Touched by an Angel (1994) s01e10 Episode Script
There, But for the Grace of God
1 You know what I think? I think you just did your best work yet.
I was good, wasn't I? If I could keep those two together, I can do anything.
Well, don't get carried away.
Oh, I'm not getting carried away.
It's just, I think I've learned the tricks of the trade.
There are no tricks to this trade.
Caring and hard work and more caring, that's what we're here for.
But can't I take pride in what I do? Remember, my darling, "pride goeth before the fall.
" ( engine starts ) ( car horns honking ) What kind of work do you do? I could use some help laying carpet with a power stretcher.
I don't think so.
My knees are shot.
You think maybe it's that attitude that got you here in the first place? ( Coughs ) MONICA: I'll never understand how people let that happen to them.
You will.
How? This man is your next assignment.
He is? He is.
Okay, so am I going to volunteer at a shelter or counsel the homeless? None of the above.
Then how am I supposed to help him, then? Well, baby, the only way to share this man's pain is to share his pain.
Oh, no.
Let me help you with your coat.
â« When you walk down the road â« â« Heavy burden, heavy load â« â« I will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« I'll walk with you â« â« Till the sun don't even shine â« â« Walk with you â« â« Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you â« â« Walk with you â« â« Believe me, I'll walk with you.
â« Yes.
( Squish ) Oh, yuck.
Hey! What are you doing here? Oh, you startled me.
Hello.
What are you doing here? Well, I was just looking for something to keep me warm.
This is my alley.
Your alley? Yeah, my alley.
This is my van, my dumpster, my alley.
Oh, please, you see, I found one glove and Let's see what we got in here.
You've got to pardon the mess.
It's the maid's day off.
Okay.
Lighter.
And comb.
I don't know what that was.
( Grunts ) Here's the glove.
Yes.
Hey, hey.
Oh, man.
My lucky day.
In a manner of speaking.
Are they are they gonna fit? Size ten.
Close enough.
Oh, yeah.
These are great.
Haven't seen you around here before.
I'm not from around here.
Me neither.
Where are you from? Someplace else.
This is where I get off.
There's a mission on Flower Street, about two blocks up.
You can't sleep there except in bad weather, but they'll feed you.
Oh, thanks.
I'll see you there? No, no, you won't.
I'm not homeless.
I'm saving up to get my van fixed so I can go to Colorado.
I'm sorry, I thought Yeah, well, my clothing budget isn't what it used to be.
It's all going to the van.
Listen, I got to go.
I got to get to work.
Okay.
Oh, wait.
Your lighter.
No, keep it.
Maybe you can trade it for something else you need.
You know? That's how it works on the street.
Thanks.
Tess.
Hello.
Don't you "hello" me.
Your assignment just walked away.
Oh, no he's going to be fine.
He's got a job.
He's got a good head on his shoulders.
He's got a plan to move on.
I think he's going to make it.
Is that Monica, the angel, saying that? Or is that Monica, I'm-cold-I'm-hungry-give-me back-my-coat, saying that? What did I do wrong? You took the easy way out, just like everybody takes the easy way out.
You found a reason not to get involved.
He doesn't need me.
Wrong.
He doesn't want to need you or anybody else.
His self-esteem may be shot, but he's still got his pride.
And what am I supposed to do about that? Don't you raise your voice to me, Miss Wings.
You've got a little pride thing going on yourself.
I'm sorry.
I don't know what's happening to me.
I'm cold, I itch.
I think I even feel hungry.
Tess, I don't feel much like an angel anymore.
Your assignment's not to feel like an angel.
It's to feel something else altogether.
This man, Pete, he's a fighter.
But he's been hit too many times, one blow after the other, too hard and too fast.
And the next blow could put him down and keep him down.
And then pride is not going to help that not his and not yours.
You'd better hang on to that lighter.
You're going to need it.
Lighter.
Where did I put the lighter? Oh, there it is.
Hey, lady, look out! Oh, no.
I'll get it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It-It's very important.
Yeah, well, if it's so important, give me a dollar for it.
A dollar? I don't have a dollar.
I don't have anything.
You got gloves.
Oh, no, not my gloves.
No gloves, no lighter.
Well, there's just one lighter.
I'll give you one glove.
Which one? You choose.
Right.
Deal.
Pleasure doing business with you.
Drink? No, thanks.
You know, this is silly.
Why don't I give you the other one, too? No, you keep it, sweet lady.
A deal's a deal.
Later.
Move away.
I don't need that done.
So that's what his job is.
Don't let them catch you talking to yourself.
That's exactly what they're expecting.
Hello.
My name is Monica.
What? I'm Monica.
I'm Sophie.
Have you ever been to Dallas? ( horn honks ) Sorry.
Texas? Watch where you're going! No, I never have.
Likely story.
Well, somebody assassinated him, but nobody's ever been to Dallas.
People lie.
What are all these books? Research and evidence Theories and responses to theories, diagrams and random notes, witnesses, suspects.
Are we talking about the Kennedy assassination? What do you know about it all of a sudden? I don't know anything, I just heard about it.
Do you know what the temperature is? No, I don't.
43 degrees.
If you don't know how cold it is, you don't know how cold to be.
Okay, she'll be all right.
I'll take care of her.
Enjoy it.
WOMAN: What is it with you? Are you the good Samaritan? Every time I turn my back, you've got some loser here giving him handouts.
MAN: Come on, leave it alone.
I'm not giving him handouts.
He works for it.
He sweeps.
What, you think I just got off a turnip truck? I've seen him eyeing the cash register.
