My Girl 2 (1994) Movie Script
1
I remember before I was born...
...wadded like a furball
in the highly overrated fetal position.
Luckily, I'm not claustrophobic...
...but on rainy days I still feel a tightness
in my left shoulder.
Now my stepmother's pregnant...
...I understand what the baby's going
through, and I'm not jealous at all.
-Really, not at all.
-You're not eating your meat loaf.
-If I eat it, I'll throw up.
-You should at least try a little bit.
Then I'll throw up a little bit.
Are you sure you wanna get involved
in this?
By the evening
Sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you
Only for you
Our house
Is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
Scrunch these chairs together
a little more.
Dad, I'm trying.
They're chairs, they don't scrunch.
I'll get it.
I guess we'll set chairs in the library...
...and pipe the sermon in
like Hazelmeyer.
Fix that speaker, makes the minister
sound like an astronaut.
-Hello, Judy.
-Hi, Arthur.
-Hi, Judy. Come on in.
-Hi, Mr. Sultenfuss.
-Look who I found.
-Hi, Judy.
Hi.
-Come on in.
-That's okay.
It's just a corpse.
I know that.
You should be here when they bring in
a body that's been dead for days.
And they haven't found it yet
because it was in an apartment...
...and no one came to visit.
Or floating in a river.
And then the body starts turning
this weird shade of green.
You know, like watery pea soup?
The arms and legs deteriorate first.
But the body looks like a raisin
with four fat legs.
Anyway....
This is why I'm seriously considering
cremation.
Judy?
Judy.
I think you lost her on the raisin
with the four fat legs, honey.
Did you hear that, Dean?
You can stay.
-Dean?
-Yeah.
Dean Martin. Look at his eyes.
-They're pink.
-Exactly. Dean Martin.
The cage is all set.
Where's the bathroom?
Are you kidding?
Hamsters don't go to the bathroom.
Now, did you look in the bag?
This exercise will work someday.
I got a card from Uncle Phil
in Los Angeles.
Said he went body surfing.
I don't know if I can picture Uncle Phil
body surfing.
-I don't know if I want to.
-I wanna ask a favor.
Remember, you can absolutely say no
if you want to.
I'm just bringing it up for discussion.
Harry, I thought we decided
we weren't gonna do this.
Do what?
The thing is,
your room is next door to ours.
So we thought-- If you're willing,
we might move you to Gramoo's room...
...we could use your room for the nursery.
We're gonna be with a newborn.
-There'd be noise--
-You want me to move?
Well, not far, just down the hall.
Plus, Gramoo's room's a lot bigger.
You get a view of the neighborhood.
Okay. No problem.
Okay, thanks. Attagirl.
Harry?
Harry.
Harry!
I'm sorry to interrupt, honey,
but Vada's upset.
She's fine. She'll love her new room.
Look, we react to every kick
this baby gives.
Maybe Vada's trying to tell us
something too.
The thing to remember is,
you must visualize a spare.
Parabola of the arcing ball must intersect
with the pyramid of the pins...
...at precisely this angle of attack.
Shit.
"Visualize a spare"?
Well, you know what I mean.
So, what's on your mind?
Me? What makes you think
there's something on my mind?
You're passing up Archie Bunker
to go bowling.
-You've gotta have an angle.
-No.
I just thought it'd be nice if the two of us
had an evening out so we could talk.
-Shelly's already told me all about sex.
-She told me too.
I mean, she told me
she told you about sex.
I personally knew about sex
long before I met Shelly.
I figured you did.
Yes.
Strike. Not bad at all.
No, this isn't about sex. It's--
Well, there have been a lot of changes.
I know you're upset losing your room,
but baby's gotta go somewhere.
No, it's okay. I understand, really.
Honey, that's very mature.
I'm proud of you, Vada.
Maybe I should just move to China.
One kid per family,
you don't lose your room.
Why don't you keep your room
and put the baby in the backyard?
Don't do that.
You've got the whole garage.
Yeah, between the power mower
and weed killer.
Dad, I'm kidding.
You can have the room.
-Seriously?
-Seriously.
Great.
I'm 13.
Maybe it's about time
I got my own apartment.
-My mother can't have any more kids.
-Neither can mine.
She's dead.
-It's Shelly who's pregnant.
-What do you think?
I think I'm leaning
towards Passion Flower.
"It combines the traditional floral scent
with the musky aroma of sandalwood."
-What are you staring at?
-It's Kevin.
-I don't want him to see me.
-See you? He can smell you from there.
Oh, God, he's coming over here.
Act natural. Totally natural.
-Hi, Kevin.
-Hi.
You look cool, Sultenfuss.
You look like a grasshopper.
-What's the matter?
-He likes you.
Likes me?
He said I look like a grasshopper.
Boys pretend they hate you
when they like you.
That's ridiculous.
So if you really can't stand someone...
...you pretend you're crazy about them?
I don't know. And I don't care.
Kevin's a jerk
and I don't like him anymore.
He's all yours.
If "grasshopper"
is a term of endearment...
...I've got a lot to learn.
So have you guys thought
of any new names for the baby?
Yeah, if it's a girl,
I'm kind of leaning toward Esme.
-Esme?
-Yeah, that kind of sounds like a noise...
...your nose makes, you know, "Esme."
I mean, it's--
-And what if it's a boy?
-Well, Harry Junior, of course.
Dad, when a boy likes you,
does he pretend he doesn't like you?
And if he pretends that he doesn't,
how can you tell?
What boy likes you?
It's just a question.
It's not about anybody.
Here comes puberty.
Vada, I think what you're talking about
is the fear of rejection.
Men will do anything
to avoid looking foolish.
Oh, Shell, that's ridiculous.
Where are my needle nose pliers?
If a boy wants to do homework, it means
he didn't have the nerve to ask you out.
So you'll get your homework
pretend studying, next thing...
...you're ordering pizza and talking
about favorite movie stars.
So you're saying....
What are you saying?
Honey....
Guys don't wanna appear overanxious.
If there's a boy that like you,
let him know you like him...
...so he won't feel he's taking such a risk
when he's thinking of asking you out.
Okay?
-Hi.
-Hi.
Wanna help me pick out wallpaper
for my new room tomorrow?
-I don't know. I mean--
-It okay if I drink this?
It's okay with me. Hi, Kevin.
Well, if it isn't Vada,
the grasshopper girl.
Stop it, Kevin.
I was kidding. It's a joke, okay?
We were just doing homework
and studying.
Next thing, you're ordering pizza
and talking about movie stars.
See you.
In the future I think I'll stick to asking Dad
for advice on embalming.
Baby, baby, baby love
My baby love, I need you
Oh, how I need you
Why do you do me like you do?
Haven't I been good to you?
So deep in love with you
Baby, baby
I read an article that says if you sing,
it's a calming influence.
Assuming the baby's a Supremes fan.
Bet your mom sang to you.
If there was an article, she did.
She was always reading.
Yes, I know, runs in the family.
New book?
The Collected Works
of Alfred Beidermeyer.
Her favorite poet.
Never heard of him.
Excuse me.
-How about a nice glass of milk?
-With taco chips so I can dunk.
You know, Vada...
...being an older sister, you're gonna be
very important in this baby's life.
They're enormous, I know.
Is there milk already?
No, the milk comes
when the baby comes.
When did you...?
I mean....
I was a late developer.
They used to call me Shelly Two-Backs.
All my friends had real bras...
-...not like training ones.
-Why do they call them training bras?
-It's not like learning to ride a bike.
-I know.
I guess it's just preparing you
for the rest of your life.
It's not easy being a woman.
You're telling me.
All the great writers ponder the meaning
of life and death.
I've been thinking
about my mother recently...
...even though
I don't have any memories of her.
I wish I could see her just once,
even if it were only in a dream.
I know she'd help me figure things out.
Bless me now with your fierce tears
I pray
Do not go gentle into that good night
Rage
Rage against the dying of the light
What do you think Dylan Thomas
is saying here?
Rage against the dying of the light
He's mad because they shut off
his electricity?
I think he was referring to life energy,
which, in your case...
...wouldn't cause much
of a power shortage now, would it?
Vada.
The poem is really about attitude.
It's about not giving up.
It's easy to be overwhelmed
sometimes...
...but that's when we should force
ourselves to push on.
Alfred Beidermeyer said:
To heed the urgent inner voice
Embracing destiny, not choice
That's very good, Vada.
All right, moving on.
I want to give you guys a chance
to write.
Hey, hey, hey, listen up.
I want you to write
about someone very special.
Someone interesting.
Someone you admire.
Someone whose achieved something
worth writing about.
It's gotta be a stranger,
someone you've never met.
I want you to investigate
the personal side.
Play Perry Mason,
see what you can come up with.
All right?
Any ideas?
Remember, two things.
Someone who has achieved something...
...and someone you've never met.
-Kevin?
-Elvis, the King.
Elvis, the King.
-Devin?
-Farrah Fawcett.
I love to watch that girl run.
Why is that, Mr. Reed?
Never mind.
What about you?
Who've you come up with?
My mother.
Your mother?
I never met my mother.
I know my mom's favorite color
was pink.
And she ate peanut butter and banana
sandwiches...
...but that's not what I'd call
hard-hitting facts.
I told you about the pumpkin, didn't I?
I bought her pumpkin for Halloween,
but she couldn't carve it.
Saved it and it ended up
under the Christmas tree.
Gramoo said on Christmas Eve...
...there was this sickening smell
permeating the entire house.
Yeah, when I picked it up, it sort of
exploded and liquefied at the same time.
It wasn't funny.
It soaked through Gramoo's Oriental.
There's still a big spot on the floor.
Okay, we need wallpaper paste.
Hey, Cec'.
Isn't there anything else
you remember?
How did you propose?
Was it romantic?
Well, I kind of just blurted it out
over a root beer float.
Root beer float, that sounds good.
Did she mention any contest
that she won?
I mean, she must have had
some awards.
-She was so talented and all.
-She was talented.
But I wish I could help you
a little more.
It's just your mother and I
had a whirlwind courtship.
She came to town
with this theater group.
I proposed on second date.
Two weeks later, we're married.
Nine months later,
you're here and she was gone.
-Was it a nice funeral?
-Oh, yes. Lovely funeral.
Grenaldi Brothers did a beautiful job,
lots of pink roses.
I used the white hearse. Hey.
How about this flowered wallpaper
for your room?
How about this?
-Hi, Mr. Owett.
-Hey, Vada.
-How's your report coming?
-Great.
I have so much to say,
I hardly know where to start.
I've been re-reading Virginia Woolf.
I think she'd be a natural for you.
She led a fascinating life.
Thanks, but I'm gonna to stick
to my mom. She led a fascinating life too.
I'm sure she did.
Hey, guys.
Hi.
He was giving you an easy out so you
didn't have to write about your mother.
-I wanna write about her.
-You're crazy.
What was her achievement?
Did she invent gravity?
No one invented gravity. It just exists.
-Then what did she do?
-I'm not supposed to talk about it.
Since I'm gonna write about it,
I might as well tell you.
-She was a spy against the Russians.
-Oh, please.
Who do you think you're kidding?
And where did she spy on the Russians
from, here in Pennsylvania?
No, not here in Pennsylvania.
She went to Russia with her troupe...
...and got a lot of highly sensitive
secret plans sent back.
Just when she was about to go home,
she got caught and they killed her.
All right, when did she have you
between her acting and spying...
-...and getting caught?
-That's simple.
She was pregnant with me when she
went to Russia and she didn't know.
Russians found out,
they waited to shoot her...
...because you're not allowed
to kill pregnant women.
So she had you in jail in Russia?
Actually, I was born in Siberia...
...and then they shot her
and sent me home to my dad.
Vada, if bullshit wore a bra,
you'd be top-heavy.
Come on, Judy.
Oh, ask anyone. Ask my dad.
It could be true.
How come guys talk so much
when they have nothing to say...
...and girls have plenty to say,
but no one will listen?
I used to come down here
and sleep on this spot when I was little.
My report's gonna be a disaster.
Everything I know about her fits
into one little box.
A box?
Oh, Vada, what a sweet baby book.
It's only filled out to page two.
I was 8 pounds, 4 ounces.
There are so many programs.
She was in a lot of plays.
Dad said when she was on-stage...
...she held the audience
in the palm of her hand.
-What's this? "December 8, 1958."
-I don't know.
Dad doesn't either.
Well, must mean something.
She was obviously very sentimental.
This is one of my favorite things.
Her passport.
Oh, Vada, she's so beautiful.
"Margaret Ann Muldovan...
...born in Los Angeles, California,
February 7th, 1936." Aquarius.
Margaret's my middle name,
everybody called her Maggie.
