( Dove cooing )
MONICA: Tess, if you could go back and do any day over again,
what day would you choose?
Oh, I don't know. I've had some doozies.
But it would be a happy one,
and definitely sometime
after the discovery of chocolate.
Do you ever notice something about humans?
If you ask them if they could go back
and live any day over again, what do they do?
They always want to go back and fix something,
as if they knew the precise moment
when something went wrong.
But sometimes you do, baby.
Sometimes there's a day that you know,
as sure as the sun, changed your life.
And then life gets to be more precious,
because suddenly you know you're not gonna live forever.
Now that's Jennifer.
She acts just like she's gonna live forever.
MONICA: Well, nobody lives forever.
People like to think
that bad things only happen to faceless strangers
in the newspaper.
I wonder what day Jennifer would go back and change?
Oh, that day hasn't come for her yet,
but it's coming.
Tess?
Hey.
( Dove coos )
Oh, Tess.
They didn't know what they were doin', baby.
They just didn't know what they were doing.
♫ When you walk down the road ♫
♫ Heavy burden, heavy load ♫
♫ I will rise ♫
♫ And I will walk with you ♫
♫ I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Till the sun don't even shine ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Every time, I tell you I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Believe me, I'll walk with you. ♫
( police radio chatter )
WOMAN: We were just sitting there on the chair,
talking about something and...
they decided to have some brandy and smoke a cigar.
MAN: And you had a cigarette.
I'm trying to quit.
Well, whose idea was it... the brandy?
I don't know.
It just seemed like a nice way to end the night.
He said that his dad always did that after a good meal.
Something about it being the only thing
that his dad ever did
that he wanted to grow up and do, too.
So it was his idea to start drinking?
Uh, no, I-I don't mean that.
WOMAN: How's that hand?
JENNIFER: What?
Can we get the spelling?
Is that Jennifer with two Ns or one?
Two.
And what's Curb?
It's a magazine where I work.
MAN: You a reporter there?
I'm an assistant.
Sometimes they let me write.
How'd you get here tonight?
My friend took me 'cause my car's in the s-shop.
So what were you doin' at the party?
JENNIFER: I met him yesterday.
MAN: Which one?
JENNIFER: Clay.
All right, I'll give him the message as soon as I can.
Well? So? Sir, it has been an hour already. ( telephone rings )
Curb.
Curb magazine.
Why am I explaining this to you?
You called us.
What?
Uh, no, she's not.
She's in the elevator.
Oh, is this the copy machine people?
Yes, it is. Yes, again.
And I've got some serious magazine stuff happening here.
I mean, where is the repairman?
TESS: Repair person.
Oh, never mind. She's here.
( Both chuckle )
This is good.
This is very good. Hi.
Hi, I'm Cookie. Nice to meet you.
I don't know. It's still jamming when I collate,
and it collates when I reduce, so... Uh-huh.
Do you know anything about elevators?
Yes, I know you need one that works.
Well, Jenny's the one
who called about the copy machine,
but, uh, she's... Stuck.
Yeah, she's been in there forever.
She probably likes it, though.
She's like a hermit.
She's probably recording things in her journal
about the whole ordeal. Uh-huh.
You know, her impression of it...
The, uh, the isolation, the, uh...
the experience. ( Bell dings )
Okay, so you promise?
It's no big deal.
Nobody ever knows anybody at these things anyway.
I'm sorry I was late.
Oh, no problem. Our copier fixer lady is here.
So you want to use the phone or...?
No, but I think I'm gonna take the stairs the rest of the way.
So tomorrow?
COOKIE: Tomorrow? That's great.
There's a tomorrow?
You might want to park your car close by.
It's sort of a funky area.
Her car's in the shop. I'll drive.
Uh, okay. The more the merrier.
It was nice being stuck with you.
You, too.
You got a date
in an elevator?
I got an interview.
Oh, Saturday night, you're looking for an interview.
Have I taught you nothing?
That's the real estate guy who developed Electric Alley.
The one from the warehouse district? The antique guy?
Yeah. Oh, my gosh, string him along till I get a couch.
There's nothing to string along.