Next thing you know, one of them will bust in here and clean us out.
See, he's not that way.
Hey, I thought we don't eat dinner in this house until we give thanks.
For all we eat and all we wear, for daily bread and loving care, we thank thee, Lord.
Amen.
( Knock at door ) Hello.
What are you doing here? I have no place to go.
Well, find one.
I don't want you hanging around me.
I don't want you hanging around here, either.
If you're going to live on the streets, you got to learn to live on the streets.
You can't count on anybody out here, not even me.
I'm going off to Colorado any day now, so just leave me alone, okay? But I thought homeless people looked after each other.
I'm not homeless.
I told you I'm not a bum! ( Metallic clattering ) ( horn honks in distance ) ( coughing ) ( siren wailing in distance ) Do you do this every morning? Doesn't everybody start off the day with a newspaper and a cup of coffee? Look, I-I came to say something, and then I'll leave.
You can skip the say something and get right to the leaving part.
Pete, I didn't mean to suggest you were a bum.
I don't know how you could even think that.
Pete, wait.
Pete! Pete.
So that's his name, huh? You know, I see that man every day, never knew his name.
I never knew he had a name.
Lots of people out here don't, you know.
I have a name.
It's Monica.
Well, hello, Monica.
I'm Zack.
That's my glove! Ah.
You're the lighter lady.
( Tires screech, horn honks ) It's good to meet you.
MAN: Come on, lady! Get out of the road there! What are you doing?! Hey! Hey! ( Horn honking ) Come on, man! Come on, move it, will ya? Hey! Hey, are you crazy? You want to honk at me?! No, no.
It's all right.
( Sophie mumbling ) SOPHIE: Oh, oh, oh ( horn honks ) Thank you.
Thank you.
( Horn honks ) MAN: Go back to your cardboard box! You okay? You okay? Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
You ever been to Dallas? Yeah.
You have?! Yeah.
You have? Oh Come on.
I'm gonna take you kids for something to eat.
I recognize everyone here.
You know, they're regulars.
We're like one big family.
A big family where no one speaks to each other.
Sounds like my family.
Do you sleep here, too? Can't no overnights unless it goes below 35 degrees.
Then Tom He's the manager, nice boy Tom gets me a nice, special cot downstairs, for obvious reasons.
Which obvious reasons are those? Well, the beds are upstairs.
I can't sleep upstairs.
ZACK: Why? Why? Why? Do you know how many people involved in the Kennedy assassinations ended up pushed out of windows? No.
Well, let's just say it's disproportionate to the public as a whole.
That's a really interesting ring.
Mm.
USMC.
You're a Marine? Well, I'm not on active duty, but, uh, you know, as they say, once a Marine, always a Marine.
I was in Desert Storm.
You're lucky you made it back.
Yeah I made it back all right.
After we've finished, I'm gonna go and find Pete.
Pete? Mm-hmm.
He's a friend of mine.
Well, sort of.
He washes windows.
You know, he always carries a grey tote bag everywhere he goes.
Well, that narrows it down.
( laughing ) He keeps the van outside of Gus's place.
Yeah.
Oh I'd like to debrief him.
( Siren wailing in distance ) Oh, no.
My van! Oh, no.
Gus? Gus! Gus! Ma'am, what happened to my van? Gone.
Junked.
Probably flatter than a pancake by now, thank God.
Where's Gus? Gus went to visit his sisters for the weekend.
And now, what I say goes, and I say what goes is that van.
Oh, no.
No! There will be no more dinners, either! If you get hungry, get a job, you bum! ( Panting ) ( groans ) ( echoing ): Promise me, Pete.
Promise me we'll go to Colorado.
I promise.
His van is gone.
Oh, dear God.
God can't hear you down here.
God can always hear you.
Well, maybe he's just ignoring us, then.
Well, we need to take him somewhere.
All right, I know a place.
Come on.
( Grunts ) I heard about this place, but I was always afraid to come by myself.
Sounded dangerous.
Oh, it is.
But it's also dry and almost warm.
Come on.
( Man coughs ) All right, we'll be okay if we just lay low here.
Excuse me, have you ever been to Dallas? Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, buddy, it's all right.
Sophie, you can't be doing that down here, all right? Now, I've got to live with these people.
All right, here we are.
MONICA: Pete, do you need any help? No, just leave me alone.
Why don't you lighten up a little bit, man? Man, why don't you just mind your own business? Well, if I minded my own business, you'd be sleeping outside.
I mean, you think you're the only person whose feet hurt? Everybody's feet hurt out here.
SOPHIE: All right, that's not helping anyone.
Zack? Is this is this where you is this where you live, stay? Yeah, a couple of my buddies from the corps turned me on to this place.
You know, truth is, when I came back from the Storm, this really seemed the only place that felt right to live in.
What do you mean? Nothing that happens in basic training prepares you for what war is really like, you know? We saw some bad stuff, some really bad stuff.
You know, one day, y-you're eating sand and breathing gas and watching yourself kill people you never even met.
And then the next day, you're sitting at home reading about yourself in Time magazine, eating a Big Mac.
Oh, it's too weird.
You know, life changes, just like that.
( Sighs ) You just don't feel like yourself anymore.
MONICA: I know that feeling.
SOPHIE: But of course, and you talk to yourself, too, dear.
You got to work on that.
Yes.
And what brought you to these parts, Sophie? Well, that's privileged information, but I can tell you this much After my work here is finished uh uh uh We'll we'll all have to make great sacrifices for truth.
Do you have a family? That's privileged information.
