"He had this stack of Gilbert and Sullivan records... that just sat there next to a broken turntable he never bothered to fix." "He said he didn't have to, because he could close his eyes... and hear the entire score of Pinafore whenever he wanted to." "I told him I could too, and I didn't have to close my eyes." "That made him smile, and he put his arm around me... and we sat there and sang it together." "We slept together the day we met." "Or... maybe it was the day after." "Who remembers?" "I remember actually." "I held back for a day, because, well— because I wanted something to look forward to, I guess." "When I first met him, he was wearing... a brown corduroy jacket with elbow patches and wingtip shoes." "God, he really oversold tradition." "About a week later, I found a package outside my door." "It was a... first edition of poems by Rupert Brooke." "None of this "Ode on a Grecian Urn"..." ""My candle burns at both ends."" "This was Rupert Brooke." "We wanted a baby someday, and I knew I would have to name him Rupert." "I really had to push myself." "I really did want it to work though— I think." "I mean—" "You know, I've still got that stack of goddamn Gilbert and Sullivan records." "He's gonna need someone." "I don't think he'll make it alone." "It's good to be alone again." "I can have the whole bowl of popcorn to myself." "I feel helpless." "I would like to call him." "No more phone calls." "No more excuses." "I'm free." "Damn you, Zack!" "Damn all your integrity." "I might call Zack sometime... and give him back his records." "What do I need with a stack of Gilbert and Sullivan records?" " He found the key." " Oh." "Good." "I hope he likes it." " Well?" " It's not bad." " Oh!" " I love it!" " I'll get the papers!" " Wait a minute, Lila." "Not so fast." " Let's go through it." " Okay." "Wow." "It's so big." " You scared me." " It's beautiful." "It has everything we've been looking for." "And it is so underpriced for today's market." "Don't you think so, Doctor?" "Well, talk to my wife, Lila." "She's the big executive." "She makes all the money." "It is a perfect location." "I mean, you have a view from every window." "It is the ideal young married couple's home." "It's so traditional, but so contemporary." "You've got your indoor-outdoor feeling... your quiet, relaxed atmosphere." "I find this room captivating... particularly the PG floors." " PG floors?" " Peg and groove." "Aha!" "Oh, great chandelier." " I know." "I know." " Oh, Claire, I love these beams." "Have you ever seen a house with a layout like this before?" "Really, have you ever seen a house with a layout like this?" " Oh!" "Right here." "Perfect!" "The piano." " Yes." " Perfect—with the light." " Uh-huh." "Yes." " Okay, where are we gonna put the couch from New Haven?" " Uh, right there." " Right in that corner." " Great." "And you know what?" " What?" " This wall will be perfect... for the prints that we got on our honeymoon." "Yeah!" "Wait." " What?" " What are we doing?" "You know how much this place costs?" "Lila, would you excuse us for just a minute?" "Hmm?" " Come with me." " What?" " This will do it." " What?" " Ta-da!" " You finally found a fireplace in the bedroom, huh?" " These are great tiles." "It's everything we've been talking about." " I know." "Claire.!" "The tile.!" "Show him the tile in the bathroom.!" "Okay, Zack." "What do you think, really, huh?" " Can we do it?" " No." " I just don't think we can afford it." " Oh, look, come on." "You can think of something." "We could economize in other areas." "Look." "Who needs three meals a day, right?" "And we could walk to work." "I mean, I know we'd have to get up at 4:00 in the morning... but just think how thin we'll be." "Mm." "All right." "I know you're right." "We have to be sensible." "Yep." "Damn." "Never find another house with a fireplace in the bedroom." "Would you settle for an extra blanket... and an all-night hug?" "Ohh." "You two look so perfect together in this house." "I just know you'll have a long, happy life here." " We can't do it." " You're a tough act to turn down... but I'm afraid you're gonna have to keep looking." "I gotta get back." "I have one more patient." "I'll see you later." "Bye." "I'm sorry." "Why do we always think it can never happen to us?" "Arlene, will you do me a favor?" "Will you?" "Will you let me make the diagnosis?" "Hmm?" "You haven't even been biopsied." "Maybe I can join a circus sideshow." "Oh, now, now, now." "Let's get some fresh air." "Come on." "I'll walk you to your car." "Okay?" "You know, if this happened to Claire..." "I think it would bring us closer than ever." " Really?" " Yeah, really." "We would know that every time we made love, I was making love to her... that her body, no matter what... was the only body I wanted to hold." "Do you mean that?" "Arlene, it may be benign." "But if we have to operate..." "I think old Harry is gonna feel more needed than he's felt in 20 years." " You really think so?" " Yeah, I really do." "Now I know why women fall in love with their doctors." " We're getting the house!" " Zack, really?" "I can't live without PG floors." "Oh, you!" " You sure?" "Huh?" "You sure?" " I'm sure!" "Mm-hmm." " Oh!" " Oh, my dears, I'm sorry." " I'm sorry." "I'll come back later." " Oh!" "Winnie, it's okay." " No." "Come on in." " I only just brought back the Hemingway for Claire." " Ahh." " Winnie, Zack said we're getting the house." " What?" " Zack said we're getting the house!" "Ohh." "Oh, my dear, but that's splendid!" "Oh, that's lovely." " That's wonderful." " Winnie." "Winnie, we will still be over for dinner every Tuesday." "Yes, of course." "It was foolish of me... to think that you'd stay here forever." "I suppose I got used to you living upstairs." "Hmm." "Well, I hope you realize... that you're going to miss some of my stories about Lawrence Hayden-Ford... the one Romantic poet that Rupert Brooke held in high esteem." "Oh, Winnie, then you must sit down and tell us one right now." "And spoil that delicious anticipation?" "No." "Well, I suppose it was time... for a new coat of paint." "Remember." "There's great fortitude in these old walls." "Right?" "Well, we—we could ask her to move in with us." " Oh, sweetheart." " Yeah." "There's that extra little room right on the side." "No, I love her too." "But that room is for Rupert." " Since we're getting the house—" " Uh-huh." " What do you think—" " Mm-hmm." "Mm-hmm?" " Mm." " Mmm." "Did you just have a cookie?" " Mm-hmm." " Mmm!" "You awake?" "Yeah." "Can we buy a new house every week?" "Zack, what is it?" "Nothing." "One of my patients." "All right." "Clear back." "Switch." "All right!" " Get in!" " Ah!" "All right!" "Take that, Zack.!" "Drive 'em.!" "Hey!" "Over here!" " Good shot." " Hey, Ben." " Mm-hmm?" "I was talking to Alan Baker the other day." "You'll never guess who he ran into." " Who?" " Maxine DeMarco." "She used to drive up from Bridgeport every weekend, take on the whole dorm." "Ah, but she made these great oatmeal cookies." "Yeah, Charlie." "What'd we call her?" "Betty Crocker!" "What's the difference?" "A meal's a meal." "Geez." "Nobody grows up anymore." "It's a lost art, Charlie." " Your game was a little off tonight." " Yeah, I know." " Everything okay?" " Mm-hmm." "I'm just wiped out, that's all." "We just moved into the new house this week." " Man, the girls are waiting for us." " All