Maron (2013) s04e12 Episode Script
The Bookstore
1 [Rock music plays through headphones.]
[Door closes.]
Hey, got any spots? Hey! Hi.
[Music stops.]
You want something? Yeah.
Got any vacancies? [Sighs.]
Extended stay or overnight? Extended stay.
Boondocking or full hookup? I have no idea what you just said.
Full hookup, you get electricity, sewer, and water.
Boondock, you use your own battery for power and water from your holding tank.
How much is the, uh, full hookup? $100 a month plus $100 deposit.
$100? Or you can stay free at Walmart.
I don't care.
All right, fine.
I'll pay cash.
[Engine revs.]
[Engine stops.]
You know how to hook up the power? Uh not really.
So, uh, Chilton seems like a pretty small town, huh? [Rock music plays through headphones.]
O-okay, so, could you just show me how to unhook it, 'cause I got to go into town? Just turn the big bolt left and slide the dinger.
Dinger? Leave the wrench in the office.
[Birds chirping.]
["The Poisoned Well" plays.]
I assume this is the, uh, AA meeting I'm looking for? Uh, yep.
You're in the right place.
Is this your first meeting? Oh, no, no.
I just I just moved to town.
- Oh.
- I'm Marc.
Oh, hey, Marc.
Susan.
Welcome.
- Hi.
- Where you coming from? Los Angeles.
L.
A.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah, I used to live there.
I had so much fun with so many people.
I almost died.
[Laughs.]
[Chuckles.]
Okay.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna go find a seat.
- Oh, okay.
All right.
- Okay, thanks.
[Sighing.]
Oh, L.
A.
Woman: All I know is I'm exhausted.
This is not my responsibility.
I'm angry.
I mean, this is not what I wanted to be doing with my retirement.
This is supposed to be my time.
And I know I've been talking about this for weeks and you're probably sick of hearing about it, but it's what's happening with me.
Life is in session, people.
We have time for one more.
Any burning desires? [Sighs.]
How 'bout Marc from L.
A.
? Uh, okay.
Uh, Marc alcoholic.
Together: Hi, Marc.
I, uh, just moved here from Los Angeles after a pretty big relapse.
I guess it's a geographic.
I knew I had 16 years sober, and then I got some back issue, started doing the pain pills.
And, um, anyway uh, yeah.
I got a got a couple months back.
And I came to Chilton for you know, it's pretty complicated why.
Anyway, uh got some family up here that I hope to see.
I just don't know if they're gonna gonna want to see me.
Anyway why do I keep saying "anyway" so much? Um anyway, I could really use a job.
Uh that's it.
Thanks for letting me share.
You should try the bookstore.
[Laughter.]
Okay.
Thanks, I guess.
[Lighter clicks.]
[Inhales sharply.]
Hey.
Were you joking about the bookstore? No, no.
The bookstore definitely could use somebody.
- Great.
- Yeah.
Just gonna have to convince Gus of that.
Hey, man, I'm Marc.
I'm here about the job.
What job? Uh, I told a kid you might be looking for somebody to help out around the store.
That didn't work out the last time I tried it.
Well, that was 10 years ago.
For an hour.
Holy shit.
Richard Brautigan.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Anais Nin.
This is, like, a classic used book store.
But what's the deal? You don't believe in alphabetizing? I don't believe in a lot of things.
Come on, you old fart.
Be nice to have somebody else here that wasn't us.
I just don't see anything that needs to be done.
Mm.
Hey, you got any, uh, Bruce J.
Friedman? I think I might have a copy of "Stern" and maybe "A Mother's Kisses.
" That front section up there, the shelf that has the sign on it it says "Psychology.
" It's crossed out.
Not on that shelf, but in a couple of the piles on the floor in front of it I believe in the first pile, you should find them.
[Chuckling.]
Right, okay.
So, there's no system at all? I got a system.
I based it on the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
Oh, right, of course.
The Oxford Library, where they stack books on the floor and only cranky, old, bitter hippies can find them, barely, maybe.
[Laughs.]
I like this guy.
I don't.
[Sniffs.]
Is is that cat piss I smell? I love cats.
You have a cat? Uh, yeah, in the back corner under the sign that says "Dogs.
" [Laughs.]
[Indistinct conversation.]
Look at that kid.
- Bye, Cody, I love you.
- The baby is teething.
I was up until 1:00 in the morning with him.
I-I-I got up with you.
What are you talking about? - No, you did not.
- My friends are - Then you rolled over in your bed.
- Shh, just stop.
Bye, Cody.
Love you, baby! You're the mother of this baby, not me.
- I'm the grandmother.
- It's just a weekend, mom, like When are you coming back? - Are you coming back this afternoon? - I told you on Monday.
Oh, my God, you're gonna be gone - for the whole weekend again? - Bye, Cody.
Love you, baby.
You're irresponsible.
Who are these people? [Engine revs.]
Life is in session.
Oh, okay.
Hey, hey.
Hi, hi, hi.
Do I know you? Yeah, I'm Marc, from the meeting from Los Angeles.
- You're? - Carol.
Oh, yeah, right.
I remember.
- You just got into town.
- Right, yeah, yeah.
Who's this little guy? [Chuckles.]
This is my grandson, Cody.
Hey, Cody.
How you doing? I like that name.
That'll work, right? Hey, buddy, look at you? What is he, like 8 months? Yes, 8 months, that's right.
- Mm.
- That's very good.
Thank you.
Where's, uh where's mommy today? Mother ran off for the weekend to ayahuasca or some damn place for an encounter session.
Wait, she's doing ayahuasca? I don't know what she's doing.
- Every week, it's some goddamn thing.
- Uh-huh.
Well, Cody's just lucky he has a grandma that takes him out to the park.
Yeah, well, Grandma's got no choice.
- Oh, yeah? - Dad's not in the picture.
Oh, that's rough.
Yeah, well, my husband ran off on me, and her boyfriend left her.
Boyfriend? I know, right? Nobody gets married anymore these days.
Yeah, what kind of man just leaves a woman with a child? I know, huh? And where's the responsibility? And I never even met the guy.
Don't know anything about him.
- Mm-hmm.
- [Cody coos.]
[Chuckles.]
Oh, look at that.
Hey, I think he likes you.
Is that what that is? Seems needy.
He is.
He's a baby.
Oh, yeah.
Come here.
- Oh, oh.
- [Chuckles.]
Here.
Uh, um [Chuckles.]
Okay.
Hi, buddy.
Oh, look at you.
Hi, Cody.
This is something, huh? [Chuckling.]
Yeah.
- Wow.
- Look at you.
You're a natural.
You got kids? Um no.
No, I don't.
I don't.
Yeah.
Hey, buddy.
All right, look, enough bullshit, Gus.
I need a job, all right? I can help out.
This place is amazing, all right? Bookstores like this don't even exist anymore and I think they should.
We just got to update it a little bit.
Hear me out.
Maybe get a couch, right? Get a couch.
Maybe, uh, get, uh, organized? How would that be? How about yeah.
Maybe put it in some sort of order.
eBay Do you have an eBay presence? Exactly.
We just want to get people in the store.
We want it want it to be inviting, not like an episode of "Hoarders.
" Come on, Gus.
Uh e-excuse me.
Do you have the new, um, Jonathan Franzen? No.
