DR. PATEL: What's on your mind?
DOMINICK BIRDSEY: This book my grandfather wrote.
♪ (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS) ♪
DOMINICK: My mom, her whole life,
just thought he was this wonderful guy.
-(BOOK PAGES TURN ) -Turns out he's not.
DR. PATEL: Do you think that you're like him?
Your grandfather betrayed his brother.
-THOMAS BIRDSEY: No! No! -DOMINICK: You're hurting him!
He's fucking cursed,
we're all fucking cursed.
Don't pamper this boy.
Is my real father alive?
-(PAGE TURNING) -(PHONE RINGING)
MAN: I caught him breaking into your brother's room.
I want my brother out of there by the end of the week.
LISA SHEFFER: Everybody thinks it's wrong
for him to go with you.
DOMINICK: I'm not giving up on my brother.
♪ (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) ♪
♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪
(soft music playing)
♪
Hey, you know what? We'll come back in a couple months
and we'll go raspberry picking
over the hill there. Remember?
The raspberry leaves are poison.
They ground it up and they put it in my tea
when I was in the hospital.
They were trying to kill me there.
They're not poisonous, buddy.
Wow.
All these big old Chinkapin Oaks.
Look at 'em, Thomas.
Just the same as when we were kids, right?
It's like they've always been massive,
even when we were little.
You remember her?
Penny Ann Drinkwater.
Dominick: Hey, did you, uh...
did you see her brother a lot when you were down there?
Down where?
Dominick: In Hatch. The janitor.
Ralph Drinkwater.
Remember, you said you saw him once?
You want to see the Falls?
(water rushing)
A holy place.
What?
I said it's a holy place.
Do you believe in God?
I wish I did, man.
Jesus Christ is your savior, Dominick.
He loves you, forgives you.
I know.
You know, someone told me once that this-- this river is life.
And all it's doing is flowing from the past into the future.
And just passing us as it goes.
♪ ♪
Let's walk down to the water.
No, no, it's too cold. Come on, let's go.
I'll bring you back when it's warm.
In June, when the laurels are blooming.
We'll walk around. Come on, are you hungry?
I'm hungry. Let's get some food.
TV Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.
(rock music playing)
♪ ♪
Fuck you, Grandpa.
Okay. Great.
(music continues on TV)
You ready, pal? Let's get you...
put some pajamas on you, okay?
Hands up.
("Cherish" by Madonna playing on TV)
Okay, man. Give me a hand here.
No pun intended.
♪ Here by my side ♪
Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you for taking care of me.
Yeah.
Thank you.
♪ You've got the power to make me feel good ♪
Lay down, bud.
♪ I never would ♪
♪ I was never satisfied ♪
Snug like a bug.
You need anything?
-Water. -Some water?
Okay.
♪ They never felt this way I bet ♪
♪ So don't underestimate my point of view ♪
♪ Cherish the thought ♪
♪ Of always having you ♪
♪ Here by my side ♪
♪ And baby, I cherish... ♪
Hey, buddy.
Buddy, I got your water.
♪ Singing it ♪
♪ Cherish the joy ♪
♪ You've got the power to make me feel good ♪
♪ And baby, I perish the thought ♪
(exhales)
♪ I never would ♪
(volume decreases)
♪ You ♪
♪ Can't get away, I won't let you ♪
♪ Who ♪
♪ You ♪
♪ I could never forget to ♪
♪ Cherish is the word I use to remind me of ♪
♪ Your love ♪
♪ Givin' it, givin' it to me, boy ♪
(car alarm wailing)
(pounding on door)
(alarm continues)
-(car alarm beeps) -(alarm stops)
("Epic" by Faith No More playing)
Thomas?
Hey, Thomas?
(music continues)
Hey, Thomas?
-(knocking on door) -Thomas?
Thomas?
Fuck.
Thomas.
Thomas!
(soft music playing)
(shouting): Thomas!
Officer: We got a call about a missing person.
-Dominick: Yeah, my brother. -We're here to help you.
Who's this? Is this your brother?
No, no, that's my father, stepfather.
Where the hell is he? Where is he?
Officer: He's missing, but we're gonna take care of it.
We're gonna get out there and we're gonna look for him.
-When are you gonna do this? -We're gonna find him.
Any specific places that he likes to hang out at?
Yeah, the Falls.
