You don't have to.. You don't have to stay here, Linda.
I don't know what you want from me!
I'm not your mum, Meg!
Back then when I met you,
and you made me believe that you gave a shit about me.
I was just a stupid little girl and I made it all up in my head.
Your real name's Tammy, right?
If you want to come, you have to come now.
Come on! Come on! Get in the car!
Stop! Argh!
[explosion]
[Meg laughing]
[bird cawing]
[relaxed music playing]
-[Suzie] Are you still cold?
Oh, you know.
It's worth it.
Ah, thank you.
I suppose everyone has a last swim,
it's just not everyone knows that it is.
[chuckles]
-[Suzie] Mm.
Is there anything I can help with?
-[Jen] No, no, no. I'm just going to go through the photos.
I'm going to see if I can sort them out.
[sighs]
Why don't you go and have a drink with the boys?
-Give me a shout if you need me. -Mm.
-Have one for me. -[Suzie chuckles]
Ha.
[suspenseful music playing]
-[Meg] OK, slow down.
If you don't kill us,
we should get to Gungardie at, like, midnight.
We'll drop Tammy off. -Thank you.
And then it's like, what, four hours to Cairns?
We'll get there before the airport opens. What time does Billie land?
Um, it's lunch time, 12:25. But I...
OK, yeah, we can do this.
We can do this, Lucky.
[foreign pop music plays from phone]
What is this song?
-I don't know. Why is it... -I don't know.
We just got reception and it played.
That song is not on my phone.
-It just played. -It's not on my phone.
Oh, no. You actually love this song.
This song is probably your favourite song on Spotify.
Oh.
-What? -Oh, fuck!
What?
Um...
Gregory James Proven.
Also has a fucking ugly boomer case.
Sorry.
I didn't look. -It doesn't matter.
-[Meg] I just picked up one with a brown case.
It doesn't matter. We weren't going to make it anyway.
Yes, we are. We have to.
How?
God knows if there's a flight that will get us to Sydney in time,
and even if there was,
we don't have any money to buy tickets.
And even if we did,
they're not going to put her on the flight, Meg.
Are you fucking kidding me?
I'm just being realistic.
No, you're not. You're being you!
You're thinking of all the reasons to avoid showing up for her.
What's Toby's number?
Um, it's 3-4-1-1-8.
I can't remember.
Suzie's?
Literally, the only two numbers I know off by heart
are Niko's Pizza
and the landline at Mum's house.
OK, well, what is it?
-[singing] ♪ One, three, one, double eight ♪
♪ It's Niko's
[with foreign accent] ♪ Niko's
[normal voice] ♪ Pizza.
They sold that place.
When?
Um...
A coupla years ago.
Mm. This feels like a birthday card.
Forwarded from our old place.
Nice of them to sit on it for six months.
[handbrake grinds]
-[Tammy] Oh! Oh! Oh!
-[Tammy] Oh, Geert, I'm so sorry.
[Geert and Tammy speaking Dutch]
[kissing]
Thank you,
for returning my little poofer-jacket home to me.
And I am so sorry
that I left you with that crazy harpoengeweermens!
Ah, that's OK. we would... I would have done the same.
-[Geert] I felt so bad, I ironed.
-Hmm? -I'm sorry, what?
-[Geert] I felt so guilty, that I washed and ironed everything.
Oh, god. Yeah, he loves ironing.
He even irons his onderbroek. It's fucking weird.
-[Geert] Oh, here you go.
-Thank you. -That's amazing. Thank you.
Also...
The Puffy pofertjes mutsfor you.
And een woolen mutsfor you.
Yeah, OK.
-[overlapping chatter]
-[Tammy] Bye. Bedankt!Bye, bye.
-[Meg] Bye!
OK, so there is a flight that leaves Cairns at 6am.
It's 1am now, so if we average a hundred, we should be able...
I know you're going to say I'm being negative or obstructive, or...
-[Meg] Whinging. Annoying,
...but I can't positive think my credit card into Gregory Proven's wallet.
So, there's no way we can...
What? Where did you...
Oh, you'll pay me back. That's all good.
Hold on...
you told me that...
I know!
The whole thing was you said you had no money.
-I know. I lied. -That was the whole...
It's for emergencies only,
and I knew that you wouldn't come with me otherwise.
You wouldn't have. -I would have!
-No. -I definitely would have...
if you had just told me.
[Lucky sighs]
I did miss you...
a lot.
But even saying that now, sounds fucking weird, right?
Because...
you were this little kid, and I was...
me.
And we had this utterly bonkers...
almost unbelievable time together.
And then my mum died and...
and then you were gone.
And...
I went back to Sydney...
and it felt like the whole thing...
was a dream or something.
So many times, I almost called you.
I...
But I didn't know if you wanted me to and I didn't know what I would say.
And so, I just...
didn't.
