"Eleven down." "How many more parties am I responsible for?" "Oh, I think you stick it out till she's 13." "By then she'll be so embarrassed by you she won't wanna acknowledge you had anything to do with her birth." "Heh, although this really wasn't so bad." "Schedule enough activities, you run those suckers right into the ground." "A little Pictionary, a little treasure hunt." "The spoon race, genius." "Uh-huh, if you're throwing a party in 1952." "Hey, I might even be Cool Dad now." "I got Delia the exact present she wanted, you made a delicious cake and the kids are quiet." "The kids are quiet." " Brittany?" " You're gonna make me lose count." "Would you hand me that watch and step away from the door now?" "Abort, abort." "Oh, very subtle." "Abort!" "Abort!" " What the heck is going on?" " It's just Seven Minutes in Heaven." " Just?" " Delia wanted to do it." "Uh, the party was lame." "Both of you, out of the closet." "From now on, this closet is off-limits forever." "I will hire a coat-check girl." "Delia, go in the other room." "I'll wait until everyone's gone before I deal with you." "That's how nice I am." " You're scarring me for life." " Welcome to the club." "And you." "You don't think I know who you are?" "I'm Charlie." "We met earlier." "Hey, don't give me any lip, I know who you are." "You are the first guy to make the mistake of trying to manipulate my daughter." "But you know what's great about being first, Charlie?" "You have the supreme privilege of being the first one to hear my speech." " Is this the speech?" " I'm working on it." "If you were about five years older, you'd be hanging from your fingernails." "If you hurt me, I'm gonna tell my mom." "I'm not gonna hurt you." "You're 11 and I'm worried about the soft spot on your head." "But telling your mother is a fantastic idea." "Let's go." "Don't I get a party favor?" "I'll give you a party favor." "You're in charge." "And try to keep this party a little less "Preteens Gone Wild. "" "So anybody bring a piñata?" "Sugar it is." "Dr. Brown, I thought the party was over at 5:00." "I would have come to pick Charlie up myself." "Don't worry about that." "Uh, may I come in?" " Is everything okay?" " There's something we need to discuss." " Come on in." " Thank you." "I don't quite know how to handle this." "Amanda." "And why don't you just spit it out?" "I'm a big fan of blurting." "I found your son and my daughter, uh..." "No, that didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to." "The thing is, I found them standing..." " There is a closet..." " Ah, Seven Minutes in Heaven again." "I'm sorry." "Again?" "It's like the new Pin the Tail on the Donkey." "They played it at Sophie Mueller's house." "Why didn't anybody tell me about the Mueller's house?" "They're at the age where they stop sharing all the little details." " We're the enemy, remember?" " No, no." "I'm not the enemy." "Delia and I are like white on rice." "I just threw her a fantastic birthday party which your son decided to ruin by playing kissing games." "Really?" "Huh." "I'm not gonna tell you what happened with Delia last week." "It's not important." "But I am a doctor which gives me a perspective which you may not have and I'm far too aware of the trouble these kids are getting into." "Do you understand the rules of Seven Minutes in Heaven?" "They're not actually allowed to shoot up in there." "I think you might be overreacting a bit." "Well, I don't think I am." "I raised city kids." "When I brought them here, I promised them ponies and fresh air and Norman Rockwell." "Washington Square Park could be a safer place to leave my daughter than my closet." "People in small towns don't seem to realize that the metropolis is inching closer." "And the wayward path is right around the corner." "Around the corner or down the block?" "Because, uh, I've been looking for that wayward path everywhere." "I wish Charlie were still in footsie pajamas, believe me." "The more we try to force them into the lives we want the more they'll resent us." " I'm not afraid of Delia resenting me." "I'm afraid of her learning to pole dance before she learns to square dance." "Heh." " I'm not kidding." "Sorry, if you could lower your voice a smidge?" "My husband is resting." "You know what?" "That's fine." "Just never mind." "I'm sorry I disturbed either of you." "Next time I have a concern about the kids I'll