Parenthood s02e18 Episode Script
Qualities and Difficulties
I'm Mark Cyr, eleventh grade English.
You know, in two years, Amber's going to be graduated.
I think that maybe that's the time that we should go out next.
Why are you in the dog house? I shouldn't be making any decisions.
You're a smart guy.
You think so? I made a mistake.
I slept with someone.
Something has come up, and I'm not going to be able to work with Max anymore.
What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do this? I know you're worried about losing your babysitter She's not a babysitter, she's a behavioral aid for your nephew.
He's got Aspergers.
I have Aspergers? Well, what is Aspergers? Well Max, Aspergers is a form of autism.
What's autism? People who have autism are called autistic and Some people have disabilities, Max.
It's not really a disability, honey.
It's not a disability.
It's a syndrome.
It's a syndrome.
Your brain, it just works a little bit differently than other people's.
Yeah, right.
It just It processes things You You're just wired differently than everyone else.
I don't have wires inside of me.
- You don't.
- It's just an expression.
I have muscles and I have capillaries and I have That's right.
Nerve endings and I have blood and I have bone.
And they all work perfectly.
We just all have tough stuff that we have to deal with in this world, and for you, Aspergers is just one of those tough things.
Mmm-hmm.
Nobody's sure why it happens or And no matter how tough it seems, you just have to know that your mother and I, we love you Hey.
And we are here for you, and we always will be.
- Always.
- Do you want Do you have any questions, honey? Or Do you guys have Aspergers? Mmm-mmm.
Daddy and I don't have it.
Does Haddie? No.
Haddie doesn't have it either.
Just me.
Max, we love you so much, honey.
So much.
Can I go up to my room now? - Sure, you can go ahead.
- You can go up to your room.
Honey, it's okay.
No.
Just stop, stop.
Just Kristina, I'm sorry.
I'm not mad at you.
Hi, Mom.
Hi.
Hi.
Hey, look at you.
Yeah.
You look great, all bright-eyed.
Well, I was up all night.
You were up all night? Writing.
Just like when you were in high school, my little poet.
Oh, yeah.
Poems? Oh, no.
Short stories? Uh Journal? What? What? No, no.
I don't know, it's What? I don't know.
Nothing like this has ever happened before.
You know, it just I just started and it came out and I don't know what it is.
I don't know what it is.
I guess a story.
It's not I mean, it's not magic.
It's just a story.
It sounds great.
Maybe.
We'll see.
I'd love to read it.
Can I? It's not in order and it doesn't feel I think maybe I'm not ready.
Oh.
But I'll let you know.
Okay.
When I am, you'll be the One of the first to Bye! See you later.
Uh-uh.
Get away.
Sweetie Get away.
Can we talk for one second? No.
No.
Just give me I just want one minute.
Okay? Move! Hold on.
Will you please Hey, please, please.
Get off the door! Sweetie.
Oh, gosh! Oh, my God.
Oh, my God! No, no, no! Oh, no, no, no! Did you lose something? Oh, my God.
Hi.
Hi.
Is this your technique for breaking in because I'm a little disappointed.
It's not what you think.
Well, I'm just guessing.
It's not often I find women kneeling outside my door, so This is kind of a "Dear Diary" day for me.
Listen, look, for the record, I was trying to get something back, okay? That I put under there.
So this is not like stealing or, you know, snooping.
No, no.
Or anything.
You're just blushing a little bit.
Oh, my God.
Hi.
Hi.
Um I'm just going to get into my apartment.
Oh, this is your apartment? Oh, yeah.
Oh! That's so That's such a coincidence.
I'll just take that and I'll see you later.
You're not going to tell me what it is? Oh, no, no.
Way to amp up the mystery.
I'll just never know why I saw Sarah Braverman kneeling outside my door.
Fine.
Okay, um I just, I wrote this thing and I don't know what it is.
It just kind of came out of me, and I didn't sleep, and it felt really great, and then I was seized with this idea that I wanted someone to read it, and I thought of you.
And then when I put it under your door, the feeling of wanting someone to read it was immediately replaced by intense regret and deep, deep shame.
So, that's the story.
I'd love to read it.
I'll just let you go about your day.
What? I'd love to read it.
I'd be honored.
Really? Yeah, absolutely.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
Now it's, like, I wrote it.
Yeah, I know.
So chances are, ooh, smelly.
I'm sure.
I know.
Everything you do is terrible.
Can I Can I read it? Um, yes.
Yes, you can.
Thank you.
I think, yeah, this is good.
This is really wonderful.
Thank you.
Fantastic.
Any time.
It is fantastic.
And it's good to see you.
It's good to see you.
All right.
I'll get started right away.
All right, bye.
Bye.
So you called it a disability? Yeah, look, I'm sure that, that's not what I was supposed to do, but I was caught completely off guard.
Max just overheard my brother and I shouting at each other.
He's standing there in the staircase.
You know, the right words weren't exactly rolling off my tongue.
Yeah.
I don't mean to sound judgmental.
I just want to understand what Max heard.
I don't know.
Who knows what he hears? What else did you say to him? I said that he was wired differently.
You know, I told him we loved him and that I knew that it was a tough situation.
What the hell are you supposed to say to him? Well, you want to be simple, descriptive, upbeat.
Emphasize some positive aspects of having Aspergers.
Oh, yeah, the positive aspects of Aspergers.
I'm sorry.
Those weren't occurring to me in the moment.
I mean, is this seriously your advice? To be upbeat? It's a suggestion that I believe helps.
Yes.
- Well, I'm sorry.
- It was an emotional situation.
I was doing the best I could.
I mean, Kristina was crying, it was late, I just finished shouting - Wait a minute.
- That he had Aspergers.
I didn't know he was there.
Kristina, you cried? Yeah.
I cried.
Wait a minute.
Are you really getting judgmental because she was feeling emotional? It's okay, honey.
I just want to hear what he has to say.
No, of course not.
It's completely natural.
I promise you, I'm not being judgmental.
I'm looking for something that I think will help.
I know it's here.
Are you saying that I shouldn't have cried? I mean, I didn't really plan on it.
Crying implies that having Aspergers is something to mourn.
Right? We want to be sending a message that Max is like everyone else.
He has his strengths, he has his challenges, Aspergers is a part of that.
Okay, great.
All right, well, she cried, I called it a disability.
We blew it.
I think that's clear.
So what do we do now? Well, I'm not sure.
I mean, you got to be joking! I mean, are you seriously This is your advice? Are we the only parents to have ever screwed up this badly? I think you should try for a redo with Max.
What is this? That is a script.
Okay.
It's a blueprint for you to talk to your child about this diagnosis.
So you should read it together, mainly because I think you both need to be on the same page before you talk to Max about his autism again.
So, take some time.
Take a few days.
Really study it.
Practice.
Practice.
I know you both want the best for Max.
I do, too.
This is an important transition for him.
He's going to need you.
I just feel like you're not on board with this at all.
Damn right I'm not on board, honey.
I mean, we go to him for help and his advice is to feed our son a bunch of positive spin.
