Previously on The Republic of Sarah...
We have an opportunity to build something great.
In order to do that,
we do need more voices in the room than just mine.
Greylock's new legislators are Amy Johnson, Daniel Cooper,
Maya Jiménez
and Elizabeth Fernsby.
Why didn't you tell Sarah you're getting married?
Well, I thought you would. You're her best friend.
Yeah, you're her brother. And it's your engagement,
which, you know, congratulations, by the way.
Maybe this time you'll actually go through with it.
I know why you had to leave Greylock.
- Why did you leave me? - I wish I could explain.
- But I can't. - You mean you won't.
How long is Weston in South Carolina?
A week. He's covering an election there.
Oh, is he coming back or can I return my noise-cancelling headphones?
No. We aren't that loud, are we?
It was a couple times I thought God was gonna actually answer you.
I'm so sorry.
But yes, he's coming back.
Lucky me.
Today's a big day.
Today we start writing our constitution.
Together, me as Greylock's leader, you as its congress,
we will establish the blueprint of our new country's government.
A constitution is forever.
But I know if we work together, we can create something
that all of Greylock will be proud of,
and we can show the world that real democracy is alive and well.
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - -- www.addic7ed.com --
There should be no term limits
- for any part of our government. - What?
- Experienced leadership is valuable. - No.
No term limits is how you get a country ran by dinosaurs.
Yeah, just like America is now.
- Guys, please, can we... - Greylock should have
four branches of government
- and dedicate one to the economy. - Oh, here we go.
Are you insane?
- The economy's important. - Relax.
... who can protect Greylock's economic interests.
- Okay, look, if we can just... - If he gets that,
I want an independent branch for law enforcement.
Police should be separate from politics.
- Otherwise, you get a system... - Cops need oversight.
... where autocrat wannabes can install kiss-ass judges
- to neuter the rule of law. - That feels...
Calm down. Please. Can we just take a moment...
... that teenagers are allowed to vote and work in the government.
- No way. - We're gonna inherit this country
when you all croak. Shouldn't we have some say in how it's run?
- You need to let it go. - She has a point.
I won't let it go. If we're gonna get this right,
- we have to get it right. - We have to compromise.
Guys, guys... What?
- Hi, Vince. - Sorry to interrupt.
It's okay.
There's a Caravan of immigrants outside.
A caravan of immigrants?
- Yeah. - How many are there?
Uh, I don't know.
A Caravan seats, what, like, seven?
Oh.
I thought...
- Yeah, we all did. - Yeah.
Greylock PD said you all came up from Pennsylvania?
Whoa, you're Sarah Cooper.
I feel like I'm meeting a celebrity.
Oh, no, the only celebrity around here
is Pixie the dancing pit bull.
- Kayleigh. Yeah. - Hi, nice to meet you.
This is, uh, this is Greylock's new congress.
We wanted to come say hello.
Hi, there. So, uh, you're all from the same place?
Radford, southwest corner of the state.
There's about 30 of us.
Everyone's at that diner.
But my little one forgot his hoodie, of course.
- You're a long way from home. - Well, it's not home anymore.
Not after Diotyne showed up a year ago.
What was supposed to happen to Greylock
actually did happen in Radford.
Except it was fracking and not coltan.
I remember reading about that. They flattened the town.
Yeah, and a few months ago,
a couple of us saw your story and we thought,
"Why not move to Greylock?"
When we showed up at the border this morning,
we asked them if we could immigrate.
They looked a little confused
and said that they would call you.
Greylock was always a welcoming place when we were just a town.
No reason we should be any different
now that we're a country.
Thank you, Sarah.
It doesn't matter if they're nice.
We can't have open borders, Sarah.
Because you don't like immigrants?
My mother was an immigrant, Maya.
I like immigrants just fine.
But we don't have the space.
Right now, it's a few families,
but what happens if a hundred show up, or a thousand?
