WOMAN: Never early, never late.
A regular Swiss watch, this guy.
( Clears throat ) MAN: Gimme a break.
He didn't leave me enough for a burger.
Eleven...
to the left.
Come on, honey.
When are you gonna stop counting bricks all night, huh?
Oh, that looks... Is that new?
You know, people are gonna start talking.
Uh-huh.
Come on, listen to your old pal.
Sixteen candles.
Oh, baby, I gotta get 13.
Was it to the right?
Was it...? Could it be to the right?
Or up. Could be up.
She looks sick, Tess.
She is, and she needs help real bad and real soon.
All of those ladies look like they need help.
Well, one at a time, Miss Wings.
Tonight, it's the brick counter's turn.
Her name is Julia.
She doesn't look like she's ready to listen to reason.
She's not.
That's why God sends angels
instead of those little "get well" cards.
But you better hurry, baby.
She's got a long way to go, and it starts tonight.
MONICA: Well, it doesn't seem
like we'd have a lot in common.
Oh, but you will, baby.
Trust me.
FRAN: Hey!
National Geographic girl.
Yeah, you,
Miss Out-Of-Town-Suburb Chick.
This street is spoken for.
Oh.
Excuse me. I didn't know.
Would it be all right with you if I stood over there?
( laughs )
Look, wild thing. The zoo is three blocks over.
( ladies laugh )
WOMAN: Ah, give it a rest, Frannie.
( Women laugh )
Are you hurt?
Go, Mr. Smokey.
Here. Let me help you.
Do I look like I need help?
ANDREW: You won't do much with her in this condition.
She's got to get straight first... and fast.
WOMAN: He's a nice one.
Hey, good-looking.
Don't experience count for nothin' these days?
( Women laugh )
Great.
( Sirens wailing )
Here we go.
Come on.
Let's get you up. There you are.
All right. Friday night roundup.
Come on, ladies. You know the drill.
Let's go.
FEMALE COP: Come on, girls.
Hey, you too.
What about her?
Working girls only.
But she'll freeze if she spends the night out here.
The police are sworn to serve and protect.
Out of all the women here,
this woman needs your protection
most of all. All right, all right.
Come on, sweetie.
( Woman speaks indistinctly )
( women conversing indistinctly )
( Della Reese & The Verity All-Stars' "Walk With You" playing )
REESE: ♫ When you walk ♫
♫ Down the road ♫
♫ Heavy burden ♫
♫ Hea-ea-eavy load ♫
♫ I will rise ♫
♫ And I will walk with you ♫
REESE: ♫ I'll walk with you ♫ CHORUS: ♫ I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Till the sun Don't even shine ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫ ♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Every time ♫
♫ I tell ya I'll walk with you ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Believe me I'll walk with you ♫
JULIA: ♫ Come and sit down Beside me ♫
♫ If you love me ♫
( humming melody ) WOMAN: Where's my lawyer?
♫ Red river valley ♫
( cell buzzer rings ) WOMAN: Whoo-hoo!
Look at the red river valley, Julia.
The billowin' clouds
blowin' in the blue sky,
floating over the rollin' green hills.
Hey!
We've done our 24 in here!
Let's go!
COP: Stow it, ladies! Smell the air,
the sweet scent of sage.
FRAN: Yeah.
I was wondering what that smell was.
( Groaning )
WOMAN: Is there anybody out there? Come on.
You know, it's a good thing you got the cops to take her.
She wouldn't have lasted out there.
( Cell buzzer rings ) WOMAN: Whoo-hoo!
She's been my friend a long time.
Sometimes friends are the hardest to help,
especially when you have difficulties of your own.
Hey, I'm not having any difficulties, wild thing.
I'm doing fine.
You're in a jail cell.
How well could you be doing?
TESS: That's right, baby.
That's what I said.
Fanatic alert.
I am not.
And I'll say it again:
I love you, God loves you,
and it's breaking his heart
to see you in this low-rent motel.
You're one of his children.
You should be living in a mansion.
Don't worry, ladies.
Nothing to purchase.
Just a good, old-fashioned helping hand.
My name is Tess,
and I represent the New Spring Halfway House.
We're located on 12th Street.
Warm beds, warm hearts
and a chance for you ladies
to get that new life you've been promising yourselves.
WOMAN: Yeah, right, lady. Gimme a break.
She must be selling somethin'...
or smokin' it.
( Women laugh )
I like the valley.
It was peaceful there.
I'm glad you're feeling better.
It's like you were praying for me.
I was.
Praying doesn't work.
I tried it.
Well, maybe this is your answer.
TESS: Now, you won't be sorry.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
You're gonna have to do your part. Cooking, cleaning
and taking your turn
in our little cooperative thrift store.
But you'll be safe.
The food is good,
and the roof doesn't leak.
WOMAN ( laughing ): Yeah! A halfway...
If you go, I will.
I've been to halfway houses.
It's the same as jail.
Ah, come on.
Hot food and a warm bed.
Yeah, a lot of fake smiles
and talk about how you're gonna start your life
all over and everything.
Just makes me sick.
I can do it.
Hey.
You look terrible.
Yeah. Trust me. I can look worse.
Are you coming too?
