Life After Beth

1

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Can I help you find something, sir?

Um...

Yeah, do you have any black napkins?

I've been looking all over.

Black napkins. I don't think so.

If you don't like White,

this is a beige one.

They have to be black.

That's more of a Halloween item.

You might want to try a party store.

Hi.

Um...

You guys ran out last night so...

Oh, that was so thoughtful of you.

Thank you. Thank you. Come on in.

- Maury, how are you holding up?

- Hi. Uh...

- You know.

- Yeah.

Noah, come on in. Come on in.

WOMAN:
I just don't know what I would do.

I keep thinking about her sweet little face

in Mommy and Me.

Just the most perfect little girl.

- Beth... Just so dear.

- WOMAN:
No, of course not.

- MAN:
Is that turkey?

- It's turkey pastrami.

- Pastrami turkey?

- Yeah.

The pink one is turkey pastrami.

WOMAN:
Just the most

lovely baby of them all.

What a dear child.

It's hard to understand.

Zach, I'm so sorry.

Um...

Thank you, Mr. Levin.

She was a special girl.

JUDY:
Kyle, we're back.

- I'm gonna take a nap.

- NOAH:
Okay.

Hey. you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

How did it go?

What kind of a question is that?

Zachy.

I mean, is that really the problem?

Is it the garden or is it you guys?

(TALKING INDISTINCTLY)

NOAH:
Well, it's not just beaches there.

They have...

- it's islands. Two islands?

- There's mostly... Well, the Turks.

- And then, there's the Caicos.

- The Caicos.

We don't have to go to both.

We can just go to Turks.

You know what?

We don't have to decide tonight,

- but you'll think about it.

- JUDY:
You'll think about it.

NOAH:
We know it's been a tough time.

But Turks and Caicos?

KYLE:
I talked to Sam Hirsch today,

and he said, "The reason I've been..."

(CAR LOCK BEEPS)

PEARLINE:
I'm getting out of here.

MAURY:
Pearline, where are you going?

- Geenie gave you the day off.

- Don't go in there, Zachery.

Pearline!

- I'm never coming back.

- Can we please talk?

PEARLINE:
I've had enough, you see.

- Enough. No more...

- If this is a bad time, then I think...

Zach, can you believe this?

You want to come inside?

Yikes!

I just don't understand, you know.

- We gave her the day off.

- MAURY:
Right?

Now, of all times.

- It's just not like her.

- She's lost her mind clearly.

- GEENIE:
She can't leave us, not now.

- (STUTTERS)

She needs a break. I don't know.

Um, what are you doing here?

I'm just organizing Beth's stuff, you know.

- Her stuffed animals and...

- ZACH:
Oh, wow.

GEENIE:
Pictures.

I really didn't take enough pictures.

So foolish.

Eating Jell-O.

Oh, we used to eat Jell-O all the time

when Beth was little.

We ate a lot of Jell-O.

Yeah, we did.

I can't even focus anymore.

I'm a mess, Mr. Slocum.

You can call me Maury.

Okay.

(CHUCKLES)

Maury-

I think I have something

that might help us both.

Geenie's been keeping really busy

with all this cleaning.

(SIGHS) It's therapeutic, I guess.

And you still have your band, right?

Oh, we broke up. I mean, I left them.

Ah.

You know, I'll never play music again.

(SIGHS)

(INHALES)

(STAMMERING) Oh, I'm okay.

Come on.

- Well, I don't...

- Take it.

You're calling me Maury.

(CHUCKLES)

- Can I tell you something, Maury?

- Sure.

Beth and I were having troubles

before she...

I know.

She told me.

- Really?

- Look, the last time I spoke to her,

I was telling her

she had to go to the dentist,

and she told I was being annoying.

That's the last thing she said to me.

"Dad, you're being annoying."

Now, I could choose to remember that

for the rest of my life

as being emblematic

of my connection with my daughter.

