""In every single moment of your life you are everything that you have been and everything that you will be."" "Jorge Luis Borges" "Do you like my long, luxurious hair?" "You probably think I was born with this hair." "Well think again, I was not." "It's my shampoo." "That's right, the secret is Weleflex Long and Sassy." "Long and Sassy is much better than the other leading brands." "It has no additives, no preservatives or cholesterol, just beautiful hold and bounce." "Elliot, what the hell are you doin' in there?" "Hurry up already!" "Elliot, Jesus F-ing Christ, did you fall in?" "Alright, you little fuck," "I'm coming back as soon as Wheel of Fortune is over." "You hear me?" "That's right, Long and Sassy is the only shampoo" "I let near my long, luxurious hair." "I wouldn't trust it to anything else." "Would you?" "Elliot Loves" "I'm done!" "Joe" "What's up?" "Hey, what's up?" "What's your name?" "Elliot." "I was wondering when you were going to notice me." "I've been staring at you all night." "For real?" "Yeah, you want a beer?" "Oh, sure, please." "Two Heinekens." "Is that okay with you?" "Thanks a lot." "So, Elliot, don't you want to know my name?" "Right, what's your name?" "I was gettin' a little afraid for a second." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah, if you don't know my name, what are gonna whisper in my ear when I take you home with me tonight?" "It's Joe." "Elliot, yo check it out, this is Luis." "I just met him." "He's Egyptian or Muslim or you know, like whatever country Nefertiti's from, but he's so cute he could be Puerto Rican, what you think?" " He's fine." " He's fine?" " Mm-hmm, he's fine." " He's fine?" " Mm-hmm, he's fine." " You sure?" "Yeah, Hector, I'm sure." "He's fine, he's alright, okay." "Alright, damn, calm down." "I just don't want to embarrass myself." "I have a reputation to maintain after all." "I'm sure." "Okay." "We'll be headin' out." "And don't let me catch you makin' eyes at no one." "Peace out." "What were we talking about?" "So you wanna smoke out with me?" "So Elliot," "I think you're really cute." "Nuh-uh." "Yeah, you're really hot." "I get away with a lot." "Psych, know when to stop." "You know what Elliot means in old German?" "No, tell me." "He who walks with God." "What?" "It's true, no lie." "Here." "What do you want to do after this?" "Can we get something to eat?" "He was lying to me." "He was cheating on me." "He had a girlfriend." "He was cheating his girlfriend." "I was so naive." "And then after him I dated this guy Edmundo." "And how long was this one?" "Two days." "Wow, pretty intense relationship." "Yeah, it was." "Wow, he really broke my heart, you know?" "Anyway." "So, what happened?" "He was, you know a dog and he did a lot of shitty shit behind my back." "So what'd you do?" "Did you beat him up?" "No, me and my friend Sally, she's my best friend, were gonna throw a brick through the windshield of his Camry, but then I thought I gotta get past this." "It's not worth it." "Yeah, best to put the whole two days behind you." "Exactly!" "Are you making fun of me?" "Nah, nah, well, maybe just a little bit." "Just a little's okay." "Okay, pancakes, bacon and sausage," "toast, home fries." "Oh, thank you." "You sure you don't want some?" "Mm-mm." "Because you know, you're paying so." "The pancakes don't come with real maple syrup?" "Extra." "Real maple syrup, two please." "Thanks a lot." "I'm not used to this." "None of my boyfriends ever take me out." "You're the first." "♫ I've been driftin' round just to try to find" "♫ All my life" "♫ I've been drifin' round waiting all this time" "♫ All my life" "♫ For you" "♫ You" "♫ And I don't know what to do ♫" "You're Puerto Rican, right?" "Mm-mm, I'm Dominican, can't you tell?" "Uh-uh." "What are you?" "Mexican." "Syrup." "Oh, thank God." "You Mexican?" "Uh-huh." "Me too." "Yeah." "Well, half Mexican." "Like to know which half?" "Okay, thank you." " Thank you!" " Do you" " Do you need" " No!" "Okay." "Anyway, yeah I'm so Dominican, look it," "I got a big dick and a bad temper." "What else could I be?" "Psych, know when to stop, when to stop." "Yeah, you're Dominican all right." "'Cause you're so fucking goofy." "Keep it cute, papi." "You wanna see me be rough?" "Yeah, please." "What?" "Come here." "I didn't mean to kiss you." "I just wanted to make you to stop talking." "That's the way to do it." "You havin' a good time?" "Bet you wanna marry me." "Hey baby." "Come on, I'll show you all the stuff I brought back." "Yeah." "Did you take pictures?" "Yeah, I just gotta download 'em, but look what I got you." "Aw, did you get me anything else?" "Come on, don't be like that." "Hey, come meet my boyfriend." "Want to stay for breakfast?" ""I guess we have to go back."" "My name is Elliot Ayende." "I was born in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York." "Ma says my father run into her life like a knight in shining armor." "Problem was, he kept on going." "Ever since, it's always been just the two of us, usually." "What the fuck does your son do in the bathroom all day?" "Same thing you do out here all day, sit on my ass." "You know kid, just 'cause I've only been with your mom for two weeks, don't think I won't kick your ass." "Oh, don't make me laugh." "That would require you to get off the couch." "Ma says she's only attracted to one kinda guy:" "the wrong kind." "What the fuck are you lookin' at?" "Just not used to seeing you stand." "Recently, Ma and I decided to move." "Eviction?" "I don't know what they're talking