right!" "I'm coming!" "Hey." "I like these guys." " Hi." " Are you next?" "I'm gonna get up on that stage and I'm gonna sing my heart out." " And they're gonna like me, I just know they are." " All right." " I hope they do." " That's the spirit, kid." "Get right up there." "And now our final contestant— from Chatsworth." " All right.!" " Let's have a big hand for Lucie Lee Prescott!" "Okay." "Good luck.!" "# It's easier to sing a sad song #" "#Than it is to just walk away #" "Take a walk.!" " Get off!" " Get off, honey.!" " She's hopeless." " She's trying." "Go home.!" "Aw." "Well, well, well." "It ain't hard to guess who's gonna be taking home... that booby prize tonight, is it, folks?" "But you keep practicing, honey, and come back real soon." " We can do worse than that." " Let's award the first prize—" " Oh!" "Wait a minute!" " Oh, no!" "No, no, no!" " No, no." " Warm up your hands." "Get ready for these folks." "Now, where's— Oh, now, what's going on here, folks?" " We want to enter the contest." " Well, what can I call you?" " Uh, Captain." " And Buttercup." "All right, folks." "Looks like we got one more final contestant here... so let's really hear it now for the Captain and li'I Buttercup." " What do you wanna do?" " Pinafore." "Ahhh." "Very good." "Very good." "Oh,no.!" " Get 'em off!" " Come on!" "Shit." "They don't like us any better." "Well, it looks like Lucie Lee ain't gonna be taking home that booby prize after all." "More left hand, Zack.!" "More left—" "##" " Hi, Mag. 271." " Where is the bathroom?" " That way." "The room with the toilet in it." "I keep forgetting." "Of course!" " Uh-huh." " Yeah." "Okay." "Thank you." "You got four calls from Arlene Powers." " Huh?" " Who's Arlene Powers?" "Oh." "She's the woman that had the mastectomy." "Four?" "Arlene?" "Dr. Elliot." "Arlene." "Arlene, settle down." "Stay right there." "I'll be over in 10 minutes." "Damn it!" "Her husband left her." "That night in bed, he stayed so close to the edge, I thought he was gonna fall off." "I must've lost my knack, huh?" "Huh, Doc?" "What do you think?" "You think I lost my knack?" "You think that's what did it?" "What do you think?" "Oh, shut up!" "I don't need your false comfort!" "Why didn't you level with me in the first place?" "Why did you get my hopes up?" "Damn!" " Howdy." "Where you headed?" " I'm on my way home." "Wanna stop by for a drink?" "Hop in." " Name is Ken." " Frank." "How you doin'?" "I live two blocks from here." "Hey." "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." "Uh—" "I'm sorry." " I made a mistake." "I'm sorry." " Okay." "Okay." "Some other time, huh?" "Catch you around." "Mm." " Hi." " Hi." ""Don't look at me like that, darling."" "Darling, don't look at me like that." " Close." " Mm-hmm." ""Why didn't you tell me?"" " Why didn't you tell me?" " "If it had to be one of us—" " If it had to happen to one of us— - "Why'd it have to be you?"" " Why did it have to be you?" " "Did it have to be you."" "Ohhh." ""It was nobody's fault but my own."" "It was nobody's fault but my own." ""I was looking up."" "I was looking up." " "It was the nearest"— - "It was the closest— nearest thing to heaven."" "It was the nearest thing to heaven." " "You were there."" " You were there." " Oh, darling." " "Don't— Don't worry, darling."" "Don't— Don't worry, darling." " If you can paint— - "If you can paint..." " I can walk."" " I can walk." " Anything— - "Anything's possible, don't you think so?"" " Yes, darling." " "Yes, darling."" " "Yes, yes."" " Yes, yes." "I love that movie." "Mm." "Thegreatloveofmylife was Melanie Franklin." "She was the only other person I know who could sit through six movies in one day." "We would start about 2:00 in the afternoon and go through the night." "I wanted to marry her." "She wanted to go to grad school." "I could never understand why she picked school over me." "Well, I mean, now I can, I suppose, but—" "Anyway, it took me a while to get over it." "I still haven't found anyone like her, even with all the movie freaks around." "You know, I sometimes wonder what my life would be like today... if she had said yes." "Oh, what the hell." "Why wonder?" "I'm happy." "There's a lot to be said for being single." "Hey, Danny." "Hey, Danny!" " Did you get that part?" " Oh, they tell me Tuesday." " Good luck." " Thanks." "Hey." " Hey!" "I thought you were gonna call." " It's been a rough week." " Next week, huh?" " Yeah, sure." " Hey, Michael." "How you doing?" " Hi." "Can I have a light beer, Pete?" "Tsk." "I'm doing lousy." "What's the matter?" "See that number in the corner over there— in the red?" "I've been cruising him for about an hour, and he won't even look at me." "Hey, what are you wasting your time on that guy for?" "Hey, Michael, you look great." "You gotta move around though." "So, get going." "Bart, you're still coming to the party on the 15th, right?" " Right." " Okay." " What's going on?" " Not much." " My name's Bart." " I'm Timmy." " How come you won't spend the night?" " Maybe next time." "What kind of stuff do you write?" "I don't know." "All different kinds of stuff." " Anything I've heard of?" " Probably not." "You know what I could go for right now?" "A big fat hamburger with chili sauce." " You wanna go get one?" " You're crazy." "You know what time it is?" "Can we get together again?" "Why not?" "Let me give you my number." "Will you call?" "Sure." "Therewasthisguy  at Columbia— the college, not the studio." "And he was something of a legend with women." "And he used to score five nights out of the week... with the most beautiful coeds on campus." "A different one every night." "Mm." "Theonlythingwas , he wasn't particularly good-looking." "And, uh, I know he wasn't rich." "And word had it that he was even a little, uh... shall we say, "short-changed"?" "When will you be back?" "I don't know." "Maybe never." "Tell me about the Raintree." " Where did you hear about that?" " You think you'll ever find it?" "You don't think it's a joke?" "Well, then finally one day... someone went up to him and asked him how he got away with it." "I mean, what he had that no one else seemed to have." "And he looked him right in the eye... and he said, very proudly..." ""Imagination."" "Ah." "Mr. McGuire." "I'm Dr. Elliot." "What can I do for you?" " Where's Dr. Bloom?" " He's on vacation." "I'm covering for him." "That's funny." "They didn't tell me that when I called." "Well, we like surprises, Mr. McGuire." "What's with this "Mr. McGuire"?" " How old are you anyway?" " I'm 30." " A 30-year-old doctor?" " Mm-hmm." "Ah." "Dr. Jekyll or Dr. Dolittle." "Now, those guys were doctors." "So, what can we do for you today?" "Oh." "I'm just here for a little checkup." "Ah." "Well, come on around the table." "Just sit here on the end." "You can leave your jacket right here." "Well, it says here on your chart... you just had a complete physical four months ago." "I like to be on the safe side." "Ah." "Well, has anything changed since you were here last?" "Any new symptoms that I should know about?" "No." "Matter of fact, I feel pretty good." "Okay." "Well, we'll just take a look." "Careful, McGuire." "That is not a toy." "Hey, Doc." "I can't hear anything." "Maybe they're right." "Maybe I don't have a heart." " Doctors— they bring out the best in me." " Yeah, I can see that." "Would you turn to the right, please?" "Okay." "Very good." "And