Uh, the new Jonathan Lethem? [Angrily.]
No! Why do you want to read those pussies? They write like they've been gelded.
Here we go.
You know, writers used to live lives.
Henry Miller put pubic hair on ham sandwiches.
- Wait, what? - Yeah, and Norman Mailer stabbed his wife.
And William Burroughs he spent a year in Tangier shooting dope, staring at his big toe, and he came away with "Naked Lunch.
" And he shot his wife.
[Raps desk.]
Nobody buys books by maniacs anymore! No, I-I-I got you.
I This is what you need right here.
Exley "Fan's Notes.
" This'll knock you on your ass.
Great book, man.
Great book.
This dude really understood the tragedy of American manhood.
Funny as shit, too.
A-and he he he died drunk.
Oh, that that sounds hilarious.
- Mm.
- Uh, do you have Jonathan Safran Foer? What is it with you and the goddamn Jonathans?! That's the name of the class The Three Jonathans.
- Take it.
- I It's, uh, mind opening.
It'll change your life, and lose the backpack.
Yeah, that's another thing we could talk about is pricing, - 'cause I don't know if you - Money is unimportant.
A book can change your goddamn life.
Why don't you give him a copy of yours, Gus? - My what? - Your book.
He wouldn't get it.
Wait, wait, wait.
What's it about? It was called "Impieties.
" It was, uh what was it, 1963? Yeah, the critics critics compared it to Ginsberg.
It came out in '64.
Get it right.
Ginsberg read an early draft.
Completely ripped me off in "Howl.
" Oh, this is my favorite part right here.
Bob Dylan used to ride around with a copy in the Village.
Back then it meant something to be an intellectual.
You know, shit was on the line.
Everything was political.
N-nobody was neutral on anything.
Gus here liked to refer to himself as radical.
I was a radical.
You were a goddamn pussy.
Come on.
So, what's your story, Mel? Me? I'm I'm just a grunt.
Three tours in 'Nam.
Came back, lost my shit, got cleaned up by the VA in '85, and, uh, now I spend my day talking to mooks like you.
Actually he's a labor lawyer.
Retired, all right? Oh, my God, I love this place.
I love it.
I love you guys.
I-I just I belong here, man.
Come on, just give me the gig, Gus.
Just give me the gig.
No.
[Sighs.]
All right.
Well, I'm telling you, man.
I could I could clean this place up.
I could make it work.
I could oh, look, there's a couch here.
Did you know there's a couch here? [Indistinct conversations.]
Oh, hey.
Look who's here.
How's it going? Oh, hey, Cody.
How's the how's the cutest guy in the world? Look at my little dude.
- Hi, Marc.
- Hi, hi.
How's the job search going? Oh, it's it's good.
Yeah, yeah.
I got a lot of irons in the fire.
Can I can I can I pick him up? Oh, no, maybe not.
It's uh he's a little punchy.
I think it's close to his nap time.
Oh, right, right.
Hey, I hope this isn't too weird, but I was at CVS and I bought him this.
It's a cat, and I took the eyes out so he wouldn't choke on them.
- Marc.
- Yeah? How is it you keep running into us? I know, it's weird, right? I guess we're just lucky.
- Small town.
- Not that small.
Hey, look, buddy.
There's a tiny little cat.
Look at that.
Oh, my God.
Is there anything that smells better than a baby's head? - That's amazing.
- Okay.
It's nap time.
We got to go.
Okay, my nap time, too.
All right, so I'll probably, uh probably be seeing you around.
- Yeah, I'm getting that feeling.
- Uh-huh.
[Sighs.]
That was rocky.
Is is this what you guys do all day? - You just sit around? - Are you kidding? This is a big day for us.
It's the first time we've been on this couch in decades.
[Chuckles.]
You're wasting your time.
I'm not hiring.
I'm just seeing what you got, Gus.
Looks to me like you're rearranging.
There he is.
That's the man who's been stalking me.
I was not stalking her, officer, all right? I don't know what she's talking about.
You always seem to be at the playground when we are.
It's a public area.
I saw your RV parked at the house twice.
Oh.
You saw that, huh? Well, [Sighs.]
this was not the way I was planning on telling you this, but I-I-I'm Cody's father.
- What are you talking about? - It's not what you think, all right? - When Shay approached me - Approached you? Look, never mind, okay? I-I'm I'm the father, and I and I just wanted to be near my kid.
I-I-I just realized about a year ago when my world fell apart that I needed to see him.
Well, you got a lot of nerve coming up here after abandoning my daughter! Y-you deadbeat! You RV stalker! How can you even live with yourself? I did not abandon your daughter.
Okay, it's it's it's complicated.
How complicated can it be? Uh well, you'd be surprised.
Do you want to press charges? No.
I just want him to leave us alone.
You heard the lady.
We'll be watching you.
[Sighs.]
You are an interesting guy.
Y-you want to tell us what the hell just happened? Ah, it doesn't matter anymore.
Yeah, I'm done.
This was a stupid idea.
What? Coming up here, thinking it could be different thinking I could change my life.
Am I missing something? Why was that cop just here? It's a misunderstanding, okay? Yeah, I was stalking her, okay? But, uh, the rest of the story's bullshit.
Are you the guy that knocked up Carol's kid and split? Whoa, whoa.
How do you know about that? She's been talking about it for months in the in the meetings.
All right.
Well, this is what happened.
She's gay, okay? And her and her partner wanted to have a baby, so they asked me to be the father, or the donor.
What whatever you call it.
They they needed some sperm.
And they asked you? Yeah, we were neighbors, all right? But now that I'm up here, it's a little more complicated because it seems that she is not out to her mother.
So, she told her some bullshit story, and now I'm this this stalking monster.
Damn.
And here I was thinking you were just some run-of-the-mill screw up.
[Laughs.]
So, what happened to her girlfriend? Uh, they broke up.
Great story.
I don't know.
I'm a sap.
You let a woman throw you under the bus, and then you laid down and let her mother back over you.
What was I supposed to do? Like, out her to her mother? I mean, shit.
[Sighs.]
I got to go.
This is a mess.
Now I'm never gonna see my kid.
Hey, Marc.
You're hired.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah, okay.
I appreciate that, Gus, but it doesn't matter anymore.
I'm an idiot! [Rock music plays through headphones.]
Hey.
Hey.
Hey! - What the hell, man? - [Music stops.]
- I'm leaving.
- So? So, I'm leaving.
I want my deposit back.
Deposit's non-refundable.
Come on, man, I've been here, like, what, five minutes.
Read the contract, dude.
[Music resumes.]
Hey, Marc.
What's going on? Trying to get my deposit back.
Hey! - [Music stops.]
- What, man? Zeke.
Give the man his damn deposit back.
Asshole.
Gonna miss you, too, buddy.
Thanks, Mel.
[Music resumes.]
Where you gonna run away to now? I don't know.
I-I got nowhere to go.
This was a stupid plan just a dumb fantasy.
You never even followed through on the plan.
W-what do you mean? You saw what happened back there at the bookstore.
You never talked to the girl, right? She's the mother.
You don't even know what she's thinking.
Can't be good, especially not now.
All I'm saying is it's not over.
Wait, what? You think I got a shot? I'm not sure I would go that far but I think you owe it to yourself to follow through.