remember that you and your husband don't care." "Have a nice day." " Here you go." " Ah." "If you wouldn't mind lacing my huevos rancheros with just a touch of arsenic, Nina." "Not enough to kill me, mind you." "Just enough to send me to the hospital so I don't have to walk back into that office again today." "Things going well with Andy then?" "I'm in a constant state of flux between gratitude and disgust." "Last week the man bought me a state-of-the-art blood workstation for no other reason than because he felt I might find it useful." "Yesterday, he gave me a croissant simply because he had extra." "The man is a monster." "Do you have any idea what it is like to work alongside someone that generous?" "Every time he reaches for his wallet I'm reminded of just how tightly I cling to my own." "Well, it's easy for Andy to be as generous as he is." "You know, that clamp has him pretty much set up for life." "The..." "What now?" "That, uh, fisher clamp thing, you know?" "The whatchamacallit he invented that keeps globby section from touching another gooey section." "It's streamline brain surgery, or something like that?" "Anyway, it's the reason he's been able to keep his services for free." "I thought you knew." "Clearly, I have still more to discover about the ever-irksome Andrew Brown." "I mean, really now, a clamp." "A clamp." "Simple structure comprised of two pieces of metal and a spring and that man found a way to monopolize on it." " We talking about Andy?" " No, I was talking with Nina." "About a rudimentary device that any dunderhead could have invented." "Man, he really cashed in on that thing." "We talked about it at this business seminar I went to." "It's the simple solutions, they go a long way." "I was hoping to hit that with my epidermal laser work..." "Oh, excuse me." "You invented something?" "When was this, on your journey down the birth canal?" "You're too much, Hal." "You know that guy that invented the PhotoFacial?" "Well, my team took it one step further." "Yes, well, and on that note, I bid a good day to you all." "I love that guy." "The man is a cuddlebug." "So, what will it be, Jake?" "Nothing." "I'm good, thanks." "Okay, then, well, I'm gonna keep doing my job here." "Uh, wait, wait." "What would you say if I got Sam a babysitter this weekend?" "Uh, I'd say that's weird and invasive." "Maybe I said that a little out of order." "Uh, it just seems to me that you don't get a whole lot of frivolous time." "So if I help you get a babysitter..." "Oh, I can get a babysitter." "Thank you." "I really shouldn't have led with the babysitter." "Scratch that." "I think the altitude's throwing me off here." "I swear I used to be good at this." "Are you asking me out?" "Yup, I was trying to." "Nobody's asked me on a date since I was in high school." "I was married." "I know." "I asked about you." "Well, uh thank you." "It's very nice of you, but, uh I can't." "I'm sorry." "Why not?" "Um, well, I don't know." "I guess you're just not my type." "And what's your type?" "Well, let's see." "Uh, the last time I had a type, I was, uh, 15." "That was, uh, anyone who could light a match with their teeth." "And then I was married to a gay man." "So I'm not sure what my new type is but, uh, I'm definitely over dating any, uh, smokers or gay men." "And truth be told, you are suspiciously well-groomed." " You lost me." " I'm not gonna go out with you, Jake." " Really?" " Really." "And that's a solid no?" "I'm afraid so." "Fair enough." "If you ever change your mind..." "Dude, this place rocks, man." "I should give you the 250 I've been giving my parents and stay here instead." "Ah, yeah." "No." "I didn't even hear you." "Is that soundproof walls?" "Nice." "Right, the key was sort of for emergencies." "Like if you and your dad got into another fight, not for just barging in when I'm here." "Well, I didn't even know you were here, man." "You didn't answer the knock." "Whatever." "Never mind." " I thought we were gonna hang out." " Yeah, that was three hours ago." "I gotta go meet up with Will." "Where were you anyway?" "Well, I met this girl last night." "One thing lead to another, it lead to the sun coming up and I had to crash for a little while." "I don't understand how you're doing this." "Your parents let girls sleep over?" "Uh, no." "I'm into college girls now, man." "Parents bad, roommates good." "You should see these