I'm such a dick.
-[Meg chuckles]
I'm such a dick.
And also, I think...
I think I thought that maybe...
the reason I wanted you in my life so much...
was that I couldn't have my own kid.
Maybe.
Well, if you, um...
if you want your kid in your life, there's one thing you gotta do, Lachlan.
Fucking drive faster.
-['Guns' by Moody Beaches playing]
♪ Everybody has a fear in their eye ♪
♪ Everybody's waiting patiently ♪
♪ Everybody lies awake 'til midnight ♪
♪ Everybody wants to bound to sleep ♪
♪ I can't get to sleep, when my mind ♪
♪ My mind's racing constantly
♪ I can't watch the new...
-Butt for ensuite except for sink! -Oh my fucking God!
-Butt for ensuite except for sink!
Are you having a stroke? What's going on?
No. Toby's number.
We used to do these stupid mnemonic things.
We thought it was hilarious
that the mnemonic was harder to remember than the actual number.
Butt for ensuite except for sink.
'Butt' is always 'three', because threes look like butts.
'For' is 'four'.
'Ensuite' is 'onze-huit', French eleven, eight.
I'm still not convinced
you're not literally having a stroke right now.
'Ex-cept'. X is ten in Roman numerals, 'Sept' is 'seven'.
Except for sink. Four, 'Cinq' is French for 'five'.
Yeah, I'm guessing you were popular in high school?
Mine was "Oh for Juan's heaven-sent mutual blowjob tree".
[recorded voice] Hi, this is Toby. I can't take your call.
Leave a message. -Nice.
His phone's off.
Toby never has his phone off.
It's OK. I've made up time. We're going to make it.
You won't want to miss that turnoff then.
-['Head Talk' by Sophisticated Dingo playing]
-[Meg] Lucky, come on.
We're boarding in five minutes. -I'm coming. I'm coming.
Come on.
What's wrong?
-What? Oh! -[Meg retches]
Disgusting.
-[Meg continues retching] -Really?
You done? -Yep.
-Are you sure? -Yep, let's go.
♪ Was he really made to be alone? ♪
♪ I don't think I've ever known ♪
♪ And the way that I've...
She'll be there.
What if she isn't?
What if her flight lands early? What if we miss her?
What if the plane crashes?
[flight attendant clears his throat]
What if they decide I can't see her anymore?
No, they wouldn't do that.
Why not?
Oh.
You guys are such muppets. You should have told her ages ago.
Hey, kids hate being lied to.
Everyone should just tell the truth, even if it sucks.
You didn't tell Linda about Matty.
Would have killed her.
-[man announcing of p.a.] Flight crew, please prepare the cabin for landing.
['Guns' by Moody Beaches playing]
Sorry.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
It's landed.
23A. 23A. Where the fuck?
It's not this terminal!
-What? Fuck! -Come on!
['Guns' by Moody Beaches playing]
Come on, Lucky!
[panting]
[wondrous music playing]
They probably put kids in the back. Right?
[Meg speaks indistinctly]
Lucky...
[pensive music playing]
[distant dog barking]
This'll probably get a bit...
I mean, she'll be angry, understandably.
[door opens]
-[Avery] [sighs] Oh, god!
Thank god you're OK.
Hey, Meg.
-Hi. -Come on.
What's wrong? What's happened?
What's happened to you?
Hi, Meg.
-Hi. -What's happened? Why's everyone--
We called the cops, mate. We didn't know what had happened to you.
You went missing, Lucky. It's been three days.
What? No. We've just been...
-[Andy] I told them you'd be alright with Meg.
-[Toby] Last thing we heard you were drunk in a motel in far north Queensland,
then nothing.
All we had were pictures of bananas.
Just bananas! And then three days of silence!
I tried. Honestly, I tried to let you know...
We took the bloody red-eye, mate. We haven't slept for 72 hours!
We knew how much Billie coming meant to you.
Of course, and I promised I would be at the airport
and I was at the airport at 12:25...
We couldn't understand why you just disappeared.
So, we didn't know what had happened.
I said that Meg wasn't gonna get you into any trouble but she...
They took our phones off us and then we stole one back, and it was--
I thought you hurt yourself!
Wah! Fuck! - No, I wouldn't...
I would never...
Righto. Looks like we found our missing persons.
-[Lucky] Thanks.
Thanks for the tea. Lovely.
-[Avery] Yeah, any time.
[door opens]
-[door closes] -[Lucky sighs]
Hi, Bee.
Hey.
I was there.
-[Toby scoffs] -I was there.
I knew you'd be.
-[Avery] Well, I think I'm going get myself a little, um, G&T.
Anyone else? -Yes, please.
-Ah, beer. -Andy?
Ah, no. I'm good thanks.
OK. Meg?
No, I'm pregnant. So...
-[Meg] No, no!