about because I pay the fucking rent." "And now we're making a fresh start." "Alright Ma, this is your last chance." "What takes you so long?" "Are you passing a brick?" "What?" "I'm so sorry." "Oh my God." "Elliot, get your things together, okay?" "Your mother's here." "You're excused for the day." "Thank you." "I'm so sorry." "Come here." "Thank you." "If there's anything you need at all, please let me know, okay?" "Okay, thank you." "Anything, oh, and I assigned the children show and tell, something about their parents." " It's due next week." " Okay." " Don't hesitate, okay?" " Okay." "We have a counselor here, for anything." "Okay, thank you." "Okay, have a good day." "Thanks." "Bye honey." "What's wrong?" "Shut up." "What did you do?" "I told her that your father's parents died in a plane crash." "Ma!" "What?" "It happens all the time." "I need to talk to you about something important, come on." "It must suck to be stuck in here all day." "El, look." "Look at how nice that car is." "What kind of a car is that?" "I think, I think it's a Grand Prix." "That is nice." "It sucks being poor." "I know, tell me about it." "So are you gonna listen to my surprise or are you gonna eat?" "What's up?" "Today when I was watching the Price is Right," "I won the Showcase Showdown!" "No!" "Uh-huh, listen to this." "Listen to what I could've won because you're not gonna fucking believe it." "A brand new dining room set from Ethan Allen, a set of Baccarat crystal to go with the dining room set, six nights, seven days in Hawaii and a brand new Ford Granada!" "It was the best showcase ever." "In all of my years watching the Price is Right it has never been that good." "I think Bob Barker couldn't believe it." "It was like he wanted to bid on it too." "So, how much was it?" "Guess." "Dining room set, crystal, trip and a car." "Ten thousand?" "I hate when you do that!" "Come on, I hate when you deliberately underbid, so you don't go over." "Play right or don't play." "Alright, alright." "Twenty thousand." "Are you sure?" "Uh-huh." "You don't want to change your bet?" "Mm-mm." "You overbid." "No!" "You always do that." "You always overbid." "Always." "You know what it was?" "16,900, I guessed it on the nose, so that means I won both showcases." "What was in the other showcase?" "Oh my God, who cares?" "There was like a snowmobile or something." "I mean, what am I supposed to do, ride the snowmobile to the fucking supermarket?" "No, the only thing that we need is the car." "Well, the car and the dining room set." "The rest we would sell." "What?" "What?" "I had a few fries." "You had them all!" "Don't exaggerate, I had a few." "I hate when you pick at my food!" "Why didn't you just get your own?" "Oh, oh, why?" "Because this morning when I woke up, our last name wasn't Rockefeller, okay?" "Listen, I gotta talk to you." "Tonight I'm gonna be at the Dunkin' Doughnuts from 10pm to 6am, okay?" "Have fun, woman." "Oh, alright, well, you know you two are gonna be home together." "He's going to be there?" "Where else would my boyfriend be?" "I don't know, some place where he's paying rent." "Stop it!" "El, El come on, don't be that way." "Come on, I do so much for you." "Like right now you could be stuck in school, instead we get to go home and watch All My Children together." "I want things to work out this time, El." "What did I tell you?" "I want us to have a fresh start." "Come on, don't you want that?" "You ought to give it a chance." "Ma, you gotta stop this." "Don't start with me." "Alright." "Alright?" "You gonna help me out?" "You'll make an effort?" "And when we go see my family this weekend for" "Grandma's birthday you'll tell them everything's great, hmm?" "Chulo?" "You wanna get dessert?" "We don't got money for that." "Oh stop it, don't you be a spoil-sport." "I'm having a great day." "I won both showcases." "Come on, hurry up." "What do you want?" "Banana split." "My favorite!" " With chocolate ice cream?" " No, vanilla." "Miss?" "Miss, can I have a banana split with one scoop vanilla and one scoop chocolate and two spoons?" "We're gonna share, alright?" " Thank you." " Thank you, papa." "When was the last time you saw All My Children?" "Monday." "Oh, let me fill you in." "After Joe" "Elliot!" "Sally!" "Where have you been?" "I've been trying to get a hold of you." "Oh my God, Sally, you're not going to believe my week." "What's going on?" "First, I was all down and depressed and suicidal, but then I met the cutest guy and he was so sweet, we're having the best time together." "MONDAY Baby, want to see my dance of clean?" "Yes." "You're clean." "And things are going great and we're even talking about maybe moving in together." "Elliot, I like you a lot and I never said this to no guy before, but..." "I want you to wear my chain." "Thank you, Mikey." "Baby, wanna see my dance of clean?" "TUESDAY Oh, you know it." "You're clean." "Sounds fabulous." "No, Sally, unfortunately the relationship took a rapid turn for the worse." "WEDNESDAY Baby, wanna see my dance of clean?" "Elliot, you're blocking Judge Jane." "Excuse me, I'm the judge here, I'm the judge!" "Oh." "Do not interrupt me, sir" "I want to know what happened." "It turns out the whole three days he was with me, he was kicking it to another guy." "It's true!" "Is that true, sir?" "Is that true?" "THURSDAY" "This is all you got?" "Ah, come on, El, you know I ain't got a job." "You still don't have a job?" "Yeah, well I can't take the first thing that's offered to me." "Oh no you don't!" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "Whoa, El." "But check this out, the whole three days I was with Mikey, his best friend Octavio really liked me." "Yo, Elliot, I gotta tell you somethin'." "For the whole three days you was with Mikey," "I really liked you." "So now you're with Octavio?" "Sally please, let me get to the end of the story, alright?" "So, Octavio and I are hanging out" "and having a great time" "and everything was going real good." "STILL THURSDAY" "Who's that?" "I don't know." "Hang on." "Yo Elliot, this is my friend Noah." "He missed the last PATH train back to Jersey, so he's gonna crash at my place, alright?" "Um, yeah, okay." "Okay?" "Okay." "Chill out." "Don't stop when the story finally gets good." "What happened?" "Yeah, he's alright." "Well, come on." "Octavio, I'm gonna go home." "Don't shit me!" "Okay." "So what's the problem?" "Don't you wanna have some fun?" "Yeah Sally, but it's hard for me to explain." "FRIDAY" "Please, God, just give me a sign that the right guy is out there." "Excuse me, we're closed." "Let me tell you something, the church may be closed, but God is open twenty-four, seven." "We're closed." "Thank you, God!" "Sometimes, all you need is just a little lift from God." "Pay your fare!" "Did any of you notice a super fly Latin boy who just got on this train?" "I mean, other than myself." "Thanks a lot." " I want to let everyone know." " Thank you so much." "You're so cute." "Elliot, check it out." "Oh!" "It's for our first anniversary." " You got one too?" " Of course." "Damn, you guys are so lucky." "Tell me about it." "Listen, we're gonna have a party here next week and you gotta come, alright?" "Okay." "We'll catch you later, El." "Bye, Elliot, see you upstairs." "Hey, what's up?" "My boy from church." "I thought I lost you." "Nope, you found me." "Yeah, I'm Kiko." "Elliot." "Yeah, I'm the new go-go boy." "Yo, what up?" "I can't believe they wouldn't let me down here." "I was like, yo, I want to see my friend." "Why you gon' give me shit about it?" "Uh, I'm Hector, I'm so excited to meet you." "What's up?" "Hey, can I can I put my stuff over there?" "Sure." " Yo, El." " What?" "I bet every time he has a hard on, he gets lightheaded." " Are you Puerto Rican?" " Yeah." " You look good enough." " Okay, bye Hector." "No wait, I want to stay, I want to chill." "Employees only." "Yeah, I wanna work here too." "Okay, talk to the manager, okay?" "No, can I get an application?" "Okay, use me as a reference." "Two Ls, one T." "Sorry about my friend." "You know, he's just a kid." "Oh, no problem." "You going upstairs?" "Oh yeah, yeah, hold on." "So, we should hang out." "That would be great." "Yeah, sure." "When?" "When you get off?" "Three." "I think I'm off at one, so I guess I could hang around and wait for you, if you like." "Really?" "Yeah, I'll wait for you." "I mean, you don't have to 'cause, you know," "I don't want to cause any trouble or anything." "Okay, well maybe we can chill some other time then." "I'll catch you whenever." "No, no, no, tonight's great." "Tonight's perfect." "I thought I had other plans, but come to think of it, I don't." "Tonight's perfect, let's hang out." "Alright, so you want me to wait for you?" "Please." "Cool, I'll wait for you." "Or, I could just quit at one and make it easier." "Nah, that's alright." "You don't gotta do that." "So, do you wait around for guys a lot?" "No." "So, just me then?" "Yeah, pretty much, but like I said," "I'm gonna wait for you." "Thank you." "How old are you?" "21, but I've had a lot of relationships." "You know, you're cute, you know that?" "That's what the boys tell me." "So, you gonna?" "Tough week?" "Tough life?" "Maybe, a little." "My week." "So, I guess I'm not going upstairs." "Damn, I guess my skills must be gettin' rusty." "Well, is it okay to hang here on your stoop and conver-sate?" "Sure, that'd be great, I'd like that." "Okay, I have to warn you, conver-sating, it's not my strong point." "That's okay, it's mine." "I'm great at it." "Oh yeah, so you think you can instruct me?" "Absolutely." ""What were your dreams?"" "Elliot, don't get me into trouble, remember your promise." "Yeah, keep your fuckin' mouth shut for once, you little faggot." " Stop it, Danny." " Ma!" "Stop it, Elliot." "Sweety, you made it!" "Come in." "Everything's going great, Mommy." "Danny starts his new job next week and things are really coming together." "Let me tell you my problem with my mother 'cause I can sum it up in a word." "We're gonna be moving soon." "We're looking maybe to buy a house." "She's a bullshit artist." "So, El, how's my sister's new guy?" "He's an asshole" "Maybe a place in the suburbs, you know, where there's better schools for Elliot." "Elliot is so bright." "Ma has three sisters." "My aunt Nani," "my aunt Denise" "and, perhaps my most favorite of all, my aunt Carmen." "And he doesn't have a job?" "Nope." "Is he looking?" "Nope again." "Are you shitting me?" "I am not." "Don't shit me, El!" "I'm not shitting you." "She brought another loser into this house." "She did." "I should'a hid the silver." "Aunt Carmen is distinguished by her time at the beauty academy." "Wow!" "Don't they look great?" "That's technique." "The girls at the academy, they all try to copy me, but it was to no avail." "They still ended up looking like cheap whores." "Look at the little spark-lies." "And her extensive vocabulary." "What was Grandpa like?" "He was a son of a bitch." "Carmen!" "He was a son of a bitch and a piece of shit too and me and Mommy should've thrown the