dorms, it's like one huge coed slumber party." "Even the bathrooms are coed." "It's sick." "You should jump on that party train." "Yeah." "I'm sort of dating your sister." "Oh, yeah, right." "Right." "All right." "Well, I gotta go practice." " Still doing that, huh?" " Yeah, pretty much always doing it." "Uh, there are some guys having a party tomorrow night from my work." "Marty's wife will be out of town." "It's an open bar, it'll be awesome." "You should go." "Yeah, sure." "Cool." "Huh." "And, uh, Marty's got a guestroom so if you get too plowed, you can stay." "How cool is that?" "Awesome." "Thanks for coming in." "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mrs. Hayes." "Mother of Charlie Hayes, future Colin Farrell of Everwood." " Hello, Dr. Brown." "Come to your senses, have you?" "Wanna have a little chat about good parenting?" "Glad you could make some time." "Louise, don't you think it's important for us to take the time out from our schedules to discipline our children?" " I don't have children." "No, but if you did, you would." "Can you believe the Hayes family doesn't put that at the top of their list?" "Actually, I'm here with my husband." "He's in with Dr. Abbott." "Oh, is he now?" "Good." "Excellent." "I'd love to talk to him." "Maybe he could shed light on your son's libido issues." "Oh, I'm sorry." "This is very bad." "What is?" "Uh, Andy Brown, I'd like you to meet my husband, John." "John, this is Dr. Brown." " Here you go." " Thank you." " He's all yours." "Yeah." "See you later." "Oh, no, I've known the Hayes 15 years, since they moved to Everwood." "John was a formidable horseshoe opponent, as I recall." "When did he have his stroke?" "Uh..." "A little over five years ago." "He was 38 at the time." "Healthy, aside from the hole in his heart." "Of course, we're all born with that." "Most of us seal the gap in time." "John was not so lucky." "Blood clot passed through to his brain, suffered a massive stroke." "Here smell this." "So he's completely non-responsive?" "Paralyzation indicates detriment in the left hemisphere." "That's right." "How are your nostrils feeling?" "Any tingling?" "No, I don't smell a thing." " And the nerve damage?" " Oh, quite extensive." "He suffers from aphasia." "He's been completely robbed of his ability to formulate a thought or a response." "I treat him regularly with physical therapy and basic checkups but there's really nothing more I can do for him beyond that." "So then Amanda...?" "Oh, amazing, isn't she?" "Oh, the woman makes Florence Nightingale look negligent." "They were only married 10..." "Less than 10 years when this happened." " Is that so?" " Uh-huh." "Most wives would have left, but not her." "That woman is a saint." "Not only is she there for John she helps out at the hospital whenever she can." "Offering assistance to other stroke victims and their spouses." "Somehow she manages to keep young Charlie at the top of his class." "I bet she bakes too." "What?" "Nothing." "I'm gonna go find a cliff to hurl myself over." "I'll see you later, doctor." "Uh, incidentally, what do you think of my new invention?" "Scentless mentholated ointment." "Unenthused." "Why isn't the mail here yet?" "They're not coming or they just don't deliver SAT scoring when it's negative." "Like it's too embarrassing." " I'm sure you did fine." " I'm sure that I didn't." "And the fact that my entire future lies on a number-two pencil drives me crazy." "Why do colleges care if I can figure out when train A and train B will meet?" "I don't know." "Why do they even have to meet?" "Hey, you're talking faster than both trains combined." "Come here." "All I wanna do this weekend is rent a million mindless movies order Chinese food and hang out with you." "We could build a tent in the living room and never come out." "That sounds good." "But I told Bright that I would go to this party thing with him." "Really?" "Why?" "Uh, because Marty's wife is out of town." "I don't know." "It's, uh, something with his work friends." "Sounds about as appealing as calculus but I haven't hung out with Bright in a while." "Yeah, but isn't he the one who flaked on you?" "This is his attempt to make it up to me." "I kind of feel obligated." "I don't know when hanging out with Bright became such a chore." "I mean, it used to be so easy, you feed him, you water him, and he's good to go." "Yeah, I guess it's less