"Come here, Rocky!" "Come on, Rocky!" "Here he comes!" "Rocky!" "Come on!" "Rocky!" "Come on!" "Rocky!" "Come here, Rocky!" "Rocky." "Good boy." "Where did this dog come from?" "Bad dog!" "Go!" "Look out!" "No, not again!" "I've had enough!" "Wait a minute, Mrs. Cooper." "Mrs. Cooper!" "Chalk off another one!" "Nice one!" "Wait a minute, Mrs. Larson." "Mrs. Larson." "Boys?" "Boys, come on in now." "It's time for dinner." "Mrs. Hampston, please, at least just stay for the holidays." "I won't stay another minute." "Look, I'm very sorry about the boys." "Okay, but they're only six." "Which is why I don't blame them." "You don't?" "They're your children, Mr. Webster, not your playmates, not your pets." "They need a mature, steady hand to guide them." "Your hand." "Now, goodbye." "Mrs. Hampston." "You don't need a housekeeper." "You need a miracle." "l got both of you!" "Dad." "You got me." "You got me." "You got me." "Okay." "All right, guys, time for bed." "Okay." "You put up a good fight." "There you go." "Love you." "Love you, too." "There you go." "Good night, buddy." "Love you." "Love you, too." "Dad?" "Yeah?" "We're sorry." "We were lust trying to have fun with the housekeeper." "Well, sometimes things don't always work out." "What are we going to do?" "We're never going to find anybody now." "What are you talking about?" "Everything's under control." "Really?" "Absolutely." "You guys don't have anything to worry about, all right?" "Dad, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Do you know what Mommy's favorite color was?" "You know, it's late." "You guys should go to sleep." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Way To Go Travel." "Hello, Mrs. Clark!" "Yes, I did a little research, and it's a great resort, and it includes everything, hotels, meals, gratuities." "So you step out of your room right on to the beach, and you wouldn't believe the sunsets." "Absolutely gorgeous." "Well, no, I've never actually been there myself, but that's what everyone tells me." "And normally, they don't take reservations after Thanksgiving, but I did... I noticed a cancellation, and it's still there." "Great!" "Yeah, maybe I will make it there one of these days." "Reba." "Your mom." "Mrs. Clark?" "I'm going to call you with the details later." "Perfect." "Okay, bye." "I totally forgot!" "Thanks, Nicki. I'll be back." "Hurry." "Mom, I'm sorry." "Hi, sweetheart." "l'm sorry." "No, it's fine." "Sit, sit." "What a crazy week. I mean, the phones, they just..." "They haven't stopped." "Well, that little business of yours is really booming then." "Happens every year." "People want to get away for the holidays." "I'm lust happy you finally found something more secure than your so-called theater career." "Yeah, you've mentioned that once or twice before, Mom." "Speaking of getting away, I had a call from your favorite aunt and uncle yesterday." "Aunt Molly and Uncle Bill?" "How are they?" "Well, they're finally taking that Hawaiian vacation they've always talked about." "And they're going to stop here for a couple of days on the way." "That's great!" "When?" "They arrive late on the 23rd from St. Paul, and they leave for Hawaii the morning of the 26th." "So they're going to be here for Christmas." "Yes, and honey, they're so excited to see you and Vicki." "How long has it been?" "Mom." "Look, Reba, it would be so nice for them if we could have a real family Christmas, everyone together again." "Well, it won't work, so..." "Look, Reba, it's been four years." "I thought with your aunt and uncle coming, wouldn't this be the most wonderful time to lust put everything behind us?" "Wouldn't it?" "You know what she did." "Vicki's your sister." "You have to settle it." "I have settled it." "I want nothing to do with her." "What about your aunt and uncle?" "They think the world of you and Vicki." "They want to see both of you." "Okay, well then, we'll do what we've done for the last four years." "Vicki and her family, they can see you on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, and I'll lust visit when they're not there." "Okay?" "You know, if your father was alive..." "Mom, change the subiect." "Mrs. Ackerman, do you have some good news for us?" "Well, we're..." "Yes." "We're lust very excited about meeting our new housekeeper." "I realize they don't grow on trees." "I know you're trying your best, and I really appreciate it, but lust it's been about a week, and with the holidays coming..." "Guys, cool it." "Okay, I'll call back again." "Okay, guys." "Okay, come on." "Hey." "All right, look, let him go." "I know, you got him in a headlock, okay." "Let it go." "Time out." "Okay. I got you." "Get up." "There we go." "Mr. Webster, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how wonderfully, well, high-spirited your boys are." "It really is a treat to have them in my class." "They are both so bright, and funny, and, well, gosh, I just can't get over all that energy!" "So, but we're good?" "Sure, yeah, yeah." "They're hard-working." "They've made lots of friends." "They have a real flair for music." "Does that run in the family?" "No, not really." "No." "Well, they're great boys." "You should be very proud." "Thank you." "All right." "Of course, I'm sure you're also aware that, well, at times, their natural enthusiasm can be just a tad overwhelming." "Yeah." "It's important that they learn to channel that energy into more constructive outlets, which is why I am so pleased that Judd and Jason want to take part in this year's Christmas pageant." "Christmas pageant?" "Yeah." "They're so excited about it, and I honestly think it's going to be just the thing for them." "l mean, don't you?" "Well..." "Which reminds me." "The first parents' meeting is in five minutes in the library." "You don't want to be late." "All right, I should get going then." "Okay." "Thank you." "My pleasure." "Very nice to meet you." "You as well." "For those of you here for the first time, my name is Milly Waters." "This is my fifth year directing the school pageant." "And I can tell you we are all very, very excited." "Now as some of you know, we started work on the songs last week with our musical director, Mrs. Darling." "I will hold auditions and assign speaking parts by the end of the week." "Rehearsal will be for one hour after school every day." "Does anybody have any questions?" "l do." "Yes." "Cindy!" "Cindy, thank