The Way the End Begins

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R-E-T-Z-N.

And the next set?

Z-H-O-T-N-X.

X-O-T,

F-D-E.

And the next set?

R-E-D,

O-Z-F.

Okay.

Uh, Eunice.

How many of those letters

can you actually see

and how many have you memorised?

I can see all of them, Dr Avery.

Eunice...

Okay. I memorised the last two, Tom.

Only the last two.

If I can't get my licence renewed...

Eunice, you need to wear

the lenses I prescribed.

Contact lenses don't work for me

and glasses give me headaches.

Then we'll change the prescription,

but you know the DMV's gonna

test you again anyway.

I've memorised those charts, too.

Mrs Conrad called and cancelled

her appointment for tomorrow.

Bill Warren wants to know if he can

see you before he goes in for work,

which means you have to be here

at 8:
00 a.m.

- Okay.

- Okay for 8:
00?

- Yeah.

- Oh.

Roger called while you were in

with a patient.

He said if you miss the 2:00 tee time,

you pay for the beer.

I pay for the beer anyway.

And Daniel called and left a message

here on the voicemail last night.

- What'd he say?

- He said he'll call back.

He said he's somewhere in France

and he sounded good.

I mean, how do you not sound good

if you're in France, right?

Did he leave a number this time?

No.

Everyone on the planet has

a mobile phone except my son.

What the hell's the matter

with that kid?

The world on Daniel's terms.

See you.

Oh, no!

Let me show you

how a real doctor does it.

Since when is Tom

not a real doctor, Rog?

The eyes are the most important organ

in the body, Roger.

- Maybe at your age, Tom.

- They're the windows to the soul.

Yeah? How the hell would Roger know?

He doesn't have one.

Oh...

Looks like malpractice

to me, boys.

- Don't use your foot wedge, Phil!

- I got your foot wedge, Roger.

All right, what do we got, about 70?

Yeah, plus 10 to the flag.

That's what I'm talking about.

You like that?

- It'll play.

- That's good stuff.

I'm over there.

Yeah, I see. It's about three feet away.

You want a ride or what?

I'm old and tired.

- You're old and lazy.

- I don't see you walking this course.

It's mine and it can wait.

Get...

Nice chip.

Not bad.

Go ahead and putt out.

I'll catch up with you. Hello?

Yes, hello?

I'm sorry. I don't speak French.

I am Captain Henri Sebastian

of the National Gendarmerie

in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France.

- Is something wrong?

- Are you the father of Daniel Avery?

Yes, I am.

I'm sorry to inform you

that your son has been killed, sir.

What?

What do you mean?

Daniel? Something happened to Daniel?

He was caught in a storm

on the Camino de Santiago, monsieur.

I don't even know where that is.

It's in the French Pyrenees.

He was on pilgrimage.

Tom?

Tommy?

Where you going?

Tommy?

I'm sorry for your loss, Tom.

Thanks, Father.

I'm going overseas to bring Daniel home.

Would you like to pray with me, Tom?

What for?

All the information

for your itinerary is in here.

I cancelled all your appointments

for next week, so...

He wanted to see the world.

And he did.

You should fly with me.

What?

- You should fly with me.

- Yeah, right.

Turn the car around. Pack a bag.

Grab your passport.

Forget your golf clubs.

Come on, a father-son trip.

It'll be fun.

When you coming back?

I don't know.

So you don't have a plan.

We agreed that if I let you

take me to the airport,

you wouldn't lecture me about

how I'm ruining my life.

I lied.

You know, most people don't have

the luxury of just picking up

and leaving it all behind, Daniel.

Well, I'm not most people.

If I don't have your blessing,

that's fine.

But don't judge this. Don't judge me.

My life here might not seem

like much to you,

but it's the life I choose.

You don't choose a life, Dad.

You live one.

- Mr Avery?

- Yes.

We spoke on the phone.

- Captain Henri Sebastian.

- Of course.

I don't know why, I know it's odd, but

I thought it would say something else.

It's the same word back home.

I guess I thought it would be different.

Mr Avery, if you are not ready

to do this,

- it can wait.

- No.

It's fine. I mean, it's not fine.

I mean, I'm okay.

Let's get it over with.

Let's just get it over with.

These are Daniel's belongings.

This is everything he had

when we found him.

- What happened?

- It was an accident.

The weather in the Pyrenees is famous

for being unpredictable

and I'm sure Daniel would have been

warned by the locals.

You were not close with him?

Not since his mother died,

I'm sorry to say.

What was he doing out there?

He was on pilgrimage on the Camino.

Walking the road

to Santiago de Compostela.

People from very different backgrounds,

faiths and generations

have walked the path from here

in the French Pyrenees

to Santiago de Compostela,

on the north-western coast of Spain,

for over a thousand years.

We believers are told

that the remains of St James,

the apostle of Jesus,

are interred there.

And so we make pilgrimage.

This is what your son Daniel was doing.

Why he was alone?

Many people choose

to make the trek alone.

The Way is a very personal journey,

Mr Avery.

This is the shell.

The symbol of the pilgrim

making the journey.

And this...

This is Daniel's passport

for the Camino.

It is to be officially stamped

at every important stop

along the route through Spain.

And the first stamp is here,

in Saint-Jean.

Buen Camino.

When you arrive at the end,

the passport should look like this.

I have walked the Camino

to the Atlantic Ocean three times.

There and back.

I will do it once more,

on my 70th birthday.

God willing, of course.

Daniel was my only child.

We can also offer cremation

if that is a more suitable way for you

to transport the remains back home.

- I'm sorry, I don't speak French.

- Oh, do you mind if I sit here?

Because there's

no other seats available.

Hi. I'm Joost. I'm from Amsterdam.

- Tom.

- Hey, Tom.

I saw you on the train this morning.

We came from Paris.

We were on the same train.

You're not a pilgrim, are you?

A pilgrim? A trekker? A peregrino? Huh?

You're not here to walk

the Santiago de Compostela.

- No, I'm here on family business.

- Ah.

Well, it's not for everyone, you know.

In fact, somebody died

on the Camino this week,

only one day into the trek.

Yeah, such a tragedy.

Yes.

But it's no mystery

why I'm doing this trek.

You see this gut?

My older brother is getting married

in Rotterdam in December

and I want to fit into my old suit.

You could just buy a new suit.

No, but it's the third time

that he's getting married.

But wedding or not, I mean...

A bit leaner, a bit lighter.

It would make my doctor

and my wife a bit happier.

No? Ah!

Oh!

It's for energy.

Listen.

My doctorate...

I'm not gonna finish it.

You mean this year?

I mean ever.

I can't learn about the world in school.

You're not just

in school. You're at Berkeley.

Take a semester off, sure,

but don't throw away

the last 10 years of your life.

When was the last time

you travelled abroad?

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