Dad! Dad, stop! Stop!
Ew!
-[Lucky] Ow!
-[Meg] What the fuck, Dad?
[Lucky groans]
Mid-strength for me. If ya got one.
-[Avery] Yeah, great. -[Andy] Thanks.
Jackson? Kel's boy?
Eww, no. That's Jayden.
He's like, fourteen. Jaxon. With an X?
Plays second row for the Gunners?
Oh. Jaxon.
-Mm-hm. -Right.
Well...
He's a nice bloke, I suppose.
-[Billie] Hey, Andy.
Oh!
Nice.
Second row. Geez.
And, um...
that's why you wanted...
That's why you wanted to find her? Linda?
'Cause you...
You felt like you couldn't talk to me about... being...
Nah.
I dunno. A bit.
I was going to tell her about Matty...
but I didn't in the end.
Feel a bit bad about body-slamming ol' mate.
[both chuckling]
I wasn't thinkin'.
Oh, that's the least of his worries.
[both chuckling]
-How? -The old-fashioned way.
Jesus.
It was one night. A very drunk one.
We've been together for 18 months, and all I ever wanted...
All I ever asked of you was not to lie to me
like the last arsehole. And now...
Avery, Billie doesn't even know.
You have a daughter!
She's not really my daughter.
-[Toby] Yes, she is.
Billie is your daughter.
But, this relationship that you have with her,
These pissed phone calls and, y'know, making big plans
and then just disappearing off the face of the earth...
this dysfunction...
It just can't go on. -No, Tobes.
It's hurting her and it's hurting us.
Suze, please. I'll be better.
I need to be able to see--
And it's hurting you.
No, it's not hurting... I'm fine.
So, we've decided that we need to tell her.
She needs to know the truth.
What?
No hold on.
If we wait any longer, it's just going to get worse for everyone.
-[Lucky] No, no. You can't tell her.
I mean, she'll hate me.
I mean, can you imagine being 12 and finding out that I'm your...
She's never going to want to see me again.
I'm the one with something to lose here. How are you still making this about you?
It's not what I mean... I just...
I need to get my shit together.
Why don't we wait one more year? -[Toby scoffs]
Six months? And then we can tell... -[Toby shushing]
-[Suzie] Guys, guys, guys, guys.
-[Meg] We're back.
Yeah.
Pizza's here. So...
[door closes]
Well, this is really good.
[everyone murmuring agreement] -Yeah, it's nice.
-Delicious. -Not too bad.
-[Suzie] You're not hungry, Bill?
I'm alright.
[places glass on table]
[Avery begins collecting plates]
-[Toby] Thank you.
[plates clattering softly]
Are you sure you don't want a bit more?
It's your last chance.
Andy, you don't happen to have a...
[softly] cigarette?
[crockery clinking and clattering]
[plates continue clattering softly]
Um, Billie...
We've got, um... We've got a little surprise for you.
Um... There's something that we want to talk to you about.
But Billie... what's going on?
Oh, baby. You're just tired.
It's been a huge couple of days.
Suzie, do you want me to see if she's OK?
-[Suzie] Oh, no, Meg. It's... It's fine. She's just shattered.
We'll give her a few minutes.
Oh, hey, baby.
I've had this for ages. I don't want you to be mad.
Sweetheart, what...
I got a letter from Gran for my birthday.
-[Suzie] What? What do you mean, darling?
"Dear, Billie.
I'm sitting on the verandah in this bloody wheelchair
because I've decided I need to tell you something when you're a bit older...
but I'm on my last legs, as they say,
so I'm going to have to put it in a letter..."
I'm sorry.
I wish I was there with you...
I wish I werethere with you. Oh Jesus, chemo brain.
Your dad and your uncle are good men.
They're just...
not very grown-up in a way.
I think what happened
is that their Dad died at the worst possible time for boys.
They were just too young.
And I thought my job was to...
"keep smiling through", as the song goes.
So, that's what I did.
I smiled and smiled and I tried to show them how to be strong.
"But I realise now that what I needed to do was show them how to be weak.
I taught them to avoid difficult feelings,
instead of just having them.
Anyway, what happened was..."
-[Jen] They both fell in love with the same girl, didn't they?
I don't blame them.
Your mum is one of life's true gifts.
[inaudible background chatter]
And I think Suzie truly loved ...
loves both of them...
in different ways.
But because she was with...Toby...
Lachie had to squash his feelings down...
so he didn't hurt anyone.
"My Lachie is forever trying not to hurt anyone,
and he thinks he can do that by taking himself away from people,
which of course means he hurts everyone".
"The women in our family have always been strong.
But in my experience, that's normal."
Women are stronger, generally, I think.
We're not at moving pot plants, but...
at facing truth.
Goodness.
Men have built entire societies, entire religions around avoiding truths.
Which is to say that if everything goes to plan
and you are twelve now...
