A/N To everyone - Sorry I haven't been able to update often. I have been
out of town and had very sporadic computer use again. Also, if this looks
funny it is because I can't get it to format correctly on this computer.
My apologies for any problems.
Glad to know everyone is able to keep up with the time changes. I have hoped through out that those would be clear.
Just a reminder, Kitty is Kitty Cohen, Mark's mom. And Emily is the daughter of Jennifer and Rich (the cop).
Now, here is a warning. There is a lot of emotion running through most of the rest of this story. Personally, I cry like a baby when I read it and I know what happens. So this is your official tear jerker warning.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and from Collin and I to all of you "It's gonna be a happy new year!"
Love you all and my usual heartfelt thanks for sticking with me. We are almost to the end. It's been a long and wonderful path we have traveled.
Kelby
Chapter 103
Roger heard his cell phone ringing and reached for it on the nightstand. Unfortunately he remembered too late that they weren't at home, but at his mother's house and there wasn't a nightstand on his side of the bed. Cass woke up when she heard the thud of him falling on the floor as the phone stopped ringing.
"Roger?" She sat up looking for him.
"Where's the fucking phone?" He grumbled as it started ringing again. He dug around the pile of clothes and found it still clipped to his pants. "Hello?"
"Who is it?"
"You're there now?" He said into the phone. "Okay. As soon as we can." He paused to listen as he sat up on the floor.
"What's going on?"
"Uh huh. Okay." He said standing up and pulling on his pants. "What about your mom?" He tossed Cass her jeans from the floor. "Right. We'll be there soon. Bye."
"What happened?" Cass asked as he clicked off the phone.
"Mark took Maureen to the hospital. It's bad Cass. Real bad."
"Oh God Baby." She said as she crawled across the bed towards him.
"I think this is it." He told her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "We gotta get to the hospital."
"Okay." She said wiping her eyes. "I'll pack up our stuff. You get Collin."
"Roger?" Joanie said knocking on the door. "I heard the phone." She slowly opened the door.
"Mark took Mo to the hospital. We gotta go. Can you get Collin up?"
"Yes. Did Mark call Kitty yet?" Joanie asked.
"No. Maureen's parents are on their way from Long Island. He wasn't up to dealing with his mom and her mom in the middle of the night. Especially considering his dad's out of town this weekend. He'll call her in a little bit."
"Well if you want, you two can go now and I'll bring Collin in the morning. I'll call Kitty and see if she wants me to drive her in."
"That's a good idea Roger." Cass said still kneeling on the bed.
"Yeah maybe it is." He pulled his shirt over his head. "We gotta get going."
Joanie nodded and headed downstairs.
"What time is it?" Cass asked changing into a sweatshirt.
"Two-thirty." He told her, looking at his watch.
Cass pulled on her jeans and looked over at him. She realized Roger was just standing there. Not moving. "Baby?"
He looked up. "I'm okay." He shook his head. "We gotta get moving."
She nodded as he went out the bedroom door. Cass finished getting dressed and started putting things into their bag. By the time she got downstairs Joanie had made them each a travel mug of coffee.
"Do you want any food?"
"No I'm good. I'm gonna go start the car." Roger shrugged on his jacket then took the bag from Cass, heading out to the car.
"Sweetie are you okay?"
"No." She shook her head. "Not really. I'm not ready to do this again."
"I know." She hugged her as Roger came back in the back door.
"Babe we gotta go." He told Cass who nodded and went to put on her jacket.
"Here Sweetie." Joanie handed him his coffee.
"Thanks. We'll call you in a few hours."
"Okay. What do you want me to tell Collin?"
Roger sighed. "The truth I guess. I don't know. That Mark took Maureen to the hospital and called us in the middle of the night. We'll tell him the rest when we see him, but if he asks, don't lie to him."
"Okay." She gave him a hug and watched them walk out the door.
Cass and Roger walked in the dark to the car. In the six months since Maureen's decision to not do the chemotherapy again they had been spending the weekend at Joanie and Larry's every few weeks. It gave Mark and Maureen time alone. As well as giving the three of them a break from it all too. While Joanie was thrilled to have them and be able to spend the time with both Collin and Roger, she hated the reasons why.
Cass climbed into the SUV and shivered. "God it's so cold out."