What about you? ( Sighs ) Well, actually, one morning I was wearing a beautiful coat and by nightfall, I was sleeping on the ground.
PETE: Yeah.
That happens.
Pete, you have to see a doctor about your feet.
You know, you really have to leave me alone.
MAN: Police! Everybody freeze! This is a raid! ( People yelling ) ( yelling continues ) ( electronic squeak ) Ah.
Whatcha got there? ( Sighs ): You won't be needing that.
Arms up.
Arms up.
You got nothing to hide, you got nothing to worry about.
One at a time.
Okay.
Arms up.
I said, arms up.
He's not well.
Yeah, I've had a cold myself.
Arms up, pal.
( Sighs ) ( electronic squeak ) All right, let's have the tote bag.
No.
Pete, give him the bag.
No.
I need some help here.
Just give him the bag, Pete.
No! Come on! Come on! Please! No! ZACK: You guys didn't have to do that.
Shut up! I want you to know I'm taking your badge numbers.
What the hell is this? "Julie Taylor.
"D.
O.
D.
2-2-9-4.
" ( crying ): My wife.
It's her ashes.
It's Julie.
It's my wife! Five more degrees, and they'll open the shelter.
( Mumbles ) You feel those feet yet? Listen it doesn't take away the pain, but, uh, you don't care about it as much.
No.
Thanks.
Okay.
Let's find something to burn.
MAN: Hey! ( Gasps ): Sorry.
I'm so sorry.
MAN: I'm trying to sleep in here! ( Chuckling ): I just love a good fire.
Still got that lighter? Oh, yeah.
If you're gonna go for a real fire, I I don't know, that's kind of risky.
Oh Maybe some, uh, paper.
Kindling or something.
Well, I don't There's that file from '75 on J.
Edgar Hoover I'd just as soon not be caught in possession of, under certain circumstances.
This could just blow the roof clean off the Warren Commission.
( Chuckles ): Look at that.
Well, make good use of it.
Get those tootsies nice and toasty, hear? Where were you in '63? PETE: 1963? September, October.
November? Uh fifth no, no, sixth grade.
She always used to tease me because she wore a wedding ring and I didn't.
Truth is, we could only afford one ring.
We were going to get me one someday, but now I'm kind of glad we didn't.
I might have had to hock it.
What happened to Julie? She died last year.
Savings and Loan went down and took my business with it.
We lost our health insurance, and then a few weeks later, Julie started feeling sick, but by the time anyone knew it was cancer, it was it was too late.
So, I-I stayed home to take care of her.
Threw a bunch of medical bills in a drawer, and by February, I lost the house and my wife.
She-she got me off booze.
I haven't had a drink since the day she said, "Yes, I will marry you.
" She had enough faith for the two of us.
Always talking about us going to Colorado, starting all over again.
She made me made me promise that I'd, I would go even if even if it was without her.
She was the only family I had, so I, uh, got in the van and headed west.
And then it-it broke down.
And then it got towed away.
And uh and then There but for the grace of God, why? ( Coughing ) PETE: It's 34 degrees.
Hallelujah.
The shelter's open.
Put a hot brick in the sheets.
Sophie's coming home.
Yeah.
Now, have you ever spent the night in a shelter? No.
Well, brace yourself and make sure you stick with Sophie.
Pete, are you coming? I told you, I don't go to shelters.
If you stay out here, you'll die.
So? So, you still have to take her to Colorado.
MAN: Come on, now.
I got something for you.
Don't be shy, don't be shy.
I'm selling, you're buying.
I'm selling, you're buying.
I got something for you.
No? Okay.
I got something for you.
Don't be shy.
Don't be shy.
I got something for everybody.
Hey, you need anything? Blankets? Cigarettes? Shampoo? No.
Listen, it's ten percent cheaper out here.
Once you get inside and the temperature goes higher, so do my prices.
Get lost, Ox.
Hey, I got something for you, too, Marine.
Don't worry.
How much? How about that ring? Not on your life.
Just a matter of time, just a matter of time.
WOMAN: Uh, I'm sorry, folks.
This is a family-only shelter.
This is a family.
These are my three children.
He's from my second marriage.
TESS: Sophie! I haven't seen you for ages.
And look how your family has grown.
And isn't she a beauty.
Yes, she is, she is.
It's a wonder how those years of braces paid off.
Mm.
Okay, men to the right, women upstairs.
All right.
Hold on, my man.
Deluxe accommodations, just like Desert Storm without the sand.
All right, you can go right upstairs.
Oh, I can't sleep upstairs.
Tess, what a relief.
Where have you been? Well, you have to go upstairs.
Whether you sleep or not is up to you.
Well, I can't.
Now, where's Tom? It's Tom's night off.
Now, upstairs or outside.
It's your choice.
SOPHIE: Well, do you have a room with no windows? Outside! No, oh, I can't.
I can't.
Come on upstairs, Sophie.
No, I can't! It'll be okay, really.
It'll be okay.
I can't.
No, it'll be fine.
She will think of something.
I can't.
Come on, come on.
( Man coughing ) MAN ( mumbling ): Which way? ( Panting ) I'm a Marine.
I'm a Marine.
I can't go away.
Um, uh I ca I can't I can't move.
I can't move.
No ( crying ) Sarge, I can't move! Listen I can't move! Wake up.
Don't Wake up.
Hey, hey, you're all right.
Oh, damn.
Oh, I hate I hate those things.
Yeah.
I get nightmares, too.
Oh, no, not like this, you don't.
War stuff? Yeah.