Hmm. I don't believe it.
Oh. I don't believe it.
Why did I let you go to that post office?
That could have been me in that elevator.
Do you realize that?
That could have been me.
They always think that, don't they?
"If only." "Why didn't I?" "What if?"
There's one moment when you know,
as sure as the sun,
that that moment changed your life.
I wonder if Jennifer will ever remember
what she said in the elevator?
I wonder if she'll ever forget.
JENNIFER: We got here after the party had already started,
about 9:00.
And I didn't know anybody here, so I felt sort of, um...
funny.
COOKIE: I am so amazed by all of this.
This... this, like, dim lighting.
I got a zit, and it won't show.
This stuff is so wonderful.
Look at this.
Ow.
Put it down.
Oh, that's it. That's it. This is it.
It's a little deco, a little Jetsons.
It's me.
Yeah, this is perfect.
I know I'll never want to sleep on this.
♫ I don't want to seem unsure ♫
♫ About your thoughts... ♫
Get up off this couch.
I wonder how we get upstairs?
Oh, try the elevator.
Oh, I'm very happy here. Lead on.
( Chuckles )
JENNIFER: Hmm. Wow.
COOKIE: I love the sunflowers.
This is unbelievable. This is where we go up.
How do you go up?
Uh, you-you pull the gate down from the inside.
Goin' up?
( Chuckles )
I'll show ya.
Thanks.
( Motor whirs )
Are you a friend of Clay's?
Uh, I hope so.
Here we are.
( Mellow rock music playing in background )
Have a good time.
Thanks.
MAN: Alex.
Unbelievable. Where have you been, man?
How you doin'? I've been around. Cool.
How are ya? I'm doin' great.
I don't know. What are we doing here?
COOKIE: Well, you're goin' to an interview,
and I'm gonna sit down with one of these guys
and discuss the names of our children.
So if we separate,
I'll meet you at the car on Sunday. Bye.
MALE OFFICER: So you're a reporter?
JENNIFER: No. I'm just an assistant.
But they said if I wrote something good,
that they'd print it.
Clay's story seemed like a good idea.
When did you finally hook up with him?
Cookie wandered off, and I went to look for him.
He wasn't upstairs, so I took the elevator back down.
And there's that courtyard in the back.
That's where I met Monica.
MONICA: Hello.
Hi.
Sarsaparilla?
Don't you hate parties when you don't know anybody?
I don't know anybody here either.
I'm Monica.
I'm Jennifer.
Thanks.
Have you seen Clay?
Yes, I have.
Have you ever read this?
Mmm-mm.
"A stone, a leaf, an unfound door."
I've always loved that...
"An unfound door."
I mean, how do you know there's a door to be found, hmm?
I guess sometimes
you don't see it till you've just walked through it.
ALEX: You were supposed to be my friend.
( Men arguing )
Excuse me.
ALEX: This is great.
What, I'm gone a couple of weeks, and...
CLAY: Eight months, Alex.
ALEX: You dumped all my stuff
in the basement,
you steal my girlfriend.
What, I'm not supposed to be upset?
CLAY: Aw, eight months, man.
Where were you?
I'm glad to see you. Oh, yeah, I can tell.
You threw all my stuff in the trash.
I didn't trash it, okay?
I needed the space.
I didn't know when you were coming back,
if you were coming back.
I put it down here.
What am I supposed to do?
Where's my desk?
It's all here, I'm telling you.
There, somewhere. There's your desk.
MALE OFFICER: So they were arguing?
JENNIFER: No. Yes, downstairs, but not up here.
Well, then how'd the glass get broken?
What?
Who started the fight?
Was it over you?
No. So there was a fight?
Yes, but-but not later.
Look, no one was fighting
when...
when it happened.
Then who threw the glass across the room?
What happened to your hand?
I can't remember.
What do you remember?
What made you go into that room?
I went upstairs.
Clay went in there.
He waved to Alex.
Alex followed him in.
FEMALE OFFICER: Into his den? Yes.
Alex called it Clay's Sanctuary of Unnecessary Things.
MALE OFFICER: You can say that again.