Or you can just get into the RV and drive off to Self-Pity Land.
I-I don't know, man.
Well, why don't we go to a meeting? Then you can make a bad decision.
Okay.
H-how do you know Zeke? Four words a man never thinks he's gonna live to utter.
I dated his grandmother.
It's a small town, Marc.
[Chuckling.]
It's a small town.
Ah.
Hi, I'm Marc alcoholic, addict.
Together: Hi, Marc.
Hi.
Today, I have 60 days sober.
[Applause.]
I'm struggling with some other stuff, but I think that's normal.
[Scoffs.]
Look, I-I-I just want to be honest, b-but it's hard, because I don't want to hurt any more people.
Mainly my family.
My my new family.
W-well, it's not really my family.
Or doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
Anyway I think I upset some people in this room, and I want to apologize and say that things are not what they seem, but I can't explain it because it's a secret.
[Sighs.]
And we're only as sick as our secrets.
But I just want to make things right.
Okay, now that I'm sober, that's all I want to do.
Thank you for letting me share.
Carol alcoholic.
Together: Hi, Carol.
I don't want to cross talk, but this asshole should be in jail.
This is the guy that knocked my daughter up and split and left her with a baby.
And now he's come up here and he's stalking us.
So, I have to get a restraining order, which is a big pain in my ass because I usually have to babysit all day.
But thanks to the program, I don't have to drink over this kind of stuff.
I just have to do the next right thing.
Thanks for letting me share.
She wanted my sperm.
I gave it to her while the other one watched.
It it [sighs.]
It wasn't even fun.
Uh, I'm Marc alcoholic.
["The Poisoned Well" plays.]
All right, man, so listen.
The guy connected the Wi-Fi, all right? We just got to create a password.
That way if people want to hang out and work, they can hang out and work, then we'll have Wi-Fi.
The rare books we can sell, because I set up an account on eBay, so that's done.
Uh, what else? Oh, new shelves, new chairs coming later this week.
What a nightmare.
I mean, this looks like a real business, which means people.
Where am I gonna go so nobody can bother me? Oh, well, I threw out all those stacks of old newspapers in the back and there was an office under there.
It's yours.
I remember that office.
Yeah, yeah, there's pictures on the wall and everything.
I mean, who knew, right? It's just too bad we can't, uh, sell food and coffee and stuff, 'cause that would make it perfect.
Why can't we? Well, I mean, money.
I have money.
- What? - My family owned this town.
You don't commit to a life of poetry and books without having a trust fund.
I've been paying for all this stuff out of my own pocket, man.
I didn't tell you to do that.
You didn't stop me.
Well, now you're invested.
- [Chuckles.]
- Get whatever you need.
I-I kind of like this.
Great.
[Door creaks.]
Oh, hey.
Shay.
How's it going.
Why are you here? Do you know what a violation this is? Okay, can't we just talk about it, like, calmly for a few minutes, huh? I don't I don't know what your mother told you, but I-I'm not asking for anything.
Okay, then why are you here? I okay, I guess I'm asking for something.
I just want to be near the kid, okay? - I want to help out.
- I don't care what you want.
Help like you can help anybody.
The last time I saw you, you were wasted.
Pawing at my stomach, yeah, and we had to throw you out of the house.
I-I don't remember that at all.
Oh, are you defending yourself by saying that you were in a blackout.
I was going through a bad time, okay? I'm not anymore, a-and I just I want to have a relationship with with with my son.
It's not your son.
It's Zoe and my son.
Well, I well, that that's not happening from what I understand.
What "that's not happening"? What, did you talk to Zoe? Yeah.
That's how I found you.
I can't believe she told you where I was.
- What else did she say? - Nothing i-important.
I mean, I I don't want to get into a "she said, she said" thing here.
I-i-it seems like you've you've moved on, so This is my friend Jack.
Oh.
Hi, Jack.
No.
Look, out of curiosity, why why'd you lie to your mother about what happened? [Sighs.]
Just leave me and my son alone.
You better watch yourself.
You guys changed the place up.
It looks good.
You gonna get coffee and stuff? - Working on it.
- Nice.
- Jack! - I got to go.
You best get out of town.
A-are you seriously saying that like that? Is this a Western? [Western music plays.]
[Door opens.]
I just wait.
I just want to talk to you.
Please don't freak out.
My God.
This is where I work.
Did you follow me here? Please leave.
Just listen to me for for a second.
I-I'm different.
I'm sober.
Why is this happening? You cannot just show up where somebody lives and just, I don't know, make them do what you want them to do.
The kid could probably use some male influence, right? I don't want you here, Marc.
Okay? I barely know you.
Goddamn it, I'm trying to do the right thing! Why are you being such a bitch? Nice.
- Shit, I'm sorry.
That was bad.
- Nice.
- I'm sorry.
- Is there a problem, Shay? - [Sighs.]
- Holy shit, are you Marc Maron? - I am.
- [Chuckles.]
I knew I knew that voice.
Wow, Shay, you never told me you knew Marc Maron.
This is all way out of line! You suck.
You suck.
Hmm.
So what happened to the podcast? Oh, yeah, yeah, it's a long story.
Okay, okay, okay, relax, stupid.
[Knock on door, pound on door.]
Yeah, who is it? It's Jack.
Open the door.
I got a message from Shay.
Really? What'd she say? Could you step out of the RV? Okay, what? Brace yourself.
What? Ah! Go home, little boy.
Goddamn it! [Birds chirping.]
[Mirror creaks.]
Oh, shit.
[Groans, inhales sharply.]
I didn't even see it coming.
It was weird.
It was all very polite somehow.
I think my oh sh I think my tooth is broken.
You're a pussy for taking a hit like that.
Oh, yeah, really, Gus? Really? What would you have done, tough guy? I would've gotten one shot in just out of pride one good pop.
Yeah, and you would've gotten your ass whupped.
Yeah, now because I'm old, but back in the day Back in the day, you would've got your ass whupped, too.
I mean, hell, I whupped your ass back in the day.
That one time.
I don't recollect you ever - whupping my ass any other time.
- Well, how could you? I mean, you were in blackout mode most of the time.
Oh, shit.
You were a boozer, too, huh? Of course I was.
We all were.
Yeah, but he was he was the worst kind of boozer.
He didn't even have a reason to drink.
- He was just a big baby.
- Now, wait a minute.
That's not right.
I mean, I was married twice.
You got kids? Of course I got kids.
We all got kids.
Where are your kids? Not everybody is meant to be a parent.
There's just nothing here for me anymore, you know? I-it's all pointless.
I blew it.
Life is pointless.
Would you cool it on the existential bullshit.
It's not over.
I think that kid is gonna need you.
And besides, I mean, you got nothing to go back to.
So, we're not gonna let you leave yet.
He's not gonna let you leave.
I don't give a shit.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Goddamn it.
I'm gonna go to the dentist.
[Door opens.]
Oh, God, this is like a recurring nightmare.
You know, your friend did this to me.
I didn't tell Jack to do that.
Marc, what's happening? Are you here to see Shay again? Because you two should probably make plans to meet outside the office.
No, it's it's not a social call this time.
I actually had a little accident, and, uh, I-I think I knocked a tooth loose.
Oh, okay.
Well, come on back.
- Let's have a look at it.
- Okay.
Don't play with it.
