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Dean (2016)
Next saved message.
Hey, Dean, it's mom. I just wanted to tell you your dad and I had the best time with you and Michelle last night. It was so fun visiting you guys in Brooklyn. Anyway, I'll talk to you soon and love you, bye. Message saved. Hi, it's your dad. I'm, uh, hoping you're alive. If so, call me because I have some important news. Message erased. My father's always been full of important news. This week's important news? He got a new pair of jeans. Dad's an engineer, so, to him, life is basically a series of problems to be solved, and his approach to grieving has been no exception. Thanks to his therapist, Tim, dad is taking walks, reading books, watching DVDs. Everything is about taking productive steps forward even if he isn't totally ready. And this dinosaur no longer roams the earth. - Really? Since when? - About eight years ago. I can set you up with basically an updated version of that which is this one right here. - Do you watch TV? - Yeah, I watch TV. You can watch TV on the phone. I'll just watch it on my TV. I, on the other hand, have been focusing less on moving forward and more on just sitting around, thinking. Work hasn't been going too well, either. I just missed the third official final deadline for my book. My first book did pretty well, actually. One critic said it was, quote, "full of whimsy." I'll take it. I'm excited about the new book, but, I don't know, I guess I've just hit a wall. It's not that I can't come up with new drawings, it's more that they all seem to be about one subject. On top of that, an uninvited guest has started to show up in my work. And he won't seem to leave. Meanwhile, dad has now entered what seems to be some sort of cross-training phase of grief. I can't say I understand what he's doing, but we've never really understood each other, so why start now? When are you gonna get a haircut? I have not seen your forehead in 15 years. - With the hair again? - You're living in the '60s. What is that? Are those the '60s? - Yeah. - Oh. - It's done. - I'm in a conga line, and I'm playing a slide whistle. That wasn't a conga line. I was doing the hare Krishna thing. - Looks like a conga line. - I see. Look, I'm... I'm going to talk to you about, uh, some news. Mm-hmm? I'm gonna sell the house. - What are you talking about? - I'm selling the house. You're just out of the blue gonna sell our house? It's not out of the blue. I've given it some thought, okay? I can't live there. It's ridiculous. It makes no sense for me to stay there. - It's too big. - It's too big? - Yeah. - Could you just, like, not use all the rooms or something? Maybe you could, like, I don't know, cover up the furniture in some of the rooms with sheets. - Just don't go in there. - Wha... like I'm a countess? I don't know. I just think this is hasty. You know, we need to talk about this. I grew up there. I don't wanna just sell our house. - Dean, it... Oh, my god, that's my phone. That's my new phone. Sorry. Here we go. Um, I can't talk now. I'm with my son. You see, I'm busy? It can't see you. It's more of a voice thing. Oh, you think it can't see me? Yeah, dream on. They know what's going on at the other end of this thing. - There. Oh! I just took a picture of my sandwich. Okay, hang on. Hang on. Come on. Oh, good. - Smooth. - You know, speaking of Tim, I really think you should give him another chance. - He's really helped me a lot. - I appreciate it, dad, but I'm more of, like, a self-help kind of guy - than the guidance and the exercises and... - Yeah. The books and all that stuff, it's just... That doesn't help me. - Mm-hmm. - You know... And Michelle, that's got nothing to do with losing your mom? It's more complicated than that. I always liked Michelle. You guys were good together. Yeah, I know. You should see us apart, though. We're really great. - I don't need it back. I don't want it back. It's yours. - Tell me, what am I supposed to do with it? - Do what you want with it. You can put it on a bracelet maybe like as a charm? Oh, wow. Why don't we think of it as a keepsake? Oh, yeah, that's a great idea. "Oh, this? This is just my former engagement ring. Oh, well, see, when I got un-proposed to, I decided to turn it into a charm." - Okay. - "So I could always remember that time I didn't get married." That's a really great idea. I did not unpropose to you. Our relationship... Kind of eroded over time. Like... Like a coastline. Or, like, some rocks. So... I'm sand? We both are, if you think about it. Never speak of a woman in geological terms. That was Brett's takeaway from the whole relationship. This was the kind of advice that comes from a man who had recently walked into scaffolding because he was Googling himself on his new face gear. Can you take those things off, by the way? - I just... I can't. - These? - Yeah. - Why? They're so comfortable. It's the... I feel like you're flying something. Just take them off. Miraculously, Brett is getting married, and I'm gonna be his best man. Well, one of them. The other one is Kevin, his new business partner who I guess needs a best friend or something 'cause he's moving in on mine. Anyway, I'm really happy for Brett. His fiance's great. They're getting a new place on the upper West Side, and, you know, his life is really coming together. And me? Well, yesterday I drew this. Truth is, I don't know if I've ever met anyone else who's quite like Michelle. Maybe I made a mistake, you know? Maybe we should give it another shot. - I don't know. - What are you talking about? - We had a lot of good memories. - Whoa, whoa, stop. Look at me. Focus. You need to take some time alone to deal with some things. - I am alone. - Well, all the stuff that you and your dad are going through right now, the answer's not a woman, Dean. It's you. Yeah. You just read that off the Internet? Yeah, just now. You like that? - Yeah, very wise. - Thank you very much, yeah. Wise guy. - Ah, uh, Patrick? - Yes. - Robert? Yes, yes, hi. - Yes? Yeah, good. - Nice to meet you. - Good to meet you in person. - Hey, uh, this is Carol. - Oh. Sorry, I was just checking out your veranda. Oh, fantastic. Good. Hi. - Hi. - Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. - Carol, it is? - Carol, yes. - Carol, okay. Well, this is it. This is the whole. This is the, uh... - This is the family room. - Oh, uh... - Carol. - No, I... Sometimes I react without... But... - No, no. - No, this is a great house. I've kind of let it get away from me a bit. Perhaps