We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004) Movie Script
You want a drink?
I think we're out of beer.
- We out of beer?
- You're empty.
- I'll go get some.
- I'll go.
- No, I'll go. I don't care.
- No, I'll go. I could use the air.
Jungle warrior!
Wait.
What are we doing?
I don't know.
Should we stop this?
Stop what?
- Oh, my God.
- Should we stop?
- No.
- I don't ever wanna stop.
- I don't either.
- I'll meet you tomorrow at 12 at Shane's.
- Yeah, okay.
- All right.
Okay.
- Bye, you guys.
- All right. Good night.
- Come here.
- What?
- Come here. Get in here.
- What? Terry?
What's the matter?
No more of this crap, all right?
From now on, we act like a married couple.
- No more flirting around. You understand?
- No. How could I?
Who can understand
such a flaming pile of bullshit?
Oh, Jack. Come on, don't play dumb.
- Please.
- Terry...
...why don't you have some wine.
We've been drinking gin.
I don't want wine.
Let's talk about this in the morning.
You're drunk and we're gonna fight.
And you have that look of yours.
Forget that look of mine.
Let's talk about you and Edith.
The little trips you take.
These damn errands.
Somebody runs out of something...
...some goddamn egg rolls, and off you go,
you and Edith.
Egg rolls? Really?
Egg rolls?
What are you talking about?
You know, you shouldn't
leave me with Hank...
...and put me in that position.
- What position?
- Jack, listen to me.
- What?
Something's going on.
I mean, either you want it to,
or it is.
That is such a lot of horseshit. Okay?
What is wrong with me and Edith going off
to get a goddamn six-pack of beer?
What are you really worried about?
It's you and Hank being left alone together.
- I see you two. You're horny for Hank.
- Oh, please.
- I'm supposed to feel guilty because of that?
- I'm horny for my husband.
Jesus. We're not a couple of fucking
honeymooners anymore, for chrissake.
Why aren't we?! We've been married
so long that you're bored?
- Terry.
- No. Is that what it is?
- You can leave anytime.
- Terry...
Maybe we should talk about...
...how long this is gonna last.
- Terry!
- I am not going anywhere!
- The kids'll be fine.
If you're suffering...
...if this is such a disappointment.
- You're the only wife I know...
...that gets pissed off at her husband
for not hanging on her at a party!
- Husbands touch their wives!
- You see Hank fondling Edith every second?
Hank doesn't love her.
He told me while you were out.
- He said that to you?
- Yeah.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
Why? Why did he tell you that?
I don't know. He just said it.
What were you doing?
He just blurted that out? Seems odd.
We were talking.
How else do people tell each other things?
When people say things like that
they're doing other things.
Yeah, I was blowing him on the porch.
- What do you care?
- I don't.
- As long as you tell me the truth.
- The truth?
Jack, you won't even admit the truth.
- You don't really love me.
- Terry, it's not true.
It's never been true. And when you say shit
like that, for one minute it is the truth!
- Do you understand me?
- Fuck you!
Fuck you!
Goddamn it!
Fucker!
Bastard!
I'm trying to concentrate!
Give me back my paper!
Oh, shit.
Dad!
Stop it! You're making too much noise.
Oh, shit.
Mom!
Stop it!
Come back here!
Mom!
- Mom!
- What?!
Go to school.
It's summer. I don't have to.
You go to school.
It's Saturday. I don't have to.
So, what are you gonna do today?
Make up stories.
Why?
Make people laugh. Make people cry.
But why?
- Hey, have you seen my keys?
- Yeah. They're over here.
The sitter's coming over in a couple hours.
I'm gonna go out and do some things.
I'm gonna go run with Jack
after I finish writing.
- Okay.
- See you.
Hey. Hey.
Have a good day.
You too.
Hey.
Yeah?
- You want lunch or breakfast?
- What do you got?
Cereal if you want breakfast. If you want
lunch, I could get lobsters. For you and me.
- Kids don't like them anyway.
- I can't. I'm in a hurry. I'm taking the car in.
It'll just take half an hour.
I need the car there by 12.
- You have to?
- Lf I want the work done, yeah.
Well, what's the work?
Oil and a lube.
That doesn't take very long, so...
Terry, those guys got work to do,
and they want the car now or not at all.
They don't care if you want a lobster.
But if you do want one, get it before I go.
You petulant son of a bitch, just make love
to your wife and have a fucking lobster.
I don't want one by myself.
Why? You don't think it'd taste as good?
You know what I mean.
You want Cheerios or Grape-Nuts?
Grape-Nuts, please.
Dickhead.
Fuck.
Jesus Christ.
Sean. Sean.
Cease and desist, man.
- You slept late.
- Yeah. Because it's Saturday.
It's because you were up late.
You guys were fighting.
Oh, yeah? What did you hear?
Yelling and swear words. Then you left.
You know what, guys? Grownups fight.
Especially married ones.
- You want me to make something to eat?
- I could eat a horse.
I could eat a horse.
Give that to your brother.
If I promise not to get fat,
can I keep our baby?
Want dessert too?
- Do we even have any?
- We never have dessert.
I'm a stupid papa.
I'll pick some up on my way home.
- Where are you going?
- I'm going to get the car fixed.
Can I go?
No, because I'm gonna go
running with Hank afterwards.
- We don't mind. We'll watch you.
- No.
It's Mama!
I want us to start having desserts, Mama.
- Yay! Desserts!
- We never have desserts.
- I'm off.
- Okay...
- Get enough to eat?
- Yep.
- Bye, Dad!
- See you!
How come Daddy likes desserts,
and you don't?
Daddy's a daddy
and Mommy's a mommy.
Mom.
Honey, we're different people.
We're not the same. We're different.
Hey.
- You signed up for summer classes?
- Sure. Why not?
Oh, man.
If I were you, I'd be at the beach
every hour of every day this summer.
- I have to make up some credits.
- No.
Anyone who looks like you
doesn't have to do anything.
See you, Mr. Evans.
Enjoy!
Won't last forever.
Yeah, just check the oil.
- Give it a lube job if you can.
- Sure.
I'm just gonna go on a couple errands
with my wife over there...
Duck. I think he's on to you.
Maybe I should start smoking your brand.
Maybe you should ask your husband
to babysit our kids while we fuck.
- He'd be glad to.
- Yeah. Well, she wouldn't.
I think he wants to have sex with her.
- Why?
- Why?
- Yeah.
- Because he likes her and she's pretty.
He hasn't had any strange pussy
since that French cunt.
I mean, why do you think he wants to?
The way he looks at her,
the way he looked at us...
...when we came back from buying beer.
- Oh, yeah? And how was that?
Sheepish.
- Does that bother you?
- Me? No.
Good. We can all babysit for each other.
"She blooms, she blooms.
And in May, so hurt."
In May, I was alone.
Stinky.
- You'll get sunburnt.
- No.
And then you'll get caught.
- I should keep the sun off.
- No. I can't. I can't.
- Oh, come on. Yes, you can.
- I'm done. I'm old.
I'm wasted.
Have you eaten enough?
I don't know. Let me see.
I mean food.
Yeah. Yeah.
I had Grape-Nuts. I got up late.
Yeah.
You know you ought to live with me.
I'd feed you better than that.
She feeds me okay.
She gives me what I want.
It's a sublimely happy marriage.
Stop.
I wonder how we'll get caught.
Hank will smell you on me at the gym.
No, I mean Terry.
If Hank caught us, I wouldn't care.
I wouldn't stop unless you wanted to,
but you probably would.
Wouldn't you?
- No, I wouldn't.
- Yeah, you would.
- What? Don't you think he's gonna notice?
- Well, if he does, it'll be a miracle.
Oh, come on, Jack. You're talking like
he's Charlie Chan or something.
Like he gives a shit.
- Sometimes I think...
- Sometimes you think what?
Sometimes I think that I love you even more
than I think that I do, which is a lot.
Which is a lot?
Impotent as you are?
Give me a cigarette.
My last one...
...until...
Till...
I don't know. I'll call you.
I'm just gonna grab this.
I'm gonna go home, take a nap,
keep the sitter another hour.
- You're okay with that?
- It's okay.