Look, he wanted me in there.
I think you're supposed to go in there.
Okay.
♫ Too fragile to land the czar ♫
♫ Don't seem funny when you get too far ♫
♫ Too far gone is where you're at ♫
♫ I'll meet you there, you don't go back ♫
( camera shutter clicking )
♫ Picture this, picture that ♫
♫ Pictures are what holds you back ♫
♫ Picture what you've just been told ♫
♫ And rid yourself of what you know ♫
( gunshot )
( crowd gasps )
No!
So where were you when the gun went off?
Do you remember the gunshot?
No.
It looks like some kind of a burn.
She's got no clue where it came from.
Kid's in shock.
MALE OFFICER: Let me get this straight.
A friend of yours is lying dead
ten feet away from you
on the other side of that wall,
and you can't remember what happened?
Now three people went in that room.
Two people came out. ( breathing rapidly )
You better start takin' this seriously, little girl,
because you are a suspect in a murder investigation.
Oh, my God.
Jennifer?
There's nothing to be afraid of.
Just tell us the truth.
Oh, I am.
Tell me about Clay.
What did he tell you on the elevator?
CLAY: Huh, stuff like this always happens to me.
Wrong place at the wrong time.
What do you mean?
Well, I couldn't get stuck on the elevator
with a potbellied insurance salesman.
I got a jealous girlfriend on the tenth floor
that, uh, I was supposed to take to lunch.
Well, at least you've got a peace offering.
Oh, this?
No, this is a business gift
from a very grateful investor.
It's probably a very old bottle of brandy.
Phew.
( Chuckles )
A year ago, I couldn't get a six-pack of beer for Christmas.
I can't believe we're the same age.
You've done so much with your life, and...
I haven't even started.
Everybody's on their own path.
Timing is everything.
You know, every day I read my horoscope,
but it never says,
"Today's the day that you will make a difference."
So I, uh, did something totally radical this morning,
and I just threw it out, and I actually prayed.
I asked God that,
if just one day, I could do something to make a difference.
CLAY: Hmm, well, you know what they say.
Be careful what you pray for.
Hey, look at that. Finally.
Some progress.
Whew.
Here. Let me help you.
Thank you.
So, uh, drop by and, uh,
once you realize that I have nothing worth quoting...
( chuckles )
you can stay and enjoy the party,
and don't worry about crashing. Okay.
Hey, you forgot your brandy.
Oh, right. Thanks.
Another hour in here, we'd have been drinking it.
( Both laughing )
Okay, so you promise.
It's no big deal.
Nobody ever knows anybody at these things anyway.
Sorry I'm late. Oh, no problem.
Our copier fixer lady is here.
So the jealous girlfriend,
the one who works on the tenth floor,
never saw her before?
Never run into her in the hallway?
No, no, it's a big building.
She had another boyfriend before Clay.
You know who it was?
ALEX: You steal my girlfriend.
What, I'm not supposed to be upset?
CLAY: Eight months, man.
Where were you?
You can't just waltz in... WOMAN: Clay?
And expect nothing to change, man.
Clay, are you down there?
ALEX: Oh, yeah, I can tell.
You threw my stuff in the trash. Clay?
MALE OFFICER: So they were fighting over the girlfriend?
JENNIFER: No, Alex said that he wasn't upset about Ava
because she was very jealous.
What are you doing down there?
Are you with someone?
Um... yeah.
The prodigal roommate
has returned.
Can you please come up here
and help Roger program the CD player?
Sure.
MALE OFFICER: So he shot him over the girlfriend.
Nobody shot anybody!
Well, I've got a gun in the next room that says different.
I don't remember a gun. I didn't see a gun.
I didn't hear a gun. I don't remember a gun.
Do you remember the blood?
Oh, come on, Sal.
I must have read this book
six times on that drive.
You drove all by yourself?
Yeah.
You know, I lived here for two years.
I didn't even know this thing worked.
Here.
Oh, thanks.
Sarsaparilla?
That ol' Clay's full of surprises.
I, uh, didn't mean to eavesdrop down there.
No, I... I guess you and I
are the last to find out about
what everybody else upstairs already knows.