to the left." "That's fine." "Now, look straight ahead." "Just, uh, pick a spot on the wall... and don't look directly at the light, okay?" "Straight ahead now." "I read your first book." " Straight ahead." "Final Reunion." "That was your first book, wasn't it?" " That's right." " Good tough writing." " Thanks, Doc." "I've been meaning to read the others." "Open up now." "And give me an "Ahhh."" " Ahhh." " Thank you." "Okay." "Roll up this sleeve." " What for?" " I'm just gonna take your blood pressure." "Really, I feel pretty good, Doc." " I swim about a mile every day." " Oh, yeah?" "Take lots of vitamins, don't eat any fried foods." "Look at that stomach." "Hard as a rock." " That's great." "You do any drugs?" " Why, you got any to sell?" "Very funny." "Actually, I'm very conscious about not fucking up my system." "I'll smoke a little dope once in a while." "Maybe a line or two of coke." "Maybe a line or two of coke." "A Quaalude or two now and then." "Maybe a Percodan once in a while." "A little acid." "But if you mean am I into drugs, no way." "Okay." "You can roll the sleeve down now." " Hey, Doc." " Mm-hmm?" "As long as I'm here, could you take a look at something over here?" " Sure." " This is something I saw the other night." "Uh, it's sorta swollen up, and it hasn't gone away." " See that right there?" " Yep." " It's a tumor, isn't it?" " No." "It's not a tumor." " Lymph node?" " An ingrown hair." "Are you sure it's not a tumor, Doc?" "Well, if you'd like, I could call in Dr. Dolittle for a second opinion." "You mean it can just swell up like that?" "Yeah." "Don't worry about it." "Happens all the time." "Go home and write." "Great." "No more anxiety." "How am I supposed to get through the rest of the day?" " Just have a long lunch." " Who eats lunch?" "Well, I do, and I'd like to get out of here." "As a matter of fact, I am feeling kinda hungry." " You from New York?" " Queens." "That's where people from the Bronx go when they wanna move to the country." "How long you been out here?" "I came out after I graduated Columbia." "I figured as long as I had to suffer, I might as well get a tan." "The bun's not gonna kill you, you know." " White flour— poison." " Mm." "It's not white flour." "Seven-grain stone-ground wheat." "Gimme a break, Doc." "If I say this is poison, this is poison." "You see a shrink?" " What is that, a question or a suggestion?" " Mm." "So, tell me about you and your wife." "How long you been married?" " Eight years." " Got any kids?" " No, not yet." " That's a long time to wait." "Well, we—we wanted to get our careers going first." "What about you?" "You, uh—You see anyone?" "Sure." "I see a lot of people." " Eight years, huh?" " Mm-hmm." "Hmm." "The money for these cookies will help send needy children to camp." "Please help us out." "Please, friends." "Hey.!" "What's the matter with you people?" " Can't you see this poor girl is asking for your help?" "Are you gonna let her down?" "Is that the American way?" "Come on." "Dig into those pockets!" "Send these kids to camp!" "Send this girl here home with a smile!" "Come on.!" "Fork it over.!" "Thanks a lot, big shot." "You just lost me two customers." "Why don't you stick around?" "Maybe you'll scare off the rest of the city." "Hey." "Come on in here." "I wanna show you something." " I can't." "I gotta be downtown at the clinic by 2:00." " Aw, come on." "This will only take a second." "Come on." " You know, I really didn't mean for you to buy that." " Sure, you did." "Tell me, how much of this do you get?" "I just spent it on the burger back there." "Hey, you want me to write something in it?" "Someday." "I enjoyed the lunch." "Sure thing, Doc." "When I was in the fifth grade..." "I had this gorgeous teacher, Mr. Canizarro." "I had an enormous crush on him." "And every morning, uh, I would stand in the same spot... and he would walk by me and say, "Ready for a happy day, princess?"" "I used to dream that when I grew up... we'd get married and live happily ever after." "Valentine's Day, I made this giant heart out of crepe paper." "And I was about to give it to him... when he announced to the class that..." "He was getting married." "I was crushed." "I wasn't what you'd call... an "understanding kid"... where, uh, romance was concerned." "Crepe paper is a bitch to tear." "Mm." "I'm worried about it, Claire." "What are you worried about?" "If it doesn't work, we just dump it." " But let's at least give it a shot." " Out of the question." "You're dreaming, honey." "No one's going to watch... a weekly anthology of great American plays, not on network prime-time." "They'd rather watch junk." "We can change that." "Look, it's our fault." "They want junk because we've taught them to want junk." "If we give them quality, if we give them a choice... and if we present it in the right way... we can teach them to want something better." "I'm not talking Shakespeare." "I'm just talking quality." "Did they watch Olivier and Joanne Woodward in Come Back, Little Sheba?" "It was the lowest-rated program of the week." "I don't think it did a 15 share." "Well, it was on New Year's Eve, wasn't it, Marty?" "Now, what about Playhouse 90?" "Mm." "Don't you have any respect for the public mentality?" " Honey, what mentality?" " A flexible one, Donald." "We have the power and resources to raise it to whatever we want and we're not even trying!" "Donald, stop calling me "honey."" "I think she belongs back at P.B.S." "No." "I don't wanna go back to P.B.S." "They don't need me at P.B.S., damn it." " How'd it go?" " Down the drain." " Harrington called." "Says it's important." " Oh." "Yeah." "He probably wants another pilot on sex and corruption among the rich." "Get Zack for me, will you?" "Wait." "Don't tell me." "He's, uh... not back from lunch yet, not at home..." "and not at the clinic." "Third time this week." "How ya doin'?" " I'm okay." " You work around here?" "No, no." " What are you drinking?" " Scotch." "Excuse me." "I think I left my, uh— my keys in my car." "Excuse me." "Are you okay?" "Sure." "Come on." " Let's get dressed." " We've got time." "We're supposed to be there at 8:00." "You know my father if we're not on time." " We'll be on time." " That's what you always say." "It takes you an hour to get ready, we're late, and he blames me." "Zack, you wanna tell me what's wrong?" "There's nothing wrong." "I'm just trying to avoid an unnecessary reprimand." "Oh, come on." "Look." "I know your father." "He's harmless." "What do you know about my father?" "You don't even know your own father." " You talk to him twice a year!" " Stop it." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Just in a lousy mood, I guess." "I'm sorry." "Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" "There's nothing to talk about." "L— Rough day, that's all." " Okay." " Come on." "Up and at 'em." "Come on." "We gotta go to dinner." " We gotta get some meat on these bones." " Don't tickle me!" " Don't tickle me!" " Come on!" "Meat on these bones!" " You're too skinny!" "We gotta fatten you up!" " It makes me mad!" "Well, I'm concentrating on the Romantic poets... primarily Shelley." "I'm sure you're rereading Virgil, if only as a foundation." "Actually, I'm using Milton as a foundation." "I think you'll find Milton used Virgil as a foundation." "Ah." "I can see how seriously you're taking this Ph.D. Business." "I'll have two sons the doctors." "The internist and the externist." "So, how is the— the new guy working out?" " Alan Milgrom?" " Yeah." " Oh, he's coming along fine." " Good." "It'll take time, of course." "I, um, had to take him off a case." " That's too bad." "How come?" " He made five errors on the first set of contracts." "Dad, the guy's fresh out of law school." "Why don't you just give him a break?" "What if you had a patient with, uh, leukemia?" "He showed symptoms and you did a—" " What, white-cell count?" " That's right." "But your new lab technician misread it." "So that you diagnosed anemia... and your patient died without receiving treatment." "Would you put the error down to inexperience... and permit the technician to continue, possibly misread again?" "It's not the same thing." "Now you're talking about a human life, not a contract." "Performance is performance." "You have to instill that in the people who work for you." "If you can't, you have no business assuming responsibility." "Would anyone care for any more meat?" " Pam?" " No." "Thanks, Christine." "I'm fine." "I've already put Alan on another job— newspaper monopoly." "Matter of fact, we're flying to Milwaukee on Saturday for a week." " This coming Saturday?" " Mm." "What about dinner?" " Dinner?" " You're supposed to come see what we've done to the house." "Oh." "I'm sorry, Zack." "Well, we'll have to do that the following week." " Okay." " Sure." "Bart?" "Zack Elliot." "How you doing?" "I was just calling to, uh— to find out if your famous tumor went away." "You see?" "What did I tell you?" "Look, I was, uh, wondering if maybe you wanted to grab some dinner tonight." "Great." "How about, uh, 8:00 at, uh, La Masia?" "I'll see you then." "Susan?" "It's Zack." "Hi." "Um, is Claire busy?" "Thanks." "Hello." "Great." "Oh?" "Sure." "Yeah." "See you later." "Oh, she married some guy she met in grad school." "Well, I really haven't been involved with anybody since then." "Come on." "Come on." "I'm a famous writer, my boy." "I have a reputation to live up to." "That takes time." "That takes concentration." "No time for frivolous liaisons or forced encounters." "Sure." "What, you can't accept the idea that someone might wanna be alone?" "Well, not when you try that hard to make a case for it, no." "Aha." "And you have the consummate marriage." "No." "I didn't say that." "We've been together eight years." " So have me and these boots." " Oh, yeah?" " Uh-huh." " Well, I hope you're very happy together." "So, where do you go to meet people?" "I don't know." "Around." "You always wanted to write?" "Before I could speak." "I used to write these amazing short stories— really salacious— all about adultery and incest." "Can you imagine a 10-year-old kid writing about incest?" "I used to have the brother and sister doing it under the lemonade stand." "You ever want a family?" "Not really." "I used to." "I had the whole picture." "A big ol' house in the country." "Couple of Irish setters." "You know." "It's still possible." "It's not like you're 80 or anything." "Somehow, I just don't think it's in the cards." "I don't know." "I, uh— I've been through a lot of changes." " Oh, yeah?" "What kind of changes?" " You know." "Changes." "I don't know." "Why don't you tell me?" "What are you trying to get at?" "What are you trying to get at?" " Me?" " Yeah." " I'm not trying to get at anything." " Oh, no?" " You brought it up." " Well, I just meant that I'm happy, that's all." " Ah." " What about you, pal?" " You happy?" " Ahh." "For the most part, yeah." "Oh, yeah?" "What about the other part?" "What are you grinning at?" "I don't know." "I just find a certain charm in your confusion." "Okay." "I've got, uh—" "I've got a few mysteries." "Big deal." "Doesn't everybody?" "Oh, I love a mystery." "So, are you solving them?" "Do you solve yours?" " I never said I had any." " No?" "Okay." "I admit it." "I have done some experimenting." " Like what?" " A little bit of everything." " You name it." " You name it." "Okay." "The truth is, I have gotten into a lot of different scenes." "I'm a writer." "I have to open myself up to new things... expand my horizons." " Bart." " Zack?" "Why don't you just say it?" "I'm gay." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "So, tell me about your mysteries, my friend." " How much longer are you gonna wait?" " Wait?" "Oh, life's too short to play games." "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about the eyes... the probing, the impulse to have dinner." "After a while, you develop an instinct, Doc." "You wanna talk about it?" "It's easier when you talk about it." "I know." "So, you read any good books lately?" "Hey." "I'm married, Bart." "If it feels good, do it." "You don't get any points for playing by the rules." "Look." "It's not—" "It's not as if I'm gay." "I mean, I'm— I'm just curious, you know?" "I'm in love with Claire." "I don't know what kind of a life I could have without her." "I mean, I love her." "I don't wanna be without her." "I'll get some more scotch." "Physician, heal thyself." "Hey." "Are you sure you wanna spoil the mystery?" "I'll do that." " How you doin'?" " I'm great." " How you doing?" " I'm great too." "I didn't realize how late it was." "It's not even midnight." "I gotta get up early." "Yeah." "Me too." "So, how do you like being a doctor?" "How do I like being a doctor?" "Well, after four years of college... four of med school, a year of internship, and two of residency..." "I'd say I've developed a certain degree of fondness for the profession." "Okay." "I was just trying to make conversation." "Yeah?" "Well, don't exert the energy." "You gotta be up early." "So what's with all the sarcasm?" " Forget it." " No." "Let's talk about it." "Okay." "I was just expecting a little more, that's all." "That's always been a problem with me." "Zack, in years to come... when you talk about this, and you will... be kind." "I was just trying to make a little joke." " How do I get out of here?" " Where you going, Westwood?" "No." "That must have been last night's trick." "Hey." "Ease up, will ya?" "Whatdidhe wantfromme?" "What did he want me to be?" "Teacher?" "Tour guide?" "Father confessor?" "Hey." "I don't wanna be anyone's teacher." "I guess I shouldn't have encouraged him." "I mean, one night, the guy's all ready to move in." "Hey." "I mean, who needs it?" "You know, I can score five nights out of the week, no problem." "So it's a different person every night." "So what?" "I like diversity." "I like the challenge, the adventure." "I just don't feel like dealing in anyone else's identity crisis, that's all." "I got a question to ask." "I'm only gonna ask you once." " You ready?" " Shoot." " Do you walk in your sleep?" " What?" "Walk in your sleep." "Do you sleepwalk?" "Does anybody know?" "Does anybody get the chance to find out?" "Hey, wait a minute." "What do you want from me anyway?" "There are 40 million guys out there, and they're all just waiting for you." "Oh, that's it, huh?" "One night per person." "Those are the rules, huh?" "That's right." "Those are the rules." "Well, to quote the words of a well-traveled visionary..." ""You don't get points for playing by the rules."" "Oh, boy." "Talk about visionaries." "You wanna see something badly enough, you see it whether it's there or not." "You were probably shattered to find out that the tooth fairy was really