Dad...
Hey, sorry about the delay;
the storm at LaGuardia was really bad.
It was no big deal.
I was just waiting about an hour.
This airport seems bigger now.
When was the last time you were here?
Wasn't it like, Thanksgiving?
Yeah... in '82.
(Woman) Are they here?
[dog barking]
Aw... Landry?
Don't let him out?
My best boy? I have missed you so much.
- Dad, you got it? - Yep?
- Oh, Adrian. - Hey, Mom.
Goodness gracious, you've gotten so thin!
Yeah, he had a stomach flu.
- Are you alright now? - Yeah, I'm fine.
I'll take this big ol' bag of rocks in your room.
Andrew? Andrew, your brother's here.
Hey, Andrew.
Wow, man, you've gotten so tall.
Hey, can I get a hug?
Oh, Andrew... He's just being a little shy.
- It's fine, Mom. - He's very excited to see you.
- It's fine... - Andrew!
We thank you, Father, for bringing Adrian
back home safe and sound to celebrate
this blessed holiday with us.
We pray that You will watch over and guide him,
as You have watched over and guided all of us.
Amen.
(All) Amen.
I made all your favorites.
Wow, this looks really delicious, Mom.
Still playing football Andrew?
He quit last year.
I kinda sucked at it.
No, that's not true now.
Coach Jennings said you have great potential.
Andrew is the vice president of the drama club now.
Wow, is that right?
He was in Arsenic and Old Lace recently.
I was the lead.
You were a very convincing older man.
And he got the biggest applause.
He needs to speak up is what he needs to do.
He mumbled through most of his lines.
I could barely understand him half the time.
Sorry I missed it, buddy.
I'm sure you were brilliant,
you wouldn't be cast as a lead otherwise.
Are you still at that same place, the ad agency?
Yep.
You've been there a long time. Still like it?
Yeah, it's been three years. I still like it a lot.
Have you guys seen the
Crunchy Chocolate Puffs commercial
that's playing right now?
Oh, yeah.
You worked on that?
I wrote parts of it, yeah.
I saw it.
It was lame.
Andrew, that wasn't very nice.
No, he's right, Mom.
It's kinda lame.
How are your roommates?
They're great.
Um, did they go home for Christmas too?
Mm-hmm.
Where are they from?
Brandon is from New Jersey, and Leo is from Ohio.
I think I talked to Leo on the phone once
when you weren't there.
He sounded very nice.
I just can't understand how three grown men
can still live together.
It's like y'all are back in college.
Dale, the rents are much more expensive there.
I'm aware of that it's just...
This pot roast, Mom, is as good as I remember it.
I've literally had dreams about your cooking,
I miss it that much.
Thank you, honey, that's very sweet.
Hey, can you smell Georgie?
Yeah? I think you two would like each other.
Knock, knock?
Hey... Mom, I'm so full I can't have another bite.
Come on, will you please eat this cake?
Your brother's going to eat it, otherwise,
and all the sugar is not good for his complexion.
Oh, poor guy.
Alright.
It's... it's really good. It's very good, Mom.
You know, your Dad wanted to turn this room into storage
but I just didn't have the heart to take out all your stuff.
And also I like to sleep in here sometimes.
You know how your Dad snores.
I haven't missed that.
I hope you're not too bothered by Andrew.
No, I'm not.
I know he's still mad at me.
I ran into Carly yesterday at the store.
She had no idea you were coming to town.
I thought you guys talk to each other once in awhile.
Uh, no. It's been awhile.
I just got busy.
Well, it turns out she moved to Dallas.
She's got a job there.
Yeah, I heard that.
Her Dad had a heart attack recently,
did you know that?
I didn't know that. Is he OK?
He's recovering, but Carly's at home helping out her Mom.
She gave me her new phone number
if you wanna give her a call.
OK.
Christmas wasn't the same without you.
I'm really glad you made it back this year.
Yeah, me too, Mom.
Well, you should get some rest. You must be exhausted.
Yeah.
And eat this cake!
OK! Fine.
- Goodnight, honey. - Goodnight, Mom.