Thanks.
- Hi, Mom.
- Hey.
Mommy.
What?
- Mom, stop it.
- Okay, okay.
- What's this?
- It's a show.
Yeah. I know it's a show, honey,
but what show is it?
Space.
Do you wanna go into space
someday, sweetheart?
No. Unless...
I don't want to go to space
unless Daddy goes and you too.
Of course Daddy and I'd go with you.
Then, okay.
I definitely agree with this.
Houston, I think we got a satellite.
It's quite a sight.
That looks good, thanks.
The alignment key is obviously in place.
Go for rotate.
You can't write, you old fuck.
Let's go for a run.
One goddamn page.
One page in four hours, that's sad.
Only three hours, 46 minutes.
Think I'd waste an entire four hours
on one goddamn page?
Let's run.
Take it you quit.
- Goddamn right, goddamn it.
- What's this? The eighth, ninth time?
The last time. They're pissing me off.
They're trying to kill me.
Cigarettes don't have souls, Jack.
They don't mean you any harm.
Easy, sailor.
You all right there, princess?
Yeah, I'm fine, you competitive prick.
You sure?
- You're a little screwed up this summer.
- Oh, yeah? Can you tell?
Yep.
- I should've worked this summer, man.
- Yeah. Maybe, maybe not.
I could use the money.
- Work more.
- A man should be able to live...
...idly for a couple of months
without losing his mind.
- Try writing.
- I have. I'm a reader, not a writer.
Pussy, not a fighter.
Jesus, man. Just smoke it.
You're hopeless.
- You'll smell like an ashtray to Terry.
- Does Edith to you?
No. Not everywhere.
- I haven't touched one since Jeanne.
- Yes. Jeanne.
Got me smoking fucking French cigarettes.
Make anybody wanna quit.
- Did you end up seeing her before she left?
- Yeah, I saw her.
Remember when I went to New York
to see my agent?
I was in Portland.
Oh, man.
Airport. Tears.
That was very romantic. I think about
running into her in Paris in 10 years.
Jesus, man.
What can I say? I'm dedicated.
I refuse to let anyone go unloved.
Betty!
Mom!
What?
- Mom!
- Don't hit her with that bat!
So why didn't you leave her, Hank?
Who?
Edith.
- Why would I?
- You're in love with another woman.
- Jesus, this isn't the Middle Ages.
- What? It's happened.
Men have left their wives
for other women and been happy.
- Until they start cheating on their new wife.
- Sure, whatever.
- It's no use talking to you.
- Why?
You're too nice to fuck somebody
without feeling love. Right?
- Right.
- So doing it with love in the mix...
...you'd use as proof you didn't love Terry?
- What, you been talking to my mistress?
Look, just love everybody you can.
Love your kids, love your wife,
keep the peace.
Then once, just once...
...try fucking somebody else
just because it feels good.
Your wife, you know...
...may be living exactly
according to these principles.
- That's her business, Hank.
- Brave words.
But true.
- What brought all this on, anyway?
- I don't know. Nothing, I guess.
Just see you're unhappy
and I want you to be happy.
I have a girl, so Terry gets a lobster.
We get a bottle of wine
and the kids get this shit.
Shit.
Go on, take it.
- Come in for a quick one.
- No, I'm late.
- Come on.
- Shouldn't.
Dad!
Brought home a present.
Drink?
Okay, we're going to 10. That's two.
- No. That's three!
- Okay, three.
Four.
- Dad, when is it my turn?
- Never.
You don't know how to pitch.
- Little while, Natasha.
- Hey, gang!
- Let's go for a bike ride.
- No, we're playing catch.
Please. Come on!
Come on, Natasha. It's late.
Oh, come on, Jack. It's not that late.
Yeah! Let's go up the river!
- Yeah!
- Fine. Let's ride bikes.
- Come on, Mom.
- Honey, go with Daddy. I got stuff to do.
Sean, get your helmet on!
- What's the name of this dance?
- "The Angry Housewife."
What is that?
The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
I'm thinking of teaching it this fall.
I was crazy the other night. I'm sorry.
It's okay.
I shouldn't have gotten drunk.
Forget it.
No, I gotta grow up.
What, grownups aren't violent?
Not with their husbands.
Read the newspapers.
Women murder their husbands every day.
Not people like us.
The other night, did Hank make a pass?
Yeah. But he was drinking.
And what? You're pretty.
Hank likes pretty women.
Do you know how much I love you?
Yes.
It's not just that. It's more than that.
It's what?
It's how far you've come...
...strong you've gotten.
Do you know what I mean?
- Well?
- Well, what?
- Well, what did he do?
- None of your business.
All right, then what did you do?
- Nothing.
- Come on.
He tried to kiss me on the porch,
so I went inside.
Where? Here?
In the kitchen to get a glass of wine.
So he followed you
into the kitchen and...
And he told me he loved me...
...he kissed me
and said he didn't love Edith.
And I felt dirty and we went outside
and sat on the front steps.
Dirty because...
...what he said about Edith or because...?
- Yeah.
Edith's my friend.
She's sweet.
She doesn't deserve that bullshit.
I don't wanna be any part of it.
But before that you were all right.
I wanna know what you did.
Hey, can we stop this?
Or do you wanna know if his nose
was to the left or to the right of mine...
...when he kissed me?
- You remember?
We were lying on the floor and he was
on my right, so his nose was to the left.
You were lying on the floor.
Goodness gracious.
I was squatting down to get my gla...
Shut up.
What? I'm just kidding.
No, you're not, Jack.
You're glad he kissed me.
- Let's just say I'm not disturbed by it.
- Well, I am!
Okay.
Jack.
Jack.
Look at me.
Look at me.
"It occurred to him that what had
seemed impossible before...
...that he had not spent his life as
he should have, might after all be true."
Hey, let's go.
Wake up. You want some pancakes?
- I want three pancakes.
- Ready?
- Get your plate ready.
- Ready.
Table one.
- Hey, let's go.
- It's mine!
- Mommy!
- You guys, have a great time.
"His professional duties and the whole
arrangement of his life and family...
...might all have been false."
"He tried to defend all those things
to himself...
...and suddenly felt the weakness
of what he was defending.
There was nothing to defend."
Boring.
Jim.
- Everything in his life turns out false?
- Doesn't do much about it.
Doesn't do much? He finds God.
That tiny bit at the end? Seeing a light
and there being no more pain? Is that it?
Well, the guy does do one major thing.
- What's that?
- He dies.
And maybe Tolstoy didn't have it in his
head to write some big, uplifting story...
...about the way we're supposed
to live our lives.
Maybe he just wanted to show us
what it was like to die.
This is traumatic.
Reading your stuff, I see little things
wrong here and there, easy to fix.
And I am noticing, all of a sudden...
...that most of you can write
just as well as me.
It's very depressing.
What happened?
There's a first half of a story here
that really starts to work...
...then just:
What?
You gonna tell me you ran out of things
to write about? I won't believe you.
I lost focus towards the end.
My boyfriend just moved in...
- Your boyfriend?
- I just mean that...
I just wanna talk about
what's on the page.
- Sorry.
- Are you kidding?
All right.
Just this stuff.
Fuck.
HD-Grant
Publishing
Can I get my highlighter, please?
Linden.
My mother sent some money,
you wanna celebrate?
- Yeah. Soon.
- Okay.
- Tomorrow?
- Good.
He wants to meet me, tell me how much
he likes it, but he doesn't wanna publish it?
Who needs that?
Look, tell him to publish the damn thing,
I'll move into his house and do his laundry.
God. Who's depressed?
I'm not depressed.
Bye, Jerry. Fuck.
All you need is one yes.
- Where you going?
- I have to do some shopping.
- You taking Sharon?
- No. She's outside playing.
Christ, Edith, I was gonna write.
So write. She's outside playing.
- Where are you going?
- To the library. I'll be back at 4.
- Since when?
- Since I have work to do.
- What work?
- Work.
- All right. Give me 50 bucks.
- Why?
Fuck why. So I can fly to California.
So I can pay the goddamn plumber.
You blew through
Monday's money already?
I can't believe this.
Yeah, my heroin habit's getting expensive.
Give it to me!