fucker out a lot sooner." "She's right." "Ma was cursing." "That was his name, Fuck, short for Dumb Fuck." "Carmen!" "Alright come on, Elliot, get it up." "Come on, you can do it." "Hold it together." "I just tried this thing on." "I know it fits." "Put it together." "Here let me, okay good, see?" "Fits like a glove, right?" "Okay, now we can move onto the final touches, which really I find to be the most important." "The lip-gloss, the foundation and the concealer." "You know, I wanna start my own line of concealer one day?" "I wanna call it Secrets and the tagline is gonna be every woman has her secrets and they should be concealed." "That's so good." "Yeah, right?" "I wanna start my whole line of cosmetics." "I'm gonna call it Carmen's Secrets." "You should." "Oh, I'll never get around to it." "So, El, how's school?" "It's okay." "Yeah?" "You know, I loved school, right?" "And your mother she was very good at school too." "She was very creative." "I'm gonna show you something, look." "Watch this, it's a trick." "This way, the scent is evenly dispersed." "You like that?" "It smells nice, right?" "So nice." "Yeah, your uncle George got that for me for our 10th anniversary." "I like to smell nice." "Me too." "Yeah?" "You know, me and you, we're a lot alike." "We are both very special people." "And let me tell you something, society can shit on very special people, believe me, I know." "Like when I was in high school, all the girls over there, they hated my guts." "Why?" "Because I was prettier than them and because I developed a lot sooner so, of course, all their boyfriends was after me." "What was I supposed to do, huh?" "Let me tell you something, beauty, my friend, is a burden." "And don't let anybody tell you any different." "And me, your Ti-ti Carmen, I have carried said burden." "Wow." "Yeah," "El, it's tough being special 'cause once you're special, you're always gonna be special." "You know, there's nothing that you can do about it." "So, you gotta be tough, you know?" "You know what I'm talking about here?" "Yes." "What goes on in there?" "He's looking." "But I thought he did have a job." "Carmen please, it's your mother's birthday." "I'm just trying to get to know the man, so one more time, you do or you do not have a job?" "Carmen." "I lost my job." "I was working at this factory" "He was a floor manager." "Oh, a floor manager's very good." "And he lost it." "Well, where was the last time you saw it?" "Carmen!" "A job isn't like a needle in a haystack, you don't gotta be Columbo to find one." "He's looking, okay?" "There's a bad economy." "We're pretty sure he's gonna start something next week." "I thought he was starting something next week." "That's what you said." "Well, yes, they're talking about salary and things." "Fine, fine!" "I'm sorry, Ma." "He does not have a job." "That's all I was asking." "I'm not here to judge." "He is unemployed" "He is without work." "I'm just concerned and curious." "Denise, you guys are off for summer vacation, right?" "When are you guys going?" "Tuesday, but frankly, we can't get away from the firm fast enough." "Such a high powered position, hey." "They can't really do without you guys." "You have no idea." "So where are you guys going this year?" "Oh, Puerto Plata, same as last year." "Oh, that's nice, I always loved that part" " of the island." " See, George, when are you gonna take me on a vacation like that huh?" "I told you, Carmen, all you have to do is promise to keep silent for two hours and I'll take you wherever you want to go." "That's never gonna happen." "You see the way that he talks to me?" "You see the way that he treats your Ti-ti Carmen?" "Alright, that's it, I'm running away with Elliot." "Alright, send me a postcard." "I know what you're getting at, so why don't you just say it?" "I'm the family fuck-up, here we go again." "No, no that is not what we're saying." "Nobody's" "You have made some mistakes." "I mean, there have been incidents." "Carmen." "Look, you're 25, honey, you're not a kid anymore and Elliot is nine years old." "Considering your history, we are just concerned, that's all." "And this has nothing to do with him" "He looks like a very nice man," " alright?" " Carmen." "Hey!" "But this is not about him, this is about you." "Because every time you need something, this is where you come." "You're such a beautiful girl." "I mean, you're talented, you got a beautiful son." "You're wasting your life!" "We want what's best for you and Elliot." "And if you can't provide that then leave him here with us" "For God's sake, there's a good school district right here." "You got a room right upstairs." " Alright?" " Elliot is fine." "He's more than fine, trust me." "Look, all we really wanna know from you is, do you finally have it together?" "I want to go to my room." "Alright, Elliot, go to your room." "You've caused enough trouble tonight." "Go ahead." "Stop it!" "Elliot, just go to your room." "And I don't want to fucking see you for the rest of the night." "Kiko" "You're really good for me, Elliot." "I'm so happy I met you." "Because lots of guys, they just see me dancing on the cube" "I love your dancing." "That's what's up." "And they just want me because I gotta big dick, you know." "I mean, what's up with that?" "I'm still a person too." " Hi Kiko." " What's up?" "But I like you because you really talk to me," " and no one ever does." " I love your work." "Thank you." "We could be really good together, I think." "You know, am I right?" "And I'm not just tryin' to play