Should be okay.
Give it some time, and if it's not, we'll take it out and put a pretty new one in there.
- Thanks, doc.
- Mm-hmm.
[Sighs.]
I really hope you start doing the podcast again.
- Loved it.
- Yeah, you know, we'll see.
I'm kind of retired.
Actually thinking about settling down here for a bit.
I love it.
Let me know if you need anything.
- You golf? - I don't.
Me neither really.
Oh, my God, can you both just shut up? You are a stalker.
All this casual chitchat, you're a monster.
Like, total monst you have no idea what's happening.
You're right I don't know what the issue is between the two of you, but Marc is a patient and I would appreciate it if you showed him a little professional courtesy.
I'm sorry, Marc.
Oh, my God, you are both idiots! How about you two just jerk each other off?! Okay, that's it.
Shay, you're fired.
Just go.
My pleasure.
Ah, shit.
- I didn't want that to happen.
- I'll deal with it.
She's a tough one.
We used to date in high school.
Really? - Was that before she, uh no, no.
- [Pen clicks.]
All right, here is a prescription for some meds in case the pain gets bad.
Oh, you know what, I can't, uh yeah, you know what? Okay, thanks.
I mean, you know, only if I need them, though.
- Yeah.
- Great.
You know, maybe maybe she's right.
You know, she's not responsible for my feelings.
I should've thought this shit through.
It's not really my kid.
Of course it is.
It's perfectly natural for you to have these feelings.
Yeah, but what difference does it make, man? I got nothing to offer.
What am why am I even up here? I'm a 52-year-old, twice-divorced man.
I got no kids, I got no money, I got I got no life.
All really good reasons to do something desperate and stupid like coming up here.
I just never thought about having kids.
You know, I just didn't see the point in it, you know? It's just not ingrained in me, you know? It's biological.
It's ingrained in our balls.
Yeah.
I just I've always been, um, so selfish, full of anxiety, and consumed with dread.
I-I don't you know, I don't trust myself.
I don't know.
All that just overrides the agenda of my balls.
I think it's over, fellas.
The hell's that supposed to mean? [Sighs.]
Nothing.
Nothing.
I'm gonna go, uh go home and, uh take care of my tooth.
[Birds chirping.]
[Knock on door.]
What? I already paid.
It's Jack.
What do you want? I don't feel like getting punched today, all right? I've already got the "I'm getting my ass kicked" covered in here on my own.
I'm not gonna hit you.
Look, I'm sorry.
I lost control the other day.
I'm very attached to Shay.
I love her.
She was mad, I got mad, you got punched.
Can't you just leave me alone? I'm leaving soon.
One way or the other.
I'm worried about her.
Shay was spiraling out before you got here, and you getting here has made everything worse, so why don't we try to fix that part? [Sighs.]
[Sighs.]
What are you doing with those? I'm negotiating with some medication.
Negotiations are closed.
You're coming with me.
Where are we going? W-w-why would she want to talk to me now? Okay.
I just thought the two of you guys could talk it out calmly.
I'm gonna go.
I'll be outside smoking if you need me.
Look, you just showing up like that was weird and and scary.
What did you expect to happen? I mean, what did you expect, stupid? I-I-I guess I was expecting, um I-I-I don't know.
I'm I'm a little lost.
Yeah, no shit.
Me, too, pal.
- [Sighs.]
- Me, too.
I mean, do do you even, like, know what happened, or According to your mother, I knocked you up and then ran out on you.
I told her that 'cause I didn't want to explain Zoe to her.
N-no, I get it.
You threw me under the bus 'cause I guess you weren't expecting me just showing up.
- You know, I get it.
- I wasn't.
[Chuckling.]
I was not expecting you to to show up.
That was crazy.
Yeah.
Do you want to tell me what happened? I-I-I Zoe told me her side.
Oh, I be she did.
Bet she did, and I'm I'm crazy, right? Pretty much.
Yeah, well, you know what, she just couldn't handle it.
'Cause the more pregnant I got, the more that she just freaked out and detached.
And then she started dating somebody else, and then I left.
That's awful.
Yeah.
I mean, whatever.
It's just, like, now I'm a single mom living in my mom's house in my hometown.
You know, it's pathetic.
So what are you thinking? Okay.
Well, in a nutshell, um, I-I just I just want my life to have some joy and purpose.
If that's possible.
You know, I know this wasn't part of the deal, but I'd like to be in Cody's life.
I don't I want to be available.
I'd like to have a relationship with him.
You know, I-I-I don't expect anything between us, obviously.
I mean, although, the last time was no shirts.
Remember? It was shirts off.
My shirt was off.
It was supposed to be a joke.
I'm sorry.
[Laughs.]
Oh, yeah, you took your shirt off.
That was horrible.
I don't know, I don't [Sighs.]
What is he doing in the house? Oh, and you're drinking in the morning.
Great.
Okay, mom, this is not what you think.
I am I lied to you, and I'll explain it all to you later.
Marc, maybe you ought to go.
Okay.
Well, again, I'm sorry for disrupting everybody's lives.
[Cody coos.]
And, uh thank you for hearing me out.
It was nice meeting you, buddy.
Oh.
Hey.
Have a good life, little guy.
[Smooches.]
I love you.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay, everybody just wait a second.
[Jazz playing.]
All right, I think I'm pretty much set up back there.
Mel, I'm gonna do Gus first.
Good idea, 'cause he could drop dead any minute.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
If anybody needs to buy anything, take their money.
Got it take money.
When I first got here, one of the reasons I came in was there's that Ken Kesey poster out front from, like, he was here, I guess, in the '70s.
But did you know him back in the day? Uh, yeah, I did.
Uh, good guy.
We were pretty good pals.
Yeah, in fact, he invited me once to go on the, uh, bus the Prankster bus.
Really? And you didn't go? Why didn't you go? I get carsick.
- Real easy.
- Oh, no! - What a shame.
- Hey, Marc.
Yeah? You got some people here to see you.
[Jazz playing.]
Uh, we're going to the park, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah.
Definitely.
Let me just get my stuff.
Okay.
[Jazz continues.]
So, that's the kid? Yeah, that's the kid.
- Okay.
- [Clears throat.]
- Let's go.
- All righty.
Excuse me.
Have a nice walk.
[Cody coos.]
[Children shouting indistinctly.]
So, uh, are you and Jack I don't want to talk about my personal life.
Okay, okay.
I don't know how to do this, actually.
Let's just walk.
Right, right.
Did you get your job back? - Yeah.
- Oh, good, good.
[Sniffles.]
Are you explaining stuff to your mom, or what Mm-hmm.
Please stop.
- Okay.
- Okay.
[Inhales deeply.]
Buddy.
Hey.
[Gasps.]
I'm gonna, um, go grab a cup of coffee.
- You want one? - Yeah, yes.
- Small black would be great.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
- Okay.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Ooh.
Ah! [Cody coos.]
[Laughs.]
Well, you two, I don't know bond.
- [Cody coos.]
- Mm.
Mm! [Sighs.]
- [Cody babbles.]
- Ahh.
Oh.
Yeah.
[Iron & Wine's "Upward Over the Mountain" plays.]
[Cody cooing.]
Mother, don't worry I killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed Mother, don't worry I've got some money I saved for the weekend Mother, remember being so stern with that girl who was with me
[Door closes.]