your mother." "Yes, as a matter of fact, I was." "So was I." "Let me get back to work, okay?" "I'm right in the middle of something." "We'll get together later in the week, all right?" "Hey, Zack." "How 'bout Friday?" "Oh, he was very tall." "And his hair was so dark, it glistened in the sunlight." "And I was playing Viola in Twelfth Night." "And one evening, he presented himself at the dressing room door." "Captain, the Honorable Lawrence Hayden-Ford." "A soldier of the sword... but a slave of the heart." "And he said—" "Nothing he said that evening... moved me more than the verse he recited of one ofhis poems." ""Farewell, my Dover maiden..." ""alabaster and lapis lazuli." ""Adieu, channel cliffs of Albion." "And my belle dame, avec merci."" "And you know the rest of the story." "Tell it, Winnie." "Château-Thierry." "Hmm?" "And he never came back." "But... he never died." "Ah, this is it." "Here we are." ""Farewell, my Dover maiden, alabaster and lapis lazuli."" " Can you believe that line?" " Oh, come on." "Give her a break." " Oh, I mean, it's a great line for her." " I know that's what you meant." " Did you think I was mocking it?" " No, I didn't think you were mocking it." "That's what it sounded like." "If she wants to live in a fantasy world..." " then that's up to her." " Come on, Zack, relax." " I told you I didn't think you were mocking it." " Yes, you did." "I didn't." "What is the matter with you?" "What's with you?" "Hey, I'm under a lot of pressure at the office." "Bloom is still on vacation." " Forget it." "Let's just go to bed." " I don't wanna go to bed." " What do you mean?" " I mean I don't wanna go to bed." "Fine, don't go to bed." "But don't tell me how tired you are in the morning." "What's this?" "Why do you keep buying toothpaste with stripes?" "You know I don't like stripes." "How many times do I have to tell you?" "I forgot." "What is wrong with a simple, old-fashioned, plain toothpaste?" "White!" "I'll even go blue, as long as it doesn't have goddamn stripes!" "Look." "Why don't you just do us a favor and buy your own fucking toothpaste?" "I will!" " How you doing, Claire?" " Morning." " You look lovely." " I need some time off, Alex." "Personal privilege." "You and Zack?" "Yeah." "Timing's bad." " You've got terrific potential here." " Oh." "Well, look." "If I've got it now, won't I have it in a year?" "Year?" "You know the momentum of this business." "Ayear from now you could walk in and have trouble getting your parking ticket validated." "Sweetie, be rational." " You're the sharpest mind I got right now." " Oh, Alex, come on." "What are you talking about?" "Every time I come up with an idea... that's fresh or unconventional, I just get shot down." "At least you come up with it." "Look." "I didn't come here to express any discontent with my job." " You want money, more control?" " That's not what I'm talking about." "I'm telling you that you can be a head of the network someday." "God knows you could be sitting at this chair by August." "Alex, I'm almost 30." "I'm beginning to wonder where I'm gonna be when I'm 40." "Clock's not gonna stop." "I love my work." "But I'm afraid I'm gonna end up going home to an empty bed in an empty house... with my pilot scripts and my Betamax and all my potential." "Zack and I have a dream." "I need a year." " I'm gonna make life difficult." " No." "Don't say what I think you're gonna say." " I'm making you head of Program Development." " You bastard." "I put Marty in charge therejust temporarily until I could get a replacement for Brinkman." " You're the best man for the job." " Alex, don't do this to me." "Don't make it sound like I'm sentencing you to Devil's Island." " I'm giving you a shot." " No, you're taking it away, and you know it." "Will you think about it?" "Please?" "Hmm?" "Why don't you go to New York this weekend?" "Meet the guys." "Talk to Zack." "I'm sure he'll support it." "Of course he'll support it." "Claire?" " We gotta talk, Zack." " What is it?" "What's wrong?" " We need to talk." " Okay, okay." "Let's go for a walk." "No, I don't wanna go for a walk." "I'm not one of your patients." " I wanna stay right here." " All right." "What?" "Harrington made me head of Program Development." " That's fantastic." " Mm-hmm." "Congratulations." "What?" "I don't know." "Why don't you tell me?" "What about Rupert?" " Rupert will just have to wait." " I'm almost 30." "Well, you can't turn this down." "You've worked years for this." "You'd hold it against the kid." "Would it make it easier for you?" "Sorry." "I just want you to tell me how you can't wait... to teach Rupert how to shoot a basket... or ride a horse... or just walk around on his— his little legs." "They want me to go to New York this weekend." "Right from the snack bar." " Eat it while it's hot." " Yeah." "You know, you're a hell of a writer." " You read the book?" " Yeah." "It's amazing." "You're like two different people." "You got a lot buried in there." "What are you talking about?" "It's a work of fiction." " And none of those people are you, huh?" " Well—" "Where'd you get your imagination?" "You develop it." "Oh, yeah?" "You didn't play any sports as a kid?" "The most active thing I ever did was jump to conclusions." "Well, I just figured the way you work out, you know?" "Swimming." " I guess I give that impression." " Yeah, you got the weights and everything." "No, actually, I never did." " There was Little League." " Oh, yeah?" "Oh, yeah." "There was Little League, all right." "My father was determined to make a man out of me." "God, I fought it all the way." "But on this, he would not budge." "I'll never forget the time he asked the guys to come down from the office to watch me play." "He gave me batting practice for a week." "He said, "Kid, you better not strike out."" "The only thing was, he forgot that I couldn't catch." "So there we were, 2- and-2 pitch, bases loaded." "Me out in right field, praying for a strikeout." "When sure enough, fly ball coming right toward me." "I held out my brand-new Spalding mitt." "I got that— that feeling in the pit of my stomach." "You know when—" " Yeah." " I just closed my eyes." "It came down about three feet from me." "The old man said he couldn't go to the office for a week... because he was so ashamed." "Jesus." "The night he died, I—" "I went into a gay bar for the first time." "I didn't do it to— to celebrate or anything." "I did it 'cause I was pissed." "Pissed that I never got the chance to tell him... that his all-American right fielder liked to get it on with other right fielders." "I really wanted to see the look in his eyes." "God, I wanted that scene." "Hey." "Thanks." "Mm." "I want you to read that new outline of mine." "Great." "I'll— I'll come by tomorrow." "You're not on call tonight, are you?" " No." " Your wife's in New York." " Mm-hmm." " So, uh, why don't you stay the night?" "Hell, why don't you stay the whole weekend?" "Great." "Time-out." "Hold it." "Hold it." "Hold it." "You pay for dinner." " Coming at you." "Look out." " I got you now." "Come on." "Look out." "Here it comes." " Oh, no!" " Yee-hee-hee!" "This is it!" "This is it!" "Look out now." "All right." "Look out!" "Look out!" "Ooh.!" "All right.!" " So?" " Hang on." "I think you can do better." "Itjust doesn't have the same honesty your other work has." " Honesty?" " Yeah, I don't think you believe in