Best friends fight about the stupidest stuff.
I don't think losing Ava upsets me as much as thinkin'
that Clay would try to steal her away does.
How long were you gone?
Too long.
JENNIFER: He said he had this big fight with his mother.
Said he wanted to find his real father.
Sorta figure out who he was.
But his mother didn't want him to
so she didn't tell him where his father lived,
but he just picked up and took off anyway.
He thought Clay would keep his room for him.
All the time I was listening to him,
I felt like he was telling me things
that he never told anybody else.
Like he never said anything like that before, ever.
Like we were in some secret garden,
and time had just stopped or something.
Like...
like I was supposed to be there.
It made me feel like I mattered.
I haven't talked to my mum since.
Well, you have to tell her,
everything that you just told me.
Yeah, that's what I'm going to do.
I drove straight through from Seattle.
I stopped at this little florist
to buy her some yellow roses.
It's her favourite.
I just came over here to shower and unpack,
and I thought I'd drive over, knock on her door
and just tell her.
Oh, look at the time.
I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm not.
"A stone, a leaf,
"an unfound door.
"And of all the forgotten faces.
Naked and alone, we came into exile."
At least you brought my book back.
I got a lot of miles out of that book.
'55 pickup break down on you?
Six times.
( Chortles )
Oh, you're a jerk.
So are you.
I have some real good brandy upstairs.
Man, you're even starting to act like your old man.
Well, do you want some or not?
Yeah.
Hey, you want to get that interview now?
Yeah.
Come on.
You have to see his Sanctuary of Unnecessary Things.
And that's when you went into the, uh...
What is it? The sanctuary or something.
And about what time was that?
Well, he couldn't go to his mother's
so after midnight, I guess.
So you had a few drinks with the boys,
and that's when all the trouble started.
Oh, so you weren't in there?
Yeah, I was, but...
Here's what I think happened.
I think Alex used you
to get back at his cheating girlfriend.
He's in there with you and Clay.
You guys start drinking.
He makes a pass at you to make Ava jealous,
only it's Clay that gets jealous instead,
because, hey, it's Clay
that invited you to the party, right?
And let's face it, it was no interview
he's planning on giving you, okay?
Then they start arguing.
Somebody throws a glass.
No.
A gun comes out. No.
Somehow you get in the middle and bam! No. No.
One guy's dead, and another one might...
No! No! No! No!
All right, listen to me...!
That's enough. That's enough.
Come on. Go ahead, you try.
( Sighs )
( camera shutter clicking )
We're gonna go talk to your friend.
Why don't you sit here and relax, okay?
Oh, one more thing.
This Monica you keep talking about,
no one talked to her.
No one invited her.
No one knows who she is.
Why can't they see you?
I'm not here for them.
Why can't I remember what happened?
All of it at once would be too much for you,
but you can remember what you need to know.
How?
Are you all right?
( Breathing rapidly )
I...
I remember what happened.
I'm trying to quit...
smoking.
Clay's father had some cigars
from Cuba,
and, uh, I had a cigarette.
She told me to go in.
Who?
( Pop music playing )
I think you're supposed to go in there.
Okay.
CLAY: "Which of us has looked into his father's heart?
"Which of us has not remained
"forever imprisoned by it?
Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone?"
I mean, you read this driving the back roads
of America for eight months,
and you wonder why we're worrying about you?
I was in my introspective phase.
( laughs )
He's been in that since we were kids.
( laughing )
So explain this to me.
A couple hours ago, you guys want to kill each other,
and now you're like blood brothers.
I don't get it.
It's because you're drinking sarsaparilla.
It's a guy thing.
It's all good. It's all good.
It's all good.
So is this that business gift?
You know, that... That business brandy
that was in that nice box?
Oh, actually, that wasn't brandy.
Let me show you.
This guy wants me to go in on a deal with him
down by the railroad.
He knows I have this antique store, right?
Buys me this.
ALEX: Whoa!
Yep, it's a German Luger from World War II.
It came with a full one-year membership
to the Ridgemont Gun Club.
I'm not a gun man, but if I was, I'd want that one.
