"...following Wall Street's sharp rebound... and boosted by a renewed hope in a government plan... to lift the banking sector out of its doldrums." "In currency trade" "Hey." "Hi." "Me and my buddy, we just moved in next door." "We were wondering who lives here." "Nice to meet you." "I was just about to get in the shower." "Come on in, I'll be out in a moment." "Nice." "She's hot." "Yeah, you're telling me." "I thought I told you guys to wait in the other room." "We thought you might need some help getting clean." "This is so cool." "Yeah, you like this, don't you?" "Oh, yeah." "Let's move over here." "You're a nasty girl, aren't you?" "You guys are the best neighbors I ever had." "David." "You're all wet." "Were you crying?" "No, it was raining." "And, yes, I was crying." "I Iove you." "We get just about all the minerals and vitamins that bones need... from things like sunshine." "Didn't I ask you to clean up after yourself?" "Why did you ask for an omelet if you weren't hungry?" "I was, but now my tummy hurts." "Again?" "girl, you better eat some breakfast." "Maybe I'm full." "Eat half of it and you can watch MTV... or don't eat and go to school hungry, it's your choice." "That's good, bribe her." "Did I ask for your input?" "I gotta go." "Go." "Your car is blocking me in." "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "What's wrong with me?" "I'm taking care of taylor..." "I don't know where her mother is, I haven't slept in two months... since I shot and killed that man." "I'm sick of your shit." "I'm sick and tired of you taking it all out on me." "This is way more than I signed on for." "I've got an idea." "Find what's yours, and take it when you leave." "Then I'II never have to look at your ass again." "I have a better idea." "I'II go right now." "If you find any of my stuff, you can shove it up your tight white ass." "Who the hell you think you're talking to?" "I know you didn't call my ass white." "My tummy hurts." "The answer is no, I'm sorry." "It's not Iike it's some stranger." "It's your sister." "It's not Iike it's KabuI." "It's Topanga, it's not even an hour from here." "You heard what was done to Nate." "I don't think anything was done to him." "In case you haven't hung out with any 15-year-oId guys... they're like total hornswoggIers." "It was a much more innocent time." "What, the '80s?" "Your brother was a much more innocent boy... to say nothing of what happened to David." "He hiked three miles down the canyon in pitch dark... to get away from those people." "He cut his ear on a bramble." "The answer is no." "Have you thought at all about scaffolding?" "When your house is faIIing apart, you build scaffolding... to support you while you are doing the work." "And I think a great way to build scaffolding... is to revisit old experiences but try them a new way." "So I'm going out there after school today... and spend the weekend and be back on Sunday." "I haven't even told Justin yet." "He doesn't know his father's dead." "Jewish tradition says we have to bury him tomorrow." "You have had Jewish funerals here before, right?" "Of course." "We decided not to do this in our temple because of the way Jeffrey died." "Jess, if you want, I can do this with Jeffrey's mother." "Fuck it, I can do it." "What do you need to know?" "He killed himself for no reason... while I was at goddamn Gymboree with Tess." "Tess is four." "while I was with her, my husband, Jeffrey Shapiro... who worked for the third best law firm in LA... and was three months away from making partner...." "He came home... on his lunch break and he hung himself... with his pants around his ankles in our goddamn sunroom." "There's your fucking eulogy." "Can you say that in Hebrew?" "So you'II be conducting the service, Rabbi?" "I Iove my new place." "You have to come see it." "It's a condo, but it's like a hotel, too." "It's got a concierge and a bidet." "Get me one of those jumbo beers on the side as well." "I'II share it with her." "Get your own." "Make it two, thanks." "To living alone, finally." "To bidets." "And to starting over, with us, sweetheart." "I think I was under much more emotional pressure than I ever realized." "And I'm actually so sorry for those awful things I said to you." "Thank you." "Aren't you sorry for hitting me?" "Yes, that was insane of me, but" "No buts, Brenda." "Just be sorry." "I know it was probably my fault, but I don't want to know why." "So, now the headline." "That whore has