it." "It— It reads like you wrote to get a big movie deal or something." "Oh, Jesus." "I don't know why I let you read it in the first place." "What do you know?" "A fucking doctor!" "If all you wanted was approval, I'm sorry." "I thought you wanted an honest opinion." "Honest?" "Oh, you're a great one to talk about being honest." " What do you mean?" " Forget it." "No, I wanna know what you mean by that." "All right." "What are you doing here?" "What am I do—" "You invited me." "I'm here because I wanna be here." "Right, but you're not gay or anything, are you?" "You're just curious, right?" "Yeah, I'm curious." "So what?" "Well, I'm getting sick of all this curiosity." "It's so fucking convenient." "What are you talking about?" "What, because I didn't like your outline?" "I'm just getting sick of all the games you're playing." "I mean, first you're here, then you're back to your wife." "Why don't you just admit it instead of running away like a fucking coward?" "Me, the coward?" "Me, running away?" "I'm not out there every night cruising bus terminals for a little validation... and then taking off before anybody gets too close." "At least I know who I am." "I'm not afraid to admit it." "And for your information, wiseass..." "I've never cruised a bus terminal in my life." "Hey, sport, have you thought about what it's gonna be like in 10 years... when you can't walk into any bar and grab the first guy you see?" "Well, by then, I'd have a great tape collection... and you'll still be solving your mystery." "Okay." "Let's just drop it." "Oh, that's great." "That's perfect." "Let's just drop it." "Let's just block it out!" "I've been there, Zack." "It doesn't work." "You can talk yourself into it." "You can say, "Okay, I'm curious."" "Or "It's just a phase" or "I'll get over it."" "But every time you make love to her... you're gonna be thinking about the number you cruised that afternoon." "Bart, I want it." "I want it, but I-I don't want the one-night stands... the phony names, going home alone." "Things may be shaky between Claire and me in bed... but at least we're there for each other in the morning." "Well, what makes you think you can't have that with another guy?" "Zack." "Are you awake?" "Yeah." "I'm not gonna submit the outline." "You were right." "The idea stinks." " Hey, Bart?" " Hmm." "I love you." "You don't have to say anything." " Morning." " Morning." "Sleep okay?" " Yeah, great." " Grab some juice in the refrigerator." "Oh." "Anything in the news?" "Oh, you know." "What do you wanna do today?" "Huh?" "I've got this great new idea for a book." "I think I'm gonna write it up." " How long will that take?" " Probably most of the day." "Wanna get together for dinner?" "I'd love to, but I can't." "I made other plans." "I really don't think I can break them." "Why don't we get together later in the week?" "Claire's coming back tomorrow." "I'm gonna have that talk with her." "Well... that's a step in the right direction anyway." "Here." "You want this?" "I guess, uh, I'll just take off." "Oh, don't forget your records." "You keep 'em." "I brought 'em for you." "Thanks, but, uh, I'm really not into Gilbert and Sullivan." "Zack?" "I really think you're gonna like that new outline." "We spent the day Saturday going over the fall schedule." "Of course, my real impact wouldn't be felt until next year." "But I think I could probably get a few good things going." "I mean, for instance, they were nervous about the interracial marriage pilot." "And they were thinking about dumping it, so, uh..." "I suggested that they make the couple import-export dealers... and that way they could get in some good international intrigue." "They bought it." "You just have to know how to handle them." "All right, look." "Uh, we're gonna cut this out, and we're gonna talk." "You cannot do this to me." "It's not fair." "Now, I don't know what to do." "I don't know what to say." "I don't know how to hold you." "I don't know whether I should even try to hold you." "God, Zack, we've always gotten each other through... because we've never been afraid to share." "You've closed yourself off, and I feel helpless." "I don't know what to do." "You gotta tell me." "Are you—Are you sick?" "Are you in trouble?" "Look." "Whatever it is, I can handle it." "I can handle it no matter what it is." "But I cannot handle the silence." "Hi, Daddy." "Did I wake you?" "It's Claire." "No, everything's all right." "I just want to say hello." "He's fine." "Um, look." "I'm really sorry I called so late." "I just forgot all about the time difference." "Well, um—" "I was just, uh, thinking about you and, uh—" "Well, I was thinking about that time that we went skiing." "Remember we went for two weeks?" "And I couldn't— I couldn't stand up." "Remember I couldn't stay up on my skis, and you finally had to hold me up." "Yeah." "Uh—" "Daddy, could I just tell you one more thing?" "Um, did you see Roman Holiday?" "Yeah, it was a wonderful old movie." "Remember it was, uh, Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn." "And, uh, he was a reporter, and she was a princess." "We were thinking about making a series out of it." "Um, he was a reporter, and she was a princess." "And she had run away, and he didn't know." "Only in the series, he'd have to know." "Um, and every week, they'd have a new adventure." "And he'd have to help her keep her— her disguise... so nobody would find out." "Um—" "Sorry I woke you up." "Thank you for listening to me, Daddy." "I thought about being alone a lot as a kid." "Yeah." "When you're the last one standing there at choose-up... and both teams are arguing about which one has to take you... you're usually on your own a lot." "And you have a lot of time to think about it." "SinceI didn'thave anyone to share it with..." " all this pain and confusion..." " Lock the door." "I shared it with Natalie Wood or, uh, Elizabeth Taylor." "Or Marilyn Monroe." "Since I couldn't talk about it, I wrote it all down." "Hey, I had a lot to write down." "He came on so strong." "Expected so much." "If I could havejust said to him, "Hey, man, this is as new to me as it is to you. "" "It did feel good to be with him, though... to have someone around who cared." "I don't think I ever felt that way about anyone before." "I mean, what the hell." "He's confused." "He's just coming out." "Who needs it?" "Goddamn him!" "I mean, it was going so well." "Why did he have to tell me that he loved me?" "Well, welcome home." "Oh, Zack, where have you been?" "I've been worried about you." "I called your brother." "I even tried to call your father." " I spent the night in my office." " Couldn't you have called?" "Claire, we're gonna have that talk." " All right." " We better sit down." "Gonna be a sit-downer, huh?" "Look, Zack." "Whatever it is, I'm your wife and I love you." "So tell me." "What is it?" "I don't believe it." "I've gone over this and I've rehearsed it... and now I don't know how to say it." "Just say it." "I've made a few discoveries about myself." "I've had, I guess what you would call, desires... that I've been repressing, and they're starting to surface." "I find that I'm attracted to men." "I suppose that..." "I have been most of my life, but I never knew what it was." "Or maybe—" "Maybe I just never admitted it... or allowed it to come through before." "Claire, I don't know where these feelings come from... but