Our constitution has to set a precedent
for Greylock for the next 500 years.
We can't let some incident from today affect how we write it.
We don't know who these people are.
Businesses run background checks before they hire you.
Shouldn't our country at least do the same?
New people means new energy and new ideas for a community.
- Also means new problems. - Okay. I'm gonna pull our zoning maps
and show you that we have plenty of space for new families.
AJ can run background checks on our friends from Pennsylvania,
as well as anybody else who shows up.
Greylock was nearly wiped off the map five months ago,
and then it would've been us who were the immigrants.
We should be just as eager to give out a second chance
as we were to get one.
Hi, Princess.
What are you doing here?
Can't a father come visit his daughter?
Where the hell have you been?
- I've been around. - Around?
Do they have phones in around?
What about Wi-Fi?
I should've called, I know. I-I just...
I haven't seen or heard from you in 18 years.
Why come back now?
I saw Greylock on TV with the drilling and Lydon.
And then, there you were...
my little girl, all grown up.
I'm not... I'm not your little girl.
Seeing you made me realize I needed to make things right
with you and your brother. That's why I'm here.
I-I just thought maybe we could talk.
I don't want to talk to you.
Not now.
Not ever.
Sarah?
Do you have a phone charger? My phone died
- during the meeting this morning. - Yeah. Counter, my backpack.
All right, thanks.
Are these your photos?
- I, um... - Yeah.
I didn't know you were into photography.
- I'm not. - Dude, these are really good, Ty.
I've never see Greylock look like this before.
- I should honestly put these up. - Could you put those back? Please?
- Yeah. - Thanks.
It's two-for-one donuts tonight.
You want my extra?
- It's blueberry. - It's my favorite.
Yeah, I know.
Um, so, uh, how's-how's the... constitution thing?
Turns out democracy is a little harder than it looks.
Since when do you teach accounting?
I got this delinquency notice from a bank that I don't even recognize
that I guess has to do with my student loans.
- Want me to take a look? - No, no, no. No.
I've got plenty of time to wade through the fine print,
'cause Adam and Josh are in Boston
- for a Cub Scout retreat, so I... - Corinne, I'm a lawyer.
I eat fine print for breakfast. I insist.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Thank you, Danny.
You're welcome.
- This isn't too much? - No.
Sorry I'm late, Ty. The battery died.
No problem. It's been pretty light.
Dead battery, huh?
Yeah.
You know I know where you really were.
And I know you know I don't want to talk about it.
You don't have to lie about going to therapy, Grover.
It's nothing to be ashamed of.
You know, it's-it's been three sessions,
and I've barely said a word.
But I open my mouth, and nothing...
nothing comes out.
Have you thought about maybe finding somebody else?
No way. Edna's the only Black therapist
for a hundred miles.
Besides, she's not the problem.
I am.
Maybe therapy just isn't for me.
It's hard, but it's worth it.
And you're worth it.
And as far as I can tell,
Greylock has more than enough space
for whatever or whoever comes our way, so Liz can relax.
I don't know what you're getting so worked up about.
Between me, you and Maya, we have all the votes we need
to outvote her and your brother on immigration.
No. We're trying to build a real democracy.
We can't just steamroll people who disagree with us.
We have to change their minds.
These maps should help answer Liz's concerns.
Um, how is it going on the background checks
for Kayleigh and the rest of our new arrivals?
Mm. In progress.
Okay, can you do me a favor
and add Paul Preston Cooper to your list?
Why would I do that?
Because he's here.
Your father's in Greylock?
Since this morning.
- Is he here for good? - I don't know,
and I don't care, but, um, we told Liz and Danny
we would look into anyone
who had the intention of staying in Greylock
for longer than a vacation, so...
Okay. I'll check into him.
Yeah. Um, make it thorough.
If you can find any reason
to justify kicking him out of Greylock, I'm all ears.
You got it.
_
I missed you, Danny.
You know, Danny, I... I don't need all this.
