Nights in Rodanthe (2008) Movie Script
[ALARM CLOCK BEEPING]
ADRIENNE:
Amanda!
[HEAVY METAL MUSIC
PLAYING LOUDLY]
Amanda, turn that down!
Jeez.
Danny, are you still on that thing?
We've gotta go, honey.
We gotta get rolling here.
Did your sister come in here
to help you with anything?
Uh-huh.
Your father's gonna be here
in five minutes.
Please get motivated. Get dressed.
Amanda. Amanda?
[HEAVY METAL MUSIC
PLAYING LOUDLY ON STEREO]
-I can't even hear myself think in here.
-What?
[MUSIC STOPS]
How can I help you...
...get ready to leave this house
in time for your father if you won't help?
You can do it, Mom. I believe in you.
I have a ferry to catch
and I've only got two hands.
-Count them: one, two.
-She can count too.
That's enough, smart mouth.
What is that on your stomach?
Go wash it off.
-Are these clean?
ADRIENNE: No.
Actually, I can't wash it off,
because it's a real tattoo.
-What?
-Whoa.
You got a tattoo
without asking permission?
-Wait till Dad sees.
-You're an idiot.
-Please!
DANNY: No, you are!
-You are!
-Out!
-Get out of my room!
DANNY: Stupid idiot!
[SIGHS]
[CHUCKLES]
I don't wanna go with Dad.
Oh, honey...
It's Orlando, Dan.
There's lots to do, it'll be fun.
No, it won't.
Okay, so it won't.
But you know what, we'll talk every day.
Okay.
You're being so brave.
Mm.
Amanda, your father's here.
You better cover that thing up...
...unless you wanna deal
with your father.
You look tired.
Yeah. I'm sure I do.
-Who wants to have some fun around here?
AMANDA: Daddy.
JACK:
Ah. Oh.
-Go on.
DANNY: Come on. How you doing?
Come on, give me a big hug. Ade.
Jack.
-Danny's medicine's in his backpack.
JACK: He takes them every night.
-She's got a report due.
-On Magellan. Yeah, she and I talked.
Look, Ade, between you and me,
we got it covered.
I've gotta get on the road.
Shouldn't you be leaving?
-Sit down.
-I've got a ferry to catch.
-For a minute, please.
-Ahem.
Yeah?
I wanna come home.
What?
I don't know how I could have
been so stupid.
I know any chance
that you could forgive me...
-Forgive you?
-... is out the window.
-Only-
-Only what?
I want a chance.
I'm not saying that I deserve it.
-Jack, I can't. Please.
-I'll try like anything.
Adrienne. I love you.
I love you so much.
I know what I've lost here...
...and I'll do anything in my power
to get it back.
Jack, you can't just walk in here
and do this to me out of the blue.
Because it didn't work out
with what's-her-name?
We ought to be together.
Now, Adrienne, you know that.
All you've gotta do is look at the children.
-Come on. Come to Orlando with us.
-What?
We'll put the kids on the dumb rides.
It'll give us time to be alone.
Oh, Jack, I can't, I can't.
I told Jean that I would help her,
you know.
-I'm going to do what I said I would do.
-Okay. Okay. Okay.
When I get back, we'll talk?
Yeah, okay.
We'll talk when you get back.
Jack, okay, we'll talk then.
Hey, guys.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
AGENT: Oh, Dr. Flanner.
I thought we'd missed you.
No, I-
Tell them I hope they're happy here.
JEAN: You remember where I keep
the extra towels?
I know where everything is. I'll be fine.
JEAN: You have to wait for the hot water
to burble up.
You reminded me twice.
And I got an emergency generator...
...in case the storm turns into anything
and you lose power.
It's never been turned on before,
so I wouldn't count on it.
If it gets stuck, kick it hard.
And that goes for most things around here.
Jack wants to come back.
Uh-huh. I wouldn't worry
about the storm, though.
Weatherman's always predicting this,
predicting that.
-What do you think?
-I'm not gonna say...
...because if I do and you say
you're gonna let him come back to you...
You gonna let him come back?
I don't know.
Uh-huh.
The storm boards
are underneath the house.
I'll figure it all out.
If they issue a warning,
just get out of here.
This place has been through
so many hurricanes...
...I wouldn't even worry about it.
Won't feel a thing.
So, what happened?
Jack get tired of that Miss Flip-Curl
he was reptiling around with?
Your best friend?
She was not my friend.
She was in my car pool.
You're my best friend.
Don't play me.
[JEAN CHUCKLES]
What? The kids want things
back to normal, you know?
Doing it for the children?
Which reminds me...
...when are you gonna send me
Miss Amanda so I can out-attitude her...
...and send her home right?
[CHUCKLES]
I wish you would. I wish you would.
Where was that man? Hmm?
Where was Jack when your father died?
Your father,
who was so good to him too.
[SIGHS]
Anyway...
When do the guests arrive?
Guest, meaning one. Tonight.
I thought about
closing this place down...
...but when a man calls from Raleigh
and he offers to pay double the price...
...as my grandmama used to say,
"Count your blessings, keep on stepping. "
Which is exactly what you need to do
when it comes to Reptile Jack.
You should have married that hippie potter
with the great ass back in school.
Hell, I should have married
the hippie potter with the great ass.
-Love you.
-Be safe.
Have fun for the both of us.
Have fun yourself.
[SIGHS]
Hello?
[BELL RINGS]
Anybody here?
Hello?
Oh.
Ah, you must be Mr. Flanner.
Yeah. Yeah, I am.
Ah. The wind just came up.
Ah.
Let's get you signed in.
You must have taken the 3:30 ferry.
You're early.
Yeah. Yeah, I did.
Four nights, leaving Tuesday?
Pretty early. I've got a flight to catch.
If you don't mind signing this, please.
Yeah, you may have heard some talk
about bad weather. Um...
Radio said only 50-percent chance-
Yeah, I heard something about that.
It doesn't matter.
People come here even in winter
for the beach, you know.
It doesn't matter.
Oh, if you don't mind,
please fill out the home address.
-Jean always asks for home address.
-I thought you were Jean.
Oh, Jean and I are old friends.
She had to work in Miami,
so I'm standing in for her.
Look, I'm gonna leave this home address
blank, if you don't mind.
Okay.
Okay.
-Sorry.
-It's all right.
It's called the Blue Room.
Oh, the hot water,
you may have to give it a little time...
...to burble up at you.
If you need any extra blankets, towels,
anything, don't hesitate to ask.
After all, you are the only guest.
If you're lucky, you'll see bankers.
That's the wild ponies
that were descendents of the horses...
...that were shipwrecked here hundreds
of years ago. They swam miles to shore.
Well, uh, dinner's at 8.
Or 7, 7:30 if you'd prefer.
Whatever time you'd like because-
I'm the only guest. Seven-thirty's great.
Yes.
-Can I get you anything else?
-No, I think I've got everything.
ADRIENNE:
Okay.
["MAMA, HE TREATS YOUR DAUGHTER
MEAN" PLAYING ON RADIO]
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, Jean.
[JAZZ PLAYING ON RADIO
AND ADRIENNE HUMMING]
MAN [ON RADIO]: Tightly lock and secure
doors and windows...
... and bring all deck furniture,
anything which may be blown away, inside.
WOMAN [ON RADIO]:
And now for those listeners...
... not familiar with the region
the Outer Banks.
MAN: They are a strip of islands
which run along the Carolina coastline...
PAUL: I don't know. I don't care.
I just want it there. I want it.
I want the equipment there when I arrive.
That's the whole point...
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]
WOMAN [ON RADIO]:
You're listening to WROH...
... the music of Rodanthe,
where yesterday lives today.
Unless you'd prefer white?
No, no, red is fine. Red is good.
-I'll come back with your salad.
-Okay.
[DINAH WASHINGTON'S
"BACKWATER BLUES" PLAYING]
Dinah, Dinah Washington. She's so great.
Something wrong with your table?
Absolutely not.
Didn't wanna eat alone.
Oh.
Okay.
[SIGHS]
-Here's your salad.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm hungry.
It's probably the air.
-What?
-Makes you hungry.
I've been coming here for years
with my husband, Jack, and the kids.
But just the kids, lately.
Yeah, well,
I never got home for dinner either.
Oh, Jack made it home
for dinner, all right.
When he, uh...
-When he was there.
-Thank you.
We, um...
We might be getting back together.
I'm sorry, I just- It's weird not knowing
if you're married or not.
It's all right. I don't know where I live.
Well, you didn't come here for the beach.
No, I came here to talk to somebody.
-More wine?
-Yeah, sure.
Oh, can I...?
-You're not having any?
-No.
Well, why not?
So if you're not Jean, who are you?
[LAUGHS]
I'm sorry, I'm Adrienne Willis.
-Adrienne.
-Adrienne Taylor.
I was Adrienne Taylor, and...
Adrienne.
[CLEARS THRO AT]
Well, uh, do you have kids?
Yeah. Yeah, I have a son.
He's a doctor.
-Really?
-Yeah.
Well, you must have done
something right.
Yeah, well, not me, my wife.
Ex-wife.
I can't take any credit.
Oh, that's great. Thank you.
-What is that?
-That glow?
-Yeah.
-It's called Teach's Light.