God, it's beautiful.
I went down there this morning.
You know, they give lessons and stuff.
Let me tell you something. It's a hell of a feeling, man.
Just boom, pow!
Hey! That's not funny.
So that man just gave it to you?
Yeah, yeah, people always gave gifts like this to my dad,
you know, like cigars.
Here.
Is it loaded?
ALEX: Did Clay ever tell you the story of this place,
about this whole funky block?
We used to work construction together.
We lived off a hot plate right here.
Had to turn the heat off every night,
froze our butts off for what, three years?
I spent my paychecks on ski equipment
and windsurfing.
Clay takes the $5,000 that he earned,
buys a whole block one day.
One day?
I bought 24-hour options
from every property owner on the street
to buy their warehouses.
They thought it would be quick cash.
Takes the notes to the bank,
borrows millions, buys the whole block.
Now look.
Man, I guess I'm just gonna have to grow up.
Sorry, buddy.
That's just the way it goes.
( Screams )
( grunting, thud )
Oh!
Oh, oh...
Hey.
CLAY: Oh, my God! No!
Oh, we could use some help here.
( Gasps )
Oh.
Oh, my God.
MAN: Hey, somebody call 911!
COOKIE: Everybody, back off! Back off, let 'em in!
Hang in there, Jenn. You're doing good.
You're doin' good.
You just hang in there, all right?
Could you please hurry?
Let it go.
It's okay.
He's gone.
I guess that's how this happened.
That's exactly what Clay said.
There must have been a bullet
left in the chamber.
They never knew.
I guess you can go.
We're gonna hold onto
your friend for awhile, but, uh,
your story checks out.
Do you need a ride home?
Home?
That's it?
( Pager beeping )
It was an accident,
a stupid, senseless, stinking accident.
( Beeping stops )
It's over.
FEMALE OFFICER: We'll call you if we need anything else.
You ought to get somebody to look at that hand.
Whatever you do, don't put oily stuff on it.
It keeps it from breathing.
You want to let it keep breathing.
Keep breathing.
I suppose stuff like this happens to you all the time.
It never gets easier.
( Sighs )
What a waste.
COOKIE: I don't believe this. I don't believe it.
That could have been me in there.
You realize that?
I mean, that could have been anybody,
but that could have been me.
Yeah, this is perfect.
I know I'll never want to sleep on this.
( Sirens wailing )
( chattering on police radio )
MONICA: "O waste of lost",
"in the hot mazes, lost,
"among bright stars
"on this most weary unbright cinder, lost.
"Remembering speechlessly
"we seek the great forgotten language,
"the lost lane... End into heaven.
"A stone, a leaf,"
"an unfound door."
"Where? When?"
"O lost, and by the wind grieved,"
"ghost, come back again."
( copier hums )
( gasps )
Good morning.
Uh, hi.
We didn't call for a repair.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I mean, I just turned it on, and...
I don't believe it. "Call for service."
Mm-hmm.
Well, have at it. All right, I will.
Good morning.
Hi.
You okay?
Fine.
Yeah, I tried calling you
all day yesterday.
Oh, yeah?
I didn't hear it.
I slept a lot.
That's probably a good thing.
It's in the paper.
You're in it, too.
It says,
"The 30-year-old former teacher was killed
"when party host Martin, youthful developer
"of St. Louis' trendy Electric Alley,
"displayed a handgun to the victim
and an unidentified female." That's you.
By the way, did you see someone there
named Monica that night?
Mmm-mm. No.
It says, "The victim"
"was hit once in the chest and died
several minutes later."
Gosh, I didn't know that.
You didn't tell me about that.
I mean, I thought he died instantly.
No.
It is gonna be a big day on the phone.
Lots of facts to check.
Oh, I hate Mondays.
I heard about the terrible thing that happened.
That was her?
Yeah, I think she's still in shock.
Well, this is a hard truth to wake up to.
You're gonna have to give her some time.
( Telephones ringing )
It's the weirdest thing.
She acts like nothing ever happened.
Two weeks, doesn't even mention it.
I keep thinking she's gonna break down, you know?
