If There Be Thorns Page #2

and I do have a lot of money,

like you noticed,

but money has never bought me happines,

and what I really want is grandchildren

to spoil with gifts.

Gifts? Like what kind of gifts?

Even a pet snake?

Eww. But yes, darling, even a pet snake.

Bart. Come on.

It's late.

Jory.

Yeah?

Do you ever wonder about your dad?

Your real dad?

Sometimes.

But, honestly, I feel like

Chris is my real dad.

Julian is just, uh...

my biological father.

What brought this up?

I don't know.

Just...

I don't know.

Just...

wondering...

about...

my biological dad.

You don't remember him at all?

I was too young.

You weren't even born when he died.

All I really remember is Chris.

Why do you think we've never really met

anybody in our family?

None of mom or dad's family?

You know why. Okay?

Mom's mom is locked up in the loony bin,

and her dad's dead.

And dad's mom and dad are dead, too,

so there's really nobody to meet.

There aren't any cousins of uncles?

Not everybody's family's that close.

Okay?

Anyway.. I'm gonna go meet Melodie.

Oh, Bart!

I'm so happy you came to visit me again.

You know, without that thing on,

Your face doesn't look that bad

for being 80 or whatever

Wow! I'm not that long in the tooth,

but thank you, I'm flattered.

You planted all of these?

John Amos did, but I instructed.

Have you thought about that job?

Yeah, I want to do it.

I wanna save up some money

to get a bow and arrow.

My dad won't get me one.

Well, if they're not gonna spoil you,

then I will.

Will you hand me that tray?

Whoa!

I see you've found your new little pet.

He's mine?

You got him for me?

What do I do with him?

I can't take him home.

Mom and dad will get really mad.

They need to loosen up.

You can keep him here.

Why would you get a present like this?

You just met me.

Well, what if I told you I'm not

a total stranger?

What do you mean?

What if I told you that we're related?

That our lineage is inextricably connected,

like the rose to the thorn?

You have your--

your great-grandfather's ears and nose.

What does that mean?

I'm your grandmother, Bart.

Your mom takes after me, doesn't she?

So you got out of the mental institution?

I was never in a mental institution.

It was a outpatient clinic.

You make it sound like I'm crazy.

So why did you move next to us

and not tell mom?

There were hard feelings.

Family is complicated.

Very complicated.

But nevertheless,

family must always stick together.

That's why I was dedicated

to finding you,

and I'm determined to make things right.

You mustn't tell Cathy or Chris about me.

I'll tell them myself when the time is right.

My dad's come up with a "No Secrets" policy

in our family.

He did?

Oh, that's very ironic.

There's nothing wrong with a secret

If it's a little one,

and it's for the best.

You're old enough to understand

complicated things like this.

We need that big, beautiful foxworth brain of yours

to make things right.

Lad? Come here.

Let me tell you something.

I've known your grandmother a long time.

She's a persistent woman.

She's come here to get her family back,

and to make things right.

I have no doubt that she'll succeed.

In the meantime... I have something for you.

Now.. please stay here for a minute.

I'm goint to give you a lesson

in the family history.

Your great-grandfather, Malcolm Foxworth,

was a smart man.

He was a tycoon.

He built an empire.

And he was once one of the most powerful men

in America.

And you know what?

I see the same qualities he had in you.

The same energy,

Tenacity,

Smarts.

You're just like him.

Your great-grandfather's journal.

One of the only things left of him.

Malcolm spoke the truth.

Maybe you can learn a thing or two,

and avoid the moral pitfalls

that have trapped so many others.

What does that mean?

It means you can choose a moral life,

a righteous life,

a great life...

or you can choose to shy away

from the light of god.

You cannot tell your parents about this.

You can't even tell Jory.

"July 12, 1943.

"Life is a solitary existence,

"but out of that solitude,

"with a little ingenuity,

"and with the strenght of God,

"I can bring about triumph."

"Why?

"Because I do not let

weakness and sin distract me from greatness.

"And sin

originated from one creature."

"Nothing else has the power to drive a man

to do what is against his better judgement

that lust for women.

A woman can make a man abandon his friends,

abandon his morals,

abandon his dreams.

Women will make a man soft."

"It is up to a man to resist this seduction,

this temptation, this sin,

or it will destroy him.

And in time,

we shall pay for each of our transgressions."

"And our children will pay for them, too.

We will pay for these sins with our blood..."

"...and our pain."

It was a fairly simple procedure,

so I let him sew her up after I was done,

and he stitched his sleeve to her arm.

He didn't!

Is it the same guy

who threw up on the operating table?

-Yes.

-Jory!

Honey?

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

I got it, Emma.

Who would be calling at this hour?

Probably telemarketers.

Hello.

Hello.

Hi, Marisha.

She never gets the time difference right,

Does she?

Jory, your grandmother would like

to talk to you.

Yeah.

Oh, honey, don't tell your grandmother

about the ballet recital.

-Okay.

-Okay?

Hi, grandma.

Yeah, I'm trying to.

Of course.

Chris, I know she's eccentric,

but why do you hate her so much?

You don't like her any more than I do.

What I think isn't important.

She's his grandmother.

He's allowed to talk to her.

Why can't I talk to my grandmother?

Your grandmother?

Your mom.

The one in the mental institution?

Well, Bart, that's, um...

That's very complicated.

I haven't spoken to her in years.

Not since before Chris and I met.

Honey, are you okay?

You look a little peaked.

Yeah.

Are you sure?

Yes, grandma.

Yes, of course, I'll tell her.

Okay, well, um, try and finish your dinner.

Can I be excused?

Sure.

I'm sure I'll hear soon.

Yeah. Of course.

I'm gonna go check on him.

I don't need you to check on me!

What is it, boy?

Come on.

Cathy?

Cathy?

Cathy?

What are you doing here?

Nothing. I'm just cleaning up.

How long have you been at this?

A few days.

This looks a lot like the attic at foxworth...

Chris, how can you even say that?

I'm not planning on locking anyone up in here.

I am not mother.

I'm not suggesting you're mother,

but what are you doing here?

I don't know.

I don't know, I just want to keep our family safe,

and if we adopt Cindy--

if we adopt Cindy, it's not gonna help

keep the family safe.

Chris, we have to adopt her.

She's just a little girl. She has no one.

She's just like we were-- completely alone.

Okay.

Okay.

I hear you.

We'll adopt Cindy, but...

all of this...

it's just in case.

In case anyone finds out about us.

I couldn't stand the thought of anyone

taking our children away.

Come on.

We are thousands of miles away

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