I can stay in a hotel until I find a place.
The hotel's full of immigrants from Pennsylvania. Don't ask.
This place is empty. Seems like a waste not to use it.
Just gonna turn the heat on.
Oh.
I remember buying that couch.
Your old trunks are probably still in the basement.
Well, would have thought she'd gotten rid of every trace of me.
Please. Never saw her do anything
that required putting down her drink.
Yeah, caught her interview on the news a few months back.
Three DUIs?
I had no idea her drinking got so bad.
"Bad" is an understatement.
Hey, Dad?
All this time, where'd you go?
Well... Wherever work sent me, you know?
You didn't think to maybe...
stop by once or twice?
I-I... I-I wanted to, Danny. I just...
- It was better that I didn't. - Because of Mom.
Because of me.
I would've done more harm than good.
I-I just really wasn't father material back then.
But you are now?
I'd like to be.
? It's a cold day in... ?
Oh. Thank you, Groves.
? And I'm wishing that... ?
What the hell is going on with you and Danny?
What?
? It's a cold... ?
- What do you mean? - I mean the smiles, the long stares,
the wistful eye contact.
It's like I'm watching a-a teenage rom-com,
the way you two are looking at each other.
- No. We're not... - You're playing with fire.
- Grover... - Look,
I understand the power of first love.
Okay? There's a connection that doesn't fade
no matter how many years go by,
and it's obvious you and Danny still have that connection.
And that's okay.
You can't control how you feel.
But you can control how you act.
And right now, you're acting like someone
who's looking for trouble.
I'm not saying this to be a dick.
I'm saying this because I am your friend.
Stay away from Danny.
That road only leads to bad places.
You know that.
? It's a cold day in hell. ?
Danny! You let him stay in Mom's house?
It's his house, too.
Oh, is it?
Does he... Does he pay the mortgage?
What about the property taxes?
What do you want me to do, send him a bill?
He needs a place to stay.
How can you... how can you treat him
like dear old Dad after what he did?
Don't you want to know where he was?
Don't you think it's weird that he's suddenly back
- after all this time? - Of course I do.
But, unlike you, I'm willing to actually let him answer
those questions instead of giving him the silent treatment.
You know what happens if you ignore him, Sarah?
Nothing. Just more silence.
Look, he was our dad once.
I'd like to see if maybe he could be again.
It took me years to climb out of the crater that he left behind.
He hurt me, too. Have dinner with him.
What's the worst that could happen?
Hey.
Somebody submitted two of my photos
- to the Greylock art show. - Tyler...
I told you I didn't want anything to do with this.
Hey, I know. I-It's just with Bella being gone
and me being so busy, you've been kind of down lately.
Thought it might, I don't know,
get you more hyped if people actually saw your work.
"Mr. Easterbrook, your work is both trivial and pretentious.
"The photos you captured were amateurish
and poorly composed. We, the Greylock Arts Council,"
on our highty, hoity-toity horses,
think that your work is not good enough.
Screw you. Go back to where you came from.
Hey, I was just trying to help.
I thought you needed a boost.
What I need are friends I can trust.
You don't got to walk me home from work, Grover.
If a bear comes, I'll just fight his ass.
It's all good.
My hotel is the same direction.
Besides, if you're gonna fight a bear,
I definitely want to watch.
I guess your sour mood has to do
with your little throwdown with Maya earlier.
She had no right to go behind my back like that.
You're right. And if that were the only reason why you were upset,
I'd be on your side.
That's not why you were mad, right?
Not entirely, anyway.
You were mad at the results.
- Yeah. Those judges tore me apart. - Look,
the Greylock Council for the Arts is old
and white and stuck in their ways.
They look at Basquiat and think that it's graffiti.
Screw their art show.
If you want to show your photos, do it yourself.
Don't worry what other people think about your work.
Focus on what you think about it.
Cool?
So, I've been sending my cash to the wrong place?
For three months now.