♪
Jesus. Jesus Christ!
Dominick: Thomas!
Thomas!
Ray: Tommy!
Dominick: Thomas!
Thomas!
Come out!
Ray: Tommy! Tommy!
Tommy!
(sobbing)
♪
(indistinct police radio chatter)
Dominick: In deep water,
in the plunge pool of the waterfall,
they found him.
He'd been stuck under the forces of the current
for hours, they said.
The rocks had banged him up pretty bad.
There were scratches all over his face, Ray told me.
He was the one who went down and identified the body.
I found something!
Dominick: Accidental, they ruled.
Funeral Director: Before I start the funeral arrangements,
I'd like to gather some information for the death certificate.
So I have his name as Thomas Birdsey.
Uh, his date of birth?
December 31st, 1949.
Did he ever serve in the armed forces?
-No. -Okay.
Highest level of education.
Uh, 12th grade. He had a year of college.
Okay, so some college.
And his marital status?
None. Single.
Single. Never married. Okay.
Now, what did Thomas do for an occupation?
-He didn't work. -Well, he, he had a job.
He had a little job. But, uh, he was-- he was in and out of--
he was in and out of state hospitals,
mental hospitals, but he had a-- he had a little,
he had a coffee cart.
Okay, how about I'll put down "disabled" then.
-Yeah, that's fine. -Is it? Okay.
That's fine, and I need the birth name of his father.
Ray: We don't know that.
-Yeah, we don't know who his father is. -I'll put down unknown.
-Mm-hmm. -Okay.
(clears throat)
(line ringing)
Ralph (on answering machine): You've reached Ralph Drinkwater,
tribal pipe-keeper of the Wequonnoc nation.
(beep)
Hello, Ralph, it's, uh, Dominick Birdsey.
Uh, I'm just calling...
to let you know my brother's funeral is this week.
Uh, Thursday, 11:00 at the Boswell Avenue Cemetery.
It's just gonna be a 20-minute service.
It's not a big deal if you don't make it.
Thanks, Ralph.
(phone rings)
Dessa: Hello? (sniffs)
Dominick (on phone): Dess?
Oh, Dominick.
Oh, my God. I'm so sorry.
Are you okay?
Yeah, just wanted to invite you to
his funeral.
I-- my sister told me about it already.
I, I was gonna be there...
anyway, of course.
Thanks.
-Dominick. -Dominick: Yeah?
I know...
that you spent your whole life trying to save him.
And I failed.
Dessa: It wasn't your fault, Dominick.
Yeah, whose fault was it?
No one's. You couldn't save him.
No one could.
You were an amazing brother to him.
He knows how much you love him.
Okay, thanks.
Dominick.
Please take it easy on yourself, okay?
Dominick: Okay.
Dessa: I'll see you at the service.
Okay, bye.
♪
(sobbing)
Father Lavie: "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
"He leadeth me beside the still waters.
"He restoreth my soul.
"He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
"for His name's sake.
"Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
"I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me.
"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
"Thou preparest a table before me
"in the presence of mine enemies.
"Thou anointeth my head with oil, my cup runneth over.
"Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life."
Is Dessa coming?
Yeah, I talked to her.
She's just running late, I think.
-Lavie: ...forever. Amen. -Woman: Amen.
(car door closes)
Lavie: I wasn't lucky enough to know Thomas
but many of you have shared your memories of Thomas with me.
He touched many of the lives
of the people who are here today
in many deep ways.
From Dominick, his brother,
his twin.
Well, you and Thomas must have known each other
just about as-- as well as two people could.
I know through all his trials and tribulations,
you were his rock.
You were his defender, weren't you?
Unlike Cain.
He murdered his brother, Abel.
You stood up for your brother.
And you will be remembered as your brother's keeper.
Your stepfather, Ray,
first met Thomas and his brother, Dominick,
when they were just baby boys.
And Ray looked upon these children,
and then he looked upon a single mom
who was raising them,
and Ray must have thought, "Good Lord, how am I gonna handle this?"
(soft music playing)
And then God heard him, and he answered him.
And he said, "Ray, take this challenge and do the best you can."
And with that, Ray, you took the responsibility
upon yourself to raise those two baby boys,
and in a moment, you became their father.
For 41 years, Ray was a father to Thomas.
And let us not forget
Thomas' mother, Concettina.