moved in with your father." "Dad's seeing a whore?" "The whore of tranquility Spa, Brenda." "Has your father said anything to you about her?" "What's in it for her, money?" "I know she's not in it for sex." "Your father's not what he used to be after years of PaxiI" "Okay, that'II be fine, Mom." "AII right, then." "Let's talk about you." "You sure you want to lose the focus just yet?" "Come on now, what's up in your world?" "Nate and I are getting married." "Is he smart enough for you?" "Does he have what it takes, up here?" "Like you?" "Like me?" "No, Mom, he's not Iike us." "He doesn't think so hard he wants to put a staple gun to his forehead." "I get it." "He's uncomplicated." "I've been with a man or three like that." "But Bern always had me because I knew he was much smarter than I am." "That's why it's still so hot with us, all these years later." "And we're back." "I'm sorry." "So, how did he propose?" "I asked him." "You didn't." "Yeah, I know, it's really funny." "It's almost as funny as the notion of you trying to build a life on your own." "I don't see how he could kill himself when he's got three kids." "I don't think he meant to." "He hung himself." "I talked to the Quincy down at the morgue... and he says that the cops said there was a porno playing in the VCR." "And they found a bottle of AstrogIide." "What's AstrogIide?" "It's lube." "Lubrication." "For sex." "Thank you, David." "No problemo." "Wait a minute, I know about this." "He was doing autoerotic asphyxiation..." "Iike the guy in that band?" "You got it." "See, you cut off the air supply... and that heightens the stimulation in the ensuing orgasm." "Here's the giveaway:" "they found a lemon wedge on the floor." "You keep the lemon in your mouth... and at the moment of climax... you bite down on it to wake you up, so you don't die." "See, the lemon was Iying on the floor, untouched." "I'm calling to let you know that Eddie and I broke up." "I'm so sorry." "Are you okay?" "I broke it off with him." "AII right, then." "Thank you for telling me, I'm going to go now." "So, there's this part in my book... where the main character meets a high-cIass hooker." "Is this fiction, or nonfiction?" "It's still kind of working itself out." "There's definitely someone based on you." "Part of her is you." "excellent." "As long as she doesn't get raped and murdered to pay for her sins." "I'm so sick of that tired old story." "She's way beyond conventional morality." "I can't wait to read it." "I jerked off a client the other day." "I didn't know you did release." "No, I don't." "He didn't ask me to." "So, I'm sure you can imagine sometimes the guy gets a hard-on." "normally I just ignore it." "So what, was this guy just exceptionally hot?" "No, not even." "So I'm giving the guy a massage... he flips over, there's this hard-on." "It was kind of huge, but you'd never guess by looking at the guy." "I couId tell that he wanted me to touch it." "I thought, well, I would be crossing a line." "And then I did." "I crossed a line." "You are hilarious." "I mean, what is that?" "Am I trying to be you or something?" "I don't know." "How'd you feel afterwards?" "I was weirdly kind of inspired." "I wrote this really cool chapter about it." "As long as it's all for your art." "Yeah." "Aunt Sarah, hi!" "Baby, is everything okay?" "I thought we said a "probabIy-maybe" about next weekend." "But this weekend is fine, it's just fine." "I thought it was this weekend." "I'm totally cool to go home and come back whenever." "You're here, and you're mine." "I have to believe the universe sent you." "It's our annual Howl weekend." "alien Ginsburg Howl?" "Yes." "So you're down." "wonderful." "He was a dear friend." "We once shared a flat in berlin... until I got fed up with the parade of Aryan starfucker boys." "I'm going to summon his energy this weekend." "I'm expecting some visitors." "A wonderful poet named basil... and the painter Fiona KIeinschmidt, have you heard of her?" "A couple of freaks and some nasty hippies from my druggie days." "It's going to be a riot." "Sure you don't want me to come back later?" "WouIdn't hear of it." "I'II show you to your sleeping nook." "I Iove that bag." "Why did you do that to me?" "Do what?" "That." "Just calling me and telling me that." "hold on a second." "Mom, I'm on the phone." "Are you going to have supper?" "I'm making pork chops." "No, Mom, I won't be having dinner with you." "Sorry." "What do you want?" "You called