Collateral Beauty Page #7

I committed everything to you

and you betrayed me!

I saw you every day in her eyes,

and I heard you in her voice

when she laughed.

And I felt you inside of me...

Howard?

...when she called me "Daddy."

Howard?

You broke my heart.

Howard, I need you to answer me.

Who are you shouting at here?

HOWARD:
I've heard all of your platitudes.

I got them, I know.

Um, it's not "who."

And, "This is all

a part of a masterplan."

CHAIRMAN:
I'm sorry, what?

I got it.

CHAIRMAN:
Howard, did you say something?

I'm not talking to people.

CHAIRMAN:
Well, that's obvious.

Who are you talking to?

(VIDEO CONTINUES)

Howard, who are you talking to?

That's enough. It's enough.

Thank you. (STUTTERS)

You made the point, I think.

Just turn it off.

(INHALES)

You hired people to follow me?

Make video?

No, that wasn't the initial intention.

No, (STUTTERS) we did.

Yeah, we did.

(INHALES DEEPLY)

We did a lot more than that, Howard.

Howard, I'm so sorry.

(SOBBING) We felt like...

We didn't know what else to do.

- Claire.

- CLAIRE:
No. I can't do this anymore.

I can't do this anymore, Whit.

(SOBBING) Listen, I really...

I didn't even think that

it was gonna work.

- Really, honestly, I...

- Claire. Claire. Claire.

I'm so sorry.

- All right, all right, all right.

- CLAIRE:
Howard...

(SIGHS)

I'm obviously not

in the right state of mind.

Maybe none of us are.

You think I haven't noticed?

I mean, Claire,

you dedicated

your entire life to this agency.

You made us your family

when you could have been

starting your own.

And, uh, you've been

absolutely killing yourself,

covering for me,

and I appreciate that.

(SNIFFLES)

Thank you. (SIGHS)

And, Simon,

you've done your best

to hide it from everyone,

but I know your history.

And I suspect I'm making

an already impossible situation

- even worse for you.

- (SNIFFLES)

I promise you,

as long as I am here,

your family will be cared for.

Thank you.

(SIGHS)

Whit.

Best friend I've ever had.

But I'm disappointed in you, man.

I mean, not for... Not for this.

Not for this.

(SIGHS)

You don't need her permission

to be her father.

Allison's the best thing

you got happening in this world,

and tomorrow's not promised.

Do you hear me?

You guys did the right thing.

I want our agency to survive.

Something should.

All right, um...

I'll sign the papers now.

- (SIGHS HEAVILY)

- Your approval of the sale.

Uh, the other one?

The one you called me

six times to have me sign.

Um, I assume you have it here with you.

I am sorry, Howard.

(SIGHING)

(SNIFFLES)

(SNIFFLES)

(EXHALES SLOWLY)

This is the right thing.

I'm telling you, this is the right thing.

(SNIFFLES) Excuse me.

What was that second piece of paper?

Howard put some of his ownership

into a trust in his daughter's name.

It's just a legal certificate

saying she's no longer with us.

(CLICKS TONGUE) I think I need a drink.

(SNIFFLES)

(SIMON COUGHING)

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

(COUGHING)

(FLUSHES)

(GRUNTS)

Are you okay?

"They say that the time in Heaven

"is compared to the blink of an eye

"for us on this Earth.

"Sometimes I think of Adam running

"through a beautiful field

of wild flowers.

(CLOSES LAPTOP)

"He's so happy,

completely caught up in what he's doing.

"But then he looks back

"like he used to do

when he ran ahead of me

"in airports or malls or wherever.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

"And he smiles."

Jesus.

"Because the blink of his eye

was the rest of my life

"and I'm right there behind him."

(SNIFFLES)

Anyway, it's a first draft. (CHUCKLES)

(BREATHING SHAKILY)

It's beautiful.

Really beautiful.

Does anybody else wanna say anything?

Okay, I guess that's all for tonight.

Thank you.

- (SIRENS WAILING)

- (HORNS HONKING)

(HORN HONKING)

Sorry, sorry.

Yo!

I can't believe you made me

come into this neighborhood

carrying $20,000 in cash.

What are you gonna do with it?

You should put it aside for acting school.

You were really good.

Mmm. I'm gonna use it

to buy designer drugs.

Or that, too.

Yeah.

(CHUCKLES LIGHTLY)

Hey, you gonna make a good mom one day.

Yeah?

Yeah, well,

that's pretty much not in the cards.

I decided against the science

and it seems time

finally caught up with me.

There was this dust dealer up on

187th who gave me Brave New World.

That book turned hours into seconds.

He was my father.

And there was this homeless woman

who lived under

the University Heights bridge.

Her name was Flora.

She was batshit crazy,

but she told me the greatest stories.

She was my mother.

See, Claire,

your children don't have to come from you.

They go through you.

So, I wouldn't consider

the battle with time over just yet.

I thought time wasn't linear.

I thought it was an illusion.

(SIGHS) Maybe

that was just bullshit, Claire.

Maybe that was just acting. (CHUCKLES)

- WHIT:
Hey, Allison.

- Come on, let's go.

Oh. Come on. Allison!

I'll meet you guys there.

I don't wanna talk to you. You know that.

Leave me alone.

No. I won't leave you alone.

- No?

- No.

I know you're angry at me,

and that's okay.

I can take it.

But we gotta talk about it

because that's what you do in a family.

So I'm gonna come here every day

and embarrass you in front of your friends

until you talk to me.

So you're gonna stalk me?

Well... Yes, basically.

Well, what if I get a restraining order?

Well, I don't think you're

gonna be able to do that.

Well, I'll get Mom to pay for it.

Well, for your information, they're free.

Well, then I'll get you to pay for it.

I really love you.

Mom says you butcher that word.

Not when I say it to you.

Look...

I can't fly you to Maine for lunch

or get you picked up in a Tesla

and take you to your internship

with Anna Wintour

or whatever the hell

they do in this neighborhood.

(INHALES SHARPLY)

But I think that you and me

can sit on a park bench

and tell jokes

and have a pretty good time.

(SIGHS) I can't believe

you're gonna stalk me.

But, um...

Just so you know, tomorrow's a half-day.

Well, I'll be here then.

Hey.

Here you are.

I've been waiting a long time

for my moment for validation,

and this was it.

An audience of one,

in secret, with no applause.

(CHUCKLES)

(COUGHS)

I told my wife.

Oh, how did it go?

She knew.

She's getting ready for it.

You know, when I was younger,

I used to think,

you really wanna live to be 100 years old?

You know, like a shriveled up raisin.

And the answer to that now

is yes.

Because my son would be 70,

his son would be 40,

and his son would be 10.

And I would be the man, you know.

Pops.

(SIGHS) Could get used to that, you know.

See you around, Pops.

I wish I could be here to see the play.

Oh, no, no.

The play is dead after all this.

But you never know,

nothing's ever really dead

if you look at it right.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

Hey.

Hey.

Uh, it's Christmas Eve.

Mmm-hmm.

And you're alone.

By choice.

Can I ruin that?

You've been crying.

I was watching a video

I took of my daughter.

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