Landry?
Landry...
It's our little secret, buddy.
Oh, you are hungry!
Shhh... Stop.
Landry, you're such a bed hog, get off...
(Radio) You're listening to The Word with Dave Hewitt.
Right before the break, I was talking about Santa Claus.
How a lot of us, myself included,
have accepted the dominance of Santa in Christmas.
- Good morning. - Mornin'.
Morning.
But Santa Claus has distracted us...
How'd you sleep?
I slept great.
I hope you're hungry because breakfast will be ready soon.
Can I do anything?
No, just, have some coffee.
The lie about Santa Claus may not be a big deal.
I certainly don't think that it is.
But there are many other lies, in our society,
that do a lot more damage.
You want more coffee, Dad?
Hmm? No, no. I'm good.
(Radio continues) I'll get more into this in a minute,
because what I'm ultimately getting at is the truth.
The church, our place of worship,
is the foundation of truth.
When we're there having fellowship with each other,
we hear the truth.
But, when we're not at the church,
we are surrounded by so many pervasive lies.
Remember what Jesus said in John 8:32?
Then you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free...
Honey? Are you OK?
Yeah. Yeah, no I'm fine. I'm just waking up.
[knocking on door]
Andrew?
Andrew...
What?
Mom wants you up for breakfast.
Give it back.
Sorry.
Hey um...
I wanna apologize to you for um,
you not being able to come to New York to visit me.
I know you were really bummed about that.
I just...
something came up and I couldn't get any time off so...
Hey, what are you listening to nowadays?
Is that Madonna? Since when were you into Madonna?
Hey, um, I was at her last show,
at Radio City Music Hall.
Wait, you went to the Virgin Tour?
Yeah! Leo got us front row tickets.
No way.
It was so much fun, man. We had such a blast.
I had her other album too but...
Dad found it in my backpack and threw it away.
Really?
He's thrown away a bunch of tapes.
I had a Bryan Adams poster but he tore it off the wall.
There was a sermon at church about "secular music."
That's nothing new, Andrew,
they'll always find ways to make that stuff up.
Yeah, well, people around here don't think it's made up.
You know Mr. Thompson from down the road?
- Yeah? - He has all the records.
Oh, yeah. He has an amazing collection.
He had an amazing collection.
He had Pastor John over and they burned them all in his backyard.
You could see the smoke from blocks away.
The fire department had to come and put it out.
Do you think I'm ugly?
I mean, like, if you weren't my brother and all.
Andrew, why would you ask that?
Well, I don't know. The kids at school, they um...
They call me pizza face.
Tommy Clements said that his sister said
that there's no way we're related
'cause you're so much better looking than me.
You're not ugly, OK?
I had really bad skin too. It goes away after a few years.
Kids can just be assholes.
Also Tommy's older sister, Susie, was such a bitch.
And no one liked her
because she tried way too hard to be cool,
so he's probably the same.
You just said the A-word and the B-word.
Yeah, I'm gonna call you the A-word
if you don't get up for breakfast!
It's pancake day! We eat pancakes!
We can have pancakes...
Knock it off? Breakfast is ready?
That was your fault.
What?
Yep, all your fault!
Give it all you got now? Come on?
I'm trying...
So are you seeing anyone?
Barely have time for myself, much less anyone else, Mom.
'Cause y'know I spoke with Carly
and I think she's still on the market.
- Mom. - What?
I was very fond of her.
Yeah, well, Dad wasn't.
That's a different story, and you know why.
Can I borrow your car?
I need to get some stuff at the store.
Sure, um, can you drop me off at the church?
I'm volunteering for the afternoon service.
Yeah, sure.
Will you pick up some stuff for me too?
I'll make you a list
and you can just get the money out of my purse.
No, no, no just make the list, Mom, I got it.
It's so close!
It's not just about strength; it's about leverage, right?
So turn tha... turn that wrist, go on.
There ya go. There ya go!
- Yes! - See?
- OK! - That was good work.
So you have to do it with the wrist?
- Yeah, you feel it? - Yeah.