Captain Teach, the pirate, swore he'd put
his enemies to an everlasting fire.
That glow's supposed to be
their bodies burning.
It's not considered a good omen.
Thanks for warning me.
It's from a folktale
my dad used to tell me.
He loved telling stories.
And he had a beautiful eye.
It's because of him
that I went to art school.
-So you're an artist.
-I used to be.
Yeah.
He died a few months ago.
I'm sorry.
That's just been my year, you know.
Dad died and...
...my husband...
...and my daughter decided
she hated me.
I don't know why I thought
things were gonna get easier.
Yeah, we all did.
I think I'm gonna go in now.
-I think I'll go for a walk.
-Okay.
-Good night.
-Night.
[PIPES CREAKING]
Danny still up?
I told him that we'd talk every night.
Aw. Well, don't wake him.
Did he do his inhaler before he fell asleep?
Jack, I told you.
You're gonna have to go in there,
wake him up and give him his medicine.
[PIPES RUMBLING]
Yes, I have been thinking about it.
Of course I've been thinking about it.
I'm not ready to talk about it.
Jack, please, let's have that conversation
when I get back, like I said.
Can I just say good night to Amanda?
Okay. Okay. Hold on.
[MOUTHS]
No. No.
Ade, she's out, iPod on and everything.
She's asleep.
Really?
Well, let Miss Amanda know
that I know she's not asleep...
...and that I love her very, very much.
Ade, I love you.
I love you.
Let's just say good night. Okay?
Good night.
[SPEAKING QUIETLY IN SPANISH]
MAN:
Dad.
What happened? Are you okay?
We're doctors,
we can't control everything all the time.
I'm asking if you're all right.
This is my last surgery.
I don't have time for this.
Look after yourself.
Jen, I'm...
Look, your mother and I,
we're worried about you.
We just wanna make sure
that you're safe.
Since when?
Since when is it my mother and you?
Since when is it "we"?
All right. Okay.
That's not why I'm here, Mark.
Why the hell are you here?
Mark.
-Any problems with the anesthesia?
WOMAN: No problems.
-Absolutely none? You sure?
WOMAN: Yes.
-Miles Davis again, Dr. Flanner?
-Bach today. Bach.
[EKG BEEPING RAPIDLY]
WOMAN: Charge.
MAN: Charging.
Talk to me! Come on, now!
Three, four, five, six...
...seven, eight, nine, 10, 11...
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
Coffee's ready. Can I make you something
for breakfast?
Um, maybe later, I gotta go into town.
CHARLIE: You looking for someone?
-Yeah. This Robert Torrelson's house?
Yeah, that's my father.
You with the bank?
No, I'm Paul Flanner. Is he in?
What the hell do you want coming here?
Your father wrote me a letter,
said he wanted to talk.
-Get back in your car and go.
-I told you, he wrote me.
And I told you to leave.
Nobody here has nothing to say to you.
What do you think...
...that you can just show up,
talk your way out of it?
Now get.
I'm staying at the inn.
Let him know that.
-I ain't telling you again.
-Let him know.
Son of a bitch.
ADRIENNE: What happened?
-Where are you taking these?
To the top of the stairs.
They're for the windows.
Well, I can do this.
PAUL:
I got it.
-You sure?
-Yep.
[YELLS]
Damn!
It's all right.
Here, let me do it. I've got gloves on.
-I can-
-Let me do this.
Okay.
I should go into town
and get some supplies.
[MEN CHEER]
MAN: Bye.
DOT: All right, y'all take care.
-Adrienne.
-Dot.
-Adrienne Willis.
-How are you?
Half out of my mind, that's how I am.
Getting folks stocked up
in case the storm blows in.
You'd better get ready
because it's gonna hit hard.
They say it's a-coming and it don't.
They say it ain't and it does.
I'm not used to seeing you
so late in the year.
-I'm looking after things for Jean.
-You've still got guests at the inn?
Look out, because it's gonna happen.
I know exactly how many cold Buds
I got back there.
[MEN CHEERING]
Hey, Dot, do you hear anything
about this family, the Torrelsons?
Well, there's only Robert
and their son Charlie left.
You know what happened to poor Jill.
I heard something.
They saved all their pennies
for some famous doctor from Raleigh.
I told her not to do it, I warned her.
God rest her soul.
You want some candles.
Yeah, look, I wanna get out of here now.
Yeah. As soon as I can.
Call me back.
So you're leaving early?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to.
I'm thinking about it.
Look, I'm sorry
I was a little spun out before.
Does it have anything to do
with the Torrelsons?
I'm sorry, it's a small town.
What exactly did you hear?
Look, you don't owe me any explanation.
No, I don't. What did you hear?
Huh?
You wanna hear the truth?
Mrs. Torrelson came to me
with a hemangioma.
A cyst on her left cheek.
Benign, but substantial.
It was disfiguring, that was all.
It wasn't life-threatening.
I have removed cysts this bad and worse,
much worse, hundreds of times.
Nothing's ever gone wrong.
She died on the table.
The husband...
...he filed a suit for wrongful death.
And then he wrote me a note
and he said he wanted to talk.
I thought, "Sure.
Fine. One conversation,
I'll clear this whole thing up. "
But when I get to the house,
his son won't even let me see him.
Kicks in my car.
Must have been very hurtful.
He was angry.
I meant for you.
To be held responsible
for the death of a mother.
Look, if me being here
makes you feel uncomfortable, I can go.
I was planning on grilling a salmon
for dinner.
Sounds good.
ADRIENNE:
Oh, Jean, don't worry so much.
Whatever I didn't find in the inn,
I bought downtown.
-We're gonna be just fine.
JEAN [O VER PHONE]: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
"We"? Mm.
[LAUGHING]
Don't start with me.
I didn't mean anything by "we," all right?
Dr. Flanner and I.
Doctor, is it?
Listen to me.
I'm not gonna do this with you.
So now we know he's rich.
But is he good-looking?
I am not having this conversation
with you.
[LAUGHING]
That good-looking, huh?
I didn't say that.
You know I didn't say that.
Oh, come on.
Tell me my great-grandmama's place
is doing you some good.
Come on, it is, isn't it?
It is, you could tell me.
Don't you have something
you're supposed to do...
...like meeting dealers,
showing them your work?
I am meeting and I am showing.
[MAN SPEAKING IN FRENCH]
I am giving all I got.
God.
-This is Miss Amanda.
PAUL: Aw.
Before and after.
-You see the whole story there now?
-Ha-ha-ha.
She is really something else.
Whatever she thinks or feels,
she will let you know.
She's like her dad like that.
You don't have to second-guess her.
But I do admire her for her honesty,
really I do.
I don't think there's much
she admires about me lately.
But that's fine.
And this is my Danny.
PAUL:
Oh.
Look at him. Is he about 9?
-Ten, yeah.
-Ten.
He's always in his own world.
I think when he grows up,
he's going to be a writer...
...or philosopher...
...or do something really special
with all of that solitude.
-You light up when you talk about him.
-Thanks.
Both your kids.
I saw a picture of you with a little boy.
Must be your son?
Mark.
He's 28 now. Believe that? My God.
Yeah, he's a...
He's a doctor, like his dad.
Well...
...I don't think he'd see it quite like that,
but he's-
He heads a clinic in Ecuador,
up in the mountains.
Wow. He must be doing
some important work there.
I tend to think he's hiding.
Probably from me.
Oh, stop. Stop.
Well, when was the last time you spoke?
Ah, it's been almost a year now.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm sorry, I just can't imagine that.
I mean...
...you know, Amanda drives me crazy...
...but not talking for a year, I...
He was there when the woman died.
And I had...
I sent the surgery nurse out there
to tell the husband...
...which probably wasn't
the smartest thing to do.
But I had four operations
that morning already...
...and I had another patient waiting
in the next O.R.
I feel like me standing around
with the husband...
...was not gonna bring his wife back.
Mark did not approve.
I'm sure he felt it was just another example
of me making the wrong decision.
Bad doctor. Bad father. Bad, bad, bad.
Anyway, in a month he was gone.
Hmm.
I've been leaning on
a pharmaceutical company...
...to send drugs and medical equipment
down there.
I'm going down there for two weeks.
I'm gonna bring him back.
Must be something in this wine,
I am just, "Blah, blah. "
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
Stop.
I'd like for you to come with me.
Okay.
All right, where are you taking me?
Jean had a great-grandmother
who came here right after the Civil War.
You're surrounded by the spirit-gods
that she taught Jean about.
That's Yemaja.
This is you, isn't it?
I was in my 20s. Ha, ha.
God of thunder.
Not a happy guy tonight.
Oh, there's Amanda. With Jean.
-Jean's her godmother.
-Hmm. Oh, she's adorable.
Sweet.
I made that.
-This? You made this?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-Get out of here.
Years ago, from driftwood.
Something I learned
from the local women.
They used them for special things
that they loved and wanted to keep safe.
The more scarred and twisted the wood
the better...
...because if you could make something
beautiful out of it, it meant that much more.
What would you keep in yours?
My children.
And Jean.
And memories of my father.
Yeah.
Who keeps you safe?
Well, you fall in love with someone,
you know...
...and you make a family...
...and you become
what you think you're supposed to be.