Hey, got any spots? Hey! Hi.
[Music stops.]
You want something? Yeah.
Got any vacancies? [Sighs.]
Extended stay or overnight? Extended stay.
Boondocking or full hookup? I have no idea what you just said.
Full hookup, you get electricity, sewer, and water.
Boondock, you use your own battery for power and water from your holding tank.
How much is the, uh, full hookup? $100 a month plus $100 deposit.
$100? Or you can stay free at Walmart.
I don't care.
All right, fine.
I'll pay cash.
[Engine revs.]
[Engine stops.]
You know how to hook up the power? Uh not really.
So, uh, Chilton seems like a pretty small town, huh? [Rock music plays through headphones.]
O-okay, so, could you just show me how to unhook it, 'cause I got to go into town? Just turn the big bolt left and slide the dinger.
Dinger? Leave the wrench in the office.
[Birds chirping.]
["The Poisoned Well" plays.]
I assume this is the, uh, AA meeting I'm looking for? Uh, yep.
You're in the right place.
Is this your first meeting? Oh, no, no.
I just I just moved to town.
- Oh.
- I'm Marc.
Oh, hey, Marc.
Susan.
Welcome.
- Hi.
- Where you coming from? Los Angeles.
L.
A.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah, I used to live there.
I had so much fun with so many people.
I almost died.
[Laughs.]
[Chuckles.]
Okay.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna go find a seat.
- Oh, okay.
All right.
- Okay, thanks.
[Sighing.]
Oh, L.
A.
Woman: All I know is I'm exhausted.
This is not my responsibility.
I'm angry.
I mean, this is not what I wanted to be doing with my retirement.
This is supposed to be my time.
And I know I've been talking about this for weeks and you're probably sick of hearing about it, but it's what's happening with me.
Life is in session, people.
We have time for one more.
Any burning desires? [Sighs.]
How 'bout Marc from L.
A.
? Uh, okay.
Uh, Marc alcoholic.
Together: Hi, Marc.
I, uh, just moved here from Los Angeles after a pretty big relapse.
I guess it's a geographic.
I knew I had 16 years sober, and then I got some back issue, started doing the pain pills.
And, um, anyway uh, yeah.
I got a got a couple months back.
And I came to Chilton for you know, it's pretty complicated why.
Anyway, uh got some family up here that I hope to see.
I just don't know if they're gonna gonna want to see me.
Anyway why do I keep saying "anyway" so much? Um anyway, I could really use a job.
Uh that's it.
Thanks for letting me share.
You should try the bookstore.
[Laughter.]
Okay.
Thanks, I guess.
[Lighter clicks.]
[Inhales sharply.]
Hey.
Were you joking about the bookstore? No, no.
The bookstore definitely could use somebody.
- Great.
- Yeah.
Just gonna have to convince Gus of that.
Hey, man, I'm Marc.
I'm here about the job.
What job? Uh, I told a kid you might be looking for somebody to help out around the store.
That didn't work out the last time I tried it.
Well, that was 10 years ago.
For an hour.
Holy shit.
Richard Brautigan.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Anais Nin.
This is, like, a classic used book store.
But what's the deal? You don't believe in alphabetizing? I don't believe in a lot of things.
Come on, you old fart.
Be nice to have somebody else here that wasn't us.
I just don't see anything that needs to be done.
Mm.
Hey, you got any, uh, Bruce J.
Friedman? I think I might have a copy of "Stern" and maybe "A Mother's Kisses.
" That front section up there, the shelf that has the sign on it it says "Psychology.
" It's crossed out.
Not on that shelf, but in a couple of the piles on the floor in front of it I believe in the first pile, you should find them.
[Chuckling.]
Right, okay.
So, there's no system at all? I got a system.
I based it on the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
Oh, right, of course.
The Oxford Library, where they stack books on the floor and only cranky, old, bitter hippies can find them, barely, maybe.
[Laughs.]
I like this guy.
I don't.
[Sniffs.]
Is is that cat piss I smell? I love cats.
You have a cat? Uh, yeah, in the back corner under the sign that says "Dogs.
" [Laughs.]
[Indistinct conversation.]
Look at that kid.
- Bye, Cody, I love you.
- The baby is teething.
I was up until 1:00 in the morning with him.
I-I-I got up with you.
What are you talking about? - No, you did not.
- My friends are - Then you rolled over in your bed.
- Shh, just stop.
Bye, Cody.
Love you, baby! You're the mother of this baby, not me.
- I'm the grandmother.
- It's just a weekend, mom, like When are you coming back? - Are you coming back this afternoon? - I told you on Monday.
Oh, my God, you're gonna be gone - for the whole weekend again? - Bye, Cody.
Love you, baby.
You're irresponsible.
Who are these people? [Engine revs.]
Life is in session.
Oh, okay.
Hey, hey.
Hi, hi, hi.
Do I know you? Yeah, I'm Marc, from the meeting from Los Angeles.
- You're? - Carol.
Oh, yeah, right.
I remember.
- You just got into town.
- Right, yeah, yeah.
Who's this little guy? [Chuckles.]
This is my grandson, Cody.
Hey, Cody.
How you doing? I like that name.
That'll work, right? Hey, buddy, look at you? What is he, like 8 months? Yes, 8 months, that's right.
- Mm.
- That's very good.
Thank you.
Where's, uh where's mommy today? Mother ran off for the weekend to ayahuasca or some damn place for an encounter session.
Wait, she's doing ayahuasca? I don't know what she's doing.
- Every week, it's some goddamn thing.
- Uh-huh.
Well, Cody's just lucky he has a grandma that takes him out to the park.
Yeah, well, Grandma's got no choice.
- Oh, yeah? - Dad's not in the picture.
Oh, that's rough.
Yeah, well, my husband ran off on me, and her boyfriend left her.
Boyfriend? I know, right? Nobody gets married anymore these days.
Yeah, what kind of man just leaves a woman with a child? I know, huh? And where's the responsibility? And I never even met the guy.
Don't know anything about him.
- Mm-hmm.
- [Cody coos.]
[Chuckles.]
Oh, look at that.
Hey, I think he likes you.
Is that what that is? Seems needy.
He is.
He's a baby.
Oh, yeah.
Come here.
- Oh, oh.
- [Chuckles.]
Here.
Uh, um [Chuckles.]
Okay.
Hi, buddy.
Oh, look at you.
Hi, Cody.
This is something, huh? [Chuckling.]
Yeah.
- Wow.
- Look at you.
You're a natural.
You got kids? Um no.
No, I don't.
I don't.
Yeah.
Hey, buddy.
All right, look, enough bullshit, Gus.
I need a job, all right? I can help out.
This place is amazing, all right? Bookstores like this don't even exist anymore and I think they should.
We just got to update it a little bit.
Hear me out.
Maybe get a couch, right? Get a couch.
Maybe, uh, get, uh, organized? How would that be? How about yeah.
Maybe put it in some sort of order.
eBay Do you have an eBay presence? Exactly.
We just want to get people in the store.
We want it want it to be inviting, not like an episode of "Hoarders.
" Come on, Gus.
Uh e-excuse me.
Do you have the new, um, Jonathan Franzen? No.
Uh, the new Jonathan Lethem? [Angrily.]