convenient now that he's not in school with us." "It's not like you're gonna see him five times a day." "Maybe common ground has shifted." " Why don't you come?" "It might not be bad." " Nah, I don't know." "The whole thing seems exhausting and I wasn't really in the mood to be on, but thank you." "Yeah, you're right." "Dumplings and movies sounded pretty good." "Mm-hm." "Just when I thought I had a handle on this town, I insult the patron saint." "And her paralyzed husband and Charlie." "Mustn't forget little Charlie." "Well, you couldn't have known." "That happened before you got here." "You got here, the gossip was about you." "I need Edna." "I used to get the news before it happened." "I'm like a guy without cable." " Are you expecting someone?" " No." "It's just..." "Dr. Jake asked me out yesterday and I said no." "I'm afraid he'll walk in and there'll be this weirdness." "We really need more restaurants on Main Street." "Jake asked you out?" " Like on a date?" " Yes." " Now, that's odd, isn't it?" " I know." "I thought so too." "Why do you think it's odd?" "I guess it's not that strange." "He did mention about you being attractive." "He did?" "Why didn't you tell me?" "I got out of that habit in seventh grade." "Oh, right." " But what did you say?" " I didn't say anything." "I have far too much respect for you than discuss you in such chattel-like manner." "Oh, well, thank you." "Although it was sort of sweet the way he did it." "Oh, I'm sure it was." "Guy like that, living in L.A." "He's had practice, but he's not the guy for you." " No?" " No." "No, he's much too shallow." "His life revolves around surface treatments and quick fixes." "He couldn't comprehend a working woman's life." "Your tastes, your values." "I mean, you are a solid woman, Nina." "You're salt of the Earth." "Jeez, Andy, why don't you just go ahead and call me handsome?" "You know what I mean." "You're not one of those naive, young things that giggles every time he flashes those dimples." "You've been around the block." " Heh, so I'm old and trampy?" " That's not what I said." "Not what I meant." "Hey, beautiful." "Saturday night." " I'm sorry?" " Pick me up at 8:00." " Do you know where I live?" " I'll find it." "Are you sure?" "What am I doing?" "Always take yes for an answer." "My manager taught me that." "Guy's a genius." "Anyway, Saturday, awesome." "I'm gonna go grab a table." "Hey, Andy." "Hey." "Nothing wrong with a free dinner." "No, no, of course not." "I'm sure you'll learn fascinating things about soy products and oxygen bars." "How about it, Rose?" "What do your taste buds detect in this fine hybrid?" "Wood." "With a hint of berries?" "Triumph." "This is it, Rose." "This is the winner, I can feel it." " What's this all about, Harold?" " I want you to think." "Think of the country doctor toiling away at his thankless job." "His cure of common ailments is not extraordinary so why improve upon his lab, his generic tools his x-ray machine?" "Why indeed?" "You gonna need a glass of water?" "No, I say, we have been ignored long enough." "I say, we need advances in our own field and I am here to provide that service." "Why stick a bland piece of wood into your patient's ailing mouth when they could be surprised with a burst of melon." "And thus, I take it upon myself to reach out to my brethren and present them with simple solutions to ameliorate their suffering." "So you're crafting flavored wood to save the world?" "Ah, forget the world." "This elementary device will spread faster than lice in a kindergarten." "That's right, Rose." "I convince some sucker that his sad little practice will actually be improved through flavored wood and I will blow all those overhyped neurosurgeons and laser quacks away." "We will be wiping our derrières with hundred-dollar bills and our family name will be in every medical journal across the country." "You exhaust me, dear." "Hey." "Hey." "So this thing at Marty's tonight you might wanna meet me there in case I hook up." " What do you mean?" " You might wanna bring your own vehicle." "Lauren, the stock girl, man, she's been giving me the vibe." "Stole my phone when I was on the floor, put her number in it." "That's not a vibe, that's sending up a flare." "Heh, yeah, I know, dude." "So on." "Anyways, you want me to give you directions now?" "Or do you not wanna go?" "No, I wanna go." "I definitely wanna