-Los Angeles. Have you ever been there?
-No.
You know,
they say that it never rains...
...that you can barbecue
on Christmas Day.
Instead of riding your bike,
you surf over to your friend's house.
The place's crawling with celebrities.
I know someone who saw Walter Matthau
picking up his dry cleaning.
-Is that why Uncle Phil moved there?
-Uncle Phil just needed a change.
-A little adventure.
-I wonder why she got a passport...
-...if she never went anywhere.
-You've gotta be prepared.
I'm definitely traveling someday.
Why not now?
What do you mean?
How would you like to visit
your Uncle Phil in Los Angeles...
...next week
during your spring vacation?
You could do research on your mom.
But what about you and the baby?
You need me.
Oh, but I'm not due to have the baby
for another six weeks or so.
It would be kind of great.
It would be fantastic.
But Dad will never go for it.
You leave your father to me.
-Encourage her to spread her wings.
-She can spread her wings right here.
Don't send a child alone. She could come
back with her ears pierced, legs shaved.
She is not a child. She is
a young woman. She's on the brink of--
-Disaster lurks behind every palm tree.
-You're being narrow-minded.
Maybe when she's older,
I'd be more than happy to bring up--
-Hi. We were just having a little--
-You were just having a fight about me.
-Wouldn't you like to hear my opinion?
-Of course.
I think that if I'm old enough
to accept a new baby...
...to accept a new room,
I'm old enough to go to California.
-It's fun to think about these things, but--
-I already bought a ticket.
-What?
-I used my money and got a great deal.
It's a Q47-NR five-day fare...
...I have to change planes in Dallas
and stay over a Saturday.
There's no exchanges or refunds...
...so if you don't let me go,
I'll have wasted my life savings.
I, well-- Well, but I....
Isn't it against the law
to sell airline tickets to minors?
Don't tell me you aided
and abetted this scheme?
Vada needed me. Besides, the airline
requires the signature of an adult, and--
Forgot to ask for one
who wasn't having hormone surges.
Oh, come on, Harry.
We're talking about five days here.
I think we're going overboard
for a school assignment.
But it's not a little school assignment.
I think maybe all of this is happening
for a reason.
Reason? What reason? Wha--?
Phil's moving to L.A.
Gramoo's passing,
the baby being born, Vada's report.
I think maybe all of these are signs...
...signs that it's time for Vada
to take this trip.
Signs? Let me get
the Loch Ness Monster on the phone.
You two have a lot to talk about. No, I'm
sorry. Vada is not going to Los Angeles.
Now, I have made my decision,
and that is final.
Remember don't talk to anyone. Even if
a nun sits next to you, don't talk to her.
No nuns. Got it.
No boys. Promise me.
L.A. people are corrupt,
you'll end up pregnant and on drugs.
Don't come running
when you wake up in the morgue...
...having been beaten to
an unrecognizable pulp by some surfer.
And don't make eye contact.
It communicates an implied vulnerability.
What does that mean?
I'm a paranoid nitwit
who's never let his baby out of his sight...
...for the simple reason
he's a paranoid nitwit.
So why don't you just say, "Oh, Dad,"
and get on the damn plane already.
Bye, Dad. I'll miss you.
Thanks. I needed that.
I'll be back
in a hundred and thirty-seven hours.
Have fun.
Not too much.
It's hard to believe that my mother's
whole life fits into this box.
I've just got to think of this stuff
as clues...
...or good luck charms.
But I need more than luck
to solve this puzzle.
I need a miracle.
Arriving passengers, Flight 57...
...your baggage is now available
on carousel two.
Arriving passengers...
...please see the ticket agent
at the airline reservations counter.
Arriving passengers...
...please see the ticket agent
at the airline reservations counter.
Are you waiting for someone?
Excuse me, I asked you a question.
I'm not supposed to talk to strangers,
not even nuns.
You're Vada, right?
How did you know my name?
-Your Uncle Phil told me.
-He was supposed to meet me.
Relax.
You think I kidnapped him or something?
This is California. Anything's possible.
If I was looking for a victim,
I wouldn't pick your Uncle Phil...
...who outweighs me
by about a hundred fifty pounds.
Besides, who would I ask for ransom?
You?
Are you suffering from a chemical
imbalance or just an attitude problem?
Your Uncle Phil's giving me 5 bucks
to pick you up...
-...but I don't get paid till delivery.
-Gee, that is a problem.
Be prepared to show
your baggage plane checked.
-Put that down. I'll call the police.
-Thank you.
What are you gonna do, tell them that
a polite person helped carry your bag?
-I don't think you're polite.
-I don't think you're grateful.
A lot of people in your position
would say thank you.
-Thank you.
-Don't mention it.
-I don't even know your name.
-It's Nick.
There you go.
-Okay.
-Thanks.
Oh, great. No cabs.
-I have a gift for you.
-Thanks.
No, thanks.
-He said it was a gift.
-Yeah, right.
-I don't need you to be telling me to--
-Taxi!
Get in. Get in.
Okay, a man who knows
where he's going. Where we headed?
Take the 405 to Santa Monica, Santa
Monica to Whittier, Whittier to Sunset.
Here you go.
See that building?
My grandfather built it.
Budapest Auto Repair.
That's my room right up there.
One of these days,
this is all gonna be mine.
Uncle Phil.
Vada.
Look at you. Hi.
Hi, honey. How are you?
You look great.
-How's Shelly? Your dad?
-They're great.
Nick? Did he take good care of you?
He was very polite.
Worth the entire $5.
Well, good to know.
Thanks.
Give it back, Nicholas.
But we made a business deal.
Whatever happened
to a good old-fashioned favor, huh?
Our family's been dealing
with your company for over 40 years now.
Timing chain is here or isn't here,
and it isn't here.
You wanna explain
why we can't reassemble the cars...
...because not all are here? I have
enough trouble. I don't need this blubber.
Are we clear on this,
or do I have to speak with your father?
Thank you.
Yes, yes, I love you too, Irving.
You must be Vada.
Oh, what a face.
Oh, if I had a face like that,
I wouldn't have to yell so much.
I'm Rose. Rose Zsigmond.
-Nick's mother, among other things.
-Nick's mother?
Did you think he was raised
by a pack of wolves?
-Don't be misled by the haircut.
-Oh, Mom.
Who knew, when I started working
in the finest car shop in L.A...
-...I'd find the light of my life?
-He left out a couple of steps.
I've gotta get back to these bills.
Will you help Vada get settled?
Come on.
I'll show you where you're gonna stay.
Here we go.
Not what you expected from downstairs,
right?
Now, we'll put your stuff over here
in this closet.
You can unpack later.
And this is where you sleep.
Luckily, this sofa bed is comfortable.
I can tell you that
from personal experience.
Bathroom.
You have to...?
No? Rose and my room.
She lives here too?
That's right. Like one big happy family.
This is Nick's room and....
But are you engaged or something?
Dating. Seriously dating.
You're thirsty.
You want something to drink?
Sure you do.
It's been a long trip.
You see, Vada, marriage....
Marriage is a very big step...
...and not something
to be entered into lightly.
See, I just....
I just wanna make very sure...
...that everything is absolutely right
before I go jumping into some kind--
Sounds like
you have a fear of commitment.
That's ridiculous.
I'm very-- What do you call it?
-Committed?
-Committed.
Does that mean you sleep here
every night?
Yes, it does.
Well, that's not exactly dating, is it?
Vada, I know that traditionally...
...you're not supposed to do a lot of these
things before you're officially married...
...but these are very, very
special circumstances.
When sex is involved,
it's always special circumstances.
My parents had a brief
but intensely fulfilling relationship.
She's remained a woman of mystery
to this day.
And you're gonna solve the mystery?
I got it all figured out.
She went to Wilson High School...
...so tomorrow, I'm gonna go there
and get a copy of her yearbook.
I can get the names of the people
she was in clubs with.
-Find out her friends.
-Then you'll be all set.
-Sounds like you're very organized.
-I have to be. I only have five days.
-So point me in the right direction.
-I'll do better than that.
I'll send you off
with your own private guide.
-Me?
-I'd consider it a personal favor.
It isn't like you had a whole lot planned
for this week, right? It'll be okay.
Hey. Here you go.
-What's that?
-Ten bucks.
What's it for?
For the mini-bike fund.
I know you're not crazy
about taking Vada around...
...so I just want you to know
I appreciate it, though.
-No problem.
-You're a good man, Nicholas.
Phil, I think you should consider....
I thought my mom went to school
in L.A.
We've gotta be closing in
on the Grand Canyon.
But I'm sure
for a trip to the Grand Canyon...
...you'd charge a little more than $10.
You know, eavesdropping
is a very unattractive habit.
I wasn't eavesdropping.
I was overhearing.
I didn't ask for the money.
Phil just gave it to me.
Well, look, I know that all you care about
is your precious mini-bike.
It's obvious you have no sense of
historical perspective. I think we're here.
Getting off, please.
Excuse me. Pardon, thank you.
Excuse me.
Where's the school?
"Due to a devastating fire, June 17, 1963,
Wilson High School was closed."
I can't believe it.
My mother's high school burned down.
They obviously have no sense
of historical perspective either.
It's not funny.
I mean, what am I gonna do?
Without that yearbook, I'm lost.
I can't walk around looking for someone
with a Wilson High School sweater.
-Vada.
-What?
Calm down. We just have to ask
ourselves where yearbooks come from.
I mean, they don't appear
out of thin air.
Watch these machines, now.
-This is really very nice of you.
-No problem. I had a mother once myself.
If it's in here at all,
it's in the back two rows.
-Okay, thank you very much.
-Happy hunting.
I don't mean to alarm you, but I'm getting
a nosebleed from the altitude.
Just remember the needle
in the haystack.
I never did understand that story.
Did someone find the needle or not?
-What difference does it make?
-Big difference. If someone found it...
...we should keep looking.
If they didn't, we're wasting our time.
Oh, my gosh, here it is.
Look, here she is.
"Margaret Ann Muldovan.
Newspaper, literary magazine...
...French Club, Drama Club, Glee Club,
girls' basketball and swim team."
With Maggie's looks and talent,
we're sure to be seeing her name...
...in lights." She was gonna be famous.
Yearbooks always set you up
for disappointment. I want mine to say:
"Nick won't amount to much...
...so don't be surprised if you
never hear anything about him again."
Can we go? It smells like
someone left their gym bag in here.
It's the leather bindings.
I love the fragrance of vintage books.
I love the fragrance of chili dogs.
He was on the school paper
with my mom.
-Great.
-A full page of Tanakas...
...15 with the initial D.
This is gonna be tough.
Don't forget, the girls change their names
if they got married.
I'll never do that.
-Get married?
-Change my name.
What, you think the guy
should change his name?
I don't think anybody should. That way,
you can find them when you need them.
What if you don't wanna be found?
Why do you argue
with everything I say?
You owe me 275 bucks.
-Hi.
-Can I help you?
Yeah. Does someone
named Daryl Tanaka work here?
Sure.
Hey, Tanaka, you got company.
It's too bad about your mom.
But at least she went peacefully.
I seen a lot of people
go out the hard way.
What do you remember about her?
Well, we worked
on the school paper together.
I remember when the Legion of Decency
declared Rebel Without a Cause unfit.
Boy, that Jim Backus,
what an actor, huh?
What an actor.
Yeah. She wrote this article
about censorship and First Amendment.
She was really something.
Graduation?
Some big deal congressman...
...saying Senator McCarthy
was the greatest American ever.
Maggie gets up in front of 500 people,
walks out.
Couple people followed her too.
Took a lot a guts.
Wow, you walked out with my mother?
Are you kidding?
My parents would've shot me.
I was the president
of the young Republicans.
Nisei, second generation, hall monitor.
I didn't wanna start World War III.
You saved a lot of lives.
You should be very proud.
I'm trying to find out
her greatest achievement.
She was the first girl ever suspended
for smoking.
Suspended from school? My mother?
Everyone was really surprised
when Maggie was turned in.
She got kicked out for two weeks.
What kind of sleazoid geek
would turn her in?
-I would do it again in a minute.
-You ratted on my mother?
-Who are you, Hitler's hall monitor?
-You should join...
...a hippie commune.
But let me tell you something.
Sooner or later, it's gonna be your turn
to take out garbage.
What about giving the other guy
a break?
What about living in the real world,
pal?
-Tanaka, got a minute?
-I'll be right there.
I'd be a little more careful
of who I hung around with.
Care for a smoke?
This will be great in my report.
My mother was suspended for smoking.
I think it's cool.
You would.
You'd rather have a mother
that's a member of the police state?
-Rules are made to be broken.
-I want there...