With your size you're gonna need some leverage, alright?
Just checking in on Georgie. Is he OK?
Did he stop throwing up?
Well, good, OK, that's good.
How are you doing?
[chuckling]
Oh, man.
Uh, no I haven't.
I just got here, Brandon.
Yeah.
Yeah, I know.
That's really rich coming from you.
What, you just...
You don't even talk to your own family anymore!
No!
So stop telling me what I should do!
It's alright. I'm sorry, Brandon.
I just, don't really wanna talk about this.
Um...
OK, I'll call you back in a couple days, alright?
Just don't worry about me, OK?
And um...
Give Georgie lots of kisses for me.
Alright. Bye.
It's declined.
Uh, can you try that again?
Yeah, it's still not going through.
Um, OK, do you take Diner's?
No.
Alright, I'll just pay cash then. That's fine.
Here you go.
Hey, Lester!
Adrian Lester! Ha! I thought that was you.
Hey...
Oh, Marc, we went to Arlington Heights together.
Yeah, yeah, hey.
Did you move back to Fort Worth?
No, sorry, I um, I'm just... I'm home for the holidays.
Do you work here?
Yeah, I'm the Assistant Manager.
That's great.
Hey, do you want a fresh pumpkin pie?
I could hook you up.
That's alright...
No you gotta try ours, they're the best.
Wait right here, alright? It'll take me one second.
Alright.
Hey!
Hey.
Sorry, I didn't know...
I'll just put this right here on your bag.
How much do I owe you for this?
Oh, no, it's on the house, perks of the job.
Uh, were you two years ahead of me in school?
Yeah.
You were on the football team, right?
Go Yellow Jackets!
I was a lot heftier then.
Marcus. Marcus Peterson. Right?
Yeah, I went by Marc after I graduated.
Marcus just sounds so dorky you know?
It's funny what dropping two letters from your name
can do for your self-image.
Listen...
I don't wanna pretend like nothing happened before.
I wasn't very nice to a lot of people in school.
And uh, I know I wasn't very nice to you.
I know it's not an excuse but,
I was going through a lot of stuff at home
and I took it out on you guys.
Y'know it was a really long time ago. But...
No worries.
Well...
I think it's God's will I ran into you today.
Yeah, uh, it was really good to see you, Marc.
Likewise.
- Merry Christmas, Adrian. - Hey, Merry Christmas, Marc.
Say hi to your folks for me.
♪
[snoring]
Dale, roll over.
Hey, if you go before me...
Will you wait for me?
'Cause I'll wait for you if I go first.
Merry Christmas, Landry.
[Christmas hymn plays]
♪
Come on now, open it up.
Pastor John suggested those;
he said it sounds just like the stuff you listen to.
But without all the filthy lyrics.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Alright, who's next?
What is it?
Oh!
Oh, thank you!
You're welcome. You can do all kinds of stuff with it.
I know. I saw it on TV. Wow...
And you got it on sale!
Darn, I forgot to take that off.
Thanks, Andrew.
Y'know that's like the third time you've got me a tie.
Yeah, but not one with checkers!
Right, not one with checkers. Ah, cufflinks, too.
We thought your old one would be worn out by now.
It's... This is really beautiful, thank you.
It's real gold leaf.
It's a really soft light leather
so it's perfect for Texas winters.
Let's see what I've got.
Alright.
Oh this...
This is cashmere.
Alright, Andrew.
Just open it, buddy.
So, this one actually records and it's a little bit smaller
so it should be easier to carry around.
And it has Dolby.
You're the best.
Yeah, now you did not need to get him a new one,
his old one worked just fine.
Dale, come on, it's Christmas.
And um, this is for all you guys.
Ooh...
Alright.
These are...
These are round-trip tickets to Honolulu.
Lemme see that.
Give it here...
3 days of hotel?
You've always wanted to go Mom.
And these are open tickets
so you can use them any time next year.
Hawaii?
So...
We're gonna get room service?
Wait, you're not gonna go with us?
Well...
Uh...
I mean, of course, I would love to. I just...
I don't know if I can get off work.