And you change
and you give up certain things.
Then they look at what you've got left
and you wish you...
I don't know, you just think
maybe you shouldn't have.
Don't.
Just don't do it anymore.
Huh.
[PHONE RINGING]
Oh, my. Sorry, I forgot it was even...
Oh, it's Amanda.
Oh.
Hi, sweetheart.
[LAUGHING]
I knew you were gonna have a good time.
That's great, sweetie.
I'm looking at a baby picture of you
right now.
How's Danny?
Good, that's great.
That's great, honey.
Yes, I am thinking about
what your daddy asked me.
That's right, thinking about it, sweetheart,
that's what I said.
Amanda. Amanda. Listen to me, honey.
That's something that your father and I
are deciding.
It's complicated, sweetheart.
We have to talk about it.
There isn't anything to talk about. Okay?
[O VER PHONE] Dad says he loves you
and he wants to come back. You promised.
I promised? What did he tell you, honey?
You said you would give him a chance.
You're only thinking about what you want.
It's not fair to us.
Put your father on the phone.
DANNY [O VER PHONE]:
Stop picking on Mom.
AMANDA:
Stop being such a little mama's boy.
DANNY:
Dad, Amanda called me a mama's boy.
I hear you're gonna have
some bad weather.
Did you tell Amanda that I promised you?
Don't get mad. She got ahead of herself
because she wants things to work out.
I can't believe how irresponsible
you're being.
You drag the children into a conversation
that you and I haven't even had?
You know what? No. I covered your ass
with those kids when you left me.
I don't even deserve a weekend here alone
to think...
...after you've pulled a 180 on me?
You say you wanna come back to me
and what am I supposed to do?
Just pretend that the last seven months
didn't even happen?
You okay?
["A ROCKIN' GOOD WAY" PLAYING]
I think I'm going to have a drink.
How about a shot? Would you like
to have a shot? I'm gonna have a shot.
Yeah. Yeah, I'd like a shot.
Ooh.
You know the thing about this music?
No, what?
Mm.
The thing about this music...
...is the same thing about this whiskey.
Which is?
Mm.
I forget.
Now, I love Jean...
...but she buys all this canned food
in case of a hurricane or something...
...and she never eats it.
She keeps it forever.
'96.
That's Hurricane Bertha.
Mm.
Spam. Spam!
[ADRIENNE GRUNTS
THEN PAUL CHUCKLES]
Who eats lard?
You know what lard does to your arteries?
Do you understand?
Please.
Hmm.
[ADRIENNE LAUGHS]
I have always wanted
to clean Jean's pantry.
-Succotash.
-Succotash.
-Thank you.
-Swish!
Vienna sausage.
-In a can? In a can? In a can?
-In a can.
-Yes!
-Here comes the wind-up.
Watch out. Okay, come on.
-On the mound for Atlanta-
-World Series.
Smoking John Smoltz.
-The crowd is on their feet. Wait.
-Get out of the way!
He wins! They win! The crowd goes wild.
Yes, yes.
-Oh, yeah.
-Quite an arm you got there, tiger.
When I was a kid, Barbie's head
was the ball and her body was the bat.
ADRIENNE: Yeah!
PAUL: Yes! Another! Yes! Three.
PAUL: Okay. Okay, who's next?
ADRIENNE: Whoo!
[ADRIENNE AND PAUL LAUGHING]
You okay?
I have to go to bed. I have to go to bed.
-I have to go.
-Okay.
Good night.
PAUL:
Easy with the door, tiger.
ADRIENNE:
Oh, thank you.
-How you feeling?
-Ha.
Well, after five out-of-date aspirin,
I'm a little better.
You?
Yeah, ran it off. Sort of.
I put Jean's cans back.
-Even the succotash?
-Ha-ha-ha.
Listen, it's official, the Coast Guard
has issued a hurricane warning.
If you're going back to the mainland,
you should probably get started.
Well, I couldn't get an earlier flight anyway,
so, just...
What about you? You going back?
I can't. I told Jean
I'd look after the place.
[VEHICLE APPRO ACHING]
Dr. Flanner. I'm Robert Torrelson.
Believe you met my son, Charlie.
Get down off your high horse
and say hello to these people.
You have a minute to talk, doctor?
PAUL: Sure.
-Won't you come inside, Mr. Torrelson?
I'm all right here.
I'm sorry for your loss.
I wanna know what went wrong.
Your wife, Mr. Torrelson,
what happened to her...
...it happens in one out of 50,000 cases.
They react to the anesthesia.
One out of 50,000?
Yeah.
Yeah, I've spent I can't tell you how
many hours breaking down the surgery.
There's no one to blame.
You'll never convince a jury otherwise.
That what your lawyers told you to say?
Actually, my lawyers
told me not to come.
You come anyway.
I guess that makes you
some kind of great man.
Can I ask you something, doctor?
Do you know what color
my wife's eyes were?
My wife is dead.
My wife is dead.
We were married...
...for 43 years.
What?
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
What?
It's all right, I'll do it. I got this.
You got something to say, say it.
The man is in mourning. He lost his wife.
-I know a little about mourning. Okay?
-Okay.
Do you have any idea how much courage
it took that man to come here to see you?
I'm the one
who drove 200 miles to see him.
And then what?
Not for one minute did you show him
that you knew he'd lost anything precious.
You defended yourself.
Of course I defended myself!
The guy's got a lawsuit against me.
Is that how you plan on handling things
when you go visit your son?
What's my son got to do with this?
You know, protect yourself,
defend yourself.
-Never mind, you don't get it.
-No, you don't get it.
You don't get it
and Torrelson does not get it.
I kept going over and over this operation.
Over it, a thousand times I went over this,
thinking that maybe I'd made a mistake...
...that I wasn't as good as I need to be.
Because I made a decision
a long time ago...
...to be the best doctor that I could be.
Not the best...
...husband, maybe, the best father,
the best doctor.
The only thing that really matters is
I did everything I could to save that woman.
That's what I came here
to explain to him.
He didn't want an explanation, Paul!
What did he want from me?
Realize that you are part
of the worst thing...
...that will ever happen to him.
He's still in that hospital room...
...waiting for you to come out
and just look him in the eye.
What are you so afraid of?
What are you so afraid of?
-How long you been married?
-What does that have to do with anything?
Can you even remember
who you really are anymore?
It's all about choices, Adrienne.
You make choices.
You chose that life. You chose that man.
Now you're going back to him,
aren't you?
Just stop it. Just stop it!
[LOUD RUMBLING]
PAUL:
Adrienne!
[ADRIENNE GRUNTS]
[ADRIENNE YELLS]
Adrienne?
Adrienne?
Hey.
You all right?
Yeah.
Did you hear the phone ring
early this morning?
No.
Danny had an asthma attack,
and Jack took him to the hospital.
-Is he all right?
-Yeah.
This is the first time
anything like this has happened...
...and I wasn't there.
My son was Iying in a hospital bed.
And where was I?
The lines were down.
-You shouldn't blame yourself.
-Shouldn't blame myself. God.
Well, I do blame myself.
There was one thing
that I thought I got right...
...it's being a good mother.
I can't just do whatever I want to,
whenever I want to, you know?
Maybe that works for you,
but it doesn't work for me.
I'm sorry, I just- I can't.
I know you're hurting...
...because you weren't there
with your son last night.
But I want you to know...
...that I envy what you have.
Your kids are very fortunate they have
someone who loves them as much you do.
Someone who tries so hard.
And any man is a fool who doesn't...
...know how incredibly lucky he is...
...to have you.
ADRIENNE:
Paul. Wait.
Her eyes were dark brown and soft...
...like she'd never hurt a soul.
And she wouldn't, neither.
I knew Jill since we was in school.
That thing on her face, she always had it.
I didn't care about it. I never even saw it.
[CLEARS THRO AT]
But she wanted it off.
I'd find her in the bathroom...
...crying, looking at it.
She'd be saying,
"I wanna be pretty for you. "
It broke my heart when she'd say that.
Because she was pretty. She was so...
But...
...that's what she wanted,
she wanted the operation.
And in our whole life,
I don't remember her asking for anything.
So I said yes.
That was how we come to you.
I wanna thank you
for showing this to me.
You were the last person...
...she saw or spoke to on this Earth.
She had all the love and kindness
in the world right inside her.
You didn't know who you were seeing.
And now you do.
Mr. Torrelson...
...I'm sorry.
I am so very sorry.
I'm glad I was there.
Me too.
[PAUL SIGHS]
Maybe today's the day
you're gonna see those ponies.
-The bankers?
-Hmm.
Okay, honestly, they don't come
this far down the island, ever.
-But thank you.
-You'll see. One day they will.
-Really?
-Yeah.
[ADRIENNE LAUGHS]
ADRIENNE:
Thank you.
WOMAN [ON RADIO]:
Another big one came and went...
... and just like Rodanthe Pier, we took
a few knocks, but we're still standing.
So come on down for a Rodanthe-style
crab-crack celebration tonight.
Wow.
[PEOPLE CHEERING AND CHATTERING]
MAN:
Jimmy crab's pretty, isn't he?
PAUL: Can I just get these?
Did you make these?
MAN:
Is this one fried enough for you?
ADRIENNE: It jumped in the boat.