-...to be no question remaining...
-Just ask him.
...that the president has nothing to hide
in this matter.
I'm not your gambler, Justin.
Good morning.
-Hello.
-Hi.
What can I do for you?
I'm staying at the Chateau
and the guy who runs the garage...
...said you're the best Jag people
in town, so....
Well, Enrique is great
and we are the best.
-Well, then I have come to the right place.
-I guess you have.
I'm Sam Helburn.
Sam.
Rose.
So, what's wrong?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
I mean, with your car.
Oil change.
I just drove in from Chicago and....
-Nice hair.
-Excuse me?
I was commenting on your hair.
Oh, are you a hairdresser?
I'm a pediatric cardiologist.
You mean you fix the hearts
of little babies?
Mostly little babies, but not exclusively.
It's all in the hands. You know,
you have nice hands. You operate?
Yes, I do.
So I'll always teach because it makes
a good relief from the operating room.
-I feel I have an obligation to pass along--
-Hi. Phil Sultenfuss. Oh, sorry.
Some kind of problem here?
No problem. Dr. Helburn
just needs to have his oil changed.
Oh, I see.
Because that doesn't require
a lengthy consultation.
Well, Rose was being very thorough.
Was Rose?
Dr. Helburn, why don't you come in
tomorrow at 8:00? We'll get you started.
-I'll be here.
-I look forward to it.
Oh, sorry, I'll get that for you.
Don't worry.
Made it worse.
Get that for you in the morning.
-Nice wheels.
-Thanks.
-What's with the touching?
-He wasn't touching me.
-He was gesturing.
-He was caressing you.
-Phillip, for God's sake.
-God? No.
I didn't think you'd want to invoke God
because he saw more than I did.
Look,
you want the rights of a husband...
...you're gonna have
to ask me something.
But if not, you'll have to get accustomed
to the rights of what you are.
-What's that?
-Right now?
An intimate border
with mechanical skills.
It should be much easier.
-Should be.
-Hi.
-No problem.
-Oh, hi.
How's the investigation going?
Just call us the Dead End Kids.
-May I use the phone, please?
-Oh, yeah, sure. Help yourself.
Anyone with taste,
anyone with breeding...
...a gentleman
would choose British racing green...
...with maybe a tan interior.
But when you buy a red car
with a black interior and wire wheels...
...you have one thing on your mind...
...and I'm a gentleman
to say what that one thing is...
...in front of the children.
Even if I am just a glorified border.
Hi. I'd like the number
for Stanley Rosenfeld Photo Studios.
Photography is an art form
if you take it seriously enough...
...which I happen to do.
-Esther. Esther, you gorgeous thing, you.
-Stanley.
Smile for the birdie. Hold, hold.
Stomach in, Harold.
-Beautiful.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
Your mother was something special,
Vada.
To tell you the truth,
had quite a crush on her.
-Really?
-Who didn't? She could play basketball...
...like Jerry West,
she'd dance like Cyd Charisse...
...then she'd look at you
with those big blue eyes. Forget about it.
I asked her out a couple of times,
but she always said no.
Lenny, Nancy, you just got married.
Look happy. Look happy.
Look like you mean it.
Beautiful.
I remember those days.
Then we all went off to UCLA...
...and she started hanging
with those Drama Department types.
There was this guy, Peter Webb,
he's become a director in Hollywood now.
The only reason I know him at all
is we're in this big poetry class...
...with this crazy guy,
Albert Boderfelder.
Beidermeyer?
Beidermeyer, that's it.
What a madman.
-He's a great poet.
-He is.
-Do you know him?
-Everybody did.
Walk along Citrus between Fountain
and Sunset any afternoon.
He'll remember my mother for sure.
It was a big class, Vada, and....
But, of course, he'll remember.
Who could forget Maggie?
Just one more thing.
Does this mean anything to you?
No, it doesn't, but I wish it did.
Well, thanks for your help,
Mr. Rosenfeld...
...and I'm sorry my mother
wouldn't go out.
I'm sure she would've had a great time.
Would've tried to show her
a good time.
I promised her when she left that I
would never forget her and I never did.
Stanley Rosenfeld does not forget.
This is the street he walks down
every day.
-When he needs inspiration--
-Boy, you're really into this.
He is one of the great poets.
I think it's him.
He's writing.
Hello.
If you're selling Girl Scout cookies,
I'm borderline diabetic.
-You're Alfred Beidermeyer, aren't you?
-You had to remind me?
Are you writing a poem?
No, I'm writing the phone company.
Because they keep charging me
for calls to Caracas, Venezuela.
Do you know anybody
in Caracas, Venezuela?
-No.
-No.
Neither do I.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
It's time for my medication
and my nap.
-Here, we'll help you carry this stuff.
-I can handle it. I can handle that.
Thank you. I'm in the penthouse.
Penthouse A.
It's there, over on the left.
If he has a heart attack,
you're carrying the body down yourself.
At least it gives you plenty of exercise.
It keeps me young.
Where do you want this?
Just put it over there.
Do you still teach?
No, no, no. I gave it up 10 years ago.
Actually, it gave me up.
My mother took this course with you
at UCLA. Foundations of Poetic Thought.
UCLA?
My cardigan sweater period.
Her name was Maggie Muldovan.
Remember her?
I've been blessed
with a very bad memory.
People say she looked like me.
I was drinking a little in those days.
I'm drinking a little these days too.
I'm sure
she found your lectures fascinating.
Oh, I doubt it.
Writers are notoriously boring.
No, they're not.
I wanna be a writer.
I wanna be just like you.
Me?
My dear,
this is not a country that rewards poetry.
This is a country
that rewards gas mileage.
Besides, people don't read poetry
anymore.
They watch television.
Don't be a poet.
Be a TV repairman.
Vada, come on.
I've got a place I always go
when I need cheering up.
The tar pits? This is where you come
to get cheered up?
Look at it this way.
However bad I feel,
it isn't as bad as becoming extinct...
...in a bottomless pit of tar.
And I thought I was weird.
You are weird.
Let's just go.
Oh, no, wait.
I like that you brought me here.
Hey, what do I care?
I mean, consider the source.
A chick from Pennsylvania
who wears a mood ring.
This isn't just a mood ring.
Does it work?
Well, it doesn't open cans or anything,
but it's sort of a reminder...
...of a friend of mine.
Boyfriend?
Well, he was a boy, he was my friend.
He was my best friend.
When we were kids we were gonna move
out here and live with the Brady Bunch.
Then I lost this ring in the woods.
And when he went to find it...
...he got stung by bees and he died.
Do you think
your friend's up in heaven now...
...looking down on you
and watching you all the time?
Well, I hope he's not watching me
all the time.
Let me see if it changes colors on me.
Okay.
But be careful.
It has a lot of sentimental value.
Maybe it'll fit my pinkie.
-Don't force it, you'll break it.
-I'm not gonna break it.
I just wanna see it change colors.
I want it back. I never
should've taken it off. I want it back.
-Relax, I'm not gonna break it.
-Give it to me.
-Come and get it.
-Just give it to me.
-Just come and get it. Right here.
-Come on.
Don't. Come on.
-Watch it.
-Don't.
What do you mean:
I dropped it.
In the tar?
It was an accident.
I'll get you a new one.
Where are you going?
Vada, wait up.
Wait!
-What are you doing? You can't go there.
-Oh, no?
It's dangerous.
Leave me alone.
That ring is the only thing I have
left of Thomas J. I have to get it.
You mean this ring?
Jerk. You idiot.
You hit pretty good, for a girl.
Nicholas.
What are you doing up?
I'm thirsty.
There's water in your bathroom.
I want juice.
Don't wake up Vada.
I won't.
I think Maggie
could have been a major player.
She had the talent.
God knows
that face was made for close-ups.
And everything was magic
with Maggie.
I remember we were walking down
Hollywood Boulevard one night...
...and we put our feet
in the stars' footprints.
You know, like tourists do?
Maggie could not believe it.
Her feet were the same size
as Judy Garland.
Of course, mine matched perfectly
with Orson Welles.
Just kidding.
You should call Hillary Mitchell.
She and Maggie were very close.
She's got this funky little clothing store
over here on Melrose.
I'd call her for you,
but we kind of had this thing, you know...
...and it got a little messy.
Thanks.
Would you know what this is?
Well, not really.
Could be the date of an opening,
an audition, birthday?
Not my birthday.
I don't know,
who writes dates on paper bags?
My mom.
I have got to get the dailies.
I gotta break this up.
Well, thanks for your time,
I know you're very busy.
You are Maggie all over again.
You let me know
if you ever wanna be a movie star.
-You got the face for close-ups too.
-Thanks.
What a doofus.
We may go out for coffee after,
don't expect us before midnight.
-There's plenty of fruit.
-You know where the fire extinguisher is.
If the fruit bursts into flames,
I'll be prepared.
You're so clever.
-Are you all right, honey?
-I'm just tired.
Well, get to bed early
and don't let anybody in.
-Bye.
-Lock the door.
Bye.
We have lift-off.
Joan Crawford, oh, I love her.
There's the Marx Brothers.
Carole Lombard, my dad's favorite.
Never heard of her.
Montgomery Clift. Wait until I tell Shelly.
Here's Judy Garland.
My mother stood on this very spot.
I'm afraid your feet won't fit there.
That's because I was cursed
with the Sultenfuss bear claws.
-My hands fit.
-Big deal.
-What's he smoking?
-What do you think?
Really?
Hey, look.
This is a totally barbaric custom.
So if Phil marries my mom,
she'd be your aunt, right?
Right.
And you'd be my cousin?
Yeah, I guess.
Sort of.
But we wouldn't really be related,
right?
Oh, no, we wouldn't be from the same
bloodlines or anything.
We'd be like two total strangers...
...who accidentally had relatives
who got married.
Good. I mean....
Marriage can really complicate things.
So aren't you gonna say anything
about my earrings?
I already did.
It's a totally barbaric custom.
But on you...
...it looks good.
-We should've called.
-It's not that late.
-You're grounded until you're 50.
-You're overreacting.
Make that 60, and I'm docking
your allowance for two weeks.
-Mom.
-You think this is easy?
You go out the town
and I get to be the bad guy.
I don't want you to be some punk...
...but I can't do my job
if you don't do your job.
-It's not his fault.
-No.
It was me.
I'm sorry, Mom, really.
Just tell me what to do, I'll do anything.
Go to your room.
And you, I don't suppose your father
gave you permission to pierce your ears?
Not exactly.
Well, just don't shave your legs.
He'll never let you visit if I send you home
hairless and full of holes.
-Good morning.
-Well, maybe for you.
Something wrong?
Let's just say you're lucky you deal
with kids who are under anesthesia.
Well, even without anesthesia,
I always tell my patients to relax.
Isn't it time for your coffee break?
There must be someplace
where we can go, talk?
Oh, no, I couldn't.
-You couldn't?
-Well, I'm sort of involved.
Sort of?
Let's just say I'm involved.
Where I come from, involvement calls
for substantial piece of jewelry.
Well, I don't wear a lot of jewelry.
All right, so you don't like jewelry,
but you do like good music.
Liszt, one of my favorites.
My parents' favorite,
they were Hungarian.
Hungarians, famous for their
beautiful music, beautiful women.
Dr. Helburn, what a surprise.
The last couple of days, we've changed
your oil, relined your brakes...
...balanced and rotated your tires,
aligned your front end...
...and flushed your cooling system.
I didn't expect to be seeing you
for another 3000 miles.
Well, what can I say, Phil?
It's just-- I feel so welcome here.
And you are.
Why don't I come in the morning?
You can check out that left blinker for me.
Oh, sure, okay.
I'll see you then.
I look forward to it.
We really ought to flush out
that line of bullshit he's got.
"Hungarians are famous
for their beautiful women."
What's wrong with a little flattery?
What's wrong with a little appreciation?
Are you saying I don't appreciate?
I'm saying he asked me out for coffee,
like a real date.
-When was the last time you did that?
-What do you mean?
We have a date every night.
That's not a date.
A date is when I don't cook.
I do the dishes.
I'd go to a fortune teller,
but they can only predict the future.
I need someone
who can predict the past.
Hi.
Can I help you?
Are you the Hillary Mitchell who went
with Maggie Muldovan?
Maggie Muldovan?
Did you know her?
She's her daughter, Vada.
Of course.
Look at you.
Well, it's the eyes mostly,
and the hair too.
And now she's gone.
She's gone.
She'll never get to see
how well you've turned out.
Oh, my God.
Maggie.
You poor thing.
It's okay, really.
I was just a baby.
I'm sorry. It's just....
I've been taking all these seminars
to get in touch with my feelings...