Known to her friends as Connie, but to Thomas,
she was just called "Ma."
Ma: Come on, Thomas.
Oh, Mr. Rabbit. It's time.
-Lavie: Thomas and Ma... -Ma: Hippity hop, hippity hop.
Lavie: ...were more than just mother and son.
They had a very special connection.
Thomas: Come on, let's go.
Don't you touch that Jell-O, huh? That's for after supper.
You let me know if your dad comes home, huh?
Here we go, Mr. Rabbit.
Lavie: And people said that they were like two peas in a pod.
They really were best friends.
Weren't they? Dominick?
Ray?
I'm sure we can all find some solace
knowing that Thomas and Ma
are reunited together now in a very, very special place.
What are they doing now in Heaven?
Maybe they're playing a special game
they like to play together.
(indistinct chatter)
(Ma laughing)
Lavie: I leave you to consider and reflect upon this
while we remember our son.
Our brother. Our friend.
Thomas.
(soft music playing)
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
(glass shattering)
(objects clattering)
Young Dominick: It was an accident.
I'll clean it up.
-Where's your mother? -Upstairs.
They're playing their stupid game again.
Ma: Thank you, Mr. Rabbit!
(playful chatter)
(door opens)
Ray: What the fuck is going on in there?
What did I tell you about having a fuckin' tea party?
-Come here, come here! -Ma: Don't you hurt him!
-Ray: Get off of me! -(objects breaking)
Ray: Stop right where you are!
Stop right where you are, goddammit!
Come here! What are these things in your hands, huh?
Huh? Those are things girls wear.
What are you, a goddamn little girl?!
Give me these things. Get 'em off your fuckin' hands.
Is that what you wanna be? A goddamn little girl?
Get in there, get in there. And stay in there.
Thomas: Let me out.
Please.
-Ray! -(knocking on door)
-Let me out! -Ma: Please don't! Don't touch me!
Ma?
It's okay.
Don't touch me!
(sobbing)
It's okay, baby. I'll be okay.
Ray: You clean up this floor. Clean up this whole mess.
And don't you dare let him out of that door, understand me?
(door slams)
♪
-(pounding on door) -Thomas: Dominick?
Let me out!
-(pounding continues) -Please. Let me out.
(Thomas crying)
Thomas: Dominick? Please!
(Thomas crying)
You can leave the door open.
(Thomas crying)
Thomas: Dominick?
-(pounding) -Let me out.
(pounding)
Please?
-Let me out. -Woman: Where's Dominick?
Ray: He's in the kitchen.
-(indistinct chatter) -(door closes)
Hi, come on in. How you doing?
Hey, how are you?
Thank you so much...
Ray: Come on, get outta there.
Angie: Um, where, where do you want these?
Huh?
Oh, anywhere in there is good, thanks.
Ray: Sit down, sit down.
-How you doing? -Doing good.
-Leo. -Here you go.
Hey, if, uh, Pops has any booze in the house?
I bet some of these geezers would take a drink.
Ray: Hey!
-So good to see you. -Man: Yeah.
Forget about it.
Come on, I'm all right, I'm all right.
-Wayne, how are you, buddy? -I'm all right.
(indistinct chatter)
-Leo: Where is she? -Angie: I don't know.
She should have been here by now.
Leo: You should give her a call.
Ray: Welcome. Come on in, hello.
I'm-- I'm Ray Birdsey.
I'm Thomas' adopted stepfather.
-Lisa: Nice to meet you. -Ray: A pleasure to meet you.
I appreciate everything you've done for Dominick, too.
He's gonna need your help now 'cause the guy's beating the hell out of himself.
-Dr. Patel: Just keep an eye... -Ray: Thank you both so much.
I don't know where she is, but Angie's gonna leave her a message.
It's her life, man.
-Ray: If you're hungry... -She'll be here.
Ray: Would you like something to drink?
She'll show up.
-Lisa: Do you need any help? -Ray: No, no, no.
Angie: I don't know, she's not answering.
Ray: You want some scotch?
Well, we'll get you a scotch when we get the scotch out here.
-(door opens) -Dessa: Angie.
(indistinct chatter)
Dessa: I'm sorry.
(chatter continues)
Leo: Geez, is he okay?
Dessa: He's okay. I had to go to the ER and he's--
I was gonna call. I was on my way to the service and forgot this.