Mmm-hmm.
That's not what he meant at all.
That is what he meant.
Look, let's look at the script together.
Let's break it down.
Go ahead.
"Qualities and Difficulties of those with Aspergers.
Quality, determined.
" That's a positive thing.
All right.
"Difficulty, making friends.
" Mmm-hmm.
"Quality, humorous in a unique way.
" Meaning no one gets his jokes.
"Quality, exceptional at remembering things that others can't.
" Things that other people don't care about.
Bugs, the lifespan of a particular insect, or the wingspan of a flying cockroach.
Who cares? I care.
I care.
That's what that means.
"Difficulty, reading other people's cues.
" I think this is a good start.
Well, I don't.
This is helpful.
I think it's a bunch of positive language.
That's all it is.
It's a lie.
Can I bring my dress-up clothes to the sleepover with Jabbar? Um, gosh, sweetie, I don't know if we're going to be able to have that sleepover with Jabbar.
No, no, no, you guys said that you were having an anniversary for love, and that meant that I got to have a sleepover.
I know that's what I said, sweetie.
And I meant it.
Syd, head upstairs, get your shoes on, find your backpack.
We'll figure out all the sleepover details later, okay? Okay, but I really, really want to have a sleepover.
Okay.
So do we.
We really do.
We do, sweetie.
I promise.
The one time we're able to actually have an anniversary date just us, the one time.
I know, babe.
I know.
But if we cancel with her, won't it look like we're taking Crosby's side on the whole thing? Will it? I don't know.
I don't want to take sides.
He's my brother, but he screwed up.
Is that an understatement or are you just being literal? Okay.
We should cancel, right? Yep.
Yes.
Okay.
Here we go.
I mean, what do you even say? Sorry about your betrayal.
Sorry, I'm just I was really looking forward to taking you out on an anniversary date, honey.
Eight years.
I know.
I know.
Max? Mmm-hmm? Buddy? What? Is there anything you want to talk about? Nope.
Are you sure? Yep.
Hey.
Morning, everybody.
Hey.
You all right? I don't know.
All right, listen, hey, Max, I got to take off to work.
You have a good day, okay, buddy? Okay.
Honey, come on.
Be right back, buddy.
What's the problem? He looks fine.
He looks how he always looks.
I just think that maybe we should bring this up again, give him the chance to talk about it.
I don't want to upset him.
He's processing it in his own way.
I'm not interested in memorizing a bunch of facts that have been polished up to make it sound like he's won something.
I'm not saying that we should do that.
I'm just saying that we should just talk to him.
Look, I got to go to work.
And just explain.
Okay? Can we talk about this later, please? I love you.
Yeah.
Buddy.
I feel like if I could, you know, get her to talk to me, or get her to look at me and then talk to me This is the plan? I can maybe make it right.
I don't know.
What do you think? I don't even know what to say.
Nobody knows what to say.
You're an ass.
That's the fact.
I'm going to fix this.
It's the worst thing.
I mean, it's the worst thing.
It's the hardest thing to recover from.
I'm sorry.
It's just true.
I think you can fix it.
I don't know how.
I'm not saying Well, I have to fix it because I love Jabbar and I love Jasmine, so what are my options? I don't know what they are, but I think it's possible.
Hey.
You didn't say he was going to be here.
Adam! Adam! Hey, will you please let me apologize? I was an idiot, okay? I was selfish.
Are you really going to act like you can't hear me saying sorry? You know what, Crosby? I don't care that you're sorry.
I just don't care.
All right, I'm busy trying to look after my son, trying to look after my family.
You're not even on my radar.
There you go, third round.
Tell them to enjoy lunch.
You know my motto, shots pay the rent, baby.
Hey, Lou, what are you doing here? I thought you had to sleep all day, like a bat.
Danny quit.
Oh, I worked with him Saturday night.
He quit on Sunday.
Why? On to New York.
He's got a dream.
I don't know.
Well, so now what happens? You just take all the shifts? Well, until Shanahan finds another manager.
And he better do it soon because these doubles are killing me.
Hey.
What about me? What about you? You know, to be the new manager.
You haven't been here that long.
I've been here over a year, you know, off and on.
I need some consistency.
No, I could be consistent.
What, are you jonesing to manage a bar? You know, thinking about my future.
Here? I don't know, Lou, I mean, I dreamed of being an artist or a writer or something, but, I mean, come on, got to pay the rent, you know? What do you got, a line of people outside? No.
Just put in a good word for me.
Okay, I'll tell him you're interested, all right? Thank you.
Hit me.
Don't leave me hanging.
Love you.
I'll be in the office.
Sell some more shots.
Yeah? I have a Jasmine Trussell on the line for you.
Would you like me to take a message? No.
Put her through.
Thanks.
Hey, Julia, it's Jasmine.
Hi, Jasmine.
I just wanted to call and find out if we're still on for the sleepover tomorrow? Yeah, I was actually going to call you, too.
So are we still on? Yeah.
I hope so.
Jabbar's pretty amped up about it.
Yeah, so is Sydney.
I just You know, as long as you're okay with it.
Oh, it's okay.
And I'm okay.
Everything's okay.
And we'd really love for Sydney to come, so Well, we would love that, too.
Good.
Is 4:00 too early? All right.
We'll see you then.
Great.
Bye.
Hi.
Mom, Dad, hi.
Come on in.
How are you? Good.
How are you? I'm good.
We're good.
Everything all right? Yeah.
Well, your sister told us what happened.
What exactly did she tell you? With Crosby and that stuff, you know.
Yeah, pretty much everything.
Okay.
Why don't you guys come on in and sit down? How are you doing? Good.
We're, you know, all doing okay.
- We're good.
- Yeah.
So, how's my grandson doing? Tough to say.
He's working through things in his own way, at his own pace.
So maybe it was for the best then? I don't know if I would exactly put it that way.
He was going to find out about it, so sooner's better than later.
Dad, I got to say, I'm having a tough time sitting here, listening to you try to put a positive spin on this.
Gaby has been working for us for over a year trying to gain Max's trust, and she quit because of Crosby, so we're not looking at this like some sort of awesome development.
Do you guys want any coffee or anything? No, thank you.
Have you talked to your brother? No.
I don't think that's a good idea.
You should talk to him, don't you think? Blood is thicker than water, come on.
I mean, he made a mistake.
It was a really bad thing he did, but he needs to talk to you.
You're his brother.
Is this why you came over here? You came over here to get me to talk to Crosby? Is that what this is? Do you know why he's irresponsible? It's because of you.
Both of you are to blame for letting him get away with everything, for letting him off the hook for everything.
Year after year, you make excuses for him, you do his laundry, you lend him money, you bail him out.
He's a grown man.
It's not my responsibility to make him feel better about this.
You know, I'm spending all my energy trying to clean up this mess that Crosby made.
He cheated on his fiancée, it directly affected Max, and I don't care if he didn't mean to hurt anybody.
He did.
Just like he always does.
He's selfish, and for you, of all people, to sympathize with that, is unbelievable to me.
