Love the Coopers Page #9

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NARRATOR:

Despite his broken heart,

Sam asked Madison for a dance,

determined to erase the image

of the 2nd floor men's room of

the First Butler Hospital

from the memory of her

5th Christmas eve.

Miss Newport,

I have some news.

So, your father had

a small stroke.

He's stabilized now

and he's gonna be fine.

You can see him later,

but right now we'd like him to rest.

DOCTOR:
You can see him

when he wakes up.

HANK:
But he's okay?

His vitals are fine,

he's just resting.

I'll check back in

with you later.

SAM:
Good, great.

CHARLOTTE:
Thank you.

DOCTOR:
He's sleeping right now.

Get outta town.

Your doctor is "married guy"?

No.

Yeah, I met him

a couple of years ago

when I brought my grandpa

in for a check up.

A little agey, isn't he?

Well, let him down easy.

I mean,

even a married guy doesn't

deserve to get dumped on Christmas, right?

Seriously?

You are not this person.

Kinda look like her, though,

don't I?

No.

You don't even know me.

What?

After today?

Wow.

Lying really does

come easy to you.

Okay, how about this

for the truth?

I've known you

for eight hours,

and you are leaving in five.

I'm sorry about your Grandpa, hon,

but he's gonna be okay. I promise.

Be careful over there, okay?

Yeah, you too.

Lucky me.

I get to see you at Christmas.

Wanna see what I got you?

Yeah.

[CLEARS THROAT]

The first Noel

the angels did say

Was to certain

poor shepherds...

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

Sorry, sorry.

Sorry, no.

[CRASH]

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry!

Excuse me.

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

Wait. No. Hold the elevator!

[CLEARS THROAT]

[GASPS]

That was a good one.

You would've loved

to have seen you.

You didn't leave.

I couldn't.

We're too good a story.

You picked me up in a bar.

You came on to me.

You stalked me

in an airport.

You begged me

to go home with you.

I couldn't get rid of you.

Yeah, we finally agree

on something.

We're together just to say

goodbye, you know.

I know.

You're like Clarence,

sent down to save

my wonderful life.

Merry Christmas.

Merry...

...Christmas.

LAUREN:
Hey, Charlie.

Lauren?

I got your text.

My...

Oh, yeah, no, of course.

Right, my text.

I text girls all the time.

That's what I do, you know.

I didn't think

you were gonna come.

It's Christmas Eve.

Oh, no. It's no big deal.

We're Jewish, so, we were

just getting Chinese food, so...

Take your coat off and everything,

these are my parents right there.

Well...

Maybe we should...

give them a little privacy.

Yes, that's probably

a good idea.

HANK [WHISPERING]:

Bo, Bo, come here.

Why don't we go over

here for little bit?

ANGIE:
Come over here, honey.

Stop staring.

I can't stop.

Last year, the 3rd grade class

picture came out all squinty.

They're interviewing

Bud Bartlett, but

he doesn't care about

getting a good shot.

I could talk

to the principal and...

Bo told me tonight.

I actually have to go,

I'm sorry.

I promised my boyfriend

that I'd meet his family.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, you should get going.

And, Angie, I...

I want you to be happy.

Oh, God, what is that?

I, ugh...

HANK:
There goes the tree.

HANK:
Should we intervene?

They need a referee?

ANGIE:
It's disturbing.

HANK:
It's not safe.

[MAKING KISSING NOISES]

Can I tell you something,

without knowing anything about you?

I think you need Jello.

You have his smile.

I got lucky.

You know, I think that

your hands were the first thing

I loved about you.

I'm gonna miss them.

I think, at first, I held on

so tight to the kids because

of all that we went through

and how much I loved them.

But now...

I think I'm holding on

because...

I don't know who I am

if I don't.

My love for them...

it's so huge.

I kinda got lost in it, you know?

And a part of me,

like you said...

A part of me got small.

No.

You're not small.

I didn't even agree

with me when I said it.

You're beautiful and ridiculous.

No.

And as passionate

as you always were.

It's about different things now.

Yeah.

We had a great run,

Charlotte.

Nobody can say

we didn't try.

No, we tried.

[SNIFFLING]

Let's go on the trip.

You don't have to.

No, look at me, honey,

I want to go with you.

Really?

That's incredible.

Oh, Charlotte...

I don't really know

if we should go to Africa.

What?

Bo said Hank got laid off.

Oh, my God, I knew it.

The tell tale snort.

That snort.

But, I can...

take you out to

a really amazing dinner.

We could go to some

fancy Ethiopian place

with native dress.

You can take me to IHOP,

for all I care.

Yeah, me too.

[LAUGHING]

Oh, my...

Hi, Sam.

Hi.

[CHARLOTTE LAUGHS]

Good for them.

Why waste a moment?

We're here for such a short time.

[LITTLE DRUMMER BOY PLAYING]

I need a last minute gift that

doesn't involve teddy bears,

balloons or pictures

of children with big eyes.

You can never

go wrong with chocolate.

No.

Get me the most expensive thing

that you have.

You shouldn't have done this.

I feel so ridiculous.

Here we go. Oh!

Emma, no!

No, look...

What?

That's the most expensive

thing they had.

[ALL LAUGHING]

I really like it.

'Cause what says Christmas

better than a shower seat?

HANK:
Exactly. Well said.

I could really use

that shower seat.

[ALL LAUGHING]

Merry Christmas.

To you, Mom.

SAM:
To family.

NARRATOR:
Bucky woke up with

an unexpected craving for lime Jello.

As everyone sat

around the table,

the past, present and future

were coming together

for one elusive night.

[ALL CHATTING AND LAUGHING]

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]

Fate was kind, playing

that particular muzak just then.

Um, excuse me, Madison.

Might I steal this man

away from you?

Oh, yeah?

Uh-huh. Can I?

Mom.

NARRATOR:
Sam and Charlotte relished

in the closeness

brought on by the time

well spent on the trip not yet taken.

I still got it.

[IF NOT FOR YOU PLAYING]

[ALL MUTTERING]

I've never seen that.

ELEANOR:

Are they are really doing this?

NARRATOR:
Eleanor let go of her past

enough to be in the present.

Instead of trying to present

the perfect picture,

Hank celebrated this moment

un-photoshopped.

Do you want to dance?

Me?

Hank and Ruby took

their first step on the right foot.

All the more meaningful,

because Bucky had led them to it.

HANK:
Whoo!

[RUBY LAUGHING]

And Charlie would always

remember his first kiss.

His sloppy, awkward,

but very first kiss.

You look pretty, Emma.

Do you want to dance?

Gosh, I would love to dance.

I would really love to dance.

Emma finally recognized she was

already part of a large family.

As Bucky stood, taking them in,

his family unaware of him,

this thought entered his head,

which he shared with

a large Haitian orderly.

Such a fuss...

when everything we want is right

in front of us the whole time.

And at last, everyone

appreciated that very sentiment.

Why is it they can never

remember that?

Or maybe the point is, even

just for a moment, they do.

Well, that's my tale.

Sometimes, I wonder about

all the families sharing dinner together.

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