When a Man Loves a Woman Page #5

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- That's all you need, babe.

- Oh. Well, what does that mean? I'm not up to it?

Oh, no. No, Mr District Attorney.

My wife is perfect.

She's really perfect.

You hear me?

Thank you for

the vote of confidence.

What, I'm being,

uh, overly, uh-

- Attentive. A little bit. Yeah.

- Attentive.

Like I'm pregnant or psychotic

or like I'm made of glass.

You're handling play dates...

polishing toilets,

shopping up a storm.

- A storm.

- Yeah, have you looked in the freezer lately?

Because there's like 83 cans

of frozen orange juice in there...

if you can see past

all the frozen waffles.

- The kids like 'em now.

- Ah. Oh. "Now. "

The post shameful

incarceration era.

That's what

we like to call it.

Sorry.

So, I was thinking...

about this weekend.

I call Ed and trade him

for the Mexico route.

- I spoke to Amy.

- Amy, yeah.

Michael, don't you think this is all

just a little bit inappropriate?

What?

I mean maybe I should learn to live in reality

before I start trying to escape from it again.

I mean, Rachel was in my group. She

- She's 46. She taught Russian history at Berkeley.

She has two kids. Sh-

Her family has money...

and she was living under a bench in

Golden Gate park for three years...

before her sister

found her there.

Do you think that

can't happen to me?

Ask me how much

I want a drink right now.

How come we haven't

talked about this?

How come we haven't talked

about a lot of things?

I think- I think maybe

we should see someone.

A- At the place, they said

that sometimes it's good...

for a couple to see someone

who knows about this stuff.

You mean like

a licensed contractor?

You would do that?

Only if you were

incredibly grateful.

And this is ever since

you've been back?

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. The- I'm, uh...

just agitated

and pissed off...

and it seems unreasonable to me,

and I- And it's-

I feel like I'm, uh,

being unfair, and, uh-

I- J- Especially to Michael, because he's

been trying to be sweet, and he's really-

He really- You know, he just

wants to be there for me.

So you're saying that there's a problem

in your marriage and that it's your fault.

No, I don't think that's

what she said at all.

- I'm sorry, Alice. Is that what you meant to say?

- What I heard was that...

- she's irritated and she can't get a handle on it.

- No, I didn't mean to say that...

and, Michael,

I can talk for myself.

So, how do you feel

right now?

I'm irritated.

I'm irritated.

Because he does this sometimes.

He just does this. He just-

Like he- I was trying to settle

a fight between the two girls...

and he kind of came in

and he took over.

And it pissed me off, you know?

It just pissed me off.

This is since

you've been back.

Yeah. Well-

No, he's al-

He's always done that.

- Like?

- Like the time that...

Jess wouldn't do her homework, so I said

she couldn't go to her girlfriend's house...

and he came into the kitchen,

and he took over again...

and erased

everything I did.

Belittled me

in front of them.

When was this?

When you told me I had all I could

handle with my coffee and my little spoon.

What was that about, Michael?

It was a joke,

to begin with.

And...

she was very hung over,

and I was trying to help.

So, Michael,

how do you feel?

- Manipulated. Irritated.

- Why?

Because we're here to-

to be closer to one another.

And talking over your problems

isn't getting closer?

Michael, have you ever thought

about going to an Al-Anon meeting?

A meeting for families

of alcoholics?

Why that face, Michael?

It's the only face

I have, Janet.

A little slutty.

- Slutty.

- Yeah.

Amish.

Not Amish enough.

It's her first boy-girl dance, Michael.

We should let her go as a girl.

It's like... yee-ha!

- Did you put that together?

- No.

That's a sad

little ensemble.

Oh, well. I forgot how good

you were at this, Michael.

It's just that I know 8- year-old boys,

and they only have one thing on their minds.

Mmm, yeah,

14-year-old girls.

I feel like

an eight-year-old right now.

You look like

a 14-year-old.

- That's sweet, right?

- Yeah.

Oh, because, you know-

- Gary, there's so much truth coming out of you.

- It is. This is the depth.

I think I'm gonna share

this tonight, if I may.

You gonna go to

the meeting tonight?

Hey. Honey, you remember

Gary, right?

Sure.

- How's it goin'?

- Good.

It's really good.

How you doin'?

You got a great house.

You really do.

It's her, yeah.

Excuse me.

- I'm sorry. I'm gonna go. No, I'm sorry.

- I'm sorry.

Tell him I'm, uh, sorry if

I inconvenienced anything.

- You know?

- Hey, hey. It's not about you, okay?

- I know. Okay. You take care.

- I'm sorry.

- Slow down. I love you.

- Thank you so much. Okay.

- I'll talk to you later. - All

right. About 3:
00, I'm free, so-

- Okay.

- Okay, good night.

Why would you suppose

he dashed off like that?

I don't know, Michael.

Could it have been your face?

You looked like

we were naked or something.

- Do you wanna ask me something?

- No.

You think this thing

with Gary is romantic?

I don't know what

to think about anything.

Well, I'm glad

to hear you say that.

We haven't sat close like that

since I can remember, Alice.

Not since I'm back,

and if you think about it...

not since a while

before that.

Gary needs me,

and that feels good.

A- And when I'm scared,

he can't help...

and he doesn't pretend

that he can.

And it's not just Gary, Michael.

The people that I really lean on...

are the ones at my meetings,

and you never even ask me about them.

Don't you wonder who they are

or what we talk about?

- I do now.

- So why don't you ask me?

Come on, Michael.

Let's talk about it. Okay?

I'll tell ya anything

you want to know.

Do they know how

this got started?

How I became an alcoholic?

No. They don't know that.

Nobody seems to know that.

My dad's drinking didn't help.

The way my mother

made me feel like nothing.

Or maybe it's genetic

or I-

Nobody knows.

Did you think

this was about you?

- Why would you say that?

- Well, I don't know. You seem a little defensive.

Wh-Why would I be defensive?

Is somebody attacking me?

No. Nobody's attacking you.

Michael, I am just

hanging on here.

The girls need me really badly. I am trying

to reestablish a little credibility at school.

- I'm trying to make my meetings. - So that kind

of tells me my-my place in the batting order...

of what you need.

I'm so tired

of all this sh*t.

I don't wanna be angry any more.

I don't wanna-

I don't wanna feel...

guilty or...

sad or depressed

or frustrated...

or confused or-

Just once, for five minutes,

I wanna feel good.

- My name is Joanna.

- Hi, Joanna.

I am so grateful for Maria's topic,

uh, emotional abuse.

Until I came to Al-Anon...

I was not even aware of how cruelly

I was abused by my alcoholic husband...

because I did not

own my own feelings.

Every waking hour was about

my husband's feelings.

When he was down,

I was lower.

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