Dessa: My father had a really bad fall.
I had to take him to the ER.
It was such a long wait, and then...
-I'm so sorry. -Hey.
Ray: Come on, take it easy, take it easy.
You're here now.
-Ray, I'm... -How's my little girl?
(kisses cheek)
I'm so sorry I wasn't here.
-Dessa: Ray? -Ray: I'm gonna miss him so much.
Dessa: I know.
(indistinct chatter)
(Ray crying)
Dessa: I'm so sorry.
It's his guilt, that's why he's crying.
(chuckles)
Right, Ray? You bullied him to death.
We both did, right? You and me.
You remember, Ray? We had to toughen him up
-so he didn't become a pussy like Ma. -What are you doing?
You were his fuckin' savior, Ray, remember?
-What are you doing? -Jesus. Dominick.
You know how many times he went to visit him
-when he was down there at Hatch? -Leo: Buddy, buddy, buddy.
How many times, Ray? You wanna tell her?
How many times you went to visit your son at the hospital.
Leo: Don't embarrass yourself.
Dominick: I'm not embarrassing myself.
Or was that to toughen him up, too, huh?
-Hey. -I'd go down there,
I'd go through all that maximum security bullshit
and he'd come in, Ray, they'd escort him in
he'd sit down, he'd tell me about everything
that happened to him that day.
What he had for lunch.
Who was trying to assassinate him that particular afternoon.
And, oh, let's say five minutes into the visit,
he'd go, "How's Ray?
"Why doesn't Ray come and see me?
Is Ray mad at me?"
I made all the excuses I could for you, buddy.
I mean, there's only so far one teammate can go
to fake it for another.
In seven months, Ray, not one time?
To see your own son that you said you loved.
Not even for fuckin' Christmastime?
Let's go outside, man.
Hey, I'm no saint. I, I admit it.
I, I was the same. I made his life fuckin' miserable
anytime I could, just like you wanted me to, Ray.
And he would take it, Ray. He took it.
He was so sweet, just like Ma.
Everything that guys like you and I hate.
-They were the good guys, Ray, but we beat 'em. -Knock it off, knock it off.
It wasn't his brain that made him cuckoo.
It was us. We did it to 'em.
-We did it to 'em both, buddy. -Hey.
It was us. We beat their asses.
-We're the fuckin' champions, Ray. -Look.
I did the best I could for that kid.
I did the best I could for you.
And my conscience is clear, you got that?
Really, your conscience is clear. Yeah. Really?
Your conscience is clear.
You know what the probate judge said to me
-the day I adopted you two? -Dominick: What? Tell me.
He said I was a good man, that's what.
-Wow. -He said that not one man
in a thousand would take on what I was taking on.
-Oh, no shit. -Not one, but two.
Two of you.
Now, look, I'm not sayin' I didn't make mistakes,
that I couldn't have done things differently.
-Wow, you're amazing. -But you can walk on down to that goddamn courthouse
and you can read that record if you want to, buddy.
You're a fuckin' hero, aren't ya?
-March 19th, 1955. -You're a real fuckin' hero.
-You deserve a medal for that, Ray. Wow! -Probate court of Three Rivers.
-What a guy! What a fuckin' guy's guy! -Because Judge Harold T. Adams--
He told his secretary he wanted it
in the goddamn record that I was a good man!
Did Harold T. Adams know you broke her arm?
Oops. Oh, I let that slip, right?
That was supposed to stay in the house, I forgot.
Oh, no, you know what, we're clearing all this shit outta here today.
All this old shit is going out of this house today.
-That was an accident. -Right.
An accident. That's what we say.
Why don't you go to hell?
Sure, Ray. I'll meet you there.
It was an accident.
Yeah, all right.
Got that out of the way. Does anyone want any coffee, huh?
Some dessert?
Another drink, Ang-Angie?
-How about some cold cuts? -Calm down.
Can I make you a sandwich? Here.
Let me make you something. You want a sandwich?
Here, here's a sandwich.
Where's everyone going? I thought we were celebrating
the miserable life of Thomas Birdsey.
Thanks for the casseroles.
Leo: I'll call you in a couple days.
-Dominick: Wait, where you goin', Leo? -Leo: Let's go.
Dominick: Where the fuck have you all been the last seven months?
What do you need, doc?