Honey.
Honey.
Five, six, seven, eight, and one, two, three, and four.
Shoulders, head, spiral, walk.
And one, two, three, and four, five, six, seven, eight.
And one, two, three and four Hey.
Hey.
Can I have, like, a second of your time? five, six, seven, eight.
I'm in the middle of class right now.
Okay, well, it's important.
You have to talk to me.
Listen Don't you dare tell me what I have to do.
I just want for one second No, no, I don't want to hear it.
You know I'm barely holding on right now.
Do you understand that? Do you? What you did to me makes me sick.
What you did to our family makes me sick.
I don't even want to look at you.
Don't come here again.
Don't come here again.
Okay, Max, let's boogie.
We're late.
Why isn't Mom taking me to school? Because she has to run an errand with Haddie.
These are the wrong shoes.
Max, we don't have time, okay? I want to wear my blue shoes.
Put those on.
No, I need to put my blue shoes on.
Max, these are fine.
I want you to No! No! I need to put my blue shoes on.
Put the black shoes on.
You don't need the blue shoes.
I need to put my blue shoes on.
All right, fine, we'll find the blue shoes.
You want to help me? No.
Max, you're telling me that you All right, here they are.
Look at that.
Here are your blue shoes.
Max, what if I told you, you didn't have to go to school today? But I do.
It's Thursday.
You don't.
You don't have to go to school today.
Yes, I do.
It's Thursday.
What if, instead of going to school, you and I go to Galaxy Point Park and ride roller coasters all day long.
Just you and me.
How's that for a surprise? Come on.
I don't like surprises.
Okay.
You remember the Velocerator? Uh-huh.
Scariest, fastest ride in all of Northern California.
Yeah, I know.
It says so on the poster.
That was your favorite.
You wanted to ride that like a dozen times.
It's the one on the Möbius track, right? That's right.
The one that goes forwards and backwards? That's right.
Can we go on it more than once? We can go on the Velocerator as many times as you want.
We'll only break for meals, okay? We will go on the Velocerator until the park closes.
You may never want to go on the Velocerator again.
What do you say? Okay.
Yes! Yes! Awesome! All right.
So, Louie tells me you are interested in managing.
Definitely.
Why? Why? Have you never seen Cheers, okay? What looks better than, you know, Ted Danson's job? Well, Ted Danson was the owner.
Right.
Well, that's up next.
No, seriously, I um You know, I just spend a lot of time being a bartender, and I think I would be good at it, and I'm looking to expand.
Okay, but you do know that it pays about 30% less than bartending, right? No.
Yeah.
You know, managers, they don't take home tips.
So you'd get a salary, but I can guarantee your current take-home pay, it's going to get hit pretty hard.
Um, huh.
Can I make an observation? Yeah.
The customers, they all love you, okay? And as far as I'm concerned, you can work as many shifts as you want, okay? Yes, maybe sometimes you're a little erratic, whatever.
You don't bring me drama, and I love that.
But I don't think you should be a manager.
You know, and I'd hate to see you get burned out after six months because, you know, you hate scheduling everybody's shifts.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, thanks, Pete.
Come to me anytime.
This way, Dad! - Are you sure? I don't - I think it might be this way, Max.
Yes, no, but first we have to ride No, but Dad! What? First we have to ride the Fury, then the Ram Jam! All right, okay.
Excuse me, what are you selling here? - Hey, honey.
- Hey, honey.
Hi.
Can you hear me? Yeah.
I'm right here.
Where are you? I can barely hear you.
I am at Galaxy Point Park.
You're what? Max and I are playing hooky today, so we came out to Galaxy Point.
We're going to ride the Velocerator.
- Okay - Max, stay close to me.
What? Okay.
Adam, I don't think that that's such a good Good idea? I know, honey.
But we're having a fantastic time, okay? Right Max? I say this out of love, but you've gone rogue.
Adam? Yeah? Honey, listen, it's just one day, okay? It's not a big deal.
It is a big deal.
We have to stick with the plan.
Dr.
Pelikan said to stick with his routine.
This is not his routine.
Kristina, you and I have been parents for the exact same amount of time.
Okay? And everything is going to be just fine.
Everything is under control.
Don't worry, all right? I love you.
Bye.
Hello? All right! That is so cool! Yeah.
Hey, did you know that the Sidewinder is an inversion element on a roller coaster where it makes a 90-degree turn while the train is inverted? I did not know that.
And the fastest coaster in the world is in world is in Abu Dhabi.
It goes from zero to 150 miles an hour in four seconds.
Wow.
It's just so That's fast.
If you sit in the front, you have to wear protective goggles.
It's going to be awesome.
Whoo! I just can't wait.
I can't wait, I can't wait.
I can't wait.
- Hey! - Hi, honey.
Hey, Jabbar, Sydney's here.
Hi, Sydney! Hi! - You guys look great.
- Thanks.
Is there a special occasion? It is officially our eighth Eighth day eating no sugar.
Wow.
Yeah.
We're celebrating.
We're going to a raw food restaurant.
Mmm.
Yes.
Wow.
That's really hard.
Good for you guys.
Yes.
I think it's the first date we've had on a week day since before Sydney was born.
No, that's an exaggeration.
No, I don't think I am exaggerating.
Yeah, you are, babe.
Well, regardless, thank you.
This is fantastic.
Oh, you're welcome.
All right, well, I'll pick her up first thing in the morning.
You know, any time.
I'm not working tomorrow, so Have fun.
Jasmine I'm fine.
I'm fine.
Hey, guys, who wants to play hide and seek Israeli Army style? Come here, come here.
- I do.
Yes? - All right.
Here it is.
- I'm sorry.
- You guys should go.
I'll be okay.
No.
Hey, we are here now.
Don't be silly.
We can hang out.
No, but you look so pretty, and I thought this was a special occasion.
No.
We were just going to go eat.
Don't worry about it.
We can go eat anytime.
Okay, who here wants some pizza? What do you guys like on it? Brussels sprouts? Thanks.
Of course.
Come here.
I can't believe this.
We're actually on the Velocerator! We're on it! All right.
It's going to be great.
Yes.
Yes, it is.
It's going to be really cool.
All right, let's make sure we keep our hands and arms inside at all times.
You ready? Why isn't it going? A few more people have to get on.
We'll be going in a minute.
No, it should be going by now.
We're sorry, folks, but the Velocerator needs repairs and we're going to be closed for the rest of the day.
Please come back and visit us soon.
What? Okay, listen, Max, this is something we didn't plan on, but we have to get off the ride.
No, we don't! You said we would ride the Velocerator as many times as I wanted.
I know I did, but they have to make repairs.
No.
No.
You took me out of school so that we could come here and ride the Velocerator! It needed repairs all of a sudden.
We changed everything about the day to come here and ride this.
They need to make sure that the ride is safe.
No, we have to ride it! There's another ride right over there.
No, I don't want another ride! I want to ride the Velocerator! It's not fair! Hey, Max! Max! It's not fair! It's not fair! Max! Excuse me! Max! It's not fair! Max! Max! Hey! Excuse me.
