"Dad?" "What is it?" "What is it you want?" "Ginger ale?" "Do you want a ginger ale, Dad?" "He can't have that!" "Why not?" "The other nurse didn't say anything." "Well, I'm saying something... carbonation." "It's better for him." "Do you really think it matters?" "Yes, I do." "We tried, Dad." " Hey." " Hey." " You're awake?" " Sorta." "Okay." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Thank you." "Who is that guy?" "Somebody." "Did you use the chamomile?" "Of course." "Is this any good?" ""New York Times" didn't care for it too much." " I liked the first one better." " I'm sure." " Hey, have a good day." " You, too." "Hey, don't forget to pick up the wine for dinner tonight." "Yeah." " See ya." " See ya." "It all looks very good." "You're gonna be just fine." "I can't believe we just bought a house." " Yeah." " Feel like I have writer's cramp." "It is a lot." "I just need to get the manager to sign this and you can start picking out furniture." "Be right back." "If you can please sign this, we'll be done over there." "Hanson and McKay." "God is gonna strike me dead for this one." " Nolan." " Hmm?" " Are you happy?" " Excuse me?" "Are you happy?" "I guess as much as anyone, you know?" "I mean, here at your job, our bank." "Of course." "They can wait." "There's no rush for the... two over there." "I mean, you've been here at this branch, what, 25 years now, right?" " Almost 26." " Impressive." "Thank you." "You must have thought about making a change from time to time." "I've been here a long time." "I know the people, the customers, you know." "You know, there's a job coming up at the Belvedere Park branch." "You'd be branch manager, like me." "A bump in pay, some perks." "You'd be running the show." "You interested?" "Wow, that's..." "That's a big surprise." "Well, it all hinges on Ralph Blydon, of course." " Regional president." " Yes." "I talked you up, and he'd like to meet." "He suggested dinner at his home, something intimate." "Me, my wife Gloria, you and your wife..." "Joy?" " Joy, yeah." " Joy, sure, of course." " Don't mind them." " Okay." "My secretary will contact you with the date and details." "We'll see where it goes." " And don't look so worried." " Okay." "This'll be good for you." "It's a good thing." "Of course." "Thank you." "I'll head back." "Of course." "Oh, perfect." "Mm." "Just need another 30 minutes." "Mm." "All we have to do now is let the wine breathe and we're good to go." "The wine." "I completely forgot." "Oh, damn it." "Oh, no, if we don't have a reasonable Cabernet for Winston, he'll pout all the way through dessert." "I'll go out and grab one." "You don't have time to go to the wine store, Nolan." "I'll hit the mini-mart around the corner." " Nolan." " Babe, I know." "Only the best for the professor, please." "Oh, but hurry!" "Please." "Of course!" "This kid was an English comp grad student and he asked me who Rushdie was." "A grad student?" " Yeah, Patty was there, right?" " Yeah." "I considered weeping publicly, but then I thought, what the hell?" "I just said, "Well, he's an archeologist or something."" "Yeah, no, I think that you said he was an astronaut." "I said he was an astronaut." "The last astronaut on the moon." "Well, this food was excellent, and the company's even better." "And this wine was undoubtedly $7.99." "Well, it's a good week." "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice." "Well, I have a theory about fine wine, which is that..." " Oh, do tell." " ...nobody really knows or even likes it or opera or..." " Foreign movies." " ...foreign movies." "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." " Yes." " Not foreign movies." "No, but really." "No, but, Joy, this meal has been very delicious, thank you." "I think it's just the fourth glass of your fine wine that's finally gotten to him." "I'm fine." "Was that too..." "Was that too loud?" " No." "No." " No?" "Oh, good." "You're good." "Well, would one of you blow into the tube in my car so I can start it?" "I can't take credit for this delicious meal." "It's Nolan who is the cook." "I just supervise." " Well, it's very good, Nolan." " Oh, nice job." "Joy, I saw that you're reading that new Hopkins novel." "You know, I'm gonna finish it, but I'm not a fan." "Okay, but before you damn it, know this." " He's a pretentious twat." " My God." "I think Joy would say it a little more demurely," " but thank you." " Yes, I imagine that she would." "Yeah, well, I don't do demure, all right?" "I mean, I read it on our cruise, and if I wasn't afraid it was an environmental hazard," "I would have tossed it overboard." "How was that cruise?" "That was Alaska, right?" " Yeah." " It was six days..." " It was very nice." " ...of gliding through the ice." "Only thing missing was whale blubber." "Come on, you loved it." "As long as you were standing between me and Alaska, it was beautiful." "Yes, it was very romantic." "It was very nice." "We should think about a cruise sometime." " Yeah." "That'd be great." " Yeah?" "Wait, whoa." "Nolan