Yeah, but then it's all arbitrary then,

you know.

Because, like, we only remember

the moments that we want to and...

You can't let that last moment

define the entire relationship.

- It'll drive you crazy.

- I know. I know.

But there's just, like, so many things

that I wish I had told her

that I just, like, never even...

I never said to her.

Me, too.

(INHALES)

I love you, Zach.

I love you, too.

Oh.

Bye.

Aspen with the Goldfarbs.

Can I have that?

Sure.

- It's summer though.

- Oh, I don't care.

- (CHUCKLES)

- it's hers.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

JUDY:
Zach?

NOAH:
Jesus Christ, Judy.

JUDY:
Where were you?

NOAH:
Stop yelling.

I was playing chess at the Slocums'.

JUDY:
It's 3:00 in the morning!

I know.

JUDY:
What?

Okay!

JUDY:
Zach, are you coming to bed?

- Yes!

- NOAH:
Just go to sleep.

(DOORBELL RINGS)

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

ZACH:
Hey, Maury and Mrs. Slocum,

or Geenie.

Guess I can call you Geenie.

Stopped by today with Jell-O,

and I just, uh...

I don't know. You can call me back, like,

whenever you can, okay?

Um, bye, love you.

(PHONE BEEPS)

NOAH:
Let me tell you something.

I tried a provolone cheese today

from Canada. So tart.

You're not eating tonight, Zach?

- I'm not hungry.

- Pfft.

NOAH:
You should eat something.

Come on, son, eat.

Did anyone leave a message for me today?

The Slocums?

Nope. Not today.

I think they're avoiding me.

You're, uh, spending a lot of time

with Maury Slocum, huh?

JUDY:
Well, are they all right?

I don't know.

We never even finished the chess game.

The one till 3:
00 in the morning,

you didn't finish?

- Now I'm worried.

- NOAH:
You know what?

- I hope they're all right.

- KYLE:
What did you do to them?

JUDY:
You played till 3:00,

and you still didn't finish?

- It was a really good game.

- What did you do with them?

Nothing, Kyle.

I'm so sure of that. Yeah.

Why are you wearing a scarf? It's summer.

It's Beth's.

(STAMMERING) Where you going?

- You haven't eaten anything.

- ZACH:
I'm tired.

Well, I think we should see a neurologist.

You're acting very strange.

- No, I'm not acting strange.

- Definitely acting strange.

- Acting suspicious.

- I'm tired.

- So, where... You're going to sleep now?

- Yes.

(SCOFFS)

- You'll never guess who called today.

- (DOOR CLOSES)

Sharon Wexler.

- (SCREAMS) Jesus, Kyle!

- KYLE:
What the f*** are you doing?

- Are you f***ing your scarf?

- No.

Yeah, you are. You're f***ing your scarf.

It's my dead girlfriend's scarf, okay?

She's dead.

- Do you know what that's like? I was just...

- (DOOR CLOSES)

(SIGHS)

(TV PLAYING INDISTINCTLY)

(DOORBELL RINGS)

(TV TURNS OFF)

(DOORBELL RINGING)

(DOOR CREAKS)

(INAUDIBLE)

Beth?

- Beth! Beth!

- (DOG BARKING)

Maury-

Maury, go to the door. Beth!

Geenie!

Beth!

Beth, it's me. It's Zach. It's me.

- Geenie! Maury, Maury!

- (CAR PULLING OVER)

Come on, you guys.

Open the door. I know she's in there.

What do you think you're doing?

Kyle. Kyle, I just saw... (PANTING)

I saw Beth. Beth is inside.

You're f***ing crazy.

And now you're harassing

the residents of Briar Grove.

- What? No, I'm not. Come on. Give a break.

- No, you give me a break.

- You step away from that door.

- What? No.

Step... Zach...

- I'll f***ing mace you.

- Okay.

- I don't want to do it, but I'll mace you.

- Okay.

All right, stand right there.

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