Doing Time on Maple Drive Page #6

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- I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to Matt!

Is that what happened?

What the hell

is the matter with you?

Look, man. Say something, okay?

You're scaring me a little.

Matt, what is this?

I didn't have a car accident, Andy.

I drove my car off the road on purpose.

What? Why would you

do something like that?

Allison decided she's

not gonna marry me.

Oh, man.

Oh, man,

I'm sorry.

- Yeah.

- Really.

But why, man?

I mean, what happened?

She seemed like

she was really...

We're friends

no matter what. Right?

I can't even believe you would ask me this.

Of course we're friends.

What the hell is goin' on?

Allison doesn't

wanna marry me...

because I'm gay.

Really?

Yeah. Really.

I mean, hey, you can't really blame her

for not wanting to marry you.

I mean, there's a lot of things

you can overlook in a relationship...

but... I don't think

this is one of'em.

How are you gonna

explain this to your parents?

I don't know.

- Don't hug me.

- Geez, it doesn't mean I wanna marry you.

No, it's the ribs.

I'm sorry.

You know something?

You're my best friend.

You're my best friend

in the whole world.

The best friend I ever had.

You know?

Same here.

Hey, this doesn't mean

you're gonna start hummir...

Broadway show tunes on

long car trips, does it?

Shut up.

I was just checkin'.

No, I'm still on hold.

No, I'm waiting

for Dr. Bridges.

All right. Thank you.

Hello. Hi. Hi, um...

This is Tom Gregg. I...

My wife, Karen, has an appointment

with you next week. Um...

And, well, I know it

sounds kind of crazy, but...

Should I be worried about anything?

I mean, she says it's not...

Yeah, I'm still here. Um...

I don't know. I mean,

is she... I can't...

Can you tell me...

Something about

the first trimester?

Pressure on.

- How ya doin'? Okay?

- Yeah.

Lisa?

- What is it, honey?

- Mom?

How dare you.

What?

How dare you embarrass

your father and me like this.

How dare you lie to me.

- What?

- Lisa!

You told me Allison was

going home to see her parents.

I have a note.

I have a note here

from Allison saying thank you...

and how sorry she is.

What's going on, son?

What have you done?

Well, Allison and I...

We decided we're not gonna get married, Dad.

B- But I was gonna tell you, but...

"But?"

"But"? But what?

But what? You were going

to tell me, but you didn't?

Look, Mom, we're not

getting married. That's all.

I think it's better

we leave it at that.

No, I don't think so.

The invitations have already gone out.

People know!

- I think... I want an explanation.

- Mom...

You better start explaining yourself,

young man. You owe me an explanation!

You already know. You know exactly why.

You want me to say it?

- Don't talk to me that way.

- Lower your voice.

No! You want me to say it?

I didn't swerve to avoid a dog.

I swerved to avoid living this life!

- I thought it would be better

to be dead than tell you... - I've heard enough...

No, you haven't!

I tried to kill myself.

- No, you didn't. You had... You had an accident.

- No!

No! No! I thought it would

be better to be dead...

- No! No, you had...

- Mom!

- I thought it'd be better to be dead than...

- No...

Yes! Than to tell you

I was gay!

I drove the car

off the road on purpose.

I did it on purpose, Mom.

On purpose. Yes! On purpose.

- No, you didn't.

- I did it on purpose.

- No!

- She knows.

Mom, you know. You walked in

on me and Kyle two years ago.

I won't listen to this.

I will not have these things

said in my house.

Now, you call Allison

and you tell her that you're wrong...

that you made a mistake.

You go to hell.

- Matt!

- Go to hell!

- Matt!

- Go to hell!

Leave him alone.

- What?

- I said just leave him alone.

How does it feel, Captain?

What?

How does it feel to almost lose your child?

How bad does it feel?

- Tom.

- I don't know what's come over you, Tom...

but I don't think this is

any of your concern.

I'm sorry, Phil. I'm 32 years old.

You don't get to decide what concerns me.

Your standard of conduct might be

sufficient reason for you to lose your child...

but I have to draw the line

when it comes to losing mine.

What children?

You don't have any children.

No, I don't. I don't have

any children. I don't.

Because my wife would rather have

an abortion without telling me...

without even telling me

she's pregnant...

rather than risk upsetting you

by having a baby at the wrong time.

You have a son

who drinks himself...

- Into a stupor every night.

- Oh, God, Tom.

You've got a daughter

who's ashamed of her husband.

- I am not ashamed.

- Who's ashamed of her husband...

you're ashamed of me, Karen...

and you've got another son...

who almost killed himself rather than

tell you he's not what you think he is.

And I'm not prepared

to be a parent?

Because I can't afford it?

Really?

- It's about money?

- Tom, we're not gonna talk about this now.

No? When are we gonna talk about it?

When someone actually dies?

Would that be better? What's the military

term for it? "Acceptable losses", isn't it?

Well, these are not

acceptable losses.

I can't accept them.

I can't.

Is what you said true?

Yeah. Yeah, Dad, I'm gay.

No, I'm not talkin' about that.

I can't deal with that right now.

I mean about driving

the car off the road.

About trying to kill yourself.

Is that the truth?

Yeah, it is, Dad.

W...

Was it because...

Did you really think

we'd rather have you dead?

I don't know.

Dad, it's hard to know.

Well, I wouldn't.

I wouldn't rather have you dead. No matter

what you did. No matter what you are.

Listen, um...

Can you...

Can you promise

your father...

that you won't

do that again?

Now, I know...

I know things are gonna be

a little tough around here, but...

I wouldn't survive it, Matt.

It would kill me.

Promise me.

Okay. I promise.

Okay.

Did you talk to Matt?

Yeah.

Well, is he

gonna call her?

Lisa, I don't think that's

a very good idea right now.

What do you mean?

You're just...

You're just gonna

let him get away with it?

Get away with what?

What am I letting him

get away with?

With embarrassing us.

With humiliating us.

Maybe it's not about us.

Maybe it's about him.

What are you t...

Of course it's about us.

All of it.

I... I've spent

my entire life sacrificing...

so m-my children

can have a future.

So they can be something.

Don't... Don't tell me

it's not about us.

It is us. This is us.

What do you

want from him, Lisa?

Would you rather have his brains

smashed around the street?

Or see him hanging in the garage?

What is it you want?

Do you love

your children, Lisa?

Whatever they are,

they're our children.

It's a lie.

It's all a lie.

No, it's not a lie.

This is a lie!

- And that's a lie.

- Lisa! Lisa.

- What are you doing?

- And this is a lie...

- No. No, it's not a lie.

- This is...

Lisa.

Tom, please.

Please what?

It seemed like...

What choice do I have?

Tom, it's my body.

Fine. This is my body,

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