take a vacation?" "What, am I missing something?" "Oh, it's not unheard of, you know?" "Oh." "That bank of yours will likely collapse, which is what it's likely gonna do when you take that promotion." "What is it, branch manager at Belvedere Park, huh?" "Swanky, as the kids say, and that deserves yet another toast." "Belvedere Park?" "Yeah." "Or... or not." "So good to see you." " Thank you." " It was a great night." "Somebody stole my sleeve." "Get the little boy in his jacket." "And make sure my mittens are still attached." " Take care." " See you, buddy." " It was great to meet you." " So nice to meet you, too, bye." " Come again, okay?" " I hope I can." " Look at his hat." " Put his hat on for him." " Bye." " Bye." "Yeah." "She's... she's good." "Sweet, really." "Yeah, young, but she's smart." " Yeah." " Yeah." "I'll get the dishes." "So when were you gonna tell me about the promotion?" "Well, Winston was a little premature." "Yeah, but you told him, but not me." "Well, you know Winston." "We were just talking and, boom." "I'll get it." "Hello?" "Yes." "I'll be right there." "What is it?" "A cardiac event in a stroke patient isn't that unusual." "The good news is we caught it in time." "If you'd like to see him, it can only be for a few minutes." "He needs his rest." "It's okay." "I'd rather let him get his rest, then." "I'll visit when it's more appropriate." "Are you all right?" "Of course." "I'll come back." "Hey, Daddy." "Can I get a ride?" "Driving slow enough." " Yo!" " Jesus!" "Watch where you're going." "God." " Fucking asshole." " Jeez." "God, are you all right?" "I just didn't see you coming across the street there, you know?" "It's just, like I have this fear, a phobia of hurting people, you know, and..." "Just..." "Sorry, I'm just a little distracted by all this, you know, it's..." "Well, you wanna give me a ride?" "Excuse me?" "I asked if you wanna give me a ride." "Sure." "Okay." "Sorry, I just wasn't paying attention." "There's a lot to look at here." "I'm glad you're okay 'cause I have this fear of hurting people." "So where would you like me to take you?" "All right, so you're gonna pull in there." "You blow me, it's 100." "I blow you, it's 150." "More, we can do that, but we just need to move outta here, okay?" "Yes, of course, I..." "What?" "It's just that, um..." "What, you have a wife?" "Yes." "Why?" "Oh, fuck." "Oh, my God." " You need to drive." " What?" "You need to drive now." "Drive the fucking car." "Yeah, that's good." "We could do it like that." " I'd like a room for..." " $60." "$60, thank you." "This is a little strange for me, um..." "Guess we can make some coffee." "Do you want some coffee?" "No, I'm good." "How long do we have here?" "An hour." "It's up to you." "It's complimentary with the room." "I guess I'll make it." "I..." "I used to like being in motels when I was a little kid." "It was kinda neat just being somewhere else." "It's like..." "Fuck." "Oh, my barista days are numbered." "It was fun, you know, just being somewhere else." "Where are you from?" " Ohio." " Oh." "Dayton." "No, you don't need to do that." "What?" "You're fine just the way you are there." "Okay." "Hey, it's your time." "Yeah." "I can smoke?" "Of course, I don't know if this is a smoking room." "But look at this..." "I guess you can." "I don't know." "So, what, you wanna touch me, or what are we gonna do here?" "I don't even know your name." "Leo." "I'm Nolan." "That's my mother's maiden name." "She died six months ago." "I was holding her hand." "It's weird, she was just, like..." "People leave, you know?" "But for some people, it just doesn't seem fair." "I'd like to give you more, if that's okay." "Money?" "Yeah." "In the car you mentioned some numbers, and, you know," "I'd like to pay you more." "So, why are you married?" "I love her." "You love her." "Yeah." "I do." "You can just drop me off where you found me." "Is there a way I can reach you?" "I shut off my cell phone, but you can always find me where you did." "Or you can give me your number, if you want." "I'd like that." "Thank you, Leo." "So, I should call you?" "Yes, please." " All right." " Yeah." "How's your father?" " He'll be okay." " Mm." " Go back to sleep, all right?" " Mm-hmm." "They're all so young." "Savages." "You give them a book, they're gonna look for the on/off switch." "You know, back in our day, we used to walk a mile across campus with 12 pounds of books on our backs." "Yeah, and then the railroad came to town." "That was a great day." "Hey!" "Look who's here." "Yeah, of course he's here." "It's Tuesday, isn't it?" "Nolan, thank you so much for dinner the other night." " It was very nice." " Of course." "I told Liz to bring over some tiramisu for you guys." "Yeah." "Okay, but we gotta get going." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "All right, well, Nolan, nice to see you, and hello to Joy, of course." " Of course." "Of course." " Of course." "You've been with her four months now." "What is that, a record for you?" "Yeah, well, she wants to move to New York after graduation." "She'll outgrow it." "Once she realizes I'm not the only guy who knows who Rushdie is." "Ah." "Remember how bad I wanted us to move to New York?" "Winston and Nolan taking on the Big Apple?" "I was gonna write the great American novel." "You, you were gonna pay our rent working on Madison Avenue selling underpants to anyone who'd buy 'em." "Yeah, I remember." "But then you found Joy." "Literally, so." " Yeah." "Time's funny, right?" " Yeah." " Take it easy, buddy." " See ya." " Expecting a call?" " Oh." "No." "Yes, well, I guess, yeah." "Hell of a lot of answers for such a simple question." "Okay." "Night, Mr. Mack." "Good night, Walt." "Hey, listen, I'm really swamped at work here, and the only way to get through it is if I stay late." "Sorry, I'm gonna miss dinner." "But I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?" "Yeah." "No, don't wait up late." "Okay." "You, too." "Hey, Leo." "That your boy?" "Go get your faggy old faggot." " Hey." " Hey." " Wanna give me a ride?" " Yes." "I got you something." " For what?" " For you." "It's a prepaid phone for you." "I have a phone." "I thought you said it was shut off." "No, it's good." "I gave you my number, remember?" "Either way, you can use it, you know." "I put my number in it, just in case." "So now you can't forget." "So you wanna go somewhere again?" "Okay." "This okay?" "Yeah." "Do you wanna suck my cock, or what you wanna do?" "I'd rather just look at you." "You're very nice to look at." "Would that be okay?" " I can sit?" " Sure." "So what do you like, you know, besides money?" "Hey, you said you worked at a bank." "Oh, that doesn't mean I like money." "I guess it sort of does, I don't know." "Let me see, I like... reading, movies." "I like Westerns." " Westerns?" " Yeah." "When I was a kid, my dad used to drop me off at the movies, and Westerns were my favorite." "He still alive?" "Barely." "He's in a nursing home." "I take care of him." "Must be close." "Well, not really..." "unfortunately." "Why do you take care of him?" "Because that's what you're supposed to do." "I missed you, Leo." "Hey." "I didn't know you'd be up." "Why?" "It's only half past midnight." "Sorry, I just had so much work to sort through, you know, for the promotion." "I just wanna be ready." "I..." "I was just checking on cruises here." "God, there's so many different kinds." " Ah." " And it's not that expensive, considering what you get, you know?" "I mean, I know it's not your thing." "But it could be fun." "Some of them are so ridiculous..." "Themes and things." "And you think we'd like a cruise?" "Yeah." "I mean, it's kind of regimented, but it could be fun." "Yeah." "Yeah?" "I should get some sleep." "Okay." "I tried to call you." "At the bank." "Several times." "Well, I got tired of working there, so I went out to that all-night place, you know, over on Broadway?" " The Sub Stop?" " Yeah, that's the place." "Yeah, the one on Broadway." " Are you sure?" " Yes." "Why?" "Okay." "Good night." "Good night." "So, his new medication is on the table." "You can give it to him when his show goes off." "Okay, thank you." "Hey, it's been sitting all day." "There's no carbonation." "Even Nurse Mengele would approve." "Here you go, Dad." "Apparently, I can get the chair for this." "So let's keep it between us, okay?" "Shit." "Ellington is considered the Super Bowl of high-school jazz competition." "There are six charts they put out every year, new Ellington transcriptions." "But more important, you're gonna have to step it up for Ellington." "You've been accepted." "You made the top 5%, whatever it is." "I got the word yesterday afternoon." "Now..." "That's a little delayed." "When I was getting up to walk," "I was like, "I don't believe I'm going up here to ask" "Wynton Marsalis a question."" "And I could literally feel my heart pounding." "It was like punching through." "I could feel it pushing my shirt." "I've heard people say that before, but I never had that feeling." "But when I asked him the question, it was more so a sigh of relief." "Nolan." "Nolan." "Nolan!" " Aren't you late?" " Huh?" "Oh, my God." "Hey, Walt." " Hey." " Hey." " You all right?" " Oh, I'm sorry, I overslept." "Okay, well, you had a client waiting for you." "Luckily, John here covered for you." "Well, I'm so sorry." "Thank you." "Let's try not to let this happen again?" "You got it." "Of course." " It's not like you, anyway." " Yeah." "Hey, where were you?" "I waited all night." "I thought you'd call." "Nolan." "Nolan, you know?" "Uh..." "Listen, my... my wife has dinner with a friend tonight, and I thought maybe I could see you, you know?" "We could get something to eat or something, and, um... of course I'll pay you." "If that's okay." "Is that okay?" "Okay, then." "Okay, see ya." "Not bad, huh?" "Mm." "Do you bring your wife here?" "Once, a long time ago." "I went to a place like this back home." " You did?" " Yeah." "Um... my mother took me for one of my birthdays." "It