"Unfinished Business" "Then Grandpa's gonna pick you up after school and take you to rehearsal." "What about me?" "You're sleeping at school." "Grandpa's gonna pick you up, too." "I have an interview this morning and one this afternoon." " Are you nervous?" " Uh, a little." "Don't you have to be, like, all corporate and backstabbing?" "No." "Honey, assistant editors don't have anyone to stab." "Dad!" "Mom, if you start working full time..." "then who's gonna be here to take care of us?" "Well, first of all, honey, that's a big if..." "since nobody's actually jumping up and down to offer me a job..." "but if I do get one, I'm sure I can be home by dinner..." "and if not, you and Grace..." "are perfectly capable of fending for yourselves." " We are?" " Yes, you are." "Dad!" "I'm coming, I'm coming!" "Blow, wind, and crack your cheeks." "Grandpa!" "How now, Cordelia?" "Mend your speech a little." " Just one line, please?" " No." " Mom, can we go?" "I'm late." " One, one..." "One line." "One, one line." ""Good my Lord, you have begot me, bred me, loved me..." "I return those duties..."     blah, blah, something, something." "Do you think I could possibly go home..." "without hearing you do this?" "You want to watch me faint onstage... when I forget my lines." "I'll shout them out to you." "That's what I'm afraid of." " Excuse me." " Honey... you have an hour to get there." "I'm just getting the check." "You'll get it in 5 minutes." "Let me finish my coffee." "I'll take you there." "Okay." "Which I shouldn't be drinking." "Honey, sweetie, who wouldn't want you?" "Four companies so far." "You haven't even heard back from them." " Exactly, Dad." " Honey... you're beautiful, you're educated, you're smart..." "I'm 41, I'm inexperienced..." "That's the very attitude that's gonna keep you from getting the job." " Dad..." " If you walk in thinking that you're no good to them... that's what they're gonna pick up on." "You just said everyone would want me." "Everybody would want you." "I'm just saying that you can ruin it for yourself." "You haven't seen me in these interviews." "Lily, look at you." "Oh, sweetie, you're so nervous." "My father used to love to help me with my school projects... but the only problem was he never knew where to stop." "What, a man can't help his daughter?" "Isn't that what it means to be a father?" "So you're the one with the bookstore." "Yes." "That is so great." "I love little bookstores." "You're doing something so valuable." "We need to remember what books are." "Only no one's buying them in bookstores anymore." "I know." "I order all my books online." "Oh, you're so pretty." "Where do you get your hair cut?" "Um, uh, downtown." "Actually, I can't-- I'm trying to remember." "Carl's." "You graduated in '79." "So you're 40?" " 1." " Oh, my God." "Most people I know that are 41 are, like..." "So you have kids, I'm sure." "Yes, I--I do." "I have two." "Are they really cute?" " Oh, yeah." " God, I want to have kids so much." "My problem is I don't know when I'll ever get married." "My longest relationship was about three months." "So, you're getting divorced, you need money... you're heading back into the job world... but this isn't a normal job, you know?" "The people that work here, they're all about 5 years old." "They have no life." "Everything happens on computers... which I don't really see on your résumé, Lily... so I'm just wondering why you think... we might be a good place for you." "Well, yeah, it-- it's been a while, but as you can see..." "I was the editor of my college newspaper... back in the Paleolithic Era... and then I--I worked... as assistant editor at Chicago Magazine." "For five months?" "Well, I got pregnant, and after the baby was born, I really didn't feel" "I am not criticizing your choices, you know." "I know that in those days, they didn't like pregnant women to work." "Christie, you know what?" "My abilities are the same whether they're practiced... on paper or on a computer screen... and frankly, what I do at the bookstore... is harder than what you need... and what I do as a mother, trust me, is harder than both... so I really think you should give me the