Interiors Page #4

I see Mother too. I phone her.

Yeah, but you're in Connecticut

and I end up with all the dirty work.

Look, I can't help it if you feel guilty

about your feelings toward Mother.

You can't seem to do enough

to make up for it.

What's that supposed to mean?

You know what it means.

You could never stand her.

I don't believe this. My whole

life I've only wanted to be her.

Yeah? Well, for a while there

you were her, weren't you?

I don't know what you're talking about.

You know what I'm talking about.

All those headaches when she'd

come home from the hospital?

You never wanted her to come home.

Incredible. You twist everything I say.

I give up.

You okay?

I just experienced the strangest sensation.

Well, you look kind of pale.

It was as if I'd had a sudden

clear vision where everything seems

sort of awful and predatory.

It was like...

It was like I was here,

and the world was out there,

and I couldn't bring us together.

Could you maybe have dozed off and

had one of those dreams again?

No.

No, because the same thing happened

last week when I was reading upstairs.

I suddenly became hyperaware of my body.

I could feel my heart beating,

and I began to imagine that.

I could feel the blood

coursing through my veins

and my hands and in the back of my neck.

I felt precarious.

It was like I was a machine

that was functioning,

but I could just conk out at any second.

You're not gonna conk out.

You gotta put those kind of

thoughts out of your head.

It frightens me too, you know, because

I'm not that far from the age when.

Mother began showing signs of strain.

You're not your mother. You're not.

You've been under stress,

you haven't been sleeping

well, things like that.

That's all.

What, are these...

Are these Joey's photographs?

Yeah.

Let me see.

They're not very good, I'm afraid.

No, she doesn't really have an eye.

She's gonna want to know what you

think, so you'd better get ready.

Poor Joey.

She has all the anguish and anxiety

of the artistic personality

without any of the talent,

and naturally, I'm put in the

position of having to encourage her.

No, tell her the truth. Get it over with.

Don't lead her on.

I don't lead her on.

But I can't break her heart.

You know how competitive she is with me.

I always think it's better

to level with a person.

I wish you'd done that with me.

I did.

No, you flattered me, and I liked it.

Frederick, you're good, and

I've never hesitated to say it.

There was something missing from my work.

I don't know.

I don't know if I've lost it,

or never had it, or what.

You're capable of being extraordinary,

and you stopped for spite.

No, not for spite.

I'll get back to it someday.

You throw everything away to spite me.

Let's not talk about it. Okay?

Fine.

What are you gonna say to Joey?

She should marry Michael and stop her

obsessive worrying about being creative.

Sometimes she just annoys me.

Praise the Lord.

Jimmy's getting excited there, isn't he?

It's exciting to be a Christian.

I have a gentleman who's a friend of mine.

A fairly new friend, but our friendship

goes way back to the cross of Calvary.

Roy Schwartz, it's a delight

to have you here today.

Now, Roy, you are, by birth,

what nationality?

Hebrew.

A Hebrew.

I was talking about God's chosen people.

You're probably very aware.

You've studied your history.

You're involved in this.

What part do the Jewish people

and the nation of Israel have

in God's timepiece today?

- You're late.

- I'm sorry.

It's 45 minutes.

Traffic was unbearable. I'm sorry.

You should take that into account...

Could we drop this, please?

My head is splitting.

What's the matter?

What do you think? I'm pregnant.

I thought you might be.

I'm so goddamned annoyed.

All right, we'll take care of it.

Naturally. I'm not having a kid.

We'll take care of it. It's nothing.

It's so stupid. How can I be so careless?

It happens.

Having a kid wouldn't be

the end of the world.

- For you, maybe. For me, it would be.

- I'm sorry you feel that way.

Michael. I've thought about it. It's absurd.

How could we have a kid?

I don't even know where my life is going.

Maybe it's not such a great idea.

You don't think so either?

I guess not.

What happened to you?

Nothing. I'm sorry.

We found something wonderful

for the bedroom.

This won't be too expensive, I hope.

A little more than we planned, but...

We had this discussion already...

Can we not have a financial dispute?

It's right over here.

I think you'll like it.

Your father's back from Greece.

- Is he?

- You know he's back.

You're having dinner with him

tomorrow at Renata's. Renata told me.

Were you not going to tell me?

Yes. I just know how you'd react.

Talk to him, Joey. He listens to you.

He's a grown man.

He makes his own decisions.

Yes, but he puts great store

by what you have to say.

If he wants to move back in, he will.

If he doesn't, he won't.

Why are you so reluctant to help me?

Reluctant? I do nothing but cater to you.

It's as though you don't care whether

we get back together or not.

Why wouldn't I want you to be happy?

You just shouldn't delude yourself.

Will you tell him how well I'm doing,

that my work is flourishing again,

and that my mood swings are less erratic?

He doesn't care.

He wants to know I'm on an even keel.

I have an inner tranquility now and...

Leave me alone.

Just leave me out of it!

Joey, where are you going?

Maybe it wouldn't be such a

bad idea to have a child.

- Please.

- Sometimes just taking an action...

I can't. Okay?

You mean you won't.

I don't understand why you stay with me.

I give you nothing but grief.

You should take the job

at the advertising agency

and we should think about getting settled.

Right. That's all I need. Start

writing copy and having kids.

I'd never get out of it. I'd be

swallowed up in an anonymous lifestyle.

I want to do something with my life.

God, now I'm guilty because I

left my mother standing there.

- She'll be fine.

- A lot you care.

It's your mother that can't stand me.

I hope the cat isn't in the kitchen.

Cory's gonna go upstairs and play.

I'll see you later. All right, good-bye.

I could get them all

out in a month and a half.

And then you wouldn't have anything

left to say, right? -

Dad.

He was so excited when I spoke to him.

He saw that terrible movie

Flyn was in on the plane.

Nice to see you.

The traffic in this town

is getting impossible.

Hi.

Mike.

- Hi, Joey.

- Hi, Daddy.

Renata. Hi. Hello, Daddy.

This is Pearl.

- Hello.

- Hi.

I'm Mike. This is Joey, Renata.

- Glad to meet you. Hi.

- Hello.

- Frederick here.

- Hi.

Would you like anything to drink?

Whatever Arthur's having's fine.

Sit down there. It's probably the

only comfortable place in the house.

It's good to be back.

Well, you must have enjoyed Athens.

You can't beat the Greek Islands

for sand and blue water.

And the food. I could eat

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