How are you paying for this?
It was a special deal.
Um, Brandon, my roommate, he's a travel agent.
But all these presents, it must have cost you a fortune.
No, it's nothing.
Uh, Bloomingdale's is one of our biggest clients
so I get a huge discount there.
And um...
I uh, I have some news...
...to share with you.
Um, I've just been trying to find the best time to do this.
I got a big promotion.
You did?
Yeah...
And I'm hoping to get my own place soon.
Wow, congratulations.
We always knew that you had talent.
So, now I can come visit you?
Yeah.
♪
[knock on door]
Listen.
Everybody...
Praise!
Everybody...
Praise!
Oh, wow.
- It sucks, right? - It's jubilant.
Hey, um,
I got you something else but um,
I didn't want Mom and Dad to freak out.
A hundred dollars to Sound Warehouse?
Yeah.
Yeah, so now you can get whatever tapes you want.
You just- You have to hide them well.
That's awesome.
Thank you.
Yeah, man, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Praise!
Everybody...
Praise!
You just gotta...
Praise! Woo!
I just wanna see what it looks like on you.
It's a little warm today, hun.
Quit whining and just put it on for a minute.
Come on.
Alright...
Turn around.
Wow! See, how handsome!
Hey, I'm gonna take Landry for a walk.
OK.
♪
[sobbing] I don't know what to do.
Oh, God...
I miss you so much.
Hello?
Hey Carly, it's Adrian.
Well, well.
Merry Christmas.
Right...
Y'know I wasn't counting on hearing from you.
Hey, how's your Dad?
I'm really sorry to hear what happened to him.
Right, um. He's doing a lot better.
Thank you for asking.
Hopes to go back to work after the holidays.
OK, that's good.
Tell him I said hey when you get a chance.
Yeah.
Hey, guess who I ran into yesterday?
Marcus fucking Peterson.
Carly...
Carly, are you really this mad at me?
Did he give you any free shit?
Yeah he gave me a pumpkin pie, actually.
Why? Did he give you something?
Yeah.
He gave me a fucking rotisserie chicken
when I was there with my Mom.
It was so weird.
I guess he's just trying to make amends.
Y'know, he's a changed man, praise the Lord.
Chicken was good though.
Yeah, so was the pie.
Uh, are you busy?
Uh, it would be really nice to see you.
Y'know I live in Dallas now, so...
OK, uh...
I can borrow my Mom's car.
You're only like, 45 minutes away.
Alright, well I have to get ready for this thing tonight.
What's you're... What's the thing?
(Carly on stage) How's everyone doing tonight?
[applause]
Alright.
My name is Carly.
But my Korean name is Jeong Ki-bum Choi Young-soon.
Right so, just please call me Carly.
Uh...
Growing up in school, I didn't think that I was
any different from any of the other students,
until one day, in 6th grade,
in history class we're learning about World War Il.
Madeline, the most popular girl in school,
stands up during the lesson, points at me,
and calls me a "dirty Jap."
[Audience groans]
Yeah, horrible, right?
It's racist! It's just, like,
assuming that we're all the same.
Y'know I'm Korean-American. I'm very proud and I...
thought it was important to explain that to her.
So the next day I went to school...
dressed in...
traditional Korean garb, which I...
quite kindly explained to her was called a Hanbok.
And then I kicked her fucking ass.
Yes!
Yeah, kicked her...
Ass! Felt so good.
But y'know what, I do not condone violence.
No, looking back I feel pretty bad about it.
But I thought it was important to teach her the lesson,
that there's a difference between a "dirty Jap"...
and a motherfucking "gook!"
Thank you. Yeah.
Thanks.
[crowd laughs, applauds]
Hey!
Hey.
Aw, man, you were hilarious!
Thanks. Yeah thanks, I'm still working out the jokes.
It's really, really good.
My cheeks are a little sore from smiling so much.
Um, do you want a drink? I'll get the first round.
Please.
Hey, Gene, can I have a vodka soda?
And I'll have a gin and tonic.
I don't know I just,
started taking some improv classes for fun.