opportunity... to show you what I can do." "Can you believe she said that?" "Well, you are old." "Oh, I am not." "Can I do this?" "They're all so young there." "My God." "You should feel this energy-- running and yelling and..." "And they want me to write these synopses... for all these submissions, like an audition, by tomorrow." "So you'll do it, and it'll be great." "Listen to me, Lily." "You are so capable and so amazing... and - and any company would be totally lucky to have you." "Why is it when my father said that, I got mad at him?" "I'm not your father." "And I don't want you to be." "You know that, don't you?" "That's good." "Uh, "receive" is E-I, not I-E." "Dad, Dad, thank you." "You know, I hate it that you have to prove yourself to these people." "I mean, what are they, blind?" "I'm trying to prove myself to me." "Grandpa, we can't be late." "Okay." "I'm ready." "I'm ready." "Mom, can you tell him I can't be late?" "Honey, it's useless to hurry him." "Believe me, I've tried." "How now, Cordelia?" "Mend your speech a little, lest it mar your fortunes." "Okay." "Does he have to stay for rehearsal?" "I'm gonna die!" "Oh." "Just make sure he sits where you can't see him mouthing all the words." "I do not do that." "If you ever want to know how you were raised... just watch your parents with your children." "Listen, I'm gonna go see my beautiful granddaughter act..." " and if she doesn't like it, that's her problem." " Okay." "He was always so big and so much fun..." "I never realized how much he bossed everyone around." "You know what, Phil?" "We're going right now." "Look how she treats her elders." "Bye, Dad." "Bye, honey." "Goodbye, Dad." "Bye, honey." "Have a good time." "Who are you to call me Phil?" "How can a child so small be so incredibly heavy?" "One more time?" " Absolutely not." "All right, you do it to me." " Okay." "No, no, no, I'm kidding." "Please let me sit." "You have beautiful hair." "Thank you, darling... but your mother has the beautiful hair." "Yeah, but she won't let me braid it... 'cause she's got interviews." "Barbara Walters?" "Oprah?" "Zoe, honey, did you take your bath?" " No, for a job." " No kidding." "Zoe, honey, did you take your bath or not?" "I'm going, I'm going." "Interviews for a job." "Judy, you know I have to do this." "The bookstore can't support me working full time... and I'm not making enough money to live on the way things are." "So you're gonna leave." "Well, we have to talk about it." "What's there to talk about?" "You're sort of saying it." "I don't want to leave the store." "You know that." "I've carried you all this time anyway." "Oh, yeah." "You have not." "You give books away, you flirt with customers..." "I flirt with customers?" "You order the wrong books." "I'm not giving you this bookstore." "You understand that?" "No, you just want to profit from the sweat of my brow." "All $3 of it." "What kind of job are you looking for?" "I don't know." "Magazine stuff, I guess." "I interviewed at PagesAlive." "Dot com?" "How cutting edge." "I thought you hate computers." "Oh, Judy, please don't be mean to me." "My life is off the map." "Divorce lawyers, accountants..." "I have absolutely no money." "You know what I want?" "I just--I want one week where absolutely nothing happens." "You can have my life." "Oh!" "Don't" "Stop!" "Crazy!" "Stop it!" ""The Vines of France and the Milke of Burgundie..." ""strive to be interest." ""What can you say, to draw a third, more opulent..." ""than your sisters?" "Speak." ""Nothing, my Lord." ""Nothing?" ""Nothing." ""Nothing will come of nothing." "Speak again." ""Unhappy that I am..." ""I cannot heave my heart into my mouth." ""Um, I love Your Majesty according to my bond..." ""no more nor less." ""How, how, Cordelia?" ""Mend your speech a little lest you may mar your fortunes." ""Good my Lord..." ""you have begot me, bred me, loved me." ""I return those duties back as are right fit-- obey you, love you, and most honor you."" "Okay!" "Getting better." "Now maybe some year, we can all be off book." "Some of us are." "All right, tomorrow night... acts one through three-- know them, all right?" "Okay." "Don't say