wasn't as good." "It was nice." "I'm sure it was." "So why did you leave Dayton?" "I don't know." "My mother was dating another asshole." "Mm." "Maybe it's like what you said about the motels, you know?" "It's just like I wanna be somewhere else, you know?" "I don't know." "Yeah." "Sometimes it's nice to be somewhere else." "I'm gonna go use the facility." "I'll be right back." "Okay?" " Nolan?" "What a surprise." " Dan." "Dan." "Gloria, you remember Nolan Mack, don't you?" " At the bank mixer last month." " Hello, Nolan." "Gloria, good to see you again." "Must be a big occasion." "Is Joy here?" "I'll say hello." "Oh, no, I'm here with her wife's nephew... my wife's nephew." "It's her sister's boy Leo." "Oh, must be your favorite nephew." "Yes." "Well, it was nice to see you, Nolan." "You, too, Dan, Gloria." "Our best to your wife." "Can I come in?" "Another time, sure." "Okay, of course." "Hey, princess." "Where's my money?" "Went out." " You went out?" " Yeah." "Where the fuck you going out, huh?" "I just went out." "Whoa, whoa, hold still, hold still." "Now, listen, you know I hate doing this, princess, but you chose this line of work." "I'm gonna ask you one more time..." "Where's my fucking money?" "I don't have any... oh!" "Did you just fucking lie to me?" "Is that what just happened?" " Mm-mm." " Then where's my fucking money?" "I just seen you with that faggot." "So I know you got some." "No, I don't." "I don't." "Fuck you, motherfucker..." "Did you just fucking lie to me twice in a row?" "You just lied to me twice!" "Fuck!" "So you two faggots, you were just..." "You were just on a date, you were just talking, hmm?" "You're just out on a fucking date." "Motherfucker, I don't believe anything." "Get the fuck up, you fucker." " What else you got?" "!" " Nothing!" "I don't fucking believe you." "Now what's this?" "Whoo!" "Hey, where'd you get this fancy-ass phone, princess?" "Now listen, I want my money." "And I want it right fucking now!" " You fucking..." " Hey!" "Hey!" "Just leave him alone!" "Leave him alone!" "Oh, shit." "Look who it is." "Hell, let's hear what she has to say." " I'm calling the police." " Hell, fuck, you go right ahead." "I think that's a fucking great idea." "I'll them how this old faggot is paying my young whore to suck his old chicken-hawk dick." "Now my new phone or yours?" "Which one, hmm?" "Hey, what do you want?" "Please, please, you..." " Fuck." " You want money?" "I have cash, okay?" "How much to leave him alone?" "Now we're talking." "What, you got some money?" "Yeah, here, please." "Here you go." "This is, um..." "It's like $150 right there, just take it." "Take it all and just leave him alone, okay?" " Please." " Fucking hell." "Go on, pick that shit up for me." "Oh, my goodness." "Just please." "Just leave him alone and leave the phone." " The phone?" " Yeah." "Hell, fuck." "You can keep the fucking thing." "I already got my own anyway." "Bitch." "I mean, I'm real glad we could sort this out like a couple of adults." "It was real cool." "Is violence your answer to everything?" "Honey, I'm sorry." "Ah!" "Yes, it is." "You fucking faggots." "Oh, you're still bleeding." " There." " Mm." "All right, we may need to go to a doctor." "Hey, come on now." "Shh, shh." "There you go." "Just let me hold it." "Okay, okay." "You're gonna have a black eye tomorrow." "Yeah." "What do you think your wife is gonna say?" "Well, I don't know." "Come on, lie back on the pillow, okay?" " Just lie back." " I don't wanna." "Come on, come on." "There you go." "Keep applying pressure, okay?" "Let's see if there's something to make sure you don't get infected." "Doesn't look that bad." "Get's worse." "Really?" "60 years old and my first shiner." "Do you have any antiseptic or peroxide?" "Do you..." " Here you go." " Oh, I fell asleep." "It stopped bleeding." "I'm gonna leave, okay?" "If you want." "Oh, my God." " Hey." " Hey." "My God, Nolan, what happened?" "Attractive, huh?" "What the hell happened?" "Oh, there was a filing cabinet, you know," "Q through S jammed, and I don't know my own strength." "That has to be the worst excuse I've ever heard, and I'm in a position to hear a lot of them." "Did the dog eat your homework as well?" "I can't fool you, can I?" "No, you can't." "So what happened?" "What, were you out fighting crime in your secret life?" "There it is." "You figured it out." "Oh, I forgot." "Is Patty hiring anybody, you know, right now at the restaurant?" "You know, there's a thing called the segue." "It gets you from one topic to the next one." "Look into it." "Well, listen, it's for a relative of a friend." "You know, the kid needs a break." "I'm just trying to help somebody out." "Yeah, I..." "I can ask, I guess." "I should have some sway with the management here, I assume." "Thank you." "Yeah, you sure you're okay?" "Yeah, of course." " All right." " I'm great." "So they're calling him the new Updike." "I don't get it, he's too sentimental." "Sometimes, I guess." "No, he is." "What he gets ultimately just