Give it back!
Give it to me.
Give it back.
- Give it to me.
- Hey!
You guys wanna see something?
He thinks it's shit.
Pretty cool, huh?
- I hate her.
- No, you don't.
She's your life.
- You really love Terry, don't you?
- Yeah.
- I think she's fantastic.
- She is fantastic.
She just shouldn't be married to me.
- Hey, you want some coffee or anything?
- No, I'm great. Thanks.
I went to the zoo last week with Sharon.
- That's a depressing place.
- Yeah, I know.
But...
...we were watching this gorilla.
He took a crap in his hand
and then he licked it.
It's a bit more interesting
than the flamingos, I guess.
Made me cry.
I told you it's a depressing place.
He just seemed so human, you know?
Like he knew how trapped he was.
Do you realize how sad it is,
watching you guys?
What do you think the difference is
between you and us?
Terry loves you.
So you married?
- Thirty years.
- Wow.
- Got kids?
- Two. They're married now.
Does your wife take an interest
in your job, I mean...
...does she know everything
about plumbing?
No, not at all. Nothing.
What does she do?
She likes to garden. It makes her happy.
Did I say something wrong?
You make me a good wife.
If I didn't love you,
I'd have to love somebody else.
See, Hank needs us, but...
...he can't really love anyone,
only his work, the rest is surface.
I don't believe that.
I don't mean his friendship with you.
He'd give you a kidney if you needed one.
- Yeah, and he'd give you one too.
- Of course he would...
...but he wouldn't go
to a marriage counselor.
You know, you're a funny girl.
After a long carnivorous fuck,
you talk about a marriage counselor?
Who are you?
You know what I wanted.
I wanted to know where we were.
- Now I know.
- And?
You love the person you're having
the affair with.
He'll be busting out soon. Trust me.
I know the routine.
He's been hibernating
with that novel so long.
Next thing you know,
he'll look around and blink...
...and fuck the first thing
that walks into his office.
I hope someone goes in there
before I do.
Well, he screws his wife once in a while.
Why not another man?
And your husband making passes
at my wife, how do you feel about that?
Well, everybody deserves
to be happy, right?
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
How'd the work go?
Burned my novel, wrote a shitty poem.
How'd the shopping go?
Fine.
Get your work done at the library?
Yep.
Hank and Edith are coming over
to watch an old movie on cable tonight.
Great. That's good.
- Hank called?
- Yeah. He called.
What? Lobsters?
Oh, she's beautiful.
There's no denying that.
But you know she does nothing all day
but eat, sleep, walk about...
...fascinate us all by her beauty.
Nothing more.
And an idle life cannot be...
...pure.
Hello?
Hey. Hey!
Hello.
Hey. Hi, guys. What's going on?
- We're celebrating.
- Well, I can see that.
Hank?
The New Yorker's gonna publish
one of my poems.
What? That's fantastic! How exciting!
What did Edith say?
I haven't had a chance to tell Edith.
She's out shopping.
You don't seem very excited.
- I am.
- Yeah, what do you know?
Hank, people who know you
like your work.
You're being published.
It doesn't get much better than that.
It's a poem, Terry.
It's really not that important.
No, Hank, it isn't.
You want important, work in a cancer
ward with people puking from chemo.
Or teach math to a kid who's
brain-damaged from fetal alcohol syndrome.
No, those people generally
aren't that much fun to be around.
Okay. All right.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Pulling my head out of my butt.
How about a spoonful of this...
..."dream come true" jumbo split?
I'd rather eat vomit. Gotta fly.
Hey.
Do me a favor and don't tell Jack, all right?
Allow me the joy of gloating.
You'll see him before I will.
You guys are running, right?
Are we?
Oh, yeah, yeah. We are indeed.
- Okay. Bye, honey.
- See you.
- Hi.
- Terry's turning over leaves.
She said her life had reached
a turning point. She said she would work.
She would start right now
by paying for being a slob.
For three days after, she made the beds
as soon as we got up in the morning.
She folded the laundry by 10.
She vacuumed by noon.
She wrote lists of chores
for the rest of us.
Then on the fourth day...
...her momentum suddenly stopped.
So?
So then I checked his gym bag,
and the clothes were folded and clean.
He didn't even go running,
he fucking lied to me.
So confront him.
Can't you ask Hank?
- Do you want me to ask Hank?
- Yes.
Shit. I don't even know.
I don't know if I wanna know.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- How was your run?
- Great.
Lobsters.
Fuck you.
- Mom!
- Dad!
- What's the matter?
- Still wet.
Lay down. I'll be back in a second.
- What else, Terry? What else?
- What?
Relax. I'll do them
as soon as I finish this.
It's not what you didn't do, it's why.
Why do we live
in the foulest house I know?
Why is it that you say you love our children
and they go unbathed for days?
Right now Sean is upstairs
sleeping in last night's piss.
I forgot.
Goddamn it!
Goddamn it, Terry. Fucking lazy.
It's okay, baby. It's okay.
Stay here and I'll be back.
I'll take the sheets.
It's just a little bit wet, that's okay.
It's okay, honey. I love you.
Go back to sleep. Love you.
All right.
- I wanna talk to you.
- I'm gonna do the dishes.
- No. Now.
- Talk to me while I'm doing the dishes.
- Terry...
- Sit down.
Don't you take anything. Listen to me.
I am tired of being judged.
Who are you to judge me?
Now, I forgot that Sean wet his bed...
...but if you got them up one morning
out of every thousand...
...if you loved them the way you say
you do... Oh, that was shitty.
Accusing me of not loving
my own children?
That's just the way you fight,
like a catty, bitchy woman.
And you know what? If you ever got
them up in the last four or five nights...
...you would've known he hadn't
wet his bed.
Come on. He wet his bed three nights ago
and I know that because he told me.
- So what?
- So? You never get the facts right.
You always get it wrong, Terry. Wrong!
You never, ever, ever get it right. It's
the same thing with the sheets, the bills...
You always find a way to blow it.
You always have an excuse...
...and you're always wrong.
- So, what do you want me to do?
- Do? There's something you can do?
- You son of a bitch!
- Terry!
- Son of a bitch!
You son of a bitch!
Goddamn it. Goddamn it, Jack.
Goddamn it!
Oh, fuck.
It was the day after payday,
and I gave Hank $50 I had owed him.
Oh, my God, I can't believe this.
He paid me!
He made a big deal about
not needing the money.
Thank you so much.
Then, later that night, he fucked my wife
in the front seat of my car.
Where were you?
Woke up, couldn't get to sleep,
so I went for a walk.
You don't have to tell me that.
I've been up since 1:30.
You're such a bastard.
- Did you ever go to sleep?
- Yes.
- Sure you did.
- What, I was tired. Yes.
- Why didn't you just bring me to bed?
- Why didn't you come to bed?
Because I need to be made love to.
You don't make love to me anymore.
You fuck me.
I sat on those steps with Hank and
he held my hand and he listened to me.
He listened to me while I talked
about this shitty marriage.
And he told me he felt close to me.
And I was happy when he said it.
And I was happy
when I made love to him.
I was so goddamn happy for a minute,
and then I thought of you.
I just wanted to be here with you
and get us back.
And be in this fucking bed,
in this house...
...with my husband and my kids
where I belong.
That's a really admirable sentiment, Terry.
Fuck.
Jack...
...right now I love you...
...maybe more than I have for years.
But I am angry.
I am so fucking angry, Jack, way down,
because you set this fucking thing up.
You set it up and it happened. And I don't
know what else is gonna happen.
Why? You gonna see him again?
God. Jesus Christ, Jack.
I don't know.
What?
Then it's over.
Is that what you're saying?
What's wrong with you?
Think making love is like smoking?
- It's...
- It's what?
It's a promise.
You promised him you'll see him again.
I didn't say anything.
Opening my legs is a promise.
And he didn't say anything, either?
He must have said something.
Oh, my God, you like this.
You want details, huh?
Fine.
We drove around for a while.
He put his hand on my tit...
...and I practically got off
just from him touching me.
You know what happened then?
We parked and we fucked like crazy.
And you know what, Jack?
I came before he did.
And the second time, I was on top.