anything." "I was completely terrible." "Oh, you were incredible." "I sound like some stupid pretend version of Shakespeare, you know?" "Like" "Grandpa, are you okay?" "Uh, I'm fine, I'm fine." "I'm okay." "Okay." "Um, I cannot wait to tell your mother... what an incredible actress you are." "Oh, Grandpa." " The boy was good." " Yeah, he is." " "Blow, winds, crack your cheeks."" " No." "I know what you're going through." "I mean, the girl playing opposite me... she was the most beautiful-- most beautiful girl I've ever seen." "And she wouldn't even look at me." "Susie Eigenbacker." "Susie Eigenbacker?" "Yeah, yeah, and I'm supposed to kiss her... so I tell all my friends for weeks..." ""I'm gonna kiss Susie Eigenbacker."" "Comes the dress rehearsal, she turns her mouth away from me." " Oh, no." " Yeah." "So what am I gonna do?" "I mean, if she does this tomorrow night when my friends are there..." "I may as well move to Wisconsin." "Okay, moron!" "Grandpa!" "Right click." "What do you mean, right click?" "There." "Brings up the menu." "Ah, look at that." "I always wondered why they had two buttons." "Honey, where's the phone?" "Hello?" "It's not over here." "Yes, this is the Manning residence." "Who is it?" "What kind of accident?" "Brooks or Manning?" "Can you tell me where" "Is this the right place?" "Room 3, that's the little girl... and the older gentleman is still in X-ray." " Thank you." " Mom?" " Oh, my God, my baby." " Mom..." "You're okay?" "Yeah." "No." "Grace, I was so scared." "I'm okay." "I really am." " It was just the strangest thing in the world." " Did anybody die?" "No, everybody's okay." "It wasn't like anybody was going real fast." "What about your grandpa?" "Oh, God, he got this really bad cut on his chin." "There was, like, blood everywhere." "And his ankle's really hurting him." "They say he's okay." "Is Daddy coming?" "Yes, he is, honey." "He's on his way." "Zoe, stay with your sister." "I'm gonna check on Grandpa." "Grace, I'm so glad you're okay." "I'm fine, I'm fine." "It's okay." "And then the nurse says to me, "Sir, is your gown on backwards... or are you just happy to see me?"" "Dad?" "Dad?" "Lily, honey, don't look at this." "I'm fine." "Tell her, doctor." "Yeah, we're waiting to see if he has a broken ankle." "Otherwise, everything seems remarkably okay." "Okay." "What-- did you check his heart?" " Yes, and all his internal organs." " Come on, Lilabet." "We're gonna keep him here overnight." "He seems to be okay." "Where are they?" "Phil." "Oh, my God." "Jake, Jake." "Where's Grace?" "ls she all right?" "She's fine." "What are you doing here?" "Don't you have a restaurant to run?" "It can run itself for an hour, okay?" "It'll take more than a midsize to kill me." "I don't doubt it for a second." "You know what's funny about these moments?" "In the end, you're kind of glad they happened." "Oh, Dad." "I'm serious." "I mean, everything looks so beautiful to me now." "The color of your eyes, this doctor's gorgeous nose." "Look at it." "This gal, this beautiful gal, she had a baby three months ago... and the baby's already sleeping through the night." "Have they been giving you drugs?" "I don't need drugs." "I'm alive tonight." "That's the only drug I need." "Hello?" "Are they okay?" "How did you know about it?" "Well, I called earlier, and nobody was there... and finally, I started calling back every 5 minutes... and Zoe picked up when Judy brought her home." "Rick, I've never been so scared." "Well, let's just thank God they're okay." "I don't think I'm ever gonna answer the phone again." "I know what you mean." "Every time Eli takes the car..." "I need to see you." "Do you want me to come over?" "No, I'm sitting here passing out, and I still have these stupid synopses to finish." "I could help." "No." "Maybe I could do some editing." "I can do my own editing." "Thank you very much." "Dad's being released tomorrow." "Guess where he gets to stay for the next two weeks." "I think this whole thing has been a plot... for him to take over my life." "Maybe you should just let him and be done with it." "Yeah, really." "I have to go to sleep now." "I've had too many things happen