I'm in the, uh I'm in the desert in the middle of a fire fight and and everybody knows there's land mines all over the place, but nobody knows where the hell they are.
And I know I'm going to die if I move and I know I'm going to die if I don't move.
You're dreaming the wrong kind of dreams, man.
What's that supposed to mean? You can't waste your time dreaming about the past.
You've got to stick to dreaming about the future.
Being a Marine was the one thing I did best.
You know, I belonged to something.
I mean, that's who I was.
And who are you now? ( sniffling ) I don't know.
I know.
You're a guy who can't even think about next week, 'cause you're busy just trying to get through today.
But thinking like that, that's what's going to keep you on the streets.
You've got to have a dream bigger than where you're going to sleep tonight.
You got any family? I've got, I've got a brother, but we don't talk.
I don't talk.
Next quarter you get, man you put it in the phone.
Oh, God.
Oh, no.
No who the hell got it? Hey, hey, who took it? Huh? Who took my bag? Hey, wake up! My bag! Who's got my bag? Who the hell took my bag? No, no, no, somebody stole my bag.
Wake up, you bastards! Come on, give it back to me! My bag! Go back to bed or you're going outside.
No, no, not until I get my bag! No, no! Please, I've got to get my bag back! Come on.
No, no, no, please, stop! State your business.
What is that? Whiskey? First sip free, then you got to pay.
I've got a good pair of boots here.
They'll last a lot longer than that.
I'll trade you my boots for your shoes and that bottle.
Okay, I'll let you out, but you can't come back in.
This isn't a revolving door hotel.
I know, thank you.
Good night.
Oh, Father, why have You forsaken me? What did I do wrong? Why are you punishing me? Why have you taken away who I am, what I am? I-I-I don't even feel like an angel anymore.
TESS: You don't even have to be an angel to give that man what he needs right now.
Oh, Tess.
I-I thought that Has God ever forsaken you, Monica? He told you He wouldn't and He never has.
Never.
Just because you feel invisible doesn't mean that you are.
Never give up, baby.
Oh, Tess.
Maybe now you know how it feels to be forgotten.
To be stripped of everything you think makes you you.
Hmm? Hmm? What did you ask Him for just now? Did you ask Him for food? Did you ask Him to make you warmer? I asked to be remembered.
I needed to know that I still mattered.
And so does he.
You've been acting like a case worker and treating him like he's a case.
But he's a man, Monica.
And he needs to know that he can still make a difference.
And you've got to let him.
How? First, by realizing this is not a punishment.
This is your lesson in pride.
( Crying ) I feel so ashamed.
Oh, shame just brings you down, but true humility that lifts you high up.
Pete? Pete.
Hello.
I, uh Pete, I need to ask a favour of you.
Just leave me alone.
I just I just need you to listen to me for a moment, please.
Please.
I, uh I'm an angel.
( Chuckles ) I know that sounds crazy.
No, not around here.
But proving it to you doesn't really matter to me at the moment.
You see, I I must apologize to you.
I, um, I guess I was getting awfully big for my wings, you see, and there were a few things that I needed to learn about being an angel.
Please there's something that I need to do.
I want to do.
It's what I need to do to remember who I am.
Please.
( Vehicle passing ) ( crying ) I don't know why these things have happened to you, but it's not because of anything that you've done.
And I have to confess that you see, there was somewhere, deep inside my heart, that I thought maybe, you well, maybe you had done something to get here.
I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
It matters.
I forgive you.
Oh, my God.
God loves you Peter Jacob Taylor.
I have failed you, but he will not.
He wants you to know that he's going to take you and Julie to Colorado.
He will walk with you all the way.
But it's up to you to take the first step.
( Crying ) I guess that's what I was here for all along.
SOPHIE: Now, where was it exactly we met again? Do you remember when you lived on Cherry Street? Well, that's privileged information.
TESS: I know, but I have a high-level security clearance.
And Sophie, I want to tell you that nobody blames you for closing up shop and high-tailing it out of there.
In fact, I gave you the ride.
The cab driver.
I got my own rig now.
You ought to see it.
It's a nice, big, red thing.
But Sophie, those years of fear are over.
It's safe to go home now.
Your husband's gone and he can't ever hurt you again.
I never know what direction it's coming from.
Sometimes from the underpass, sometimes from the grassy knoll, sometimes they just push you out the window.
Oh, I know.
I know.
But you can relax now.
Let me show you something.
This just got put on the board.
Your children and your grandchildren are looking for you.
They miss you.
They want to take care of you and protect you.
Come on, let's go make a phone call.
Look, I got these scarves, and I'm going to give them to you cheap, but you've got to give me cash.
Mr.
Ox, I would like a word with you in private, please.
Oh, yeah, sure, baby.
Step into my office.
Hey, how'd you get so clean, woman? I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you.
Oh, I got a lot of things like that, baby.
Which one you talking about? It's metal.
A tube-like container.
It was appropriated last night.
Ah.
Well, I'm positive I never seen it, but, uh, if I did happen to come across it, what's it worth to you? I am afraid I have nothing to offer.
Oh, yeah? I always knew you and me, we'd do some business.
The ring for the can, Ox.
And a quarter.
And a quarter? Sure.
Good morning.
I'd like to use the showers.
Sure, let me just have you sign in here.
Showers are located to the back of this room here on my right.
â« When you walk â« â« Down the road â« â« Heavy burden â« â« Heavy load â« â« I will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« When you walk â« â« Through the night â« â« And you feel like just giving up the fight â« â« I will comfort you â« â« And you will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« Walk with you â« â« Till the sun don't shine â« â« Walk with you â« â« Every time â« â« I will walk with you.