"I'm sure you'll be strong enough to handle this letter".
[paper rustling]
"I'm sure you'll be strong enough to handle this letter.
I want you to know, if you haven't already figured it out...
that Uncle Lucky is your biological father".
Oh, Jesus, Mum.
"And he loves you more than he's ever been able to say.
Not being able to properly be in your life has broken his heart.
And his brain, I think, sometimes.
And your Dad and Mum love you so, so much.
You are their miracle, because, as you know,
they weren't able to have another baby."
-[Jen] Who knows?
Maybe those silly boys have pulled themselves together by now.
And maybe this is all just old news to you.
"But if I know them, they'll still be avoiding it,
and dragging poor Suze into it,
and gnashing their teeth and making a big hoo-haa".
-[Jen] Anyway...
This is the ghost of your old gran saying...
"Enough's enough".
Ah, I'm very tired.
and I think Meg's fingers are about to drop off.
-[Meg] I'm fine.
[keyboard clacking]
-[Jen] I'm going to ask her to print this off...
and send it to you on your twelfth birthday.
Remember to write and thank her.
I miss you.
Never ever forget...
how loved you are.
Gran.
[Lucky sniffing]
[Lucky sniffing and sobbing softly]
What?
[Billie and Toby chuckling]
[Lucky chuckles]
-['I'll Take Lonely Tonight' by Tim Minchin playing]
-[Duncan chuckles]
-['I'll Take Lonely Tonight' by Tim Minchin continues]
[audience cheering]
-[Lucky] Thank you, guys.
It's my band. My band.
[cheering dies down]
I've had a great night tonight, thank you.
It's the first gig I've ever done completely sober,
as far as I can remember.
I think I became a musician
because it's the only job you're allowed to do drunk,
so it's weird doing one stone-cold.
It's really a nice feeling, actually.
When we were little kids,
my brother and I used to have loads of jigsaw puzzles.
But every now and then a piece would go missing, as they do,
and I fucking hated that!
I did not cope...
I do not cope well with unresolved things.
So, my dad would get his little hand-held jigsaw,
and cut out a bit of plywood or Masonite or whatever
in the shape of the missing piece.
And then we'd paint it, you know, a tree branch or a cow's ear.
Pluto.
[soft chuckles from audience]
And it wasn't perfect, but they were our favourite bits.
Weren't they?
-[Toby chuckles]
And then you grow up and you realise that your whole life,
the whole fucking thing is a puzzle, and there are missing pieces.
Sometimes really important pieces
that have, y'know, been sucked up by the cosmic vacuum cleaner
or fallen down the cracks between the floorboards of fate.
[soft chuckles from audience]
I'm a slow learner.
I've been letting the missing pieces...
drive me nuts.
But...the things I need to fill those gaps,
they're all around me.
And those bits of your life that don't come with the box?
That don't quite match the picture?
They're just...
the best.
-[audience member] Woo!
So, I have one more song. -[scattered applause and cheering]
Ah, I actually co-wrote this,
and you won't have heard it 'cause it's never been performed before.
Please welcome to the stage, Billie Flynn.
-[audience cheering]
-[cheering dies away]
[people murmuring]
[murmuring continues]
[whispering] My hands... They're all shaky.
[whispering] That's OK. They'll settle down.
-[Billie] [whispering] They're all slippery.
Can I just sing?
[whispering] Yeah, of course. Definitely. That's what dad's are for, right?
Sorry, just give us a second.
My brother, Toby Flynn.
-[audience cheering]
-[Meg] Go, Billie!
-[Lucky] [whispering] Three, four.
[Billie singing] ♪ If I had the blueprint or the brain ♪
♪ I would build an aeroplane
♪ I'd fashion wings of balsa wood and glue ♪
♪ And I would fly to you
♪ I'd carve a prop from old recycled would-haves ♪
♪ All these relentless could-haves ♪
♪ These pointless might-have-beens ♪
♪ Oh the storms that I would gladly battle through ♪
♪ So, I could fly to you
-[Lucky] ♪ Had I the method or the means ♪
♪ I would build a time machine
-[Billie and Lucky] ♪ I'd make it from the scraps you always find ♪
-[Lucky] ♪ When someone leaves their broken dreams behind ♪
-[Lucky and Billie] ♪ And I'd fuel it ♪
♪ With the beats that my heart misses ♪
♪ When you sign your name with kisses ♪
♪ Made of x's when you text me
♪ It's so silly, but
♪ Any fuel and any fire will do ♪
♪ I will fly to you
♪ And I'd carve a prop from old recycled would-haves ♪
♪ All these relentless could-haves ♪
♪ These pointless might-have-beens ♪
-[Lucky] ♪ Oh the storms
♪ That I would gladly battle through ♪
-[Lucky and Billie] ♪ So, I could fly to you.