to me in one day." "Good night, Lily." "Good night, Richard." "Okay, I'll hold." "Was it really loud?" " Zoe, the book report." " I've got it." "Was it?" "I'm telling you, I don't remember." "No, Brooks." "Brooks." "B-R-O" " Stop getting in my way." " That's it." "Phil." "Grace, are you sure you're okay to go to school?" "Mom, I can't miss rehearsal." "If I was in an accident..." "I'd be thinking about it all the time." " I am thinking about it!" " Well, they told me he was on that floor." " It was just, like, spinning around." " Can you check that wing?" " That's all I remember." " I want to know if people's lives..." " actually flash in front of their eyes..." " What?" "...when stuff like that happens." "That's before you die, Zoe." "It wasn't that bad an accident." "I'm not even trying to get out of going to school." " Okay, fine." "I'll call back." " I just want to know." "Okay, girls, we're already late." "I have to drop off that work." "Here's your backpack." "I'll get the lunches." "Careful." "I'm all right." "I'm okay." " Dad!" " Grandpa." " What are you doing?" " He called me at 6:30." "They told me I could get out of there." "You think I'm gonna wait around for what they call breakfast?" "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were getting out." "I was afraid that you would send me to a hotel." "Oh, yeah, right." "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." "Let me just-- let me just go upstairs... and get out of your way." "Look at you." "You can't go up and down stairs." "I made it up those stairs." "But that's two stairs, and I practically had to carry you." " No." " Grandpa can stay in the living room." "We'll bring the TV in from here." "Mom never lets me have sleepovers in the living room." "It doesn't make a difference where you put me." "You won't even know I'm there." "Judy, I have to leave." "Can you make him breakfast?" "Lil, the U.P.S. truck is already at the store." " Okay, fine." "Go." " Sorry." "Bye, Daddy." "Bye, sweetheart." "Thank you." " Thanks for everything." " Bye." "Dad, I'll be back in 30 minutes to make you breakfast." "Go." "I don't need any help." "Dad, please." "What, no eggs?" "Yeah, they're on the bottom." "Look..." " Dad, just give me 20 minutes, okay?" " Thank you." "I am not helpless." "Uh, uh, Gracie, where are the pans?" "Dad, you can't even make it around the kitchen." " Would you go already?" " You're really hungry, aren't you?" "Oh, wait, is this chicken?" "Dad... sit!" "Just-- just sit right here." "Girls, you're gonna be late." "We don't care." "Although George S. Patton would live... to be 60 years old... he actually lived in America's mind and" "Coming, coming, coming!" "Here I come." "Oh, hi, Phil." "Hello, Rick Sammler." "How you doin'?" "I'm fine." "How are you?" "Ah, you know." "Come on in." "Want something to drink?" "You're not gonna get it for me." "No." "They all treat me like an invalid." "Well, that is a cast on your leg." "Yeah." "So, Rick Sammler... tell me, what are your intentions?" "Bad as ever, Phil." "Hello!" "I'm home!" "Hi, sweetheart!" "Well, hello there." "Don't worry." "I'm being very nice to him." "How you feeling, Dad?" "I'm pretty good." "Thank you." "Hey, you." "Hi." "Okay, you..." "I got you Popular Science..." "Scientific American, Crossword Puzzles..." "Sports Illustrated, New Republic." "What, no Playboy?" "Oh, Dad... what do you want for dinner?" "Your choices are pasta, pasta, and more pasta." "Uh, lamb chops." "You know, you can stay, too." "It's allowed." "Oh, I can't." "I'm on kid duty tonight." "How old are your kids, Rick?" "12 and 16." "Oh, they're amazing, too." "Almost as amazing as your own?" "Almost!" "Hello!" "Look who's here!" "Oh." "Hi." "Hi, Jake." "Hi, Rick." " Hey." "Really good to see you." " How are you?" " Yeah, you, too." " Yeah." "Hi, Pop." "Hi." "Oh." "Hi." "You know, a couple of people from the office... were in the restaurant the other night." "They loved it." "Yeah, uh, Tuesday night." "Yeah?" "Oh, no, no." "That wasn't the night... that the chef assaulted one of the waiters." "I like men." "I really do." "They're like these big, messy creatures... who are so oblivious