No! Why do you want to read those pussies? They write like they've been gelded.
Here we go.
You know, writers used to live lives.
Henry Miller put pubic hair on ham sandwiches.
- Wait, what? - Yeah, and Norman Mailer stabbed his wife.
And William Burroughs he spent a year in Tangier shooting dope, staring at his big toe, and he came away with "Naked Lunch.
" And he shot his wife.
[Raps desk.]
Nobody buys books by maniacs anymore! No, I-I-I got you.
I This is what you need right here.
Exley "Fan's Notes.
" This'll knock you on your ass.
Great book, man.
Great book.
This dude really understood the tragedy of American manhood.
Funny as shit, too.
A-and he he he died drunk.
Oh, that that sounds hilarious.
- Mm.
- Uh, do you have Jonathan Safran Foer? What is it with you and the goddamn Jonathans?! That's the name of the class The Three Jonathans.
- Take it.
- I It's, uh, mind opening.
It'll change your life, and lose the backpack.
Yeah, that's another thing we could talk about is pricing, - 'cause I don't know if you - Money is unimportant.
A book can change your goddamn life.
Why don't you give him a copy of yours, Gus? - My what? - Your book.
He wouldn't get it.
Wait, wait, wait.
What's it about? It was called "Impieties.
" It was, uh what was it, 1963? Yeah, the critics critics compared it to Ginsberg.
It came out in '64.
Get it right.
Ginsberg read an early draft.
Completely ripped me off in "Howl.
" Oh, this is my favorite part right here.
Bob Dylan used to ride around with a copy in the Village.
Back then it meant something to be an intellectual.
You know, shit was on the line.
Everything was political.
N-nobody was neutral on anything.
Gus here liked to refer to himself as radical.
I was a radical.
You were a goddamn pussy.
Come on.
So, what's your story, Mel? Me? I'm I'm just a grunt.
Three tours in 'Nam.
Came back, lost my shit, got cleaned up by the VA in '85, and, uh, now I spend my day talking to mooks like you.
Actually he's a labor lawyer.
Retired, all right? Oh, my God, I love this place.
I love it.
I love you guys.
I-I just I belong here, man.
Come on, just give me the gig, Gus.
Just give me the gig.
No.
[Sighs.]
All right.
Well, I'm telling you, man.
I could I could clean this place up.
I could make it work.
I could oh, look, there's a couch here.
Did you know there's a couch here? [Indistinct conversations.]
Oh, hey.
Look who's here.
How's it going? Oh, hey, Cody.
How's the how's the cutest guy in the world? Look at my little dude.
- Hi, Marc.
- Hi, hi.
How's the job search going? Oh, it's it's good.
Yeah, yeah.
I got a lot of irons in the fire.
Can I can I can I pick him up? Oh, no, maybe not.
It's uh he's a little punchy.
I think it's close to his nap time.
Oh, right, right.
Hey, I hope this isn't too weird, but I was at CVS and I bought him this.
It's a cat, and I took the eyes out so he wouldn't choke on them.
- Marc.
- Yeah? How is it you keep running into us? I know, it's weird, right? I guess we're just lucky.
- Small town.
- Not that small.
Hey, look, buddy.
There's a tiny little cat.
Look at that.
Oh, my God.
Is there anything that smells better than a baby's head? - That's amazing.
- Okay.
It's nap time.
We got to go.
Okay, my nap time, too.
All right, so I'll probably, uh probably be seeing you around.
- Yeah, I'm getting that feeling.
- Uh-huh.
[Sighs.]
That was rocky.
Is is this what you guys do all day? - You just sit around? - Are you kidding? This is a big day for us.
It's the first time we've been on this couch in decades.
[Chuckles.]
You're wasting your time.
I'm not hiring.
I'm just seeing what you got, Gus.
Looks to me like you're rearranging.
There he is.
That's the man who's been stalking me.
I was not stalking her, officer, all right? I don't know what she's talking about.
You always seem to be at the playground when we are.
It's a public area.
I saw your RV parked at the house twice.
Oh.
You saw that, huh? Well, [Sighs.]
this was not the way I was planning on telling you this, but I-I-I'm Cody's father.
- What are you talking about? - It's not what you think, all right? - When Shay approached me - Approached you? Look, never mind, okay? I-I'm I'm the father, and I and I just wanted to be near my kid.
I-I-I just realized about a year ago when my world fell apart that I needed to see him.
Well, you got a lot of nerve coming up here after abandoning my daughter! Y-you deadbeat! You RV stalker! How can you even live with yourself? I did not abandon your daughter.
Okay, it's it's it's complicated.
How complicated can it be? Uh well, you'd be surprised.
Do you want to press charges? No.
I just want him to leave us alone.
You heard the lady.
We'll be watching you.
[Sighs.]
You are an interesting guy.
Y-you want to tell us what the hell just happened? Ah, it doesn't matter anymore.
Yeah, I'm done.
This was a stupid idea.
What? Coming up here, thinking it could be different thinking I could change my life.
Am I missing something? Why was that cop just here? It's a misunderstanding, okay? Yeah, I was stalking her, okay? But, uh, the rest of the story's bullshit.
Are you the guy that knocked up Carol's kid and split? Whoa, whoa.
How do you know about that? She's been talking about it for months in the in the meetings.
All right.
Well, this is what happened.
She's gay, okay? And her and her partner wanted to have a baby, so they asked me to be the father, or the donor.
What whatever you call it.
They they needed some sperm.
And they asked you? Yeah, we were neighbors, all right? But now that I'm up here, it's a little more complicated because it seems that she is not out to her mother.
So, she told her some bullshit story, and now I'm this this stalking monster.
Damn.
And here I was thinking you were just some run-of-the-mill screw up.
[Laughs.]
So, what happened to her girlfriend? Uh, they broke up.
Great story.
I don't know.
I'm a sap.
You let a woman throw you under the bus, and then you laid down and let her mother back over you.
What was I supposed to do? Like, out her to her mother? I mean, shit.
[Sighs.]
I got to go.
This is a mess.
Now I'm never gonna see my kid.
Hey, Marc.
You're hired.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah, okay.
I appreciate that, Gus, but it doesn't matter anymore.
I'm an idiot! [Rock music plays through headphones.]
Hey.
Hey.
Hey! - What the hell, man? - [Music stops.]
- I'm leaving.
- So? So, I'm leaving.
I want my deposit back.
Deposit's non-refundable.
Come on, man, I've been here, like, what, five minutes.
Read the contract, dude.
[Music resumes.]
Hey, Marc.
What's going on? Trying to get my deposit back.
Hey! - [Music stops.]
- What, man? Zeke.
Give the man his damn deposit back.
Asshole.
Gonna miss you, too, buddy.
Thanks, Mel.
[Music resumes.]
Where you gonna run away to now? I don't know.
I-I got nowhere to go.
This was a stupid plan just a dumb fantasy.
You never even followed through on the plan.
W-what do you mean? You saw what happened back there at the bookstore.
You never talked to the girl, right? She's the mother.
You don't even know what she's thinking.
Can't be good, especially not now.
All I'm saying is it's not over.
Wait, what? You think I got a shot? I'm not sure I would go that far but I think you owe it to yourself to follow through.
Or you can just get into the RV and drive off to Self-Pity Land.
I-I don't know, man.