me." "I was calling to find out why you called me to tell me you guys broke up." "You're my friend." "I thought you'd want to know what happens in my Iife." "A month ago you didn't think we should see each other anymore." "Things change." "Just what exactly is your agenda?" "I don't have an agenda, okay?" "Yeah, right." "wonderful." "Great." "Thank you for sharing." "Shut up, just keep it shut." "I was just eating." "I spent most of the '90s thinking that stripping was goddess work... but I've come around to my original position which is that it's just plain cheap." "I've always been astonished at some of that pole work." "I once saw this woman, she could hang upside down from 20 feet in the air." "She looked like an inverted Jesus." "It's the PVC boots." "They make your legs stick to the metal." "No way." "I would totally take my clothes off on stage... at Ieast once, if I didn't harbor a vague feeling of hatred about my body." "You're crazy, you have a beautiful body." "Thank you." "That's Nate." "Listen, the whole prostitute thing..." "he wouldn't be into it." "Whatever." "Hey." "Hi." "Oh, God." "Where'd you get the hummus?" "Sorry, incredibly rude and hungry." "This is Nate, my fiancé." "This is my friend, melissa." "cool." "Where'd you guys meet?" "melissa's a client of mine." "So does Brenda have all your auras aligned?" "Chakras." "Did you note the tone of mocking?" "Have you guys ever heard of autoerotic asphyxiation?" "Cutting off your air supply so you can come harder?" "Sure." "There's a name for it in the fetish community." "It's called breath play." "I read a thing." "We have this guy who died of it... and it's weird because it's definitely suicide... but is it accidental suicide or just plain old suicide?" "He was indulging in something he knew could kill him... but even if it's accidental it's still sort of on purpose, right?" "What do you mean, "this guy we have"?" "Nate's an undertaker." "funeral director." "Did you note the tone of mocking in that?" "Don't tell me you're a couple that likes to bicker in front of others... until it gets uncomfortable and I have to leave and you guys fuck?" "No." "No, not us." "Okay, you want to know my agenda?" "My agenda is to take you to dinner tomorrow night." "You there?" "If I say yes, what am I agreeing to?" "You and me having dinner, maybe a little conversation, that's all." "Dinner?" "We could make a plan, but it seems a little soon after" "would you just shut up and say yes?" "Yes, I would Iike to have dinner with you tomorrow night." "How you doing, baby?" "Good." "How are you?" "Be careful, Snoopy has an ear infection." "I brought tomatoes from my garden." "But I'm making the sauce, right?" "Do you have fresh pasta or do I make some?" "The Napa contingent can't make it." "Fernando's doing community service, again." "Who are you?" "This is claire, Ruth's daughter." "I didn't know Ruth had a daughter." "If I remember correctly, you certainly knew she had a son." "How is Ruth?" "How is NathanieI?" "My mom's great." "My dad is not so great." "He's dead." "Shame." "hell of a guy, your dad." "So funny, fucking wicked." "I can still see him sitting here at this counter... hunched over his little rolling machine." "He used a rolling machine." "I'm gonna have my cell phone on, in case you need to call me or anything." "Okay, have a good one." "You want another cup of coffee?" "If you make it, I'II drink it." "Be really careful when you're taking down this plastic... 'cause of JuIio's allergies." "There's tons of dust all through here." "Okay, I got it." "We know, honey." "I'm going to make some breakfast." "Hungry?" "That sounds good." "I moved your circular saw to the porch." "I know, man, I got it." "It's cool." "Honey..." "listen, if it gets too loud in here... you can take the kids to the park." "You don't have to stay." "Okay, baby, I got it." "Have a good day." "Okay." "julio, turn that TV down." "There's a spray cleaner that's much more earth friendly." "Maybe I'II order it." "Oh, god damn it!" "Or we can keep using this." "I don't talking to you!" "Are you mad at us?" "Why the grumps, Mr. Cranky Pants?" "Someone's in a real snoot." "I don't think he's feeling well." "I feeling fine." "I can't come to your house for dinner tonight." "I have other obligation." "We planned this three days ago." "I bought aubergines." "I can't." "Stop with all the question, okay?" "I'm not asking you questions." "I haven't asked you any questions." "So, tell... what