A coworker of mine has been doing it for awhile
and she suggested that I give it a go.
And y'know what, I just, um,
I find it really liberating.
You get to say all the shit that you wouldn't say in real life.
That's really cool.
I just never...
Never would have pictured you doing this.
It's awesome.
Yeah, well, I'm still very much an amateur.
No, Carly, you're actually really good at this.
Thanks. My parents don't even know that I'm doing it.
I mean, if they knew that I was doing stand-up in front of
a bunch of drunks in this part of town,
Fuck, my Dad would have another heart attack.
And, y'know it's the whole reason why I moved to Dallas.
To get them off my back.
Wish I had the balls to do what you did though.
You uh, you did it. You left fucking Texas.
You went for it.
Look at you now.
Making waves on Madison Avenue.
Oh my God, is that what my Mom said?
Oh man, uh...
Yeah, I'm...
I'm still not making any money and uh...
I live in uh, the same crappy neighborhood.
I've been mugged three times.
Wow, sounds like you're living the dream.
Yeah, no, this year has actually been really rough for me.
Well, if there's nothing else,
this shitty year is about to come to an end.
So here is to 1986.
May this new year, give us a fucking break.
Yeah, cheers to that.
You don't have to go home right away, do you?
- You can hang out? - Yes! What am I, 15?
I don't know, man, you always had curfews.
What do you have in mind?
I'm gonna take you to this bitchin' club.
♪
[music plays in background]
- Hey. - Hey.
Do you want some wine?
Uh, no I'm good.
We used to do this all the time.
Yeah, Carly, I'm-
I, I really just wanna hang out.
OK?
[turns music off]
Why did you stop calling me?
I left you so many fucking messages
and you just checked out on me.
Yeah, I know.
Hey.
Adrian, please look at me.
Please.
What's going on? What's wrong?
Nothing.
Can I actually get water?
Are you happy?
Um...
Yeah, I'm doing fine. How have you been?
Good.
Are you seeing anyone in New York?
Uh, no I'm not.
Are you seeing anyone?
Adrian, I'm...
Carly, the reason I didn't call you back...
I went there to start over.
I really needed a fresh start.
I didn't like my life here and um...
That's that.
OK.
So then why the fuck did you call me today?
Why are we doing this?
Because, I really wanted to see you.
It's been a long time and I wanted...
I'm in town...
And, I just couldn't leave without seeing you.
I love you... I care about you a lot!
You can't say that to me. You can't...
Fuck you!
Fuck you.
Adrian, we have known each other since we were ten
and this is how you're going to fucking end this?
I...
I just wanted to see you one last time.
Well it looks like you got what you wanted.
You're a fucking coward.
You're a piece of shit.
I think you should go now.
I'm really sorry, Carly.
♪
Oh shit, Mom!
Language!
Oh my God, what are you doing in here?
Your Dad was snoring up a storm
and I came in here to wait for you
and I guess I just fell asleep.
Where have you been?
Um, I was hanging out with Carly.
Oh, did you have a good time?
Oh honey, you don't look very good.
Yeah, no, I don't feel good.
Have you been drinking?
Mom...
And you drove all the way from Dallas,
you could've killed someone!
I'm not drunk, Mom, Jesus.
Adrian!
Oh my God...
[retching]
Let's hope it's not another stomach flu.
Maybe I should take you to the doctor tomorrow.
No, it's not a stomach flu.
And, I'm actually starting to feel a little better.
Are you able to undress yourself and get in the tub?
Yeah, Mom.
It smells like bubble gum.
Just like childhood.
Y'know you made a bath for me
every single time I'm sick.
And I still do.
I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to make you mad.
I swear I'm not drunk.
Is this about Carly?
We had a really big fight tonight.
Pretty sure that friendship's over.
Oh nonsense.
You guys have known each other forever,
it's not like it's the first time you've had a fight.
I'm sure you'll both work through this.
Mom, I'm never gonna be with Carly.
I need you to understand that.
You should have your tea, before it gets cold.
I don't want you to think we didn't like the presents
you got for us.
We're just, not used to having such nice things.
