Still Mine Page #4

Would you have told us?

No.

Why not?!

Well now, Ruthie,

don't take this personally,

but I imagine that you

and your brothers and your sisters

would have come to a different conclusion

about what to do next.

Well, it's been obvious for a while now

that Mom is getting worse.

You think I'm not aware of that?

- That's why I'm building the house.

- But a house isn't going to fix it.

No, but it will make everything

a lot more manageable.

I've been looking into some programs

that I think would be good for her.

No!

It's not what your mother would want.

You haven't even heard

what I have to say!

Besides, I'm not so sure she even knows

what she wants anymore.

Yes, she does.

Okay, then, if you're good here

I'll go up and see Morn.

Bed's been moved to the living room.

'Afternoon, Craig.

Hello, Margaret.

Didn't expect to see you around here today.

Well, I brought you some dinner.

Who died?

I heard about Irene.

- Yeah.

- I'm going to say something.

I want you to hear me out.

Whether you like it or not, once a week,

I'm going to be dropping off a casserole.

I want my dish back.

Do you understand?

We're fine, Margaret.

Honestly.

Matter of fact,

I made us a stew just last night.

Julia Child must be rolling over

in her grave.

You're getting a casserole!

We don't need it.

Uh-huh. Just like we didn't need

a winter's worth of beef

and all the fuel tanks filled up in '73.

I'm pretty sure we'd have lost the farm

and ended up in St. John

if it weren't for you.

Yeah, and Chester's been mad at me

because of it ever since.

That's Chester's problem.

Look, if the roles were reversed,

Irene would do the same

and you know it!

Besides, I never liked you.

It's your wife I'd walk over hot coals for.

Fair enough.

Craig?

Craig, are you upstairs?

Um, it's easier for me to keep

track of her when I'm out here.

We all do what we have to do.

I'll go in and see her, hmm?

What if Dad has it under control?

- Are you completely delusional?

- Ruth, Ruth, Ruth, I'm not the enemy here.

Seriously, they're sleeping

in the living room

and they're shitting on the front porch.

Part of me just wants to go ahead

and hire a nurse without even asking.

Yeah, and how long do you think

that would last?

Then talk to him.

Will you just try and make him see

- that it's not working anymore?

- I have. He's not budging.

Why aren't we allowed to be a part of it?

She's our mother.

He's her husband.

And what if, in spite of what you or I

think, he's making the right decisions?

- He's not.

- You can't know that!

You can't be certain that you or I

have a better alternative!

You know, there is another way

of looking at this.

Mm-hmm.

What's that?

If he was asking us

to tuck him in at night,

we'd be phoning Brock Reid

and telling him to warm up the hearse.

And until then?

Guess we hope he doesn't give them both

food poisoning.

Are you awake?

I am.

Why is our bed in the living room?

Because you fell down

the stairs last week.

Did I hurt myself?

No, mm-mm.

Nothing serious.

It's funny, I can't remember it at all.

Well, you bumped your head.

Probably has something to do with it.

Still, I should remember, shouldn't I?

I wouldn't worry about it.

But I am worried.

So you can't remember

a couple of things, so what?

We're still here.

We have each other.

And isn't everything else a bonus?

I hope so.

You know what scares me?

No, what?

What if I forget everything?

You'll still be my Irene.

Promise?

I've never broken a promise to you yet.

But you almost did.

With Bernice... what's-her-name?

Punchard.

Bernice Punchard.

But my darling heart,

she was an extraordinary woman.

How close did you two come?

You know, jealousy has never been

one of your more endearing qualities.

- Jealousy has nothing to do with it.

- Uh-huh.

I would have left you so fast

if I ever caught you with another woman.

So I've been told...

So I've been told.

Can we go to sleep now?

I still will.

What?

Leave you if you cheat on me.

Oh, Jesus.

Okay, okay.

Now let it go.

So whatever happened to...

lovely Bernice what's-her-name?

Punchard.

She died 30 years ago.

That's terrible.

Now I feel awful.

So you should.

You're a mean woman.

...and, in fact, Mr. Morrison's done

exactly the opposite of what

the Commission is suggesting.

He's tried to address

every single one of their concerns.

He hired Mr. Folkin,

an accredited wood inspector.

Found absolutely no fault

with the lumber

and stamped it as such on 30 June.

He enlisted Jeff LeBlanc,

a certified engineer,

to redraw the joists and truss specs.

And Mr. Morrison's already added

the reinforcements

to comply with the Commission's

recommendations.

These are the photos

of those improvements.

Additionally,

Mr. Raymond Debley -

you'll recognize that name, Mr. Daigle -

one of the most successful

and respected builders

in New Brunswick

inspected the house on 10 July

and those are his findings.

As you'll read, it's quite a glowing report

of Mr. Morrison's construction.

Is that all, Mr. Fulton?

Yeah...

Except, sorry, uh...

You know, it's worth remembering

that the National Building code

is not a set of rules,

it's a set of standards.

And it's our belief that Mr. Morrison's

not only met those standards, but...

in most cases, he's exceeded them.

It is the opinion

of the Building Department

that Mr. Morrison

has still not satisfied

the concerns raised by the inspection

of his house.

Therefore, until such time

that a workable solution

to all 26 violations has been accepted,

the Stop Work order is still in effect.

Make no mistake, Mr. Morrison,

violating a Stop Work order

is a serious of fence

and will force us

to take further legal action.

Do you understand?

Jesus, what a mess.

You ever wonder if their minds

are already made up?

That no matter what we propose,

the answer will still be the same?

Well... they just have to come around,

that's all.

Nothing else makes any sense.

I got enough work in the shop

what with the doors and the trim and all.

I suppose I could keep going

for at least a couple of weeks.

Sure.

Hopefully, by then,

the wind will have shifted in our favour.

...at 11,542.58,

a fourteen-month low.

In the energy sector,

crude is down 13%

- from just six weeks ago.

- You hear that?

I sure hope the refinery

doesn't shut down.

Jeff's carrying far too much debt

for that to happen.

...and the third month in a row

that auto sales

are below last year's levels

all point to the possibility

of a double-dip recession

triggered largely by the subprime...

Irene?

Irene?

Irene?!

Irene?

Irene?

Hey, Dana, did you happen to see Irene

out and about today?

- No, I can't say that I have.

- Huh...

I don't think I've seen you smoke

in 50 years.

You haven't?

No.

Where'd you get the cigarettes?

I don't know.

Isn't that funny?

I was worried about you.

I went back to the house

and you weren't there.

I've been looking for you for hours.

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