for the open house we could do - with a little bit of staging. - Yeah, maybe a new sofa? - Oh. - Definitely a new sofa. - Okay. - Cat? Oh, no, that's... That's my son. My son, yeah. He's, uh, he's an adult now, at least numerically, and completely house trained. - Oh. - That's great. It's like my nephew. My sister's got him on one of those leashes, which I'm sure is not gonna add to any weird issues later on. Oh, yeah. But he's really good at chasing balls. - Does he live nearby? - Uh... - Your son? - No, uh, yeah, he's in Brooklyn now. No, but I work in the city, so I see him whenever he needs something. - So you live here alone? - Yes, uh, since my wife died. It's just me. - Oh, I'm sorry, Robert. - No, no, it's okay. I've got a terrific therapist. I'm reading all the books you're supposed to read, so... - Yeah, there you go. - Let me just, uh, show you the kitchen. Uh, hold my calls. This way. Man, I haven't seen you in a long time. Yeah, I got to fly all the way to Brett's wedding to see my friend? - What the hell is that? - I know. You have got to be the oldest ring bearer I've ever seen in my life. Yeah, I'm not the ring bearer. I'm the best man, but... Sorry you didn't make the cut, buddy. I'm pretty sure Kevin was the best man, right? Yeah, he's one of them. There are two of us, so it was kind of a tie. - Oh, okay. - Yeah. So you were the second-best man? - Okay. - No, I'm best-also. Brett has two best men. We're both his best men. It just looked like Kevin was standing - closer to Brett... - Okay, dude, listen. - We're both... - I'm kidding. I'm kidding. - Joking around, just a bit. - Oh, okay. - Thank you. - Thanks, man. - You do bits now, huh? - Yeah. Is that what they do in Hollywood? They do bits? Well, I don't live in Hollywood. I live in echo park. Echo park? That sounds very empty. You don't know what you're missing, man. There are so many hot women, and a lot of them are desperate, which is really nice. - You should come visit. - Yeah, I don't know. Actually, this ad agency out there, they wanna use my illustrations in one of their campaigns. And they were like, "hey, we'll fly you out, and you can do some concepting with our creatives." - But I can't do it. - That... what, are you too busy? I just... I can't bring myself to work with people who call themselves "creatives." Oh, you're a creative? Ah, you must be very creative. I can tell by the name you gave yourself. It's very creative. Hey, guys, photo, come on. Oh, yeah. Here we go. Come on, get in here. All right. Just the roommates. Ready? Oh, and Kevin. Kev! - Get in here, man. - No, come on, let's grab one. Let's grab one. Let's grab one. - Come on. - Yeah. - We got it. We got it. - K-dog, get in here. - Come on, come on, come on. - Ready? Ready? - One, two, three. - Love these things. - That's awesome. - Hi, guys. - Michelle, hey. - Hey, how are you? - Hi, good to see you. - Good to see you. - You look so handsome. - Thank you. - You all do. - Thank you. - Hi. Hey. Hey. How you holding up? - He's good, right? - Yeah, I'm good, yeah. Michelle I'm more worried about. Whew. She is beautiful. - Until one of them gets fat. And that is how my boy Brett bagged that hottie you see right next to him right now. They're one cute ass couple, huh? No homo. No homo. Dad, you know what I'm talking about. Seriously, though, man... You're my best bud. We're one the same. Mano a mano. To Brett and Wendy. May you have a long and happy marriage and an even longer and happier life. Aww. Ladies and gentlemen, your second-best man, - aka the ring dropper. - Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa. - Oh, excuse me. - Excuse me. Okay, okay, hello, test. Thank you, Kevin, for that... That heartfelt, uh, toast-slash-rap, I guess that was? - Whatever you were doing. - Ha-ha! By the way, I'm... if anybody's the actual best man tonight, you know, it's me. I've been friends with Brett for a long time. We go way back. We were roommates in college. He's my best friend. Um, he actually met his wife, Wendy, through me and my ex, who's here tonight, Michelle. She's brought her friend. Hey, man, cheers. Uh, which I'm totally fine with. Good-good seeing you guys. Anyways, the point is it's not a competition. We're all here to have fun. Just wanted to clear the air a little bit, um... Jesus Christ. - Are we okay? - Are we? I don't know. You did your thing, whatever that was, and... - Oh, yeah. - I'm gonna try to say something - actually from the heart here. - Wrap it up. Yeah, wrap it up. Is that with a "w" or an "r"? What'd you just say? It's a play on words. There's homonyms or homophones. - You just call me a homophobe? - Hold on, hold on. Hey, Kev. - Hey, you got a problem? - Come on. - Right now! - You want to go with me? - Come on, guys. You want to go with me? You know what? Forget it. Forget it. Forget it. I'm good. I'm fine. Come on, it's a party. Let's... let's have a good time. - Hey, dad. - I can't believe you picked up. - Yeah, what's going on? - Listen, we need to get rid of some things to make the house more... sellable. So I need you to come up and clear out some of your stuff from your room. Wait, what are you talking about? I've been asking you to clear that stuff out for years. You know, your stuff. All your... Detritus. I think we should just talk about what we're gonna do with the house. We haven't made a decision yet. Right? We have to decide together. - How's Friday? - What, to decide? - Mm-hmm. - Oh, yeah, I can't do Friday. - Why? - Well, because I'm swamped with my book. In fact, I was just working on it now. I'm really busy. Okay, no, no. No, no. We'll just leave it like this, and then you'll be happy to know it will never be sold. Dad, come on. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying let's... Talk about it and make a decision together. All right, how about Saturday? Yeah, Saturday's bad, too. I'm not available. Okay, well, what are you doing, if you don't mind my asking? Um, I'm, uh... I'm, uh... I'm going away, actually. I'm going to California... To meet with some creatives. Yup, it's all good. It's all good. All right, see you. Yes, I love it. Love you. Love it. All right. Peace. Sorry about that. Just making money. - There he is. - What up? This is Chad. He's our co-creative director. What's up, brother? How are you? How you doing? You want some almond water, bro? - Uh, no, I'm allergic. - You're allergic to water? No, to almonds. Huh, nuts. Yeah. Okay, so I don't know how much you know about appar@us. Uh, a little bit. I checked out your website. Appar@us is a creative company, and what we're doing is building - a digital audience, okay? - Yeah. - Basically, we sprinkle our - love of good storytelling... into brand management, brand entertainment, loyalty branding, and what we're doing is - building a digital audience. We've won awards from Cannes, one show, best show. We won a couple Clios, Omma awards, Webbys, and some from ad age, digital age, digital ad age. - - Oh, uh-oh. Wow. This is great. That moment you land a huge account. - Congrats. That's awesome. - Thank you so much. Yeah, it's a blessing. So let me cut to the chase. We like your drawings. They're, um... They're simple. - It's like a kid did them. - It's insane. Yeah, and we want to use your drawings for this new viral campaign that we've got. - It's body spray. - It's gonna be epic. Directly targeted at tween boys. We're gonna use your drawings for our hero, so to speak, although he's definitely not a hero. - He's a nerd. - Total loser, you know? No friends at all, spends all his time alone, just drawing in his little notebook or whatever. He's got his dick in his hand. Yeah, but then check this out. With the help of blade boy body spray... - Mm-hmm. - ...He gets all these "shorties" on his jock like flies on shit, and he absolutely transformifies, and so do his doodles. We already hired this other dope artist for those drawings that he was talking about, - so that... - Yeah, he's gonna do sort of, - the badass ones, when, like... - Uh-huh. The transformation takes place, okay? He's from Japan. And those are gonna be insane. They're awesome. We already locked him up for those. Can you guys just... Excuse me for a second? Just for one second, thanks. Thank you. - Thanks. I'm sorry. - What's up? All right, well, we'll just copy his style. Cool. I'll just get Nick to do it. - That's chill. - All right. First voice message. Dean, what up? It's, uh, Eric. Love that you're in L.A., I can't hang out tonight 'cause I'm doing something with my roommate Nicholas, but I can definitely hang out tomorrow night, and we definitely should. Love you, dude. I don't know why I said love... Next message. Hey, man, it's Paul. Uh, got your message. I'm out of town, unfortunately, but let me know next time you're in L.A. Next saved message. Hey, honey, it's mom. I love the drawings you sent, and I know that it's a lot of work, but you'll get it done. Call me if you need a pep talk, okay? I miss you. Bye. Message saved. Hey, Dean. Blast from the past. It's Becca. I'm sorry I missed your call. I just got out of a pretty intense audition. Give me a ring. I'm so sorry to hear about you and Michelle. - That sucks. - Yeah, thanks. That sucks, but I actually... I totally relate to that. I'm actually kind of going through something kind of similar. I'm, like, still in the middle of it, actually. But not to name any names, but give you a hint, he's starring on a, like, a ridiculously popular vampire series. Well, that narrows it down quite a bit. It's, like, all the rage right now. Vampires are so in, and I just don't get it. It's like, I would pick mummies if I had my way. Yeah, he likes to, uh... He likes to play with people, but me, you know, I don't... I don't play. Never. Do you like vampires? - Uh, no. - Okay. Needless to say, it's been a whole shitload of drama, but, you know, I think I've found something that is pretty amazing for me. - Oh, yeah? - Improv. - Comedy. - Ah. - Improv comedy. Yeah. - Right, that kind, yeah. Improv comedy. - Oh, yeah. - It's like, um, where you make stuff up off the top of your head and just, like, say shit for no reason. - It's amazing. - Yeah. "Yes, and," is, like, the... The philosophy, you know? And it's starting to, like, open me up in auditions a lot, and also... I feel more open, like, in life. - Mmm. - You know? - I don't know if you can tell how different I am? - Oh, yeah. I was gonna say back there you're very spontaneous. Yes. Yes, exactly. And also my hair. My hair's also different. Yes, and lighter. I just made it darker, actually. - There she is. - Oh, hey, Vagsicles. I am what I eat. - He said as he quivered. - Oh, god. These guys are in my improv troupe. - Yeah, yeah. - Guys, this is Dean. - Hey. - Dean the Dean of the university of first names. Look at his face. - Oh... - You do have, like, - a funny look, man, like... - Funny in, like, a good way. - Yeah. - Yeah, it's good. - It's, like, a hilarious face. - It is. - Thank you. - Yeah, it would work good - on stage, I think. - Hmm. Fine. - Get out of here. - We reserved this. - We reserved it for an hour. - Get out of here. - Hey, there. - Hi. Hi. Are you okay? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Are you talking about that? - Uh, yeah. - No, I just tripped. - It's no big deal. - No, don't underplay it. You really ate it back there. I saw the whole thing. Well, thank you. I appreciate you coming up to let me know. - Mm-hmm. - Thank you for... Yeah, that was me. No, I was feeling a little too comfortable at the party, and I saw you, so I figured, "why don't I eat shit in the kitchen?" Oh, good save. So how do you know Tony? Uh, Tony? The owner of the house. Oh, uh, I saved his life a while back and then after that we just kind of clicked. Hmm. - I'm Dean, by the way. - Hi. Hey. Uh, Todd's outside, and he's here with Jeremy. - I got to go. Lovely meeting you. - Oh, yeah, you, too. Those guys are here, so you should go. Yeah. - Hi. - I'm poor. You're rich. Where I'm falling, remember, I saw your boobs? We saw y... We both saw your boobs. - It was so good. - I don't like you saying that when there's other... They didn't see my... - This is a scene. - We're doing scenes. - We're doing improv. - We're doing scenes. Hey, you didn't have to leave. Just... Call me later, okay? Bye. - Hey. - Hi. - Hey. - Hello. You never told me your name. Oh, well, it starts with an "n," and it ends with "icky." Hmm. You're very cryptic, like sudoku. Yeah, I like to cultivate an air of mystery around myself. I do something very similar with deodorant. - Hmm. - Not in a gross way. I, you know, I don't need to wear a lot of deodorant. I don't, you know, smell that bad or anything. - Mmm. - Good, nice, huh? Which part of Brooklyn are you from? It's that obvious? Yeah, you have a certain just- off-the-subway quality to you. Thank you. You could just say immigrant. It's cool. That's not what I meant. You don't look lobotomized like the rest of the guys at this party. Yeah, I saw a couple walking head shots downstairs. Um, so where'd you grow up? - Nicky, we got to go. - Oh, okay. Uh, Dean, this is Jill. Jill, Dean. Jill, hey, my best friend in high school was... I'm sure it's a great story, but we're late for a surprise party, - so I'll just see you in the car? - Okay. - Okay. - Well, you just told me, so... Well, good luck in L.A., Dean, and watch out for kitchen floors. I will. Hey, um, you want to, like, trade emails or something? I'm gonna be in town, I don't know, just for a couple days, but... - Why don't you just give me your number? - Okay. No, it's cool, I got a pen and paper. I'll just write it out, 20th century style. Tiny, little pad. Yeah, for just little drawings or phone numbers. It's, like, a mini pad... - As opposed to a maxi pad. - That was good, right? - That was good. Is this the way back to my hotel? I don't know. Is it? So where are we? This is my place. - Oh. - Look, I know you want to come up and everything, but you can't. I'm sorry. Oh, okay. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Yeah, I have a boyfriend, so... - Yeah, I know, the vampire. - Shh. Look, what you think is gonna happen right now is not gonna happen right now unless... You can keep a secret. I'm not good at keeping secrets. Ow. That really hurt. Don't pretend you didn't fucking love that. I'm not pretending. Come here. Look at me. Oh, my god, not like that. Don't look at me like that. Okay, hey, Becca, you're scaring me. I know. I'm scaring myself. But you can't look at me like that, okay? You don't get to look at me like that. Okay, but you're hurting my neck. Oh, my god, it's part of it. - Ow. - You got to go, okay? You just got to go. Yeah, I should get back. Yeah. You need to leave. - Oh. Can I get a ride? - Get out of my car. - No, you can't get a ride. - Okay. - Okay. - After that you want a ride? Okay, good seeing you. - Good night. - Carol? - Hey. Oh, hi. I thought I was in the wrong house. Is it okay? Has everyone left? Uh, yeah, yeah, all gone. Coast is clear. How did we do? Did any... we did okay? Yeah, we do have two very serious - potential buyers. - Wow. Yeah, I think your home is gonna sell a lot faster than I thought. - Wow. Great. - Yeah. Well, it'll be thanks to you. Where do you find all this stuff? It's, like, do you... Do you and Patrick travel a lot? - Patrick? - Your husband. No, um, he is not my husband. - He's my colleague. - Oh, I'm sorry. - You thought, uh... - I assume everyone's married. - No. No, no, no, no, no. - If they're together... - Stupid. Sorry. - Um, no. No, it's... No, it's fine. Um, well, let's see if we got any more, uh, potential bidders. Wait, wait, wait, what was that? - That looked like you. - Uh, you don't want to... That's embarrassing. - What is that? - My charming sister decided to create an online dating profile for me, and I spent, um, much of yesterday trying to take a usable photo to throw myself at strangers online. I'm just curious. "I like listening to jazz..." oh, sophisticated. "Taking long walks..." Forests, one of your interests is "forests"? - I've... well, I like... - You're interested in forests? Well, I like nature and trees and, like, being out in nature. Oh, I see. Yeah, of course. Well, sure. - Does that sound weird? - No, I-i just don't... - Should I just have said trees? - No, no, forests... I see. I just did... you... The wording. You don't want to attract, like, a lumberjack or a hermit or a... A lumberjack who's online dating? I don't think I have to worry about that. If you said, "I like taking long, shady walks," - that implies forests. - That sounds threatening, like I'm a mugger or something. I think I'm gonna sell your house and leave the online dating to someone else. I'm sorry. Let me see if we got you any more offers or... - Okay. - Interests or calls. Look, it was a free trip, so I sat through one meeting. Exactly, free day in L.A. You've got me as your guide. We're gonna do some cool shit. I got some plans. Cool. Have you had smoothie king? Huh? - It's funny. It's always a king. - What? You know, smoothie king, burger king, mattress king. If you're selling something, it has to be a king. Smoothie Duke? Nope. Burger prime minister? You can't do it. What about dairy queen? That works. Yeah, okay, that's one. Hold up. I left my phone in the car. - So? - I want to get my phone. Yeah, we're going in here for, like, ten minutes. Yeah, I want to get my phone. I need it. - Great, great, let's do that. - Thank you. Heads up. Thanks, asshole. Would it kill you to be present for, like, 30 seconds? Uh-huh. Oh, there she is, coming back. Oh, fuck. Waiting for party girl to call? No. It's not gonna happen, man. You screwed up. - She'll call me. - No, she won't. Shithead. You gave her your number instead of getting her number, so now she has all the power, she gets to mess with your head - instead of you messing with her. - Yeah, right. - Uh-huh. - Right? You're leaving tomorrow anyway, so who gives a shit? You leave tomorrow anyways, so let's just put her aside. You and me, tonight, we go out, and I show you what you've missed in Brooklyn. What's that, bar, club? - A club, yes. I can't, man. I got plans. - Doing what? - I'm supposed to be... Hi. Bye. I like that shirt. It's really brave. Brave? What does that mean? Well, I mean, it's just not the most flattering shirt on you, but I think it's really cool that you don't care about that kind of thing. It's awesome. Yeah, it gives you bigger hips, a little bit. He's kidding. He's joking. A joke. - Shut up. Wow. Yeah. Okay. - Hey. - Hi. - How are you? - Really good. - Cool. - Yeah. Your hair looks a little weird. Excuse me? - Excuse me? - My... Has anybody ever told you that you look very attracted to me? No, not yet. Well, they have now. Just did. - Yeah, you did. - Cheers. - Oh, cheers, yeah. - Cheers. What are you guys doing after this? Um, I don't think... I don't know. - After party at our place? - Who are you doing after this? - Who are you doing after this? - What? Nothing. Listen, I just want to apologize again for... What? - You know, the ladies. - Oh, shut up. You're fine. You're in a funk right now. I get it, you know? - I've been there. I can spot it. - Yeah. And, honestly, I think you're over-thinking it. You just got to do something spontaneous. Be a spontaneous person. Get out of it. Okay, you know what? Let me make it up to you. Why don't I take you out? - Okay? - Okay. Where do you want to go? You know what we could do? We could drive to Vegas right now. Okay. - Yeah? You want to do this? - Yeah. Yeah. - You're into going to Vegas? - Totally. 