go." "I really do." "Say it one more time." "Maybe we'll both believe you." "Yeah, I mean, I kind of told Amy that I would hang out with her too." "And I thought about inviting her." "That would kind of defeat the purpose of you and me hanging out together." "I know, man." "That's why I invited you." "I didn't invite the both of you." "Right." "But then Amy and I were thinking..." "Did you have a Bright summit?" " No." " Kind of sounds like you did." "Forget it." "There's no reason I can't do both." " Just never mind." "Forget about it." " No, it's fine." "Give the directions." "I'd actually rather you didn't come anyways." "I'd just have to introduce you to people you don't know, waste a bunch of time." "You'd be out of the loop." "It would have been a hassle." "Maybe next time?" "I don't know why I'm going to all this trouble." " I barely know this guy." " Mm, doesn't matter." "It's all about biology." "Like you wouldn't be putting that on if there weren't any attraction." "Did you know that the first fake eyelashes were in ancient Egypt?" "Lush lashes suggest a fertile woman." "A ready woman." "I read a lot, heh." "Nina, if you have all these different clothes, how come you look the same every day?" "Don't make me cry, Delia." "I just put on the mascara." " I still think you should wear this one." "Oh, I don't think so, honey." "Why not?" "Uh, because it suggests something that is definitely not gonna happen." "You never know." "Nefertiti, I'm not taking any more advice from you." "You look so pretty." " Can I put glitter glue on your face?" "Oh, thank you." "But I don't wanna look like I'm trying too hard." "What's going on up here?" "Did anyone not hear the doorbell?" "Wow!" "You look..." "Turn around." "You are shedding all over the place." "Do you have a lint brush?" " Yeah, it's on the dresser." " I'm gonna go finish some homework." "Okay." "Um..." " Thanks, Andy, I can handle it from here." " Oh, okay." "Great." "Come on, Delia." "So long, Nin." "And, uh, knock back a wheatgrass for me." " Yeah, come in." " Fourteen hundred, baby." "Congratulations." "Thank you." "Oh, no more freaking out." "No more paranoia." "No more chasing the mailman down the street." " Whose are those?" " Uh, yeah, exactly." " Well, obviously, they're not mine." " They're obviously not mine." " Well..." " Don't look at them." "I'm sorry." "Everything's just a little blurry right now." "Okay." "You know, I'm gonna take a second and wait for some type of explanation as to why this hooker thong is in your couch cushion." "You have 10 seconds." "I gave Bright a key." " Ew!" " And for the record that's a long time to hold any stranger's thong." "Is this your arrangement?" "He do this all the time?" "I hope not, the first I've heard of it." "I swear." "So he comes in here with random girls and doesn't ask you." "Does that not creep you out?" "It doesn't make me feel great, but it's Bright." "He doesn't use the same logic as us." "To him, an empty room is fair game." "This isn't the boiler room at County." "This is your studio." " Are you gonna talk to him?" " I don't think so." "Why?" "It doesn't seem like the best time to come down on him." "Okay, so when will it be a good time?" "When he starts filming in here?" "We should have just gone to that party." "You think that if we went to the party that he wouldn't have done this?" "You don't know when this happened." "Maybe it's happened more than once." "Ephram friendships don't fall apart because you miss a party or two." "They fall apart because you stop talking about stuff." "When you let the little things slide because they just don't feel worth it." "You wanna work this stuff out with Bright, you're gonna have to talk to him." " Brought this one for yours." " Hmm, sacrificial offering?" "Least I could do." "This is awkward, but the thing is..." "Do you guys need me for this or can I go see Charlie?" "Go on upstairs, honey, he's in his room playing with Sophie." "Sophie." "Hey, no closets." "Keep three feet on the ground at all times." "So let me guess what happened." "Word got out that you scolded me and now you're eating daily portions of crow." " I don't even know where to begin." " How about a clean slate?" "Although those are rare in Everwood, I know." "Introductions don't get made, we walk with captions over our head." "Me, patron saint." "You, tortured widower, genius doctor." "Pleased to meet