The Keeping Hours Page #3

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it was him.

You were drunk.

But you weren't.

I can't explain it.

I don't know why he's here.

But he is.

And he's asking for you.

You can't touch him.

["Are You Sleeping?" chiming]

Mommy!

I knew you'd come.

Elizabeth,

you can't touch him.

- [whoosh]

- [gasps, grunts]

How is this possible?

Again?

- What?

- Again?

- Yeah.

- OK.

[continues playing]

[laughs]

I don't understand.

[chuckles]

[chuckles]

I mean, what?

I know.

[chuckles]

He's got his little tooth,

he never...

He never lost his tooth.

Yeah, he's got

that sweet tooth.

Oh, my God.

He's so funny,

isn't he?

He is. Yeah, he is.

[Mark chuckles]

I guess I'll, um...

get some stuff and

come back in the morning.

I'm, uh, I'm gonna...

I'm gonna tell Smith that I need

an office outside the house,

and I'm-I'm working on

a follow-up to my book, so...

um, so maybe we can switch off.

I can-I can take the days, since

you have to go to the office,

and you can have the nights

and the weekends, OK?

OK.

[sighs]

[Elizabeth]

What else should we make?

- Rocket ship.

- Rocket ship?

- Yep, rocket ship.

- Rocket ship it is.

OK, here it comes.

[mimics rocket ship]

OK, there's the-that part.

[hums]

The jets.

Now we need some fire

at the bottom.

- OK.

- And some boosters.

Some boosters.

OK.

What do you think?

It looks more like

a popsicle.

[laughs]

- [Mark] I was gone for a few days.

- Five days.

120 billable hours.

So what's going on?

You've been with us

for how long, six years now?

Three different cities.

You're a machine.

I love that.

But I have to be able

to depend on you.

- [Mark] How did it go today?

- [Elizabeth] Good.

- He was really good.

- [humming]

[Mark]

So you taking off?

Yeah.

I'll see you tomorrow.

You used to make monsters

on the wall with your hands.

Like this?

Woof, woof!

- [howls]

- [giggles]

- [laughter]

- Here's my two-mouthed bull dog.

[growls]

Hello?

[Elizabeth and Jacob

chattering indistinctly]

Mark?

You're supposed

to be at work.

- I quit.

- You quit?

So, what, you're just

planning to...

Spend some time here.

As long as he's here,

I'm gonna be with him.

What's, uh,

what's goin' on up there?

What's he up to today?

What's the problem? Can't stand

to be in the same house with me?

I need time.

That's the problem.

You don't get to take him

away from me again.

I'm not taking him away.

What are you talking about?

I have no idea

what you're talking about.

You took him away from me.

You wouldn't talk about him.

You put away his pictures. You

wouldn't celebrate his birthday.

- Because he was gone.

- You put everything

into a little box and

you wouldn't let me in.

You forgot him.

You just sat in your chair

and drank your whiskey

and you forgot everything.

I didn't forget.

- You left me all alone.

- No. That was you.

You're the one who left.

You walked out that door

and never came back.

Because I didn't wanna watch you

drown yourself in denial.

But I didn't drown, did I?

Maybe it wasn't pretty

and spiritual and poetic,

but I got through just fine.

You wanted to punish me,

you still do.

- What are you talking about?

- It wasn't my fault!

- So it was my fault?

- Yes!

- Because I swerved for a dog.

- You were driving too fast!

- It was raining!

- Well, you should've hit the goddamn dog!

How hard is it to buckle

a goddamn seatbelt?

- [boom]

- [both gasping]

[footsteps approaching]

I want it to be like before.

- OK.

- OK.

[Mark] We'll clean it up.

No. I want you

to be like before.

Hold hands.

Now you could

read me a story.

"No sooner had Pinocchio

got into bed,

then he fell asleep at once

and began to dream.

And he dreamt that he was

in the middle of a field,

and the field was full of vines

covered with clusters of gold coins.

And as they swung in the wind,

they went, 'zin, zin, zin, '

almost as if they would say, 'Let

who will come and take us.'"

- OK.

- OK?

That's enough.

- How'd you get cut?

- Hmm?

Your neck is cut.

God, I loved this house.

Me too.

Oh, come on.

No, you didn't.

You hated this house.

You're wrong.

I just felt bad

that I never fixed it up.

I'm sorry.

I didn't wanna leave.

I just felt like

I didn't have a choice.

Truce?

Truce.

[Jacob]

No more sleeping

Time to get up,

Time to get up

Oh, hey.

Monkey, no jumping.

Why not?

[laughs]

You're right.

Why not jump on the bed?

Maybe we should both

jump on the bed.

Why don't we both

jump on the bed?

- [grunting]

- No, you're too big!

- You're gonna break it.

- Yeah, you're right.

Good call.

- Hey, buddy.

- What?

Yesterday,

did you do that?

Did you break the glass

and throw the toys?

You can't do that

anymore.

It's dangerous.

Someone could get hurt.

You shouldn't fight.

We're working on it.

I'm serious, Jacob.

No more wigouts, OK?

OK.

I pushed the button.

It's OK.

Just don't do it again.

- Rematch!

- Whoa! Whoa!

- Whoa, whoa!

- [giggles]

[Mark] Rematch!

[yells]

- Oh, my God!

- What's up?

I started this list

before he was born.

All the things

I wanted to do with him.

- I thought I lost it.

- Hmm.

"Ride a cable car.

Watch shooting stars

from the desert.

Hike to Yosemite Falls. Teach

him to make sun catchers.

Watch the sun go down over the

ocean and see the green flash,"

which somebody told me was blue

because he's colorblind.

- Wow.

- [chuckles] It's long.

Mm.

I thought we had more time.

Where do you want it,

here?

Uh, how 'bout the top?

You know, my mom and I

used to make sun catchers

when I was your age. You probably

don't remember your grandma.

You were so little

when she died.

- I know, when I was just a baby.

- You were.

- Nice.

- Yeah.

I think that's good,

- except for one finishing touch.

- OK.

All right.

What do you think? Good?

- It's perfect.

- Perfect.

- I pushed the button.

- Yes, you did.

Yeah. Bake.

Should we set the timer?

OK. Where is the timer?

[train whistle blows]

We don't have everything in stock,

but I can order anything you see.

I'll take the whole set.

Daddy went to buy me

a real train set

with lights and houses.

I don't know anything

about real trains,

that's between you and Daddy.

Hey, which blue do you like?

Do you like Pale Winter Dreams

or Arctic Adventure?

[creaking]

Maybe Blueberry Crush.

What do you think?

You OK?

[creaking]

Mark?

Stay right here, OK?

There was someone

or something in the house.

Did you see anything?

- No.

- Whoa, Elizabeth.

- What?

- You-you blew a gasket.

- What?

- Your nose.

- Are you OK?

- Yeah.

Oh, sh*t.

Was I supposed to buy the

kind of paint without the lead?

- [chuckles]

- You're not supposed to eat it.

[chuckles]

[sobs] I just want

to hold him, you know?

[thunder rumbling]

His skin was so soft

and he was always so warm,

even in the winter.

- [sobbing]

- Like a little furnace.

I need him to stay.

- [thunder rumbling]

- How come she doesn't sleep here at night?

What am I,

chopped liver?

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