with each other... they just have to act like everything's okay all the time." "You know, you and Lil should come by some night." "It's actually-- it's not a bad place." "Oh, I'd love to." "Thanks." "Look at you guys-- you're so modern." "They should be fighting over you." " Dad!" " I'm kidding." "Lily always attracted the nicest people." "I should-- I have to go." "I'll walk you out." "Bye, Rick." " Jake." " Take care." "Take care." "Jake, how you doin', buddy?" "Are you sure you can't stay?" "How are your synopses?" "Oh, please." "I'll see ya." "Okay." "And on top of that... why did he have to write such long speeches?" "People don't talk like that." "Grace, have you ever listened to yourself?" "At least I don't speak in iambic pentameter." "What's iambic pentameter?" "It's a secret code that only smart people know." "Then how come you can understand it?" "Come here, Zoe." "Come here!" "Oh, she's so cute..." "I just want to smoosh her sometimes." "Do they have any younger kids in the play?" "You can have my part." "I couldn't memorize all that junk." "Neither can I. That's the problem." "Grace, Zoe, honey, can you guys set the table?" "All right." "I am outta here." "I will see you guys on Friday, okay?" "Bye, love." "What were you and Dad, uh, talking about?" "Just business." "Bye." "Dad..." "Do you want me to bring your dinner in here?" "No, no, no." "I'll come in." "Lily..." "Yeah?" "I want you to stop..." " this business with the lawyers." " Oh, I knew it." "Dad-- if you put the restaurant into receivership... it'll die." "You can't run a business like that." "You're taking his side again." "I can't believe it." "I'm taking your side." "Don't you understand?" "He's got some momentum going." "The place might take off... which means more money for you to keep this house." "Dad, you can't trust him." "You can't trust anything that he says." "I know you feel that way, and I'm telling you now..." "I can work out a settlement for the two of you." "Know what, Dad?" "It's none of your business." "Excuse me, it's 40% my business!" "You cannot settle this for me." "You don't understand all the issues between Jake and me." "I want you to stay out of it!" "Well, it's too late." "I'm already in it." "You brought me into it." "Who paid for the lawyer?" "That doesn't entitle you to tell me what to do!" "It entitles me to talk some sense into you!" " When I was 15!" " Well, you're still behaving like you're 15." "Right now, you know what your job is?" "To lay on that couch and let me take care of you... because you have been in a car accident." "I am tired of you trying to run my life!" "What?" "Don't let us stop you." "Dinner, okay?" "I never used to fight with my father." "I mean, not out loud." "But, boy... things I used to say in my head." "I always had to make sure that we made up." "It's silly... but I guess I was afraid he'd stay mad." "Daddy?" "Daddy?" "Daddy, can you hear me?" "Gracie!" "Oh, God." "I'm gonna call for help." "Gracie!" "Come on, come on, come on, come on." "Yes." "Yes, I need an ambulance, please." "Somebody here has either had a stroke... or a heart attack or something." "Yes, that's the address." "Thank you." "Daddy?" "Daddy, it's okay." "They're on their way." "Can you hear me?" "Daddy, can you hear me?" "When did it happen?" "I found him at 4:00 in the morning." "We don't know when it happened." "What did the doctor say?" "We're waiting." "Sweetie..." "Grace..." "Darling, this is really scary, I know." "I'm not scared." "Wait." "We're all scared, all right?" "I know." "I didn't mean that." "Grace..." "Grace!" "What is it?" "I did something really horrible." "What are you talking about, sweetie?" "No!" "God, this is my fault." "This didn't have to happen." "Grace, what are you saying?" "Grandpa-- at the rehearsal-- something happened, and I didn't say anything." "I didn't say anything, and if I had" "What happened?" "What are you talking about?" "He just had this look..." "like he wasn't there or something." "It was just for, like, a second." " How were you supposed to know?" " But I did know!" "Grace, honey..." "Okay, wait." "I was really scared... but I thought I shouldn't say