Roger turned up the heat then backed down the driveway. He pulled into the street and realized there were wet leaves all over the windshield still. He flipped on the wipers and started driving down the street. When leaves got stuck under the wiper blades he pulled over got out, and yanked up the wiper. Roger grabbed up the leaves, flinging them on the ground. He wiped his hands on his jeans and threw himself back into the car, slamming the door behind him. "I hate the fucking fall."
******************
"We're back!" Collin called as he and Jason walked into the loft with the Chinese food they had picked up for dinner.
"Good, but put it in the oven on warm. Daddy and Uncle Mark aren't here. We should wait for them. For awhile at least." Cass told them walking into the dining room and setting the laundry basket down on the table.
"Where did they go?" Collin asked, getting sodas out of the fridge for himself and Jason.
"For a walk."
"Another one?" Collin asked her.
"Yes." She said not looking up from the laundry she was folding.
Jason hopped up on the counter as she said that. "How is he?"
"About the same." She told him.
Jason looked over at the recycling container that was almost over flowing with beer cans and bottles again.
Cass saw him look. "That however seems to be getting worse. I'm really starting to worry about him Jason."
"Give him some time. Her funeral was only four days ago."
"I know. I know. I'm just worried about him. So is Roger."
"I know, but you got to give him some time." Jason told her. He realized Collin had just been standing there the whole time, listening to them. "How about you kiddo? How you doing?" He asked Collin.
"I'm okay." He shrugged.
"Really?" Jason asked him.
"Yeah I guess." He said somewhat hesitantly. Cass walked into the kitchen and put an arm around him. "What is it Sweetie?" She asked him.
"Well," he paused, "are Uncle Mark and Dad mad at each other?"
"No. Why would you think they're mad at each other?"
"Cause they aren't talking. Like at all. And Uncle Mark keeps slamming stuff around when he is here."
"No, they aren't mad at each other. Uncle Mark is just mad, but not at your dad. Or you or any of us. He's just upset."
Collin didn't look completely convinced so Jason decided to try and help. "Mark just doesn't really know what to do with himself right now. He doesn't feel like talking and he can't sit still, but he doesn't really know what he should be doing."
"And I don't think your dad knows what to say to him, so he just keeps sitting with him and going with him when he wants to go for a walk and stuff like that." Cass told him.
"We all just need to give him a little space and time." Jason explained.
"Okay." He drank back some of his soda as the apartment door opened. Roger smiled at them as he walked in followed by Mark who headed straight to his room.
"Hey Baby." He told Cass as he sat his grocery bag down on the counter and kissed her.
"Hi." She kissed him back. "How is he?" Roger just shook his head. "Well where did you go?"
Roger sighed as he reached into the bag and pulled out two new six packs of beer.
"More? Roger you've got to talk to him."
"What am I going to say Cass? Tell him drinking himself silly isn't going to make it any better? That'll hold a lot of weight coming from me." He told her, obviously frustrated. Roger shook his head and pulled out a beer for himself. "Let's just eat. Okay?"
Cass nodded and pulled the bag of Chines food out of the stove while Jason went to tell Mark dinner was ready.
"How you doing Kiddo?" Roger asked Collin. "How was school?"
"Okay." Collin shrugged.
"Did you get all caught up on your homework from the days of school you missed?"
"Pretty much. I've just got a little to finish this weekend."
Roger nodded. "I gotta work tomorrow." He told Cass and Collin.
"You do?" Collin asked sounding disappointed. "At the bar?"
"Nope." He hopped up on the counter. "At the studio. That new band is going to lay down a demo track tomorrow."
"Really?"
Roger grinned. "Yup. You wanna come with me?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay. But you gotta bring your homework with you too."
"Okay."
"Maybe we can bring your guitar too. If we have time in the end maybe we'll lay down something too."
"Cool! Wait till I tell Mattie!" He told him as Mark and Jason walked into the kitchen. Roger watched Mark go straight to the fridge and open another beer.
"Guess what!" Collin told Mark and Jason. "Dad's taking me with him to the studio tomorrow!"
"Great." Mark said unenthusiastically.
"Mark." Roger scolded him from his spot on the counter.
"Sorry." He mumbled walking over to where Cass was dumping Chines food into the bowls.
"That'll be cool Collin." Jason told him.
"Where's my Kung Pao chicken?" Mark asked Cass.