And I looked in his face,
I looked right in his eyes...
...and I told him I loved him.
- That's enough, all right?
Enough.
You should be knocking my teeth out,
but not you, huh?
Not you. Because you like it.
Wanna watch us, Jack?
This comes to you...
Fuck who you want, when you want...
...but don't give me half-assed insights into
the soul of a man you have never understood.
Your insights suck.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
My "half-assed insights."
"Into the soul of a man
I don't understand."
You poor baby.
Oh, my God.
You poor little baby.
You talk and talk.
You think you know yourself,
but you know what?
You're a pervert.
I'm gonna go to sleep. We got a couple
of kids that are getting up soon.
You're not known for getting breakfast.
I'll do it. Forget it.
Thanks. It's one thing you can help with.
Unfortunately, you can't help me
with my other problem.
See, Jack, I'm not sure what to do.
I mean, tomorrow. What do I say?
"Gee, Hank, that was last night...
...and this is now, and I just don't know
if I wanna fuck anymore."
You gotta admit,
even adultery has morality to it.
So I got some things to figure out.
- You do what you can.
- Thanks, Jack.
- Good night.
- I'll do what I can.
- Hello.
- They did it last night.
Come over.
Wait, wait, wait. Where's Hank?
- He's sleeping.
- Upstairs?
Yeah. He'll go to the bathroom first,
don't worry.
- We'll hear him. Come on, fuck me.
- Okay.
Oh, God.
Come on back here!
Come on. Take the gold! Get the gold!
He's gonna hit that guy soon.
- Which guy?
- The big fat mean guy.
How do you know?
Because if he doesn't hit him,
he won't feel good about himself.
Go to sleep.
Tanya, we'll be back at 12:30.
Don't talk to boys.
Tanya, can you put two shirts on them?
They get cold at night. Thanks.
- Just one.
- Bye, Mama. See you later.
Night, gang.
- Finally.
- Congratulations.
I have to thank my lovely muse.
- Hey, Joe. How's it going?
- Good.
- Hank's in good shape these days.
- He's always in good shape. All days.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. New Yorker.
- Hey, Hank, The New Yorker.
- Hey.
- Smooth.
- Christ.
Don't know if I can handle this.
Be careful what you ask for,
you just might get it.
- So cheers to Hank.
- Hank.
Good night.
Of course.
Terry's tired. I'm gonna run her home.
Take your car, okay?
- Have fun.
- Enjoyed it. Nice.
- He's giving her a lift home.
- Among other things.
I think you should tell him now.
- I can't.
- Why not?
- I don't know.
- Why not?
I don't know.
- Don't.
- What?
I'd like to just concentrate on
hating his guts right now.
Not this way, not after 10 fucking years.
I just spent the last three hours at Willie's.
You know, the bar
all the bag ladies drink in?
Alone in a bar for the first time in my life.
Alone in a bar.
- What happened?
- Never mind what happened.
- All right.
- That's why you have strikes against me.
I drink more than any woman we know.
I'm the only woman who keeps up
with the men at parties.
I'm drinking in the afternoon.
You'll get rid of me that way.
So...
Yeah.
I drink a lot.
Especially on nights when my husband
sends me off to fuck his friend.
Don't you wanna stop that, Terry?
Give me a reason, Jack.
I was...
...thinking tonight about...
...when I was 10,
my dad taught me how to fish.
And I was just praying,
"Please, God, let me catch one fish."
Just one, you know?
As if the luck of catching a fish
would make me more lovable.
But then it would follow that
to be unlucky is to be unlovable.
And luck isn't an element in my life now.
It just isn't.
And for some reason,
you hate me for this house of mine...
...because it's filthy sometimes.
I don't hate you, Terry.
Jack, how would you know if you
hated me? You don't even know me.
- I know you, Terry.
- No, you don't, Jack.
- I do know you.
- No.
You say, "You are what you do"?
Who really believes that?
I mean, what does that mean?
Does that mean I'm a cook...
...an errand runner, a fucker,
a goddamn cleaning lady?
Because if you, you bastard,
lost all discipline and folded up...
...and turned drunk and got bald
and lost everything, I'd love you.
I love you.
You, Jack.
But if you love me for what I do
instead of for what I am...
...and there's a difference,
I know there is...
...then what are you loving
when I fuck Hank?
What is it in you that lets me do that?
Or is that just another one of the tricks
I do for you?
Screw Hank, shake hands, sit,
roll over, play dead, fetch...
...Iove me like a dog.
I love Edith.
- What?
- I love Edith.
- Jack. Don't do this, please.
- Terry...
- Please, please.
- Terry...
- Please.
- Terry, no!
Just take it. Jesus Christ. Just take it.
So when are you leaving?
I don't know.
Maybe you should go today.
Why don't you come to bed?
I wanna clean my house.
You should see the house.
What's she doing?
She's doing everything.
Are you talking to Daddy?
Hey, come here.
- Is it true that you don't love Mom?
- Who said that?
I heard Mom last night.
Wait a second.
Are you getting divorced?
Natasha said you were leaving.
I wanna live with you.
I'm not going to choose.
Now, you guys, that's just
Mama and Daddy fighting at night.
Mom says you're leaving
and you love Edith and you screwed her.
You know what that means?
Yes.
- You do?
- What?
What what means?
Now listen to me.
Listening?
That's just adult foolishness, okay?
Understand?
Come here.
Let's go on our bikes.
Yeah.
- You know what's out there?
- The moon, the sun...
- Yeah, I do.
- Uranus, Pluto, Mercury.
Venus, Mars, moon.
Sun. Jupiter.
Did you know the universe is so big
that nobody can even count how big...
How many feet it is?
So people say "googol." "It's googol."
See these rocks?
Guess how old they are.
- Hundred years old?
- Nope.
These rocks have been here
from the very first cells.
The first cells were the first thing
on the Earth.
Then maybe these rocks were...
Who were the first people
on the planet?
If you believe in God, it's Adam and Eve...
...and if you don't, apes.
Did you know that they just found things
that said that God had a wife?
It's true. In real life they did.
What if they don't believe in God?
No, I mean, people that look for him
thought that.
Was it awful?
Was what awful?
What's this? What are you doing?
I thought that's where you went
to tell the kids.
Unpack it, please.
Why? Couldn't you tell them?
I don't want to.
Okay, I'II...
...call them in and we'll both tell them.
I mean I don't wanna leave, Terry.
Jack, I know it's the kids.
No.
Is it just the kids? You can
see them whenever you want.
I won't make a big deal out of it.
You know I wouldn't put us through that.
And if it's just telling them,
we can do it and get it over with.
It's not the kids, Terry.
It's not the kids.
Just unpack my bags, okay?
We can do this.
It'll be okay.
She didn't mean it.
Honey, what's wrong?
Somebody was mean to her at school.
It's okay, honey. It's okay.
Hey.
Hey.
Edith wants to see you tonight.
She's gonna tell Hank.
She probably already told him.
She said he won't mind.
Yeah, I know.
I told her about Hank and me.
She talked about you two.
Terry...
...please don't.
I'm sure it was a fine afternoon.
It was, in a way.
It's gonna snow.
Hey.
Want some coffee?
No.
Drink?
Yeah. Scotch.
Take a seat.
Well, I think this is probably a good time
for me to go see a movie.
Hey, Hank? Hank.
What?
You knew all along.
I'm not real slow.
You okay?
I'm drowning in shit.
I'll be laughing soon.
Hey, listen.
Gonna dedicate my new novel to you.
I wrote three new chapters this week.
It's much easier living with a woman
who feels loved.
He said he was happy for us
and now he's sad for us.
He's happy that you were taking care of me
and now he's sorry that you can't.
I can't.
Too sad.
What's going on?
Where's Sharon?
She's outside waiting in the car.
I...
I'm gonna take her to my mother's
for a while.
Why?
What for? What's going on?
Edith.
Edith.
Edith, stop.
Edith, Edith, Edith, please.
Stop.
I'll stop.
I'm not leaving you because you're
unfaithful. I'm leaving because I was.
Well, none of that matters anymore.
That's over.
Isn't it?
Isn't it, Edith?
Yeah. It's over.
Well, then why leave now?