Max, Max, hey! It's not fair! You promised! You promised! Okay, all right.
I know I did.
We would go on the Velocerator as many times as I wanted! I'm sorry, Max.
It broke down.
I can't control it.
Hey, Max! Come on, easy, Max.
- You promised! It's okay.
- Max.
Max, come here.
Hey.
Hey.
What are you doing on my boat? Come on, dude, would you just lower the music a little bit, please? Huh? It's been going all night.
I don't think I invited you on my boat, man.
Other people live here.
How about just a little bit of consideration? I thought I was the only person out here adrift at sea.
There are other people in this world.
Why don't you turn your ass around and go back to your boat? You don't need to talk to me like that.
Well, I think you're on my boat, so I think I'll talk to you how Get off my boat! Come on now! Come on! I paid your bail.
I messed up.
Yeah, you did.
I mean, I really messed up.
He's asleep? He's good.
He's good.
I'm sorry, Kristina.
I don't know what I was thinking.
You were thinking you wanted to have a good time with your son and connect with him, and you did.
I was just trying to get him out of the house, and he had to have his particular pair of shoes and I I didn't want him to feel limited, you know? And I just wanted to forget about everything for one damn day, you know? And show him that we could go out and have a happy memory.
It's okay, honey.
You know, I just didn't want him to feel so alone.
He had fun.
Here.
Anyway, I think you're right.
I think that we should try to talk to him again about his Aspergers.
Okay.
I think that's a good idea.
We can use the Pelikan script as a guide.
Okay, as a guide.
You're a great dad.
I have my moments.
You're a great dad.
Yeah.
Sarah, hi.
Oh, hi! I'm sorry.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I'm so sorry.
What are you doing here? I was about to knock on the door.
I didn't get there.
This is not the door where you knock.
That is the door.
I don't know which door is the right door.
My God.
This coming from the cat burglar outside my apartment? The cat burglar worked during the day.
That's not scary.
I get a little freaked out in the daytime.
I came by to return your reading material.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
I should have called.
I just thought I'd No.
I don't know, just come by.
It's not really any fun to talk about writing over the phone.
Right.
This is going to be a lot of fun.
I can tell.
So, have a seat.
This is good, um, so So, let me just save you.
Uh, if I remember how this goes is, you start off with two or three kind of generic positive comments about my writing, you know, to make me feel good about myself, and then you follow those up with two or three super specific criticisms which are so soul crushing, because I realize in that moment how true they are.
So if you want to just skip to those, that's fine because I probably won't remember the positive comments by that time anyway, provided there are any, which may be too hopeful.
What? Nothing.
You just You just reduced my life's work as an English teacher, so I'm feeling a little unnerved.
I'll get over it.
Oh, God.
No, no.
I'm sorry.
I'm an idiot.
I'm so sorry.
I'm just really nervous, but I can take it, so I'm glad you came.
Thank you.
Go ahead.
Whatever you have to say.
Okay, are you sure? Yes.
Okay.
So, well, firstly I'm sorry, I just don't want to be in this chair because it's just not I just want to sit.
Okay.
I want to be So I can really Yeah.
That's a good place for you.
Um, so, my main impression is that it's not a story.
Okay.
I know.
No.
No, no, no, listen.
Sarah, shut up.
It was just like a first draft.
Sarah, Shut up.
Shut up, shut up.
Sarah, Sarah, please.
Stop, stop, stop.
Of course it's not a story I didn't say it was bad.
It's not It's not a story.
It's more of a play, okay? Your characters are fresh, their voices are crystal clear, and all of the action is told through the dialogue, which incidentally is incredibly funny.
It is? Yeah, it is.
Now, I do have two criticisms.
So, the first one is Your handwriting's readable, but I think for your next draft, you should actually type your work.
Type it.
Yeah, okay.
And? And two, you have to finish it.
You need act two.
And And that's it.
That's it? Yeah.
It's really, really good.
So Congratulations, Sarah Braverman.
You are a playwright.
Was it hard to do? No.
I mean, that's the thing, it just kind of No.
No.
Wow.
So, just I'm sorry, just to be clear.
You liked it? Yes.
I really did.
That's just It's beautifully written.
Well, I Guess I'II I'll see you around, Sarah.
See you around, Mark.
All right.
Hey.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
So, buddy Do you remember last year when you went to occupational therapy to get more comfortable in your body? Remember that? Mmm-hmm.
And you know how you've been working with Gaby and she's been helping you learn how to play with other kids? Yeah.
Well, you've been working so hard at these things because you have Asperger Syndrome.
You guys already told me that.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, we did.
But what we haven't had the chance to do is to tell you about all the special abilities that people with Aspergers have.
For example, you have an amazing memory, and you have read every book ever written about pirates, and you're passionate about insects.
You've always been able to memorize every fact about every insect.
And that's all because of the Aspergers.
But there are some things that are a little bit more challenging for you as well.
You had to learn to remember to look into people's eyes when they're talking to you.
Or to smile at someone when you meet them for the first time.
Or to stay calm if somebody has a different idea than you.
And you know sometimes these things come a little bit easier to other kids, but you've really had to work at them.
And we know how hard you've worked to learn them.
You're a rock star.
Will I always have it? Yes.
Yeah, you will always have an amazing memory, you will always be passionate about the things that you're interested in, and those social skills that your mom mentioned, those will always be things that you just have to remind yourself about.
I actually have a couple of books here Dad and I have been reading that talk about autism.
And this one here was actually written by a boy who's a couple years older than you who has Asperger Syndrome.
It's a really interesting book, and we will sit and read these with you if you want.
Or if you want to read them by yourself and ask us questions, we're learning together.
All of us.
So this is all new for us, too.
- We're proud of you, Max.
- So proud.
Every day.
I want to go play bug war alone.
Okay.
All right.
Thirty minutes.
Forty-five.
Thirty.
Fine.
I love you.
Well.
I didn't cry.
You did a good job.
You did such a good job.
I'm so proud of you.
You're a good mom.
Great mom.
Thanks.
I didn't cry.
One, two, three.
What? Bam! Out of the place.
You knocked me out.
I don't know why I play with you.
Oh, yeah.
Sorry! Two sorrys! I think you cheat.
Mmm-hmm.
Mommy says you need to stay here because you're working on the boat.
Um, yeah.
That's what's happening.
When will you be done and come home? Well, it's going to be a while, buddy.
I have a lot of work to do.
What happened to your eye? Well, what do you think happened? Punch, punch, punch.
I'm gonna punch, punch you! Hi.
I need to tell you something.
Okay.
I will never cheat on you.
Joel.
No.
We've been through so much and we're going to go through so much more, good and bad.
We're just, we're going to go through everything.
And I will never, I will never cheat on you.
"'Heard the news? ' he said.
"'There's nothing else being talked about all along the riverbank.
"'Toad went up to town by an early train this morning, "'and he has ordered a very large, very expensive motorcar.
"' Max? "The mole had long wanted to make the acquaintance of the badger, "but whenever he mentioned his wish to Toad, "he always found himself put off.