â«
I was good, wasn't I? If I could keep those two together, I can do anything.
Well, don't get carried away.
Oh, I'm not getting carried away.
It's just, I think I've learned the tricks of the trade.
There are no tricks to this trade.
Caring and hard work and more caring, that's what we're here for.
But can't I take pride in what I do? Remember, my darling, "pride goeth before the fall.
" ( engine starts ) ( car horns honking ) What kind of work do you do? I could use some help laying carpet with a power stretcher.
I don't think so.
My knees are shot.
You think maybe it's that attitude that got you here in the first place? ( Coughs ) MONICA: I'll never understand how people let that happen to them.
You will.
How? This man is your next assignment.
He is? He is.
Okay, so am I going to volunteer at a shelter or counsel the homeless? None of the above.
Then how am I supposed to help him, then? Well, baby, the only way to share this man's pain is to share his pain.
Oh, no.
Let me help you with your coat.
â« When you walk down the road â« â« Heavy burden, heavy load â« â« I will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« I'll walk with you â« â« Till the sun don't even shine â« â« Walk with you â« â« Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you â« â« Walk with you â« â« Believe me, I'll walk with you.
â« Yes.
( Squish ) Oh, yuck.
Hey! What are you doing here? Oh, you startled me.
Hello.
What are you doing here? Well, I was just looking for something to keep me warm.
This is my alley.
Your alley? Yeah, my alley.
This is my van, my dumpster, my alley.
Oh, please, you see, I found one glove and Let's see what we got in here.
You've got to pardon the mess.
It's the maid's day off.
Okay.
Lighter.
And comb.
I don't know what that was.
( Grunts ) Here's the glove.
Yes.
Hey, hey.
Oh, man.
My lucky day.
In a manner of speaking.
Are they are they gonna fit? Size ten.
Close enough.
Oh, yeah.
These are great.
Haven't seen you around here before.
I'm not from around here.
Me neither.
Where are you from? Someplace else.
This is where I get off.
There's a mission on Flower Street, about two blocks up.
You can't sleep there except in bad weather, but they'll feed you.
Oh, thanks.
I'll see you there? No, no, you won't.
I'm not homeless.
I'm saving up to get my van fixed so I can go to Colorado.
I'm sorry, I thought Yeah, well, my clothing budget isn't what it used to be.
It's all going to the van.
Listen, I got to go.
I got to get to work.
Okay.
Oh, wait.
Your lighter.
No, keep it.
Maybe you can trade it for something else you need.
You know? That's how it works on the street.
Thanks.
Tess.
Hello.
Don't you "hello" me.
Your assignment just walked away.
Oh, no he's going to be fine.
He's got a job.
He's got a good head on his shoulders.
He's got a plan to move on.
I think he's going to make it.
Is that Monica, the angel, saying that? Or is that Monica, I'm-cold-I'm-hungry-give-me back-my-coat, saying that? What did I do wrong? You took the easy way out, just like everybody takes the easy way out.
You found a reason not to get involved.
He doesn't need me.
Wrong.
He doesn't want to need you or anybody else.
His self-esteem may be shot, but he's still got his pride.
And what am I supposed to do about that? Don't you raise your voice to me, Miss Wings.
You've got a little pride thing going on yourself.
I'm sorry.
I don't know what's happening to me.
I'm cold, I itch.
I think I even feel hungry.
Tess, I don't feel much like an angel anymore.
Your assignment's not to feel like an angel.
It's to feel something else altogether.
This man, Pete, he's a fighter.
But he's been hit too many times, one blow after the other, too hard and too fast.
And the next blow could put him down and keep him down.
And then pride is not going to help that not his and not yours.
You'd better hang on to that lighter.
You're going to need it.
Lighter.
Where did I put the lighter? Oh, there it is.
Hey, lady, look out! Oh, no.
I'll get it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It-It's very important.
Yeah, well, if it's so important, give me a dollar for it.
A dollar? I don't have a dollar.
I don't have anything.
You got gloves.
Oh, no, not my gloves.
No gloves, no lighter.
Well, there's just one lighter.
I'll give you one glove.
Which one? You choose.
Right.
Deal.
Pleasure doing business with you.
Drink? No, thanks.
You know, this is silly.
Why don't I give you the other one, too? No, you keep it, sweet lady.
A deal's a deal.
Later.
Move away.
I don't need that done.
So that's what his job is.
Don't let them catch you talking to yourself.
That's exactly what they're expecting.
Hello.
My name is Monica.
What? I'm Monica.
I'm Sophie.
Have you ever been to Dallas? ( horn honks ) Sorry.
Texas? Watch where you're going! No, I never have.
Likely story.
Well, somebody assassinated him, but nobody's ever been to Dallas.
People lie.
What are all these books? Research and evidence Theories and responses to theories, diagrams and random notes, witnesses, suspects.
Are we talking about the Kennedy assassination? What do you know about it all of a sudden? I don't know anything, I just heard about it.
Do you know what the temperature is? No, I don't.
43 degrees.
If you don't know how cold it is, you don't know how cold to be.
Okay, she'll be all right.
I'll take care of her.
Enjoy it.
WOMAN: What is it with you? Are you the good Samaritan? Every time I turn my back, you've got some loser here giving him handouts.
MAN: Come on, leave it alone.
I'm not giving him handouts.
He works for it.
He sweeps.
What, you think I just got off a turnip truck? I've seen him eyeing the cash register.
Next thing you know, one of them will bust in here and clean us out.
See, he's not that way.