you very much." "And seriously, don't worry about the fire." "This stuff happens all the time." "So we'll call you?" "That's okay." "Boys?" "My muscles are screaming at me." "I hope you're happy with yourself." "Me?" "Yeah, the only time I ever get here is when you call and make me feel guilty, but you haven't called, have you?" "Sorry." "So what's been keeping you so busy?" "Just business." "You know, I can barely keep up right now." "Really?" "Yeah, so this guy calls the other day." "It's almost the middle of December, right?" "And he wants to book a flight to Maui." "Go ahead." "Tell me all about work." "What?" "Reba, I am married with two kids." "I spend all day in a room full of six year olds who laugh at anything that sounds even remotely like poo." "I need something to hang onto here." "You're my last hope." "Well, sorry to disappoint you." "You're really not seeing anyone at all?" "God, you know, that makes it sound so much better." "Well, it lust doesn't make any sense to me." "I mean, come on, you're smart, and you're gorgeous, and you're talented." "Your Maria in The Sound of Music made everyone say, "Julie who?"" "And now you run your own business." "Okay, if you say that I have a good personality, I'm going to deck you." "Well, you do." "l'm gonna go get some milk." "Me, too." "Yes, absolutely." "I could probably get some concepts drawn up for you by the middle of the week, but considering the..." "Let me pour." "No, I can do it." "Let me pour!" "l can do it!" "Guys, guys!" "l can do it!" "I'm sorry." "Can you hold on just one second?" "All right." "Go to your room." "I'll call you when dinner's ready." "Sorry about that." "Hey, look!" "Not bad, fellas." "Nice size, yeah." "Good and solid, and packed tight, but not too heavy." "Missed us!" "You can't get us!" "Missed us!" "You can't get us!" "Yeah?" "Missed us!" "Don't mess with the big dog." "Get the door!" "Get the door!" "Mr. Webster?" "Yes." "l'm Emily Merkle." "Nice to see you." "How you doing, huh?" "I like that shirt." "That's a good color for you." "Yeah." "Wait a minute." "You got something there." "What is that?" "is that a little gravy?" "Yeah." "Probably'll come right off with some seltzer." "Okay." "It's cold out here." "Oh, boy." "Yeah." "Let me back up here for a minute." "The agency sent me, okay?" "The agency?" "Yeah." "The employment agency?" "You know, big building downtown." "Lots of people." "Everyone trying to get a lob." "I mean, I'm talking grim." "Okay, great!" "I'm sorry, you lust..." "You weren't what I expected." "Yeah, I get that a lot." "But you know what?" "You'll get used to it." "No, Mrs. Ackerman didn't even tell me she'd found somebody." "Well, it's more fun this way." "You see, then I can pop in and go, "Surprise!"" "Keep your pants on, honey." "I'm just kidding." "Oh, my goodness!" "You've been robbed!" "What?" "No, no, this is..." "No, no, I'm lust kidding again." "It's just a mess, right?" "I mean, sometimes I kid, but seriously, this is really a mess." "I was lust talking with the boys how we needed to keep things..." "Hi, fellas!" "Well, what you two been up to?" "Guys, come say hi." "It's all right." "This is Mrs..." "Merkle." "Mrs." "Merkle." "You're twins, right?" "Yeah." "We're paternal." "He means fraternal." "Don't say a word." "Don't tell me a word." "You are Judd and Jason." "How'd you know?" "It's easy." "It was written on your foreheads." "Now tell me something." "Are you two responsible for most of this mess?" "Well, good for you." "Because if you're going to trash this place, you might as well do it right." "What do I smell?" "Listen, I apologize for the mess." "It's not..." "See, I knew it was gravy, but seriously, is somebody boiling lard?" "We're cooking dinner." "Shoot." "What am I going to do about this dinner I have here?" "You have dinner?" "That smells good." "It's a very special recipe." "I wouldn't want to twist your arm." "Really good." "Now you're sure?" "Okay, Mr. Webster, you're out of here." "Go, I don't know, read a newspaper, or call EPA, or whatever it is you normally do as an architect." "Meanwhile, I'm going to clean up this place in a jiffy." "Come on, boys, help me." "Come on." "Okay." "Boys, wait a minute." "I've got to ask you something." "Now are there any marbles in the house?" "Yeah." "Okay." "Now you go find them, and bring them to me, and bring me all the Play-Doh you can, and some liquid soap, and a box of baking soda, okay?" "But why do you need those..." "No, no." "No questions, understand?" "Okay, go get them." "Well, that ought to keep them busy for a while." "You ain't seen nothing yet, honey." "This is so cool, Dad." "I'll say." "What do they call this dessert?" "Angel food cake." "Angels eat cake?" "When it tastes like this, they do." "Well, I'll take that as a compliment." "Here's a question for you." "Who can clear off this table the fastest?" "Okay, I'll begin a count." "One, two, three, four, five." "I'll get it, honey." "Thanks." "That's a good job." "Thank you." "Nicely done." "What, did you buy a ticket to this show?" "Thanks." "Good night, Dad!" "Good night!" "Good night, Dad!" "Good night!" "Good night, guys!" "You guys all set?" "Did you see how we cleaned up?" "Yeah, you did a great iob." "But then Mrs. Miracle made us take a bath." "Mrs. Merkle, you mean." "That's what he said, Mrs. Miracle." "And you know what else?" "Mrs. Miracle said we have to brush our teeth before she'll read to us." "Well, that sounds about right to me." "But, Dad!" "But, Dad!" "But what?" "No buts, all right?" "You guys listen to Mrs. Merkle." "Okay?" "Okay, you two, come on." "Scoot, scoot." "All right, time for bed." "Love you." "Love you, too." "Love you, buddy." "Love you, too." "Okay." "Man." "You know, I hardly ever read to them anymore." "And when I do, I fall asleep." "Come on, don't be hard on yourself." "You've had your hands full." "Yeah, I guess." "You know what you might need?" "A little time for yourself." "What is that?" "I don't even think about that." "Of course you don't." "You know, I'm sorry." "I didn't even show you to your room." "No, it's all right." "The boys settled me in." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Okay." "Well, then, I guess we should probably talk about references, and schedules, and all that stuff." "Mrs. Miracle!" "Come on!" "We're waiting!" "My audience awaits." "I guess we can talk about it another time then." "Okay." "Here I come!" "Mrs. Miracle!" "You're supposed to sit over here." "You sit here next to me!" "No!" "I called dibs first!" "She should sit over here on my bed!" "Okay, then I get to pick the story." "Settle down, boys." "We'll find one you both like." "Mrs. Miracle." "Actually, well, we are on schedule." "There is a new schedule that came out after with the revised plans that accounted for the new additions that you requested." "Hi." "Yeah, this is Seth Webster calling for Mrs. Ackerman again." "She's not in." "Okay, do you know when she'll be back?" "Boys, come on." "Hold my hand." "No, it's not urgent. I lust wanted to check in with her about our new housekeeper." "Okay, thanks." "That was wonderful, children!" "Now as you know, today we have auditions for the speaking parts in this year's pageant." "We have a number of roles to fill." "There are shepherds, and reindeer, and angels, so don't worry." "You'll each have your moment in the spotlight." "And remember, when it's your turn to audition, I want you to give it everything you've got." "Let them hear you in the back row, and remember, say it with feeling!" "Really put your heart into it!" "And the angel said unto him, "Fear not!" ""For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy!"" "is she okay?" "She looks okay." "She's breathing." "Help!" "Help!" "She's fallen!" "I think she's moving." "You've got to be kidding me." "No, I'm serious." "The school needs someone to come in and take over the pageant right now." "So naturally you thought of me?" "Well, who else?" "I mean, you've been doing theater since we were kids, acting and directing, and..." "Come on." "You've done more plays than anyone else I know." "Kate, that was a long time ago." "Yeah, but you still love it." "Come on, fess up." "You miss it sometimes." "That's not the point." "I run a travel agency now." "Well, you have a great staff here, and they're going to keep things humming while you're in rehearsals." "There's not going to be any rehearsals." "Come on, Reba." "Those kids, they could learn so much from you." "You can pass on some of that special stage magic." "Please." "Come on." "The parents are taking care of all the costumes and sets." "Mrs. Darling already has them learning all the music." "You really lust have to come in and direct traffic a little, and besides..." "Besides?" "Well, Christmas hasn't exactly been easy for you the last few years, and I thought that with the pageant, and the kids, and everything... I would look a little less pathetic?" "No." "No, you could get back some of what you've been missing." "Look, there is a part of me that thinks that this might be fun, but I'm..." "Okay." "Well, you don't have to decide right now." "You lust think about it, and you come and see me after school." "Kate." "Please?" "Please, Reba, please?" "Just say you'll think about it." "Fine, I will think about it." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you!" "Okay." "Excuse me." "Hi." "Hello." "Hi." "Wow." "Don't you wish you could lust hug them?" "Sure." "They're a little shorthanded today, aren't they?" "I'd say." "You know, it's all in the timing, honey." "What is?" "Finding someone to help." "Someone who's ready to take the leap of faith." "Dust themselves off and get back in the game." "I suppose." "Where is it?" "There it is." "Okay." "I can get it. I can get it. I can get it." "It's okay!" "I got it!" "Coming through, coming through." "Gotcha!" "Hi." "She's pretty." "Don't mind me." "Just keep playing and having fun." "Okay." "Something smells good." "Hey, guys." "Dad, look!" "Where did you get that?" "Mrs." "Miracle found it." "I didn't even remember what Mommy looked like." "Me neither!" "All right, you guys go to your room," "and I'll be right in, okay?" "Okay." "Soup's on in five minutes." "Where did you get this?" "The boys were so full of questions about their mother." "Where did you get it?" "I found it in the bookcase this morning when I was dusting." "ln the bookcase?" "Yeah, between two books like it had been there a long time." "It's a silly place to keep a picture." "Mrs." "Merkle, I would appreciate it if..." "What was her name?" "Pamela." "Her name was Pamela." "She looked like such a sweetie." "And those eyes." "Please, are you kidding me?" "I didn't know it was your wife, except that she had these two darling boys in her arms." "So obviously, who else could it be?" "Now I know where they get their good looks from, too." "Look, things have been going very well up until now." "I mean, the boys are happy. I don't know what I would have done without you." "Well, you're welcome." "But there are certain subiects I would appreciate you not discussing with the boys." "Certain subiects?" "Like their mother." "You don't want them to know about their mother?" "That's not..." "Of course I want them to know about her." "Good, 'cause for a minute there, I thought you were going to..." "When the time is right." "When they're ready." "When they're ready?" "Just, please." "Remember from now on." "is Mrs. Miracle going away?" "Her name is Mrs. Merkle, okay." "Not Mrs. Miracle." "Mrs. Merkle." "And how many times have I told you boys not to play with that piano, huh?" "Hey, Kate, it's Reba." "Look, I was lust wondering." "Have you found anyone to direct the pageant?" "Change of heart." "But using recycled materials would not only cut costs, state tax credits apply for the next three years." "That makes a big difference to your bottom line, not to mention, of course, doing our part for the environment." "Hold on one second." "No problem." "Mrs. Merkle, is everything okay?" "I'm sorry to bother you at work, but the man hasn't finished with the dryer yet." "Okay." "Well, I have to be here, and it's almost time to pick up the boys." "I'll tell you what, I'm pretty much done here." "Why don't I just pick them up?" "Why didn't I think of that?" "Listen, they are rehearsing for the pageant, so pick them up at the auditorium." "Auditorium, got it." "No problem." "Okay, thanks." "Mrs. Merkle!" "Good as new." "Sometimes you lust have to give these things a little push." "Tell me about it." "Okay, the snowmen are dressed." "And skippers, we're skipping!" "It's cold outside." "It's Christmas!" "Wanna smile big to all of your family!" "You don't want to miss your mom and your grandmother way out there." "And grab your