"
You know, in two years, Amber's going to be graduated.
I think that maybe that's the time that we should go out next.
Why are you in the dog house? I shouldn't be making any decisions.
You're a smart guy.
You think so? I made a mistake.
I slept with someone.
Something has come up, and I'm not going to be able to work with Max anymore.
What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do this? I know you're worried about losing your babysitter She's not a babysitter, she's a behavioral aid for your nephew.
He's got Aspergers.
I have Aspergers? Well, what is Aspergers? Well Max, Aspergers is a form of autism.
What's autism? People who have autism are called autistic and Some people have disabilities, Max.
It's not really a disability, honey.
It's not a disability.
It's a syndrome.
It's a syndrome.
Your brain, it just works a little bit differently than other people's.
Yeah, right.
It just It processes things You You're just wired differently than everyone else.
I don't have wires inside of me.
- You don't.
- It's just an expression.
I have muscles and I have capillaries and I have That's right.
Nerve endings and I have blood and I have bone.
And they all work perfectly.
We just all have tough stuff that we have to deal with in this world, and for you, Aspergers is just one of those tough things.
Mmm-hmm.
Nobody's sure why it happens or And no matter how tough it seems, you just have to know that your mother and I, we love you Hey.
And we are here for you, and we always will be.
- Always.
- Do you want Do you have any questions, honey? Or Do you guys have Aspergers? Mmm-mmm.
Daddy and I don't have it.
Does Haddie? No.
Haddie doesn't have it either.
Just me.
Max, we love you so much, honey.
So much.
Can I go up to my room now? - Sure, you can go ahead.
- You can go up to your room.
Honey, it's okay.
No.
Just stop, stop.
Just Kristina, I'm sorry.
I'm not mad at you.
Hi, Mom.
Hi.
Hi.
Hey, look at you.
Yeah.
You look great, all bright-eyed.
Well, I was up all night.
You were up all night? Writing.
Just like when you were in high school, my little poet.
Oh, yeah.
Poems? Oh, no.
Short stories? Uh Journal? What? What? No, no.
I don't know, it's What? I don't know.
Nothing like this has ever happened before.
You know, it just I just started and it came out and I don't know what it is.
I don't know what it is.
I guess a story.
It's not I mean, it's not magic.
It's just a story.
It sounds great.
Maybe.
We'll see.
I'd love to read it.
Can I? It's not in order and it doesn't feel I think maybe I'm not ready.
Oh.
But I'll let you know.
Okay.
When I am, you'll be the One of the first to Bye! See you later.
Uh-uh.
Get away.
Sweetie Get away.
Can we talk for one second? No.
No.
Just give me I just want one minute.
Okay? Move! Hold on.
Will you please Hey, please, please.
Get off the door! Sweetie.
Oh, gosh! Oh, my God.
Oh, my God! No, no, no! Oh, no, no, no! Did you lose something? Oh, my God.
Hi.
Hi.
Is this your technique for breaking in because I'm a little disappointed.
It's not what you think.
Well, I'm just guessing.
It's not often I find women kneeling outside my door, so This is kind of a "Dear Diary" day for me.
Listen, look, for the record, I was trying to get something back, okay? That I put under there.
So this is not like stealing or, you know, snooping.
No, no.
Or anything.
You're just blushing a little bit.
Oh, my God.
Hi.
Hi.
Um I'm just going to get into my apartment.
Oh, this is your apartment? Oh, yeah.
Oh! That's so That's such a coincidence.
I'll just take that and I'll see you later.
You're not going to tell me what it is? Oh, no, no.
Way to amp up the mystery.
I'll just never know why I saw Sarah Braverman kneeling outside my door.
Fine.
Okay, um I just, I wrote this thing and I don't know what it is.
It just kind of came out of me, and I didn't sleep, and it felt really great, and then I was seized with this idea that I wanted someone to read it, and I thought of you.
And then when I put it under your door, the feeling of wanting someone to read it was immediately replaced by intense regret and deep, deep shame.
So, that's the story.
I'd love to read it.
I'll just let you go about your day.
What? I'd love to read it.
I'd be honored.
Really? Yeah, absolutely.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
Now it's, like, I wrote it.
Yeah, I know.
So chances are, ooh, smelly.
I'm sure.
I know.
Everything you do is terrible.
Can I Can I read it? Um, yes.
Yes, you can.
Thank you.
I think, yeah, this is good.
This is really wonderful.
Thank you.
Fantastic.
Any time.
It is fantastic.
And it's good to see you.
It's good to see you.
All right.
I'll get started right away.
All right, bye.
Bye.
So you called it a disability? Yeah, look, I'm sure that, that's not what I was supposed to do, but I was caught completely off guard.
Max just overheard my brother and I shouting at each other.
He's standing there in the staircase.
You know, the right words weren't exactly rolling off my tongue.
Yeah.
I don't mean to sound judgmental.
I just want to understand what Max heard.
I don't know.
Who knows what he hears? What else did you say to him? I said that he was wired differently.
You know, I told him we loved him and that I knew that it was a tough situation.
What the hell are you supposed to say to him? Well, you want to be simple, descriptive, upbeat.
Emphasize some positive aspects of having Aspergers.
Oh, yeah, the positive aspects of Aspergers.
I'm sorry.
Those weren't occurring to me in the moment.
I mean, is this seriously your advice? To be upbeat? It's a suggestion that I believe helps.
Yes.
- Well, I'm sorry.
- It was an emotional situation.
I was doing the best I could.
I mean, Kristina was crying, it was late, I just finished shouting - Wait a minute.
- That he had Aspergers.
I didn't know he was there.
Kristina, you cried? Yeah.
I cried.
Wait a minute.
Are you really getting judgmental because she was feeling emotional? It's okay, honey.
I just want to hear what he has to say.
No, of course not.
It's completely natural.
I promise you, I'm not being judgmental.
I'm looking for something that I think will help.
I know it's here.
Are you saying that I shouldn't have cried? I mean, I didn't really plan on it.
Crying implies that having Aspergers is something to mourn.
Right? We want to be sending a message that Max is like everyone else.
He has his strengths, he has his challenges, Aspergers is a part of that.
Okay, great.
All right, well, she cried, I called it a disability.
We blew it.
I think that's clear.
So what do we do now? Well, I'm not sure.
I mean, you got to be joking! I mean, are you seriously This is your advice? Are we the only parents to have ever screwed up this badly? I think you should try for a redo with Max.
What is this? That is a script.
Okay.
It's a blueprint for you to talk to your child about this diagnosis.
So you should read it together, mainly because I think you both need to be on the same page before you talk to Max about his autism again.
So, take some time.
Take a few days.
Really study it.
Practice.
Practice.
I know you both want the best for Max.
I do, too.
This is an important transition for him.
He's going to need you.
I just feel like you're not on board with this at all.
Damn right I'm not on board, honey.
I mean, we go to him for help and his advice is to feed our son a bunch of positive spin.
Mmm-hmm.
That's not what he meant at all.