you." "Back at you, heh." "Please say you'll come in for coffee." "Can't tell you the last time I had company." "I'd thought you'd never ask." "That place was amazing." "We tried fusion cooking at Mama Joy's once paramedics were there 10 minutes later." "It was pretty good." "Although I like to try and keep a raw-food diet." "Balances my chi." " Kidding." " Oh, heh." "Man you thought I was gonna go all Scientology on you, didn't you?" "Here, I've been giving you the benefit of the doubt." "What do you have doubts about?" "I doubt you're being as open with me as you could because you think tonight's just a waste of time." "That's not completely true because I'm actually having a great time." "Okay." "So then tell me something real about yourself." "Something you want." "Oh, guess I wanna feel safe again." "Wanna wake up in the middle of the night know there's someone who can take care of me and Sam without my having to ask." "And someone I can laugh with because I know he's been there too." "And I wanna skip the getting-to-know-you part and move right into being comfortable, but still exciting." "Still have that rush." " I'm sorry." " No, I'm sorry." " I thought I was getting a signal there." " I know, I..." "It's not you." "You mean, "It's not you, it's me?"" "No, I mean, the person I was just talking about, it's not you, it was somebody else." "I think I'm in love with somebody else." "Wow." "Okay, do I know him?" "No." "It's just, uh someone I went to high school with." "Well, it's good to know." " I'm glad I could be a catalyst." " I am so sorry." "No, that's okay." "Okay." "I think I can let it slide, but only on one condition you have to tell him how you feel." "Just put it out there and see what happens." "Chances are, he'll fall at your feet." "You're very sweet." "Not so sweet." "Because if, for whatever reason, it doesn't work out I'm definitely coming after you again." "I've got lots more boring childhood stories that need to be shared." "God, listen to me go on." "I'm sorry." "I don't get many chances for actual conversations." "No, don't apologize." "These are interesting stories." " So you and John traveled a lot?" " Constantly." "You wouldn't think it of a couple that settled down in Everwood but we used to chase the sun around the world." "We were real adventurers." "Of course now I don't travel much past John's side." "Not that he's a burden." "I understand." "Really?" "I don't." "I don't understand how any of this happened to me." "I can't comprehend the life that I'm living right now." "I keep waiting for something to change." "Something that will, uh make it better, but it never comes." "I'll be cutting his hair or giving him his pills and suddenly, it's like..." "It's like an eternity has passed and I've lost half my life in this house." "I'll look at John and I'll wish he would disappear." "That this would all be over so I could just go to a movie." "Take a cruise somewhere where there's sand." "I love the beach, I love getting a tan, heh." "I can't remember the last time I had one." "And then I'll realize what I was thinking and I'll start to cry." "Not because of all of those things that I'm missing but because I'm wishing them." "I'm wishing he would die so that I could get a tan, I mean, honest to God." " What kind of person thinks those things?" " Lots of people." "Almost anyone in your situation." "Oh, no, they don't, and if they do, shame on them." "Shame on me for every second I'm dreaming about a life that doesn't include my husband." "Oh, I gotta give John his medication." "Care to join?" "Sure." "All right, sweetie." "Open up." "Good." "Here you go." "Use it." " Is your husband left-handed?" " Yeah, we both are." "It's how we met, heh." "They had to seat us together at this dinner party because we kept knocking elbows with everyone else." "Remember that, sweetheart?" "Remember that night?" "Hey, man." "Amy's not here." "Yeah, I know." "I, uh, actually came by to talk to you." "Well, I'm late to pick up Hilary or Sasha." "I'll know when I see their face." "I'll catch up with you later." "No, actually, uh, we should probably talk about this now." "One of your girls left her panties in my couch." "You had sex in my studio, you didn't tell me?" "I was gonna tell you." "You might have been impressed by..." "No, I wouldn't be impressed by the conquest." " This isn't funny." " Yeah, whatever." "You