you either." "Cause I don't have to feed you along." "Hey El!" "I know you like me." "Mm-mm, they so tacky." "Tell me about it." "And you know I like you too, Boo." "Hey El." "Thanks for coming to the party, El." "I'm not playin' around." "If I wanted to be with a guy who likes me 'cause I got a big dick and I'm a go-go boy," "I can find him right off the street." "But I like you, 'cause you're special and I can tell." "And I hope you notice that I'm special, because I am." "Are you lookin' for a rubber?" "I'm looking for a saddle." "If I met you a year ago, it would've been no good." "My heart wasn't big enough, but it's grown and I'm ready for someone like you now." "Okay, if I died, how long would you wait before you had sex with someone else?" "How long should I wait?" "If, God forbid, you died," "I probably would never have sex again." "Who are you bullshitting?" "But if I would have sex again," "I would wait at least a year." "A year?" " Six weeks." " Six weeks?" "Six weeks is for how long you would wait after losing the best, most extraordinary person you have ever met, after losing your absolute reason for being." " Who's that?" " Oh." "I'm just joking." " I'm just jokin'!" " That is so not funny." " Keep it cute, papi." " Come on." "No, you can't play with me no more." "Go find another sandbox." "You can't play in mine." "There goes Elliot, such a slut." "I know, I'm so jealous." "Alright, alright, three months." "Oh, this is not a bargaining situation Kiko." "Four months." "Okay, four months until I can have sex, but after six weeks I can get head." "You are so Puerto Rican." "Oh yeah, papa, ah." "You are so Puerto Rican." "Ah, shut up, let's fuck!" "Okay." "I like you so much." "I'm having so much fun with you." "And I'm having so much, so much fun with you, papi." "I'm so happy to be with you." "I love you." "I love you." "What's wrong?" "I'm scared." "What?" "What?" "I said, you're scaring me." "Have you ever been in love?" "Of course I have." "No, I mean for real." "It sucks." "Look, my ex and I, we were together for three years." "That's a long time and I loved him so much." "You know what he did?" "He cheated." "The fucker broke my heart." "Look, being in love, El, it sucks." "And from now on I just want to have fun." "I'm not gonna put myself in that place again." "But I thought you were ready for someone like me now." "Not if you're gonna fall in love with me." "I don't understand." "Just chill, take it easy." "Everything is cool with us, just don't go falling in love with me." "You get what I'm sayin', right?" "Look, we don't have to move so fast." "What, you in some kind of hurry?" "Cool." "So you're not in love with me, right?" "What I'm gonna do with you, huh chulo?" "What I'm gonna do with you?" "Okay, okay, check it out." "You see that guy over there?" " Wait, quit looking." " What?" "You remember our friend Luis from Guyana?" "Your trashy friend." "Fine, my friend, anyway last month" "Luis fucked that kid, right." "Quit looking!" "So listen, why do all Puerto Ricans in Washington Heights throw out their trash in clear plastic bags?" "Why?" "So all the Dominicans can go window shopping." "That's good." "Okay, my turn." "What do you say to a Puerto Rican in a three piece suit?" "What?" "May the defendant please rise." "Oh, that's messed up." "But in the middle of fuckin' him," " Luis said he was a painter." " What's a painter?" " A painter." " A painter." "A painter, Sally, is a guy who, who's getting fucked." "Hey, you see that kid over there?" "What about him?" "He's cute, right?" "So, I'm sayin', if I want to get his number, what's wrong with that?" "Shouldn't I be able to?" "Ew!" "That's gross and disgusting and sick!" "Tell me more." "Listen, Elliot," "I don't want to be married." "Last night you said you loved me." "Now that's crazy because I've only known you for three weeks." "You don't know anything about me." "So what you want is not what I want." "Yes, it is." "No it isn't." "Look, I'm only 25." "I don't want to be married." "Damn, why you gotta go fuck everything up?" "You know what, I'll see you around." "I'll see you at work later." "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." "Elliot?" "What's up?" "What are you doing here?" "I just thought I'd check up on you, you know," " see how you was doin'." " Fine." "You know, just seein' if you needed help or anything." "Hector, you can't help me." "What a fuckin' asshole, I can't believe that shit." "Why are you kissing my boyfriend, huh?" "It's the same fuckin' thing day in and day in." " Yes it is." " This one is different." " I don't give a shit." " Now, I'm tellin' you." "What you're tellin' me." "Shut up, shut the fuck up." "Mom!" "Goddamn it, you fuckin' bitch." "What?" "You don't fucking hear me?" "Came on, El." "Kiko, who's this, man?" "What are you doin'?" "Get the fuck off me, you prick." "Why couldn't you call me back?" "What?" "Why couldn't you call me back, Kiko?" "Take your keys." "I ain't comin' back, you stupid fuckin' bitch." "Danny, where are you going?" "Fuck you!" "Sorry Elliot, I don't love you." "Yo, what's goin' on, man?" "Ma, are you alright?" "Come on, man, what's goin' on?" "Ma, did he hurt you?" "Shut up, Elliot." "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "Here." "Aye, Elliot, please!" "Well, you gotta put something on it." "Get the fuck outta here!" "I don't need your help." "Just leave me alone." "Go to bed." "Why do you always gotta make things worse, huh?" "Why do you gotta be that way?" "You're just upset, so I'm not