PAUL: That's good.
ADRIENNE: Cheers.
PAUL: Thank you.
We should've brought something.
MAN:
You want some more of that?
[SINGING "COME ON O VER
TO MY HOUSE"]
Hey, Dot! I'm glad to see you.
This is Paul Flanner.
Hi, Paul!
ADRIENNE: You got a table for us?
DOT: I got you my own table.
[ADRIENNE LAUGHING]
DOT:
Uh-oh. Here comes trouble.
PAUL: Have fun.
ADRIENNE: Oh, thank you.
[LAUGHING]
She is great. I'm telling you.
Thank you.
ADRIENNE: Come on.
DOT: Hey, there's more food!
Thanks.
[PEOPLE CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]
[SINGING "BEFORE I MET YOU"]
Okay, this is where I'll be flying
into Esmeraldas.
And then you take this long road...
...closer up
into these mountains over here.
That's where Mark's clinic is,
on the south incline of these mountains.
Wow.
There's no phones, electricity,
running water. Nothing.
[LAUGHS]
Nothing. It's true. And then I take...
...of course, the long road here up to that,
which continues along here...
...and up this very steep mountain...
...and down this beautiful...
...beautiful broad valley.
Then up this steep incline over here
and around the river.
And then, oh, there's the post office
I'm gonna be sending you letters from.
Yeah.
Then come around this beautiful tree
over here...
...and, oh, there's another post office
right there.
I'll send you another one.
And another one.
I don't know how long I'm gonna be
down there with Mark.
Maybe a long time.
I know.
As long as it takes.
It's the most important thing.
JACK:
You said we'd work it out!
ADRIENNE:
Jack, please.
[DOOR SLAMS]
[AMANDA CRIES]
AMANDA:
Daddy.
Come here, baby.
You'll see him in a bit.
He wanted me to talk to you first.
Here it comes.
Here comes the crap and the bullshit.
-Please, just listen. Come here, honey.
-What is there to listen to? Dad's gone.
Your father and I
are not going to be together.
You mean Dad wanted to come back
and you wouldn't let him.
He will always be your father,
but I will not be his wife.
Okay, I know that he's not perfect, okay?
But you say
that we don't have to be perfect.
-It's not about that.
-Why can't you just forgive him?
I forgive your father.
It's not about the past.
Of course it is!
-Amanda, stop it.
-God, I hate you!
-I really hate this!
-Stop it, please.
-No!
-Yes! Listen to me. Listen to me.
I know that this is hard for you
to understand.
AII I can tell you is that, listen,
I am still your mother...
...and I am not going anywhere, baby.
I love you so much, no matter what,
for my whole life.
Do you understand?
That goes for your father too.
That goes for your father too, Danny.
But this was my decision.
You have to trust
that I made the right decision.
Amanda.
Come here, baby.
It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be all right.
It's all gonna be okay.
DANNY:
Hey, Mom! Watch this!
Keep it up, honey!
PAUL: Dear Adrienne,
saying goodbye to you...
... was the hardest thing
I've ever had to do...
... and I know I'll never do it again.
I'm gonna look at our time apart
as a chance...
... to get to know you
even better than I do.
ADRIENNE: Dear Paul, after you left,
I felt like I was waking up from a dream.
I am a grown woman, for God's sake,
not a teenager. I have a teenager.
I kept thinking,
was it the storm, the wine...
... the way you looked at me?
I don't know how or why,
but I'm old enough to know...
... how lucky I am to have found you.
[GIRLS LAUGHING]
GIRL:
Hi, Mrs. Willis.
-Hey, girls.
GIRLS: Hi.
Ooh, that's a lot of stuff.
Your mom's looking pretty good
these days.
Anyways...
PAUL: It's so beautiful here.
But believe me, nothing...
... nothing can compare to the peaks
and valleys...
... I traced along the map of your body.
[LAUGHS]
Mark is really something.
He never stops working.
He's available to everybody, all the time.
I never thought I'd say this,
but now I understand why he came.
ADRIENNE: Dear Paul, if Danny and Amanda
were older, I'd be right there by your side.
But as parents, this is one of the sacrifices
we have to make.
If I've gone this long without seeing you,
talking to you...
... touching you...
... what's a few more months?
PAUL: Listen, it's not just that you got
a hell of an arm, it's everything you are.
ADRIENNE: When Jack left me,
it wasn't just our marriage ending.
It was the loss
of all the hopes that I'd had.
PAUL: Your compassion, generosity,
the way you see beauty in simple things.
ADRIENNE: I tried to move on, but the world
didn't seem that interested in me anymore.
PAUL: Part of me wants to jump on a plane
and come back. I know I can't.
ADRIENNE: Dear Paul, I can't believe it.
Amanda is actually starting to come around.
PAUL: I must have seen
hundreds of patients.
ADRIENNE: I'm counting the days.
PAUL: I never would've believed
one weekend could change my life.
ADRIENNE: And then you came along
and helped me believe in myself again.
Mm. Mm.
[LAUGHS]
Who writes letters like this anymore?
-I know.
-Let me see that picture again.
Looks this good, appreciates you,
and he has a dirty mind.
-He's definitely a keeper.
-Let me have that.
PAUL: Dear Adrienne, when I write to you,
I feel your breath.
When you read these letters,
I imagine you feel mine.
-All right, guys, he's waiting.
DANNY: Bye, Mom.
AMANDA:
Bye, Mom.
PAUL:
Our letters are a part of us now.
Part of our history.
A reminder that we made it
through this time together-
Wait. No, Jack has the children
until Monday. Oh, yes.
Thank you.
I'm making the same thing
that we had that night at the inn.
PAUL: -and a promise
of what I hope our future will be.
I know.
Jean.
Jean.
His flight's landing soon.
I'm not even dressed.
No, I'm gonna have to-
I will, I promise. Of course I will.
-I love you, too, darling. Bye.
PAUL: Love, Paul.
ADRIENNE:
Flight 2822.
Arrived on time?
Okay, um, well,
I'm actually calling about a passenger.
Yes, last name Flanner.
Well, I wanna know
if he was on the plane.
Of course, I understand you don't usually
give out that information, but, um...
Of course. Well, do you have a supervisor
that I could speak with, or...?
What would you do?
I mean, I just want this information...
...and I don't know who to ask.
I don't mind holding. I don't mind-
Thank you.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Hi. Adrienne Willis?
Yes.
I'm Mark Flanner.
I'm...
I'm still trying to work it out myself.
MARK:
As soon as he got there, he was different.
I figured, once there, he'd immediately
start taking over like he usually did.
But instead, he just started working.
[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]
PAUL & CHILDREN:
Ahh.
MARK: The conditions there were tough,
especially in the rainy season.
I'd gotten word that sections
of the mountain were starting to give way.
PAUL:
We gotta get out of here. We gotta go.
MARK:
Not until we get the rest of the supplies.
MARK: I suppose if I hadn't been
so determined to take everything with us...
It'll take two weeks.
We'll lose too many people.
MARK: You gotta understand,
in that part of the world...
...antibiotics and syringes are like gold.
All right, you load this stuff up.
I'll go get the rest.
Okay.
MARK: Just as we were starting
to know each other again...
...he was taken away from me.
Because of you, he was a changed man.
You gave me back my father.
You saved him.
Well, we saved each other.
[SOBS]
[SOBBING]
AMANDA & DANNY: Bye, Dad!
JACK: Goodbye, I love you guys.
AMANDA: I love you. I'll miss you.
DANNY: Mom!
Mom!
Mom, where are you?
Mom?
-Mom?
-Okay! Stop making so much noise!
DANNY:
Hey, Mom!
Mom, guess what. Mom.
Mom?
AMANDA: Okay, Danny,
I need you to go upstairs.
DANNY: Mom-
-But what's wrong with Mom?
-Danny, just please do it, okay?
Just go upstairs. Okay? Please.
Mom?
Mama?
PAUL: Dear Adrienne,
in a few days we'll be together again.
I can't wait to meet Danny and Amanda,
walk on our beach...
... and spend another night in the Blue Room
with you in my arms.
But most of all,
I can't wait for our life to begin together.
Thank you for showing me
that it wasn't too late.
All I can do to repay you
is promise to love you forever.
And I do.
Come on, Danny, let's go.
The school bus is almost here.
And you're the boss of me since...?
Since right now. Let's go.
DANNY: Okay.
AMANDA: Come on.
Go, go, go.
Thank you.
Look, um...
I've been wanting to explain to you,
but I don't think-
Yeah, but you don't think
that I can handle it...
...because, in your mind,
I'm still just a little girl.
But I'm not.
And I know stuff.
Like what happened with you and Dad.
He told me...
...about how he hurt you.
And all that time
that I was so mean to you...
I'm really sorry.
But I do know what happens.
I do.
So you can tell me.
Okay.
While your father and I were apart,
I met a man.
I know you've only ever known
your father and me.
And I love Jack
because he's your father.
But there's another kind of love, Amanda.
One that gives you the courage to be better
than you are, not less than you are.
One that makes you feel
that anything is possible.
I want you to know
that you could have that.
I want you to hold out for it.
I want you to know that you deserve it.
You hear me?
Tell me about him.
You made this for him?
I was going to give it to him.
These are letters...