Because I can.
I think we're out of beer.
- We out of beer?
- You're empty.
- I'll go get some.
- I'll go.
- No, I'll go. I don't care.
- No, I'll go. I could use the air.
Jungle warrior!
Wait.
What are we doing?
I don't know.
Should we stop this?
Stop what?
- Oh, my God.
- Should we stop?
- No.
- I don't ever wanna stop.
- I don't either.
- I'll meet you tomorrow at 12 at Shane's.
- Yeah, okay.
- All right.
Okay.
- Bye, you guys.
- All right. Good night.
- Come here.
- What?
- Come here. Get in here.
- What? Terry?
What's the matter?
No more of this crap, all right?
From now on, we act like a married couple.
- No more flirting around. You understand?
- No. How could I?
Who can understand
such a flaming pile of bullshit?
Oh, Jack. Come on, don't play dumb.
- Please.
- Terry...
...why don't you have some wine.
We've been drinking gin.
I don't want wine.
Let's talk about this in the morning.
You're drunk and we're gonna fight.
And you have that look of yours.
Forget that look of mine.
Let's talk about you and Edith.
The little trips you take.
These damn errands.
Somebody runs out of something...
...some goddamn egg rolls, and off you go,
you and Edith.
Egg rolls? Really?
Egg rolls?
What are you talking about?
You know, you shouldn't
leave me with Hank...
...and put me in that position.
- What position?
- Jack, listen to me.
- What?
Something's going on.
I mean, either you want it to,
or it is.
That is such a lot of horseshit. Okay?
What is wrong with me and Edith going off
to get a goddamn six-pack of beer?
What are you really worried about?
It's you and Hank being left alone together.
- I see you two. You're horny for Hank.
- Oh, please.
- I'm supposed to feel guilty because of that?
- I'm horny for my husband.
Jesus. We're not a couple of fucking
honeymooners anymore, for chrissake.
Why aren't we?! We've been married
so long that you're bored?
- Terry.
- No. Is that what it is?
- You can leave anytime.
- Terry...
Maybe we should talk about...
...how long this is gonna last.
- Terry!
- I am not going anywhere!
- The kids'll be fine.
If you're suffering...
...if this is such a disappointment.
- You're the only wife I know...
...that gets pissed off at her husband
for not hanging on her at a party!
- Husbands touch their wives!
- You see Hank fondling Edith every second?
Hank doesn't love her.
He told me while you were out.
- He said that to you?
- Yeah.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
Why? Why did he tell you that?
I don't know. He just said it.
What were you doing?
He just blurted that out? Seems odd.
We were talking.
How else do people tell each other things?
When people say things like that
they're doing other things.
Yeah, I was blowing him on the porch.
- What do you care?
- I don't.
- As long as you tell me the truth.
- The truth?
Jack, you won't even admit the truth.
- You don't really love me.
- Terry, it's not true.
It's never been true. And when you say shit
like that, for one minute it is the truth!
- Do you understand me?
- Fuck you!
Fuck you!
Goddamn it!
Fucker!
Bastard!
I'm trying to concentrate!
Give me back my paper!
Oh, shit.
Dad!
Stop it! You're making too much noise.
Oh, shit.
Mom!
Stop it!
Come back here!
Mom!
- Mom!
- What?!
Go to school.
It's summer. I don't have to.
You go to school.
It's Saturday. I don't have to.
So, what are you gonna do today?
Make up stories.
Why?
Make people laugh. Make people cry.
But why?
- Hey, have you seen my keys?
- Yeah. They're over here.
The sitter's coming over in a couple hours.
I'm gonna go out and do some things.
I'm gonna go run with Jack
after I finish writing.
- Okay.
- See you.
Hey. Hey.
Have a good day.
You too.
Hey.
Yeah?
- You want lunch or breakfast?
- What do you got?
Cereal if you want breakfast. If you want
lunch, I could get lobsters. For you and me.
- Kids don't like them anyway.
- I can't. I'm in a hurry. I'm taking the car in.
It'll just take half an hour.
I need the car there by 12.
- You have to?
- Lf I want the work done, yeah.
Well, what's the work?
Oil and a lube.
That doesn't take very long, so...
Terry, those guys got work to do,
and they want the car now or not at all.
They don't care if you want a lobster.
But if you do want one, get it before I go.
You petulant son of a bitch, just make love
to your wife and have a fucking lobster.
I don't want one by myself.
Why? You don't think it'd taste as good?
You know what I mean.
You want Cheerios or Grape-Nuts?
Grape-Nuts, please.
Dickhead.
Fuck.
Jesus Christ.
Sean. Sean.
Cease and desist, man.
- You slept late.
- Yeah. Because it's Saturday.
It's because you were up late.
You guys were fighting.
Oh, yeah? What did you hear?
Yelling and swear words. Then you left.
You know what, guys? Grownups fight.
Especially married ones.
- You want me to make something to eat?
- I could eat a horse.
I could eat a horse.
Give that to your brother.
If I promise not to get fat,
can I keep our baby?
Want dessert too?
- Do we even have any?
- We never have dessert.
I'm a stupid papa.
I'll pick some up on my way home.
- Where are you going?
- I'm going to get the car fixed.
Can I go?
No, because I'm gonna go
running with Hank afterwards.
- We don't mind. We'll watch you.
- No.
It's Mama!
I want us to start having desserts, Mama.
- Yay! Desserts!
- We never have desserts.
- I'm off.
- Okay...
- Get enough to eat?
- Yep.
- Bye, Dad!
- See you!
How come Daddy likes desserts,
and you don't?
Daddy's a daddy
and Mommy's a mommy.
Mom.
Honey, we're different people.
We're not the same. We're different.
Hey.
- You signed up for summer classes?
- Sure. Why not?
Oh, man.
If I were you, I'd be at the beach
every hour of every day this summer.
- I have to make up some credits.
- No.
Anyone who looks like you
doesn't have to do anything.
See you, Mr. Evans.
Enjoy!
Won't last forever.
Yeah, just check the oil.
- Give it a lube job if you can.
- Sure.
I'm just gonna go on a couple errands
with my wife over there...
Duck. I think he's on to you.
Maybe I should start smoking your brand.
Maybe you should ask your husband
to babysit our kids while we fuck.
- He'd be glad to.
- Yeah. Well, she wouldn't.
I think he wants to have sex with her.
- Why?
- Why?
- Yeah.
- Because he likes her and she's pretty.
He hasn't had any strange pussy
since that French cunt.
I mean, why do you think he wants to?
The way he looks at her,
the way he looked at us...
...when we came back from buying beer.
- Oh, yeah? And how was that?
Sheepish.
- Does that bother you?
- Me? No.
Good. We can all babysit for each other.
"She blooms, she blooms.
And in May, so hurt."
In May, I was alone.
Stinky.
- You'll get sunburnt.
- No.
And then you'll get caught.
- I should keep the sun off.
- No. I can't. I can't.
- Oh, come on. Yes, you can.
- I'm done. I'm old.
I'm wasted.
Have you eaten enough?
I don't know. Let me see.
I mean food.
Yeah. Yeah.
I had Grape-Nuts. I got up late.
Yeah.
You know you ought to live with me.
I'd feed you better than that.
She feeds me okay.
She gives me what I want.
It's a sublimely happy marriage.
Stop.
I wonder how we'll get caught.
Hank will smell you on me at the gym.
No, I mean Terry.
If Hank caught us, I wouldn't care.
I wouldn't stop unless you wanted to,
but you probably would.
Wouldn't you?
- No, I wouldn't.
- Yeah, you would.
- What? Don't you think he's gonna notice?
- Well, if he does, it'll be a miracle.
Oh, come on, Jack. You're talking like
he's Charlie Chan or something.
Like he gives a shit.
- Sometimes I think...
- Sometimes you think what?
Sometimes I think that I love you even more
than I think that I do, which is a lot.
Which is a lot?
Impotent as you are?
Give me a cigarette.
My last one...
...until...
Till...
I don't know. I'll call you.
I'm just gonna grab this.
I'm gonna go home, take a nap,
keep the sitter another hour.
- You're okay with that?
- It's okay.
Thanks.
- Hi, Mom.