Which is why the new bank tried to nail you with late fees.
Wait, "tried?"
Yeah, I spouted a bunch of legalese at them
about failing to notify you
of the loan transfer and they backed off.
Thank you so much, Danny. This is so...
- This is so helpful. - You're welcome.
You know, I assume that you've been living out of a vending machine,
so I made you some cookies.
- Oh, my God. - Yeah.
Please tell me this is the same recipe from high school.
Brown butter chocolate chip,
- a little burnt? - They're not burnt. They're well-done.
Mmm.
You should bribe Sarah with these. I mean...
- Might get her to relax a little bit. - Um,
her father left and never looked back.
She was six years old when he left.
And now he's trying to worm
- his way back into her life. - She was too young to really know him
- or understand the whole story. - No, if anyone should relax, it's him.
Okay.
And what's the whole story?
My dad met my mom almost 30 years ago
when he was on a State Department assignment
in New Hampshire.
When she got pregnant with me,
he settled down because that's what people do,
but having kids is different from being a parent.
My... My father wasn't built for fatherhood.
Looking back, I realize he was miserable in Greylock.
Guess I shouldn't have been so surprised when he left.
But now that he is here,
you're really just gonna welcome him back,
- no questions asked? - I have plenty of questions.
But I know my dad. He loves us.
And you don't walk away from people you love without a good reason.
I should go.
Thank you again so much for the help.
? On the nights we're on the sky ?
? And I couldn't tell you what... ?
This might go better if we could actually talk.
You can talk all you want.
I'm here because Danny asked me to be here.
Yeah.
You know, I-I thought tonight, we could...
I-I would like to hear about your life.
Uh, you left, I grew up,
I started a country, now I'm here.
Your turn.
So far, the only information I have
about the last 18 years is that you were... around.
It wasn't supposed to be for that long.
At first, it was just a week.
Get my head on straight.
And then... week became a month
- became a year. - Yeah, I know how time works.
We covered that in first grade.
Not that you were here to see it.
- I wish I had been. - Mm.
? 'Cause you are... ?
But my absence certainly hasn't prevented you
from becoming a remarkable young woman.
? I still let you... ?
I needed a father, not a college admissions essay.
And don't even get me started on what you leaving did to Mom.
You mother was strong. She...
- She could roll with the punches. - Yeah.
She could dole 'em out, too.
What's that supposed to mean?
You should ask Danny.
You know, Sarah, you-you think my leaving made me a bad father.
But truth is I was a bad father before that.
Being a parent means being selfless. I wasn't.
I couldn't stop thinking about the opportunities I was missing,
the life I wasn't living.
You're saying we were a burden?
We were getting in the way?
- I'm saying I was an idiot. - So you've come back here
to prove that you aren't anymore?
Come back to say I'm sorry.
Down to my bones, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I left.
I'm sorry I didn't stay in contact.
I-I'm sorry for me.
Made more mistakes in my life than I can count.
I guess I just thought it was about time
I started to try and make some amends.
? You know I feel. ?
_
Hey.
How'd it go with your dad?
Oh.
I don't know. I want to hate him.
I do hate him, but...
I don't know, talking to him made him seem...
human.
Hi. Hi. Hi, Fenway.
What's up with you? You look like someone just died.
I was running background checks on our new immigrants,
and I found two things.
First, Kayleigh's mother... she's traveling with them...
she was arrested for civil disobedience
at a Vietnam protest in 1968.
Okay, that's a... that's a feature, not a bug.
And second...
It's your dad, Sarah.
Paul Cooper is wanted by the U.S. government.
You lied to me. You only came to Greylock
because you're wanted by the U.S. government.
And since we don't have any official diplomatic ties to the U.S.,
that makes us a non-extradition country,
which means they can't arrest you
- as long as you're here. - Princess, don't jump to conclusions.
I'm not your princess
or your safe haven or your way out.