And you know, your Dad is kind of a cheapskate.
Oh, Mom.
Well, he is.
You're never gonna believe me when I tell you this.
What?
I didn't vote for Reagan last year.
Mom!
Your Dad has no idea.
You voted for Mondale?
You actually voted for a Democrat?
I changed my mind at the last minute.
I really liked his nuclear freeze policy and...
I don't believe in war.
I saw what it did to your Dad, and to his friends.
And then there's the Equal Rights Amendment.
I just had a good feeling about him.
I didn't even know you were that into politics.
Sweetie, I'm not just a country bumpkin.
I like to think of myself as
a well-informed citizen these days.
You think you're ready for bed?
Um, I'm gonna stay here another minute.
OK.
Thanks, Mom.
Adrian?
Adrian.
Uh, yeah?
Get up, we're gonna be late.
It's alright, just let him rest. He's not feeling well.
But Mom, he already said he was gonna take me.
Adrian? Can we go now?
Yeah, hey can you just give me...
Just give me like two minutes?
Hey, can we have...
one adult, one child for A Chorus Line, please?
Sorry, that one's sold out.
I'm sorry, bud, it's my fault we're late.
It's OK. I wouldn't mind seeing Back to the Future.
How many times have you seen that?
I dunno, like, four?
OK, let's see something you haven't seen.
OK...
Oh. Nightmare 2.
That's rated R. I can't take you to see that.
Mom and Dad will kill me.
Mom and Dad don't have to know.
Please?
[movie plays]
So, I think I'm gonna get these.
You don't have to spend your entire
gift certificate today, buddy.
Yeah, but they had all the ones I wanted.
Bud, you...
Wow, you are listening to way too much Top 40.
Alright, we gotta get you some different tapes...
Do you know The Cure?
Or REM?
- Who? - OK, let's go.
Hey.
You wanna have a drink?
No, I'm good, thanks.
Couldn't sleep either, huh?
No.
Come on, put that water down.
Have a beer with your old man, come on.
Grab a seat.
There ya go.
Sit down.
Have I ever had a drink with you before?
No, I don't think so.
Hell, I was 15 when I first had a beer with my Dad.
Oh, well, cheers.
Cheers, Dad.
You...
took off just as soon as you could.
You couldn't have...
taken off any faster.
Were you running away from something?
I wasn't running away, Dad.
I can feel Andrew drifting away from me.
I don't even know what to do about it.
Everything was fine when he was playing football.
I was at every game.
Once he started to get into the theater,
I just didn't know how to talk to him anymore.
Well, you can just...
ask him questions about it, that's a good place to start.
He doesn't think I know anything about that stuff,
thinks I don't get it.
Maybe he's right, I've...
I've never been an artsy-fartsy kind of guy anyway.
But I am getting worried.
Does he...
Does he seem soft to you?
He's still a kid, Dad.
But you weren't like him when you were at his age.
You played sports all through high school.
You helped me out in the shop.
I mean, Andrew's gotta be a lot tougher
or he's gonna have a hard time out in the world.
Your grandfather...
Now he was tough on me.
He didn't hug any of his sons, or ask us questions.
But he sure knew how to
straighten us out with discipline.
Or a good ol' ass whoopin if that's what was called for.
I am who I am today because of him,
and I turned out alright, didn't I?
Yeah.
You know you can always count on me, right?
If something goes wrong, you need money, anything at all.
We may not have much but we always pull through.
Hell...
You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I did
for my buddies in 'Nam, against them gooks.
Dad, you can't say "gooks."
I can call them whatever the fuck I want!
You weren't there.
There were people's lives depending on me.
I've helped so many people. I'm still known for that,
you ask anyone in town.
I'm the most reliable person in this town. Ask anyone.
So?
Is everything OK with you?
Come on now, I don't have all damn night.
Yeah, everything's fine.
How'd you pay for the gifts?
I've already told you guys.
It's a lot of money, Adrian.
I tried to call your office a few months ago.
Dad, you can't...
You just... If you need to talk to me you have to call my house.
They don't like personal calls.