Well, why don't we go to a meeting? Then you can make a bad decision.
Okay.
H-how do you know Zeke? Four words a man never thinks he's gonna live to utter.
I dated his grandmother.
It's a small town, Marc.
[Chuckling.]
It's a small town.
Ah.
Hi, I'm Marc alcoholic, addict.
Together: Hi, Marc.
Hi.
Today, I have 60 days sober.
[Applause.]
I'm struggling with some other stuff, but I think that's normal.
[Scoffs.]
Look, I-I-I just want to be honest, b-but it's hard, because I don't want to hurt any more people.
Mainly my family.
My my new family.
W-well, it's not really my family.
Or doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
Anyway I think I upset some people in this room, and I want to apologize and say that things are not what they seem, but I can't explain it because it's a secret.
[Sighs.]
And we're only as sick as our secrets.
But I just want to make things right.
Okay, now that I'm sober, that's all I want to do.
Thank you for letting me share.
Carol alcoholic.
Together: Hi, Carol.
I don't want to cross talk, but this asshole should be in jail.
This is the guy that knocked my daughter up and split and left her with a baby.
And now he's come up here and he's stalking us.
So, I have to get a restraining order, which is a big pain in my ass because I usually have to babysit all day.
But thanks to the program, I don't have to drink over this kind of stuff.
I just have to do the next right thing.
Thanks for letting me share.
She wanted my sperm.
I gave it to her while the other one watched.
It it [sighs.]
It wasn't even fun.
Uh, I'm Marc alcoholic.
["The Poisoned Well" plays.]
All right, man, so listen.
The guy connected the Wi-Fi, all right? We just got to create a password.
That way if people want to hang out and work, they can hang out and work, then we'll have Wi-Fi.
The rare books we can sell, because I set up an account on eBay, so that's done.
Uh, what else? Oh, new shelves, new chairs coming later this week.
What a nightmare.
I mean, this looks like a real business, which means people.
Where am I gonna go so nobody can bother me? Oh, well, I threw out all those stacks of old newspapers in the back and there was an office under there.
It's yours.
I remember that office.
Yeah, yeah, there's pictures on the wall and everything.
I mean, who knew, right? It's just too bad we can't, uh, sell food and coffee and stuff, 'cause that would make it perfect.
Why can't we? Well, I mean, money.
I have money.
- What? - My family owned this town.
You don't commit to a life of poetry and books without having a trust fund.
I've been paying for all this stuff out of my own pocket, man.
I didn't tell you to do that.
You didn't stop me.
Well, now you're invested.
- [Chuckles.]
- Get whatever you need.
I-I kind of like this.
Great.
[Door creaks.]
Oh, hey.
Shay.
How's it going.
Why are you here? Do you know what a violation this is? Okay, can't we just talk about it, like, calmly for a few minutes, huh? I don't I don't know what your mother told you, but I-I'm not asking for anything.
Okay, then why are you here? I okay, I guess I'm asking for something.
I just want to be near the kid, okay? - I want to help out.
- I don't care what you want.
Help like you can help anybody.
The last time I saw you, you were wasted.
Pawing at my stomach, yeah, and we had to throw you out of the house.
I-I don't remember that at all.
Oh, are you defending yourself by saying that you were in a blackout.
I was going through a bad time, okay? I'm not anymore, a-and I just I want to have a relationship with with with my son.
It's not your son.
It's Zoe and my son.
Well, I well, that that's not happening from what I understand.
What "that's not happening"? What, did you talk to Zoe? Yeah.
That's how I found you.
I can't believe she told you where I was.
- What else did she say? - Nothing i-important.
I mean, I I don't want to get into a "she said, she said" thing here.
I-i-it seems like you've you've moved on, so This is my friend Jack.
Oh.
Hi, Jack.
No.
Look, out of curiosity, why why'd you lie to your mother about what happened? [Sighs.]
Just leave me and my son alone.
You better watch yourself.
You guys changed the place up.
It looks good.
You gonna get coffee and stuff? - Working on it.
- Nice.
- Jack! - I got to go.
You best get out of town.
A-are you seriously saying that like that? Is this a Western? [Western music plays.]
[Door opens.]
I just wait.
I just want to talk to you.
Please don't freak out.
My God.
This is where I work.
Did you follow me here? Please leave.
Just listen to me for for a second.
I-I'm different.
I'm sober.
Why is this happening? You cannot just show up where somebody lives and just, I don't know, make them do what you want them to do.
The kid could probably use some male influence, right? I don't want you here, Marc.
Okay? I barely know you.
Goddamn it, I'm trying to do the right thing! Why are you being such a bitch? Nice.
- Shit, I'm sorry.
That was bad.
- Nice.
- I'm sorry.
- Is there a problem, Shay? - [Sighs.]
- Holy shit, are you Marc Maron? - I am.
- [Chuckles.]
I knew I knew that voice.
Wow, Shay, you never told me you knew Marc Maron.
This is all way out of line! You suck.
You suck.
Hmm.
So what happened to the podcast? Oh, yeah, yeah, it's a long story.
Okay, okay, okay, relax, stupid.
[Knock on door, pound on door.]
Yeah, who is it? It's Jack.
Open the door.
I got a message from Shay.
Really? What'd she say? Could you step out of the RV? Okay, what? Brace yourself.
What? Ah! Go home, little boy.
Goddamn it! [Birds chirping.]
[Mirror creaks.]
Oh, shit.
[Groans, inhales sharply.]
I didn't even see it coming.
It was weird.
It was all very polite somehow.
I think my oh sh I think my tooth is broken.
You're a pussy for taking a hit like that.
Oh, yeah, really, Gus? Really? What would you have done, tough guy? I would've gotten one shot in just out of pride one good pop.
Yeah, and you would've gotten your ass whupped.
Yeah, now because I'm old, but back in the day Back in the day, you would've got your ass whupped, too.
I mean, hell, I whupped your ass back in the day.
That one time.
I don't recollect you ever - whupping my ass any other time.
- Well, how could you? I mean, you were in blackout mode most of the time.
Oh, shit.
You were a boozer, too, huh? Of course I was.
We all were.
Yeah, but he was he was the worst kind of boozer.
He didn't even have a reason to drink.
- He was just a big baby.
- Now, wait a minute.
That's not right.
I mean, I was married twice.
You got kids? Of course I got kids.
We all got kids.
Where are your kids? Not everybody is meant to be a parent.
There's just nothing here for me anymore, you know? I-it's all pointless.
I blew it.
Life is pointless.
Would you cool it on the existential bullshit.
It's not over.
I think that kid is gonna need you.
And besides, I mean, you got nothing to go back to.
So, we're not gonna let you leave yet.
He's not gonna let you leave.
I don't give a shit.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Goddamn it.
I'm gonna go to the dentist.
[Door opens.]
Oh, God, this is like a recurring nightmare.
You know, your friend did this to me.
I didn't tell Jack to do that.
Marc, what's happening? Are you here to see Shay again? Because you two should probably make plans to meet outside the office.
No, it's it's not a social call this time.
I actually had a little accident, and, uh, I-I think I knocked a tooth loose.
Oh, okay.
Well, come on back.
- Let's have a look at it.
- Okay.
Don't play with it.
Should be okay.
Give it some time, and if it's not, we'll take it out and put a pretty new one in there.