Hey, I thought we don't eat dinner in this house until we give thanks.
For all we eat and all we wear, for daily bread and loving care, we thank thee, Lord.
Amen.
( Knock at door ) Hello.
What are you doing here? I have no place to go.
Well, find one.
I don't want you hanging around me.
I don't want you hanging around here, either.
If you're going to live on the streets, you got to learn to live on the streets.
You can't count on anybody out here, not even me.
I'm going off to Colorado any day now, so just leave me alone, okay? But I thought homeless people looked after each other.
I'm not homeless.
I told you I'm not a bum! ( Metallic clattering ) ( horn honks in distance ) ( coughing ) ( siren wailing in distance ) Do you do this every morning? Doesn't everybody start off the day with a newspaper and a cup of coffee? Look, I-I came to say something, and then I'll leave.
You can skip the say something and get right to the leaving part.
Pete, I didn't mean to suggest you were a bum.
I don't know how you could even think that.
Pete, wait.
Pete! Pete.
So that's his name, huh? You know, I see that man every day, never knew his name.
I never knew he had a name.
Lots of people out here don't, you know.
I have a name.
It's Monica.
Well, hello, Monica.
I'm Zack.
That's my glove! Ah.
You're the lighter lady.
( Tires screech, horn honks ) It's good to meet you.
MAN: Come on, lady! Get out of the road there! What are you doing?! Hey! Hey! ( Horn honking ) Come on, man! Come on, move it, will ya? Hey! Hey, are you crazy? You want to honk at me?! No, no.
It's all right.
( Sophie mumbling ) SOPHIE: Oh, oh, oh ( horn honks ) Thank you.
Thank you.
( Horn honks ) MAN: Go back to your cardboard box! You okay? You okay? Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
You ever been to Dallas? Yeah.
You have?! Yeah.
You have? Oh Come on.
I'm gonna take you kids for something to eat.
I recognize everyone here.
You know, they're regulars.
We're like one big family.
A big family where no one speaks to each other.
Sounds like my family.
Do you sleep here, too? Can't no overnights unless it goes below 35 degrees.
Then Tom He's the manager, nice boy Tom gets me a nice, special cot downstairs, for obvious reasons.
Which obvious reasons are those? Well, the beds are upstairs.
I can't sleep upstairs.
ZACK: Why? Why? Why? Do you know how many people involved in the Kennedy assassinations ended up pushed out of windows? No.
Well, let's just say it's disproportionate to the public as a whole.
That's a really interesting ring.
Mm.
USMC.
You're a Marine? Well, I'm not on active duty, but, uh, you know, as they say, once a Marine, always a Marine.
I was in Desert Storm.
You're lucky you made it back.
Yeah I made it back all right.
After we've finished, I'm gonna go and find Pete.
Pete? Mm-hmm.
He's a friend of mine.
Well, sort of.
He washes windows.
You know, he always carries a grey tote bag everywhere he goes.
Well, that narrows it down.
( laughing ) He keeps the van outside of Gus's place.
Yeah.
Oh I'd like to debrief him.
( Siren wailing in distance ) Oh, no.
My van! Oh, no.
Gus? Gus! Gus! Ma'am, what happened to my van? Gone.
Junked.
Probably flatter than a pancake by now, thank God.
Where's Gus? Gus went to visit his sisters for the weekend.
And now, what I say goes, and I say what goes is that van.
Oh, no.
No! There will be no more dinners, either! If you get hungry, get a job, you bum! ( Panting ) ( groans ) ( echoing ): Promise me, Pete.
Promise me we'll go to Colorado.
I promise.
His van is gone.
Oh, dear God.
God can't hear you down here.
God can always hear you.
Well, maybe he's just ignoring us, then.
Well, we need to take him somewhere.
All right, I know a place.
Come on.
( Grunts ) I heard about this place, but I was always afraid to come by myself.
Sounded dangerous.
Oh, it is.
But it's also dry and almost warm.
Come on.
( Man coughs ) All right, we'll be okay if we just lay low here.
Excuse me, have you ever been to Dallas? Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, buddy, it's all right.
Sophie, you can't be doing that down here, all right? Now, I've got to live with these people.
All right, here we are.
MONICA: Pete, do you need any help? No, just leave me alone.
Why don't you lighten up a little bit, man? Man, why don't you just mind your own business? Well, if I minded my own business, you'd be sleeping outside.
I mean, you think you're the only person whose feet hurt? Everybody's feet hurt out here.
SOPHIE: All right, that's not helping anyone.
Zack? Is this is this where you is this where you live, stay? Yeah, a couple of my buddies from the corps turned me on to this place.
You know, truth is, when I came back from the Storm, this really seemed the only place that felt right to live in.
What do you mean? Nothing that happens in basic training prepares you for what war is really like, you know? We saw some bad stuff, some really bad stuff.
You know, one day, y-you're eating sand and breathing gas and watching yourself kill people you never even met.
And then the next day, you're sitting at home reading about yourself in Time magazine, eating a Big Mac.
Oh, it's too weird.
You know, life changes, just like that.
( Sighs ) You just don't feel like yourself anymore.
MONICA: I know that feeling.
SOPHIE: But of course, and you talk to yourself, too, dear.
You got to work on that.
Yes.
And what brought you to these parts, Sophie? Well, that's privileged information, but I can tell you this much After my work here is finished uh uh uh We'll we'll all have to make great sacrifices for truth.
Do you have a family? That's privileged information.
What about you? ( Sighs ) Well, actually, one morning I was wearing a beautiful coat and by nightfall, I was sleeping on the ground.