...that I sent to him
which came back to me.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
ADRIENNE:
Amanda!
[HEAVY METAL MUSIC
PLAYING LOUDLY]
Amanda, turn that down!
Jeez.
Danny, are you still on that thing?
We've gotta go, honey.
We gotta get rolling here.
Did your sister come in here
to help you with anything?
Uh-huh.
Your father's gonna be here
in five minutes.
Please get motivated. Get dressed.
Amanda. Amanda?
[HEAVY METAL MUSIC
PLAYING LOUDLY ON STEREO]
-I can't even hear myself think in here.
-What?
[MUSIC STOPS]
How can I help you...
...get ready to leave this house
in time for your father if you won't help?
You can do it, Mom. I believe in you.
I have a ferry to catch
and I've only got two hands.
-Count them: one, two.
-She can count too.
That's enough, smart mouth.
What is that on your stomach?
Go wash it off.
-Are these clean?
ADRIENNE: No.
Actually, I can't wash it off,
because it's a real tattoo.
-What?
-Whoa.
You got a tattoo
without asking permission?
-Wait till Dad sees.
-You're an idiot.
-Please!
DANNY: No, you are!
-You are!
-Out!
-Get out of my room!
DANNY: Stupid idiot!
[SIGHS]
[CHUCKLES]
I don't wanna go with Dad.
Oh, honey...
It's Orlando, Dan.
There's lots to do, it'll be fun.
No, it won't.
Okay, so it won't.
But you know what, we'll talk every day.
Okay.
You're being so brave.
Mm.
Amanda, your father's here.
You better cover that thing up...
...unless you wanna deal
with your father.
You look tired.
Yeah. I'm sure I do.
-Who wants to have some fun around here?
AMANDA: Daddy.
JACK:
Ah. Oh.
-Go on.
DANNY: Come on. How you doing?
Come on, give me a big hug. Ade.
Jack.
-Danny's medicine's in his backpack.
JACK: He takes them every night.
-She's got a report due.
-On Magellan. Yeah, she and I talked.
Look, Ade, between you and me,
we got it covered.
I've gotta get on the road.
Shouldn't you be leaving?
-Sit down.
-I've got a ferry to catch.
-For a minute, please.
-Ahem.
Yeah?
I wanna come home.
What?
I don't know how I could have
been so stupid.
I know any chance
that you could forgive me...
-Forgive you?
-... is out the window.
-Only-
-Only what?
I want a chance.
I'm not saying that I deserve it.
-Jack, I can't. Please.
-I'll try like anything.
Adrienne. I love you.
I love you so much.
I know what I've lost here...
...and I'll do anything in my power
to get it back.
Jack, you can't just walk in here
and do this to me out of the blue.
Because it didn't work out
with what's-her-name?
We ought to be together.
Now, Adrienne, you know that.
All you've gotta do is look at the children.
-Come on. Come to Orlando with us.
-What?
We'll put the kids on the dumb rides.
It'll give us time to be alone.
Oh, Jack, I can't, I can't.
I told Jean that I would help her,
you know.
-I'm going to do what I said I would do.
-Okay. Okay. Okay.
When I get back, we'll talk?
Yeah, okay.
We'll talk when you get back.
Jack, okay, we'll talk then.
Hey, guys.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
AGENT: Oh, Dr. Flanner.
I thought we'd missed you.
No, I-
Tell them I hope they're happy here.
JEAN: You remember where I keep
the extra towels?
I know where everything is. I'll be fine.
JEAN: You have to wait for the hot water
to burble up.
You reminded me twice.
And I got an emergency generator...
...in case the storm turns into anything
and you lose power.
It's never been turned on before,
so I wouldn't count on it.
If it gets stuck, kick it hard.
And that goes for most things around here.
Jack wants to come back.
Uh-huh. I wouldn't worry
about the storm, though.
Weatherman's always predicting this,
predicting that.
-What do you think?
-I'm not gonna say...
...because if I do and you say
you're gonna let him come back to you...
You gonna let him come back?
I don't know.
Uh-huh.
The storm boards
are underneath the house.
I'll figure it all out.
If they issue a warning,
just get out of here.
This place has been through
so many hurricanes...
...I wouldn't even worry about it.
Won't feel a thing.
So, what happened?
Jack get tired of that Miss Flip-Curl
he was reptiling around with?
Your best friend?
She was not my friend.
She was in my car pool.
You're my best friend.
Don't play me.
[JEAN CHUCKLES]
What? The kids want things
back to normal, you know?
Doing it for the children?
Which reminds me...
...when are you gonna send me
Miss Amanda so I can out-attitude her...
...and send her home right?
[CHUCKLES]
I wish you would. I wish you would.
Where was that man? Hmm?
Where was Jack when your father died?
Your father,
who was so good to him too.
[SIGHS]
Anyway...
When do the guests arrive?
Guest, meaning one. Tonight.
I thought about
closing this place down...
...but when a man calls from Raleigh
and he offers to pay double the price...
...as my grandmama used to say,
"Count your blessings, keep on stepping. "
Which is exactly what you need to do
when it comes to Reptile Jack.
You should have married that hippie potter
with the great ass back in school.
Hell, I should have married
the hippie potter with the great ass.
-Love you.
-Be safe.
Have fun for the both of us.
Have fun yourself.
[SIGHS]
Hello?
[BELL RINGS]
Anybody here?
Hello?
Oh.
Ah, you must be Mr. Flanner.
Yeah. Yeah, I am.
Ah. The wind just came up.
Ah.
Let's get you signed in.
You must have taken the 3:30 ferry.
You're early.
Yeah. Yeah, I did.
Four nights, leaving Tuesday?
Pretty early. I've got a flight to catch.
If you don't mind signing this, please.
Yeah, you may have heard some talk
about bad weather. Um...
Radio said only 50-percent chance-
Yeah, I heard something about that.
It doesn't matter.
People come here even in winter
for the beach, you know.
It doesn't matter.
Oh, if you don't mind,
please fill out the home address.
-Jean always asks for home address.
-I thought you were Jean.
Oh, Jean and I are old friends.
She had to work in Miami,
so I'm standing in for her.
Look, I'm gonna leave this home address
blank, if you don't mind.
Okay.
Okay.
-Sorry.
-It's all right.
It's called the Blue Room.
Oh, the hot water,
you may have to give it a little time...
...to burble up at you.
If you need any extra blankets, towels,
anything, don't hesitate to ask.
After all, you are the only guest.
If you're lucky, you'll see bankers.
That's the wild ponies
that were descendents of the horses...
...that were shipwrecked here hundreds
of years ago. They swam miles to shore.
Well, uh, dinner's at 8.
Or 7, 7:30 if you'd prefer.
Whatever time you'd like because-
I'm the only guest. Seven-thirty's great.
Yes.
-Can I get you anything else?
-No, I think I've got everything.
ADRIENNE:
Okay.
["MAMA, HE TREATS YOUR DAUGHTER
MEAN" PLAYING ON RADIO]
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, Jean.
[JAZZ PLAYING ON RADIO
AND ADRIENNE HUMMING]
MAN [ON RADIO]: Tightly lock and secure
doors and windows...
... and bring all deck furniture,
anything which may be blown away, inside.
WOMAN [ON RADIO]:
And now for those listeners...
... not familiar with the region
the Outer Banks.
MAN: They are a strip of islands
which run along the Carolina coastline...
PAUL: I don't know. I don't care.
I just want it there. I want it.
I want the equipment there when I arrive.
That's the whole point...
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]
WOMAN [ON RADIO]:
You're listening to WROH...
... the music of Rodanthe,
where yesterday lives today.
Unless you'd prefer white?
No, no, red is fine. Red is good.
-I'll come back with your salad.
-Okay.
[DINAH WASHINGTON'S
"BACKWATER BLUES" PLAYING]
Dinah, Dinah Washington. She's so great.
Something wrong with your table?
Absolutely not.
Didn't wanna eat alone.
Oh.
Okay.
[SIGHS]
-Here's your salad.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm hungry.
It's probably the air.
-What?
-Makes you hungry.
I've been coming here for years
with my husband, Jack, and the kids.
But just the kids, lately.
Yeah, well,
I never got home for dinner either.
Oh, Jack made it home
for dinner, all right.
When he, uh...
-When he was there.
-Thank you.
We, um...
We might be getting back together.
I'm sorry, I just- It's weird not knowing
if you're married or not.
It's all right. I don't know where I live.
Well, you didn't come here for the beach.
No, I came here to talk to somebody.
-More wine?
-Yeah, sure.
Oh, can I...?
-You're not having any?
-No.
Well, why not?
So if you're not Jean, who are you?
[LAUGHS]
I'm sorry, I'm Adrienne Willis.
-Adrienne.
-Adrienne Taylor.
I was Adrienne Taylor, and...
Adrienne.
[CLEARS THRO AT]
Well, uh, do you have kids?
Yeah. Yeah, I have a son.
He's a doctor.
-Really?
-Yeah.
Well, you must have done
something right.
Yeah, well, not me, my wife.
Ex-wife.
I can't take any credit.
Oh, that's great. Thank you.
-What is that?
-That glow?
-Yeah.
-It's called Teach's Light.