'Cause I'm down. I'm not saying it like, "hey, let's just talk about it." I'm saying let's go and do it. - We're going to Vegas. - We're going to Vegas. - We'll get there. - Okay. - I'll show you the ropes. - All right. - I'm gonna lay it out there. You'll see what's going on. - All right. - You know Vegas? - Of course I know Vegas. It's the best. I love it. It's just such a hassle. I mean, it's four-and-a-half hours away. Yeah. Want to get some sleep? Yeah. Hey, man, it was great seeing you. - Cheers, buddy. - Cheers. You going home or on a trip? - I'm going home. - Oh, me too, thank god. - You live in the city? - Brooklyn. Oh, good. I'm on Dekalb and Washington. I love it. - Yeah, I'm ready to get back. - I really love it, though. New York's the best, period. No contest. Even queens. Yeah, I think I've seen enough of L.A. to last me for... Oh... I'm never going back to L.A. again. No, no, no, I can't. For my health, I can't. Okay. I'm gonna try to take a nap. - I'm pretty tired. - Oh, yeah. Naomi. I'm Naomi, by the way. Before you, you know. Good to meet you, Naomi. Take a nap. - Your name would be? - I'm Dean. Dean. Put her there. Yeah. - Sleep tight. - Thanks. I should be sleeping. I'm exhausted. I'm so wired from the anxiety, from the trauma of Los Angeles that I can't sleep. I'm not myself. So what do you do... For work? I'm a... - Speech therapist. - Oh. Yeah. I work with animals. Mmm. Communication. How to listen, how to communicate, - reading signals. - Yeah. - 'Cause they can speak. - They can communicate. It's been proven time and time again. They are communicating, but we're so blocked. Animals, no subtlety. - It's crass. - You texting? - I am. - Excuse me, excuse me. - Yeah. Get in these last moments while you can - before she comes around... and gets ya. - Sir? - Yeah. You have to turn that off. - Sir? - Um... I'm a scientist. - Hi. - Hey. You are a little late, mister. - Yeah. - And you brought a suitcase. Yeah, actually, I was on my plane and I got your text. You just, you know, hopped off the plane and ran straight over here? I usually have that effect on people. Yeah, yeah. No, I'm kidding. Really, what's with the suitcase? No, I was staying with my friend Eric, and... I'm gonna stay with Eric. I was staying at a hotel and going from my hotel to my friend Eric's place, and he's still at work, so I ended up with all my stuff. - I'm kind of stranded. - Oh. Uh, volleyball gear, you know. So, uh, is this yours? - Yeah. - Cool. Are you fishing for a ride right now? Oh, I'm not fishing, but now that you mention it, - that would work for me. - Okay. - Cool. Great. - Okay. - Sure. - Awesome. - Um, you gonna drive? - No, I'm not gonna drive. - Okay. - I was just, you know, being polite. Thanks. You want the story for real? Yeah, I'm curious. All right, I was in college. I came up with this natural beauty product, and I ended up dropping out 'cause I was tinkering with it. First, I started giving it to my friends. Then I started selling it, and then this big cosmetics brand actually bought it, um, but that was a couple of years ago, - so nothing really since. - Wow. - Really? - Mm-hmm. Wow. - So you have, like, a patent and everything? - Yeah. So you're an inventor? I think of myself more of, like, a chef 'cause I came up with, you know, a few recipes that actually worked. - That's amazing. Seriously. You know, when I'm drawing, sometimes I'll come up with, like, an invention or something and I'll just do a sketch. - Really? Like what? - But nothing like that. Um, let's see. - So you're on a plane, right? - Mm-hmm. This happens a lot. Plane's packed. There's a baby that's crying super loud. It's bothering everybody. How do you get that baby quiet? Baby silencer. All right, it's a funnel. You put it over the baby's nose and mouth with a tube, like, a little kind of tube, and it goes to headphones that go to the baby's own ears, so when the baby's crying just like, "wah, wah!" Really loud, it's contained into the tubes, and then just like, "ow, ow, that hurts. Hello? Wah. Uh, who is that? That's me. I should stop." Baby silenced. So what you have is something that will silence the baby and also teach the baby about self-awareness and cause and effect, so... You know, I would make sure that there's adequate breathing apparatus and, you know, holes in it and stuff, so I'm not gonna do anything crazy to the baby. Do you think that that would actually work for adults with helping them develop self-awareness? Perhaps you could send the sound of them pitching an invention straight into their own ears? Like in a restaurant or something? - Yeah. - Thank you for dinner. - Oh, yeah, yeah. No, it was my pleasure. - That was fun. - Yeah. - I had a good time. - Me, too. - And thanks for the ride. - You're welcome. Um, okay, so just to be clear. Mm-hmm? - Okay. - Okay. - I'll get my stuff. All right. - Okay. Whoa, okay. - Hello. - All right. There he is. So this is it. Um, that's the couch. That's gonna be, uh... - All yours. - Wow. Assuming that's okay with Tobes. Totally, no problem. - Heard you're here stalking some girl. - What? Yeah, my friend stalked a girl once. She lived in China, so I'm not sure if it counted as stalking per se 'cause he was in San Diego. I contended that it was more like keeping tabs on her from that distance. - Yeah, I'm not stalking anybody. - That's exactly what he said. - Yeah, but I'm not. - Agree to disagree. Damn it. - What did you tell him? - What? Don't worry about Toby. He's his own thing, man. So tell me about this girl. Oh, well, she drove me back from the... whoa! - What the hell is this? - What? I have a cat. You know that. No, I did not know that. I do now, though. And I'll never forget it. Yeah, I share my room with Nicholas. - He loves this shit. Anyways, the girl, what's going on? Uh, yeah, so we, uh... I'm sorry, I... - When did you get into cats? - All right, come on, enough. - All right. - I have a cat. Let's move on. Okay, okay. Yeah, it went really well, and, uh, we're gonna get together on Tuesday. - That's great. Day or night? - Day. - Day? That's not good. - Yeah. - Night. Night. - What? You want night time, late. Her defenses are down. She's kind of tired. Okay, I don't want to kill her. I want to date her. Date her? Let's slow down, 1955, okay? Let's just try to sleep with her first. Yeah, I mean, that, too. That's what I meant. Here, bud. - You okay, man? - Yeah. - Like, things are okay? - Yeah, things are great. Okay. Do a little bunny hop. Ahh! - You all right? - Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. I'll