seems faked." "Or as Winston would say, like horseshit." "Where is that man when we need him, hmm?" "What?" "You should be teaching." "I do teach." "Three nights a week." "Yeah, well, the university..." "You know what I'm saying." "A filing cabinet?" "Seriously?" "It was just a stupid accident." "Well..." "for now..." "English as a second language three nights a week is plenty for me." "Believe me, I don't miss the politics." " Do you want something to drink?" " No, I'm fine." "How was your dinner last night with Cat?" "Well, you know Cat." "We just talked about that ESL conference we have to spend the whole weekend at." "We tried to go to that sub shop on Broadway, but it's closed." "Did you know that?" "Hey." ""Masculin Féminin."" "The Children of Marx and Coca-Cola." "Certainement." "Remember it?" "Of course I do." "Winter of 1977." "We saw it at the Fine Arts." "You, in your exquisite way, you explained the entire movie to me scene by scene." "I'm sure the rest of the people in the café loved that, but it was kind of wonderful." "The restaurant?" "Sub Stop?" "I'm sorry I lied about it." "I know." "You always watch this." "Because it's you." "Hey." "Hey." "That friend of yours who manages the restaurant, she called me." " Yeah?" " Yeah, she's gonna try me out." "Just she says I need a white shirt and black pants." "I have black jeans, but I think she means a button-up shirt." "Oh, I'm sure she does." "Tell you what, when I get out today," "I'll come get you and we'll get you some." "O-okay." "Okay." "Bye." "Well, I guess I should go." "No, that... that's okay." "No, we have our rules." "See ya." "So how come we don't do more?" "Oh, we do enough." "This..." "No, you know, I mean, like, sex." "I don't know." "Is it because you have a wife?" "Maybe." "This isn't cheating?" "Yeah, it probably is." "I should get going." "Wait, um..." "Here, I..." "I got you something." "It's no big deal." "I just found it, you know, over by the video store." "Wow." " A Western." " Yeah." " You found it." " Yeah, I don't know." "You know, it's for you." "They only had VHS, so..." "No, that's all right." "I'm sure I have a machine somewhere that can play this." "Oh, thank you, Leo." " It's good." " Yeah." "It is, it's..." "Okay, then." "Thanks." " Hey." " Hi, Nolan." " Good to see you." " Yeah, good to see you." "Hey." "Is the madman around?" "Yeah." "No, he's, um..." "No, he's..." "Look, Nolan, I'm sorry, but that young man, your friend's son, he didn't show up today." " Really?" " Yeah." "Well, yeah, you know how busy it gets there at lunch, and one of my guys was out, so it really put me in this tough situation because, you know, I was depending on him." "I'm so sorry, it won't happen again." "I'll call him right away, you know, and..." "No, don't worry about that." "It's all right." "You know, I gave him a chance, and I got to do what's best there." "You know?" "It's my job, so..." "I'm sure that you understand, Nolan." "Please, of course." "You know, I'm sorry." " Yeah." " You gave him a shot." " Yeah." " I'm so sorry." "Yeah, I'm sorry, too, Nolan." " All right, I'll see you." " See you." "Who is it?" "Me." "Who?" "Nolan!" "I can't right now." "You need to come back." "I need to talk to you, Leo." "I can't right now." "No, I'd really like to talk." "What are you doing?" "We can talk about this later." "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" "Wh... what?" "The restaurant?" "My friend, she gave you a job." "She wasn't particularly happy about you not showing up." "Shit, I forgot." "Look, we'll talk about this later, okay?" "No." "We're gonna talk about it now." " What are you doing?" " I went out on a limb for you." "That was my best friend's girlfriend and..." "What the hell is this?" "Look, man, I don't want no problems." "Listen, you need to go." "You have no right to be here." "Right, huh?" "Really?" "What gives him the right to be here?" "What?" "Is he paying you, too?" "Okay, you gotta go, like, right now or I'm fucking calling the police, okay?" "Now you're calling the police, huh?" "Yeah, I am." "Now get out of my house." "House?" "What kind of house is this?" "It's a dump." "It's a cesspool." "Then get out of it!" "Okay, listen, I'm sorry, okay?" " I didn't mean that." " No." "I'm just saying you don't need to have these people in your life." " No!" " You don't need to be doing this." " No!" "Get the fuck out of my house!" " Okay!" "I got it!" "I'm sorry!" "All right." "I'm sorry, all right?" "Listen, I'm just trying to help you." "I don't..." "Here. then, are the categories." "They are Fast Forward Politics followed by It's All Relative," "South America, and Famous Lovers." "Famous Lovers for 1,000, Brad." "All right, spoken like a true teacher." "One of TV's most unusual romances involved two characters from "The Muppet Show,"" "one is a pretty porker named Miss Piggy." "For $1,000, name her amorous amphibian." " I need to talk to you." " Kermit the Frog." "You're right, and you have $1,000." "I need to talk to you about