something 'cause he'd get embarrassed." "Oh." "Grace, honey, listen to me." "You had absolutely nothing to do with this." "If something like this was gonna happen... it was gonna happen no matter what any of us did." "But if I had said something..." "If you had said something, we all would have made a joke about how old he's getting." "Look, sweetie." "Sweetie, look..." "I look like I'm not there half the time." " Okay?" " Okay." "Shh, baby." "Come on, it's okay." "Yeah, well, I mean, four weeks ago... you said you would get me, what, five cases?" "No, I said--what, you got one?" "Five, six weeks ago." "It hasn't c-- well" "I'm gonna call you back." "Yes, okay." "Hey, what's the news?" "Well, he's stable now." "It was touch-and-go earlier this morning." "Can you please explain to us what's going on?" "The stroke was in the left side of his brain, and it was very large." "Um, he's making a few sounds." "We just don't know to what extent his speech is gonna be affected." "Can we see him?" "We're gonna bring him down from the ICU in about an hour... but you should understand that his body's in a big fight right now." "I wouldn't expect him to relate to you very much." "What are the odds?" "The brain is unpredictable." "You know, sometimes it pulls itself back from the brink... and sometimes..." "I mean, he's stable now." "The longer he remains stable, the better his chances are." "That's really all I can tell you." "I should get Mom at the airport." "Thank you." "We appreciate it." "Thank you." "Come here, sweetie." "Daddy?" "How you doin'?" "Don't try to talk." "Just save all your strength for getting better." "It's okay." "It's still Grandpa." "Come on, sweetie." "It's okay." "Hi, Grandpa." "Hi, Grandpa." "Daddy, it's okay." "I'm here." "When he wasn't at the restaurant... my father would read to me every night... long after I was reading for myself." "I guess that's where I learned to love books." "Daddy, do you need something?" "You want me to call the nurse?" "Are you in pain?" " Pen." " Pen?" "Pen." "Oh, hang on." "Let me get your paper." "Wait a second." "There's your pen." "What is that?" "Daddy, I can't" "I can't make that out." "Are you writing a number?" "Yeah." ""100,000"?" "Lend Jake, lend Jake..." "Lend Jake a hun-- Daddy, are you crazy?" "You're not supposed to be worrying about this." "Oh, Mom." "Who is that?" "Oh, Phil..." "Oh, honey, everything's gonna be all right." "I mean it." "I don't want to leave." "Sweetie, Grandma hasn't even been home... and you've been here since 5:00 this morning." " I don't care." " Grace." "I'm not leaving, okay?" "I'm just not leaving." "All right, I'm ready." "Somebody has to stay, anyway." "All right, look, I can come back and get her in a couple of hours." "You sure?" " Yeah, that's fine." " I love you." "All right, sweetie, I want you to buy yourself some dinner in the cafeteria." " I mean it." " Grace." "Okay." "All right, let's go." "March." "Okay." "Okay." "Mom, I didn't see you eat anything." "Oh, I'm not hungry, sweetheart." "I want you to sleep in my room, okay?" "I can't do that." "You just slept there Thanksgiving." "That was with Daddy." "What does that mean?" "Will they know to give him his medicine?" "I didn't tell them about his reflux." "Mom, you spoke to Dr. Frankel, remember?" " Oh." "Okay, good." " Okay." "I--I think I'd better get something to eat." "Okay, okay." "Grace?" "Grace?" "Grandpa, what are you saying?" "Cracked..." "Cracked?" "What's cracked?" "Cheeks." "Wait." "Cracked cheeks?" "Cheek." "You want me to do my lines?" "Yeah." "Here?" "Now?" "I don't want to make you sicker than you are." "Okay." "Okay." ""Good my Lord..." ""you have begot me, bred me, loved me." ""I return those duties back as are right fit-- obey you, love you, and most honor you."" "Mommy, is Grandma praying for Grandpa?" "Of course she is, sweetie." "Well, then who's she praying to?" "What do you mean?" "Well, Grandpa is Jewish, and Grandma isn't... so who's gonna save him?" "Oh, Zoe..." "Honey, I don't think Grandma's worrying about that... because God listens to everyone." "That's good." "Do you think I can go to Megan's party?" "I want to wear the blue dress