Captain Teach, the pirate, swore he'd put
his enemies to an everlasting fire.
That glow's supposed to be
their bodies burning.
It's not considered a good omen.
Thanks for warning me.
It's from a folktale
my dad used to tell me.
He loved telling stories.
And he had a beautiful eye.
It's because of him
that I went to art school.
-So you're an artist.
-I used to be.
Yeah.
He died a few months ago.
I'm sorry.
That's just been my year, you know.
Dad died and...
...my husband...
...and my daughter decided
she hated me.
I don't know why I thought
things were gonna get easier.
Yeah, we all did.
I think I'm gonna go in now.
-I think I'll go for a walk.
-Okay.
-Good night.
-Night.
[PIPES CREAKING]
Danny still up?
I told him that we'd talk every night.
Aw. Well, don't wake him.
Did he do his inhaler before he fell asleep?
Jack, I told you.
You're gonna have to go in there,
wake him up and give him his medicine.
[PIPES RUMBLING]
Yes, I have been thinking about it.
Of course I've been thinking about it.
I'm not ready to talk about it.
Jack, please, let's have that conversation
when I get back, like I said.
Can I just say good night to Amanda?
Okay. Okay. Hold on.
[MOUTHS]
No. No.
Ade, she's out, iPod on and everything.
She's asleep.
Really?
Well, let Miss Amanda know
that I know she's not asleep...
...and that I love her very, very much.
Ade, I love you.
I love you.
Let's just say good night. Okay?
Good night.
[SPEAKING QUIETLY IN SPANISH]
MAN:
Dad.
What happened? Are you okay?
We're doctors,
we can't control everything all the time.
I'm asking if you're all right.
This is my last surgery.
I don't have time for this.
Look after yourself.
Jen, I'm...
Look, your mother and I,
we're worried about you.
We just wanna make sure
that you're safe.
Since when?
Since when is it my mother and you?
Since when is it "we"?
All right. Okay.
That's not why I'm here, Mark.
Why the hell are you here?
Mark.
-Any problems with the anesthesia?
WOMAN: No problems.
-Absolutely none? You sure?
WOMAN: Yes.
-Miles Davis again, Dr. Flanner?
-Bach today. Bach.
[EKG BEEPING RAPIDLY]
WOMAN: Charge.
MAN: Charging.
Talk to me! Come on, now!
Three, four, five, six...
...seven, eight, nine, 10, 11...
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
Coffee's ready. Can I make you something
for breakfast?
Um, maybe later, I gotta go into town.
CHARLIE: You looking for someone?
-Yeah. This Robert Torrelson's house?
Yeah, that's my father.
You with the bank?
No, I'm Paul Flanner. Is he in?
What the hell do you want coming here?
Your father wrote me a letter,
said he wanted to talk.
-Get back in your car and go.
-I told you, he wrote me.
And I told you to leave.
Nobody here has nothing to say to you.
What do you think...
...that you can just show up,
talk your way out of it?
Now get.
I'm staying at the inn.
Let him know that.
-I ain't telling you again.
-Let him know.
Son of a bitch.
ADRIENNE: What happened?
-Where are you taking these?
To the top of the stairs.
They're for the windows.
Well, I can do this.
PAUL:
I got it.
-You sure?
-Yep.
[YELLS]
Damn!
It's all right.
Here, let me do it. I've got gloves on.
-I can-
-Let me do this.
Okay.
I should go into town
and get some supplies.
[MEN CHEER]
MAN: Bye.
DOT: All right, y'all take care.
-Adrienne.
-Dot.
-Adrienne Willis.
-How are you?
Half out of my mind, that's how I am.
Getting folks stocked up
in case the storm blows in.
You'd better get ready
because it's gonna hit hard.
They say it's a-coming and it don't.
They say it ain't and it does.
I'm not used to seeing you
so late in the year.
-I'm looking after things for Jean.
-You've still got guests at the inn?
Look out, because it's gonna happen.
I know exactly how many cold Buds
I got back there.
[MEN CHEERING]
Hey, Dot, do you hear anything
about this family, the Torrelsons?
Well, there's only Robert
and their son Charlie left.
You know what happened to poor Jill.
I heard something.
They saved all their pennies
for some famous doctor from Raleigh.
I told her not to do it, I warned her.
God rest her soul.
You want some candles.
Yeah, look, I wanna get out of here now.
Yeah. As soon as I can.
Call me back.
So you're leaving early?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to.
I'm thinking about it.
Look, I'm sorry
I was a little spun out before.
Does it have anything to do
with the Torrelsons?
I'm sorry, it's a small town.
What exactly did you hear?
Look, you don't owe me any explanation.
No, I don't. What did you hear?
Huh?
You wanna hear the truth?
Mrs. Torrelson came to me
with a hemangioma.
A cyst on her left cheek.
Benign, but substantial.
It was disfiguring, that was all.
It wasn't life-threatening.
I have removed cysts this bad and worse,
much worse, hundreds of times.
Nothing's ever gone wrong.
She died on the table.
The husband...
...he filed a suit for wrongful death.
And then he wrote me a note
and he said he wanted to talk.
I thought, "Sure.
Fine. One conversation,
I'll clear this whole thing up. "
But when I get to the house,
his son won't even let me see him.
Kicks in my car.
Must have been very hurtful.
He was angry.
I meant for you.
To be held responsible
for the death of a mother.
Look, if me being here
makes you feel uncomfortable, I can go.
I was planning on grilling a salmon
for dinner.
Sounds good.
ADRIENNE:
Oh, Jean, don't worry so much.
Whatever I didn't find in the inn,
I bought downtown.
-We're gonna be just fine.
JEAN [O VER PHONE]: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
"We"? Mm.
[LAUGHING]
Don't start with me.
I didn't mean anything by "we," all right?
Dr. Flanner and I.
Doctor, is it?
Listen to me.
I'm not gonna do this with you.
So now we know he's rich.
But is he good-looking?
I am not having this conversation
with you.
[LAUGHING]
That good-looking, huh?
I didn't say that.
You know I didn't say that.
Oh, come on.
Tell me my great-grandmama's place
is doing you some good.
Come on, it is, isn't it?
It is, you could tell me.
Don't you have something
you're supposed to do...
...like meeting dealers,
showing them your work?
I am meeting and I am showing.
[MAN SPEAKING IN FRENCH]
I am giving all I got.
God.
-This is Miss Amanda.
PAUL: Aw.
Before and after.
-You see the whole story there now?
-Ha-ha-ha.
She is really something else.
Whatever she thinks or feels,
she will let you know.
She's like her dad like that.
You don't have to second-guess her.
But I do admire her for her honesty,
really I do.
I don't think there's much
she admires about me lately.
But that's fine.
And this is my Danny.
PAUL:
Oh.
Look at him. Is he about 9?
-Ten, yeah.
-Ten.
He's always in his own world.
I think when he grows up,
he's going to be a writer...
...or philosopher...
...or do something really special
with all of that solitude.
-You light up when you talk about him.
-Thanks.
Both your kids.
I saw a picture of you with a little boy.
Must be your son?
Mark.
He's 28 now. Believe that? My God.
Yeah, he's a...
He's a doctor, like his dad.
Well...
...I don't think he'd see it quite like that,
but he's-
He heads a clinic in Ecuador,
up in the mountains.
Wow. He must be doing
some important work there.
I tend to think he's hiding.
Probably from me.
Oh, stop. Stop.
Well, when was the last time you spoke?
Ah, it's been almost a year now.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm sorry, I just can't imagine that.
I mean...
...you know, Amanda drives me crazy...
...but not talking for a year, I...
He was there when the woman died.
And I had...
I sent the surgery nurse out there
to tell the husband...
...which probably wasn't
the smartest thing to do.
But I had four operations
that morning already...
...and I had another patient waiting
in the next O.R.
I feel like me standing around
with the husband...
...was not gonna bring his wife back.
Mark did not approve.
I'm sure he felt it was just another example
of me making the wrong decision.
Bad doctor. Bad father. Bad, bad, bad.
Anyway, in a month he was gone.
Hmm.
I've been leaning on
a pharmaceutical company...
...to send drugs and medical equipment
down there.
I'm going down there for two weeks.
I'm gonna bring him back.
Must be something in this wine,
I am just, "Blah, blah. "
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
Stop.
I'd like for you to come with me.
Okay.
All right, where are you taking me?
Jean had a great-grandmother
who came here right after the Civil War.
You're surrounded by the spirit-gods
that she taught Jean about.
That's Yemaja.
This is you, isn't it?
I was in my 20s. Ha, ha.
God of thunder.
Not a happy guy tonight.
Oh, there's Amanda. With Jean.
-Jean's her godmother.
-Hmm. Oh, she's adorable.
Sweet.
I made that.
-This? You made this?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-Get out of here.
Years ago, from driftwood.
Something I learned
from the local women.
They used them for special things
that they loved and wanted to keep safe.
The more scarred and twisted the wood
the better...
...because if you could make something
beautiful out of it, it meant that much more.
What would you keep in yours?
My children.
And Jean.
And memories of my father.
Yeah.
Who keeps you safe?
Well, you fall in love with someone,
you know...
...and you make a family...
...and you become
what you think you're supposed to be.
And you change
and you give up certain things.