be honest, I didn't mean to fall, but I did mean to take the risk, okay? - And that's how you ride. - You're the man. - I feel amazing. - Race? Yeah, let's go. - Hey, dad. - Oh, you're there. - Are you back? - No, I'm still in L.A. I decided to stay a bit longer. - What are you doing out there? - Just working on my tan. I was gonna maybe get my chest waxed. You are? No, I'm just catching up with Eric and just trying to take a little break, since I'm out here. A break from what? You know, just everything at home. Things are kind of heavy. I just want to get a little breather. I see. No, it's a good idea. - Why don't you go on to Hawaii? - Okay, I'm not on vacation. I'm still working on my book. You know, I can do that from here, too. I need to talk to you about the house. Okay, okay, right, yeah. Let's talk about the house. We had an open house and... Whoa, wait, wait. We were gonna make the decision - about the house together. - Yeah, we did. I did. And I... Since you decided to run away. Okay, I didn't run away. I came out to meet those ad people. Can we just not do anything with the house until I get back? Okay? Okay. Well, you know, you had a really good realtor. - Yes, well done. - To full asking price. Oh, full asking price, yes. Now how do I break the news to my son? Mmm. Well, we could ask for some extra time before closing. People are understanding about that. He's just been at loose ends, kind of, you know, missing in action for a while. Now he's in L.A. I don't know what he's doing. I keep thinking he's gonna come home with a Mohawk and face piercings. People still get Mohawks? Oh, if Dean thought it would help him not get a job, he'd get two Mohawks. How do you... How do you get two Mohawks? I... You put two Mohawks together, and you... I don't know. It'd be sort of an "X," look like a heliport. Maybe he's just trying to figure himself out. Yeah, he's been trying for a while. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about this. - I don't want to cross any lines. - Don't be silly. You've already crossed those lines, and that's okay. Okay. Mmm, why don't I look for some listings, and we'll maybe look at some places later this week? - All right, sounds good. - Yeah? - It's a date. - Hi. - Hey. - Hi. - How are you? - It's good to see you. Hey. - Hi, you, too. Um, you remember my friend Jill from the party the other night? - Yeah, hey, Jill. - Hey. Hey. Okay. - She wanted to see the show too, so... - Cool. - So... - You were wearing that same outfit - the last time I saw you. - Yes, I was. Thank you for pointing that out, I appreciate that. We need to find a restroom, like, right now. Oh, yeah, uh, number one only. - Hey. - Hi. - So I'm gonna go. - Okay, bye. - Yeah, I got to go. - Really? That's the game you're gonna play? - Oh, I'm not playing a game. - Oh, aren't you? - I can stay for a few. - Thanks. - So, okay, the artist... - Nicky, come look at this. - Oh, okay. - Yeah. Oh, yeah, hey, uh... Just a sec. Yeah, I can be there in, like, ten minutes. Yeah, totally. Weird reception out here. Yeah, in your face so hard. I was just doing a bit. Are you gonna stay, or are you gonna go? Um, I'll stay. - Phew, what a relief. - Yeah. Uh, so Jill's, like, your best friend? - Is that the deal? - Mm-hmm, yeah. And you guys just do everything together? A lot of stuff. You show up everywhere with her? That's normal? Do you have a best friend? Um, kind of. Former, I'd say. - He ditched you? - He got married. But... we weren't romantic. It's not like that. - No, I get it. - Yeah. But you're a little sad about it. - Mmm, no, I think I'm... - Nicky... Look at this one. Isn't his work powerful? I want to put it above my bed. Dean? Hey. Is that that guy from that vampire show? - That's Dean, huh? - Yeah. - Hey, Becca. - Hi. I thought you went back to New York. I extended my trip a little bit. - Why don't you just get back to New York now? - Yeah. - I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see you ever again. - I don't. Just so you know... - We're done. - Done. - Me and you? - Mm-hmm. - Okay, yeah, I'm pretty sure we never started. - Oh, my god. All right, well, let's make things real simple here, okay? Why don't you just end whatever you had going on and just agree to never talk to her again? - Okay. - Don't say another word to her starting now. - Okay. - Ah! Not one more word. - He got it. - I'm sorry. What was that? - I just heard something. - Let's go. - Okay, okay, okay. - You want it on the other side of the face? - Oh, my god. - You're in an art gallery right now. - No, come on, you... - I think he's really sorry and he's not gonna say another word. - Hey, look at me. Come here. - What? - I'm sorry. I'm good, yeah? - Look at me. Oh, my god, I'm... oh, yeah, yeah. - Yeah. - Uh-huh. - Are you okay? - I am, thank you. Thanks. I appreciate that. That fake vampire, he's just lucky I didn't lose my shit. - Oh. - Could kill a man, you know? I took Kendo in high school, so... Is that... Does that require sticks? Not the way I do it. By the way, Becca... I mean... There's nothing there. - I don't know what she's... - oh, you don't have to explain anything to me. - I... - No, I know, I know. I know, I just... I figured I'd just let you know. You know, it's not like we're... - Yeah, I mean, we're just... - Yeah, we're hanging out. - It's fine, yeah. - I mean, you're visiting. - Yeah, yeah. - And I'm going out of town this weekend... - Yeah. - ...So it's not even like I'm around. - You going out of town? - Yeah. Jill and I are gonna drive up to San Francisco. Cool. That's nice, yeah. It's funny, my friend Eric and I were actually gonna head out of town this weekend. He was gonna show me the bay area. - Really? - Yeah, some of the sights. - Oh. - Mm-hmm. Well, I mean, I guess the four of us could... - Yeah. - Go together. - Yeah. - If that's not too weird. No, no, I think that's cool if it's cool with you guys. - Yeah. - You know, it was gonna be a guys' trip, but, um, I'll check with him. - Hey. - Hey, Jill, this is Eric, - Dean's friend. - Hey. Uh, well, actually, Dean's my friend. I'm kind of, like, the main dude, I guess. Right, we got it. Oh, yeah? Well, okay, cool. Are you guys doing good? Jill, you okay? Excuse me? I just, you know, I didn't know. It seems like you're kind of, like, upset or maybe, like, stressed out about something, you know? No. Oh, oh, are you, like, one of those, like, pickup artist dudes? Like, you're gonna, like, take me down a peg, and then say something like, "oh, that's so