the fact is that I have them." "And I've gotta stop denying it." "I've gotta call Barbara." "She wants to know if we can have dinner with them on Saturday." " Claire, did you hear what I just told you?" " What should I tell them?" "Claire, listen to me." "I have stopped denying it." "I've been with someone." "What do you want for dinner?" "Do you want veal or fish?" " Last night, you said you could handle anything." " Stop it!" " Shut up!" " You said you could handle anything last night!" "What are you telling me?" "That our whole marriage has been a lie?" "No!" "What are you saying?" "We have always— Claire, look at me." " We have always been there for each other." "Always!" " Like friends?" "Yes, like friends." "It's the best thing we can have." " No!" "What about passion?" " What about support?" "What about betrayal?" "God!" "I thought I knew you." "Who are you?" " I'm the man who's loved you for eight years." " Loved me or used me?" " You are not listening to me." "You don't understand!" " I'm listening.!" "I do understand." "You used me." "You hid behind me for eight years." "Oh, God, you wanna hear something?" "I thought it was another woman." " Claire, no, you're wrong." "It's not true." " I don't wanna hear anymore." "Why don't you leave, Zack?" "Just leave!" "It's something you don't have any control over." "I mean, whether you're born with it or acquire it, who knows?" "But there's something in me that needs to be with a man." " My God!" " Maybe it's his— his strength." "H" " His attitude." "Maybe he's everything I'm not." "I don't know." "Maybe it's brotherhood, bonding, release." "Maybe it's just the need for another man's approval." " But it's that feeling—" " Stop it!" "God." "You know how I feel right now, Zack?" "Radio City when I was eight years old." " My father, he hated Radio City." " Claire, don't." "But I kept begging him to take me." "I begged him until he finally said yes." " It's not the same, Claire." " And then the day that we were supposed to go..." "I went up to their room, and his closets were empty and all his clothes were gone." "And my mother told me that my father had to go on a long trip." "So, see, he never did make it to Radio City." "Hell of a way to say good-bye." "That's a hell of an exit line." "Yeah." "Yeah, she thinks that our whole marriage is a deception... that I'm a complete fraud." "Give her time." "She'll get over it." "I'm gonna need a place to stay for a while." "What do you say I put a movie on, huh?" "Take your mind off things." "Hey, Bart, is it okay if I stay?" "Bart?" "Well, you picked a really bad time." "I mean, any other time, hey, no problem." "But, uh, I'm working on this new idea." "I think we oughta talk about it." " I really think you're gonna like it." " Are you ever gonna stop?" " Stop what?" " Fighting us." "Pushing us out." " Us?" " Yeah, you know, us, us." "Like people, as in "people who need people." Your favorite lyric." "Would you stop giving me this guilt number just because I don't want to get involved?" " What is your problem, huh?" " Problem?" " Yeah." " Why does everybody think there's a problem when you wanna be alone?" "Maybe that's just the way I choose to live my life." "Right." "Zack." "I don't want a relationship." "I'm happy just the way I am." "Damnit,therewas  something there, and I don't mean the sex... or the challenge." "Because after all those years of one-night stands and easy pickups..." "I think I finally met someone that I really believed... was making love to me." "Maybe that's why I had to destroy it." "I don't know." "Maybe next time it'll be easier." "Maybe I needed to go through this." "It's funny." "I mean, I'm not pissed at anyone." "But if I ever do decide to have a relationship with someone..." "I know I'd better be willing to open myself up a little... and, uh, not be afraid that he's gonna run away." "Zack didn't run away." " I pushed him out." "He did leave me with something though." "Look." "I'm not sure having a relationship is the most important thing in the world." "I have my work, my friends." "I'm pretty happy." "But if I ever do decide to explore that other area..." "Zack gave me some hope that I can care about somebody else... at least as much as he cares about me... that I don't have to live with my imagination alone." "Hey, what the hell." " Who knows?" " Hey, Bart, where you been?" " Been around." " Well, where are you goin'?" " I'm going to get a drink." " Hey, Bart." " Paul, how are you?" " Will I see you later?" "Maybe." "Zack was my strength." "He was my protector." "Nothing could hurt me if Zack was there." " I remember the first Christmas that we spent together." "Zack wanted to go to a dinner party... but I had to wait in my room in the dorm for my father to call." "I told Zack to go on without me, but he wouldn't go." "He came and waited with me." "Course, my father never called, but Zack stayed." "We ended up eating potato chips, and he stayed with me the whole night." "I spent the next day reading Rupert Brooke." "And I decided that no matter what... if I ever had a son, I would name him Rupert." " What can I do you for, honey?" " Are you Ted?" " In the flesh." " Um, could I talk to you for a minute?" "Depends on what you're selling." " I'm Zack's wife." " Who?" " Zack Elliot." " Okay." "I give up." "Who's that?" " Did you write that?" " Uh, yeah." "So?" "Please, I have to talk to you." "Come on in." "Come in." "You have to excuse this place." "Can I get you something to drink?" " Glass of white wine maybe?" " No, thank you." "Do you live here alone?" "Yeah, I sure do." "What's your name?" " Claire." " Claire." "Why don't you just have a seat, honey?" "I tell you." "I hate to spoil this little party of yours... but I don't know anybody named, uh, Zack?" "Look." "I have a picture of him." "Maybe you could just, um, take a look at it, and... see if, um—" "Oh, yeah." "I know this guy." "Only his name isn't Zack." "At least it wasn't when he was with me that night." "It was Frank." "That's it— Frank." " Where did you meet him?" " Uh, I met him at the bar." "You sure you don't want a drink or a hit off this joint or something?" "So, what happened?" "Y" " You met him and y-you talked... and then you ask him back here?" "It's that simple." "Just the way boys and girls do it." " What did you talk about?" " If it was worth remembering..." "I don't think his name would have been Frank, would it?" "What happened when you got back here?" "Look." "Can I be honest with you?" "I really don't remember." "I got more tricks coming in and out of this apartment in one day... it looks like a bargain day at Woolworth's." "I'll tell you one thing." "He must have been a pretty hot little number... or I never would have given him my home phone number." "Could I ask you to try to remember just one other thing?" "Did he tell you that he was married?" "Nope." "Now, that much I would have remembered." "Could I ask you a stupid question?" "Are you happy?" "Well, let me put it to you this way." "I lose my temper in traffic." "Uh, I bleed when I cut myself shaving." "I don't enjoy giving up half my salary to pay for a hamburger." "Otherwise, I would say, yeah, I am pretty happy." "Where'd you find that matchbook?" "Coat pocket." "Would have been a lot simpler if he just handed it to you, wouldn't it?" "Thank you." "Is it my fault?" "I should have been more of a wife." "And in what