Then they look at what you've got left
and you wish you...
I don't know, you just think
maybe you shouldn't have.
Don't.
Just don't do it anymore.
Huh.
[PHONE RINGING]
Oh, my. Sorry, I forgot it was even...
Oh, it's Amanda.
Oh.
Hi, sweetheart.
[LAUGHING]
I knew you were gonna have a good time.
That's great, sweetie.
I'm looking at a baby picture of you
right now.
How's Danny?
Good, that's great.
That's great, honey.
Yes, I am thinking about
what your daddy asked me.
That's right, thinking about it, sweetheart,
that's what I said.
Amanda. Amanda. Listen to me, honey.
That's something that your father and I
are deciding.
It's complicated, sweetheart.
We have to talk about it.
There isn't anything to talk about. Okay?
[O VER PHONE] Dad says he loves you
and he wants to come back. You promised.
I promised? What did he tell you, honey?
You said you would give him a chance.
You're only thinking about what you want.
It's not fair to us.
Put your father on the phone.
DANNY [O VER PHONE]:
Stop picking on Mom.
AMANDA:
Stop being such a little mama's boy.
DANNY:
Dad, Amanda called me a mama's boy.
I hear you're gonna have
some bad weather.
Did you tell Amanda that I promised you?
Don't get mad. She got ahead of herself
because she wants things to work out.
I can't believe how irresponsible
you're being.
You drag the children into a conversation
that you and I haven't even had?
You know what? No. I covered your ass
with those kids when you left me.
I don't even deserve a weekend here alone
to think...
...after you've pulled a 180 on me?
You say you wanna come back to me
and what am I supposed to do?
Just pretend that the last seven months
didn't even happen?
You okay?
["A ROCKIN' GOOD WAY" PLAYING]
I think I'm going to have a drink.
How about a shot? Would you like
to have a shot? I'm gonna have a shot.
Yeah. Yeah, I'd like a shot.
Ooh.
You know the thing about this music?
No, what?
Mm.
The thing about this music...
...is the same thing about this whiskey.
Which is?
Mm.
I forget.
Now, I love Jean...
...but she buys all this canned food
in case of a hurricane or something...
...and she never eats it.
She keeps it forever.
'96.
That's Hurricane Bertha.
Mm.
Spam. Spam!
[ADRIENNE GRUNTS
THEN PAUL CHUCKLES]
Who eats lard?
You know what lard does to your arteries?
Do you understand?
Please.
Hmm.
[ADRIENNE LAUGHS]
I have always wanted
to clean Jean's pantry.
-Succotash.
-Succotash.
-Thank you.
-Swish!
Vienna sausage.
-In a can? In a can? In a can?
-In a can.
-Yes!
-Here comes the wind-up.
Watch out. Okay, come on.
-On the mound for Atlanta-
-World Series.
Smoking John Smoltz.
-The crowd is on their feet. Wait.
-Get out of the way!
He wins! They win! The crowd goes wild.
Yes, yes.
-Oh, yeah.
-Quite an arm you got there, tiger.
When I was a kid, Barbie's head
was the ball and her body was the bat.
ADRIENNE: Yeah!
PAUL: Yes! Another! Yes! Three.
PAUL: Okay. Okay, who's next?
ADRIENNE: Whoo!
[ADRIENNE AND PAUL LAUGHING]
You okay?
I have to go to bed. I have to go to bed.
-I have to go.
-Okay.
Good night.
PAUL:
Easy with the door, tiger.
ADRIENNE:
Oh, thank you.
-How you feeling?
-Ha.
Well, after five out-of-date aspirin,
I'm a little better.
You?
Yeah, ran it off. Sort of.
I put Jean's cans back.
-Even the succotash?
-Ha-ha-ha.
Listen, it's official, the Coast Guard
has issued a hurricane warning.
If you're going back to the mainland,
you should probably get started.
Well, I couldn't get an earlier flight anyway,
so, just...
What about you? You going back?
I can't. I told Jean
I'd look after the place.
[VEHICLE APPRO ACHING]
Dr. Flanner. I'm Robert Torrelson.
Believe you met my son, Charlie.
Get down off your high horse
and say hello to these people.
You have a minute to talk, doctor?
PAUL: Sure.
-Won't you come inside, Mr. Torrelson?
I'm all right here.
I'm sorry for your loss.
I wanna know what went wrong.
Your wife, Mr. Torrelson,
what happened to her...
...it happens in one out of 50,000 cases.
They react to the anesthesia.
One out of 50,000?
Yeah.
Yeah, I've spent I can't tell you how
many hours breaking down the surgery.
There's no one to blame.
You'll never convince a jury otherwise.
That what your lawyers told you to say?
Actually, my lawyers
told me not to come.
You come anyway.
I guess that makes you
some kind of great man.
Can I ask you something, doctor?
Do you know what color
my wife's eyes were?
My wife is dead.
My wife is dead.
We were married...
...for 43 years.
What?
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
What?
It's all right, I'll do it. I got this.
You got something to say, say it.
The man is in mourning. He lost his wife.
-I know a little about mourning. Okay?
-Okay.
Do you have any idea how much courage
it took that man to come here to see you?
I'm the one
who drove 200 miles to see him.
And then what?
Not for one minute did you show him
that you knew he'd lost anything precious.
You defended yourself.
Of course I defended myself!
The guy's got a lawsuit against me.
Is that how you plan on handling things
when you go visit your son?
What's my son got to do with this?
You know, protect yourself,
defend yourself.
-Never mind, you don't get it.
-No, you don't get it.
You don't get it
and Torrelson does not get it.
I kept going over and over this operation.
Over it, a thousand times I went over this,
thinking that maybe I'd made a mistake...
...that I wasn't as good as I need to be.
Because I made a decision
a long time ago...
...to be the best doctor that I could be.
Not the best...
...husband, maybe, the best father,
the best doctor.
The only thing that really matters is
I did everything I could to save that woman.
That's what I came here
to explain to him.
He didn't want an explanation, Paul!
What did he want from me?
Realize that you are part
of the worst thing...
...that will ever happen to him.
He's still in that hospital room...
...waiting for you to come out
and just look him in the eye.
What are you so afraid of?
What are you so afraid of?
-How long you been married?
-What does that have to do with anything?
Can you even remember
who you really are anymore?
It's all about choices, Adrienne.
You make choices.
You chose that life. You chose that man.
Now you're going back to him,
aren't you?
Just stop it. Just stop it!
[LOUD RUMBLING]
PAUL:
Adrienne!
[ADRIENNE GRUNTS]
[ADRIENNE YELLS]
Adrienne?
Adrienne?
Hey.
You all right?
Yeah.
Did you hear the phone ring
early this morning?
No.
Danny had an asthma attack,
and Jack took him to the hospital.
-Is he all right?
-Yeah.
This is the first time
anything like this has happened...
...and I wasn't there.
My son was Iying in a hospital bed.
And where was I?
The lines were down.
-You shouldn't blame yourself.
-Shouldn't blame myself. God.
Well, I do blame myself.
There was one thing
that I thought I got right...
...it's being a good mother.
I can't just do whatever I want to,
whenever I want to, you know?
Maybe that works for you,
but it doesn't work for me.
I'm sorry, I just- I can't.
I know you're hurting...
...because you weren't there
with your son last night.
But I want you to know...
...that I envy what you have.
Your kids are very fortunate they have
someone who loves them as much you do.
Someone who tries so hard.
And any man is a fool who doesn't...
...know how incredibly lucky he is...
...to have you.
ADRIENNE:
Paul. Wait.
Her eyes were dark brown and soft...
...like she'd never hurt a soul.
And she wouldn't, neither.
I knew Jill since we was in school.
That thing on her face, she always had it.
I didn't care about it. I never even saw it.
[CLEARS THRO AT]
But she wanted it off.
I'd find her in the bathroom...
...crying, looking at it.
She'd be saying,
"I wanna be pretty for you. "
It broke my heart when she'd say that.
Because she was pretty. She was so...
But...
...that's what she wanted,
she wanted the operation.
And in our whole life,
I don't remember her asking for anything.
So I said yes.
That was how we come to you.
I wanna thank you
for showing this to me.
You were the last person...
...she saw or spoke to on this Earth.
She had all the love and kindness
in the world right inside her.
You didn't know who you were seeing.
And now you do.
Mr. Torrelson...
...I'm sorry.
I am so very sorry.
I'm glad I was there.
Me too.
[PAUL SIGHS]
Maybe today's the day
you're gonna see those ponies.
-The bankers?
-Hmm.
Okay, honestly, they don't come
this far down the island, ever.
-But thank you.
-You'll see. One day they will.
-Really?
-Yeah.
[ADRIENNE LAUGHS]
ADRIENNE:
Thank you.
WOMAN [ON RADIO]:
Another big one came and went...
... and just like Rodanthe Pier, we took
a few knocks, but we're still standing.
So come on down for a Rodanthe-style
crab-crack celebration tonight.
Wow.
[PEOPLE CHEERING AND CHATTERING]
MAN:
Jimmy crab's pretty, isn't he?
PAUL: Can I just get these?
Did you make these?
MAN:
Is this one fried enough for you?
ADRIENNE: It jumped in the boat.
PAUL: That's good.
ADRIENNE: Cheers.