"I ordered you chicken and broccoli." Cass told him holding up a bowl.
"I wanted Kung Pao chicken!" He yelled.
"Mark calm down." Roger told him.
"Mark people with ulcers don't eat Kung Pao chicken. They eat chicken and rice." She explained.
"I fucking wanted Kung Pao chicken!" He yelled again, slamming his beer down on the counter, causing it to foam over.
"Mark don't yell at her." Roger told him.
"No! I wanted fucking Kung Pao chicken! Nobody fucking listens to me! I said Kung Pao chicken!" He screamed, sweeping all the dishes of chinese food and his beer off the countertop and onto the floor with his arm.
"Mark!" Roger yelled as Mark stormed out of the kitchen slamming his bedroom door behind him. "You okay?" He asked Cass, who was obviously stunned at Mark's reaction.
Jason looked at Collin and realized he had backed up against the counter with a scared wide-eyed look on his face. "You know what?" He said, trying to lighten the mood some. "I didn't want Chinese food anyway. Collin what do you say to going downstairs and making Jen cook us dinner. Or, better yet, we skip dinner and go straight for dessert. And maybe a movie?"
"Um." Collin said, still staring at Mark's closed door.
"Maybe that's a good idea." Roger said. "You guys go to the movies."
"Yeah. Let's go." Jason said, grabbing both his and Collin's coats.
******************
Roger walked over to Mark's room and flung open the door. "Mark what the hell-" he cut him self off before finish his sentence. Mark was on the far side of his room. Sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. His elbows on his knees and his hands were over his face as he rocked back and forth some, bumping the back of his head against the wall. "Mark."
Roger walked over and sat down next to him. He could hear the great sobbing breaths he was taking behind his hands. Suddenly it all clicked. Mark was crying. Finally. Roger realized he hadn't seen Mark show almost any emotion at all the entire week. From the time he and Cass had gotten to the hospital late that night up till now Mark hadn't cried. He just sort of put up a front. Just stood there. Behind the famous Mark wall. He used to hide behind his camera but he last six months the camera has just sat in his office, untouched.
"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." He told him, putting an arm around his shoulders. The dam broke and Mark cried as Roger sat there with him. Eventually Cass came in and sat on the floor with them as Mark cried and finally started to talk.
**********************
Instead of going directly for ice cream, Jason decided they should eat at least some real food first even if they only got bad for you appetizer type stuff. Jason watched Collin swirl his sweet potato fries in ketchup.
He felt so bad for the poor kid. Jason didn't know if it was because Collin, along with Emily were as close as he'd ever get to having his own kids or if it was the fact that he was named after the man he loved. Or if it was just the fact that the poor kid had already been through so much. And he knew too much about the ways of the world for only being in the fifth grade. "Hey." He looked down at him. "It's going to be okay. Mark didn't mean to get upset."
"But it was only chicken. Mom says if he eats spicy stuff it'll make him sick. She was trying to help."
"I know she was. And so does Mark." Jason let out a big sigh and leaned back in his seat. "It's like I said before. Mark is mad. He's not mad about the chicken or mad at your mom. He's just mad about losing Aunt Mo and he's sort of taking it out on all of us right now because he doesn't know what else to do."
"When Uncle Collins died you didn't act like that."
"Well, everybody acts different. Deals with it different. Mark is just having a hard time dealing with it."
"Aunt Mo said Uncle Mark is scared to be alone." Collin stated, almost like a question.
"Well." Jason thought about how to answer that. "You gotta remember Collin, Mark has lost a lot of friends. And then Maureen had broken up with him and lived with Aunt Joanne for awhile, so yeah, she's probably right. He probably is afraid of being alone."
"But he's not alone. And my dad always lived with him."
"I know, but I think for a long time he felt like he was going to be alone forever. You have to remember, even though your dad lived with him, there was a lot of other things going on in your dad's life. And he didn't always have time for Uncle Mark. And he sometimes felt kinda alone anyway, even though your dad was there. I think he felt like he was going to be alone forever. But then Collins moved back to New York. And then me and Jen moved in. And your mom. And you were born. So it's gotten a lot better for him, but sometimes it's hard to get past stuff you were scarred of for a long, long time."
"I just wish he'd start acting like Uncle Mark again."
"I know you do kiddo. I know. Eat your fries and then we'll go have junk food at the movies. Maybe you can even sleep on the couch down at my place tonight."