That is what he meant.
Look, let's look at the script together.
Let's break it down.
Go ahead.
"Qualities and Difficulties of those with Aspergers.
Quality, determined.
" That's a positive thing.
All right.
"Difficulty, making friends.
" Mmm-hmm.
"Quality, humorous in a unique way.
" Meaning no one gets his jokes.
"Quality, exceptional at remembering things that others can't.
" Things that other people don't care about.
Bugs, the lifespan of a particular insect, or the wingspan of a flying cockroach.
Who cares? I care.
I care.
That's what that means.
"Difficulty, reading other people's cues.
" I think this is a good start.
Well, I don't.
This is helpful.
I think it's a bunch of positive language.
That's all it is.
It's a lie.
Can I bring my dress-up clothes to the sleepover with Jabbar? Um, gosh, sweetie, I don't know if we're going to be able to have that sleepover with Jabbar.
No, no, no, you guys said that you were having an anniversary for love, and that meant that I got to have a sleepover.
I know that's what I said, sweetie.
And I meant it.
Syd, head upstairs, get your shoes on, find your backpack.
We'll figure out all the sleepover details later, okay? Okay, but I really, really want to have a sleepover.
Okay.
So do we.
We really do.
We do, sweetie.
I promise.
The one time we're able to actually have an anniversary date just us, the one time.
I know, babe.
I know.
But if we cancel with her, won't it look like we're taking Crosby's side on the whole thing? Will it? I don't know.
I don't want to take sides.
He's my brother, but he screwed up.
Is that an understatement or are you just being literal? Okay.
We should cancel, right? Yep.
Yes.
Okay.
Here we go.
I mean, what do you even say? Sorry about your betrayal.
Sorry, I'm just I was really looking forward to taking you out on an anniversary date, honey.
Eight years.
I know.
I know.
Max? Mmm-hmm? Buddy? What? Is there anything you want to talk about? Nope.
Are you sure? Yep.
Hey.
Morning, everybody.
Hey.
You all right? I don't know.
All right, listen, hey, Max, I got to take off to work.
You have a good day, okay, buddy? Okay.
Honey, come on.
Be right back, buddy.
What's the problem? He looks fine.
He looks how he always looks.
I just think that maybe we should bring this up again, give him the chance to talk about it.
I don't want to upset him.
He's processing it in his own way.
I'm not interested in memorizing a bunch of facts that have been polished up to make it sound like he's won something.
I'm not saying that we should do that.
I'm just saying that we should just talk to him.
Look, I got to go to work.
And just explain.
Okay? Can we talk about this later, please? I love you.
Yeah.
Buddy.
I feel like if I could, you know, get her to talk to me, or get her to look at me and then talk to me This is the plan? I can maybe make it right.
I don't know.
What do you think? I don't even know what to say.
Nobody knows what to say.
You're an ass.
That's the fact.
I'm going to fix this.
It's the worst thing.
I mean, it's the worst thing.
It's the hardest thing to recover from.
I'm sorry.
It's just true.
I think you can fix it.
I don't know how.
I'm not saying Well, I have to fix it because I love Jabbar and I love Jasmine, so what are my options? I don't know what they are, but I think it's possible.
Hey.
You didn't say he was going to be here.
Adam! Adam! Hey, will you please let me apologize? I was an idiot, okay? I was selfish.
Are you really going to act like you can't hear me saying sorry? You know what, Crosby? I don't care that you're sorry.
I just don't care.
All right, I'm busy trying to look after my son, trying to look after my family.
You're not even on my radar.
There you go, third round.
Tell them to enjoy lunch.
You know my motto, shots pay the rent, baby.
Hey, Lou, what are you doing here? I thought you had to sleep all day, like a bat.
Danny quit.
Oh, I worked with him Saturday night.
He quit on Sunday.
Why? On to New York.
He's got a dream.
I don't know.
Well, so now what happens? You just take all the shifts? Well, until Shanahan finds another manager.
And he better do it soon because these doubles are killing me.
Hey.
What about me? What about you? You know, to be the new manager.
You haven't been here that long.
I've been here over a year, you know, off and on.
I need some consistency.
No, I could be consistent.
What, are you jonesing to manage a bar? You know, thinking about my future.
Here? I don't know, Lou, I mean, I dreamed of being an artist or a writer or something, but, I mean, come on, got to pay the rent, you know? What do you got, a line of people outside? No.
Just put in a good word for me.
Okay, I'll tell him you're interested, all right? Thank you.
Hit me.
Don't leave me hanging.
Love you.
I'll be in the office.
Sell some more shots.
Yeah? I have a Jasmine Trussell on the line for you.
Would you like me to take a message? No.
Put her through.
Thanks.
Hey, Julia, it's Jasmine.
Hi, Jasmine.
I just wanted to call and find out if we're still on for the sleepover tomorrow? Yeah, I was actually going to call you, too.
So are we still on? Yeah.
I hope so.
Jabbar's pretty amped up about it.
Yeah, so is Sydney.
I just You know, as long as you're okay with it.
Oh, it's okay.
And I'm okay.
Everything's okay.
And we'd really love for Sydney to come, so Well, we would love that, too.
Good.
Is 4:00 too early? All right.
We'll see you then.
Great.
Bye.
Hi.
Mom, Dad, hi.
Come on in.
How are you? Good.
How are you? I'm good.
We're good.
Everything all right? Yeah.
Well, your sister told us what happened.
What exactly did she tell you? With Crosby and that stuff, you know.
Yeah, pretty much everything.
Okay.
Why don't you guys come on in and sit down? How are you doing? Good.
We're, you know, all doing okay.
- We're good.
- Yeah.
So, how's my grandson doing? Tough to say.
He's working through things in his own way, at his own pace.
So maybe it was for the best then? I don't know if I would exactly put it that way.
He was going to find out about it, so sooner's better than later.
Dad, I got to say, I'm having a tough time sitting here, listening to you try to put a positive spin on this.
Gaby has been working for us for over a year trying to gain Max's trust, and she quit because of Crosby, so we're not looking at this like some sort of awesome development.
Do you guys want any coffee or anything? No, thank you.
Have you talked to your brother? No.
I don't think that's a good idea.
You should talk to him, don't you think? Blood is thicker than water, come on.
I mean, he made a mistake.
It was a really bad thing he did, but he needs to talk to you.
You're his brother.
Is this why you came over here? You came over here to get me to talk to Crosby? Is that what this is? Do you know why he's irresponsible? It's because of you.
Both of you are to blame for letting him get away with everything, for letting him off the hook for everything.
Year after year, you make excuses for him, you do his laundry, you lend him money, you bail him out.
He's a grown man.
It's not my responsibility to make him feel better about this.
You know, I'm spending all my energy trying to clean up this mess that Crosby made.
He cheated on his fiancée, it directly affected Max, and I don't care if he didn't mean to hurt anybody.
He did.
Just like he always does.
He's selfish, and for you, of all people, to sympathize with that, is unbelievable to me.
Honey.
Honey.
Five, six, seven, eight, and one, two, three, and four.