...and sometimes it gets out of hand.
Here.
Thank you.
You're very sweet.
How did you find out where I was?
Peter Webb told us.
Peter?
You saw Peter?
Oh, God.
Oh, forgive me.
Oh, my gosh,
I'm making such a scene here.
-Why don't you have a seat?
-Thanks.
I remember Maggie and your dad too.
You know, we used to all pile
into his old '54 Ford pickup.
Chuck the Truck, we used to call it.
It was pitch black
with red leather interior.
Does he still drive that?
No, but sometimes he drives a hearse.
He's an undertaker.
You're kidding.
Jeffrey Pommeroy's an undertaker?
His name's Harry Sultenfuss.
What are you saying?
Look, I--
Are you saying my mom
had another husband?
Oh, honey.
Back then, people did crazy things.
They sure did. They got kicked out
of school, they married truck drivers.
These are my mother's
greatest accomplishments?
Sure glad I came all the way out here
to find them out.
Vada, wait up!
Just because your mother
was married before, doesn't mean--
It doesn't mean anything.
Maybe not, but maybe it does.
If no one told me about this, I mean--
Maybe they're trying to hide something.
Like what?
Maybe this Jeffrey guy
is my real father.
I mean, look at me.
I have the hair of a dead person
and my nose.
No one in my family has this nose.
It could be the nose
of a complete stranger.
I mean, I came out here to find out
about my mother, and I found--
Oh, God.
Don't cry.
Come on.
That lady in there looked
pretty flakey to me.
How about Phil? Maybe he knows
something about all this.
At least you should talk to him
before you get worked up.
Before I get worked up?
You don't think this is worked up?
That thing you said about your nose?
It was a stranger's nose?
Well, it's not. It's....
I mean....
It's yours, you know?
Nick?
Yeah?
This has been a real confusing day.
How could Dad let me visit here
and find out like this?
I'm gonna call him
and make him tell me everything.
Sweetie, I wi-- I--
Don't worry.
I'll do it in my own subtle way.
-Hello, Sultenfuss Parlor.
-Hi, Dad.
Hi, honey.
I just called to say
I'm having a really great time.
Good. You should go over
and watch them tape Carson.
Actually, I wanna see
Jeffrey Pommeroy.
Is he some kind of a new rock star
or something?
-Yeah.
-Totally groovy, huh?
Totally.
Ask him if he needs a tuba player.
I will.
How's Shelly?
She's fine.
The doctor just told her to stay in bed
and get rest...
...and stay quiet
just to make sure that....
Okay.
Bye, Daddy. I love you.
-I love you too, sweetie pie.
-My love to Shelly.
Shelly's sick.
I have to get to the bottom of this
and get back there.
She'll be all right, baby.
Yeah, right.
It's pointless to worry.
I'm not authorized to trace licenses
for civilians.
His name is Jeffrey Pommeroy
and he used to drive a '54 Ford pickup.
Black with red interior. Please?
Give us a break.
All you have to do is make a phone call.
-I thought I told you to lose this guy.
-Look, sergeant...
...I know I said things
I shouldn't have said at all--
-I think the phrase was, "sleazoid geek."
-I'm sorry, okay?
We gotta find this guy
because he knew Vada's mom...
...and he could tell her stuff
that no one else knows.
-You're asking me to break the law.
-We're asking you to stand up...
...with Maggie like you should've
years ago.
Yeah, this is Sergeant Tanaka
from Hollenbeck.
I need a current address for a Jeffrey--
-Pommeroy.
---Pommeroy.
He may or may not be driving
a black '54 Ford pickup.
Monday.
I'm leaving Sunday.
Could you hold on for a second?
Look, I can't get priority
without a criminal charge.
So charge him with something.
Who's gonna know?
Me. I'll know.
You wanna be a hall monitor
all your life?
Hello.
I'm gonna need this right now.
This guy.
We think he might be going
after the governor.
Twenty minutes?
Fine.
So give him a call. The worst he can do
is hang up on you, right?
I feel like before I can talk to him,
I have to see his face.
How's this for a solution?
We'll take a drive over to his place...
-...you can introduce yourself--
-I'd like to see his house...
...but I don't know if I'd have the nerve
to just go up and knock on his door.
-I don't think I could go through with it.
-Then we'll keep driving, you'll decide.
You're awfully quiet.
You think I should tell my dad
about Jeffrey Pommeroy?
I don't know. He's got an awful lot
on his mind right now.
Maybe someday
when the time is right.
Maybe.
Then again,
your dad's got his own memories...
...and he's got his own life now.
I think this is a secret,
just between you and your mom.
A secret?
I like that.
This is it, I guess.
Well, we've come this far.
Least I can do is knock on the door.
Want me to come with?
I should do this myself.
Okay. Take your time.
I'll go for a walk around.
Go ahead, honey. Go ahead.
Hi there.
Can I help you?
Are you Jeffrey Pommeroy?
I sure am. Who are you?
I'm Vada Margaret Sultenfuss.
-And my mother was--
-Maggie.
Maggie's little girl.
Well, I was hoping I'd get to meet you.
You mean, you knew about me?
Who is it, honey?
It's Maggie's little girl, Vada.
-Oh, my.
-This is my wife, Emily.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Can you come in for a minute?
I'd like to. Thanks.
Mommy, Daddy, I painted you a rainbow.
Come and see.
This is Vada.
Vada, this is our little girl, Katie.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Why don't we let Daddy and Vada visit
for a little while, okay?
-Okay.
-Okay.
-Bye.
-Bye.
She looks a little like me
when I was a little girl.
Does she?
I'm glad you're here.
You are?
Yeah. Come on, let's talk.
Had assignment
to write about someone we never met...
...and I chose my mother.
She was born in Los Angeles
and since Uncle Phil moved here...
...I came to visit
and looked in her high school yearbook...
...and I called a few people
and one guy said she went to UCLA.
-Another said call Hillary Mitchell, so--
-Hillary Mitchell? How's she?
Oh, she's great.
She's a little crazy, though.
Anyway, Hillary said
that you had a black Ford truck...
...and this policeman I know
got in touch with Motor Vehicles...
...and he gave me your address
and here I am.
I told you it was a long story.
That's all right.
You sounded just like your mother.
She told great stories.
Stories with crazy accents
and special effects.
-Special effects?
-Like switching lamp on and off...
...when she was talking about lightning.
Audiences love stuff like that.
And your mom knew
how to work an audience.
I don't know very much about her.
-I was hoping that you could help me.
-I'll try.
No one else knows what this means.
See, the thing is,
we always wanted to work in the theater.
So we drove out to New York
to Broadway, where it was....
Where it was all happening.
And New York was just full
of fancy French restaurants...
...and we wanted to get married in one.
But we're totally broke.
So your mom found this coffee shop
with tables around the back...
...and real tablecloths on them
and a minister who worked cheap.
But when we got to the coffee shop,
there was a sign that said:
"Closed by the Board of Health."
That time it had started snowing...
...so we just got married right outside,
in the snow.
It was freezing...
...but it was wonderful.
And for our wedding feast,
we had a bag of hot roasted chestnuts.
This is the bag.
And she saved it.
Well, we didn't have a camera...
...so she just wrote the date on the bag
and said:
"This will be our wedding album.
This will be a day we'll never forget."
We never did.
Do you have any pictures of her?
I've got something better.
We called ourselves
"The Appearing Nightly Players."
Darling. Oh, where is my chauffeur?
You don't want
I should walk to the stage.
An actress of my overwhelming talent.
She's beautiful.
We performed on the beach
one summer.
Everything went wrong.
Come on, you can't sit here.
Come on, Mag, he's just pulled on.
-Come on, send me away happy.
-Send him away.
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by
If you smile
Through your fears and sorrows
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun
Come shining through
If you light up your face
With gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear
May be ever so near
That's the time
You must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
-That thing--
-Gee, Mag.
That thing-- Oh, thanks.
-You do it. You do it all the time.
-That was beautiful.
-Thank you.
-Oh, boy.
She had a beautiful voice.
Would you like to have these movies?
I--
More than anything in the world.
It's good to see Maggie again.
And you.
Didn't you ever wonder about me?
No, I didn't know about you
until after she was gone.
I thought that maybe you'd be curious
about how I turned out.
-Well, I'd say you turned out just fine.
-I guess what I mean is...
...my mother married my dad after you
and then I was born.
So I thought that maybe you got divorced
because of me.
Wait. Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
Do you think I'm your father?
Well....
Honey, I'd be proud to be your father,
really.
It just isn't so.
Come on.
Maggie wanted to have a baby.
And I didn't.
She didn't wanna miss out on anything,
especially motherhood.
Got to be a real problem with us.
I thought she had plenty of time.
She didn't.
Anyway, that's why I was grateful
when she met your father.
He had the sense to love her
the way she deserved.
Most of all,
I was glad that she had you...
...the baby she always wanted.
I want you to know that.
I'll use the movies when I report. Jeffrey
says audiences love special effects.
You better ace it.
You sacrificed your whole vacation.
Well, it's a wonderful story
with a very happy ending.
Sorry, doc,
we close for business at 3:00 tonight.
This isn't business.
You know, I found
this wonderful little Hungarian restaurant.
It makes its own strudel.
And I thought you might like a taste
of the Old Country.
See, there's apple in there and cherry,
and this is the cheese.
But I gotta say, I think cherry is really--
Okay, that does it. That does it.
The strudel does it.
First, it's the brakes, then--
I'm not gonna let some podiatrist...
...with a Jaguar full of strudel in here
and--
I'm not a podiatrist, I'm a cardiologist.
Who cares?
Rose, tell him we have an arrangement.
Well, what kind of arrangement?
Yes, what kind of arrangement?
I'd be very interested to know
what arrangement we have.
You know exactly what kind it is.
Come on, Rose.
What do you want from me?
Don't want anything
you don't wanna give.
You shouldn't settle for less
than you deserve.
Stay out of this. Look, if I had
a red XK 150 with a black interior...
...I sure wouldn't be handing out
advice.
-I don't think the color of--
-Rose, this is not the place...
-...to be having this--
-This place is just fine.
You know how I feel about you.
You like the way I cook?
You think I make out a great invoice?
You and Nick and this garage
are my whole life.
I love you.
Sure, you don't have the greatest taste in
music, but there's not another woman...
...who could look so sexy
in that smock.
What I'm trying-- What I'm trying to s--
What I mean to say....
Rose, will you marry me?
You really think I look sexy
in this smock?
Is that a yes?
Thanks for everything. You're the best.
No, you're the best. I don't want you
talking to anybody on the plane.
Dad gave me this lecture.
He's gonna meet me at the airport...
...then we'll go for pizza,
then dinner in bed with Shelly.
Sounds great. Well, you give them both
one of these for me.
Bye, Aunt Rose.
Bye, Niece Vada.
Thanks.
Well, bye.
Listen, I'm sorry you had to sacrifice
your entire vacation.
Some sacrifices are worth it.
You mean it wasn't that terrible?
I wouldn't say it was terrible.
It was kind of....
An adventure?
Part adventure.
Part miracle.
Will you write me a poem?
No?
I'll write you 10 poems.
Ladies and gentlemen, this
is your final boarding call for Flight 628.
-Bye.
-Bye.
Look in your backpack.
Okay.
In memory of barbaric customs.
Love, Nick.
Life is full of barbaric customs.
I just hope they all end
with a kiss like that.
-Arthur, where's my dad?
-Well, he took Shelly to the hospital.
-Is she okay?
-Well, she was making a lot of noise.
-Dr. Caitlyn to OR tomorrow about 3 a.m.
-Miss Hoffman to 146, please.
Dad.
-What happened to Shelly?
-She had a baby, that's all.
We have a baby?
A boy. You've got a new brother.
-Can I see?
-You can do anything you want.
You're his sister.
Hey, what's on your ear?
Shelly?
Hey.
Look.
-He's so tiny.
-I know. Look at his little hands.
-I'm sorry, I couldn't come pick you up.
-Oh, I was pushing as fast as I could.
Did it hurt a lot?
You have no idea.
-Hey, let me hold him.
-Okay.
-Got his head?
-Yeah.
Okay.
-He's gonna be all right.
-He is.
Maybe he's wet.
Maybe he's hungry.
He's okay.
You just have to sing to him.
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time
You must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
Things haven't exactly calmed down
around here.
I got A-plus on the report,
Dad's getting used to my pierced ears...
...and Nick's coming to visit
this summer.
Other than that,
I'm busy being a big sister.
I like to tell my brother about my mom.
How we meet her friends
and find out how special she was.
She may not have her footprints
in the cement...
...but she left her imprint on the world.
And I told him
that even though it sounds conceited...