"Okay. I just wish he'd start acting like the old Uncle Mark."
Glad to know everyone is able to keep up with the time changes. I have hoped through out that those would be clear.
Just a reminder, Kitty is Kitty Cohen, Mark's mom. And Emily is the daughter of Jennifer and Rich (the cop).
Now, here is a warning. There is a lot of emotion running through most of the rest of this story. Personally, I cry like a baby when I read it and I know what happens. So this is your official tear jerker warning.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and from Collin and I to all of you "It's gonna be a happy new year!"
Love you all and my usual heartfelt thanks for sticking with me. We are almost to the end. It's been a long and wonderful path we have traveled.
Kelby
Chapter 103
Roger heard his cell phone ringing and reached for it on the nightstand. Unfortunately he remembered too late that they weren't at home, but at his mother's house and there wasn't a nightstand on his side of the bed. Cass woke up when she heard the thud of him falling on the floor as the phone stopped ringing.
"Roger?" She sat up looking for him.
"Where's the fucking phone?" He grumbled as it started ringing again. He dug around the pile of clothes and found it still clipped to his pants. "Hello?"
"Who is it?"
"You're there now?" He said into the phone. "Okay. As soon as we can." He paused to listen as he sat up on the floor.
"What's going on?"
"Uh huh. Okay." He said standing up and pulling on his pants. "What about your mom?" He tossed Cass her jeans from the floor. "Right. We'll be there soon. Bye."
"What happened?" Cass asked as he clicked off the phone.
"Mark took Maureen to the hospital. It's bad Cass. Real bad."
"Oh God Baby." She said as she crawled across the bed towards him.
"I think this is it." He told her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "We gotta get to the hospital."
"Okay." She said wiping her eyes. "I'll pack up our stuff. You get Collin."
"Roger?" Joanie said knocking on the door. "I heard the phone." She slowly opened the door.
"Mark took Mo to the hospital. We gotta go. Can you get Collin up?"
"Yes. Did Mark call Kitty yet?" Joanie asked.
"No. Maureen's parents are on their way from Long Island. He wasn't up to dealing with his mom and her mom in the middle of the night. Especially considering his dad's out of town this weekend. He'll call her in a little bit."
"Well if you want, you two can go now and I'll bring Collin in the morning. I'll call Kitty and see if she wants me to drive her in."
"That's a good idea Roger." Cass said still kneeling on the bed.
"Yeah maybe it is." He pulled his shirt over his head. "We gotta get going."
Joanie nodded and headed downstairs.
"What time is it?" Cass asked changing into a sweatshirt.
"Two-thirty." He told her, looking at his watch.
Cass pulled on her jeans and looked over at him. She realized Roger was just standing there. Not moving. "Baby?"
He looked up. "I'm okay." He shook his head. "We gotta get moving."
She nodded as he went out the bedroom door. Cass finished getting dressed and started putting things into their bag. By the time she got downstairs Joanie had made them each a travel mug of coffee.
"Do you want any food?"
"No I'm good. I'm gonna go start the car." Roger shrugged on his jacket then took the bag from Cass, heading out to the car.
"Sweetie are you okay?"
"No." She shook her head. "Not really. I'm not ready to do this again."
"I know." She hugged her as Roger came back in the back door.
"Babe we gotta go." He told Cass who nodded and went to put on her jacket.
"Here Sweetie." Joanie handed him his coffee.
"Thanks. We'll call you in a few hours."
"Okay. What do you want me to tell Collin?"
Roger sighed. "The truth I guess. I don't know. That Mark took Maureen to the hospital and called us in the middle of the night. We'll tell him the rest when we see him, but if he asks, don't lie to him."
"Okay." She gave him a hug and watched them walk out the door.
Cass and Roger walked in the dark to the car. In the six months since Maureen's decision to not do the chemotherapy again they had been spending the weekend at Joanie and Larry's every few weeks. It gave Mark and Maureen time alone. As well as giving the three of them a break from it all too. While Joanie was thrilled to have them and be able to spend the time with both Collin and Roger, she hated the reasons why.
Cass climbed into the SUV and shivered. "God it's so cold out."