snowman, and skipping!" "Smile really..." "Hey, Dad!" "Nice work, everyone." "Are you okay?" "l'm okay." "All good." "Okay, that's enough, everyone." "Let's give him a big round of applause." "Okay?" "And let's go from the top, okay?" "That was really good." "Nice work." "That looks good." "Then she said we could sing another song at the end and let the audience sing along if they wanted, too." "Yeah?" "A sing-along." "Something easy, though, like Jingle Bells." "Or frosty the Snowman." "That's a good idea." "Wow." "That sounds like they've got a ringer." "What did you say her name was?" "Miss Maxwell." "She's nice." "And funny." "And pretty." "Didn't you think she was pretty, Dad?" "Yeah." "Sure, I guess." "What, are you blind all of a sudden?" "No, but I wasn't there to..." "Did you at least introduce yourself to her?" "No, I didn't want to interrupt." "You're their father." "You lust come up, you shake her hand, you say, "Nice to meet you," and, "How you doing?"" "And I mean, people like that." "That separates us from the animals, you know?" "I got distracted." "He banged his leg." "You banged your leg?" "Hey, it hurt." "You should watch where you're going." "You guys think that's funny, huh?" "You think it's funny I banged my leg?" "You little jokesters." "You a couple of wise guys, huh?" "You think that's funny, huh?" "Maxwell, huh?" "I wonder if that's Reba Maxwell." "You know her?" "Well, I overheard someone talking at school about their vacation." "And they said that Reba Maxwell had a travel agency right next to the grocery store." "Really?" "Well, maybe it's lust coincidental." "So I hear you have them eating out of your hand." "Well, we have a long way to go still." "I mean, we haven't even started on the sets, not to mention the costumes, the lighting." "Well, you know what?" "You got the kids excited, and that's half the battle." "Trust me." "The parents will show up in no time." "You know, one already did." "You're kidding." "Who?" "I didn't actually meet him, but he came to pick up his sons," "Judd and Jason." "The twins." "Yeah, they're in my class." "His name's Seth." "Single parent." "He lost his wife a few years ago." "What happened?" "I don't know." "The boys don't talk about her." "God, that must be hard." "Yeah." "Yeah, well, he's got the whole frazzled thing down." "He's a nice guy." "Cute, too." "I hadn't noticed." "l'm sorry." "lt's okay." "l'm so sorry." "It's my fault." "That's okay." "Are you all right?" "That's..." "Yeah." "Hi." "Hi." "Miss Maxwell, we didn't actually..." "No, we didn't." "It's Mr. Webster?" "Seth." "Reba." "Nice to meet you." "Here you go." "Sorry about that. I wanted to see you and..." "You did?" "About a vacation, you know, with the boys." "Sure." "Sure." "So is now a good time?" "Yep, that's what we do." "Thank you." "There's always Florida, which is on the southern part of the south." "You know, theme parks, Everglades." "And the weather." "They've got alligators, and hurricanes, and..." "No, you know, you're right." "There is a lot of weather in that part of the country." "You know what?" "I think it's perfect." "Okay." "You know what, maybe you and I can even go to dinner sometime." "Okay." "Mrs. Merkle?" "I kind of made some plans on Friday night." "I hope that's okay." "You and Miss Maxwell have fun." "Wait a minute. I never said anything about going out with Reba." "Well, didn't you visit her at her travel agency?" "Yeah, but I didn't tell you that." "I'm bringing you travel agency brochures that you left in the living room." "They've got a new Greek restaurant downtown." "You ought to give it a try." "Okay." "That's kind of cute." "What are you laughing at?" "Okay." "I probably should have asked." "Do you even like Greek food?" "Oh, yeah." "It's my favorite." "Thank you." "l'm a sucker for anything with tzatziki." "Yeah, me too." "And the weird thing is, I haven't had it in a few months, so this is perfect." "I didn't even know this place was here." "My housekeeper recommended it, actually." "All I can say is, it is quite a job you've taken on." "I hope you're getting combat pay." "No, it's not that bad." "I mean, I used to love doing theater, so this is a nice chance to enjoy it again." "You were an actress?" "Mainly." "A little directing, a lot of waitressing, a little starving, and then back to the real world." "Well, these kids are very lucky to have you." "I'm the lucky one." "Getting to know them, it's been the best part." "My guys are having a great time." "They can't stop talking about you." "I'm beginning to see why." "Well, they're wonderful boys." "I mean, they're funny, and they're smart, and they're so well-behaved." "We're talking about Judd and Jason Webster?" "About this tall, dark hair, twins?" "Well-behaved?" "You know, you don't have to lie to me just because we're..." "Honestly, I wish the other kids behaved like them." "Okay, now you're lust talking crazy." "They're really great. I mean it." "I do work with a lot of restoration groups here in the city and in the region." "So you save old buildings?" "Well, I like to think of it as kind of giving an old space a new purpose." "That must be hard, you know, lust seeing something in a completely different way." "But it's so worth it." "It's so worth it. I love it." "Like, for instance, there was this old movie theater with amazing details." "Rundown, but they wanted to lust level it." "Start from scratch." "We were able to show them how they could actually make more money by renovating it into a restaurant and art gallery." "Okay, wait, not the old Rialto on 30th?" "Yeah, you know it?" "Really?" "I went there all the time with my family." "Yeah." "l did, too." "Really?" "Yeah." "And then when I was in college, they would play these really great silent films on the weekends, and there was this guy that would play the piano kind of like a soundtrack." "Yeah." "That was me." "Shut up." "That's how I paid my way through college." "Okay, this is spooky." "You think maybe we saw each other there?" "Wow, so you play the piano, too?" "Not anymore." "Why'd you stop?" "It's freezing out here." "We should get you in the car." "Sure." "Thank you." "Thank you." "This was fun." "Thank you." "Dinner was great." "Yeah, I'll say." "Wonderful." "So." "So." "So, yeah." "Good night." "Good night." "You know what?" "I'm sorry." "When you asked earlier why I'd stopped playing the piano, I