...her greatest achievement was me.
I remember before I was born...
...wadded like a furball
in the highly overrated fetal position.
Luckily, I'm not claustrophobic...
...but on rainy days I still feel a tightness
in my left shoulder.
Now my stepmother's pregnant...
...I understand what the baby's going
through, and I'm not jealous at all.
-Really, not at all.
-You're not eating your meat loaf.
-If I eat it, I'll throw up.
-You should at least try a little bit.
Then I'll throw up a little bit.
Are you sure you wanna get involved
in this?
By the evening
Sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you
Only for you
Our house
Is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
Scrunch these chairs together
a little more.
Dad, I'm trying.
They're chairs, they don't scrunch.
I'll get it.
I guess we'll set chairs in the library...
...and pipe the sermon in
like Hazelmeyer.
Fix that speaker, makes the minister
sound like an astronaut.
-Hello, Judy.
-Hi, Arthur.
-Hi, Judy. Come on in.
-Hi, Mr. Sultenfuss.
-Look who I found.
-Hi, Judy.
Hi.
-Come on in.
-That's okay.
It's just a corpse.
I know that.
You should be here when they bring in
a body that's been dead for days.
And they haven't found it yet
because it was in an apartment...
...and no one came to visit.
Or floating in a river.
And then the body starts turning
this weird shade of green.
You know, like watery pea soup?
The arms and legs deteriorate first.
But the body looks like a raisin
with four fat legs.
Anyway....
This is why I'm seriously considering
cremation.
Judy?
Judy.
I think you lost her on the raisin
with the four fat legs, honey.
Did you hear that, Dean?
You can stay.
-Dean?
-Yeah.
Dean Martin. Look at his eyes.
-They're pink.
-Exactly. Dean Martin.
The cage is all set.
Where's the bathroom?
Are you kidding?
Hamsters don't go to the bathroom.
Now, did you look in the bag?
This exercise will work someday.
I got a card from Uncle Phil
in Los Angeles.
Said he went body surfing.
I don't know if I can picture Uncle Phil
body surfing.
-I don't know if I want to.
-I wanna ask a favor.
Remember, you can absolutely say no
if you want to.
I'm just bringing it up for discussion.
Harry, I thought we decided
we weren't gonna do this.
Do what?
The thing is,
your room is next door to ours.
So we thought-- If you're willing,
we might move you to Gramoo's room...
...we could use your room for the nursery.
We're gonna be with a newborn.
-There'd be noise--
-You want me to move?
Well, not far, just down the hall.
Plus, Gramoo's room's a lot bigger.
You get a view of the neighborhood.
Okay. No problem.
Okay, thanks. Attagirl.
Harry?
Harry.
Harry!
I'm sorry to interrupt, honey,
but Vada's upset.
She's fine. She'll love her new room.
Look, we react to every kick
this baby gives.
Maybe Vada's trying to tell us
something too.
The thing to remember is,
you must visualize a spare.
Parabola of the arcing ball must intersect
with the pyramid of the pins...
...at precisely this angle of attack.
Shit.
"Visualize a spare"?
Well, you know what I mean.
So, what's on your mind?
Me? What makes you think
there's something on my mind?
You're passing up Archie Bunker
to go bowling.
-You've gotta have an angle.
-No.
I just thought it'd be nice if the two of us
had an evening out so we could talk.
-Shelly's already told me all about sex.
-She told me too.
I mean, she told me
she told you about sex.
I personally knew about sex
long before I met Shelly.
I figured you did.
Yes.
Strike. Not bad at all.
No, this isn't about sex. It's--
Well, there have been a lot of changes.
I know you're upset losing your room,
but baby's gotta go somewhere.
No, it's okay. I understand, really.
Honey, that's very mature.
I'm proud of you, Vada.
Maybe I should just move to China.
One kid per family,
you don't lose your room.
Why don't you keep your room
and put the baby in the backyard?
Don't do that.
You've got the whole garage.
Yeah, between the power mower
and weed killer.
Dad, I'm kidding.
You can have the room.
-Seriously?
-Seriously.
Great.
I'm 13.
Maybe it's about time
I got my own apartment.
-My mother can't have any more kids.
-Neither can mine.
She's dead.
-It's Shelly who's pregnant.
-What do you think?
I think I'm leaning
towards Passion Flower.
"It combines the traditional floral scent
with the musky aroma of sandalwood."
-What are you staring at?
-It's Kevin.
-I don't want him to see me.
-See you? He can smell you from there.
Oh, God, he's coming over here.
Act natural. Totally natural.
-Hi, Kevin.
-Hi.
You look cool, Sultenfuss.
You look like a grasshopper.
-What's the matter?
-He likes you.
Likes me?
He said I look like a grasshopper.
Boys pretend they hate you
when they like you.
That's ridiculous.
So if you really can't stand someone...
...you pretend you're crazy about them?
I don't know. And I don't care.
Kevin's a jerk
and I don't like him anymore.
He's all yours.
If "grasshopper"
is a term of endearment...
...I've got a lot to learn.
So have you guys thought
of any new names for the baby?
Yeah, if it's a girl,
I'm kind of leaning toward Esme.
-Esme?
-Yeah, that kind of sounds like a noise...
...your nose makes, you know, "Esme."
I mean, it's--
-And what if it's a boy?
-Well, Harry Junior, of course.
Dad, when a boy likes you,
does he pretend he doesn't like you?
And if he pretends that he doesn't,
how can you tell?
What boy likes you?
It's just a question.
It's not about anybody.
Here comes puberty.
Vada, I think what you're talking about
is the fear of rejection.
Men will do anything
to avoid looking foolish.
Oh, Shell, that's ridiculous.
Where are my needle nose pliers?
If a boy wants to do homework, it means
he didn't have the nerve to ask you out.
So you'll get your homework
pretend studying, next thing...
...you're ordering pizza and talking
about favorite movie stars.
So you're saying....
What are you saying?
Honey....
Guys don't wanna appear overanxious.
If there's a boy that like you,
let him know you like him...
...so he won't feel he's taking such a risk
when he's thinking of asking you out.
Okay?
-Hi.
-Hi.
Wanna help me pick out wallpaper
for my new room tomorrow?
-I don't know. I mean--
-It okay if I drink this?
It's okay with me. Hi, Kevin.
Well, if it isn't Vada,
the grasshopper girl.
Stop it, Kevin.
I was kidding. It's a joke, okay?
We were just doing homework
and studying.
Next thing, you're ordering pizza
and talking about movie stars.
See you.
In the future I think I'll stick to asking Dad
for advice on embalming.
Baby, baby, baby love
My baby love, I need you
Oh, how I need you
Why do you do me like you do?
Haven't I been good to you?
So deep in love with you
Baby, baby
I read an article that says if you sing,
it's a calming influence.
Assuming the baby's a Supremes fan.
Bet your mom sang to you.
If there was an article, she did.
She was always reading.
Yes, I know, runs in the family.
New book?
The Collected Works
of Alfred Beidermeyer.
Her favorite poet.
Never heard of him.
Excuse me.
-How about a nice glass of milk?
-With taco chips so I can dunk.
You know, Vada...
...being an older sister, you're gonna be
very important in this baby's life.
They're enormous, I know.
Is there milk already?
No, the milk comes
when the baby comes.
When did you...?
I mean....
I was a late developer.
They used to call me Shelly Two-Backs.
All my friends had real bras...
-...not like training ones.
-Why do they call them training bras?
-It's not like learning to ride a bike.
-I know.
I guess it's just preparing you
for the rest of your life.
It's not easy being a woman.
You're telling me.
All the great writers ponder the meaning
of life and death.
I've been thinking
about my mother recently...
...even though
I don't have any memories of her.
I wish I could see her just once,
even if it were only in a dream.
I know she'd help me figure things out.
Bless me now with your fierce tears
I pray
Do not go gentle into that good night
Rage
Rage against the dying of the light
What do you think Dylan Thomas
is saying here?
Rage against the dying of the light
He's mad because they shut off
his electricity?
I think he was referring to life energy,
which, in your case...
...wouldn't cause much
of a power shortage now, would it?
Vada.
The poem is really about attitude.
It's about not giving up.
It's easy to be overwhelmed
sometimes...
...but that's when we should force
ourselves to push on.
Alfred Beidermeyer said:
To heed the urgent inner voice
Embracing destiny, not choice
That's very good, Vada.
All right, moving on.
I want to give you guys a chance
to write.
Hey, hey, hey, listen up.
I want you to write
about someone very special.
Someone interesting.
Someone you admire.
Someone whose achieved something
worth writing about.
It's gotta be a stranger,
someone you've never met.
I want you to investigate
the personal side.
Play Perry Mason,
see what you can come up with.
All right?
Any ideas?
Remember, two things.
Someone who has achieved something...
...and someone you've never met.
-Kevin?
-Elvis, the King.
Elvis, the King.
-Devin?
-Farrah Fawcett.
I love to watch that girl run.
Why is that, Mr. Reed?
Never mind.
What about you?
Who've you come up with?
My mother.
Your mother?
I never met my mother.
I know my mom's favorite color
was pink.
And she ate peanut butter and banana
sandwiches...
...but that's not what I'd call
hard-hitting facts.
I told you about the pumpkin, didn't I?
I bought her pumpkin for Halloween,
but she couldn't carve it.
Saved it and it ended up
under the Christmas tree.
Gramoo said on Christmas Eve...
...there was this sickening smell
permeating the entire house.
Yeah, when I picked it up, it sort of
exploded and liquefied at the same time.
It wasn't funny.
It soaked through Gramoo's Oriental.
There's still a big spot on the floor.
Okay, we need wallpaper paste.
Hey, Cec'.
Isn't there anything else
you remember?
How did you propose?
Was it romantic?
Well, I kind of just blurted it out
over a root beer float.
Root beer float, that sounds good.
Did she mention any contest
that she won?
I mean, she must have had
some awards.
-She was so talented and all.
-She was talented.
But I wish I could help you
a little more.
It's just your mother and I
had a whirlwind courtship.
She came to town
with this theater group.
I proposed on second date.
Two weeks later, we're married.
Nine months later,
you're here and she was gone.
-Was it a nice funeral?
-Oh, yes. Lovely funeral.
Grenaldi Brothers did a beautiful job,
lots of pink roses.
I used the white hearse. Hey.
How about this flowered wallpaper
for your room?
How about this?
-Hi, Mr. Owett.
-Hey, Vada.
-How's your report coming?
-Great.
I have so much to say,
I hardly know where to start.
I've been re-reading Virginia Woolf.
I think she'd be a natural for you.
She led a fascinating life.
Thanks, but I'm gonna to stick
to my mom. She led a fascinating life too.
I'm sure she did.
Hey, guys.
Hi.
He was giving you an easy out so you
didn't have to write about your mother.
-I wanna write about her.
-You're crazy.
What was her achievement?
Did she invent gravity?
No one invented gravity. It just exists.
-Then what did she do?
-I'm not supposed to talk about it.
Since I'm gonna write about it,
I might as well tell you.
-She was a spy against the Russians.
-Oh, please.
Who do you think you're kidding?
And where did she spy on the Russians
from, here in Pennsylvania?
No, not here in Pennsylvania.
She went to Russia with her troupe...
...and got a lot of highly sensitive
secret plans sent back.
Just when she was about to go home,
she got caught and they killed her.
All right, when did she have you
between her acting and spying...
-...and getting caught?
-That's simple.
She was pregnant with me when she
went to Russia and she didn't know.
Russians found out,
they waited to shoot her...
...because you're not allowed
to kill pregnant women.
So she had you in jail in Russia?
Actually, I was born in Siberia...
...and then they shot her
and sent me home to my dad.
Vada, if bullshit wore a bra,
you'd be top-heavy.
Come on, Judy.
Oh, ask anyone. Ask my dad.
It could be true.
How come guys talk so much
when they have nothing to say...
...and girls have plenty to say,
but no one will listen?
I used to come down here
and sleep on this spot when I was little.
My report's gonna be a disaster.
Everything I know about her fits
into one little box.
A box?
Oh, Vada, what a sweet baby book.
It's only filled out to page two.
I was 8 pounds, 4 ounces.
There are so many programs.
She was in a lot of plays.
Dad said when she was on-stage...
...she held the audience
in the palm of her hand.
-What's this? "December 8, 1958."
-I don't know.
Dad doesn't either.
Well, must mean something.
She was obviously very sentimental.
This is one of my favorite things.
Her passport.
Oh, Vada, she's so beautiful.
"Margaret Ann Muldovan...
...born in Los Angeles, California,
February 7th, 1936." Aquarius.
Margaret's my middle name,
everybody called her Maggie.