do you do with aubergines?" "It's a Greek thing, it's like a...." "It's like a lasagna." "would you Iike to have dinner with me tonight?" "Nothing would please me more, muffin." "Star sighting." "I think I just saw that Jewish "Friend" in there." "What, Jennifer Aniston?" "The guy." "Ross." "Right." "I'II be back in a couple hours." "Hey, did you forget to shave?" "I was running late." "really?" "I'II thank you not to discuss my facial hair any further." "Come here, Iet me check it out." "Come on." "What time's your date?" "Who said I have a date?" "Tonight." "Dinner." "It's a little soon." "The whole Oops-I-didn't-know-I-was-sexy stubble look... will peak at around noon tomorrow." "believe me, I've perfected the art." "Can you make it drinks after dinner?" "You'II have more time." "I can't discuss this now." "I'm going out." "clothes shopping?" "No." "Stay out of Structure." "Augusto's got a little cold... so I'm gonna head home and give Vanessa a little break." "Okay, that's cool." "I'II be right here, then." "You may be seated." "We are here today to mourn the loss of Jeffrey Marc Shapiro." "TaImud says, "Better is one day in this life..." ""than all eternity in the world to come."" ""And if they ask, you answer" ""Damn the high-waIIed guard towers of right and left" ""Coast to coast, now, here upon a time" ""where leaf shines, shimmers" ""tokes to toasts" ""Fear forever, nevermore"" "And there you have it, the crap of the moment!" "It's not crap." "Look what just arrived." "Hi, jill!" "Hey, magic mushrooms, special delivery." "Throw them in the sauce." "No, no, sauté them first." "You guys, sauté them first!" "Hey, do you have any of that THC butter in the freezer from last year?" "Hey!" "Fuck!" "What the fuck?" "What the fuck is going on in here?" "Just get out of here, man." "Give me a sec." "Get out of here?" "This is my fucking house, you fucking homo!" "It's nothing." "Just chill, Rico." "Damn!" "Are you out of your fucking mind?" "My kids could have seen that!" "Vanessa!" "She took the kids to the park." "Are you fucking crazy?" "Are you out of your fucking homo mind?" "Get the fuck out of here!" "What the fuck is wrong with you, Ramon?" "Do you have anything to fucking say?" "No, I'm just going to get out of here until you calm the hell down, okay?" "Damn!" "What the fuck?" "What the fucking fuck?" "Rabbi?" "You can call me Ari." "I need to ask you a few questions." "As a funeral director, I want to ask about death from a Jewish point of view." "Sure." "But I warn you, Jews tend to answer questions with more questions." "I'II give you my card." "I mean now." "We're going straight to the cemetery." "You could drive with me." "I'm coming." "Mother." "Baby." "I got this for you." "It doesn't need watering or caring about in any way." "So, Brenda, I had this vision of your wedding at the hollyhock House." "They're wonderful as long as you bring in your own caterer." "LouIou SmigeI's daughter had her wedding there." "well, actually, I was thinking of somewhere more beautiful and natural." "Oh, God!" "What?" "You know, your father and I got married on the beach... and we ran in the surf afterwards." "Yeah, I know." "You were barefoot, he wore clogs." "I think you're going to have to leave." "I've just got so much coming up right now... and I need to go in my room and sob for an hour." "Look, I couId stay." "I'II massage your shoulders." "No, that...." "It doesn't help me right now that you're here." "Sure I can't make you a cup of tea or something?" "I'm sure." "And, Brenda... please don't tell your father that you saw me cry." "Mom, come on, Iet me help." "I'm not billy." "If you want to help me, just leave." "Okay." "Every time I get a headache, I'm thinking this could be it." "You must be really scared." "Yeah, I'm going to die." "Yeah, me, too." "really, what do you have?" "A body." "Okay." "Yeah, we're all going to die... and maybe I'm going to die before everyone else, maybe not." "So what's the Jewish answer to what I'm supposed to do now?" "I don't know what the Jewish answer is." "I know what I try to do." "I try to live my Iife... every day in a way that honors God." "I don't even know if I believe in God." "Maybe it's time to find him." "Maybe God's a woman." "Maybe." "There he is now." "Jeffrey Shapiro." "I'II wait here by the car." "Come and watch him be buried." "Jeffrey can't repay you, so it's considered a great mitzvah." "Kindness, love, for its own sake." "Some