I wondered why you wouldn't give us your work number.
But it didn't take me long to figure that out.
They said you don't work there no more.
Well, I'm not sure who you talked to,
it's a really big agency, they were probably confused...
Don't lie to me.
What happened?
I mean, did you get fired? Did you steal something?
Dad!
Well, answer... Answer my question!
You may be a grown man but I'm still your father.
OK, I didn't steal anything!
I can't...
Honest... Oh, my God, I gotta go to bed.
You remember when I was in Connecticut for Frank's funeral?
He was the commander of my platoon.
- You remember? - Yeah.
Well...
They thought he killed himself.
Knowing him he just probably just got too wasted.
Fooling around on some shooting range
that he shouldn't have been on.
Stupid son of a bitch.
So I was in Connecticut for Frank, and then I took...
the train down to the city to have lunch with you.
Yeah.
I asked if I could see your place
but you had excuses as to why that wasn't a good idea.
Dad, I just, didn't want you to see what a mess it was.
If I'd had time to clean it...
Why are you still bullshittin' me?
I took a cab to your neighborhood.
I wanted to see where you lived.
As we drove past your building...
I thought I saw you with some guy on the steps
but I wasn't sure at first if it was you
so I had the cab driver go around the block again.
This time I...
I was sure it was you.
You had your arms around him.
I didn't even recognize you.
It was like you were a different person.
Don't you even think about telling your mother.
You will break her heart.
You hear me? Not one word.
Yes, sir.
Ow!
Did you cut yourself? Let me see...
Yeah... Where are the Band-Aids?
I'll get them.
- There. - I got it.
Why won't you let me help you?
I'm fine, Mom! I'm not a child!
Adrian? Somebody's here to see you.
You sure there's nothing I can get for you, hun?
Make you some tea or something?
Oh no, I'm fine, Mrs. Lester.
Please, call me Eileen.
Where's Mr. Lester?
He's at the store with Andrew.
Oh, OK.
Ah, our man of the hour.
Hey.
Hi.
I've got a chicken to put in the oven so I'll leave you to it.
Say hi to your parents for me
and let me know if there's anything I can do.
I will, thank you so much.
Alright.
Don't be a stranger.
I won't.
I'm starving, do you wanna grab a bite?
Wow, this place has not changed a bit.
Remember we used to come here whenever we were broke
and we'd order an extra large order of fries
and get refills on the Coke?
And leave no tip! We were terrible.
Hi, what can I get for y'all?
Um, I'll have a Caesar salad and a Diet Coke.
And I'm just gonna have a cup of coffee,
cream and sugar.
And we're gonna have an extra large order of fries to split.
OK, perfect. I'll be right back with that.
I'm really sorry...
about the other night.
I just don't...
I don't wanna lose you as a friend again.
Yeah, me too, Carly, I'm...
I've really missed you. I just, um...
I don't know if I'm gonna be here this time next year.
What do you mean?
Leo passed away two months ago.
In October.
Nine months after he was diagnosed.
We'd spent every New Year's Eve together
since we met.
I was really hoping he was gonna make it to this one.
I called his parents up after he died.
They didn't want anything to do with him.
He really wanted to be buried in Ohio,
where he was born.
I wasn't even able to do that for him.
I've lost so many friends.
I've been to six funerals this year.
I feel like I'm losing my fucking mind.
Leo left me his Chihuahua.
It breaks my heart a little bit when he looks at me funny.
He's still wondering where Leo is.
And uh...
My job at the agency, I lost that.
Someone might have found out, I don't know.
And uh, I'm working at a restaurant.
Barely getting by, I spent all my money on Christmas gifts.
I can't believe it took you this long to tell me.
Did you really think that
I wasn't gonna be cool with that?
Yeah.
I guess we're even. You don't really know me either.
Promise me something.
When you get sick, you have to call me. OK?
You don't wanna be anywhere near this.
Trust me...
Things are gonna get really ugly.
I shouldn't have kissed you. If something happened to you...
Stop it, OK, stop it. You're being paranoid.
OK?