Shoulders, head, spiral, walk.
And one, two, three, and four, five, six, seven, eight.
And one, two, three and four Hey.
Hey.
Can I have, like, a second of your time? five, six, seven, eight.
I'm in the middle of class right now.
Okay, well, it's important.
You have to talk to me.
Listen Don't you dare tell me what I have to do.
I just want for one second No, no, I don't want to hear it.
You know I'm barely holding on right now.
Do you understand that? Do you? What you did to me makes me sick.
What you did to our family makes me sick.
I don't even want to look at you.
Don't come here again.
Don't come here again.
Okay, Max, let's boogie.
We're late.
Why isn't Mom taking me to school? Because she has to run an errand with Haddie.
These are the wrong shoes.
Max, we don't have time, okay? I want to wear my blue shoes.
Put those on.
No, I need to put my blue shoes on.
Max, these are fine.
I want you to No! No! I need to put my blue shoes on.
Put the black shoes on.
You don't need the blue shoes.
I need to put my blue shoes on.
All right, fine, we'll find the blue shoes.
You want to help me? No.
Max, you're telling me that you All right, here they are.
Look at that.
Here are your blue shoes.
Max, what if I told you, you didn't have to go to school today? But I do.
It's Thursday.
You don't.
You don't have to go to school today.
Yes, I do.
It's Thursday.
What if, instead of going to school, you and I go to Galaxy Point Park and ride roller coasters all day long.
Just you and me.
How's that for a surprise? Come on.
I don't like surprises.
Okay.
You remember the Velocerator? Uh-huh.
Scariest, fastest ride in all of Northern California.
Yeah, I know.
It says so on the poster.
That was your favorite.
You wanted to ride that like a dozen times.
It's the one on the Möbius track, right? That's right.
The one that goes forwards and backwards? That's right.
Can we go on it more than once? We can go on the Velocerator as many times as you want.
We'll only break for meals, okay? We will go on the Velocerator until the park closes.
You may never want to go on the Velocerator again.
What do you say? Okay.
Yes! Yes! Awesome! All right.
So, Louie tells me you are interested in managing.
Definitely.
Why? Why? Have you never seen Cheers, okay? What looks better than, you know, Ted Danson's job? Well, Ted Danson was the owner.
Right.
Well, that's up next.
No, seriously, I um You know, I just spend a lot of time being a bartender, and I think I would be good at it, and I'm looking to expand.
Okay, but you do know that it pays about 30% less than bartending, right? No.
Yeah.
You know, managers, they don't take home tips.
So you'd get a salary, but I can guarantee your current take-home pay, it's going to get hit pretty hard.
Um, huh.
Can I make an observation? Yeah.
The customers, they all love you, okay? And as far as I'm concerned, you can work as many shifts as you want, okay? Yes, maybe sometimes you're a little erratic, whatever.
You don't bring me drama, and I love that.
But I don't think you should be a manager.
You know, and I'd hate to see you get burned out after six months because, you know, you hate scheduling everybody's shifts.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, thanks, Pete.
Come to me anytime.
This way, Dad! - Are you sure? I don't - I think it might be this way, Max.
Yes, no, but first we have to ride No, but Dad! What? First we have to ride the Fury, then the Ram Jam! All right, okay.
Excuse me, what are you selling here? - Hey, honey.
- Hey, honey.
Hi.
Can you hear me? Yeah.
I'm right here.
Where are you? I can barely hear you.
I am at Galaxy Point Park.
You're what? Max and I are playing hooky today, so we came out to Galaxy Point.
We're going to ride the Velocerator.
- Okay - Max, stay close to me.
What? Okay.
Adam, I don't think that that's such a good Good idea? I know, honey.
But we're having a fantastic time, okay? Right Max? I say this out of love, but you've gone rogue.
Adam? Yeah? Honey, listen, it's just one day, okay? It's not a big deal.
It is a big deal.
We have to stick with the plan.
Dr.
Pelikan said to stick with his routine.
This is not his routine.
Kristina, you and I have been parents for the exact same amount of time.
Okay? And everything is going to be just fine.
Everything is under control.
Don't worry, all right? I love you.
Bye.
Hello? All right! That is so cool! Yeah.
Hey, did you know that the Sidewinder is an inversion element on a roller coaster where it makes a 90-degree turn while the train is inverted? I did not know that.
And the fastest coaster in the world is in world is in Abu Dhabi.
It goes from zero to 150 miles an hour in four seconds.
Wow.
It's just so That's fast.
If you sit in the front, you have to wear protective goggles.
It's going to be awesome.
Whoo! I just can't wait.
I can't wait, I can't wait.
I can't wait.
- Hey! - Hi, honey.
Hey, Jabbar, Sydney's here.
Hi, Sydney! Hi! - You guys look great.
- Thanks.
Is there a special occasion? It is officially our eighth Eighth day eating no sugar.
Wow.
Yeah.
We're celebrating.
We're going to a raw food restaurant.
Mmm.
Yes.
Wow.
That's really hard.
Good for you guys.
Yes.
I think it's the first date we've had on a week day since before Sydney was born.
No, that's an exaggeration.
No, I don't think I am exaggerating.
Yeah, you are, babe.
Well, regardless, thank you.
This is fantastic.
Oh, you're welcome.
All right, well, I'll pick her up first thing in the morning.
You know, any time.
I'm not working tomorrow, so Have fun.
Jasmine I'm fine.
I'm fine.
Hey, guys, who wants to play hide and seek Israeli Army style? Come here, come here.
- I do.
Yes? - All right.
Here it is.
- I'm sorry.
- You guys should go.
I'll be okay.
No.
Hey, we are here now.
Don't be silly.
We can hang out.
No, but you look so pretty, and I thought this was a special occasion.
No.
We were just going to go eat.
Don't worry about it.
We can go eat anytime.
Okay, who here wants some pizza? What do you guys like on it? Brussels sprouts? Thanks.
Of course.
Come here.
I can't believe this.
We're actually on the Velocerator! We're on it! All right.
It's going to be great.
Yes.
Yes, it is.
It's going to be really cool.
All right, let's make sure we keep our hands and arms inside at all times.
You ready? Why isn't it going? A few more people have to get on.
We'll be going in a minute.
No, it should be going by now.
We're sorry, folks, but the Velocerator needs repairs and we're going to be closed for the rest of the day.
Please come back and visit us soon.
What? Okay, listen, Max, this is something we didn't plan on, but we have to get off the ride.
No, we don't! You said we would ride the Velocerator as many times as I wanted.
I know I did, but they have to make repairs.
No.
No.
You took me out of school so that we could come here and ride the Velocerator! It needed repairs all of a sudden.
We changed everything about the day to come here and ride this.
They need to make sure that the ride is safe.
No, we have to ride it! There's another ride right over there.
No, I don't want another ride! I want to ride the Velocerator! It's not fair! Hey, Max! Max! It's not fair! It's not fair! Max! Excuse me! Max! It's not fair! Max! Max! Hey! Excuse me.