didn't say anything, and..." "The reason I didn't, honestly, is because this has been a fantastic evening." "I didn't want to ruin it." "What do you mean?" "I stopped playing piano the day my wife died." "Pamela loved music." "Sometimes she would lust lie there and listen to me play." "After she was gone, I just didn't see the point." "Yeah, that was a part of your memory of her." "It's something that you shared together." "And everything that I loved about it then just makes it all the more painful now." "Everybody tells me I should play again, but..." "But they don't understand." "And some things you can't explain, so I just stopped trying." "Until tonight." "I'm glad you told me." "Maybe we can do this again sometime." "Maybe." "l'll call you?" "You better." "Good night." "What you said tonight about the twins." "Did you really mean that?" "Yes, I really meant it." "Although, I don't know where they get it from." "Good night." "Night." "Watch yourself." "Mr." "Webster." "Looking good." "Hello?" "Mr." "Webster, hello." "This is Mrs. Ackerman at the employment agency." "Mrs. Ackerman, hello." "Sorry I haven't gotten back to you." "We've been so busy." "No worries. I probably should have called you before now anyway." "It's lust been a little crazy around here." "I only wish I had better news." "I'm sorry?" "The truth is, I've run out of ideas." "A full-time housekeeper willing to live in and care for two small children?" "I'm afraid I can't help you." "Well, what about Mrs. Merkle?" "Who?" "Emily Merkle, didn't you send her?" "Mr. Webster, we don't have anyone by that name working for us." "I'm sure we talked about this." "Well, I think I would've remembered." "Well, the Ackerman Employment Agency ran out of candidates, and they called around, and called someone at the company that I work for." "The Paradise Valley Employment Services?" "Yes." "And I mean, they're the ones who sent me here, and they have my records and all the paperwork." "I am so sorry about this misunderstanding." "Well, I've never read better references." "But I do intend on calling every single one of these people myself." "Of course!" "Okay." "The cookies are ready!" "Okay, well there's..." "Don't you lust love how cookies make everything smell like Christmas?" "And Mrs. Darling." "Okay, Delilah." "Little bit louder." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Don't be nervous." "Don't be nervous." "Everybody sing along with her." "You are so much better than I am." "That's for sure." "Can you do that again, and can you do it really loud?" "You want to try it?" "Do you guys think that she should do it?" "Give her a big round of applause, yeah?" "And when you do it, everyone's gonna be on stage with you." "It's going to be a lot of fun." "Okay?" "You ready?" "Yep." "All right, let's do it." "Have fun." "That was great." "That was really good." "She did a good lob." "So the agency, they didn't send her?" "A different agency." "She says she told me." "I don't know." "Maybe she did." "I don't remember." "Well, do you feel all right about it now?" "I mean, she explained everything." "Yeah, I was never worried about her." "I mean, there's... I don't know." "There's just kind of something about her." "The kids call her Mrs. Miracle." "Miracle?" "l know." "But I got to say, when you're around her, you just..." "You lust kind of feel like it's gonna be okay." "What's gonna be okay?" "Everything." "Well, I can't wait to meet her." "You should have dinner with us." "Sunday night." "She's a great cook." "Yeah." "All right." "Great." "Great." "I mean, he's already inviting you over to meet the family." "That's not bad." "No, it's not like that, okay?" "He has a new housekeeper, and he just wants my opinion, so..." "Mrs." "Miracle?" "Yeah." "I am a big fan." "Ever since she rode into Dodge, those boys, they've been great." "What do you mean?" "Well, it's not like the twins were ever bad kids, but I don't know." "It's like they always knew something was missing from their lives, you know?" "At first I thought it was because they had lost their mother," "but I don't think that's it." "Well, then what is it?" "I don't know, but I get the feeling she does, Mrs. Miracle." "Hi." "Hi." "How are you?" "I'm good." "How are you?" "This is for you." "Thank you." "Hi." "Reba, this is Mrs. Merkle." "Emily Merkle, Reba Maxwell." "Hi!" "Actually, I think that we've met before." "Sort of." "You dropped your bell at the auditorium, and..." "What do you know?" "It's a small world, huh?" "Well, how nice to see you again." "Nice to see you, too." "I hear your Christmas pageant's gonna be a real smash!" "Well, we're getting there." "Oh, yeah, you're getting there." "There's been a slight change of plan." "I didn't know this, but Mrs. Merkle promised she would take the boys to a movie tonight." "I didn't know you made plans, so..." "But I got some soup on the stove and a lovely baguette in the oven." "That sounds fine." "Holy cow, I'm gonna miss the previews." "Listen, I've got to run, but I'm sure you can manage." "We'll be fine." "Boys, come on." "We're gonna miss the previews!" "You know, I'm trying to figure out how have I been to all those stores all those times and never seen you?" "I was wondering the same thing about you." "I guess it's true what they say." "It's all in the timing." "I guess." "Cheers." "Cheers." "So tell me, how does somebody go from working in the theater to owning a travel agency?" "Well, they're not so different if you think about it." "I mean, they're both lust ways for people to escape the real world for a while." "I like that." "As far as career paths go, escaping the real world sounds pretty darn good." "That actually wasn't the plan." "It was more of a fall-back position." "What do you mean?" "It's a long story." "I got time." "I started the business after I was engaged." "You were married?" "No." "I'm sorry." "I have no idea what I'm doing." "It's like I'm 15 again." "I can't get my brain and my mouth in the same gear." "What?" "I haven't been on a date in years." "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, how I'm supposed to act. I mean, I'm..." "l'm lust in way over my head here." "Me, too." "Really?" "Yeah, really." "I guess that's something else that we both have in common." "Hi!" "Kate, go away." "Oh, wow!" "All right, wow." "Those look great, you guys!" "Would you like Miss Maxwell to try one?