Roger turned up the heat then backed down the driveway. He pulled into the street and realized there were wet leaves all over the windshield still. He flipped on the wipers and started driving down the street. When leaves got stuck under the wiper blades he pulled over got out, and yanked up the wiper. Roger grabbed up the leaves, flinging them on the ground. He wiped his hands on his jeans and threw himself back into the car, slamming the door behind him. "I hate the fucking fall."
******************
"We're back!" Collin called as he and Jason walked into the loft with the Chinese food they had picked up for dinner.
"Good, but put it in the oven on warm. Daddy and Uncle Mark aren't here. We should wait for them. For awhile at least." Cass told them walking into the dining room and setting the laundry basket down on the table.
"Where did they go?" Collin asked, getting sodas out of the fridge for himself and Jason.
"For a walk."
"Another one?" Collin asked her.
"Yes." She said not looking up from the laundry she was folding.
Jason hopped up on the counter as she said that. "How is he?"
"About the same." She told him.
Jason looked over at the recycling container that was almost over flowing with beer cans and bottles again.
Cass saw him look. "That however seems to be getting worse. I'm really starting to worry about him Jason."
"Give him some time. Her funeral was only four days ago."
"I know. I know. I'm just worried about him. So is Roger."
"I know, but you got to give him some time." Jason told her. He realized Collin had just been standing there the whole time, listening to them. "How about you kiddo? How you doing?" He asked Collin.
"I'm okay." He shrugged.
"Really?" Jason asked him.
"Yeah I guess." He said somewhat hesitantly. Cass walked into the kitchen and put an arm around him. "What is it Sweetie?" She asked him.
"Well," he paused, "are Uncle Mark and Dad mad at each other?"
"No. Why would you think they're mad at each other?"
"Cause they aren't talking. Like at all. And Uncle Mark keeps slamming stuff around when he is here."
"No, they aren't mad at each other. Uncle Mark is just mad, but not at your dad. Or you or any of us. He's just upset."
Collin didn't look completely convinced so Jason decided to try and help. "Mark just doesn't really know what to do with himself right now. He doesn't feel like talking and he can't sit still, but he doesn't really know what he should be doing."
"And I don't think your dad knows what to say to him, so he just keeps sitting with him and going with him when he wants to go for a walk and stuff like that." Cass told him.
"We all just need to give him a little space and time." Jason explained.
"Okay." He drank back some of his soda as the apartment door opened. Roger smiled at them as he walked in followed by Mark who headed straight to his room.
"Hey Baby." He told Cass as he sat his grocery bag down on the counter and kissed her.
"Hi." She kissed him back. "How is he?" Roger just shook his head. "Well where did you go?"
Roger sighed as he reached into the bag and pulled out two new six packs of beer.
"More? Roger you've got to talk to him."
"What am I going to say Cass? Tell him drinking himself silly isn't going to make it any better? That'll hold a lot of weight coming from me." He told her, obviously frustrated. Roger shook his head and pulled out a beer for himself. "Let's just eat. Okay?"
Cass nodded and pulled the bag of Chines food out of the stove while Jason went to tell Mark dinner was ready.
"How you doing Kiddo?" Roger asked Collin. "How was school?"
"Okay." Collin shrugged.
"Did you get all caught up on your homework from the days of school you missed?"
"Pretty much. I've just got a little to finish this weekend."
Roger nodded. "I gotta work tomorrow." He told Cass and Collin.
"You do?" Collin asked sounding disappointed. "At the bar?"
"Nope." He hopped up on the counter. "At the studio. That new band is going to lay down a demo track tomorrow."
"Really?"
Roger grinned. "Yup. You wanna come with me?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay. But you gotta bring your homework with you too."
"Okay."
"Maybe we can bring your guitar too. If we have time in the end maybe we'll lay down something too."
"Cool! Wait till I tell Mattie!" He told him as Mark and Jason walked into the kitchen. Roger watched Mark go straight to the fridge and open another beer.
"Guess what!" Collin told Mark and Jason. "Dad's taking me with him to the studio tomorrow!"
"Great." Mark said unenthusiastically.
"Mark." Roger scolded him from his spot on the counter.
"Sorry." He mumbled walking over to where Cass was dumping Chines food into the bowls.
"That'll be cool Collin." Jason told him.
"Where's my Kung Pao chicken?" Mark asked Cass.
"I ordered you chicken and broccoli." Cass told him holding up a bowl.
"I wanted Kung Pao chicken!" He yelled.