people call that God." "What I'm saying is, yes, definitely, forgive your mother and father." "I mean, we've all heard that before, but what's become clear... is that my family of origin never really lived in a house." "They lived in this tent city psychologically." "It's no wonder that my own house never felt remotely like it was built on solid ground" "Shut up." "Shut the mouth." "It was built on this quicksand of emotional incest..." "if there is such a thing...." "Shutting it now." "Shutting it and stopping it." "But The plan would call that "old bIueprinting"...." "If you say another word, I will stab you in the heart with a fork." "...that's about the size of it." "If there is a God in heaven, he will surely shut your mouth." "You never stop renovating." "Robbie, I have to tell you something now." "I do believe I've learned everything I needed to Iearn from The plan... and I no Ionger feel the urge to speak in building metaphors... or talk about myself or my feelings in this way... any longer." "I don't know what kind of power trip you're on, but it seems cruel, to be honest." "Oh, God, Keith, you poor thing." "You mind checking on her one more time?" "Sure." "Hi." "Hey." "How is she?" "She's in surgery right now." "I guess her appendix was huge, but they got it before it burst... and she's going to be fine." "I'm just waiting." "It's been an hour and a half." "She kept telling me her stomach was hurting... and I thought it was some kind of game." "You can't be perfect all the time, Keith." "That's what life's about:" "striving for perfection." "And when that faiIs, accepting ourselves for being imperfect." "Not in my book." "God, you are so seIf-righteous sometimes." "Yeah, and you are a doormat." "Do I really come off as being a doormat?" "How is she?" "Great." "It went very smoothly." "She's in recovery." "Good." "When can I see her?" "You can wait for her in her room." "When she comes out of her anesthesia, she might be a little weepy." "Don't let it concern you." "Thank you." "Oh, God, don't let her come over here." "No, it's too late." "Beat these gourds!" "No spectators!" "Oh, my God, is there a lock on this thing?" "They use this place as a meditation hut... but it's been my safe-house more times than I care to remember." "What fucking freaks." "Yeah, at Ieast two of them aren't your parents." "I'm their designated driver...every year." "Sorry." "It's better than getting a call from the sheriff... saying your parents are laying in the bottom of Topanga Canyon... and would I Iike a ride in a helicopter." "We shouldn't be doing this." "Why not?" "Because, you know, Iike... people are having, Iike, end-of-the-worId sex... and just, I didn't bring condoms...." "Like I would even anyway." "Yeah, right." "No." "No." "I mean, you're quite the fox, I'm happy to report... but, Iike, I would never just hook up with somebody I just met." "Like, ever." "seriously?" "seriously." "I get it." "You're just trying to let me get my guard down... and then, all of a sudden, we're hooking up." "Wrong." "I'm 19, okay, claire?" "I've had the major life experience to know... it kind of sucks to enter the body of another human being you're not in love with." "Okay, what are you, Iike, straight-edge, or all Jesusy or just gay?" "None of those things, okay?" "Forget it." "Just lay down here with me." "We won't have sex." "That's all you have to know." "Whatever." "Who said I even wanted you to?" "I promise you, you're gonna be fine." "This is all going to be over soon, and we'II have you back at home." "I'm sorry I got sick." "Baby, it's not your fault." "You kept trying to tell me." "I just wasn't paying attention to you." "In the future, we need to have a code word, okay?" "Okay." "Secret words you can use to let me know when the pain is real... and you're not just playing." "But it was always real." "I know." "Baby, I'm sorry." "I don't know why you guys are depressed." "I haven't gotten laid since September 1 1 ... 