- Hey.
Mommy.
What?
- Mom, stop it.
- Okay, okay.
- What's this?
- It's a show.
Yeah. I know it's a show, honey,
but what show is it?
Space.
Do you wanna go into space
someday, sweetheart?
No. Unless...
I don't want to go to space
unless Daddy goes and you too.
Of course Daddy and I'd go with you.
Then, okay.
I definitely agree with this.
Houston, I think we got a satellite.
It's quite a sight.
That looks good, thanks.
The alignment key is obviously in place.
Go for rotate.
You can't write, you old fuck.
Let's go for a run.
One goddamn page.
One page in four hours, that's sad.
Only three hours, 46 minutes.
Think I'd waste an entire four hours
on one goddamn page?
Let's run.
Take it you quit.
- Goddamn right, goddamn it.
- What's this? The eighth, ninth time?
The last time. They're pissing me off.
They're trying to kill me.
Cigarettes don't have souls, Jack.
They don't mean you any harm.
Easy, sailor.
You all right there, princess?
Yeah, I'm fine, you competitive prick.
You sure?
- You're a little screwed up this summer.
- Oh, yeah? Can you tell?
Yep.
- I should've worked this summer, man.
- Yeah. Maybe, maybe not.
I could use the money.
- Work more.
- A man should be able to live...
...idly for a couple of months
without losing his mind.
- Try writing.
- I have. I'm a reader, not a writer.
Pussy, not a fighter.
Jesus, man. Just smoke it.
You're hopeless.
- You'll smell like an ashtray to Terry.
- Does Edith to you?
No. Not everywhere.
- I haven't touched one since Jeanne.
- Yes. Jeanne.
Got me smoking fucking French cigarettes.
Make anybody wanna quit.
- Did you end up seeing her before she left?
- Yeah, I saw her.
Remember when I went to New York
to see my agent?
I was in Portland.
Oh, man.
Airport. Tears.
That was very romantic. I think about
running into her in Paris in 10 years.
Jesus, man.
What can I say? I'm dedicated.
I refuse to let anyone go unloved.
Betty!
Mom!
What?
- Mom!
- Don't hit her with that bat!
So why didn't you leave her, Hank?
Who?
Edith.
- Why would I?
- You're in love with another woman.
- Jesus, this isn't the Middle Ages.
- What? It's happened.
Men have left their wives
for other women and been happy.
- Until they start cheating on their new wife.
- Sure, whatever.
- It's no use talking to you.
- Why?
You're too nice to fuck somebody
without feeling love. Right?
- Right.
- So doing it with love in the mix...
...you'd use as proof you didn't love Terry?
- What, you been talking to my mistress?
Look, just love everybody you can.
Love your kids, love your wife,
keep the peace.
Then once, just once...
...try fucking somebody else
just because it feels good.
Your wife, you know...
...may be living exactly
according to these principles.
- That's her business, Hank.
- Brave words.
But true.
- What brought all this on, anyway?
- I don't know. Nothing, I guess.
Just see you're unhappy
and I want you to be happy.
I have a girl, so Terry gets a lobster.
We get a bottle of wine
and the kids get this shit.
Shit.
Go on, take it.
- Come in for a quick one.
- No, I'm late.
- Come on.
- Shouldn't.
Dad!
Brought home a present.
Drink?
Okay, we're going to 10. That's two.
- No. That's three!
- Okay, three.
Four.
- Dad, when is it my turn?
- Never.
You don't know how to pitch.
- Little while, Natasha.
- Hey, gang!
- Let's go for a bike ride.
- No, we're playing catch.
Please. Come on!
Come on, Natasha. It's late.
Oh, come on, Jack. It's not that late.
Yeah! Let's go up the river!
- Yeah!
- Fine. Let's ride bikes.
- Come on, Mom.
- Honey, go with Daddy. I got stuff to do.
Sean, get your helmet on!
- What's the name of this dance?
- "The Angry Housewife."
What is that?
The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
I'm thinking of teaching it this fall.
I was crazy the other night. I'm sorry.
It's okay.
I shouldn't have gotten drunk.
Forget it.
No, I gotta grow up.
What, grownups aren't violent?
Not with their husbands.
Read the newspapers.
Women murder their husbands every day.
Not people like us.
The other night, did Hank make a pass?
Yeah. But he was drinking.
And what? You're pretty.
Hank likes pretty women.
Do you know how much I love you?
Yes.
It's not just that. It's more than that.
It's what?
It's how far you've come...
...strong you've gotten.
Do you know what I mean?
- Well?
- Well, what?
- Well, what did he do?
- None of your business.
All right, then what did you do?
- Nothing.
- Come on.
He tried to kiss me on the porch,
so I went inside.
Where? Here?
In the kitchen to get a glass of wine.
So he followed you
into the kitchen and...
And he told me he loved me...
...he kissed me
and said he didn't love Edith.
And I felt dirty and we went outside
and sat on the front steps.
Dirty because...
...what he said about Edith or because...?
- Yeah.
Edith's my friend.
She's sweet.
She doesn't deserve that bullshit.
I don't wanna be any part of it.
But before that you were all right.
I wanna know what you did.
Hey, can we stop this?
Or do you wanna know if his nose
was to the left or to the right of mine...
...when he kissed me?
- You remember?
We were lying on the floor and he was
on my right, so his nose was to the left.
You were lying on the floor.
Goodness gracious.
I was squatting down to get my gla...
Shut up.
What? I'm just kidding.
No, you're not, Jack.
You're glad he kissed me.
- Let's just say I'm not disturbed by it.
- Well, I am!
Okay.
Jack.
Jack.
Look at me.
Look at me.
"It occurred to him that what had
seemed impossible before...
...that he had not spent his life as
he should have, might after all be true."
Hey, let's go.
Wake up. You want some pancakes?
- I want three pancakes.
- Ready?
- Get your plate ready.
- Ready.
Table one.
- Hey, let's go.
- It's mine!
- Mommy!
- You guys, have a great time.
"His professional duties and the whole
arrangement of his life and family...
...might all have been false."
"He tried to defend all those things
to himself...
...and suddenly felt the weakness
of what he was defending.
There was nothing to defend."
Boring.
Jim.
- Everything in his life turns out false?
- Doesn't do much about it.
Doesn't do much? He finds God.
That tiny bit at the end? Seeing a light
and there being no more pain? Is that it?
Well, the guy does do one major thing.
- What's that?
- He dies.
And maybe Tolstoy didn't have it in his
head to write some big, uplifting story...
...about the way we're supposed
to live our lives.
Maybe he just wanted to show us
what it was like to die.
This is traumatic.
Reading your stuff, I see little things
wrong here and there, easy to fix.
And I am noticing, all of a sudden...
...that most of you can write
just as well as me.
It's very depressing.
What happened?
There's a first half of a story here
that really starts to work...
...then just:
What?
You gonna tell me you ran out of things
to write about? I won't believe you.
I lost focus towards the end.
My boyfriend just moved in...
- Your boyfriend?
- I just mean that...
I just wanna talk about
what's on the page.
- Sorry.
- Are you kidding?
All right.
Just this stuff.
Fuck.
HD-Grant
Publishing
Can I get my highlighter, please?
Linden.
My mother sent some money,
you wanna celebrate?
- Yeah. Soon.
- Okay.
- Tomorrow?
- Good.
He wants to meet me, tell me how much
he likes it, but he doesn't wanna publish it?
Who needs that?
Look, tell him to publish the damn thing,
I'll move into his house and do his laundry.
God. Who's depressed?
I'm not depressed.
Bye, Jerry. Fuck.
All you need is one yes.
- Where you going?
- I have to do some shopping.
- You taking Sharon?
- No. She's outside playing.
Christ, Edith, I was gonna write.
So write. She's outside playing.
- Where are you going?
- To the library. I'll be back at 4.
- Since when?
- Since I have work to do.
- What work?
- Work.
- All right. Give me 50 bucks.
- Why?
Fuck why. So I can fly to California.
So I can pay the goddamn plumber.
You blew through
Monday's money already?
I can't believe this.
Yeah, my heroin habit's getting expensive.
Give it to me!
Give it back!
Give it to me.