way?" "Hmm?" "Give up your career?" " I thought we had the world's greatest marriage." " Oh." "It's crazy, isn't it?" "How you can kid yourself and only see what you wanna see." "Well, what I see is magic in your marriage." "Well, then why didn't I see that Zack was breaking inside?" "Because, dearest, he obviously didn't want you to see." "But I should have been able to." "L— Instead of romanticizing and idealizing... and expecting so much..." "I should have just let him be human." "Well, you didn't." "And he is." "Then why do I feel that I've done something wrong?" "Dearest, dearest, you haven't done anything wrong." "Zack is still Zack, you're you... and you both still have something very special." "Zack's the only man I've ever been with, Winnie." "He's the only man I've ever wanted to be with." "Then damn it, girl." "What are you sitting here for?" "Hmm?" "The manager let me in." "I told him that I'm your wife." " I think we can make it work, Zack." " No, it can't work." "We can get help." "There are plenty of good psychiatrists around." "It's not an illness." "I am not gonna change." "All right." "Then we'll accept it." "We'll accept it and live with it." "I know there are other marriages who do." "Claire, no." "It wouldn't be fair to you." "You're entitled to a good sex life, an honest one." "What if I said that it didn't matter?" "That wouldn't be fair to me." "I don't want a double life." "One foot in one place, one foot in another." "I don't want that." " Zack." " No." "You gotta let go..." "for both of us." "I heard about an opening on the staff at Sloan-Kettering in New York." "It would mean working with cancer patients full time." "What do you think?" "I think they'd be lucky to have you." "It would mean we wouldn't get to see each other very much though." "That's right." "If it's too easy to fall back on each other... we'd keep ending up where we started." " No contact?" "Nothing?" " No." "Not till we're ready." "Maybe a month." "Ayear." "Even if we're never ready, we'll always be together." "You know that." "Hmm." "It's such a pretty view." "I'm not afraid to be alone." "I love my work." "I think I can make it on my own." "I would like to have a baby." "But I-I don't want to do it until it's really right." "I guess I'm looking for somebody like Zack." "Somebody that my baby could look up to." "Maybe I'll find him, and maybe I won't." "And maybe he..." "just doesn't exist." "I think about Zack a lot." "Sometimes, when I lie in bed at night, I think about him... and I know that, at that very moment... he's thinking about me too." "It wasn't easy to do... what he had to do." "But I know that he had to, and I—" "I really have every reason to believe—" "I miss him." "I miss the lousy piano playing." "And I miss the corny old movies." "And I miss his compassion." "And I know that's the way it has to be." "I just want him to be happy." "I'll get it." "Hello." "Josh, how are you?" "It's good to hear your voice." "Great." "No, we're doing fine." "Yeah, of course you can." "Hang on." "I'll, uh— I'll call him for you." "Zack!" " Yeah." " It's your brother." " I'll get it in here." " Okay." "Hiya, kiddo." "How's it going?" "What's up?" "Oh, God." "When's the funeral?" "How is Claire?" "Did she say anything about my coming in?" "Yeah, okay." "Listen, Josh." "Um—" "I'm gonna have to think about it, and I'll let you know, okay?" "What's wrong?" "Winnie Bates died." " Oh, I'm sorry." " She was an old friend of Claire's and mine." "Yeah, you told me all about her." "Yeah." "Claire just called Josh and said that the funeral is tomorrow." " Mm." "So what do you think?" " I don't know." "She's married." "She's got a kid." "She's—" "What do you think?" "I think you should go." "Yeah." ""The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." ""He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." ""He leadeth me beside the still waters." ""He restoreth my soul." ""He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." ""Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." ""I will fear no evil for thou art with me." ""Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." ""Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." ""Thou anointest my head with oil." ""My cup runneth over." ""Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. "" " Amen." " Amen." " Zack." " Hi, Claire." "Hi." "Don't I get a hug?" "I thought she was... gonna live for another 80 years." "I'm really gonna miss her." "I still went to her house every Tuesday night for dinner." " Oh, yeah?" " Mm-hmm." ""Alabaster and lapis lazuli."" "She never changed." "She never changed." " Tell me." "How have you been?" " I've been fine." "Just fine." " Good." " You look fantastic." " Thank you." " Josh has been keeping me posted." " Married and a baby, huh?" " Mm-hmm." "Larry's terrific." "I think you'd like him." " What does he do?" " Architect." " How long will you be here?" " My plane leaves at 5:00." "Why don't you stop by the house on your way to the airport?" "I'd like that." "Come on." "You can follow me." "Come on." "Oh, look at you run." "Oh, how's my big boy, huh?" " How's my other big boy?" " This one's pooped." "The other one's raring to go." "Zack, this is Larry." " Larry, this is Zack." " Zack, good to meet you." " Good to meet you, Larry." " Claire's told me a lot about you." " And this is our little guy." " Hey, how you doing, slugger?" "Huh?" "I'm— I'm Rupert." " What's his name?" " Rupert." " Here." "Wanna stay with your dad?" " Come here, Rup." "I'm gonna go in the house." "I'll be right back." "Claire had a thing about that name." "He must be the only kid in America with it." " Right?" " Hey, Rupert." "How you doing, huh?" "You don't know me, but I'm an old friend of your mom." " This is Zack." "Can you say hi to Zack?" " Hi, Zack." "Hey, you're a pretty tough-looking kid." "You know that?" " Pick me up there." " Pick you up here?" "How high?" "That high?" " Yeah!" "Put me down." " Okay." " Down we go." " Wanna play ball?" " Yeah." " Okay." "You're staying for dinner, aren't you?" " Oh, thanks, Larry, but I can't." "I gotta catch a 5:00 plane." " Okay." " Just stopped by to say hello." "Maybe next trip." " Okay, let's play football!" " Claire seems real happy." " She's a super lady, Zack." "I know." "Take good care, huh?" "You bet." "Well, can we get you something to drink?" "You hungry or anything?" "No, thank you." "I gotta get going." " Why don't I walk you to your car?" " Okay." " Take it easy, Zack." " You too, Larry." "Be right in." " Rupert, huh?" " Yeah." " Larry seems like a good man." " Oh, well... he runs out of the room every time I put the Gilbert and Sullivan on." "He never read Rupert Brooke." "He stopped at Carl Sandburg." "But it's good." "It's real good, Zack." "How about you?" "Anybody in your life?" "Yeah." "We've been together— It's uh, almost two years now." " It's really working out." " That's good." " You know what?" " What?" "He can't stand Gilbert and Sullivan either." " Josh tells me you're still at Sloan-Kettering." " Mm-hmm." "Yeah." " How's it going?" " Fine." "It's, uh—Well, it's tough work." " But I'm hanging in there." " Good." " Are you happy, Zack?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I really am." "I guess we both did okay, didn't we?" "Mm-hmm." "I'm happy too, Zack, for both of us." " So long, Claire." " Mm." "So long, Zack."