Yeah." "Ivan, Ian." "It doesn't matter." "I drink to him." "A handsome stranger." "Do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice?" "I have wondered what you've been doing with your free nights without me." "That's not for me, Ben." "You know that." "For all these years?" "For all these years." "Amazing." "I'm sorry I can't say the same to you, George." "But at least I've always been honest with you." "Sometimes I think ignorance might be a little better." "I'm sorry, George." "Mind you, come to think of it... there are things that you couldn't have hidden anyway." " Like what?" " Like when you got crabs." "Thanks for reminding me." "Or that guy in Rio who gave you the black eye." "That crazy motherfucker was trying to rob me!" "To all the crazy motherfuckers." "All the crazy motherfuckers." " George." " What?" "Remember we used to go to Castelli and Mary Boone... and you would say... one day we'll go there to see my one-man show?" "And we will." "No, we won't, George." "How do you know?" "Nowadays there's a new hot painter discovered every week." "Okay, maybe it'll happen, but not in my lifetime." "How do you know?" "It's all a matter of trends and tastes." "A curator will come along, look at one of your paintings... and think this is the greatest thing." "But if it doesn't happen, I just would like to know..." " ... is that disappointing to you?" " Not at all." "And I say it because I think it's a real possibility." "I love your paintings, and frankly, I don't care what anybody else thinks." "I guess I did make a couple of good ones, didn't I?" " Oh, that hurts." " Are you all right?" " Careful of my arm." " I'm sorry, I'm sorry." "I had a wonderful time." "Me too." " Good night." " Good night, Georgie." "George." " Joey." " Hi." " I didn't see you there." " I was just waiting." " Do you wanna come up?" " Yeah, sure." " Here." " Thank you." " This place is so nice." " Yes, thanks." "I got lucky." "Uncle George, I'm..." "I'm sorry that I didn't go to the service." "The service?" "Uncle Ben's service." "You know, funerals can be strange." "Especially for people your age." "I wanted to remember Uncle Ben how I remember him now." "And I'd never been to a funeral before... and I was afraid that if I went to his... that's how I would remember him whenever I thought about him." "That makes a lot of sense to me, Joey." "But I hope you didn't come all this way just because you felt guilty about it." "Oh, no, actually, no." "I... actually came to give you something." "That's nice." "That's very nice." "I picked it up from the top of the stairs... the day that Uncle Ben had his accident." "Everything came down... including Uncle Ben, as you know." "But the painting was okay." "Yeah." "You know, I think he..." "I think he saved it mid-fall somehow." "His paintings meant everything to him." "Is this...?" "Is this the view from your roof?" "Yeah, that's west." " Is this you in it?" "I didn't think so." " No." "That's my friend Vlad." "He used to come over a lot when Uncle Ben was living with us." "Are you sure you don't want this?" "It'd be a great memento." "Oh, no." "No, you keep it." "It's his last painting." "And it's unfinished." "If you look over here... you can always imagine what he would have done with the colors." "It's very nice." "I'm..." "I'm gonna find a hammer... and you can help me hang it up on the wall." "Yeah, sure." "You can go."