gonna listen to you." "Then go to bed!" "Alright Ma, I'm tired now, so I'm gonna put the ice pack on the ash tray, so it doesn't melt all over the place." "I said I'm gonna put the ice pack on the ash" "I heard you!" "Alright Ma, well, I gotta get to bed now 'cause, you know," "I gotta wake up for school and stuff." "Goodnight Elliot, goodnight." ""You loved to draw."" "I've never seen that." "Wow, you're crazy, you're so crazy." "You're just happy because Danny's gone." "What's this?" "Leave it." "I wanna see." "Go on, you're so nosy, dame." " Aw, that ain't fair." " That is not fair." "Don't talk like me, you're smarter than that." " You is not bein' fair." " That's right, I'm not." "Now go make yourself useful and go turn on Wheel of Fortune before we miss the first puzzle." "Elliot, are you up?" "No." "Come on, come on, wake up!" "It's 4 o'clock, what is it?" "Come on." "What?" "Look." "For your show and tell at school." "What, did you think I forgot?" "What am I, a bad mother?" "I remembered." "Ma." "These are my dresses." "When I was growing up, my father always made sure that I had the most beautiful dresses." "And I remember them exactly." "Every summer at our house in Santo Domingo, we would have these parties for all the children, you know, like little dances and stuff, and my father, he always made sure that I had a new," "beautiful dress, so I never had to wear the same dress twice." "And all the boys, they wanted to dance with me because I had the prettiest dresses." "Everybody was jealous of me." "Growing up I must've had like 100 of them because my father, he spoiled me so bad and these are my favorite ones." "These are beautiful." "They could be in a museum." "Stop it!" "Don't be stupid" "Okay." "Alright, back to bed." "For once, I'm gonna get you up on time." "I'm sorry, sorry for so many things." "What?" "Do you want me to lay down with you?" "I'll lay down with you just for a little bit until you fall asleep." "Sometimes I wish I could just fly away." "Don't worry Mom, I'll take care of you." "Ma, tell me about my father." "Oh, Elliot, it's so late." "I'll tell you tomorrow night." "No, tell me now!" "Okay, go ahead." "Well, your father was so kind to me." "El, he was so kind." "And he was so handsome too, just like you." "And all of the girls, they wanted to date him." "Well, thank you so much Tara, that was so interesting and I can't believe your mother and you change her outfit every season and you kept the original box." "I think that's a wonderful lesson in responsibility." "Thanks so much, honey." "Hey, is that your father's, David?" "Yeah." "Yeah, are you gonna have a story for us about that?" "I bet your father wanted to be a football player when he was your age." "Am I right?" " Yeah." " Yeah." "I see David isn't the only one with a special football today." "Actually, I see a lot of sports paraphernalia here." "Does anybody know what that means?" "That's okay." "We're gonna keep you in suspense of what they are 'til we see who's next and it's you Elliot." "Well, come on." "What seems to be the trouble, Elliot." "I forgot that we were doing show and tell today, so I didn't bring nothing'." "You forgot?" "Girls." "You forgot?" " Class, haven't I been reminding you all for a week?" " Yes." "Forgetting is no excuse, Elliot." "You get a zero for the day." " Sorry." " No, don't apologize to me, honey." "Apologize to the rest of the class for wasting their time." "Sorry." "I'm sorry Elliot." "Alright, who's next?" "Alice Banks, come on down." "Ma, Ma!" "What's up, poquito?" "The drawings!" "How did it go?" "Let me tell ya, let me tell ya." "Everybody thought they was great and they thought they was beautiful." " Stop it, don't you lie to me!" " I am not." "Wow!" "Did you get anything?" " Uh-huh, I got a prize." " No!" " Uh-huh, I got a medal!" " Wow!" "You gotta bring it home, you gotta share it with me." " I know, I know." " Wow." "You should hang up the drawings." "Well, they're not all good, just one of them." "Okay, can I pick it?" "Yeah, yeah, sure." "Show me which one is your favorite." " This one." " That one?" "No, no, no pick another one." "Okay then, this one!" "That one?" "Mm-hm, I like that one, Ma." "Well, okay, what about this one?" "What's wrong with this one?" "Nothin' Ma, I love them all." "You said pick my favorite." "Okay, well I like this one." " Okay." " Okay." "Alright, give me that." "Perfect." "Okay, thank you, papi." "I'm so proud of you, Ma." "Are you happy?" "Yes, I cannot believe it." "I'm so excited." "Danny!" "What's goin' on?" "You're not gonna believe it, Elliot and I, we won a prize." "We got a medal from his school, from my drawings." "Oh yeah?" " You did this?" " Yes." "Elliot, Danny's gonna be here now for good." "And guess what?" "We're going on a trip." "We're gonna go on a vacation like a normal family." "And it wasn't just me that missed you, Elliot missed you too." "Go ahead, Elliot, say hi." "Listen, let me get back to my mom's, get my stuff together." "You'll be back?" "Tomorrow afternoon." "I'll get my stuff, come by then." "Okay, great because I'm off tomorrow." "See you manana, Elliot." "Oh, you don't have to be nervous," "I just wanted to have a chat with you before your mother came to pick you up." "How is everything at home Elliot?" " Everything's alright?" " Everything's great." "Good." "I know you had some deaths in the family recently," " are you handling that okay?" " What?" "Who died?" "Oh, your father's parents, your grandparents." "Oh yeah, that's too