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Can I have one?" "Which one should I have?" "That one." "That one right there?" "All right, here we go." "So are the boys happy with their angel costumes?" "I think they were happy with their swords, yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." "There you go." "Thank you, sir." "Merry Christmas." ""The ghost took Scrooge back to Christmases of old" ""when Scrooge was warmhearted, not sad and cold." ""They saw Fan, his sister, and Fezziwig, his boss." ""'l was happy,' gasped Scrooge, 'not lonely and cross#" ""And as Scrooge was shown each old Christmas Day," ""he cried, 'l can't bear it!" "Take me away!" "'" ""ln the blink of an eye, Scrooge returned to his bed" ""and was met by a lolly spirit who said," ""'l am the good Ghost of Christmas Present." "Follow me now to see something pleasant."'" "And the kids, they're lust..." "They're working so hard, and the show, I mean, it's just really coming together." "And you're enioying yourself?" "You know, I am." "Imagine that." "That's great." "Thanks." "Well, Aunt Molly and Uncle Bill are really looking forward to seeing you." "I can't wait." "Honey, I was wondering." "Would it be possible for you to have" "Christmas dinner with them on Christmas Eve?" "But I can't, because I have the show, remember?" "Yeah, I know." "I just thought if it was possible for you to make any other arrangements, you know?" "Are you finished with that?" "Thank you." "Thank you." "That was great." "This is about Vicki, isn't it?" "Doug and Vicki can't come on Christmas Eve either." "Doug's family is planning on visiting his grandmother." "She's almost 90." "Her health is not good, and so they..." "So, of course, Vicki decides to spend Christmas Day with you, the only chance that I have to spend with Aunt Molly and Uncle Bill, right?" "Yes, but she doesn't have a choice." "She doesn't have a choice?" "But I have to make other arrangements." "You could still come on Christmas Day." "I mean, lust set aside this silliness with your sister." "You call what Vicki did to me silliness?" "No." "No, you know what I call silliness?" "Your behavior ever since." "How many times does she have to apologize?" "Why do you always defend her?" "Mom, I was the one that was hurt." "Reba, I think you've both been hurt enough." "Please, honey." "You know what, Mom?" "Do whatever you want." "Reba." "I love you, Mom, but I don't think that we should see each other for a while, okay?" "So Merry Christmas." "Reba." "Reba, hey." "Can I talk to you?" "Absolutely." "Come on in." "Thanks." "Four years ago, I was engaged to a teacher." "His name was Joe Goddard, and I asked my older sister, Vicki, to be my maid of honor." "And I lust thought everything..." "It was going to be perfect." "But Vicki and I, we'd always been very competitive." "Sports, grades, you name it." "And because she was older, I think she felt it was important to outdo me, but I was the one that was getting engaged first." "I was getting married first, and I had no idea how much that bothered her." "What happened?" "The day before the wedding, Joe called it off." "He said that he changed his mind, but he didn't tell me why." "And it lust didn't make any sense." "You know, I... I thought that we were so happy." "And then I found out the truth." "The day we were supposed to get married," "Joe and Vicki, they ran away together." "They said that they'd fallen in love." "I'm sorry." "It lust..." "You know, it felt like she planned it." "Like it was lust another way for her to win." "And I haven't spoken to her since." "And the irony is, is that they were only together for a few months, and then he left her like he left me." "And now, I mean, she's married to somebody else, and they have a little girl." "And you're left to lust pick up the pieces." "I mean, she keeps trying to apologize, and my family, they want me to forgive her and to move on." "But they don't understand." "Do you?" "You were hurt." "And more than that, you were betrayed by the two people you trusted most." "And you have to live with that." "What do you do with the anger?" "Cookie break." "Okay?" "They've been in there a long time." "What are they doing, Mrs. Miracle?" "Well, sometimes grown-ups need to be alone to talk things over." "What kind of things?" "Well, scientists have been trying to figure that out for hundreds of years." "I'm not sure they're ever going to figure it out, but I have my own theory." "I think they're talking about what they want for Christmas." "Have a cookie, sweetie." "So you can't spend Christmas Eve with your family, not with the pageant." "It's lust there's no time." "And you don't want to visit Christmas morning with your sister there." "No." "Well, looks like you only have one other option." "What?" "Spend Christmas with us." "No." "No, I couldn't." "Why not?" "Because you should spend Christmas with the boys. I don't want to intrude." "Hey, guys." "Hi." "Hi." "Guys, I got a question for you." "Yeah?" "Do you want Miss Maxwell to spend Christmas with us?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "Yeah!" "You sure?" "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "What do you say?" "Okay." "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Cool!" "So do you always leave your shopping till the last minute?" "You know, every year I promise myself I'm not going to do this, but then it lust..." "I don't know." "Thank you for being with me." "Are you kidding?" "And miss all this?" "So listen, I was talking to the boys the other day, and they asked me if I knew their mother." "What did you say?" "Well, what could I say?" "That I'm sure she was a wonderful person, but I didn't know her." "I get the feeling that they have a lot of questions about her." "They never ask me." "Well, maybe they're waiting for you to talk about her." "Well, they're young." "There's a lot of time left." "Where are these ski, skates?" "What are they..." "Skate-skis?" "What are they?" "l don't know." "Maybe I should lust get them cash this year." "They'd like that." "That's a good idea." "Reba?" "It's good to see you." "Seth, this is my sister, Vicki." "You haven't met." "This is my husband, Doug, and this is Ellen." "We have to go." "Mom told me about the misunderstanding for Christmas. I feel bad about that." "Really?" "Really?" "Doug and I talked it over." "We'll change our