can't use my studio for that crap." "Okay, I won't do it again." " Why are you being like this?" " How am I being?" "I'm sitting here getting attacked for having a little harmless fun." "Are you really?" "It doesn't look like you're having very much fun." "In fact, you're kind of messed up." "Oh, I'm sorry." "You know, we can't all be like you, Ephram and fall in love magically with the girl of our dreams." "All right?" "Some of us take a bit longer." "I apologize if my slumming is bumming you out." "I don't care what you do, or who you do it with." "Okay, God, great." "Thank you." "Heh, I've been dying for your approval." " All I'm trying to say..." " You shouldn't be saying anything." "Okay?" "You don't know where I'm at." "You have no idea what it's like being me right now." "It's pretty easy for you to sit in that studio your daddy built, take shots at me." "You think my life is easy?" "You won't last 10 seconds on my schedule." "You have no idea what my life is like." "I know exactly what it's like as you haven't shut up about it since." "I gotta study, I gotta go to Juilliard." "Gotta practice the piano." "You might have given up on your life, but I haven't on mine." "I'll practice." "Yeah, I may not be as much fun to be around, but I'll do it." "I'll do it, it's important." "And if I don't..." " You'll end up like me." " Exactly." "I wouldn't want that." "Little light reading?" "I got encyclopedias smaller than that." "No, I'm just doing some research." " So how'd it go last night?" " Last night?" " Yeah, you and wheatgrass." " Heh." " Any sparks?" " No, not really." "Ah, I hate to say I told you so, but..." "But you did so you're gonna." "I'm sorry, Nin, but you'll meet someone one of these days." "I know you are." "Yeah." " What?" " Nothing." "You sure?" "Positive." "Well, this is just unbelievable." "What now, Harold?" "Apparently, someone has already put a patent on flavored tongue depressors." "After all my struggling, the sleepless nights." "You've been working on it for two whole days." "I'm sure lightning will strike twice." " I need a bran muffin." "Good morning, everybody." " Wanna see something amazing?" " Always." "Those your SAT scores?" "Yup." " Fourteen hundred?" " No." "Amy, this is remarkable." "I know." "Check out the 750 on verbal." "That was all you, Dad." " Why me?" " All your crazy nursery rhymes." "Remember how you used to replace normal words with hard ones in some wacko attempt to make studying fun?" "Apparently not so wacko." " You remember that?" " Of course." "Much to the annoyance of everyone in my study group, heh." "A triumvirate of purb/ind p/agues A triumvirate of purb/ind p/agues" "Espy how they scutt/e Espy how they scutt/e" ""Triumvirate" was the first word." "It was smooth sailing after that." "Anyways, I gotta go to school." "Mwah." " You're the best, I love you." " Oh." " Mwah." "Heh, congratulations." "I invented those." "Rose, I invented those nursery rhymes." "I could write another 20." "Perhaps bind them together in some sort of a book." "I'll hire an artist to create an enticing cover." "Children all across America and possibly even Europe will be able to use them as a study tool." "Twink/e, twink/e..." "Rose, what's another word for "twinkle?"" "Uh, glittered." "Uh..." "Scinti/ate, scinti/ate Diminutive ce/estia/ orb" "Hey." "Just gonna return this." "You can keep the key, Bright." "Yeah, I don't really need it." "Things got out of hand last night." "We both said stuff we didn't mean." "Maybe it's a good thing, we had a lot to say to each other." "Yeah, it's probably long overdue." " So we can move past it." " I think we kind of are past it." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Maybe whatever reason we were friends isn't there anymore." "Things happen." "Things change if you let them, not if you try." "I don't wanna try." "I can't be around you right now, Ephram." "What are you talking about?" "You know what it's like trying to be your friend?" "I mean, it was easier before, I had my thing I was good at and you had your thing, you know?" "Kind of balanced each other out somehow." "But, uh, I don't know." "It's all off now." "It's not like you need my advice anymore." "You got your stuff figured out, which is awesome." "I'm psyched for you." "But, uh..." "But what?" "But it's too hard for me, man." "It's not supposed to be a competition or whatever but I