PAUL: Thank you.
We should've brought something.
MAN:
You want some more of that?
[SINGING "COME ON O VER
TO MY HOUSE"]
Hey, Dot! I'm glad to see you.
This is Paul Flanner.
Hi, Paul!
ADRIENNE: You got a table for us?
DOT: I got you my own table.
[ADRIENNE LAUGHING]
DOT:
Uh-oh. Here comes trouble.
PAUL: Have fun.
ADRIENNE: Oh, thank you.
[LAUGHING]
She is great. I'm telling you.
Thank you.
ADRIENNE: Come on.
DOT: Hey, there's more food!
Thanks.
[PEOPLE CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]
[SINGING "BEFORE I MET YOU"]
Okay, this is where I'll be flying
into Esmeraldas.
And then you take this long road...
...closer up
into these mountains over here.
That's where Mark's clinic is,
on the south incline of these mountains.
Wow.
There's no phones, electricity,
running water. Nothing.
[LAUGHS]
Nothing. It's true. And then I take...
...of course, the long road here up to that,
which continues along here...
...and up this very steep mountain...
...and down this beautiful...
...beautiful broad valley.
Then up this steep incline over here
and around the river.
And then, oh, there's the post office
I'm gonna be sending you letters from.
Yeah.
Then come around this beautiful tree
over here...
...and, oh, there's another post office
right there.
I'll send you another one.
And another one.
I don't know how long I'm gonna be
down there with Mark.
Maybe a long time.
I know.
As long as it takes.
It's the most important thing.
JACK:
You said we'd work it out!
ADRIENNE:
Jack, please.
[DOOR SLAMS]
[AMANDA CRIES]
AMANDA:
Daddy.
Come here, baby.
You'll see him in a bit.
He wanted me to talk to you first.
Here it comes.
Here comes the crap and the bullshit.
-Please, just listen. Come here, honey.
-What is there to listen to? Dad's gone.
Your father and I
are not going to be together.
You mean Dad wanted to come back
and you wouldn't let him.
He will always be your father,
but I will not be his wife.
Okay, I know that he's not perfect, okay?
But you say
that we don't have to be perfect.
-It's not about that.
-Why can't you just forgive him?
I forgive your father.
It's not about the past.
Of course it is!
-Amanda, stop it.
-God, I hate you!
-I really hate this!
-Stop it, please.
-No!
-Yes! Listen to me. Listen to me.
I know that this is hard for you
to understand.
AII I can tell you is that, listen,
I am still your mother...
...and I am not going anywhere, baby.
I love you so much, no matter what,
for my whole life.
Do you understand?
That goes for your father too.
That goes for your father too, Danny.
But this was my decision.
You have to trust
that I made the right decision.
Amanda.
Come here, baby.
It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be all right.
It's all gonna be okay.
DANNY:
Hey, Mom! Watch this!
Keep it up, honey!
PAUL: Dear Adrienne,
saying goodbye to you...
... was the hardest thing
I've ever had to do...
... and I know I'll never do it again.
I'm gonna look at our time apart
as a chance...
... to get to know you
even better than I do.
ADRIENNE: Dear Paul, after you left,
I felt like I was waking up from a dream.
I am a grown woman, for God's sake,
not a teenager. I have a teenager.
I kept thinking,
was it the storm, the wine...
... the way you looked at me?
I don't know how or why,
but I'm old enough to know...
... how lucky I am to have found you.
[GIRLS LAUGHING]
GIRL:
Hi, Mrs. Willis.
-Hey, girls.
GIRLS: Hi.
Ooh, that's a lot of stuff.
Your mom's looking pretty good
these days.
Anyways...
PAUL: It's so beautiful here.
But believe me, nothing...
... nothing can compare to the peaks
and valleys...
... I traced along the map of your body.
[LAUGHS]
Mark is really something.
He never stops working.
He's available to everybody, all the time.
I never thought I'd say this,
but now I understand why he came.
ADRIENNE: Dear Paul, if Danny and Amanda
were older, I'd be right there by your side.
But as parents, this is one of the sacrifices
we have to make.
If I've gone this long without seeing you,
talking to you...
... touching you...
... what's a few more months?
PAUL: Listen, it's not just that you got
a hell of an arm, it's everything you are.
ADRIENNE: When Jack left me,
it wasn't just our marriage ending.
It was the loss
of all the hopes that I'd had.
PAUL: Your compassion, generosity,
the way you see beauty in simple things.
ADRIENNE: I tried to move on, but the world
didn't seem that interested in me anymore.
PAUL: Part of me wants to jump on a plane
and come back. I know I can't.
ADRIENNE: Dear Paul, I can't believe it.
Amanda is actually starting to come around.
PAUL: I must have seen
hundreds of patients.
ADRIENNE: I'm counting the days.
PAUL: I never would've believed
one weekend could change my life.
ADRIENNE: And then you came along
and helped me believe in myself again.
Mm. Mm.
[LAUGHS]
Who writes letters like this anymore?
-I know.
-Let me see that picture again.
Looks this good, appreciates you,
and he has a dirty mind.
-He's definitely a keeper.
-Let me have that.
PAUL: Dear Adrienne, when I write to you,
I feel your breath.
When you read these letters,
I imagine you feel mine.
-All right, guys, he's waiting.
DANNY: Bye, Mom.
AMANDA:
Bye, Mom.
PAUL:
Our letters are a part of us now.
Part of our history.
A reminder that we made it
through this time together-
Wait. No, Jack has the children
until Monday. Oh, yes.
Thank you.
I'm making the same thing
that we had that night at the inn.
PAUL: -and a promise
of what I hope our future will be.
I know.
Jean.
Jean.
His flight's landing soon.
I'm not even dressed.
No, I'm gonna have to-
I will, I promise. Of course I will.
-I love you, too, darling. Bye.
PAUL: Love, Paul.
ADRIENNE:
Flight 2822.
Arrived on time?
Okay, um, well,
I'm actually calling about a passenger.
Yes, last name Flanner.
Well, I wanna know
if he was on the plane.
Of course, I understand you don't usually
give out that information, but, um...
Of course. Well, do you have a supervisor
that I could speak with, or...?
What would you do?
I mean, I just want this information...
...and I don't know who to ask.
I don't mind holding. I don't mind-
Thank you.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Hi. Adrienne Willis?
Yes.
I'm Mark Flanner.
I'm...
I'm still trying to work it out myself.
MARK:
As soon as he got there, he was different.
I figured, once there, he'd immediately
start taking over like he usually did.
But instead, he just started working.
[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]
PAUL & CHILDREN:
Ahh.
MARK: The conditions there were tough,
especially in the rainy season.
I'd gotten word that sections
of the mountain were starting to give way.
PAUL:
We gotta get out of here. We gotta go.
MARK:
Not until we get the rest of the supplies.
MARK: I suppose if I hadn't been
so determined to take everything with us...
It'll take two weeks.
We'll lose too many people.
MARK: You gotta understand,
in that part of the world...
...antibiotics and syringes are like gold.
All right, you load this stuff up.
I'll go get the rest.
Okay.
MARK: Just as we were starting
to know each other again...
...he was taken away from me.
Because of you, he was a changed man.
You gave me back my father.
You saved him.
Well, we saved each other.
[SOBS]
[SOBBING]
AMANDA & DANNY: Bye, Dad!
JACK: Goodbye, I love you guys.
AMANDA: I love you. I'll miss you.
DANNY: Mom!
Mom!
Mom, where are you?
Mom?
-Mom?
-Okay! Stop making so much noise!
DANNY:
Hey, Mom!
Mom, guess what. Mom.
Mom?
AMANDA: Okay, Danny,
I need you to go upstairs.
DANNY: Mom-
-But what's wrong with Mom?
-Danny, just please do it, okay?
Just go upstairs. Okay? Please.
Mom?
Mama?
PAUL: Dear Adrienne,
in a few days we'll be together again.
I can't wait to meet Danny and Amanda,
walk on our beach...
... and spend another night in the Blue Room
with you in my arms.
But most of all,
I can't wait for our life to begin together.
Thank you for showing me
that it wasn't too late.
All I can do to repay you
is promise to love you forever.
And I do.
Come on, Danny, let's go.
The school bus is almost here.
And you're the boss of me since...?
Since right now. Let's go.
DANNY: Okay.
AMANDA: Come on.
Go, go, go.
Thank you.
Look, um...
I've been wanting to explain to you,
but I don't think-
Yeah, but you don't think
that I can handle it...
...because, in your mind,
I'm still just a little girl.
But I'm not.
And I know stuff.
Like what happened with you and Dad.
He told me...
...about how he hurt you.
And all that time
that I was so mean to you...
I'm really sorry.
But I do know what happens.
I do.
So you can tell me.
Okay.
While your father and I were apart,
I met a man.
I know you've only ever known
your father and me.
And I love Jack
because he's your father.
But there's another kind of love, Amanda.
One that gives you the courage to be better
than you are, not less than you are.
One that makes you feel
that anything is possible.
I want you to know
that you could have that.
I want you to hold out for it.
I want you to know that you deserve it.
You hear me?
Tell me about him.
You made this for him?
I was going to give it to him.
These are letters...
...that I sent to him
which came back to me.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.