plans." "We can see his grandmother for New Year's." "Yeah." "You know what?" "That's fine, because I have made other arrangements." "But, Reba, I want you to be home for Christmas." "Well, Vick, we don't always get what we want, do we?" "That's something I learned from you." "I'm sorry." "Reba, you have no idea how badly she feels about..." "Doug, it won't do any good." "Take care." "You okay?" "Let's try a different store, okay?" "Then Ms. Miracle took us, and we put all the stuff in the Christmas baskets." "Yeah, turkey and cranberry sauce." "And candles and stuff for dessert, so other families can have Christmas dinner, too." "You guys did a great iob." "I'm very proud of you for helping." "I told the boys that we'd walk in the neighborhood" "and see all the Christmas lights." "That's a great idea." "Would you two like to tag along with us?" "You know, why don't we stay and clean up?" "Well, thank you." "Come on, boys, get your coats." "Hey, look, just what happened today with my sister, I'm sorry." "It wasn't fair to put you in the middle of that." "No, no, no, I'm glad I was there." "I saw how hard it is for you." "But you know what?" "I think it might have been a good thing." "What do you mean?" "She's really reaching out." "I think maybe if you gave her a chance..." "Yeah, but I mean, how could I ever trust her again?" "Yeah, true, but you can't let it control your life." "It doesn't." "Yeah, but you're giving up a chance to see your aunt and uncle who you genuinely care about, because you're angry at your sister." "No, I told you that I want to spend the day with you and the boys." "Look, I know you think you're punishing Vicki by not being there, but the one who's really losing out is you." "So you are saying that you agree with everyone else." "So I should lust pretend like that never happened, right?" "No, no, no, no, no." "That's not what I'm saying at all." "I'm saying if you lust talked to her..." "There's nothing to talk about." "Come on." "You don't think this is hard for her, too?" "I mean, you saw her. I mean..." "Knowing that she hurt you, not being able to see you." "Don't defend her." "l'm not." "Look, you're the one I care about." "Okay?" "I want to see you happy." "There's some things that I have to do, so..." "Thank you for dinner." "Reba." "Reba, wait." "l'll call you." "So the set should be ready by tomorrow." "We're in good shape for costumes." "Seth must be pretty busy, huh?" "I haven't seen him around the last couple days." "Yeah." "Well, you know, he's been at so many rehearsals, he probably knows the show by heart at this point." "You know, kiddo, these things are great for staying in shape, but they're no good for running away." "What do you mean?" "What's going on with you two?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "As in, everything's okay nothing?" "As in, it couldn't be better nothing?" "As in, I don't think it's going to work out." "What?" "I have to get back to work." "I'll see you at rehearsal, okay?" "Reba." "Reba." "Hello, Mrs. Merkle." "l hope I'm not interrupting." "No, it's fine." "What's up?" "I was wondering if you could pick up the boys after rehearsal?" "No, I'm not gonna have time." "You'd better do it." "Are you sure?" "Because they look so forward to seeing you, and I hear there's a lot of work to do before the show's ready." "I'm sure they'll be fine without me." "Listen, I've got to go." "I'll be home for dinner, though, okay?" "Why do they always have to make it so complicated?" "l'm sorry." "You go ahead, honey." "Thank you very much." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Find everything okay today?" "Yes, I did." "Holy cow!" "What?" "What?" "You're our millionth customer." "You won a trip!" "Merry Christmas." "Thank you!" "I can't believe it!" "She what?" "Don't tell me that, because, I mean, she can't just be gone." "Yeah, well, that's what her note says." "Mrs. Darling won a trip to Fiji." "The one-millionth customer?" "Yeah." "Did you read how it said that the woman in the store let her go in front of her in line?" "It was like she had this angel on her shoulder, or..." "Which is so totally not the point, but according to the rules, she has to be there for Christmas, so..." "Kate, what are we going to do?" "I mean, our pianist is on a slow boat to Fiii, and we're supposed to open in two days." "Well, we're gonna find someone else to play." "This isn't about lust pounding out a few songs on the piano." "I mean, Mrs. Darling, she knows the show backwards and forwards." "I mean, the kids, they take all of their cues from her." "Their entrances, their exits, all of their lines." "I mean, there's no way that we can do this show without her!" "Okay." "Reba." "Hi." "Sorry to take you away from the meeting." "I just wanted to talk to you." "Yeah, what's up?" "Apparently, Mrs. Darling has always wanted to go to Fiji." "Okay. I'm having trouble picturing her in a grass skirt, but..." "She left today." "You're serious." "Yeah, and we need a piano player, and not just any piano player, Seth." "We need someone that knows the pageant inside and out." "We need you." "I don't play piano." "I know, and you know that I wouldn't ask unless it was really important." "You know why I can't." "So you won't help me?" "I'm sorry." "So am I." "Reba." "Reba." "You had no right to ask me to do that." "You know I can't." "No, you mean you won't." "No, I can't." "Music was something that I shared with Pamela." "I stopped playing the day she died." "Seth, the music, it didn't die with her." "For me, it did." "And is that why you never talk about her?" "Is that why your boys," "they know nothing about their mother?" "That's none of your business." "They miss her." "You can't even see it, because you're more interested in holding onto your grief." "You don't know anything about it." "So you'd rather forget the pageant and disappoint your sons than let go of the past?" "I can't believe you're saying this to me right now." "You, of all people." "You need to take a good look in the mirror." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Your sister did a terrible thing, but the world didn't stop turning." "That is completely different!" "She hurt me." "Yeah, and you took that hurt, and you locked it so deep inside that nobody can get at it, not even you." "You are lust like everyone else, you know?" "I really... I can't believe that I thought that you would understand." "No, you know what?" "I do understand." "I understand because I regret every single day that went by that I didn't tell Pamela that I loved her." "And it's too late for me, but it's not too late for you." "You can still make things right with your sister." "You want me to forget?" "I want you to forgive." "Let go of the anger." "Get on with your life." "The way that you've gotten on with yours?" "We're lust wasting our time, aren't we?" "Yeah, I think so." "Honey, don't move." "Mrs. Maxwell said there might not be a pageant." "There's nobody to play the piano." "That is a problem." "Could you do something, Mrs. Miracle?" "Well, sometimes the best thing to do is have faith it'll turn out for the best." "And people don't even know what that is." "Sometimes it's right in front of them, but eventually, they figure it out." "So long as they don't wait too long." "Do we have to wear a dress?" "lt's not a dress, darling." "It's a gown." "A gown is a fancy word for a dress." "l don't want to be an angel!" "Me neither!" "Hey, Dad!" "You guys look really cute." "Told you we look stupid!" "l don't want to wear a dress!" "All right." "There's a plate for you in the refrigerator." "Thank you." "And we're not going to do it!" "Well, I understand, but I wish you had told me before." "Before what?" "Before I made the swords." "Swords?" "Swords?" "Yes, swords." "Well, you don't know very much about angels." "That's for sure." "Angels got swords?" "Yes, they sure do, and let me tell you, some of them are very fierce with them, so I hear." "And a few of them are known as warriors around the heavenly choir, and they fight mighty battles, but only for a good cause." "Warrior angels." "That's what we'll be!" "Okay." "But now you still have to wear a gown." "As long as we have a sword." "Warrior angels!" "Christmas will never be the same after this pageant." "Be careful, honey." "Be careful." "No!" "No, no, no." "No!" "Oh, gosh, Reba!" "Lose something?" "Technically, it's yours." "Well, consider it your Christmas present." "Thank you." "Feels good, doesn't it?" "What's that?" "Getting something back, something you thought you lost forever." "Yeah." "Doesn't happen every day." "Getting something back that you love." "So grab hold of it tight, honey, 'cause you may not get a second chance." "Merry Christmas, Reba." "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Merkle." "Mrs. Merkle, do you want a ride home?" "Thanks, honey, no." "I like to look at the lights." "Okay." "Hi." "Reba." "Hi, Doug." "What are you doing here?" "I was..." "Well, I was lust wondering if... ls Vicki around?" "Doug, who is it?" "Reba." "Vicki." "Please forgive me." "I'm sorry." "I'm... I'm so sorry." "I've missed you so much." ""Deep in the night before Christmas Day, three spirits will come to show you the way." ""With that Marley's ghost..."" "Hey, guys." "I was thinking maybe I'll read to you tonight if that's okay." "Sure." "Okay." "What are you going to read to us, Daddy?" "ls it a Christmas book?" "Kind of, yeah." "Yeah." "These are pictures from your guys' very first Christmas." "Does it have pictures of Mommy in it?" "She's beautiful." "Yes, she is beautiful." "Her favorite color was blue." "That's a picture of the three of you guys in front of our Christmas tree." "Which one is me?" "You know, I don't know." "But now your mom, she could always tell you guys apart, even from the very beginning." "How?" "Radar." "That's what she said, seriously." "That's what she used to call it." "She said she had radar." "Boys, come here." "How do we look, Mrs. Miracle?" "Like Judd and Jason in a box." "Judd and Jason, do you want to go take your places?" "Okay." "We'll start soon." "You have done so well that you may have talked yourself into a job for the next 10 years or more." "Thank you, but whoever heard of a Christmas pageant without a piano player?" "Act as if you have faith, and faith will be given to you, and if that doesn't work, fake it." "Okay, everyone, three minutes." "Let's get in our places, okay?" "Let's go." "We've got presents up here, candy canes in the back." "Good evening, everybody." "I would like to thank you for coming tonight." "When my good friend Kate asked me to direct the pageant, I believe my exact words were, "You've gotta be kidding me."" "But she wasn't, and I'm happy for that now, because I have enioyed every minute that I've spent with your children." "I've learned a lot from them in the last few weeks about the things that matter, and the things that don't, and lust how easy it is to confuse the two." "And one more announcement before we begin tonight." "Our pianist, Mrs. Darling, had to leave the show unexpectedly." "I couldn't ask for taped music to possibly replace her, but..." "But Seth Webster has kindly offered to play for us this evening." "So thank you, Mr. Webster, and enjoy the show." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Listen, what I said before, I was out of line." "l didn't..." "Seth, you were right." "You were, and Vicki's here." "I'm glad." "I couldn't have done it without you." "That makes two of us." "Can you stay here and give me my cues?" "I'm not going anywhere." "Ready?" "And go." "And the angel said unto them, "Fear not." ""For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy."" "Bravo!" "Mrs." "Miracle, did you see us?" "Mrs." "Miracle, did you see us?" "You were wonderful!" "I'm so proud of both of you." "I have something very important to tell you." "I love you both so much, but I have to leave now." "What do you mean?" "Honey, there are other families and little children who need me." "What about us?" "It's very hard for you to understand it right now, but everything's gonna turn out all right from now on." "You promise?" "l definitely promise." "Oh, look." "Come here, you two." "Hey, and listen, I want you to look after things for me here, 'cause you never know when I might drop in again." "Judd!" "Jason!" "There's your dad calling you." "We're here, Dad!" "Over here!" "Where are you guys?" "We're over here!" "Come here!" "You guys were so good." "You guys did really, really well." "I'm so proud of you." "You two were amazing." "Where's Mrs. Miracle?" "What?" "What's so funny?" "You called her Mrs. Miracle." "Well, it's her name, isn't it?" "There she is." "I wonder where she's going." "I don't know." "Let's go home."