I didn't think you could sink any lower than you already were,
but congratulations. You found a basement.
- You don't want to hear what I did? - Was it a hit-and-run?
You were always really great at fleeing from responsibility.
I stole classified documents from the State Department.
Published them online.
The story was all over the news a few months back.
The Capeero-326 Leaks.
- I'm Capeero-326. - If you think...
that I'm gonna believe...
- That is so ridiculous! - Ca-Pee-Ro.
Castle. Peak. Rock.
3/26.
It's your birthday, Sarah.
My work with the Feds took me all over the world.
During that time, I saw a lot of bad behavior
at the State Department.
Kickbacks, payoffs, that kind of thing.
But then one day last year,
the embassy in Kinshasa that was built
by U.S. contractors collapses.
No earthquake, no bomb... just poof, collapses.
Kills 16 people, injures another five dozen.
So I started digging around,
and I find out there's this group of officials at State
that have been accepting bribes to look the other way
while contractors use shoddy construction materials.
Third-world countries, third-world casualties.
Nobody bats an eye.
I didn't even... say anything.
Until I saw you on the news,
my little princess changing the world,
and I thought, "Man, I got to do the right thing,"
and-and so I published the proof that I had, and I disappeared.
There's, like, a half a dozen people on Earth
that know that I'm Capeero-326, and now you're one of them.
I'm putting my life in your hands.
You decide what you want to do.
Heck, I just wanted you to believe for a minute
that maybe my life wasn't a total waste.
I thought you had this time blocked off for your sessions.
I'm not feeling it today.
Well, they say therapy is like the gym...
the days you don't feel like going
are probably the days you need it most.
Yeah, maybe what's wrong with me can't be fixed, okay?
Okay, get in the car.
Look, I'm not... I'm not in the mood, okay?
Look, I'm not feeling the pep talk today.
I said get in the car, Grover.
Don't make me use the siren.
AJ, where are we?
What are we doing here?
Hey, Marcia.
- Hey! - How is he today?
- Oh, you know him... he's getting by. - All right.
Well, I got his peppermints.
- Ooh. - And... I brought his favorite flowers.
Oh, he loves those candies, but you need to stop pretending
like those flowers aren't just for you.
Okay, look, nobody else is buying them for me...
I might as well spoil myself, okay?
- AJ. - Come on.
I want you to meet someone.
Hi, Dad.
He has what they call primary CNS vasculitis.
Uh, CNS?
Central Nervous System.
It's a bunch of strokes all at one time.
He lost most of his cognitive function...
his speech,
you know, fine motor stuff, but...
... my dad's still in there somewhere.
All right, come on.
Hey, AJ, why didn't you tell any of us?
Because of the look on your face when you saw him.
- Hey, I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't... - Oh, it's okay, it's okay.
It's always a shock the first time.
But I just want to protect his dignity,
you know, not turn him into a circus act.
You know, every time I come here, I just...
I think about all the things my dad won't get to do.
All the life he isn't living.
But you still have choices, Grover.
Yeah, I'm choosing not to go to therapy.
No, you're choosing to not address your grief.
You're choosing to give up.
I brought you here because I was hoping that by seeing him
and the life that he has
would kickstart you into living the life that you have left.
If we don't start making some decisions,
we're never gonna ratify a constitution.
We can't rush the process.
It took 116 days to write the American Constitution.
Yeah, in an era when it took two weeks to get a loaf of bread...
the world moves faster now.
We have to move faster with it.
Yeah, this document is forever, Danny.
Doesn't mean it should take that long to write it.
I think we need a new strategy.
Looking at this thing all at once is too overwhelming.
Let's break it into smaller pieces
and ratify them one by one.
I say we start with citizenship and immigration.
Well, the latest draft of that section allows
for citizenship after a basic background check
and a week-long waiting period.
All in favor?
I knew you'd come around.
Well, it's obviously no for me, but it doesn't matter.
You seem to have the votes. Rizzoli over here is on your side.