something, Dad, okay?" "And I need you to listen 'cause I know somewhere in there, you can hear me." "I wanna talk about that time we went to the beach." "Summer of 1965, I think it was." "We checked into this little motel." "12 years old." "You, me and Mom." "If you had any idea what a journey that was." "Still sticks with me to this day." "Ridiculous." "Something happened that summer, Dad." "At first, I couldn't figure it out." "I didn't want to." "But I knew." "I knew that all the wishing and praying in the world couldn't change the fact that I was gay." "I didn't do anything about it." "I didn't tell you... or Mom or anyone." "It was my secret." "And suddenly I'm 60 years old." "It's like I'm still there, like nothing happened." "Like I'm still waiting for something I felt was promised to me that day, something that never came, and I'm angry about it." "And I'm still sitting on that beach, and I'm still 12 years old, and nothing's changed, and I'm still sorry about it." "That was some summer, huh, Dad?" "Okay." "Hey, you." "I was just checking on you." "Go back to sleep, okay?" "Stay here, please." "Hey, I was thinking." "I was thinking about the cruise, you know?" "And I was wondering what month do you think would be good for us?" "Do we really wanna go on a cruise?" "Yeah, I thought..." "Hey, we'll talk about it." "Nolan... stay here with me tonight." "Please?" "Just for tonight." " Okay." " Okay?" "Yeah." "Who is it?" "What do you mean?" "It's just someone I talk to." "You could talk to me." "I know." "We have separate beds, separate lives, separate rooms." "I don't know how much more separate we could be." "I should go wash up." "No." "No." "Don't leave." "I love you, Nolan." "I love you, too." "Joy?" "Joy?" "Hey, Joy?" "Joy?" " Hey." " Hey." "Where are you going?" "The ESL conference, remember?" "Cat, of course, is an hour early." "As always." "Early bird gets the free donuts and coffee." "Hey, Nolan, long time, no see." "Hey, Cat." "Good to see you." "And thanks for letting me borrow your wife here." "I put the number where we're gonna be right there, so call if you need me." "Otherwise, we're good to go." "Same place?" "Savannah Stud Farm?" "You told him." "Bye-bye, Nolan." "I'll be outside." "Okay." "So call me if you wanna talk." "We'll be back Sunday afternoon." "Uh-huh." "Oh, and, uh, the cruise sent a DVD." "If you wanna take a look at it, I put it by the TV." " Of course." " Okay." "Bye, Nolan." "See you." "...celebrate life the Old World Mediterranean way." "Spend your days visiting the ancient islands, walking around the white sands, or shopping at local markets." "You can simply lounge on one of our seven decks, three swimming pools..." "Nolan, what the hell?" "God, you're kidding." "Our lunch?" "I'm so sorry." "Beaumont's got me prepping for this promotion, and I've been all over the place." " What's going on?" " I'm sorry." "Sorry, so..." "But what's happening?" "'Cause I can't tell, you know." "I mean, you had the black eye that you didn't want to discuss." "You asked me to get a job for a friend of a relative and he never shows up." "Can we... can we go for a walk or something?" "There's too many people doing math around here." "Of course, but everything's fine, okay?" "Everything is fine." "It's just two guys talking." "I mean, I bank here, so you'd be chatting with a client." "Just two guys taking a walk, right?" "I mean, I do my banking, so..." "Taking a walk with a longtime customer." "Yeah, you got it, of course." "Hmm." "Just give me a moment, okay?" "Yeah." " What are you doing here?" " I need help, okay?" " What's wrong?" " I had to come here." "To my work?" "No." "No, we can't talk here." "We have to go outside." "Come on." "We really need to go outside." "Can we do that?" "All right, yeah." "Hey, Walt, we're just talking." " You okay, Mr. Nolan?" " I'm good." "What is it that you want?" "Money?" "Is that what this is all about?" "He knows you work at a bank." "I work here, I don't own it." "The kid's an idiot." "Look, if... if I don't get the money, he said he'll kill me." " That's good to know." " What are you doing?" "Calling the police, that's what I'm doing." "Why?" "Because threatening someone's life is against the law." " No, you can't just call the police." " Why the hell not?" "Because you can't." "Look, if you're not gonna help me, okay, I'm just gonna go." " No, no, wait." " I'm just gonna go." "Wait, wait, wait." "Can't believe I'm saying this." "How much?" "$3,200." "$3,200?" "Are you kidding me?" "Do you know how much money that is?" "Does he think I'm made of money?" "Look, like I said, if you're not gonna help me, then I'm just gonna go." " No, no, wait, wait." " Okay, I'm just..." "Is he here?" "Is that what this is all about?" " Is he here with you?" " Yeah, I'm right fucking here." "You got trouble with the ATM machine?" "All you gotta do is hit it and the cash comes out." "Just stay right there." "Stay right there." " No, no, don't come any closer." " Look, he's gonna..." "Shut the fuck up." "How