The Favor Page #2

We don't exactly have a lot in common.

- So what?

- No. You don't.

You make that sound

like an accusation.

You wanted to come,

but you just wanted to come and go.

I'm not leaving. This is my

goddaughter's birthday party.

I'll stay till the last gift is open

and the last kid goes home.

All right.

You want me to stay, I'll stay.

I never wanted you to

come in the first place.

All right.

I get the picture.

You'll get home all right?

- Kathy will take me.

- Okay.

Remember we said we would stop

this when it wasn't fun anymore?

Are we having fun now?

No.

Careful, Liana.

I know.

Elliott leave?

Why can't I be attracted to a nice,

solid professional?

- You got any divorced MBAs around?

- I liked him. I thought he was disarming.

- We broke up.

- In a phony sort of way.

And look what he calls purple.

You can do better than that.

- Anyway, his bod wasn't that great.

- Yes, it was.

Yes, it was.

- Are you okay?

- Yeah.

Great party, Mom.

Come to dinner Friday.

I can't. I'm supposed to

be in Denver on Friday.

Denver?

Elliott's got a show there

in a couple months.

Tommy's Denver?

- Emily, you gotta look him up for me.

- And say what?

He's got a sporting goods store

right downtown:
Andrews Sporting.

Pretend you're buying a gun.

You haven't seen him since you were 16.

He's probably fat, bald, and ugly.

Great! What better way to

put me out of my suffering?

Think about it.

Why spoil a great fantasy?

It's beginning to make my

marriage look like sludge.

- You have a wonderful marriage.

- Exactly.

Come on, do me a favor.

Just look at him.

Maybe.

The last thing are

these two there.

Jamison Thomas Gallery?

Which one goes on the left?

It's not enough

just to look him up.

This one. Definitely.

What are you talking about?

I have to know what it's like.

You must sleep with him.

I've got a plane to catch in 30 minutes.

Are these the invoices?

Listen to me.

Someone's got to complete the mission.

I can't sleep with Tommy, but you can.

It's the only way.

Don't say another word.

I'm your gal.

- You're not taking me seriously.

- Yes, I am.

Go there and not sleep with

your ex-boyfriend? That's stupid.

You don't seem to understand.

This is really getting to me.

I'm just asking you

a simple favor.

I'll try to look him up, okay?

Thank you!

And Saturday, come straight

to my house from the airport.

And when you meet him,

don't wear this.

I hate this on you.

Three plus three is six.

One plus one is two.

- 10 plus 10 is 20.

- Wait, Mom. Give us a few more minutes!

It's 8:
00 Saturday night.

You know the rule.

Okay, bed.

Come on, Hannah.

There you go.

Did you brush your teeth?

All right.

Thank you.

How about you?

Brush your teeth?

- Yeah.

- Good girl.

Good night, sweetheart.

- Good night, Mommy.

- Good night, Mommy.

Come on, Ollie.

Good night, Ollie.

Did I mention that I love you?

- I love you, too, Mom.

- I love you.

Good night.

The attractor splits in two.

Magnetic fields drift.

Impulse becomes erratic.

She walked in the room

So she could rub his neck

Then she gave

him a little kiss

Something like this

Then on Monday,

she calls him on the phone

Says she'll bring

the kids home"

From ballet lessons so that I can

stay at school and correct papers?

Fat chance.

- I'm so glad I'm married to you.

- What brought that on?

Your music.

It's beautiful.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- You lie like a rug.

- I don't lie!

- I'll get it.

- No. That's Emily.

So?

It was a good trip.

Did you see anybody I know?

Hey, Em.

- Spill it.

- You sure you want to hear this?

He's a fat slob.

Emily, what is the point

if you don't tell me?

Is he married with five kids?

Is he a bum? Is he dead?

What? See?

Look, I'm just making myself crazy.

- You sure?

- Tell me!

You did me the favor.

- What are you talking about?

- I'm talking about Tom.

The big, strong hunk

in the red flannel shirt...

...with a tongue like velvet

and the arms you could die in.

You met him?

No wonder you always

fantasize about him.

This one's a man!

Capital M-A-N, man.

If there were a nuclear war,

Tom's the one I'd want in my bomb shelter.

He sure grew up.

Actually, if there wasn't a nuclear war,

I'd want him in my bomb shelter.

You don't have a bomb shelter.

And get up off the floor.

Kathy, this man made

me feel like a woman.

- What do you mean?

- We talked. We laughed. We danced.

- So the two of you...

- All night.

Honey, we're trying

to talk in here!

Okay.

Tell me everything.

I could still see him as

the plane took off.

I could still smell him.

That's everything.

And to think I almost

didn't even call him.

Kathy!

The man knew what I

wanted before I did.

You seem upset.

No, not at all.

No. Couldn't have worked out better.

See? It's finished.

He's out of my mind,

and I have you to thank for it.

I never have to think

of him again, ever!

You're mad at me.

Kathy, I did you a favor.

It was your idea for

me to sleep with him.

Once!

Not eight times.

The shower doesn't count.

We didn't...

Can't you do it on a bed

like normal people?

I never told you to do it

on a butcher block!

This may come as a surprise to you,

but I did it for me.

Wait!

Did you talk about me at all?

You've got Peter and the kids.

Let me have my one lousy night in Denver.

Did he ask for my number?

Yeah, he asked for your number.

Good night, Peter.

Leaving already, Em?

- Want something to eat?

- Nah.

- Sure?

- Yeah.

You're missing out.

See you later.

All right.

I guess it's you and me, buddy.

What was that all

about with Emily?

Nothing.

A teacher from

Princeton started today.

Joe Dubin.

He's a brilliant guy.

They just throw grants at him.

He sticks with basic

linear questions like:

"How big is it?" and

"How long does it last?"

So he gets a lot of equipment.

He gets a lot of attention.

But I don't know, I think he totally

ignores the disorderly behavior...

...of a lot of important phenomena.

Can't deal with it.

Doesn't know what to make of it, right?

My stuff, you know...

...this equation that I'm testing

about reversing magnetic fields...

With that stuff,

I gotta deal with disorderly behavior.

Because patterns

can be stable...

...but when they're really fascinating

is when they're...

...unstable.

Chaotic.

Wild and abandoned.

Olives.

So you look at the patterns.

Logic gets you so far,

then you gotta go on a feeling.

You've got to follow your intuition.

I've got a feeling

that there is a point of crisis...

...in stable systems

of magnetic fields...

...where small changes get magnified,

and then all of a sudden...

...everything goes amok.

I don't know.

It's just a feeling.

That's why I say fractal geometry

is a lot like the blues.

The passion, the power, the mystery...

I don't know.

Sometimes you have to look

at things in the periphery...

...because if you look right at it,

you don't see what's there.

I'm sorry.

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