I'm not so sure.
Wait. What do you mean?
The basic background checks are good.
But in some cases, it really only leads to more questions.
We need more time to properly vet people.
That's two votes for open borders,
two votes against.
Which means, Madam President, you're the tiebreaker.
What's it gonna be, sis?
The right decision is so obvious.
Why can't I make it?
I vote yes on immigration,
the people from Pennsylvania get to stay.
More importantly, we set a precedent
for generations to come that Greylock is a...
a welcoming place, that...
that new faces and new ideas will always have a home here.
I vote no, none of that happens.
We close our border, and a bunch of people
who deserve a second chance don't get one.
I'm a terrible person.
You're not a terrible person.
But your dad is.
That's what makes this so hard.
If you vote no, you can send him away
and never have to see him again.
I didn't need, like...
homemade pancakes and camping trips and...
You know.
Whatever dads do. I don't even know.
I just wanted him around.
Now he's here,
I just wish he would leave.
I wish he would leave.
I have to vote yes on immigration.
Yep.
And that means this guy who calls himself my father
can stay in Greylock as long as he wants.
Yeah.
Can we stay down here a little bit longer?
- Oh, yeah. - Thank you.
- Hey, Danny. - Hey, uh, let me just grab my coat,
and then we can head over for lunch.
I was, uh, talking to Sarah.
She mentioned something about your mother,
about something bad having happened
when you guys were kids.
What was she talking about?
It's nothing.
Why don't you tell me?
What do you want to know?
She'd get drunk and then she'd get mean,
and then she'd... get...
You?
Should've been there to protect you.
You're not the one who needs to apologize for that, Dad.
Yeah, I am, and...
I will, even if she never does.
When you were a teenager,
was it all darkness?
- Was there any light in there? - Yeah,
there were... there were happy times,
and, you know what, even...
even on the worst days,
I was never totally alone, so...
Good morning, everyone.
I'm really proud to announce
that Greylock has ratified its first constitution.
The council and I are really... we're really proud
of the foundation we have laid for our country's future.
But if the... if the process of writing this document
has taught me anything, it's this:
it's an imperfect process.
People make mistakes.
I know, because I've made plenty,
and I'm sure I will make plenty more. We all will.
So, before the council took its final vote,
we added one last clause to our constitution
to account for those mistakes,
to account for the fact that we're human.
Every five years, our constitution...
must be rewritten from scratch,
so that we aren't chained to the mistakes of our past
or crushed by the burden of perfection.
As Greylock's people grow and evolve...
so will Greylock.
How are you feeling today?
I know you're having a hard time opening up, Grover.
And that's okay.
Why don't I do a little bit of talking,
and we'll see if that inspires you to do the same?
So...
I'm Edna.
I was born and raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
My mother was a seamstress, my father was...
an ass.
And I've been a therapist for 40 years.
You're Grover Sims.
You're 25 years old.
You were raised in Greylock, New Hampshire,
and you're here because...
Uh...
Because your wife died.
It feels like there's an anvil on your chest, doesn't it?
When my Henry passed,
I didn't leave the house for a month.
You're a widow?
Twice.
Steven died in '97.
Heart attack in his sleep.
We should all be so lucky.
And Henry went just last year.
Pancreatic cancer.
Here one day, gone the next.
When you lose... someone you love...
... how... how do you, uh... ?
- Get up in the morning? - Yeah.
It's not easy.
You just have to remind yourself that you're still breathing.
And then you have to give yourself permission
to keep breathing.
That last one's the tricky part.
I-I don't know how it's been for you,
but for me,
it was never the grief that got to me.
- It was always, uh... - The guilt.
You, uh... you feel guilty for still being here after...
after they've gone.
And guilty for... for moving on.
Even thinking about moving on.
How long have you felt that guilt?
Right from the start.
Right when Patience first got sick.
Patience.
That's a lovely name.
Oh.
I remember when, um...