I'm gonna see you next Christmas.
We're gonna go out and we're gonna have a good time.
And who knows, there might be a cure by then.
There could be new drugs, new treatments...
I'm not gonna make it that long.
You're still healthy. You don't even look sick to me.
Sorry.
You don't have to say yes to this.
But in the future...
Would you tell Andrew what really happened to me?
Please?
Honey, will you do us the honor?
Uh, yeah sure.
Dear Father...
Um...
Thank You for another wonderful meal.
And we wanna thank You
for allowing us to spend this Christmas together.
We pray that there are many more days like this to come,
and many more memories for us to look forward to.
And we pray that...
You'll continue to teach us how
to love each other unconditionally,
just the way that You love us.
We pray that Your everlasting grace
continues to lead and inspire us. Amen.
(All) Amen.
That was lovely.
Thanks, Mom.
Can't you just stay a few more days?
I really wish I could, Andrew, but I have to get back to work.
So, when are you gonna come home next?
Um, well...
The next chance that I get.
Better not be another three years.
I mean, you have a promotion now, you make money,
can't you just fly home whenever you want?
Let it go, Andrew.
Hey.
What's going on?
I'll tell him for you.
I'll tell Andrew.
Thank you, Carly.
Thank you.
I told you I don't need a new coat.
Honey, he's leaving soon. Would you just put it on?
It's the least you can do.
Would you stop pestering me?
If you won't put it on for him then just put it on for me.
Eileen?
God, you're so stubborn.
Why don't you just take it to work with you?
It's supposed to get cold later.
I'm sorry I have to go again, bud.
Are you gonna miss me?
Alright.
Wish I could bring you with me, but you're just too big.
I gotta go to work early so your Mom's gonna
take you to the airport.
Alright.
So, I'll say my goodbyes now.
- Take good care of yourself. - You too, Dad.
I meant what I said.
You can always count on me.
OK...
Hey, Dad.
Yeah?
I was reading through some passages in the Bible
that you and Mom got me and...
I know I need to make some changes.
I'm a little lost right now, but...
With His light, I know I can find my way back.
I gotta go.
Alright.
Bye, Dad.
Andrew...
Andrew?
Mom?
Is it time?
Yeah, we should get going.
OK, I'm just gonna drop you here.
And I'm...
I'm not gonna walk you in, OK?
OK.
I don't want you to miss your plane.
You know...
You don't have to tell me, until you're ready.
And I'll try to be ready when you are.
[sobbing] Mom...
Alright...
I should probably get going.
OK.
I love you, Mom.
I love you, too.
(Adrian on tape) Hey, Andrew...
Now I want you to keep this tape as long as possible.
I think you might need to listen to this again in the future.
It might make more sense to you when you're older.
You're gonna have some tough days.
Days where...
You'll feel like everything sucks.
And you don't wanna get out of bed.
Days where you're gonna feel like you just don't belong.
I've had a lot of those days.
And I want you to know...
You're not the only one who feels the way that you do.
There's a whole world out there for someone like you.
I promise you, you are not as different as you think you are.
And Mom and Dad, they might not get it.
A lot of your friends might not get it either.
And some of them might say some pretty mean and awful things.
Because they just don't get it.
But I get it.
And I know that you're gonna learn to be happy...
with who you are.
And you may need to be in another place to be happy.
And you know what? That's OK.
That's why I left home.
It might seem like the hardest thing to do at first.
But it might be the right thing for you too.
And in another time...
At another place...
You're gonna meet the right people.
People that are just like you.
People that are just like me.
So hang in there, Andrew.
Things tend to get a little darker
before they get brighter.
I will always regret that I wasn't home enough
these past few years.
I feel like I'm only really getting to know you
this time around.
And I'm proud that you're my brother.
I will always be with you.
(Radio) We know that there is no forgiveness in hell.
Whatever goes to hell, will stay in hell...
[clicks off radio]
(Intercom) Attention passengers of Flight 261
to New York, LaGuardia.
We are now boarding groups A and B.
Please have your boarding passes ready.
Again, we are now boarding groups A and B.