1985." "You laughed at the wrong part." "I'm just telling you." "What a crowd!" "You drinking NyQuiI, ladies?" "Sit up, come on!" "blonde Jews, everybody!" "Hip crowd!" "Good to see you back in men's clothes, Senator." "AII right." "Cousin Stu, right out of rehab." "Good to see you." "The landscaper's here, thank God!" "So what's shiva mean, standup?" "Jeffrey represented a Iot of comedians." "There's one part I haven't told you." "I'm engaged." "well, we couldn't go out anyway." "You're not Jewish." "No, I didn't mean...." "You would go out with me?" "No, I just said I wouldn't." "But it crossed your mind." "I said, I would not." "well, then, why'd you say it?" "You thought about it." "Come on." "Maybe." "You know, with your whole illness thing..." "I have a bit of a messiah complex... saving the men." "Yes, messiah complex." "You know, you can save me." "If that's what you need to do, you can save me." "It's really good that you have someone." "If anything is going to save you, that will." "Yeah." "I haven't told her about my whole head thing." "How could you not tell your soul mate something like that?" "I don't even know if she's my soul mate." "I get it." "She's not your soul mate but you're going to marry her..." "I don't know what else to do." "...because you have nothing better to do." "Great." "That sounds good." "Hey, I don't even know what a soul mate is, do you?" "The person who makes you be the most "you" that you could possibly be." "Maybe your soul mate... is the person... who forces your soul to grow the most." "Not all growth feels good." "Hey, melissa, it's Brenda." "I've been driving around for hours." "You want to have a drink or something?" "call me if you get in tonight, okay?" "Bye." "Whatever." "Like that?" "Oh, yeah." "Are you gonna fuck me?" "Yeah, I'm gonna fuck you." "I'm gonna fuck you hard." "Yeah?" "Harder than you ever been fucked." "Oh, good!" "What's your name?" "Thank you for coming, Mr. Fisher." "glad to." "Did he want to die?" "Did he want to leave us?" "How could he have wanted that?" "I don't know." "What do you think?" "I don't think he wanted to die." "Nate, leave your clothes on." "I'II get naked." "You can go outside and come back as a dangerous intruder." "Come on, I'm serious." "It'II be fun." "I'II pretend I'm asleep, and then you can come in and have your way with me." "I don't really feel like it, all right?" "Okay, you don't have to go outside." "Just do it from in here." "Hey, I've never seen you before." "What's your name?" "Nate." "My name is Nate." "That's pretty funny." "My fiancé's name is Nate." "I Iove you so much." "You're so soft, baby." "I Iove you." "I Iove you so much." "Harder!" "Come on." "Did the music wake you up?" "No, I've been up for a while actually." "I took a walk in the canyon." "beautiful, isn't it?" "My God, it's gorgeous!" "We'II have a weekend soon, just you and me, okay?" "You come back when there's not so much craziness." "The craziness was totally fine." "It was fun, actually." "Good." "I Iove this song." "It's so pretty." "You want a waffle before you go?" "No, thanks." "well, then, tell everyone I Iove them and miss them... and want them to get their butts here super soon, okay?" "especially that mama of yours." "Yeah, right, Iike she would ever." "I think she hides inside of herself because she's so afraid we'II reject her." "So let's don't, okay?" "She's had enough heartache for one lifetime." "You can keep it, sweetheart." "Thanks." "As soon as I figure out which two are my parents..." "I'm just gonna roll them up in a rug and throw them in my trunk." "Let me know if I can help." "I think I'II start with some coffee." "But give me your number if you're taking off." "seriously?" "I figured I'd never see you again." "well, you were wrong." "I'II come into the city." "Okay, I'II write down my number." "So, you get the 8 x 10 and the 24 wallet sizes for under $20." "Pedro is the spitting image of Ramon." "Right?" "And everybody said he looked just like me for the longest time." "Hey, morning, baby!" "Hey!" "Hey, GracieIa." "So, Rico, Ramon told me why he's not finishing your house." "He did?" "Yeah, just because he has different taste in tile than you do." "I mean, you could have returned what he bought and got something else." "Yeah, I guess I couId have." "I know, girl, it sounds crazy to me, too, but you know how men are." "Se ponen locos with that machismo stuff." "I guess I just really wanted to do my own house myself." "My way." "You know how to do construction?" "You know, I want to Iearn." "I got some books and" "That's cool, but just don't hold a grudge, okay?" "I gotta go." "Ramon is watching the kids, and he's going to kill me." "Okay, girl." "Bye." "See you guys later." "Baby, you're such a weirdo sometimes." "Whatever." "Are you even going to ask about my weekend?" "I wasn't planning on it." "I had fun." "I'm glad." "I found some slugs in the garden." "Neat." "I'm gonna go take a nap."