PETE: Yeah.
That happens.
Pete, you have to see a doctor about your feet.
You know, you really have to leave me alone.
MAN: Police! Everybody freeze! This is a raid! ( People yelling ) ( yelling continues ) ( electronic squeak ) Ah.
Whatcha got there? ( Sighs ): You won't be needing that.
Arms up.
Arms up.
You got nothing to hide, you got nothing to worry about.
One at a time.
Okay.
Arms up.
I said, arms up.
He's not well.
Yeah, I've had a cold myself.
Arms up, pal.
( Sighs ) ( electronic squeak ) All right, let's have the tote bag.
No.
Pete, give him the bag.
No.
I need some help here.
Just give him the bag, Pete.
No! Come on! Come on! Please! No! ZACK: You guys didn't have to do that.
Shut up! I want you to know I'm taking your badge numbers.
What the hell is this? "Julie Taylor.
"D.
O.
D.
2-2-9-4.
" ( crying ): My wife.
It's her ashes.
It's Julie.
It's my wife! Five more degrees, and they'll open the shelter.
( Mumbles ) You feel those feet yet? Listen it doesn't take away the pain, but, uh, you don't care about it as much.
No.
Thanks.
Okay.
Let's find something to burn.
MAN: Hey! ( Gasps ): Sorry.
I'm so sorry.
MAN: I'm trying to sleep in here! ( Chuckling ): I just love a good fire.
Still got that lighter? Oh, yeah.
If you're gonna go for a real fire, I I don't know, that's kind of risky.
Oh Maybe some, uh, paper.
Kindling or something.
Well, I don't There's that file from '75 on J.
Edgar Hoover I'd just as soon not be caught in possession of, under certain circumstances.
This could just blow the roof clean off the Warren Commission.
( Chuckles ): Look at that.
Well, make good use of it.
Get those tootsies nice and toasty, hear? Where were you in '63? PETE: 1963? September, October.
November? Uh fifth no, no, sixth grade.
She always used to tease me because she wore a wedding ring and I didn't.
Truth is, we could only afford one ring.
We were going to get me one someday, but now I'm kind of glad we didn't.
I might have had to hock it.
What happened to Julie? She died last year.
Savings and Loan went down and took my business with it.
We lost our health insurance, and then a few weeks later, Julie started feeling sick, but by the time anyone knew it was cancer, it was it was too late.
So, I-I stayed home to take care of her.
Threw a bunch of medical bills in a drawer, and by February, I lost the house and my wife.
She-she got me off booze.
I haven't had a drink since the day she said, "Yes, I will marry you.
" She had enough faith for the two of us.
Always talking about us going to Colorado, starting all over again.
She made me made me promise that I'd, I would go even if even if it was without her.
She was the only family I had, so I, uh, got in the van and headed west.
And then it-it broke down.
And then it got towed away.
And uh and then There but for the grace of God, why? ( Coughing ) PETE: It's 34 degrees.
Hallelujah.
The shelter's open.
Put a hot brick in the sheets.
Sophie's coming home.
Yeah.
Now, have you ever spent the night in a shelter? No.
Well, brace yourself and make sure you stick with Sophie.
Pete, are you coming? I told you, I don't go to shelters.
If you stay out here, you'll die.
So? So, you still have to take her to Colorado.
MAN: Come on, now.
I got something for you.
Don't be shy, don't be shy.
I'm selling, you're buying.
I'm selling, you're buying.
I got something for you.
No? Okay.
I got something for you.
Don't be shy.
Don't be shy.
I got something for everybody.
Hey, you need anything? Blankets? Cigarettes? Shampoo? No.
Listen, it's ten percent cheaper out here.
Once you get inside and the temperature goes higher, so do my prices.
Get lost, Ox.
Hey, I got something for you, too, Marine.
Don't worry.
How much? How about that ring? Not on your life.
Just a matter of time, just a matter of time.
WOMAN: Uh, I'm sorry, folks.
This is a family-only shelter.
This is a family.
These are my three children.
He's from my second marriage.
TESS: Sophie! I haven't seen you for ages.
And look how your family has grown.
And isn't she a beauty.
Yes, she is, she is.
It's a wonder how those years of braces paid off.
Mm.
Okay, men to the right, women upstairs.
All right.
Hold on, my man.
Deluxe accommodations, just like Desert Storm without the sand.
All right, you can go right upstairs.
Oh, I can't sleep upstairs.
Tess, what a relief.
Where have you been? Well, you have to go upstairs.
Whether you sleep or not is up to you.
Well, I can't.
Now, where's Tom? It's Tom's night off.
Now, upstairs or outside.
It's your choice.
SOPHIE: Well, do you have a room with no windows? Outside! No, oh, I can't.
I can't.
Come on upstairs, Sophie.
No, I can't! It'll be okay, really.
It'll be okay.
I can't.
No, it'll be fine.
She will think of something.
I can't.
Come on, come on.
( Man coughing ) MAN ( mumbling ): Which way? ( Panting ) I'm a Marine.
I'm a Marine.
I can't go away.
Um, uh I ca I can't I can't move.
I can't move.
No ( crying ) Sarge, I can't move! Listen I can't move! Wake up.
Don't Wake up.
Hey, hey, you're all right.
Oh, damn.
Oh, I hate I hate those things.
Yeah.
I get nightmares, too.
Oh, no, not like this, you don't.
War stuff? Yeah.
I'm in the, uh I'm in the desert in the middle of a fire fight and and everybody knows there's land mines all over the place, but nobody knows where the hell they are.