Give it back.
- Give it to me.
- Hey!
You guys wanna see something?
He thinks it's shit.
Pretty cool, huh?
- I hate her.
- No, you don't.
She's your life.
- You really love Terry, don't you?
- Yeah.
- I think she's fantastic.
- She is fantastic.
She just shouldn't be married to me.
- Hey, you want some coffee or anything?
- No, I'm great. Thanks.
I went to the zoo last week with Sharon.
- That's a depressing place.
- Yeah, I know.
But...
...we were watching this gorilla.
He took a crap in his hand
and then he licked it.
It's a bit more interesting
than the flamingos, I guess.
Made me cry.
I told you it's a depressing place.
He just seemed so human, you know?
Like he knew how trapped he was.
Do you realize how sad it is,
watching you guys?
What do you think the difference is
between you and us?
Terry loves you.
So you married?
- Thirty years.
- Wow.
- Got kids?
- Two. They're married now.
Does your wife take an interest
in your job, I mean...
...does she know everything
about plumbing?
No, not at all. Nothing.
What does she do?
She likes to garden. It makes her happy.
Did I say something wrong?
You make me a good wife.
If I didn't love you,
I'd have to love somebody else.
See, Hank needs us, but...
...he can't really love anyone,
only his work, the rest is surface.
I don't believe that.
I don't mean his friendship with you.
He'd give you a kidney if you needed one.
- Yeah, and he'd give you one too.
- Of course he would...
...but he wouldn't go
to a marriage counselor.
You know, you're a funny girl.
After a long carnivorous fuck,
you talk about a marriage counselor?
Who are you?
You know what I wanted.
I wanted to know where we were.
- Now I know.
- And?
You love the person you're having
the affair with.
He'll be busting out soon. Trust me.
I know the routine.
He's been hibernating
with that novel so long.
Next thing you know,
he'll look around and blink...
...and fuck the first thing
that walks into his office.
I hope someone goes in there
before I do.
Well, he screws his wife once in a while.
Why not another man?
And your husband making passes
at my wife, how do you feel about that?
Well, everybody deserves
to be happy, right?
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Hey.
How'd the work go?
Burned my novel, wrote a shitty poem.
How'd the shopping go?
Fine.
Get your work done at the library?
Yep.
Hank and Edith are coming over
to watch an old movie on cable tonight.
Great. That's good.
- Hank called?
- Yeah. He called.
What? Lobsters?
Oh, she's beautiful.
There's no denying that.
But you know she does nothing all day
but eat, sleep, walk about...
...fascinate us all by her beauty.
Nothing more.
And an idle life cannot be...
...pure.
Hello?
Hey. Hey!
Hello.
Hey. Hi, guys. What's going on?
- We're celebrating.
- Well, I can see that.
Hank?
The New Yorker's gonna publish
one of my poems.
What? That's fantastic! How exciting!
What did Edith say?
I haven't had a chance to tell Edith.
She's out shopping.
You don't seem very excited.
- I am.
- Yeah, what do you know?
Hank, people who know you
like your work.
You're being published.
It doesn't get much better than that.
It's a poem, Terry.
It's really not that important.
No, Hank, it isn't.
You want important, work in a cancer
ward with people puking from chemo.
Or teach math to a kid who's
brain-damaged from fetal alcohol syndrome.
No, those people generally
aren't that much fun to be around.
Okay. All right.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Pulling my head out of my butt.
How about a spoonful of this...
..."dream come true" jumbo split?
I'd rather eat vomit. Gotta fly.
Hey.
Do me a favor and don't tell Jack, all right?
Allow me the joy of gloating.
You'll see him before I will.
You guys are running, right?
Are we?
Oh, yeah, yeah. We are indeed.
- Okay. Bye, honey.
- See you.
- Hi.
- Terry's turning over leaves.
She said her life had reached
a turning point. She said she would work.
She would start right now
by paying for being a slob.
For three days after, she made the beds
as soon as we got up in the morning.
She folded the laundry by 10.
She vacuumed by noon.
She wrote lists of chores
for the rest of us.
Then on the fourth day...
...her momentum suddenly stopped.
So?
So then I checked his gym bag,
and the clothes were folded and clean.
He didn't even go running,
he fucking lied to me.
So confront him.
Can't you ask Hank?
- Do you want me to ask Hank?
- Yes.
Shit. I don't even know.
I don't know if I wanna know.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- How was your run?
- Great.
Lobsters.
Fuck you.
- Mom!
- Dad!
- What's the matter?
- Still wet.
Lay down. I'll be back in a second.
- What else, Terry? What else?
- What?
Relax. I'll do them
as soon as I finish this.
It's not what you didn't do, it's why.
Why do we live
in the foulest house I know?
Why is it that you say you love our children
and they go unbathed for days?
Right now Sean is upstairs
sleeping in last night's piss.
I forgot.
Goddamn it!
Goddamn it, Terry. Fucking lazy.
It's okay, baby. It's okay.
Stay here and I'll be back.
I'll take the sheets.
It's just a little bit wet, that's okay.
It's okay, honey. I love you.
Go back to sleep. Love you.
All right.
- I wanna talk to you.
- I'm gonna do the dishes.
- No. Now.
- Talk to me while I'm doing the dishes.
- Terry...
- Sit down.
Don't you take anything. Listen to me.
I am tired of being judged.
Who are you to judge me?
Now, I forgot that Sean wet his bed...
...but if you got them up one morning
out of every thousand...
...if you loved them the way you say
you do... Oh, that was shitty.
Accusing me of not loving
my own children?
That's just the way you fight,
like a catty, bitchy woman.
And you know what? If you ever got
them up in the last four or five nights...
...you would've known he hadn't
wet his bed.
Come on. He wet his bed three nights ago
and I know that because he told me.
- So what?
- So? You never get the facts right.
You always get it wrong, Terry. Wrong!
You never, ever, ever get it right. It's
the same thing with the sheets, the bills...
You always find a way to blow it.
You always have an excuse...
...and you're always wrong.
- So, what do you want me to do?
- Do? There's something you can do?
- You son of a bitch!
- Terry!
- Son of a bitch!
You son of a bitch!
Goddamn it. Goddamn it, Jack.
Goddamn it!
Oh, fuck.
It was the day after payday,
and I gave Hank $50 I had owed him.
Oh, my God, I can't believe this.
He paid me!
He made a big deal about
not needing the money.
Thank you so much.
Then, later that night, he fucked my wife
in the front seat of my car.
Where were you?
Woke up, couldn't get to sleep,
so I went for a walk.
You don't have to tell me that.
I've been up since 1:30.
You're such a bastard.
- Did you ever go to sleep?
- Yes.
- Sure you did.
- What, I was tired. Yes.
- Why didn't you just bring me to bed?
- Why didn't you come to bed?
Because I need to be made love to.
You don't make love to me anymore.
You fuck me.
I sat on those steps with Hank and
he held my hand and he listened to me.
He listened to me while I talked
about this shitty marriage.
And he told me he felt close to me.
And I was happy when he said it.
And I was happy
when I made love to him.
I was so goddamn happy for a minute,
and then I thought of you.
I just wanted to be here with you
and get us back.
And be in this fucking bed,
in this house...
...with my husband and my kids
where I belong.
That's a really admirable sentiment, Terry.
Fuck.
Jack...
...right now I love you...
...maybe more than I have for years.
But I am angry.
I am so fucking angry, Jack, way down,
because you set this fucking thing up.
You set it up and it happened. And I don't
know what else is gonna happen.
Why? You gonna see him again?
God. Jesus Christ, Jack.
I don't know.
What?
Then it's over.
Is that what you're saying?
What's wrong with you?
Think making love is like smoking?
- It's...
- It's what?
It's a promise.
You promised him you'll see him again.
I didn't say anything.
Opening my legs is a promise.
And he didn't say anything, either?
He must have said something.
Oh, my God, you like this.
You want details, huh?
Fine.
We drove around for a while.
He put his hand on my tit...
...and I practically got off
just from him touching me.
You know what happened then?
We parked and we fucked like crazy.
And you know what, Jack?
I came before he did.
And the second time, I was on top.
And I looked in his face,
I looked right in his eyes...