cool how you're comfortable being fat," or something, and then I'll feel bad about myself and sleep with you, or something stupid? - Uh... - No, he's... He's on the spectrum, actually. He's got Asperger's and he's not that great at reading other people, so... Asper... do I? He can't even read himself, actually. It's okay, man. Sorry. No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just attack you like that. I'm just... I'm really sick of guys trying to insecurize me into sleeping with them, so I just... - Yeah. - I hear you. Yeah. Cool. Remember to make eye contact if you can. - Thanks. - Sure. All right. - So this is nature. - Mm-hmm. All right, so let's talk about our game plan. All right. Um, I think we're gonna go on a hike. - So what does that entail? Um, walking along this trail? Ah, yeah, now I can feel it. Hey, Toby. What? Well, what happened? Oh, Jesus. God. Toby knocked a bookshelf on top of Nicholas, and he's in critical condition. - Oh, my god. - Who's Nicholas? - It's his cat. - He's not just a cat, okay? - Okay. - You know he's not just a cat. - All right. - Look, I'm sorry. I have to go to the airport right now, okay? - I'm sorry. - Eric? - No, just stay with him, okay? - Hey. - I'm on my way. Guys, I got to go now. I'm sorry. All right, all right, all right. Hey, you've reached Dean. - I can't come to my phone right now. - Thank you. But here's my best robot impression: - - Hi, it's your dad. Um, please call me. It's important. I have some news. - Whoa, whoa, hold on, hold on. - What? What? Just take a breath. - He's gonna be okay. It's okay. He's gonna be fine. I don't know what I'm gonna do if he dies, okay? - He's not gonna die. - Okay. All right? Cats are resilient. Yeah, you're right. You're right. Especially Nicholas. He's got such a strong spirit. Yeah, yeah, I got that from him. Yeah. What about you? Um, you know, I haven't gotten to know - Nicholas that well, but, yeah. - No, no, I mean you and her. Nicky? Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. All right, just be slow and be cool, okay? Yeah. - All right? - Yeah, I'll be cool. - All right, come here. - All right. Take care of yourself, man. Sorry that you can't crash with us. Jill's mom is really weird about having guys over. No, it's fine, I wouldn't want me over there anyway. Oh, yeah? Why's that? I'm a bed-wetter. - Really? - Yeah. I don't pee in the bed. It's more into it from a short distance, but it's kind of the same thing. - You're such a dork. - I thought that was funny. It was okay. Thank you, Jill. Thank you for that. Drive safely. I'll be thinking of you as I pee into my bed tonight. Ladies. Hello, you have reached Robert. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message, and I'll do my best to return it as soon as I can. Yes? - Hey. - Hi. - What are you doing here? - Well... I was on my way to Jill's and I realized - that I forgot something. - You forgot something? Sorry, I'm not very good at improv. No, it was really sexy. - Come on in. - Okay. Oh, look at this disgusting place. Pretty gross, huh? What about that play? What'd you think? It was so great. - Wasn't it? - Thank you. Yeah, it was... It was, uh... - Very complex and interesting. - The performances were amazing. - Great performances. - Wow. Yup, yup. Good production. - Worth that money. Yeah. Okay, I have a confession to make. I didn't understand most of what we saw in that theater. - I'm sorry. - Oh. I looked over at you, and you looked like - you were utterly engrossed. - I know, I'm sorry. - I just... I didn't get it. I... - Well... I didn't understand a thing. - Really? - Not a thing. What? Were they... - What was that? - Was it about time travel? No, that... those, I think, were flashbacks. That was her as a younger woman. - That was the same? - Yes, that was the same woman. Ah, that doesn't help. It was fun. I'm glad we went. It was an incredible production of just a... - Of a crazy... - Terrible, terrible play. - Crazy-ass play, yeah. - Mm-hmm. Well... Well, good night. Would you like to come up for a coffee? Yes. I'd love to. Oh, man. Okay, you're not allowed to judge my apartment. I didn't know you were coming in, and there's papers all over the table, so... Sure. I-I'm sorry. I, um... I'm sort of stuck here. I don't think I can... I shouldn't have, uh, made the first move. I think I was too forward. No, no, no, no, no. I, uh, I don't know what it is, but it's... I really like you. No, and... But? But... Well, truth is... I don't quite know who I am. You know, since... Since my... My wife, uh... - Oh. - Do you understand? - I mean... - It's okay. It seemed like such a good idea. - Of course. - Um... - I get it. - Um... That is just my luck, man. I finally meet a guy I really like and turns out he's married. I guess that's it, yeah. Good night, Robert. Nicky? - Hmm? - You awake? Mm-hmm. Oh, okay. Hey. I was just realizing that I, um... I forgot to mention something to you... That I probably should have told you. What? Um... I was engaged. Yeah, not anymore. We broke up a few months ago, but... I realized I never said anything to you about it, so I figured I should tell you, you know? My mom was sick, and I guess I wanted her to know that I found my person. So I think if my mom hadn't gotten sick, then Michelle and I probably wouldn't have even gotten engaged. We probably would have broken up a while ago, but I thought I should just tell you. Is your mom okay now? Uh... No. No, she's not, but... - I'm so sorry. - Oh, no, no, it's... I'm fine, thanks. I appreciate it. Yeah, I haven't really wanted to talk about it so much since she died, but I don't know. I feel like I can talk to you. It's funny, I didn't even want to come out to California, and then I met you, and now I feel like it kind of makes sense, like, why I ended up out here in the first place. I'm glad I met you. You know, while we're talking, I probably should tell you one other thing. I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with you. What? I said... I mean... - I think you're great. - Uh... Okay, well-well, thank you. - That's... - Sure. That's a really... that's a really lovely thing to say. - Good night. - Good night. Okay, you ready? - Yeah. - Good. How do I look? Um, you look a little stiff. It's okay, just take a deep breath. - Yeah, thanks. - Take a deep breath, okay? Okay, well, my mom's gonna be really excited. Yeah. My dad says she's having a good day today. - I thought I heard voices. - Hello. - Hey. - Hi. You need a haircut. Oh, Michelle brought your favorite