And I know I'm going to die if I move and I know I'm going to die if I don't move.
You're dreaming the wrong kind of dreams, man.
What's that supposed to mean? You can't waste your time dreaming about the past.
You've got to stick to dreaming about the future.
Being a Marine was the one thing I did best.
You know, I belonged to something.
I mean, that's who I was.
And who are you now? ( sniffling ) I don't know.
I know.
You're a guy who can't even think about next week, 'cause you're busy just trying to get through today.
But thinking like that, that's what's going to keep you on the streets.
You've got to have a dream bigger than where you're going to sleep tonight.
You got any family? I've got, I've got a brother, but we don't talk.
I don't talk.
Next quarter you get, man you put it in the phone.
Oh, God.
Oh, no.
No who the hell got it? Hey, hey, who took it? Huh? Who took my bag? Hey, wake up! My bag! Who's got my bag? Who the hell took my bag? No, no, no, somebody stole my bag.
Wake up, you bastards! Come on, give it back to me! My bag! Go back to bed or you're going outside.
No, no, not until I get my bag! No, no! Please, I've got to get my bag back! Come on.
No, no, no, please, stop! State your business.
What is that? Whiskey? First sip free, then you got to pay.
I've got a good pair of boots here.
They'll last a lot longer than that.
I'll trade you my boots for your shoes and that bottle.
Okay, I'll let you out, but you can't come back in.
This isn't a revolving door hotel.
I know, thank you.
Good night.
Oh, Father, why have You forsaken me? What did I do wrong? Why are you punishing me? Why have you taken away who I am, what I am? I-I-I don't even feel like an angel anymore.
TESS: You don't even have to be an angel to give that man what he needs right now.
Oh, Tess.
I-I thought that Has God ever forsaken you, Monica? He told you He wouldn't and He never has.
Never.
Just because you feel invisible doesn't mean that you are.
Never give up, baby.
Oh, Tess.
Maybe now you know how it feels to be forgotten.
To be stripped of everything you think makes you you.
Hmm? Hmm? What did you ask Him for just now? Did you ask Him for food? Did you ask Him to make you warmer? I asked to be remembered.
I needed to know that I still mattered.
And so does he.
You've been acting like a case worker and treating him like he's a case.
But he's a man, Monica.
And he needs to know that he can still make a difference.
And you've got to let him.
How? First, by realizing this is not a punishment.
This is your lesson in pride.
( Crying ) I feel so ashamed.
Oh, shame just brings you down, but true humility that lifts you high up.
Pete? Pete.
Hello.
I, uh Pete, I need to ask a favour of you.
Just leave me alone.
I just I just need you to listen to me for a moment, please.
Please.
I, uh I'm an angel.
( Chuckles ) I know that sounds crazy.
No, not around here.
But proving it to you doesn't really matter to me at the moment.
You see, I I must apologize to you.
I, um, I guess I was getting awfully big for my wings, you see, and there were a few things that I needed to learn about being an angel.
Please there's something that I need to do.
I want to do.
It's what I need to do to remember who I am.
Please.
( Vehicle passing ) ( crying ) I don't know why these things have happened to you, but it's not because of anything that you've done.
And I have to confess that you see, there was somewhere, deep inside my heart, that I thought maybe, you well, maybe you had done something to get here.
I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
It matters.
I forgive you.
Oh, my God.
God loves you Peter Jacob Taylor.
I have failed you, but he will not.
He wants you to know that he's going to take you and Julie to Colorado.
He will walk with you all the way.
But it's up to you to take the first step.
( Crying ) I guess that's what I was here for all along.
SOPHIE: Now, where was it exactly we met again? Do you remember when you lived on Cherry Street? Well, that's privileged information.
TESS: I know, but I have a high-level security clearance.
And Sophie, I want to tell you that nobody blames you for closing up shop and high-tailing it out of there.
In fact, I gave you the ride.
The cab driver.
I got my own rig now.
You ought to see it.
It's a nice, big, red thing.
But Sophie, those years of fear are over.
It's safe to go home now.
Your husband's gone and he can't ever hurt you again.
I never know what direction it's coming from.
Sometimes from the underpass, sometimes from the grassy knoll, sometimes they just push you out the window.
Oh, I know.
I know.
But you can relax now.
Let me show you something.
This just got put on the board.
Your children and your grandchildren are looking for you.
They miss you.
They want to take care of you and protect you.
Come on, let's go make a phone call.
Look, I got these scarves, and I'm going to give them to you cheap, but you've got to give me cash.
Mr.
Ox, I would like a word with you in private, please.
Oh, yeah, sure, baby.
Step into my office.
Hey, how'd you get so clean, woman? I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you.
Oh, I got a lot of things like that, baby.
Which one you talking about? It's metal.
A tube-like container.
It was appropriated last night.
Ah.
Well, I'm positive I never seen it, but, uh, if I did happen to come across it, what's it worth to you? I am afraid I have nothing to offer.
Oh, yeah? I always knew you and me, we'd do some business.
The ring for the can, Ox.
And a quarter.
And a quarter? Sure.
Good morning.
I'd like to use the showers.
Sure, let me just have you sign in here.
Showers are located to the back of this room here on my right.
â« When you walk â« â« Down the road â« â« Heavy burden â« â« Heavy load â« â« I will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« When you walk â« â« Through the night â« â« And you feel like just giving up the fight â« â« I will comfort you â« â« And you will rise â« â« And I will walk with you â« â« Walk with you â« â« Till the sun don't shine â« â« Walk with you â« â« Every time â« â« I will walk with you.
â«