Martian Child Page #6

Nice one! Over the head...

over the head, big time.

Like the Greeks.

That feels so good.

No, not that plate!

I got an idea,

but we'll still have fun.

We'll still have fun.

I'm sorry.

I'm just trying to have...

I'm just trying to have...

I'm so sorry.

I was just trying

to have fun, buddy.

What's that laugh?

Oh, oh, oh!

Oh, my, oh!

I will wail on you!

This is war!

- This is war!

- Whoa!

Whoa!

Uh-Oh.

Uh, just stay here.

Pss pss...

Hey, Mr. Lefkowitz,

uh, come on in.

Uh, what a surprise.

Happy holidays.

Thank you. You, too.

Uh, we were just,

uh, having, uh...

just having some fun.

Sort of a, uh...

It's a breakthrough,

you could say.

Nice to see you.

Very, uh, vigilant of you

to come during the holidays.

I heard there was

a little trouble at school.

Just a little trouble.

Nothing we can't handle.

Right?

Would you mind very much...

if Dennis and I

went up to his room?

Maybe he could

show me his room.

We could chat for a bit.

No, I wouldn't mind.

Would you mind?

Would that be okay, Dennis?

I think it's okay with Dennis.

Good.

Where's your room, Dennis?

It's downstairs.

He'll show you.

Thank you.

Following you.

Everything is...

Everything all right?

Hey, you knew

about this stuff?

Uh, we're just

gonna turn that off real quick.

Yeah, yeah, sure,

we're, we're, um...

Have you seen this?

Yeah, yeah,

I know all about this.

This is a science project

that we're working on.

Kind of

a whole transformation...

and decay kind of a thing.

We take all the stuff

from the house...

and we put it

in the baggies.

We take photos of it,

and we put it away...

then we come back to it.

Uh, Dennis and I...

Uh, Dennis mostly...

He'd study how it's...

See, we're doin'

it right now.

Car keys.

- Sure.

- You know, car keys.

- Yours?

- Yeah, they are.

Passport, yours?

I knew about that, too.

It's amazing how much

a passport can decay.

Everything's good.

Everything's fine here.

Everything's great.

We just try

to do the things and see...

how they have transformed

and decayed or not.

- Lf...

- Sometimes they don't.

We could just talk in private.

Yeah.

Good. Excuse us

one second, Dennis.

Outside.

Please.

I'm just a little bit

concerned here, Mr. Gordon.

You seem to suffer

from a syndrome...

many adopting parents

experience.

Shock?

You're so eager

to become the child's friend...

you forget to be a parent.

And Dennis needs

a parent right now.

He needs a strong role model.

He needs someone

to bring him down to earth.

He's been stealing again.

He's been

expelled from school.

I think "expelled"

is a harsh word.

I think there was

a consensus reached...

that it wasn't

the right place for him.

Yeah, a consensus includes me.

The principal

gave me no option.

L... I should have called,

and I apologize for that.

I'm gonna move your case up

for a review.

You'll be notified by mail.

I'll let myself out.

Mr. Lefkowitz, I do know...

that there's no one

on this planet...

that loves Dennis

any more than I do.

I know that.

These pictures are mine.

And they're

really important to me.

And I need to understand

why you took 'em.

Will you tell me?

Please, I need you to tell me.

Because you love her so much.

Hmm.

Ahem, that's really true...

but that doesn't change

the way I feel about you, pal.

Not even a little.

You know,

Mr. Lefkowitz isn't sure...

that it's such a good idea

that you stay here...

so we gotta make him happy.

So when you're here at home,

it's okay to be from Mars.

But when you're out there...

with the rest

of the earthlings...

you know,

you gotta go by earth rules.

But what we will never do

is we will never, ever...

ever, ever, ever,

ever give up.

Winston Churchill said that,

I think.

There's one other thing.

It's really serious.

Will you please teach me...

how to do that

disidney-grate thing?

How you do it?

You'll get it.

We have to do this.

I can't. You do it.

I think it should be

this shirt with these.

Okay.

It looks hot on you.

He'll look devastating.

He will. He will.

That's fine.

- That's fine.

- Right?

What age do they start

making fun of you...

if you wear the wrong clothes?

- I don't know.

- You know, like, uh...

if you're not cool.

What... What...

- Fifth grade?

- Fifth grade?

That's when I started wearing...

my rainbow-colored

leg warmers every day.

Pretty much solidified

my role as the weird girl...

who sat in the back of class...

drawing Smurfs

until ninth grade.

But...

But what?

Maybe it's

not supposed to be easy.

I mean, maybe the ones

who have it easy...

they're missing

part of the adventure.

Ah.

Don't you think all the truly

fascinating people...

in the world probably had

dysfunctional childhoods?

You sold me.

I'm gonna send him to school...

in the rainbow-colored

leg warmers.

- Please don't.

- I will.

I'm not that fascinating.

Uh, thing about it is...

I just worry about him

all the time.

It's the curse

of being a parent.

I think Dennis is happier

than he's been in a long time.

Yeah.

I think you are, too.

I should go.

It's late, and I'm tired.

Do you want me

to make some coffee...

for the ride home

or something or...

or you could just stay here.

In the guest bedroom.

You don't have a guest bedroom.

That's right.

Best you were on the couch.

I didn't... Believe me, that...

That's not what I meant.

That was the furthest...

furthest thing from my mind.

Really.

Oh, really? The furthest?

Well, not the furthest thing

from my mind.

There's just things that

are a little further away...

like smallpox or, you know.

It's really...

I gotta go.

I gotta go feed the goldfish.

The goldfish?

I'm taking care

of my neighbor's goldfish.

Your neighbor's.

- Yes.

- I see.

Uh, uh...

They need to get fed.

Goldfish, huh?

- Good night.

- Yeah.

Uh... oh.

You okay?

Uh, yeah. Are you okay?

I don't know.

You are. You look okay.

- So do you.

- Okay. Bye.

You look great.

- What?

- You look good.

Oh, you, too.

You look great.

Great.

It's a cloudy day.

I know.

That's why you don't need

all that sun block.

I do have a little bit

of bad news, though.

We're gonna have to do

without the holding-down belt.

But I'll float away.

I don't know much,

but I know this.

You will not float away.

Promise?

Guarantee it.

But you know... Come on.

You know,

what I was gonna tell you is...

I don't know

if I ever told you this...

but when I was a kid,

I used to pretend...

like I was

from another planet.

Why did you do that?

Well, I was going

to a new school...

and I was nervous...

and I wanted people

to like me...

and, you know, I was afraid

I wouldn't fit in and...

Did you wear a hat?

Um, yeah.

Yeah, sometimes I did...

'cause it was Chicago,

and it was cold...

so sometimes I wore a hat.

You shouldn't

have worn a hat.

There it is.

Well, anyway, after a while...

I learned to be a little bit

more like everybody else...

and to fit in a little bit.

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