Max, Max, hey! It's not fair! You promised! You promised! Okay, all right.
I know I did.
We would go on the Velocerator as many times as I wanted! I'm sorry, Max.
It broke down.
I can't control it.
Hey, Max! Come on, easy, Max.
- You promised! It's okay.
- Max.
Max, come here.
Hey.
Hey.
What are you doing on my boat? Come on, dude, would you just lower the music a little bit, please? Huh? It's been going all night.
I don't think I invited you on my boat, man.
Other people live here.
How about just a little bit of consideration? I thought I was the only person out here adrift at sea.
There are other people in this world.
Why don't you turn your ass around and go back to your boat? You don't need to talk to me like that.
Well, I think you're on my boat, so I think I'll talk to you how Get off my boat! Come on now! Come on! I paid your bail.
I messed up.
Yeah, you did.
I mean, I really messed up.
He's asleep? He's good.
He's good.
I'm sorry, Kristina.
I don't know what I was thinking.
You were thinking you wanted to have a good time with your son and connect with him, and you did.
I was just trying to get him out of the house, and he had to have his particular pair of shoes and I I didn't want him to feel limited, you know? And I just wanted to forget about everything for one damn day, you know? And show him that we could go out and have a happy memory.
It's okay, honey.
You know, I just didn't want him to feel so alone.
He had fun.
Here.
Anyway, I think you're right.
I think that we should try to talk to him again about his Aspergers.
Okay.
I think that's a good idea.
We can use the Pelikan script as a guide.
Okay, as a guide.
You're a great dad.
I have my moments.
You're a great dad.
Yeah.
Sarah, hi.
Oh, hi! I'm sorry.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I'm so sorry.
What are you doing here? I was about to knock on the door.
I didn't get there.
This is not the door where you knock.
That is the door.
I don't know which door is the right door.
My God.
This coming from the cat burglar outside my apartment? The cat burglar worked during the day.
That's not scary.
I get a little freaked out in the daytime.
I came by to return your reading material.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
I should have called.
I just thought I'd No.
I don't know, just come by.
It's not really any fun to talk about writing over the phone.
Right.
This is going to be a lot of fun.
I can tell.
So, have a seat.
This is good, um, so So, let me just save you.
Uh, if I remember how this goes is, you start off with two or three kind of generic positive comments about my writing, you know, to make me feel good about myself, and then you follow those up with two or three super specific criticisms which are so soul crushing, because I realize in that moment how true they are.
So if you want to just skip to those, that's fine because I probably won't remember the positive comments by that time anyway, provided there are any, which may be too hopeful.
What? Nothing.
You just You just reduced my life's work as an English teacher, so I'm feeling a little unnerved.
I'll get over it.
Oh, God.
No, no.
I'm sorry.
I'm an idiot.
I'm so sorry.
I'm just really nervous, but I can take it, so I'm glad you came.
Thank you.
Go ahead.
Whatever you have to say.
Okay, are you sure? Yes.
Okay.
So, well, firstly I'm sorry, I just don't want to be in this chair because it's just not I just want to sit.
Okay.
I want to be So I can really Yeah.
That's a good place for you.
Um, so, my main impression is that it's not a story.
Okay.
I know.
No.
No, no, no, listen.
Sarah, shut up.
It was just like a first draft.
Sarah, Shut up.
Shut up, shut up.
Sarah, Sarah, please.
Stop, stop, stop.
Of course it's not a story I didn't say it was bad.
It's not It's not a story.
It's more of a play, okay? Your characters are fresh, their voices are crystal clear, and all of the action is told through the dialogue, which incidentally is incredibly funny.
It is? Yeah, it is.
Now, I do have two criticisms.
So, the first one is Your handwriting's readable, but I think for your next draft, you should actually type your work.
Type it.
Yeah, okay.
And? And two, you have to finish it.
You need act two.
And And that's it.
That's it? Yeah.
It's really, really good.
So Congratulations, Sarah Braverman.
You are a playwright.
Was it hard to do? No.
I mean, that's the thing, it just kind of No.
No.
Wow.
So, just I'm sorry, just to be clear.
You liked it? Yes.
I really did.
That's just It's beautifully written.
Well, I Guess I'II I'll see you around, Sarah.
See you around, Mark.
All right.
Hey.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
So, buddy Do you remember last year when you went to occupational therapy to get more comfortable in your body? Remember that? Mmm-hmm.
And you know how you've been working with Gaby and she's been helping you learn how to play with other kids? Yeah.
Well, you've been working so hard at these things because you have Asperger Syndrome.
You guys already told me that.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, we did.
But what we haven't had the chance to do is to tell you about all the special abilities that people with Aspergers have.
For example, you have an amazing memory, and you have read every book ever written about pirates, and you're passionate about insects.
You've always been able to memorize every fact about every insect.
And that's all because of the Aspergers.
But there are some things that are a little bit more challenging for you as well.
You had to learn to remember to look into people's eyes when they're talking to you.
Or to smile at someone when you meet them for the first time.
Or to stay calm if somebody has a different idea than you.
And you know sometimes these things come a little bit easier to other kids, but you've really had to work at them.
And we know how hard you've worked to learn them.
You're a rock star.
Will I always have it? Yes.
Yeah, you will always have an amazing memory, you will always be passionate about the things that you're interested in, and those social skills that your mom mentioned, those will always be things that you just have to remind yourself about.
I actually have a couple of books here Dad and I have been reading that talk about autism.
And this one here was actually written by a boy who's a couple years older than you who has Asperger Syndrome.
It's a really interesting book, and we will sit and read these with you if you want.
Or if you want to read them by yourself and ask us questions, we're learning together.
All of us.
So this is all new for us, too.
- We're proud of you, Max.
- So proud.
Every day.
I want to go play bug war alone.
Okay.
All right.
Thirty minutes.
Forty-five.
Thirty.
Fine.
I love you.
Well.
I didn't cry.
You did a good job.
You did such a good job.
I'm so proud of you.
You're a good mom.
Great mom.
Thanks.
I didn't cry.
One, two, three.
What? Bam! Out of the place.
You knocked me out.
I don't know why I play with you.
Oh, yeah.
Sorry! Two sorrys! I think you cheat.
Mmm-hmm.
Mommy says you need to stay here because you're working on the boat.
Um, yeah.
That's what's happening.
When will you be done and come home? Well, it's going to be a while, buddy.
I have a lot of work to do.
What happened to your eye? Well, what do you think happened? Punch, punch, punch.
I'm gonna punch, punch you! Hi.
I need to tell you something.
Okay.
I will never cheat on you.
Joel.
No.
We've been through so much and we're going to go through so much more, good and bad.
We're just, we're going to go through everything.
And I will never, I will never cheat on you.
"'Heard the news? ' he said.
"'There's nothing else being talked about all along the riverbank.
"'Toad went up to town by an early train this morning, "'and he has ordered a very large, very expensive motorcar.
"' Max? "The mole had long wanted to make the acquaintance of the badger, "but whenever he mentioned his wish to Toad, "he always found himself put off.
"