Collateral Beauty Page #4

People write letters

to the universe all the time.

Most don't get a personal response.

But you are, because I just wanted

to tell you that you're wrong.

I'm not some powerless middle management

- just following orders.

- Miss...

You see, I didn't want to make

the trade. It was my call.

I don't want this. I don't want this.

Now, I don't tell you how to do your job.

So, I'd appreciate it

if you didn't tell me how to do mine.

Who's that man talking to?

He looks kind of weird.

Don't worry about that.

Sometimes people are silly.

You see, they don't see me

till it's their time.

Oh, it's okay, Howard.

It's not your time yet.

I just wanted to return this

and clear things up between us.

- I really am Death, Howard!

- (DOG YIPPING)

He believed me.

I'm telling you he believed me.

- That's amazing.

- I mean, that was spectacular.

Because there was no safety net, you see.

That... That... That was Grotowski.

- That was pure Stella Adler!

- Ah!

- Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity.

- Yes.

- You are a kind man.

- Oh, not a problem.

- He believed me, I'm telling you.

- I wouldn't go that far.

But he needed it.

I could tell. I could tell in his eyes.

Who was that woman and that little boy?

That was incredible.

Oh, that was our private investigator

and her grandson.

Oh, really?

And did she say anything about me?

She said you were good.

She said really good.

"Good"? What do you mean? Good like...

You mean good like cabbage is good,

or what?

No, no. She... (STAMMERS) Great.

She said, she said,

"She made the impossible possible."

- (CHUCKLES) I should be paying you.

- (BOTH LAUGH)

They told me that Trevor had

packed his little suitcase,

that he said he was going home.

I was furious.

But he was sleeping,

so I couldn't talk to him.

I mean, what nurse promises

this dying five-year-old little boy

he could go home?

He barely had any white blood cells left.

He was so fragile.

And who could be so cruel?

Who could do that?

So, of course I'm frantic.

I am shouting at the staff,

trying to get to the bottom of it.

Well, Trevor finally wakes up

and I go to him.

You know, his little blue suitcase

was still at the edge of the bed, right.

So, I look at him and ask,

"Who said that to you, sweetie?

"Who said that you could

come back to our house?"

You know what he says?

"Nobody, Mommy.

"I'm not going back to our house.

"I'm going home."

He died four hours later.

(DOOR OPENS)

(WOMAN SOBS)

Hello.

Hi.

Are you looking

for Smallest Wings Support Group?

Um...

- Yes.

- And you are?

- Um, Howard.

- Howard.

Come on in. Have a seat.

Did you lose a child, Howard?

Yeah.

- MADELINE:
Boy or girl?

- Uh...

A girl.

And what was her name?

No, it's okay. Howard.

You don't have to answer.

You don't even have to talk, okay?

You stick around?

Please?

Okay.

Thank you so much for sharing.

We really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Does anybody have anything else

they'd like to say?

- So, why'd you decide to come in tonight?

- Hmm?

Yeah, I've... I've seen you outside.

I was gonna come out one night

and invite you in,

but I guess I didn't want

to blow up your spot.

- Blow up my spot?

- (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

- Yeah.

- You didn't want to mess up my jam?

(CHUCKLES)

Exactly.

What's your name?

I'm Madeline.

Nice to meet you.

My daughter's name was Olivia.

She died of a rare form of brain cancer

known as Glioblastoma Multiforme,

or GBM for short.

She was six years old.

What was your daughter's name, Howard?

Okay.

Fine. Don't answer.

I'm not gonna torture you.

Thank you.

- Was it the holidays?

- Mmm?

Why you decided to come in tonight.

We get a lot of first-timers

during the holidays.

- No, that's not it.

- Then why tonight?

Uh, I guess...

I'm, uh...

I'm trying to fix my mind.

You lost a child, Howard.

It'll never be fixed.

I hope you come back.

Hey.

Signed contracts

and confidentiality agreements.

- Oh, great. Thank you.

- So, did he say something?

Who, Howard?

- No. Unfortunately, he didn't.

- Oh, he believed it, I'm telling you.

- Oh, that's good.

- Maybe you should send me in again.

Not Raffi. Raffi's too impetuous.

And Amy, she's just so emotional.

After me, what is there?

Well, he did write three letters.

But Death is so much more vital than Time.

- Right.

- Death gives Time all of its value.

Maybe... Maybe I should

play all the parts.

You know the highest margin demographic

is new parents now?

Target actually invented an algorithm

to predict when their female customers

were gonna get pregnant.

You said before that you weren't okay.

Are you sick?

I'm sick.

You could say, uh, I'm very sick.

You're dying?

Everyone's dying.

Yeah, but you're doing it now.

Simon. Simon.

Come on, tell me. Tell me.

What is it? What's wrong?

What's wrong?

What's wrong is that

I came out of remission

two weeks before my son was born.

What's wrong

is that I'm running a marathon every day

pretending to be healthy.

That's what's wrong.

Have you told anyone?

You haven't?

No, just some pushy actress

that I don't really know.

What is it?

It's multiple myeloma.

I fought it when I was 16,

and then again when I was 25.

It just never went away.

Instead it regrouped and got stronger.

So, the war's over?

Yeah, war's over.

Are your affairs in order?

My affairs are not in order.

That's why I hired you.

It's bad enough that

I'm leaving my family.

I'm not gonna leave them penniless.

He believed me.

Howard.

He believed me.

HOWARD:
Hey. Excuse me.

No, don't touch that.

I don't understand dominoes.

There's no board to play them on,

or basket to throw them into.

Right. Um...

I think you might be in the wrong place.

No, I'm in the right place, Howard.

Mmm. Yeah.

"Time, they say you heal all wounds,

"but they don't talk about how you destroy

all that's good in the world.

"How you turn beauty into ash."

Now that's some bullshit, Howard.

If Love is creation

and Death is destruction,

I'm just a terrain in between.

You don't understand Time.

No one understands Time.

I mean, Einstein came close

when he said I was an illusion.

CLAIRE:
Howard? Hey. Uh...

Listen, I'm sure it's a "no"

but Oneida Apparel asked that

you be in the media buy meeting.

I'm sorry to just barge in.

Ask her.

Go ahead. Ask her if she can see me.

I'm not gonna be in the meeting.

Mmm-hmm.

Well, they insisted I ask.

I mean, they're probably

gonna fire us, so...

Okay.

- Awesome.

- Yes.

Okay.

See you later.

RAFFI:
You can have this back, Howard.

Why did you write me anyway?

You wrote me because you need me.

No. Um...

I don't need anything from you, okay?

You all like to b*tch and complain.

"There isn't enough time."

"Life is short."

"Oh, here, the gray hairs are coming in."

You know, a day is long as hell.

I'm abundant. I'm a gift.

Even while you're

standing here talking sh*t,

I'm gifting you, and you're wasting it.

On what?

I mean, what is this? Huh?

Hey, hey!

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