-Los Angeles. Have you ever been there?
-No.
You know,
they say that it never rains...
...that you can barbecue
on Christmas Day.
Instead of riding your bike,
you surf over to your friend's house.
The place's crawling with celebrities.
I know someone who saw Walter Matthau
picking up his dry cleaning.
-Is that why Uncle Phil moved there?
-Uncle Phil just needed a change.
-A little adventure.
-I wonder why she got a passport...
-...if she never went anywhere.
-You've gotta be prepared.
I'm definitely traveling someday.
Why not now?
What do you mean?
How would you like to visit
your Uncle Phil in Los Angeles...
...next week
during your spring vacation?
You could do research on your mom.
But what about you and the baby?
You need me.
Oh, but I'm not due to have the baby
for another six weeks or so.
It would be kind of great.
It would be fantastic.
But Dad will never go for it.
You leave your father to me.
-Encourage her to spread her wings.
-She can spread her wings right here.
Don't send a child alone. She could come
back with her ears pierced, legs shaved.
She is not a child. She is
a young woman. She's on the brink of--
-Disaster lurks behind every palm tree.
-You're being narrow-minded.
Maybe when she's older,
I'd be more than happy to bring up--
-Hi. We were just having a little--
-You were just having a fight about me.
-Wouldn't you like to hear my opinion?
-Of course.
I think that if I'm old enough
to accept a new baby...
...to accept a new room,
I'm old enough to go to California.
-It's fun to think about these things, but--
-I already bought a ticket.
-What?
-I used my money and got a great deal.
It's a Q47-NR five-day fare...
...I have to change planes in Dallas
and stay over a Saturday.
There's no exchanges or refunds...
...so if you don't let me go,
I'll have wasted my life savings.
I, well-- Well, but I....
Isn't it against the law
to sell airline tickets to minors?
Don't tell me you aided
and abetted this scheme?
Vada needed me. Besides, the airline
requires the signature of an adult, and--
Forgot to ask for one
who wasn't having hormone surges.
Oh, come on, Harry.
We're talking about five days here.
I think we're going overboard
for a school assignment.
But it's not a little school assignment.
I think maybe all of this is happening
for a reason.
Reason? What reason? Wha--?
Phil's moving to L.A.
Gramoo's passing,
the baby being born, Vada's report.
I think maybe all of these are signs...
...signs that it's time for Vada
to take this trip.
Signs? Let me get
the Loch Ness Monster on the phone.
You two have a lot to talk about. No, I'm
sorry. Vada is not going to Los Angeles.
Now, I have made my decision,
and that is final.
Remember don't talk to anyone. Even if
a nun sits next to you, don't talk to her.
No nuns. Got it.
No boys. Promise me.
L.A. people are corrupt,
you'll end up pregnant and on drugs.
Don't come running
when you wake up in the morgue...
...having been beaten to
an unrecognizable pulp by some surfer.
And don't make eye contact.
It communicates an implied vulnerability.
What does that mean?
I'm a paranoid nitwit
who's never let his baby out of his sight...
...for the simple reason
he's a paranoid nitwit.
So why don't you just say, "Oh, Dad,"
and get on the damn plane already.
Bye, Dad. I'll miss you.
Thanks. I needed that.
I'll be back
in a hundred and thirty-seven hours.
Have fun.
Not too much.
It's hard to believe that my mother's
whole life fits into this box.
I've just got to think of this stuff
as clues...
...or good luck charms.
But I need more than luck
to solve this puzzle.
I need a miracle.
Arriving passengers, Flight 57...
...your baggage is now available
on carousel two.
Arriving passengers...
...please see the ticket agent
at the airline reservations counter.
Arriving passengers...
...please see the ticket agent
at the airline reservations counter.
Are you waiting for someone?
Excuse me, I asked you a question.
I'm not supposed to talk to strangers,
not even nuns.
You're Vada, right?
How did you know my name?
-Your Uncle Phil told me.
-He was supposed to meet me.
Relax.
You think I kidnapped him or something?
This is California. Anything's possible.
If I was looking for a victim,
I wouldn't pick your Uncle Phil...
...who outweighs me
by about a hundred fifty pounds.
Besides, who would I ask for ransom?
You?
Are you suffering from a chemical
imbalance or just an attitude problem?
Your Uncle Phil's giving me 5 bucks
to pick you up...
-...but I don't get paid till delivery.
-Gee, that is a problem.
Be prepared to show
your baggage plane checked.
-Put that down. I'll call the police.
-Thank you.
What are you gonna do, tell them that
a polite person helped carry your bag?
-I don't think you're polite.
-I don't think you're grateful.
A lot of people in your position
would say thank you.
-Thank you.
-Don't mention it.
-I don't even know your name.
-It's Nick.
There you go.
-Okay.
-Thanks.
Oh, great. No cabs.
-I have a gift for you.
-Thanks.
No, thanks.
-He said it was a gift.
-Yeah, right.
-I don't need you to be telling me to--
-Taxi!
Get in. Get in.
Okay, a man who knows
where he's going. Where we headed?
Take the 405 to Santa Monica, Santa
Monica to Whittier, Whittier to Sunset.
Here you go.
See that building?
My grandfather built it.
Budapest Auto Repair.
That's my room right up there.
One of these days,
this is all gonna be mine.
Uncle Phil.
Vada.
Look at you. Hi.
Hi, honey. How are you?
You look great.
-How's Shelly? Your dad?
-They're great.
Nick? Did he take good care of you?
He was very polite.
Worth the entire $5.
Well, good to know.
Thanks.
Give it back, Nicholas.
But we made a business deal.
Whatever happened
to a good old-fashioned favor, huh?
Our family's been dealing
with your company for over 40 years now.
Timing chain is here or isn't here,
and it isn't here.
You wanna explain
why we can't reassemble the cars...
...because not all are here? I have
enough trouble. I don't need this blubber.
Are we clear on this,
or do I have to speak with your father?
Thank you.
Yes, yes, I love you too, Irving.
You must be Vada.
Oh, what a face.
Oh, if I had a face like that,
I wouldn't have to yell so much.
I'm Rose. Rose Zsigmond.
-Nick's mother, among other things.
-Nick's mother?
Did you think he was raised
by a pack of wolves?
-Don't be misled by the haircut.
-Oh, Mom.
Who knew, when I started working
in the finest car shop in L.A...
-...I'd find the light of my life?
-He left out a couple of steps.
I've gotta get back to these bills.
Will you help Vada get settled?
Come on.
I'll show you where you're gonna stay.
Here we go.
Not what you expected from downstairs,
right?
Now, we'll put your stuff over here
in this closet.
You can unpack later.
And this is where you sleep.
Luckily, this sofa bed is comfortable.
I can tell you that
from personal experience.
Bathroom.
You have to...?
No? Rose and my room.
She lives here too?
That's right. Like one big happy family.
This is Nick's room and....
But are you engaged or something?
Dating. Seriously dating.
You're thirsty.
You want something to drink?
Sure you do.
It's been a long trip.
You see, Vada, marriage....
Marriage is a very big step...
...and not something
to be entered into lightly.
See, I just....
I just wanna make very sure...
...that everything is absolutely right
before I go jumping into some kind--
Sounds like
you have a fear of commitment.
That's ridiculous.
I'm very-- What do you call it?
-Committed?
-Committed.
Does that mean you sleep here
every night?
Yes, it does.
Well, that's not exactly dating, is it?
Vada, I know that traditionally...
...you're not supposed to do a lot of these
things before you're officially married...
...but these are very, very
special circumstances.
When sex is involved,
it's always special circumstances.
My parents had a brief
but intensely fulfilling relationship.
She's remained a woman of mystery
to this day.
And you're gonna solve the mystery?
I got it all figured out.
She went to Wilson High School...
...so tomorrow, I'm gonna go there
and get a copy of her yearbook.
I can get the names of the people
she was in clubs with.
-Find out her friends.
-Then you'll be all set.
-Sounds like you're very organized.
-I have to be. I only have five days.
-So point me in the right direction.
-I'll do better than that.
I'll send you off
with your own private guide.
-Me?
-I'd consider it a personal favor.
It isn't like you had a whole lot planned
for this week, right? It'll be okay.
Hey. Here you go.
-What's that?
-Ten bucks.
What's it for?
For the mini-bike fund.
I know you're not crazy
about taking Vada around...
...so I just want you to know
I appreciate it, though.
-No problem.
-You're a good man, Nicholas.
Phil, I think you should consider....
I thought my mom went to school
in L.A.
We've gotta be closing in
on the Grand Canyon.
But I'm sure
for a trip to the Grand Canyon...
...you'd charge a little more than $10.
You know, eavesdropping
is a very unattractive habit.
I wasn't eavesdropping.
I was overhearing.
I didn't ask for the money.
Phil just gave it to me.
Well, look, I know that all you care about
is your precious mini-bike.
It's obvious you have no sense of
historical perspective. I think we're here.
Getting off, please.
Excuse me. Pardon, thank you.
Excuse me.
Where's the school?
"Due to a devastating fire, June 17, 1963,
Wilson High School was closed."
I can't believe it.
My mother's high school burned down.
They obviously have no sense
of historical perspective either.
It's not funny.
I mean, what am I gonna do?
Without that yearbook, I'm lost.
I can't walk around looking for someone
with a Wilson High School sweater.
-Vada.
-What?
Calm down. We just have to ask
ourselves where yearbooks come from.
I mean, they don't appear
out of thin air.
Watch these machines, now.
-This is really very nice of you.
-No problem. I had a mother once myself.
If it's in here at all,
it's in the back two rows.
-Okay, thank you very much.
-Happy hunting.
I don't mean to alarm you, but I'm getting
a nosebleed from the altitude.
Just remember the needle
in the haystack.
I never did understand that story.
Did someone find the needle or not?
-What difference does it make?
-Big difference. If someone found it...
...we should keep looking.
If they didn't, we're wasting our time.
Oh, my gosh, here it is.
Look, here she is.
"Margaret Ann Muldovan.
Newspaper, literary magazine...
...French Club, Drama Club, Glee Club,
girls' basketball and swim team."
With Maggie's looks and talent,
we're sure to be seeing her name...
...in lights." She was gonna be famous.
Yearbooks always set you up
for disappointment. I want mine to say:
"Nick won't amount to much...
...so don't be surprised if you
never hear anything about him again."
Can we go? It smells like
someone left their gym bag in here.
It's the leather bindings.
I love the fragrance of vintage books.
I love the fragrance of chili dogs.
He was on the school paper
with my mom.
-Great.
-A full page of Tanakas...
...15 with the initial D.
This is gonna be tough.
Don't forget, the girls change their names
if they got married.
I'll never do that.
-Get married?
-Change my name.
What, you think the guy
should change his name?
I don't think anybody should. That way,
you can find them when you need them.
What if you don't wanna be found?
Why do you argue
with everything I say?
You owe me 275 bucks.
-Hi.
-Can I help you?
Yeah. Does someone
named Daryl Tanaka work here?
Sure.
Hey, Tanaka, you got company.
It's too bad about your mom.
But at least she went peacefully.
I seen a lot of people
go out the hard way.
What do you remember about her?
Well, we worked
on the school paper together.
I remember when the Legion of Decency
declared Rebel Without a Cause unfit.
Boy, that Jim Backus,
what an actor, huh?
What an actor.
Yeah. She wrote this article
about censorship and First Amendment.
She was really something.
Graduation?
Some big deal congressman...
...saying Senator McCarthy
was the greatest American ever.
Maggie gets up in front of 500 people,
walks out.
Couple people followed her too.
Took a lot a guts.
Wow, you walked out with my mother?
Are you kidding?
My parents would've shot me.
I was the president
of the young Republicans.
Nisei, second generation, hall monitor.
I didn't wanna start World War III.
You saved a lot of lives.
You should be very proud.
I'm trying to find out
her greatest achievement.
She was the first girl ever suspended
for smoking.
Suspended from school? My mother?
Everyone was really surprised
when Maggie was turned in.
She got kicked out for two weeks.
What kind of sleazoid geek
would turn her in?
-I would do it again in a minute.
-You ratted on my mother?
-Who are you, Hitler's hall monitor?
-You should join...
...a hippie commune.
But let me tell you something.
Sooner or later, it's gonna be your turn
to take out garbage.
What about giving the other guy
a break?
What about living in the real world,
pal?
-Tanaka, got a minute?
-I'll be right there.
I'd be a little more careful
of who I hung around with.
Care for a smoke?
This will be great in my report.
My mother was suspended for smoking.
I think it's cool.
You would.
You'd rather have a mother
that's a member of the police state?
-Rules are made to be broken.
-I want there...
-...to be no question remaining...