... when the oncologist came to give us the bad news...
... just pleading for the universe to give us, uh... more time.
Or just give me the cancer instead.
Just make me sick, you know?
Can't believe Tyler did all this.
- They're good, right? - I'm so proud.
Oh, I know.
It's your rejections letter, huh?
This whole thing is so dope.
- Thanks. - How did you find all of these people?
Social media, mostly.
Uh, I just invited anyone
who got their art rejected from the art show.
Told them they could show it here.
So, uh, what do you think?
I think it's accurate.
That we all become zombies?
We all become victims of our past.
You made the right choice voting "yes" on immigration,
letting Dad stay.
I didn't do it for him.
You can't stay mad at him forever, Sarah.
You should give him some time to earn your trust back.
I will.
Really?
Yeah. He wants time, he can have it.
18 years.
That's how long I had to wait. Why shouldn't he?
But until then, he can stay the hell away from me.
Listen, dude,
I'm really sorry about what I did.
I should have never submitted your work without asking.
I'm sorry I blew up at you.
Why were you so nervous about showing people your photos?
I mean, you ran my campaign, you organized our border protest.
You're a total badass.
I don't get what's so scary
about showing a couple of pictures.
With the campaign and with those... protests,
you know, I'm-I'm in the shadows.
I'm, like, the guy behind the guy.
And with this, I just...
- You're the guy. - Mm-hmm.
I feel like everyone's just always...
looking at me and judging me.
And with the photos, at least until now,
I always had one thing that I kept sacred.
- Can I get some more? - Yeah.
Thanks.
Yeah, storm's getting bad out there.
Yeah? Weather reports say it's gonna be a real doozy.
They're comparing it to the blizzard of '78.
This place looks great, Ty.
- Thanks. - Mm-hmm.
Oh, sorry I'm late. I had therapy,
and that snow slowed me down on the way back.
It's not a problem.
Um, as long as you can keep everybody drinking.
Got some cookies in the oven. They might be burning.
- Right. - I saw that.
You saw what?
You being honest about going to therapy.
It's nothing to be ashamed of, right?
Right.
You know, I, uh... I never got to thank you
- for letting me meet your dad. - Mm.
And I'd like to come with you next time you go and see him.
I mean, somebody's got to help him eat all those peppermints.
Thanks, Grover.
Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that.
All right, what else you want to know?
? But you keep pulling me back to the start ?
? You led me on ?
? To think things were real... ?
Huh.
Oh. Danny.
What are... uh, what are you doing here?
Cookies.
- What? - Brown butter chocolate chip,
slightly burnt.
- Okay. Um... - I went to Sweetie Pie to find you,
and, um, I overheard Grover say that you came here
to return some decorations from the art show.
Couch cushion forts in the basement,
um, making out between innings of Red Sox games.
Hooking up behind the hay bales at Stone Orchard.
Sneaking into movies at the Foothill Four.
You-you helping me with-with English.
You-you helping me rehab my knee after I tore my MCL.
You helping me... pull glass out of my arm.
You... holding frozen peas on my eye.
You... holding me.
You deserve to know why I left.
The night I left Greylock, I got into a fight with my mom.
The... worst... we'd ever had.
She was, um...
She was slapping me and-and calling me names.
And...
And for the first time in my life,
I raised my fist to hit her back.
But before I could take a swing, I-I caught myself.
I-I saw...
my reflection in the window over her shoulder.
I-I saw myself ready to hit her.
Ready to punch and kick and...
That's when I realized the violence that was in my mom
was also in me.
So, I-I...
I-I packed my bag and left that night. I...
I never called because I knew that if I did,
you'd convince me to let you come with me, and I...
I couldn't let that happen.
I-I-I... I had to... I had to protect you from me.
I'm sorry that I hurt you.
Just know I only did it to keep you safe,
just like you had always kept me safe.
- Synced & corrected by MementMori - -- www.addic7ed.com --