But she doesn't.
The copier machine keeps breaking down, but she doesn't.
I don't get it.
( Telephone rings )
Yeah?
Hold on.
Cookie, there's a call for Jeff on one.
COOKIE: Cookie here.
Yeah?
I got your copy machine all fixed.
I thought I'd say good-bye.
Sometimes people don't get a chance
to say good-bye.
Where have you been?
I'm an angel.
I know.
ALEX: It was pretty ugly.
I hated my mum, and she knew it.
I was halfway to Chicago
before I even started to feel like a jerk.
I think everybody blames their parents for something.
Let me guess.
You were Daddy's little girl.
He checked out all your boyfriends in high school,
gave you money for your first apartment.
I bet you still blame him for something, right?
Mm-hmm. For sheltering me.
Oh. ( Laughs )
So how did it work out with your dad?
It was the worst.
My mum was right.
You know that thing that parents always say?
"I'm only doing this...
"Because I love you." because I love you," yeah.
I'm starting to believe that's true.
Is that what you want to tell your mum?
Yeah.
See, my mother always thought
that nothing she ever did mattered,
but saying no to me all those years
and keeping that man out of my life...
Thank God she sheltered me.
That mattered.
I didn't even know it.
Here's to good parents.
They never get a break.
JENNIFER: Why didn't you stop it?
That wasn't my purpose here.
If I hadn't given him one of these,
he probably wouldn't have stayed.
And if I hadn't given you one,
you probably wouldn't have stayed either.
And then nobody would know
what really happened except Clay,
and they might not have believed him.
What, that's it?
I was just here to be a witness to some accident?
Why me? Why him?
It's all so random.
Sometimes things can seem random,
because God allows us to make choices.
But He has a choice, too,
and He chose to put you in that room that night.
Why?
Because you asked Him to.
You prayed to be able to make a difference.
Do you remember?
And you will.
But you don't have to build a building
or publish a magazine to make a difference in this world.
God will use you right now where you are,
if you let Him.
You wanted to know that you mattered.
So did Alex's mother.
Let Him answer both your prayers.
ALEX: I drove straight through from Seattle.
I stopped at this little florist to buy her some yellow roses.
It's her favourite.
Hello?
Hi.
Please, don't take this personally,
but I just don't think I could take
any more flowers right now,
so can you just leave the card
and take them back to your shop
or maybe give them to a hospital or something?
These are from Alex.
I'm the, uh,
the unidentified female.
I was with him all night.
We talked and talked.
And we talked for so long,
it ended up being too late for him to come here,
so we just... we went upstairs.
He was coming here?
He found his father, his real father,
and he said that it was awful.
So he just drove back
straight through from Seattle,
and he just wanted to stop off and shower
before coming here to bring you these.
He was really, really sorry about your fight.
He just needed to find out who he was,
and he did.
He was your son,
and he was really, really proud of that.
I know the newspaper said that...
that he didn't die instantly,
and it's true.
But he was laughing,
and he said...
Man, I guess I'm just gonna have to grow up.
Sorry, buddy.
That's just the way it goes.
( Screams )
Hey.
Oh, my God! No!
Oh.
Oh, we could use some help here.
Hang in there, Alex. Hang in there.
( Gasping )
Oh.
( Door opens )
AVA: Alex!
Oh, my God.
MAN: Hey, someone call 911!
MONICA: Don't be afraid, Alex.
You're not, are you?
Some roads home are shorter than others,
and you mustn't worry about
the people you leave behind.
Your mother will know what was on your heart,
I promise.
And as for your father,
well, there's one waiting for you right now
who will never disappoint you.
You're about to meet Him face-to-face.
Let go.
It's okay.
I'm sorry.
We just didn't know what we were doing.
I know.
( Crying )
I know.
( Sobbing )
It's a different kind of case, huh, baby?
Well, it's good for a caseworker
to have an experience as the Angel of Death.
It makes one mindful of the whole picture.
Sometimes the end is just the beginning.
The end usually is just the beginning.
It hurts so awfully bad
when a beautiful life is taken away from us...
but it's never really taken away.
( Cooing )