flowers. And she's got something on her finger. - Yup. All right, let's... - Hi. - Hello. Happy birthday. How are you? Sir? You have a note. Thanks. Dear Dean, I didn't want to wake you up this morning, so I thought I'd leave you a note, 20th century style. I realized I haven't been completely honest with you, either. Last night when we were talking in bed there was something I should have told you. The truth is, I'm married. It looks weird even writing it because we're separated and have been for some time, but it's still something we're trying to figure out. The night that I met you, my husband Jeremy actually came to that party. Uh, Todd's outside, and he's here with Jeremy. I'm sorry. I got to go. It was lovely meeting you. Yeah, those guys are here, so you should go. I enjoyed hanging out with you and didn't think much beyond that, and then things just happened. Along the way Jill kept telling me I should talk to you. She felt like I was leading you on, but I couldn't find the right moment to bring it up. For what it's worth, I thought we were just having fun. I guess I was trying to run away from all the heaviness in my life. I hope that makes sense. I just have a lot I still need to deal with. Maybe we both do. I hope you find what you're looking for. Let me know when you do. Maybe we'll be on the same road by then. Either way, I'm still glad I met you. Take care of yourself, Nicky. I just don't know what you're doing. What am I supposed to be doing? I just took a trip, and now I'm here. Even when you're here, you're not here. Wherever you are, I need you to come back. Okay, um, to where? Should I come home maybe? Oh, I forgot. You sold our house. You sold mom's house while I was away, so that's gone. Oh, I see. I get it. I see the problem. What exactly did you want me to do? Just go on living there alone? No, I don't know what I want you to do. I just... I want to stop living under this cloud. I want to stop talking about life and death and how I'm not grieving right. We're not helping each other, so why don't we just stop? Okay. No, I think that sounds very healthy. I'm glad we had this talk. Listen, I wanted to apologize for my performance at your wedding. Oh, dude, stop. No, I feel like I was a little out of control there, and seeing Michelle kind of threw me, and I don't know. I'm sorry. - Thanks. - Don't worry about it. - Hey, how's your dad doing? - He's okay, I guess. We don't talk much these days, but, you know, he's got his therapist, so I guess he's fine. Yeah, I remember after my dad died. My whole family practically, you know, disintegrated, and I was just... I think a year after was somehow harder than right after. Yeah, definitely. You know, people... They don't think about it when they see you, don't ask how you're doing or think that you might actually feel worse now than you did then. You realize the world just keeps on going. It doesn't really care. What about now? I don't know. I mean, it was so long ago now. Sometimes I'll fantasize about it, you know? What would it be like if he hadn't died? We're never gonna not miss them, you know? First big thing in your life that you're never gonna get over. - It sucks. - It sucks. Yeah. Look, man, whatever's going on with you and your dad, just remember to go easy on each other, okay? You hungry? - Not really. - Yeah, me neither. - Want to eat? - Yeah. Okay, let's go. Next saved message. Hey, honey, mom here. I just got your message, and I... I just want to say don't worry. Take a deep breath. I know you can do it. Oh, and don't forget to eat. Okay, love you. So have you met your neighbors? No, not officially, but, uh, a lot of their dogs have, uh, become acquainted with my crotch. I always liked that picture of you and mom. Yeah, me, too. Nice view. Yeah, yeah. And if you put your cheek against the window, you can see central park. Yeah, that's nice. Yeah, leaves will be changing soon. Uh, dad, I wanted to talk to you. About the house? No. You were right. I... I disappeared there for a while. It's okay. You don't need to apologize. No, I do. I was running and I'm sorry. I just... You know, I think about mom every day. I'll pass that bookstore where we used to meet up, or smell her perfume, or just... It's just... She's everywhere, you know? No matter what I do, I just keep thinking about her every day. Even when I try not to. So many things remind me of her, and, uh... Dad, I can't even imagine what you've been going through. - I'm sorry. - It's okay. - It's okay. I know. I know. - It's okay. - I'm sorry. No. No, no. Sit down. I'm worried about you. I know you are, but don't worry about me. I'm gonna be fine. I'm not sure when, but I'm sure I'm gonna be fine. - Yeah. - I miss your mom... A lot. That's not gonna stop, but I can't tell you how lucky I feel that I got to be with her as long as I did. - Yeah. - And how lucky I feel that we had you. It's good to have you back. Don't you disappear on me, okay? I won't. You, too. - Oh, I'm not gonna disappear. - Okay. You know where to find me. - I'm here. It's a deal. - Okay. And, um... Let me share something with you. Dear Eric, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know Nicholas was more than a cat, he was a good friend and he offered you great support. Losing him probably feels like losing a part of yourself. I've been there. In the coming months, you might feel more lost than you do now and you might feel like you need to run away from all the heaviness for a while. Maybe you'll fly across the country to escape the pain, and maybe while you're away your dad will go and sell all of your cat furniture, the last real link you thought you had to Nicholas. It might be hard to understand now, but maybe your dad did it because he just needed to do it to move forward. I wish there was something I could say that would make you feel better, but the hard truth is that Nicholas is gone, and there's nothing that will bring him back. Not old cat furniture, personal belongings, or even voice messages from him that you've carefully saved. Nothing can replace him, but that doesn't mean you won't be okay again. You know, when you lose someone, it can make you feel so alone... But there's one thing I've learned... If you really love them, you never lose them. Especially if they had a strong spirit. Anyway, here's a copy of my new book. I can't say it holds any answers, but maybe it'll give you a laugh and that's worth something. Take care of yourself, buddy. Your friend, Dean. |
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