bad." "Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about you recently." "Thinking about me?" "Yes I was." "Why, what did I do wrong?" "Oh no, nothing, nothing at all!" "You see, I'm going to have a baby." "Oh yeah?" "Yes." "And my husband and I were looking through a book of baby names that has every name that you can name your child and I came across your name and I want you to take a look." "Elliot, he who walks with God." "What do you think about that?" "I don't understand." "Well, that's what your name means." "It comes from the German." "My name?" "From the German?" "Yes, it means he who walks with God." "It's pretty important, huh?" "You didn't know that's what it meant?" "I just knew it was my father's, but I didn't know it was a big deal or anything." "Oh, it is." "Only a very, very, very special person could have a name like that." "You must feel very important." "Me?" "Important?" "Nuh-uh." "Yeah-huh." "And I want you to keep that." "Keep it?" "Well, of course." "It has your name in it." "You're right, it does." "Thanks, thanks a lot." "You're welcome, honey." "Hey." "Hello." "Is everything okay?" "Oh yeah, we're just having a chat, yeah?" "Great, well, thank you for holding him for me." "No problem." "You ready?" "Thank you." "You're welcome." "That looks good." "Eat." "It's gonna melt." "You know, if you hurry up, we can go to the beach before we go home." "That'll be fun." "I know what you're thinking." "I know that not everything has worked out with us." "You know, I know that I haven't always gotten things right, but we're going to have a fresh start." "Oye, and I need you to try." "No!" "I can't do this on my own." "I keep fucking it up." "I can't get this right." "Listen, I need you to try with Danny." "Ma, you're not on your own, you have me." "I'm supposed to take care of you." "I thought we agreed." "Chulo, you're just a kid." "I'm just a kid." "I can't do this on my own." "I thought that I could." "Ma, you're doing fine." "Besides, I can take care of you." "I practically take care of myself." "Danny is gonna be home soon and you know that he's not gonna wait for me." "Okay, I need you to promise me one thing" " No!" " Elliot!" "Where are you going?" "Elliot!" "You don't understand, I can't do this on my own." "You're not on your own, you have me." "We have each other." "You're not good enough, I don't want you." "You're a fucking mistake, don't you get it?" "It's okay because nobody wanted me either." "That's just the way that it goes." "Elliot!" "Elliot!" "Elliot Elliot!" "Elliot, yo, yo, yo, where you been?" "You're not at work." "I haven't seen you around." "I thought you was dead." "I'm not dead, just not going out." "Okay, there's nothing wrong with that." "Oh, this is Gio." "He's, like, Greek or Irish or Korean or somethin', but he dresses real fly, he's a great dancer and he's got a-- (big dick)." "He could be Puerto Rican, what you think?" "He's fine." "Yeah, okay." "Could you give El and me a moment alone please?" "Oh, go stand over there where I can see you." "El, since you seem to be gettin' into a lot of fights this summer." "I want you to know that I'm your friend and I got your back." "That's okay, Hector." "I don't think I'm going to get into any more fights." "That's good, 'cause I don't fight, you know?" "I just look tough." "Aye yo, who you talkin' to?" "Who you talkin' to?" "Step off, bitch, that's my man." "May I have two Heinekens please?" "Thank you." "Yo." "Hey, hey what's happenin'?" "Do you remember me?" "Yeah, sure, sure." "Ramon?" "Eduardo, it's Eduardo, right?" "No." "I didn't mean to bother you, I just wanted to say hi." "I got you a drink though." "I don't know if" " you need another one." " Oh, thanks a lot." "I'll catch you some other time then." "I better get back to my friends." "Wait, you walk with God, right?" "Yeah, I remember you Elliot." "I was gonna make you breakfast, but you ran away." "I'm gonna cook." "Leave me alone." "What did you say to me?" "I said leave me the fuck alone!" "What did you say to me?" "I said I'm leaving." "I've had enough of this shit!" "You are 16 years old." "You don't know anything." "I've had enough of this shit!" "Where you gonna go?" "There's nowhere for you to go." " Tryin' do make trouble for me?" " Leave me the fuck alone!" "Don't you talk to me that way!" "I am your mother!" "Hey, don't you fucking curse at your mother!" "Fuck you too!" "Hey, hey, hey, don't you talk to my boyfriend that way!" " Are you tryin' to get kicked out?" " Goodbye Ma." "Oh, you're just gonna walk out, huh?" "Just like that, okay, go ahead!" "Just like everybody else, you fucking bastard!" "If you stand up, I can drop you down into a bed." "No, it's alright." "Do you want some water, a drink or something?" " No." " No?" "So, this is your place?" "Yeah." " Nice flag." " Thank you." "You still in that great loft?" "No, that was my boyfriend's." "We're not together anymore." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Whatever, he's a jerk." "Listen," "I'm glad I saw you tonight because for the whole summer there's so much I wanted to say to you." "My night with you was really important to me 'cause you made me feel so special." "You didn't even know me or anything, but you made me feel so special" "Remember when you told me you thought I was really cute and I said I get away with a lot?" "I didn't really mean that." "I never thought I was cute." "I'd rather look like you or just about anyone else." "I was just trying to act like I was your equal because I was so in awe of you." "You know, until I was with you I had been with guys, but I'd never really, really been with a guy." "You were my first." "And you made me feel so safe." "You made me feel so loved." "You didn't even know me, but it was like you really loved me." "And that's all I ever wanted; to be loved." "Joe?" " Joe?" " Yeah, what?