"Mark calm down." Roger told him.
"Mark people with ulcers don't eat Kung Pao chicken. They eat chicken and rice." She explained.
"I fucking wanted Kung Pao chicken!" He yelled again, slamming his beer down on the counter, causing it to foam over.
"Mark don't yell at her." Roger told him.
"No! I wanted fucking Kung Pao chicken! Nobody fucking listens to me! I said Kung Pao chicken!" He screamed, sweeping all the dishes of chinese food and his beer off the countertop and onto the floor with his arm.
"Mark!" Roger yelled as Mark stormed out of the kitchen slamming his bedroom door behind him. "You okay?" He asked Cass, who was obviously stunned at Mark's reaction.
Jason looked at Collin and realized he had backed up against the counter with a scared wide-eyed look on his face. "You know what?" He said, trying to lighten the mood some. "I didn't want Chinese food anyway. Collin what do you say to going downstairs and making Jen cook us dinner. Or, better yet, we skip dinner and go straight for dessert. And maybe a movie?"
"Um." Collin said, still staring at Mark's closed door.
"Maybe that's a good idea." Roger said. "You guys go to the movies."
"Yeah. Let's go." Jason said, grabbing both his and Collin's coats.
******************
Roger walked over to Mark's room and flung open the door. "Mark what the hell-" he cut him self off before finish his sentence. Mark was on the far side of his room. Sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. His elbows on his knees and his hands were over his face as he rocked back and forth some, bumping the back of his head against the wall. "Mark."
Roger walked over and sat down next to him. He could hear the great sobbing breaths he was taking behind his hands. Suddenly it all clicked. Mark was crying. Finally. Roger realized he hadn't seen Mark show almost any emotion at all the entire week. From the time he and Cass had gotten to the hospital late that night up till now Mark hadn't cried. He just sort of put up a front. Just stood there. Behind the famous Mark wall. He used to hide behind his camera but he last six months the camera has just sat in his office, untouched.
"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." He told him, putting an arm around his shoulders. The dam broke and Mark cried as Roger sat there with him. Eventually Cass came in and sat on the floor with them as Mark cried and finally started to talk.
**********************
Instead of going directly for ice cream, Jason decided they should eat at least some real food first even if they only got bad for you appetizer type stuff. Jason watched Collin swirl his sweet potato fries in ketchup.
He felt so bad for the poor kid. Jason didn't know if it was because Collin, along with Emily were as close as he'd ever get to having his own kids or if it was the fact that he was named after the man he loved. Or if it was just the fact that the poor kid had already been through so much. And he knew too much about the ways of the world for only being in the fifth grade. "Hey." He looked down at him. "It's going to be okay. Mark didn't mean to get upset."
"But it was only chicken. Mom says if he eats spicy stuff it'll make him sick. She was trying to help."
"I know she was. And so does Mark." Jason let out a big sigh and leaned back in his seat. "It's like I said before. Mark is mad. He's not mad about the chicken or mad at your mom. He's just mad about losing Aunt Mo and he's sort of taking it out on all of us right now because he doesn't know what else to do."
"When Uncle Collins died you didn't act like that."
"Well, everybody acts different. Deals with it different. Mark is just having a hard time dealing with it."
"Aunt Mo said Uncle Mark is scared to be alone." Collin stated, almost like a question.
"Well." Jason thought about how to answer that. "You gotta remember Collin, Mark has lost a lot of friends. And then Maureen had broken up with him and lived with Aunt Joanne for awhile, so yeah, she's probably right. He probably is afraid of being alone."
"But he's not alone. And my dad always lived with him."
"I know, but I think for a long time he felt like he was going to be alone forever. You have to remember, even though your dad lived with him, there was a lot of other things going on in your dad's life. And he didn't always have time for Uncle Mark. And he sometimes felt kinda alone anyway, even though your dad was there. I think he felt like he was going to be alone forever. But then Collins moved back to New York. And then me and Jen moved in. And your mom. And you were born. So it's gotten a lot better for him, but sometimes it's hard to get past stuff you were scarred of for a long, long time."
"I just wish he'd start acting like Uncle Mark again."
"I know you do kiddo. I know. Eat your fries and then we'll go have junk food at the movies. Maybe you can even sleep on the couch down at my place tonight."
"Okay. I just wish he'd start acting like the old Uncle Mark."