can't help it if it feels like that, you know?" "It's like I'm constantly in this race with you and I always wind up the loser." "I need to step back for a while get my life back on track without having to pace myself next to you." "If that's what you want, I'm not gonna fight you on it." " I disagree..." " Yeah, I know." "Catch you later." " Yeah?" " Hey." " Hey." " Is this about the kids?" "Just so you know, I had the talk with Charlie." "It was oodles of fun." "No, I decided they're just gonna do what they want anyway." "Delia hitched off to Vegas this morning." "I'm totally cool with it." "It looks like we've been a good influence after all." "Heh, what's up?" "I, uh..." "I wanted to show you something." "What's this?" "This is a recent article by an old colleague of mine." "He did a study on a guy named Neil Cooper." "Neil had a stroke eight years ago." "Severe aphasia, no sign of change." "But then about two years ago, some advances were made in the field." "Electro stimulation, pharmacotherapy and Neil started to respond." "More than that, he started to speak." "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Andy, I really do." "Five years ago, I was excited as you to fight this battle." "I spent every waking moment devoted to hearing my husband say my name again but you know what?" "It didn't happen." "Have you been keeping up with the medical advances?" "Five years make a difference, look what it did for Neil." "So this man can say 700 words, he writes with his left hand, it's amazing." "I should write a letter to his wife, I really should." "But he could have recovered for any number of reasons." "Maybe he was younger." "Maybe he didn't suffer as many mini strokes as John did." "I..." "There..." "They got him to the hospital sooner." "Yes, I understand that and I think that's all possible." "But I have to tell you I don't think his recovery would have been as strong if his left hand weren't dominant." "We doctors now know just how important tackling the left hemisphere is." "The therapies show that." "He could still retrieve emotion language, Amanda." "What is it?" "What is it that you're not saying?" "I'm scared." "I know." "Just give me one month." "Hey, you stole my table." "Yeah, sorry." "I needed the big one." "Can I join you?" "Go for it." "Though you're not gonna stick around." "Apparently, I drive people away." "Is it Amy?" "No, Amy's great." "So in order for the balance of the universe to be restored, something else has to suck." " Bright's pissed at me." " Hmm." "What happened?" "A bunch of things I didn't even realize were happening." "I think the main problem was I didn't realize that I wasn't there for him." "Kind of bailed on our friendship." "You've been busy lately, why don't you cut yourself some slack?" "Yeah, it's just I knew that I was gonna have to give up a lot for piano but I never thought I would have to sacrifice my friends." "I thought I could have it all." "Well, you can't." "You wanna think about that some more before you crush my spirit entirely?" "Ephram, listen to me." "You know, the..." "The sacrifices we make for the things we love, they define us." "I met a woman this week who gave up everything her entire life really, just to be there for her husband." "And the crazy part is, is that she didn't make that decision consciously." "She didn't do it because she wanted to be a martyr or a saint." "She didn't choose it." "It chose her." "And now it's..." "It's just who she is." "Well, maybe it's not who I am." "I'm tired of choosing the piano over everything else." "You're not choosing it over everything else." "You're keeping things in your life that inspire you." " Music, Amy, family, your schoolwork..." " Schoolwork doesn't inspire me." "Yeah, but if you give that up, I'll kill you." "Look, everything is gonna find its natural place." "They don't just disappear." "They just shuffle around a little bit." "And your friends, the good ones anyway they always find a way back." " So you're gonna help out this woman?" " I'm gonna try." "Looks like it's gonna be a lot of work." "Yeah." "I'll probably need Mrs. Hammerhill back to help out for a while." "I'm gonna be bogged down a bit." "That doesn't mean I'm not gonna be here if you or..." "I know." "Do you, uh, want this space to yourself?" "Because I can go up and, uh, study upstairs." "No, that's okay." "You can stay if you want to."