Now we got something to talk about, huh?
Thanks for coming.
Dominick.
-I'm very sorry for your loss. -Thank you.
But you go easy on yourself, all right?
-Dominick: Hm. -Dominick.
And others.
Okay.
Patel: Will I see you next week?
I don't know. I don't know.
Dominick. Try and come, please.
Hey, you were right. My arrogance killed my brother.
-Finally, huh? -No.
(tearfully): No, Dominick.
I'm sorry.
(cries): I'm sorry.
It's not your fault.
And there you have it.
-You sure know how to clear a room. -(chuckles)
(dishes clattering)
You know what I think his worst offense has always been?
Not being your real father.
That's not his worst offense by a long shot, baby.
Really?
See, I think you'd forgive him for all the other stuff
before you'd ever forgive him for that.
I'm never gonna forgive him.
I just don't know why you do this.
Why I do what?
I mean, push everybody away.
Why do you push people away?
Come on, look at us.
We're cursed, Dess.
Such bullshit.
My whole fuckin' family is cursed.
Let's face it.
You know, I'll finish this.
(cutlery clattering in sink)
You're gonna end up like him.
Like who?
(tense music playing)
♪ ♪
Like who?
(door closes)
Like who?
♪ ♪
Dominick: "As Concettina was growing up,
"the highlight of my long days
"was coming home and putting my sweetheart to bed.
"My little rabbit was growing like a flower,
"and my love for her was growing accordingly.
"But still, I had Prosperine, that witch,
"running my household.
"She was unworthy of living under the roof of a foreman,
"a position I had earned through hard work and commitment.
"As it was at my home, the mill still contained one rotten apple.
"And so, I was surrounded by my enemies.
"The witch had taught my daughter
"her womanly responsibilities in the home.
"And soon, my sweet Concettina
would be old enough to take care of all my needs."
(soft music playing)
♪ ♪
Domenico Tempesta:
(speaking Italian)
(Prosperine speaking)
(loud rumbling)
(Domenico narrating)
(dog barking)
(whimsical music playing)
(door opens)
-Domenico: What's your name? -Henry.
-Henry? -Drinkwater.
Domenico: Go!
(Domenico narrating)
(shouting in Italian)
(shouts)
Yes.
(Prosperine screaming)
Prosperine:
(shouting continues, indistinct)
(Domenico narrating)
(crying)
(floorboards creaking)
(cries softly)
Domenico: Voila!
You like?
(speaks Italian) This...
Hmm? Okay?
This.
(humming rhythmically)
-(humming continues) -(tambourine rattles rhythmically)
(humming, tambourine continue)
(Domenico narrating)
(Italian music playing on radio)
Dominick: ...poor hare-lipped girl...
(Domenico narrating)
Dominick: ...that no other man wanted.
(Domenico narrating, Dominick repeating in English)
Dominick: Concettina has Sicilian blood in her veins.
She knows how to keep her secrets.
That's it.
He, he ends right there, that's it.
(sighs)
Dr. Patel: I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm--
I'm saying it's highly improbable.
I mean, come on, doc. He says it right there.
"She knows how to keep her secrets."
Sicilian blood. All that omerta mafia bullshit.
Secrets-- it could mean anything.
It could mean Prosperine has secrets,
it could mean secret recipes.
I mean, anything.
From what you told me, yes, your grandfather,
he was a-- he was a terribly unhappy, misguided man.
Cruel, self-serving, paranoid, perhaps.
But nothing, nothing you have told me
necessarily means that he raped his daughter
and fathered you and your brother.
Okay, so I'm right back to where I started before I--
before I even began reading the goddamn thing.
-Yeah, and where is that? -I'm fucked up and fatherless.
Okay, let's just think for a moment, okay?
Let's think of this manuscript, not as a mystery
with some maddeningly inconclusive ending.
Let's think of it as a parable.
Right? Parables instruct.
One reaches the end of an allegory
and confronts the lesson that it offers,
so I'm asking you,
what does your grandfather's story teach you?
That we're doomed. I mean, come on.
How many families do you know that have so much
fucked-up shit happen to them?
Seriously.
I've lost, I've lost everything.
I lost my baby.
I lost my wife. I lost my mom.
I lost my brother.
And you think your brother's death is part of a curse.
Yeah.
Yeah. Why not?