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "I'm falling asleep on you." "Do you want to mess around?" "Nah, that's okay." "I wasn't even thinking that." " You can sleep." " I'm sorry." " Doesn't matter." " No, I'm sorry for" "I'm sorry for what I did to you." "I did love you." "You don't have to." "I did love you, Elliot." "I fell in love with you that night at the diner." "And I'm sorry it didn't work out." "I'm sorry for what I did to you." "Thanks." "Thanks for being sweet." "I'm not just being sweet, I mean it." "I was a jerk and I'm a fuck-up." "I fucked up and I took it out on you." "And I'm sorry, but I want you to know you were loved." "You loved me, for real?" "Yes." "Somebody loves you, kid." "How does it feel?" "It feels great." "It feels so good." "It's even better than I thought it would be." "Yeah." "Would you lay down with me?" "Just for a little bit, until I fall asleep." "And maybe we can finally get this right." "I'm sorry it didn't work out between us, but one day you're gonna find the right guy and when you do Elliot, don't let go." "Don't be a jerk like I was." "Goodnight, papa." "Thank you, Joe." "Thank you." "You think he likes you?" "Is that what you think?" " I'll be right there!" " He only wants one thing." "Mommy, it's just a date, leave me alone!" "I'll be back in time for dinner, Mommy." "You are going to get into trouble." "Just like your father did to me!" " You alright?" " Uh-huh." "You're so pretty." "Stop it." "Just drive." "What are you doing?" " You can't just show up here." " Elliot, I need to talk to you." "You can't come around here." "What's my mother gonna think?" "I'm sorry, but you never call me back." "I told you never to show up to my house, didn't I?" " Yes, but" " Didn't I?" " Yes, but I'm in trouble." " Oh, so you're in trouble." "Listen, I don't want to know what the problem is because it's your problem." " I'm preg" " Don't even say it!" "Because it's not my problem, alright." "This is your problem." "Don't come around here anymore." "And leave me alone when you see me at school." "I don't want people talking." "Hun, do you have someone coming to pick you up?" "Your parent, a guardian, an adult?" "Oh, yeah, my sister Carmen, she's gonna be here." "Alright, fine." "I'll leave you alone then." "Thank you." "Oh my God, you haven't even broken anything and they're throwing you out already." "Give me some sugar." "It's just the two of us." "I think this could work out." "I'm not scared, if you're not." "anger alone" "That's all I ever wanted" "To be loved" "I forgot how you loved to draw" "I gotta tell you Sally, I'm feeling great." "Check this out, on my way over here," "I saw that a preschool was hiring for teacher's aids." "What do you think of that?" "I think I'd be great with kids." "I don't care what you do, as long as you don't get a job at McDonald's, that's where I draw the line." "What do you mean?" "Some of those thugs at Micky-D's are hot!" "Yeah, but El, meet the thugs as a customer, not as a coworker." "Doesn't matter, 'cause from now on," "I feel like only good things are going to happ" " Oh!" " Oh, oh!" "You gave us a scare there." " You okay?" " Uh-huh." " Can you tell me your name?" " If you tell me yours." "He's fine." " Fabian." " Elliot." "Elliot, we are going to have to take you to the hospital, alright?" "Sure, wherever you want to go." "Surge." " You okay?" " Yes." " Sally." " What?" "I love him." "So, Fabian." "Yes, Elliot." " Where you from?" " Cuba." " For real?" " Mm-hmm." " Have you ever been back?" " Mm-hmm." "How is it?" "It's the most beautiful place on Earth." "I'm gonna try to get back there this winter actually." "Okay, that sounds nice." "Hey Serge, can we get the doors please?" "Hey, Fabien," "What's up, Elliot?" "What hospital are we going to?" "St. Joseph's." "Can we take the long way?" " All set, papa?" " Uh-huh." " Hey you know what?" " What?" "I was thinking, we have been dating for a month." "Yeah?" "That's like a year for you." "Keep it cute, papi." "Ma, how do we know who we are?" "I guess we have to go back to the beginning." "So, how are you, Ma?" "There are so many things I never thought to ask you." "What is it that you wanted to do?" "Who is it who you wanted to be?" "What were your dreams?" "I know now that there was once a time when you loved, when your heart was ready to give and receive it, but you never got any, and so, you could never give any." "That's a shame, Ma." "And so, I want you to know something." "I want you to know that I love you, so we can stop hating each other." "And I hope now, we are free." "A paramedic?" " Yes." " Oh." " Is this yours, Ma?" " Mm-hmm." "Can I see it?" "Wow, this is nice." " Are you drawing?" " Yes, yeah recently." "You know, just for myself." "Josenia?" "Yes, that's me." "That's my name." "See you in another five years." "Ma." " This feels nice." " It does." "What is it?" "It's just, it's so funny." "Look, you know, all my life I was looking for a real man and look, he was here all the time." "Ma." "El!" "You know it's a shame that your friend just met me now." "I used to be so much prettier when I was younger." "Tell him, tell him, El!" "You're still beautiful." "for Samantha and Lisa" "ELLIOT LOVES"