with the stripes." "We'll see." "Good night." "Good night." ""Oh, dear father..." ""restoration hang thy medicine on my lips..." ""and let this kiss repair those violent harms..." ""that my two sisters have in thy reverence made." ""Had you not been their father... these white flakes did challenge pity of them."" "Listen to her up there." "She's pacing." "Poor Mom." "What would she do if he" "Don't even think it." "You're thinking it." "What would any of us do?" ""Was this a face to be opposed against the warring winds..." ""to stand against the deep dread-bolted thunder..." ""in the most terrible and nimble stroke..." ""of quick, cross lightning?" ""To watch-- poor Perdu!" "" ""with this thin helm?" ""Mine enemy's dog, though he had bit me..." ""should have stood that night against my fire." ""And wast thou fain, poor father..." ""to hovel thee with swine and rogues... forlorn in short and musty straw?"" "Thank you." "Mom?" "Mom, how about if I lay down with you... for a couple of minutes?" "Yeah, that's fine... but I'm not really very tired." "Sweetie, you're too big for Daddy to pick up anymore." "Okay?" "Oh, God, she grinds her teeth all night long." "You slept with Mom?" "Is there any coffee?" "Not unless elves made it." "The sofa smells like Dad." "Yeah." "I had a fight with Dad before he had the stroke." "I guess that's why it happened." "Shut up." "I feel very guilty." "Lily, I've been fighting with him since I was 4." "You don't understand." "It's that he won't stop." "Even in the hospital room... he's negotiating with me about Jake." "He's a businessman." "He senses his advantage." "1:20 P.M." "Hey, it's Christie Parker at PagesAlive." "We're all intrigued by the work you did." "I wonder if you could come by this afternoon and discuss it." "Your girls sound so cute." "Call me." "Oh, my God." "This was from yesterday." "I forgot to check the messages." "Oh, no." "Sounds like they want you." "But how can I take a job now?" "And I can't go on an interview today." "Why not?" "Dad's not going anywhere." "Judy." "Come to the hospital afterwards." "This is how our life's gonna be." "I--I get a job, and you run the bookstore... and we take care of Dad." "Okay." "Okay." "Magazines don't really sound like that anymore." "You know, we try to give the writing a little more... uh, edge... but with some reworking..." "I think your work shows some real promise." "Sofia." "Thank you, thank you." "You know, I feel like once I was on the staff..." "I'd be able to really get inside the voice of the magazine." "And then I would really know" "Staff?" "The other editors and assistant editors." "You thought this job was as assistant editor?" "Uh, okay, this is, um, a little embarrassing, Lily." "The job is assistant to the editor." "My personal assistant." "I don't know." "An assistant to a child?" "And then again, I'm not really making that much more... than I am at the bookstore... but I feel I could actually do something there... because something's actually happening there." "You know, it's where the world is headed." "Judy?" "It's bad, Lily." "It's really, really bad." "What?" "What happened?" "He had another stroke." "Oh." "Oh, God." "Basically, the left side of his brain... is not getting any oxygen." "And there's nothing you can do about that?" "No." "We can't go in and stop it." "And we can't repair the damage." "So you're saying there's no hope?" "Is that what you're saying?" "Well..." "You're saying he's basically dead already." "Well, he's on life support." "We're breathing for him... and he's got an I.V. supplying various fluids." "And if you took him off those, he would die?" "Yes." "Quickly?" "Yes." "Oh, my God." "Okay, Mom, listen..." "I don't understand anything about life." "He was fine two days ago." "I'm sorry, you guys." "The doctor wants us to have a meeting... and talk about what to do, okay?" "So, what, this is, um, the room where you decide... whether to kill your relatives?" "Oh, Judy." "I--I'm not sure I understand... what this discussion is supposed to be about." "Because the doctor said it's not gonna get any better." "And that's awful, and I want to cry till I can't cry any more... but