Seems to me, Dominick, that...
you tried protecting your brother
and a terrible accident occurred.
An accident.
Yes, Dominick, an accident.
An accident that was completely out of your control.
It wasn't out of my control.
It was out of your control. You weren't even there.
Why is it so hard for you to-to-to grasp the concept of this?
The sins of the father are visited on the son.
You believe in karma, right?
-Do you believe in karma? -Mm-hmm.
So why is that any different than the concept of karma?
-Because, Dominick-- -I don't understand why you...
-...can't understand this. -Because, because sometimes,
it's so much easier to look outside of ourselves
to find explanations for our own pain,
our own failures, our own disappointments,
rather than looking inward
and taking responsibility for our actions.
-Come on. -I mean, it would be,
it would be so much easier, wouldn't it,
if luck or God or genetics or some unthinkable sin
or magical spell just made us who we are.
It would be easier, wouldn't it?
Easier than what?
Figuring out who we are on our own.
And that, in fact, we can be many things.
Rageful and kind. Strong and weak.
Terrified and sad.
Bereft but...
not afraid to go forward.
Now intentionally or not,
your grandfather has given you a very valuable gift, Dominick.
A parable of his failure, the failure of his character.
The failure of his choices because he had choices, Dominick.
You believe that a man has free choice, right?
-Well, do you? -Come on.
-Do you believe that? -What do you think?
Then you need to take this gift and you need to use it.
You need to learn from it.
You said earlier that you feel fucked up and fatherless.
Yeah, it's true.
-Is it? -Yeah.
I beg to differ.
First off, you're certainly not fatherless, Dominick.
Provided you're willing to think beyond egg and sperm.
Yes, you may never, you may never discover
the identity of your biological father,
but if one defines one's father as the male elder
who follows one's childhood to adulthood,
then your father's very much alive, isn't he?
Whatever Ray's parental shortcomings have been,
his presence in your life has been a constant.
Have you spoken to him since the reception?
No.
I think you have some work to do.
(door unlocking, opens)
Dominick: Ray?
-(closes door) -Ray.
Hey, Ray.
Hey, Ray?
Ray?
(indistinct chatter)
(chatter continues)
(indistinct chatter on TV)
(grunts)
Who are you?
Hey, Pop, it's Dominick.
How you doin'?
Ray: Who?
It's Dominick.
Connie's boy. One of the twins.
Oh, oh.
What time is the game starting?
Which game?
Football.
Football's not on, Ray.
It's, it's May. It's baseball season.
Basketball playoffs.
Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, Pop,
Pop, you gotta lay down.
What?
(shudders)
(crying)
-Dominick. -Yeah, I'm here, Pop. I'm here.
You're gonna be okay, Pop. I got this.
You're a good boy.
♪ ♪
You're a good boy, Dom.
(soft music playing)
♪ ♪
You're my...
you're my boy.
Doctor: So, your dad had a heck of a night.
He had, he had a massive heart attack.
All of the blood vessels that feed his heart
were essentially blocked.
We had to bypass five of the arteries
so that his heart muscle could get some oxygen.
You know, it was, uh, it was a pretty big heart attack.
Nurse: Okay, I'm gonna lift your head
and we're gonna switch pillows here.
Good job, don't forget to breathe.
Doctor: At this point, it's the only thing left for him.
It was the only way to really save his life
was to do this emergency bypass surgery.
Have you called my son yet?
Nurse: Once we're done with the bath,
we'll give a call to your son, okay, Mr. Birdsey?
Doctor: He's gonna need another couple days in the ICU
maybe three, and then he's gonna be a couple days on the ward.
And then he'll have to go to a subacute rehab facility,
which is a nursing home.
Alright? He'll probably be there for eight to twelve weeks.
Nurse: Just move to the edge of the bed a little bit for me, please.
Dominick: He's not gonna go for that, man.
Yeah, he's-he's gonna have to. He's gonna have to.
There's no real way for him to get back to his old life.
You know, the way he was before.
Nurse: We're gonna stand on three. One, two, three.
(groans)
Doctor: Alright? He was lucky.
A lot of people don't make it out of the other end
of this kind of heart attack.
-Dominick: Yeah, lucky. -Doctor: Right?
He lives by himself?
Yeah. Has he got a lot of stairs in the house?
There's stairs.
Yeah, that makes it harder.