...and I told him I loved him.
- That's enough, all right?
Enough.
You should be knocking my teeth out,
but not you, huh?
Not you. Because you like it.
Wanna watch us, Jack?
This comes to you...
Fuck who you want, when you want...
...but don't give me half-assed insights into
the soul of a man you have never understood.
Your insights suck.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
My "half-assed insights."
"Into the soul of a man
I don't understand."
You poor baby.
Oh, my God.
You poor little baby.
You talk and talk.
You think you know yourself,
but you know what?
You're a pervert.
I'm gonna go to sleep. We got a couple
of kids that are getting up soon.
You're not known for getting breakfast.
I'll do it. Forget it.
Thanks. It's one thing you can help with.
Unfortunately, you can't help me
with my other problem.
See, Jack, I'm not sure what to do.
I mean, tomorrow. What do I say?
"Gee, Hank, that was last night...
...and this is now, and I just don't know
if I wanna fuck anymore."
You gotta admit,
even adultery has morality to it.
So I got some things to figure out.
- You do what you can.
- Thanks, Jack.
- Good night.
- I'll do what I can.
- Hello.
- They did it last night.
Come over.
Wait, wait, wait. Where's Hank?
- He's sleeping.
- Upstairs?
Yeah. He'll go to the bathroom first,
don't worry.
- We'll hear him. Come on, fuck me.
- Okay.
Oh, God.
Come on back here!
Come on. Take the gold! Get the gold!
He's gonna hit that guy soon.
- Which guy?
- The big fat mean guy.
How do you know?
Because if he doesn't hit him,
he won't feel good about himself.
Go to sleep.
Tanya, we'll be back at 12:30.
Don't talk to boys.
Tanya, can you put two shirts on them?
They get cold at night. Thanks.
- Just one.
- Bye, Mama. See you later.
Night, gang.
- Finally.
- Congratulations.
I have to thank my lovely muse.
- Hey, Joe. How's it going?
- Good.
- Hank's in good shape these days.
- He's always in good shape. All days.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. New Yorker.
- Hey, Hank, The New Yorker.
- Hey.
- Smooth.
- Christ.
Don't know if I can handle this.
Be careful what you ask for,
you just might get it.
- So cheers to Hank.
- Hank.
Good night.
Of course.
Terry's tired. I'm gonna run her home.
Take your car, okay?
- Have fun.
- Enjoyed it. Nice.
- He's giving her a lift home.
- Among other things.
I think you should tell him now.
- I can't.
- Why not?
- I don't know.
- Why not?
I don't know.
- Don't.
- What?
I'd like to just concentrate on
hating his guts right now.
Not this way, not after 10 fucking years.
I just spent the last three hours at Willie's.
You know, the bar
all the bag ladies drink in?
Alone in a bar for the first time in my life.
Alone in a bar.
- What happened?
- Never mind what happened.
- All right.
- That's why you have strikes against me.
I drink more than any woman we know.
I'm the only woman who keeps up
with the men at parties.
I'm drinking in the afternoon.
You'll get rid of me that way.
So...
Yeah.
I drink a lot.
Especially on nights when my husband
sends me off to fuck his friend.
Don't you wanna stop that, Terry?
Give me a reason, Jack.
I was...
...thinking tonight about...
...when I was 10,
my dad taught me how to fish.
And I was just praying,
"Please, God, let me catch one fish."
Just one, you know?
As if the luck of catching a fish
would make me more lovable.
But then it would follow that
to be unlucky is to be unlovable.
And luck isn't an element in my life now.
It just isn't.
And for some reason,
you hate me for this house of mine...
...because it's filthy sometimes.
I don't hate you, Terry.
Jack, how would you know if you
hated me? You don't even know me.
- I know you, Terry.
- No, you don't, Jack.
- I do know you.
- No.
You say, "You are what you do"?
Who really believes that?
I mean, what does that mean?
Does that mean I'm a cook...
...an errand runner, a fucker,
a goddamn cleaning lady?
Because if you, you bastard,
lost all discipline and folded up...
...and turned drunk and got bald
and lost everything, I'd love you.
I love you.
You, Jack.
But if you love me for what I do
instead of for what I am...
...and there's a difference,
I know there is...
...then what are you loving
when I fuck Hank?
What is it in you that lets me do that?
Or is that just another one of the tricks
I do for you?
Screw Hank, shake hands, sit,
roll over, play dead, fetch...
...Iove me like a dog.
I love Edith.
- What?
- I love Edith.
- Jack. Don't do this, please.
- Terry...
- Please, please.
- Terry...
- Please.
- Terry, no!
Just take it. Jesus Christ. Just take it.
So when are you leaving?
I don't know.
Maybe you should go today.
Why don't you come to bed?
I wanna clean my house.
You should see the house.
What's she doing?
She's doing everything.
Are you talking to Daddy?
Hey, come here.
- Is it true that you don't love Mom?
- Who said that?
I heard Mom last night.
Wait a second.
Are you getting divorced?
Natasha said you were leaving.
I wanna live with you.
I'm not going to choose.
Now, you guys, that's just
Mama and Daddy fighting at night.
Mom says you're leaving
and you love Edith and you screwed her.
You know what that means?
Yes.
- You do?
- What?
What what means?
Now listen to me.
Listening?
That's just adult foolishness, okay?
Understand?
Come here.
Let's go on our bikes.
Yeah.
- You know what's out there?
- The moon, the sun...
- Yeah, I do.
- Uranus, Pluto, Mercury.
Venus, Mars, moon.
Sun. Jupiter.
Did you know the universe is so big
that nobody can even count how big...
How many feet it is?
So people say "googol." "It's googol."
See these rocks?
Guess how old they are.
- Hundred years old?
- Nope.
These rocks have been here
from the very first cells.
The first cells were the first thing
on the Earth.
Then maybe these rocks were...
Who were the first people
on the planet?
If you believe in God, it's Adam and Eve...
...and if you don't, apes.
Did you know that they just found things
that said that God had a wife?
It's true. In real life they did.
What if they don't believe in God?
No, I mean, people that look for him
thought that.
Was it awful?
Was what awful?
What's this? What are you doing?
I thought that's where you went
to tell the kids.
Unpack it, please.
Why? Couldn't you tell them?
I don't want to.
Okay, I'II...
...call them in and we'll both tell them.
I mean I don't wanna leave, Terry.
Jack, I know it's the kids.
No.
Is it just the kids? You can
see them whenever you want.
I won't make a big deal out of it.
You know I wouldn't put us through that.
And if it's just telling them,
we can do it and get it over with.
It's not the kids, Terry.
It's not the kids.
Just unpack my bags, okay?
We can do this.
It'll be okay.
She didn't mean it.
Honey, what's wrong?
Somebody was mean to her at school.
It's okay, honey. It's okay.
Hey.
Hey.
Edith wants to see you tonight.
She's gonna tell Hank.
She probably already told him.
She said he won't mind.
Yeah, I know.
I told her about Hank and me.
She talked about you two.
Terry...
...please don't.
I'm sure it was a fine afternoon.
It was, in a way.
It's gonna snow.
Hey.
Want some coffee?
No.
Drink?
Yeah. Scotch.
Take a seat.
Well, I think this is probably a good time
for me to go see a movie.
Hey, Hank? Hank.
What?
You knew all along.
I'm not real slow.
You okay?
I'm drowning in shit.
I'll be laughing soon.
Hey, listen.
Gonna dedicate my new novel to you.
I wrote three new chapters this week.
It's much easier living with a woman
who feels loved.
He said he was happy for us
and now he's sad for us.
He's happy that you were taking care of me
and now he's sorry that you can't.
I can't.
Too sad.
What's going on?
Where's Sharon?
She's outside waiting in the car.
I...
I'm gonna take her to my mother's
for a while.
Why?
What for? What's going on?
Edith.
Edith.
Edith, stop.
Edith, Edith, Edith, please.
Stop.
I'll stop.
I'm not leaving you because you're
unfaithful. I'm leaving because I was.
Well, none of that matters anymore.
That's over.
Isn't it?
Isn't it, Edith?
Yeah. It's over.
Well, then why leave now?
Because I can.