many times I gotta tell you?" "Shut your fucking mouth." "You know, you really know how to overcomplicate things, you know that?" "Listen, you see those people?" "We can't do this here, all right?" " You have to leave now, okay?" " Oh, I don't think so, man." "See, I just came to do some banking." "So I don't see any problem in there." "You know, it's the bank, and that's what I'm here to do, some banking." "I'm not giving you a goddamn cent, do you understand that?" "Get the fuck off!" "Don't touch him!" "Don't touch him!" " Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" " Motherfucker!" "Get the fuck off of him!" "Fuck!" " Are you kidding me right now?" " Let's go." "Fuck you!" "Are you kidding me right now?" "I'm gonna knock your ass out." "I'm gonna knock your ass out, motherfucker." "He's the one who started it!" "He assaulted me!" "He was just trying to help, okay?" "Lovers' quarrel!" "You two bitches try to put it on me!" " No, he's the one." " Motherfucker." " No, no, no." " You faggot." "He's the one, he attacked." "He was just... he was helping." "He's all right." "He's okay." "I'll be seeing you soon, princess!" "No doubt about it." "I'll be seeing you real soon with your retard strength and all!" "This ain't over!" "I promise!" "Nobody goes anywhere." "Come on, people, please, party's over." "You all right, Mr. Mack?" "I'm fine, Walt." "I'm okay." "Thanks." "Okay." "Let's go back inside." "Come on, party's over." "Back inside." "Winston." "It's all over." "This is Leo." "Hey." "I figured you might be hungry." "Thank you." "Maybe I should open a diner." "You can come work for me." "The way things are going at the bank, it's not the worst idea." "Ever think about going back to school, you know?" "Do you have any plans besides..." "I wasn't really good at school." "Well, maybe you'll be good at it this time." "You know, things change." "I don't have the money for it anyway." "Well, maybe I could help you." "Why?" "I don't know." "Because I'd like to." "If you finish that, would you like another one?" "Sure." "Great." "So you sent for big brother." "Why don't I remind myself to pack a gun when I visit my neighbor?" "That baby's gonna need a name." "Yours." "Well, come on, pull the trigger." "First you shoot me, then you gotta shoot Huey because he saw you..." "Hey." "You got tired of the TV?" "Yeah." "Come here." "Give me your hand." "It's okay." "Please?" "Come here." "Give me your hand." "It's okay." "Oh, no, no, no, please." "No, no, please." "It's okay." "Just this." "Just this." "Okay?" "Look, what is it you want?" "'Cause I don't like this." "I know." "I'll pay you." "No, please, I just..." "I..." "I don't like this, okay?" "We're here for sex." "That's what we're here for." "That's what I'm here for." "I don't understand." "You'll have sex with me, but you won't let me hold you?" "That's how it goes." "Doesn't make sense." "It's just how..." "It's how it goes, okay?" "No, no." "Please, please, please, no, no." "No, no, no." "I'm sorry." "Look, you know what?" " I'm just gonna go." " No, no, no, wait, wait." "Wait, I'll pay you." "Okay, how much?" " No, it isn't that, I just need to go." " No, no, wait, please." "It's okay." " What are you doing?" " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I don't wanna hurt you." "It just can't be nothing, you know?" "It can't." "Because you're here for a reason." "You came here for a reason." "You're in my goddamn life for a reason." " No!" " No?" "!" "You... you gave me that videotape." "You told me about your mother." "About leaving?" "That can't be nothing, Leo." "Look at me." "Please just look at me." "It can't be nothing." "It can be." "All right?" "It can be." "'Cause it's nothing." "'Cause it means nothing." "Nolan?" "Nolan, are you here?" "Nolan?" "Nolan, are you here?" "Oh, fuck." " Nolan?" " Hey." "Hey, you're back." "Yeah, the front door was unlocked." "Oh, I didn't know." "Hey, I didn't hear you." "You're early." "Is there a reason why the front door's open?" "No, I must have left it." "I gotta go to the bathroom." "I've been in the car for two hours." "Of course." "You know, I watched the DVD, you know, of the... of the cruise?" "We should watch it together." "Sure." "I'll be right out." " All set for tomorrow night?" " Mm." "Did my secretary get you Blydon's address, all the details?" " Yes, she did." " Good." "Blydon doesn't do this for everyone, Nolan." "I know, and I'm very grateful." " Are you?" " Excuse me?" "Listen, I don't know what went on in that parking lot or what's up." "All I do know is I stuck out my neck for you in a big goddamn way." "Don't make me look like an asshole." "And don't you fuck this up." "Of course." "Okay, then." "What?" " A single Windsor?" " Yeah." "A little short on time here." " You just hold still." " Mm-hmm." "I remember you did this on our wedding day." " You remember that?" " Yeah." "I was so nervous, I couldn't even move my hands." " Okay?" " Yep." " That looks good." " Thanks." "All right, you got your