-Just ask him.
...that the president has nothing to hide
in this matter.
I'm not your gambler, Justin.
Good morning.
-Hello.
-Hi.
What can I do for you?
I'm staying at the Chateau
and the guy who runs the garage...
...said you're the best Jag people
in town, so....
Well, Enrique is great
and we are the best.
-Well, then I have come to the right place.
-I guess you have.
I'm Sam Helburn.
Sam.
Rose.
So, what's wrong?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
I mean, with your car.
Oil change.
I just drove in from Chicago and....
-Nice hair.
-Excuse me?
I was commenting on your hair.
Oh, are you a hairdresser?
I'm a pediatric cardiologist.
You mean you fix the hearts
of little babies?
Mostly little babies, but not exclusively.
It's all in the hands. You know,
you have nice hands. You operate?
Yes, I do.
So I'll always teach because it makes
a good relief from the operating room.
-I feel I have an obligation to pass along--
-Hi. Phil Sultenfuss. Oh, sorry.
Some kind of problem here?
No problem. Dr. Helburn
just needs to have his oil changed.
Oh, I see.
Because that doesn't require
a lengthy consultation.
Well, Rose was being very thorough.
Was Rose?
Dr. Helburn, why don't you come in
tomorrow at 8:00? We'll get you started.
-I'll be here.
-I look forward to it.
Oh, sorry, I'll get that for you.
Don't worry.
Made it worse.
Get that for you in the morning.
-Nice wheels.
-Thanks.
-What's with the touching?
-He wasn't touching me.
-He was gesturing.
-He was caressing you.
-Phillip, for God's sake.
-God? No.
I didn't think you'd want to invoke God
because he saw more than I did.
Look,
you want the rights of a husband...
...you're gonna have
to ask me something.
But if not, you'll have to get accustomed
to the rights of what you are.
-What's that?
-Right now?
An intimate border
with mechanical skills.
It should be much easier.
-Should be.
-Hi.
-No problem.
-Oh, hi.
How's the investigation going?
Just call us the Dead End Kids.
-May I use the phone, please?
-Oh, yeah, sure. Help yourself.
Anyone with taste,
anyone with breeding...
...a gentleman
would choose British racing green...
...with maybe a tan interior.
But when you buy a red car
with a black interior and wire wheels...
...you have one thing on your mind...
...and I'm a gentleman
to say what that one thing is...
...in front of the children.
Even if I am just a glorified border.
Hi. I'd like the number
for Stanley Rosenfeld Photo Studios.
Photography is an art form
if you take it seriously enough...
...which I happen to do.
-Esther. Esther, you gorgeous thing, you.
-Stanley.
Smile for the birdie. Hold, hold.
Stomach in, Harold.
-Beautiful.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
Your mother was something special,
Vada.
To tell you the truth,
had quite a crush on her.
-Really?
-Who didn't? She could play basketball...
...like Jerry West,
she'd dance like Cyd Charisse...
...then she'd look at you
with those big blue eyes. Forget about it.
I asked her out a couple of times,
but she always said no.
Lenny, Nancy, you just got married.
Look happy. Look happy.
Look like you mean it.
Beautiful.
I remember those days.
Then we all went off to UCLA...
...and she started hanging
with those Drama Department types.
There was this guy, Peter Webb,
he's become a director in Hollywood now.
The only reason I know him at all
is we're in this big poetry class...
...with this crazy guy,
Albert Boderfelder.
Beidermeyer?
Beidermeyer, that's it.
What a madman.
-He's a great poet.
-He is.
-Do you know him?
-Everybody did.
Walk along Citrus between Fountain
and Sunset any afternoon.
He'll remember my mother for sure.
It was a big class, Vada, and....
But, of course, he'll remember.
Who could forget Maggie?
Just one more thing.
Does this mean anything to you?
No, it doesn't, but I wish it did.
Well, thanks for your help,
Mr. Rosenfeld...
...and I'm sorry my mother
wouldn't go out.
I'm sure she would've had a great time.
Would've tried to show her
a good time.
I promised her when she left that I
would never forget her and I never did.
Stanley Rosenfeld does not forget.
This is the street he walks down
every day.
-When he needs inspiration--
-Boy, you're really into this.
He is one of the great poets.
I think it's him.
He's writing.
Hello.
If you're selling Girl Scout cookies,
I'm borderline diabetic.
-You're Alfred Beidermeyer, aren't you?
-You had to remind me?
Are you writing a poem?
No, I'm writing the phone company.
Because they keep charging me
for calls to Caracas, Venezuela.
Do you know anybody
in Caracas, Venezuela?
-No.
-No.
Neither do I.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
It's time for my medication
and my nap.
-Here, we'll help you carry this stuff.
-I can handle it. I can handle that.
Thank you. I'm in the penthouse.
Penthouse A.
It's there, over on the left.
If he has a heart attack,
you're carrying the body down yourself.
At least it gives you plenty of exercise.
It keeps me young.
Where do you want this?
Just put it over there.
Do you still teach?
No, no, no. I gave it up 10 years ago.
Actually, it gave me up.
My mother took this course with you
at UCLA. Foundations of Poetic Thought.
UCLA?
My cardigan sweater period.
Her name was Maggie Muldovan.
Remember her?
I've been blessed
with a very bad memory.
People say she looked like me.
I was drinking a little in those days.
I'm drinking a little these days too.
I'm sure
she found your lectures fascinating.
Oh, I doubt it.
Writers are notoriously boring.
No, they're not.
I wanna be a writer.
I wanna be just like you.
Me?
My dear,
this is not a country that rewards poetry.
This is a country
that rewards gas mileage.
Besides, people don't read poetry
anymore.
They watch television.
Don't be a poet.
Be a TV repairman.
Vada, come on.
I've got a place I always go
when I need cheering up.
The tar pits? This is where you come
to get cheered up?
Look at it this way.
However bad I feel,
it isn't as bad as becoming extinct...
...in a bottomless pit of tar.
And I thought I was weird.
You are weird.
Let's just go.
Oh, no, wait.
I like that you brought me here.
Hey, what do I care?
I mean, consider the source.
A chick from Pennsylvania
who wears a mood ring.
This isn't just a mood ring.
Does it work?
Well, it doesn't open cans or anything,
but it's sort of a reminder...
...of a friend of mine.
Boyfriend?
Well, he was a boy, he was my friend.
He was my best friend.
When we were kids we were gonna move
out here and live with the Brady Bunch.
Then I lost this ring in the woods.
And when he went to find it...
...he got stung by bees and he died.
Do you think
your friend's up in heaven now...
...looking down on you
and watching you all the time?
Well, I hope he's not watching me
all the time.
Let me see if it changes colors on me.
Okay.
But be careful.
It has a lot of sentimental value.
Maybe it'll fit my pinkie.
-Don't force it, you'll break it.
-I'm not gonna break it.
I just wanna see it change colors.
I want it back. I never
should've taken it off. I want it back.
-Relax, I'm not gonna break it.
-Give it to me.
-Come and get it.
-Just give it to me.
-Just come and get it. Right here.
-Come on.
Don't. Come on.
-Watch it.
-Don't.
What do you mean:
I dropped it.
In the tar?
It was an accident.
I'll get you a new one.
Where are you going?
Vada, wait up.
Wait!
-What are you doing? You can't go there.
-Oh, no?
It's dangerous.
Leave me alone.
That ring is the only thing I have
left of Thomas J. I have to get it.
You mean this ring?
Jerk. You idiot.
You hit pretty good, for a girl.
Nicholas.
What are you doing up?
I'm thirsty.
There's water in your bathroom.
I want juice.
Don't wake up Vada.
I won't.
I think Maggie
could have been a major player.
She had the talent.
God knows
that face was made for close-ups.
And everything was magic
with Maggie.
I remember we were walking down
Hollywood Boulevard one night...
...and we put our feet
in the stars' footprints.
You know, like tourists do?
Maggie could not believe it.
Her feet were the same size
as Judy Garland.
Of course, mine matched perfectly
with Orson Welles.
Just kidding.
You should call Hillary Mitchell.
She and Maggie were very close.
She's got this funky little clothing store
over here on Melrose.
I'd call her for you,
but we kind of had this thing, you know...
...and it got a little messy.
Thanks.
Would you know what this is?
Well, not really.
Could be the date of an opening,
an audition, birthday?
Not my birthday.
I don't know,
who writes dates on paper bags?
My mom.
I have got to get the dailies.
I gotta break this up.
Well, thanks for your time,
I know you're very busy.
You are Maggie all over again.
You let me know
if you ever wanna be a movie star.
-You got the face for close-ups too.
-Thanks.
What a doofus.
We may go out for coffee after,
don't expect us before midnight.
-There's plenty of fruit.
-You know where the fire extinguisher is.
If the fruit bursts into flames,
I'll be prepared.
You're so clever.
-Are you all right, honey?
-I'm just tired.
Well, get to bed early
and don't let anybody in.
-Bye.
-Lock the door.
Bye.
We have lift-off.
Joan Crawford, oh, I love her.
There's the Marx Brothers.
Carole Lombard, my dad's favorite.
Never heard of her.
Montgomery Clift. Wait until I tell Shelly.
Here's Judy Garland.
My mother stood on this very spot.
I'm afraid your feet won't fit there.
That's because I was cursed
with the Sultenfuss bear claws.
-My hands fit.
-Big deal.
-What's he smoking?
-What do you think?
Really?
Hey, look.
This is a totally barbaric custom.
So if Phil marries my mom,
she'd be your aunt, right?
Right.
And you'd be my cousin?
Yeah, I guess.
Sort of.
But we wouldn't really be related,
right?
Oh, no, we wouldn't be from the same
bloodlines or anything.
We'd be like two total strangers...
...who accidentally had relatives
who got married.
Good. I mean....
Marriage can really complicate things.
So aren't you gonna say anything
about my earrings?
I already did.
It's a totally barbaric custom.
But on you...
...it looks good.
-We should've called.
-It's not that late.
-You're grounded until you're 50.
-You're overreacting.
Make that 60, and I'm docking
your allowance for two weeks.
-Mom.
-You think this is easy?
You go out the town
and I get to be the bad guy.
I don't want you to be some punk...
...but I can't do my job
if you don't do your job.
-It's not his fault.
-No.
It was me.
I'm sorry, Mom, really.
Just tell me what to do, I'll do anything.
Go to your room.
And you, I don't suppose your father
gave you permission to pierce your ears?
Not exactly.
Well, just don't shave your legs.
He'll never let you visit if I send you home
hairless and full of holes.
-Good morning.
-Well, maybe for you.
Something wrong?
Let's just say you're lucky you deal
with kids who are under anesthesia.
Well, even without anesthesia,
I always tell my patients to relax.
Isn't it time for your coffee break?
There must be someplace
where we can go, talk?
Oh, no, I couldn't.
-You couldn't?
-Well, I'm sort of involved.
Sort of?
Let's just say I'm involved.
Where I come from, involvement calls
for substantial piece of jewelry.
Well, I don't wear a lot of jewelry.
All right, so you don't like jewelry,
but you do like good music.
Liszt, one of my favorites.
My parents' favorite,
they were Hungarian.
Hungarians, famous for their
beautiful music, beautiful women.
Dr. Helburn, what a surprise.
The last couple of days, we've changed
your oil, relined your brakes...
...balanced and rotated your tires,
aligned your front end...
...and flushed your cooling system.
I didn't expect to be seeing you
for another 3000 miles.
Well, what can I say, Phil?
It's just-- I feel so welcome here.
And you are.
Why don't I come in the morning?
You can check out that left blinker for me.
Oh, sure, okay.
I'll see you then.
I look forward to it.
We really ought to flush out
that line of bullshit he's got.
"Hungarians are famous
for their beautiful women."
What's wrong with a little flattery?
What's wrong with a little appreciation?
Are you saying I don't appreciate?
I'm saying he asked me out for coffee,
like a real date.
-When was the last time you did that?
-What do you mean?
We have a date every night.
That's not a date.
A date is when I don't cook.
I do the dishes.
I'd go to a fortune teller,
but they can only predict the future.
I need someone
who can predict the past.
Hi.
Can I help you?
Are you the Hillary Mitchell who went
with Maggie Muldovan?
Maggie Muldovan?
Did you know her?
She's her daughter, Vada.
Of course.
Look at you.
Well, it's the eyes mostly,
and the hair too.
And now she's gone.
She's gone.
She'll never get to see
how well you've turned out.
Oh, my God.
Maggie.
You poor thing.
It's okay, really.
I was just a baby.
I'm sorry. It's just....
I've been taking all these seminars
to get in touch with my feelings...
...and sometimes it gets out of hand.