- Thanks, doc.
- Mm-hmm.
[Sighs.]
I really hope you start doing the podcast again.
- Loved it.
- Yeah, you know, we'll see.
I'm kind of retired.
Actually thinking about settling down here for a bit.
I love it.
Let me know if you need anything.
- You golf? - I don't.
Me neither really.
Oh, my God, can you both just shut up? You are a stalker.
All this casual chitchat, you're a monster.
Like, total monst you have no idea what's happening.
You're right I don't know what the issue is between the two of you, but Marc is a patient and I would appreciate it if you showed him a little professional courtesy.
I'm sorry, Marc.
Oh, my God, you are both idiots! How about you two just jerk each other off?! Okay, that's it.
Shay, you're fired.
Just go.
My pleasure.
Ah, shit.
- I didn't want that to happen.
- I'll deal with it.
She's a tough one.
We used to date in high school.
Really? - Was that before she, uh no, no.
- [Pen clicks.]
All right, here is a prescription for some meds in case the pain gets bad.
Oh, you know what, I can't, uh yeah, you know what? Okay, thanks.
I mean, you know, only if I need them, though.
- Yeah.
- Great.
You know, maybe maybe she's right.
You know, she's not responsible for my feelings.
I should've thought this shit through.
It's not really my kid.
Of course it is.
It's perfectly natural for you to have these feelings.
Yeah, but what difference does it make, man? I got nothing to offer.
What am why am I even up here? I'm a 52-year-old, twice-divorced man.
I got no kids, I got no money, I got I got no life.
All really good reasons to do something desperate and stupid like coming up here.
I just never thought about having kids.
You know, I just didn't see the point in it, you know? It's just not ingrained in me, you know? It's biological.
It's ingrained in our balls.
Yeah.
I just I've always been, um, so selfish, full of anxiety, and consumed with dread.
I-I don't you know, I don't trust myself.
I don't know.
All that just overrides the agenda of my balls.
I think it's over, fellas.
The hell's that supposed to mean? [Sighs.]
Nothing.
Nothing.
I'm gonna go, uh go home and, uh take care of my tooth.
[Birds chirping.]
[Knock on door.]
What? I already paid.
It's Jack.
What do you want? I don't feel like getting punched today, all right? I've already got the "I'm getting my ass kicked" covered in here on my own.
I'm not gonna hit you.
Look, I'm sorry.
I lost control the other day.
I'm very attached to Shay.
I love her.
She was mad, I got mad, you got punched.
Can't you just leave me alone? I'm leaving soon.
One way or the other.
I'm worried about her.
Shay was spiraling out before you got here, and you getting here has made everything worse, so why don't we try to fix that part? [Sighs.]
[Sighs.]
What are you doing with those? I'm negotiating with some medication.
Negotiations are closed.
You're coming with me.
Where are we going? W-w-why would she want to talk to me now? Okay.
I just thought the two of you guys could talk it out calmly.
I'm gonna go.
I'll be outside smoking if you need me.
Look, you just showing up like that was weird and and scary.
What did you expect to happen? I mean, what did you expect, stupid? I-I-I guess I was expecting, um I-I-I don't know.
I'm I'm a little lost.
Yeah, no shit.
Me, too, pal.
- [Sighs.]
- Me, too.
I mean, do do you even, like, know what happened, or According to your mother, I knocked you up and then ran out on you.
I told her that 'cause I didn't want to explain Zoe to her.
N-no, I get it.
You threw me under the bus 'cause I guess you weren't expecting me just showing up.
- You know, I get it.
- I wasn't.
[Chuckling.]
I was not expecting you to to show up.
That was crazy.
Yeah.
Do you want to tell me what happened? I-I-I Zoe told me her side.
Oh, I be she did.
Bet she did, and I'm I'm crazy, right? Pretty much.
Yeah, well, you know what, she just couldn't handle it.
'Cause the more pregnant I got, the more that she just freaked out and detached.
And then she started dating somebody else, and then I left.
That's awful.
Yeah.
I mean, whatever.
It's just, like, now I'm a single mom living in my mom's house in my hometown.
You know, it's pathetic.
So what are you thinking? Okay.
Well, in a nutshell, um, I-I just I just want my life to have some joy and purpose.
If that's possible.
You know, I know this wasn't part of the deal, but I'd like to be in Cody's life.
I don't I want to be available.
I'd like to have a relationship with him.
You know, I-I-I don't expect anything between us, obviously.
I mean, although, the last time was no shirts.
Remember? It was shirts off.
My shirt was off.
It was supposed to be a joke.
I'm sorry.
[Laughs.]
Oh, yeah, you took your shirt off.
That was horrible.
I don't know, I don't [Sighs.]
What is he doing in the house? Oh, and you're drinking in the morning.
Great.
Okay, mom, this is not what you think.
I am I lied to you, and I'll explain it all to you later.
Marc, maybe you ought to go.
Okay.
Well, again, I'm sorry for disrupting everybody's lives.
[Cody coos.]
And, uh thank you for hearing me out.
It was nice meeting you, buddy.
Oh.
Hey.
Have a good life, little guy.
[Smooches.]
I love you.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay, everybody just wait a second.
[Jazz playing.]
All right, I think I'm pretty much set up back there.
Mel, I'm gonna do Gus first.
Good idea, 'cause he could drop dead any minute.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
If anybody needs to buy anything, take their money.
Got it take money.
When I first got here, one of the reasons I came in was there's that Ken Kesey poster out front from, like, he was here, I guess, in the '70s.
But did you know him back in the day? Uh, yeah, I did.
Uh, good guy.
We were pretty good pals.
Yeah, in fact, he invited me once to go on the, uh, bus the Prankster bus.
Really? And you didn't go? Why didn't you go? I get carsick.
- Real easy.
- Oh, no! - What a shame.
- Hey, Marc.
Yeah? You got some people here to see you.
[Jazz playing.]
Uh, we're going to the park, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come.
[Chuckles.]
Yeah.
Definitely.
Let me just get my stuff.
Okay.
[Jazz continues.]
So, that's the kid? Yeah, that's the kid.
- Okay.
- [Clears throat.]
- Let's go.
- All righty.
Excuse me.
Have a nice walk.
[Cody coos.]
[Children shouting indistinctly.]
So, uh, are you and Jack I don't want to talk about my personal life.
Okay, okay.
I don't know how to do this, actually.
Let's just walk.
Right, right.
Did you get your job back? - Yeah.
- Oh, good, good.
[Sniffles.]
Are you explaining stuff to your mom, or what Mm-hmm.
Please stop.
- Okay.
- Okay.
[Inhales deeply.]
Buddy.
Hey.
[Gasps.]
I'm gonna, um, go grab a cup of coffee.
- You want one? - Yeah, yes.
- Small black would be great.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
- Okay.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Ooh.
Ah! [Cody coos.]
[Laughs.]
Well, you two, I don't know bond.
- [Cody coos.]
- Mm.
Mm! [Sighs.]
- [Cody babbles.]
- Ahh.
Oh.
Yeah.
[Iron & Wine's "Upward Over the Mountain" plays.]
[Cody cooing.]
Mother, don't worry I killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed Mother, don't worry I've got some money I saved for the weekend Mother, remember being so stern with that girl who was with me