coat?" "Yeah." "Thanks." "Okay." "You look wonderful." "So do you." "Mm." "We should get going, you know?" "You know how traffic is gonna be." " I'm ready." " Okay." "Oh, come on." "Hello?" "What?" " When?" " What's wrong?" "Okay." "Where?" "Okay, I know where that is." "I'll be right there." "What is it, Nolan?" "Is it your father?" "Look, Joy, I'm gonna have to meet you there, okay?" "Listen, um... here's the address to Blydon's house." "I'm sorry, but I'll be there as soon as I can." "Something has happened, and I really need to go." "Are you kidding me?" "I..." "I don't even know these people." "No, no, Joy, please, you know Beaumont." " Please, you gotta go for me, okay?" " For God's sake..." " I'll be there as soon as I can." " For God's sake, Nolan." " I promise, Joy." " Nolan..." "I'll be right there." "Excuse me, I got a call about a young man picked up downtown?" "First name Leo." "They found him in the street." "It was an overdose." "No wallet, no ID." "How did you know to call me?" "He had a phone." "You were the only number in it." " He should be in there, 235." " Thank you." "Excuse me, excuse me." "There's no one in there." "Must have walked out on his own." "It's not unusual in cases like this." "Let me check with the front desk." "What was your relationship to the patient again?" "Nothing." "I'm sure it's his father." "He's been very sick." "Was it your father?" "No." "'Cause that was the only excuse I was gonna accept, if he was dying in your arms." "Maybe then..." " We need to talk." " I don't wanna talk." " We have to." " Well, I don't want to." "Are you going to be with him?" "I don't even know where he is." "Why?" "Because I can't lie anymore." "No more lies." "You can't do this." "Joy." "Is he better than me?" "It's not that." "Of course not." "Then what?" "Joy..." "You wanted to talk, so you're gonna give me a goddamn answer." " I just did." " No, that wasn't good enough." "What does he do for you that I don't?" "It's not that." "Well, then what is it?" "!" "Because I need to know." "Does he clean your clothes for you?" "Does he listen to your stories, your boring fucking stories?" "!" "'Cause I don't think he does." "Does he tell you that everything's okay even when it isn't?" "Because I am sure" " he doesn't do that." " Joy..." "Did he put up with your father's demands till they piled up on him and clogged his whole goddamn life, my whole goddamn life?" "Oh, my God, Nolan, the arrogance of you." "You're right." "Everything you're saying..." " Don't goddamn accommodate me!" " I'm sorry!" "You're right." "So... so now what?" "So... so what?" "This is... this is it now?" "I don't know what to say." "What are you gonna do without me?" "Huh?" "I wanna know what you're gonna do without me." " Joy..." " What are you gonna do without me?" "How are you gonna make it?" " Please, you don't need to leave." " Yeah, I do." "No, please, we can make it work." "We've always made it..." " It's never worked, okay?" " How can you say that?" "Because it hasn't." "Never." "I'm sorry, it's just..." "It's not what I wanted." "Then what is it that you want?" "Please, you won't even try." "Try?" "What do you think I've been doing all these years?" "Going to that job day after day, form after form, all to keep up this ridiculous pretense." "Is that what I am to you?" " A ridiculous pretense?" "!" " No, you're not!" "No, you're not." "It's just over." "No." "My God..." "I love you, Joy." "That was never a lie." "It's just time for us to be in the real world." "What if I don't wanna be in the real world?" "Well, I do." "Well, I don't." "That's why I married you." " Mm-hmm." " Jesus." " Yeah." " Cripes." "What about your father?" "I'll still visit." "Some things remain, you know." "I don't know." "Nothing turned out the way I thought, I guess." "I..." "I wouldn't know how that feels." "Remember the book I was gonna write..." " Mm-hmm." " ...and the play, the other play?" "Mm-hmm." "You know, life can be funny like that." "You don't have to explain anything to me." "I mean, Joy's a great woman, you're my best friend, and..." "You know what I tell my students?" "Every day, blank page..." "Just fill it up, and you get somewhere." "Or something..." "like that." "Hey, there she is." "Uh, you know what?" "I'll write to you from New York, unless they have Wi-Fi there." " Do you think they have Wi-Fi?" " Oh, maybe." "Then I'll email you." "Thank you." "It's just two friends talking, all right?" " Yeah." " Hey, maybe..." "Maybe it's never too late to finally start living the life you really want." " Maybe that's the deal." " Yeah." "Or maybe that's a bunch of bullshit." "I don't know." "You email me about it." " I will." " All right?" "All right." "See you, Nolan." "Take care." "See you, Patty." "You, too." "Goodbye, Walt." "Good luck, Mr. Mack." "You will be missed around here." " Thank you." " Welcome." "I drove down a street one night." "A street I didn't know." "It's the way your life goes sometimes." "You drive down this one... then another." "And now... another."