That makes it a lot harder.
A tough road to hoe,
no doubt about it.
He's gonna have to put some into this himself, too.
-(coughs) -You're all right.
You know, he really needs the support of his family
to get him through this.
Alright?
Okay.
-Hey. -Dessa: Hi.
What are you doing here? Is someone sick?
Your ma? Gene?
No, I, I work here.
-Remember I told you I work the children's ward. -I'm sorry, I forgot.
What are you doing here?
(birds chirping)
So he's gonna, he's gonna be here
about another, another week or so...
until rehab.
Geez, he's gonna love that.
(laughter)
-Can you imagine? -No, I cannot imagine.
Oh, those poor people.
I know.
It's good that you're here. I mean, that's a step.
-Yeah. -Right?
Yeah, yeah.
I, uh...
I'm really, uh...
I'm sorry about, uh...
the day of the wake.
You know, I realized that I, um...
never really learned to say sorry for anything.
So, uh...
I wanna apologize to you.
I, uh...
I'm sorry about what happened.
With Angela.
I'm sorry that I...
I wasn't there.
I just wasn't there.
And I'm sorry that I wasn't there to grieve her with you.
I'm sorry that I stopped our chances of...
having a baby again.
I wasn't being malicious.
It was just that I didn't know how to do it any other way.
And I'm not saying this because I expect anything from you.
But I didn't know how to do it.
You know, I just didn't know how to do it.
And I didn't know how to listen.
And I know I blamed you for leaving.
But it was me.
It was all me.
And it was unfair of me to blame you.
And make you feel bad about it.
'Cause there was nothing else you could do, and I,
you could do, and I totally--
I totally see that and understand that.
Anyway...
(sighs)
Hey.
Thank you.
I love you, Dess.
Ray.
You have some visitors, Mr. Birdsey.
Ray.
I brought you some company.
-Hey, Dom. -Hey, you remember this kid?
Mamie Van Doren?
(chuckling)
Nurse: I'm gonna let you visit with your company.
Okay.
-Hey. -Dessa (laughing): Who's Mamie Van Doren?
-Thank you. -You don't remember her?
She had the most beautiful breasts.
Oh!
(laughs) Right.
Hi, sweetie. My little girl.
(laughing) Shut up.
What the hell happened to you?
Ray: I don't know, I...
I guess it all just caught up with me.
I knew nothing about it, then I ran into that guy.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
Where'd you run into him?
-In the elevator. -Dominick: She works here.
You...
-you work here? -I just volunteer.
I'm in the children's ward.
-Ray: Well, I'll come down and visit. -You don't move.
-You shouldn't move. -Ray: No, I gotta--
Dessa: You're not allowed to leave this room, oh, no.
Ray: I, I have to get up and... move.
He'll roll me down.
Dessa (laughing): Oh, God!
Man (singing): ♪ When you're weary ♪
♪ And feeling small ♪
♪ When tears are in your eyes ♪
♪ I will dry them all ♪
♪ I'm on your side ♪
♪ Oh, when times get rough ♪
♪ And friends just can't be found ♪
♪ Well, like a bridge over... ♪
Would you take me to my room?
♪ I will lay me down ♪
Nurse: All right, take long steps, Ray.
If I was a horse, they'd shoot me.
(scoffs) You're doing fine.
You got this, keep going.
(soft music playing)
♪ ♪
(indistinct chatter)
Your mother used to give me the best shaves.
I never seen her do that.
What, you think you knew everything about us?
No, I just...
I just didn't know you did that stuff together.
Well, we did lots of stuff together
that you didn't know about.
She was a little shy, maybe.
But that didn't bother me.
She made a mistake, that's all.
Anyone can make a mistake.
What, you think I was an angel in the Navy?
(chuckles)
Plus, I got a kick out of you kids.
"Double trouble."
That's what I used to call both of you.
Did she ever...
did she ever tell you, Ray...
who our father was?
We never talked about stuff like that.
It was all water under the bridge.
We just let the past lie, her and I.
Hm.
Yeah.
(jazz music playing)
♪ ♪
I may not live to be as long as I would have liked to.
(laughter)
But a good life is more important than just living a long time.
You're being really brave about it, though, Wilbur.
Yeah, I am pretty brave.
(laughter)
But it's just one of the many things
I've learned from being your friend, Charlotte.