I don't see what that has to do with killing him." "The doctor said he could be like this for years." "If God wants to take him, that's his business." "We can't make that decision." "Lily, could you go in there and turn off those machines... and not feel like you were killing him?" "Judy..." "Look, you're seeing this in a certain way, and I understand that, okay?" "But this isn't Dr. Kevorkian." "What, it isn't?" "No." "No, those are people who would live on in great pain... who want to die." "Now..." "Judy, he can't live on." "He would die in 5 minutes... if they weren't breathing for him." "Excuse me." "I'm not sure you should be in here." "Do you want him in here right now?" "He's still my father-in-law." "Well, not for long, Jake." "You're getting divorced." "Your feelings about me have nothing to do" "Okay, can we please?" "Mom, say something." "What should we do about Daddy?" "Mom?" "Are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine." "You stay here." "You children keep talking." "Lily, what should we do?" "Oh, thanks." "How did you handle this at 14?" "Who says I handled it?" "When I was a kid... the thing I was most afraid of was my father dying... terrified me." "You'd think I would have outgrown it by now." "People think that just because it happens to everyone... that losing a parent is supposed to be bearable... and it's-- it's really not." "I remember walking around in a complete daze... like my brain was frozen... thinking, "How could this happen to me?"" "You know, it's like some joke." "I know." "I keep having the weirdest thoughts... like he's gonna sit up in bed... and say, "Fooled you."" "Oh." "What am I supposed to do, Rick?" "I can't accept that he's dying." "It just doesn't make sense to me." "I don't know what to do." "I broke my leg skiing when I was 17... and I remember, the moment it happened, thinking..." ""My life has changed in one second"... and having this overwhelming feeling... that if I could just reach back in time one second..." "I could change it all." "Just one second." "Oh, God." "Oh, Daddy, you were always so easy to talk to." "And now..." "I got that job... sort of." "I knew you'd want to know that." "I have a decision to make, Dad." "It isn't about me." "It's about you." "And I want to do what's right for you... only... the thing is, I don't know how to do it." "The truth is, you never taught me... how to handle anything on my own." "I know you only wanted what was best for me... but you shouldn't have done that... 'cause it didn't help me..." "And now I have to make... the hardest decision of my life..." "Without you." "I just saw him." "How are you doing, sweetie?" "I'm okay." "He really loved you." "You know that." "It was kind of hard to miss." "Yeah." "Yeah." "How are you doing?" "I'm not doing so great." "Not so great." "It's so weird that he's your father... and he's dying." "I don't know what I'd do if it was Daddy." "You know what's strange?" "When I was in there" "God, am I a bad person for saying this?" " it wasn't him anymore." "Grandpa always had this look in his eye... and you always knew what he was thinking." "And his skin was all like... rosy." "And now it's just... gone." "And then I realized that's what they were talking about... all those times in Sunday school... about people having souls." "And I never thought it was an actual thing... but his is gone, and you can just feel it." "Let's go back." "Okay." "Judy..." "I know." "I know." "I just can't bear it." "We have to bear it out of respect." "Can I just stay here and you do it?" "No, you can't... 'cause I can't do it without you." "How do we tell Mom?" "We just tell her." "Mom." "I told them to stop." "He can't be like that." "It's not fair." "You told them..." "all by yourself?" "I was married to him for 43 years." "There's no one else to do it but me." "Come on, girls." "Let's go sit with your father." "What do I want from retirement?" "Well, the same as anybody else." "Uh, you know, I'd like to sit in the sun... with my beautiful wife... and my - my children and my grandchildren." "Uh, time-- that's what anybody wants-- time to... finally do the really important things."