Here.
Thank you.
You're very sweet.
How did you find out where I was?
Peter Webb told us.
Peter?
You saw Peter?
Oh, God.
Oh, forgive me.
Oh, my gosh,
I'm making such a scene here.
-Why don't you have a seat?
-Thanks.
I remember Maggie and your dad too.
You know, we used to all pile
into his old '54 Ford pickup.
Chuck the Truck, we used to call it.
It was pitch black
with red leather interior.
Does he still drive that?
No, but sometimes he drives a hearse.
He's an undertaker.
You're kidding.
Jeffrey Pommeroy's an undertaker?
His name's Harry Sultenfuss.
What are you saying?
Look, I--
Are you saying my mom
had another husband?
Oh, honey.
Back then, people did crazy things.
They sure did. They got kicked out
of school, they married truck drivers.
These are my mother's
greatest accomplishments?
Sure glad I came all the way out here
to find them out.
Vada, wait up!
Just because your mother
was married before, doesn't mean--
It doesn't mean anything.
Maybe not, but maybe it does.
If no one told me about this, I mean--
Maybe they're trying to hide something.
Like what?
Maybe this Jeffrey guy
is my real father.
I mean, look at me.
I have the hair of a dead person
and my nose.
No one in my family has this nose.
It could be the nose
of a complete stranger.
I mean, I came out here to find out
about my mother, and I found--
Oh, God.
Don't cry.
Come on.
That lady in there looked
pretty flakey to me.
How about Phil? Maybe he knows
something about all this.
At least you should talk to him
before you get worked up.
Before I get worked up?
You don't think this is worked up?
That thing you said about your nose?
It was a stranger's nose?
Well, it's not. It's....
I mean....
It's yours, you know?
Nick?
Yeah?
This has been a real confusing day.
How could Dad let me visit here
and find out like this?
I'm gonna call him
and make him tell me everything.
Sweetie, I wi-- I--
Don't worry.
I'll do it in my own subtle way.
-Hello, Sultenfuss Parlor.
-Hi, Dad.
Hi, honey.
I just called to say
I'm having a really great time.
Good. You should go over
and watch them tape Carson.
Actually, I wanna see
Jeffrey Pommeroy.
Is he some kind of a new rock star
or something?
-Yeah.
-Totally groovy, huh?
Totally.
Ask him if he needs a tuba player.
I will.
How's Shelly?
She's fine.
The doctor just told her to stay in bed
and get rest...
...and stay quiet
just to make sure that....
Okay.
Bye, Daddy. I love you.
-I love you too, sweetie pie.
-My love to Shelly.
Shelly's sick.
I have to get to the bottom of this
and get back there.
She'll be all right, baby.
Yeah, right.
It's pointless to worry.
I'm not authorized to trace licenses
for civilians.
His name is Jeffrey Pommeroy
and he used to drive a '54 Ford pickup.
Black with red interior. Please?
Give us a break.
All you have to do is make a phone call.
-I thought I told you to lose this guy.
-Look, sergeant...
...I know I said things
I shouldn't have said at all--
-I think the phrase was, "sleazoid geek."
-I'm sorry, okay?
We gotta find this guy
because he knew Vada's mom...
...and he could tell her stuff
that no one else knows.
-You're asking me to break the law.
-We're asking you to stand up...
...with Maggie like you should've
years ago.
Yeah, this is Sergeant Tanaka
from Hollenbeck.
I need a current address for a Jeffrey--
-Pommeroy.
---Pommeroy.
He may or may not be driving
a black '54 Ford pickup.
Monday.
I'm leaving Sunday.
Could you hold on for a second?
Look, I can't get priority
without a criminal charge.
So charge him with something.
Who's gonna know?
Me. I'll know.
You wanna be a hall monitor
all your life?
Hello.
I'm gonna need this right now.
This guy.
We think he might be going
after the governor.
Twenty minutes?
Fine.
So give him a call. The worst he can do
is hang up on you, right?
I feel like before I can talk to him,
I have to see his face.
How's this for a solution?
We'll take a drive over to his place...
-...you can introduce yourself--
-I'd like to see his house...
...but I don't know if I'd have the nerve
to just go up and knock on his door.
-I don't think I could go through with it.
-Then we'll keep driving, you'll decide.
You're awfully quiet.
You think I should tell my dad
about Jeffrey Pommeroy?
I don't know. He's got an awful lot
on his mind right now.
Maybe someday
when the time is right.
Maybe.
Then again,
your dad's got his own memories...
...and he's got his own life now.
I think this is a secret,
just between you and your mom.
A secret?
I like that.
This is it, I guess.
Well, we've come this far.
Least I can do is knock on the door.
Want me to come with?
I should do this myself.
Okay. Take your time.
I'll go for a walk around.
Go ahead, honey. Go ahead.
Hi there.
Can I help you?
Are you Jeffrey Pommeroy?
I sure am. Who are you?
I'm Vada Margaret Sultenfuss.
-And my mother was--
-Maggie.
Maggie's little girl.
Well, I was hoping I'd get to meet you.
You mean, you knew about me?
Who is it, honey?
It's Maggie's little girl, Vada.
-Oh, my.
-This is my wife, Emily.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Can you come in for a minute?
I'd like to. Thanks.
Mommy, Daddy, I painted you a rainbow.
Come and see.
This is Vada.
Vada, this is our little girl, Katie.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Why don't we let Daddy and Vada visit
for a little while, okay?
-Okay.
-Okay.
-Bye.
-Bye.
She looks a little like me
when I was a little girl.
Does she?
I'm glad you're here.
You are?
Yeah. Come on, let's talk.
Had assignment
to write about someone we never met...
...and I chose my mother.
She was born in Los Angeles
and since Uncle Phil moved here...
...I came to visit
and looked in her high school yearbook...
...and I called a few people
and one guy said she went to UCLA.
-Another said call Hillary Mitchell, so--
-Hillary Mitchell? How's she?
Oh, she's great.
She's a little crazy, though.
Anyway, Hillary said
that you had a black Ford truck...
...and this policeman I know
got in touch with Motor Vehicles...
...and he gave me your address
and here I am.
I told you it was a long story.
That's all right.
You sounded just like your mother.
She told great stories.
Stories with crazy accents
and special effects.
-Special effects?
-Like switching lamp on and off...
...when she was talking about lightning.
Audiences love stuff like that.
And your mom knew
how to work an audience.
I don't know very much about her.
-I was hoping that you could help me.
-I'll try.
No one else knows what this means.
See, the thing is,
we always wanted to work in the theater.
So we drove out to New York
to Broadway, where it was....
Where it was all happening.
And New York was just full
of fancy French restaurants...
...and we wanted to get married in one.
But we're totally broke.
So your mom found this coffee shop
with tables around the back...
...and real tablecloths on them
and a minister who worked cheap.
But when we got to the coffee shop,
there was a sign that said:
"Closed by the Board of Health."
That time it had started snowing...
...so we just got married right outside,
in the snow.
It was freezing...
...but it was wonderful.
And for our wedding feast,
we had a bag of hot roasted chestnuts.
This is the bag.
And she saved it.
Well, we didn't have a camera...
...so she just wrote the date on the bag
and said:
"This will be our wedding album.
This will be a day we'll never forget."
We never did.
Do you have any pictures of her?
I've got something better.
We called ourselves
"The Appearing Nightly Players."
Darling. Oh, where is my chauffeur?
You don't want
I should walk to the stage.
An actress of my overwhelming talent.
She's beautiful.
We performed on the beach
one summer.
Everything went wrong.
Come on, you can't sit here.
Come on, Mag, he's just pulled on.
-Come on, send me away happy.
-Send him away.
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by
If you smile
Through your fears and sorrows
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun
Come shining through
If you light up your face
With gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear
May be ever so near
That's the time
You must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
-That thing--
-Gee, Mag.
That thing-- Oh, thanks.
-You do it. You do it all the time.
-That was beautiful.
-Thank you.
-Oh, boy.
She had a beautiful voice.
Would you like to have these movies?
I--
More than anything in the world.
It's good to see Maggie again.
And you.
Didn't you ever wonder about me?
No, I didn't know about you
until after she was gone.
I thought that maybe you'd be curious
about how I turned out.
-Well, I'd say you turned out just fine.
-I guess what I mean is...
...my mother married my dad after you
and then I was born.
So I thought that maybe you got divorced
because of me.
Wait. Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
Do you think I'm your father?
Well....
Honey, I'd be proud to be your father,
really.
It just isn't so.
Come on.
Maggie wanted to have a baby.
And I didn't.
She didn't wanna miss out on anything,
especially motherhood.
Got to be a real problem with us.
I thought she had plenty of time.
She didn't.
Anyway, that's why I was grateful
when she met your father.
He had the sense to love her
the way she deserved.
Most of all,
I was glad that she had you...
...the baby she always wanted.
I want you to know that.
I'll use the movies when I report. Jeffrey
says audiences love special effects.
You better ace it.
You sacrificed your whole vacation.
Well, it's a wonderful story
with a very happy ending.
Sorry, doc,
we close for business at 3:00 tonight.
This isn't business.
You know, I found
this wonderful little Hungarian restaurant.
It makes its own strudel.
And I thought you might like a taste
of the Old Country.
See, there's apple in there and cherry,
and this is the cheese.
But I gotta say, I think cherry is really--
Okay, that does it. That does it.
The strudel does it.
First, it's the brakes, then--
I'm not gonna let some podiatrist...
...with a Jaguar full of strudel in here
and--
I'm not a podiatrist, I'm a cardiologist.
Who cares?
Rose, tell him we have an arrangement.
Well, what kind of arrangement?
Yes, what kind of arrangement?
I'd be very interested to know
what arrangement we have.
You know exactly what kind it is.
Come on, Rose.
What do you want from me?
Don't want anything
you don't wanna give.
You shouldn't settle for less
than you deserve.
Stay out of this. Look, if I had
a red XK 150 with a black interior...
...I sure wouldn't be handing out
advice.
-I don't think the color of--
-Rose, this is not the place...
-...to be having this--
-This place is just fine.
You know how I feel about you.
You like the way I cook?
You think I make out a great invoice?
You and Nick and this garage
are my whole life.
I love you.
Sure, you don't have the greatest taste in
music, but there's not another woman...
...who could look so sexy
in that smock.
What I'm trying-- What I'm trying to s--
What I mean to say....
Rose, will you marry me?
You really think I look sexy
in this smock?
Is that a yes?
Thanks for everything. You're the best.
No, you're the best. I don't want you
talking to anybody on the plane.
Dad gave me this lecture.
He's gonna meet me at the airport...
...then we'll go for pizza,
then dinner in bed with Shelly.
Sounds great. Well, you give them both
one of these for me.
Bye, Aunt Rose.
Bye, Niece Vada.
Thanks.
Well, bye.
Listen, I'm sorry you had to sacrifice
your entire vacation.
Some sacrifices are worth it.
You mean it wasn't that terrible?
I wouldn't say it was terrible.
It was kind of....
An adventure?
Part adventure.
Part miracle.
Will you write me a poem?
No?
I'll write you 10 poems.
Ladies and gentlemen, this
is your final boarding call for Flight 628.
-Bye.
-Bye.
Look in your backpack.
Okay.
In memory of barbaric customs.
Love, Nick.
Life is full of barbaric customs.
I just hope they all end
with a kiss like that.
-Arthur, where's my dad?
-Well, he took Shelly to the hospital.
-Is she okay?
-Well, she was making a lot of noise.
-Dr. Caitlyn to OR tomorrow about 3 a.m.
-Miss Hoffman to 146, please.
Dad.
-What happened to Shelly?
-She had a baby, that's all.
We have a baby?
A boy. You've got a new brother.
-Can I see?
-You can do anything you want.
You're his sister.
Hey, what's on your ear?
Shelly?
Hey.
Look.
-He's so tiny.
-I know. Look at his little hands.
-I'm sorry, I couldn't come pick you up.
-Oh, I was pushing as fast as I could.
Did it hurt a lot?
You have no idea.
-Hey, let me hold him.
-Okay.
-Got his head?
-Yeah.
Okay.
-He's gonna be all right.
-He is.
Maybe he's wet.
Maybe he's hungry.
He's okay.
You just have to sing to him.
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time
You must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
Things haven't exactly calmed down
around here.
I got A-plus on the report,
Dad's getting used to my pierced ears...
...and Nick's coming to visit
this summer.
Other than that,
I'm busy being a big sister.
I like to tell my brother about my mom.
How we meet her friends
and find out how special she was.
She may not have her footprints
in the cement...
...but she left her imprint on the world.
And I told him
that even though it sounds conceited...
...her greatest achievement was me.