(audience applauds)
He did alright. He did a good job.
(cheers and applause)
If I were you, I'd hold on to your day job.
-Oh, come on. -Oh.
-He was laughing his ass off. -You liked it.
You didn't like it at all?
-You were good. -Thank you.
You were good.
Dominick: I bet it's gonna feel good going home.
Right?
You can watch TV past 9:00.
No more 5:00 dinners.
You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.
Food's not bad.
They do a good job with it.
Reminds me of your mother's cooking.
It's nice to have three hot meals a day.
Beats doing dishes, I can tell you that.
And I do not miss those stairs either.
Yeah, I'll get you one of those little electric chairs
that whisks you up the stairs.
(laughs)
No. I don't need that, no thanks.
I don't know, I kinda like it here.
Come on.
What, they up your meds?
You're talkin' crazy now.
You wanna take it?
Take what?
The house.
Your mom would have wanted it that way.
Come on, Ray.
It's your house. She'd want you to live there.
-Your grandfather probably would have wanted you to have it too. -I don't know, Ray.
What's there to know?
Just too many memories, Ray.
Well...
I guess we could sell it then.
Yeah, I mean, sure, it'll help out with your bills here.
No.
I'm not gonna be around that much longer anyway.
There's something, um...
I've been thinking about that's been bothering me.
You remember a conversation that we had
a couple weeks ago about your father?
How I said she never told me who he was?
She made me promise not to say anything.
She told me a couple of months before she passed away.
I, I didn't know...
anything until then.
I was as much in the dark as you were.
When she got sick, I guess it weighed on her.
So she told me.
Made me promise not to say anything.
I guess she was scared
or ashamed...
Of course, nowadays, people have babies
out of wedlock all the time,
all different colors of the rainbow, too,
but it was different back then.
For Italians, especially.
A lot of them, I mean, they were...
prejudiced as hell when it came to the coloreds and Mexicans.
Indians, too. Anyone who was darker than them.
Her father, for instance...
he would have murdered her if he knew.
Knew what, Ray?
She told me she was always worried
about you two finding out.
I mean, not so much your brother, but you.
She, she thought that you would hate her for it,
or hate yourself.
But it's different now, so you...
Dom, you have a right to know.
His name was Henry.
He was killed over in Korea.
He never even knew you two existed,
according to your mother.
She must have really loved him.
I knew it by the way she talked about it.
Of course, the funny thing is...
your grandfather knew your father's father.
I guess they worked together at the mill.
-Henry what? -Hm?
What was his last name?
Drinkwater.
(soft music playing)
♪ ♪
(knocking)
Hey, how you doin', Ralph?
I stopped over at Hatch to see if I could track you down there.
They said you weren't working anymore.
You're here.
-What can I do for you? -(clears throat)
(scoffs)
Yeah, I found something out this afternoon.
Ralph: What's that?
Henry Drinkwater was my father.
This afternoon?
What do you mean you just found out this afternoon?
My stepfather just told me a couple hours ago.
Did, did you know that?
I've always known we were cousins.
I thought you'd known all along too.
Thought you wanted it kept secret.
No, man, I didn't know. I just found out.
That's funny.
Now that the casinos have opened up,
everyone's got the scent of money.
You wouldn't believe how many cousins I got.
I don't give a shit about your money, man.
I just want to figure out who the fuck I am, really.
(scoffs)
I hated you and your brother
when the four of us were at school.
I hated the way everyone always lumped us together.
Two sets of twins.
One Indian.
The other one white.
And therefore, better.
When my sister died,
that day when you read that speech about her
at the tree ceremony.
I wanted to kill you that day.
First time I ran across the word "hypocrite"...
I immediately thought of you.
So, why'd you help us, Ralph?
Because we're connected.
Whether I like you or not.
♪ ♪
Thanks, Ralph.
Maybe I could stop by and see you again sometime.
Thanks.
♪ ♪
Dominick: I'm not a smart man, particularly.
But one day, at long last,
I stumbled from the dark woods of my own,
and my family's, and my country's past,
holding in my hands these truths.
That love grows from forgiveness.
That from destruction comes renovation.
That the evidence of God exists
in our connections to one another.
This much, at least, I've figured out.
I know this much is true.
(elevator dings)
♪ ♪
(inaudible dialogue)
♪ ♪