Like I told you before, I'm doing fine.
Go take advantage of a hot shower.
FRAN: Please. You need it.
( Grumbles )
WOMAN: Fill my belly, then I'm out of there.
( Women conversing indistinctly )
I'll catch up to you.
You take care of yourself.
Always do, honey.
WOMAN 1: Later. WOMAN 2: See you guys.
All right.
( Cell alarm rings )
TESS: Now, there will be no smoking,
no drinking, no phone calls in or out,
and no leaving the premises without permission,
and no drugs.
And you will be tested
to determine your special talents
and your occupational gifts.
And we have group therapy sessions three times a week.
Like if we feel like it?
Oh, you will feel like it, darling.
It's mandatory.
I told you
this was worse than jail.
We call this a halfway house
because that's where you ladies are right now:
Halfway to having a future
and halfway to better lives for yourself.
( Kicks chair )
And you're also only halfway out of your old life, so far.
Getting off the streets
and getting off drugs is one thing.
Staying off is another thing altogether.
Yeah, and it's gonna take hard work
and discipline and commitment, right?
Yes.
But I'm willing to do it.
What do we have to do?
Just let yourselves be loved, baby.
Now, it's time to talk about the work detail.
The new ladies work the kitchen,
the laundry, general cleaning,
and they inventory the secondhand clothes
for the thrift shop.
Excuse me.
I think I'd like to try
working in the kitchen.
All right, but I suggest that you limit yourself
to chopping and peeling things,
and no actual seasoning and cooking things,
if you know what I mean.
Is there any chance there's...?
No. There's no cappuccino maker.
Now,
volunteers for the thrift store.
Julia, please. Don't leave.
This is your chance to put things right.
Look. There is not enough time
in this world or the next for me to put things right.
Out of my way.
Julia Fitzgerald?
She just left.
What do you want?
You.
I'm Andrew.
I'm your new parole officer.
Seems like you were arrested the other night.
Oh, please. I didn't do anything.
I was just sitting there.
Doing drugs is a direct violation of your parole.
You have no proof of that.
Yeah, I do.
It seems like that you tested positive for, uh...
ooh, all sorts of stuff.
A girl has a headache, she takes a couple of aspirin.
Is that against the law?
Ask her. She was right there with me.
Uh, well, yes, she did have a headache,
at the very least.
Mm.
I can turn this in
and you can do 15 months upstate,
or you can live here and complete the program.
The whole program.
But you break the rules,
and you just spent your last second chance.
I'd have to be out of my mind to want to leave here.
WOMAN: I'd drive to the house
and see his car there.
I'd sit there frozen for hours.
Couldn't go in, couldn't leave.
All I could do
was pray that he'd disappear
and this would all go away.
Then he'd see me through the window.
And he'd come out.
Big smile.
Blowing kisses with one hand
and reaching for his belt with the other.
TESS: How about you talk to us
about your current events, Ms. Julia?
I stopped talking about myself a long time ago.
Okay.
What about that list?
What list?
The ones with the names
of all the people you've hurt.
So you can start to make amends to them,
and get yourself a clean slate
and a clean conscience.
Spilt milk is spilt milk.
Without forgiveness, there is no healing.
Oh, yeah.
Well, listen.
Why don't you go out
and get a list of the people who walked all over me?
Let them beg for my forgiveness.
Hm? How about that?
They forgive me,
I'll think about forgiving them.
Does that go for God too?
I don't know. There's some things I've done
that even God wouldn't let me off the hook for.
Good morning, Julia.
Can you get the door?
Fresh biscuits. I made them meself.
Thought you might like some before they're all gone.
Julia?
Anyone seen Julia?
WOMAN: This'll never work. Nope.
What in the world?
Coffee is not supposed to be in biscuits, Miss Wings.
Julia is gone.
Well, that's not uncommon.
This is a difficult transition for her.
But she was just getting strong. Why would she run away?
Well, that's a very good question.
Go find the answer. Putting coffee in biscuits.
Ain't nobody ever heard of no coffee in no biscuits.
( Police sirens wailing in distance )
MONICA: Julia.
What are you doing here?
Gonna get your butt kicked out of the house for this.
I got permission.
Sure you did.
That's the problem right there.
See, some people just get permission.
The rest of us just get nailed.
It's the luck of the draw.
I don't believe in luck.
That, sweetie, is because all you've ever had
is the good luck.
I don't know what brought you
to this alley the first time,
but I know it wasn't luck that brought you back today.
You decided to come, and you can decide to leave.
Waiting for somebody.
Fran?
Gonna be here any minute.
And then what?
Do you mind if I wait with you?
It's a free country.
Yes, it is.
She'll be here.
She wouldn't stand me up
unless it was really important.
Is there really any life for you on the streets, Julia?
You have no home, no friends, no hope.
But you do have a future now.
Stay in it.
I don't know how.
I can't.
As long as you believe in luck, you won't.
Luck doesn't have a heart, but you do.
Isn't there something in there that wants to live?
Some dream in you that wants to live?
Something, anything, worth hoping for?
Something worth living for?
TESS: Thank you, Father, for this wonderful supper,
and for the hands that prepared it,
and those that didn't.
And thank you for the gift of this home
and the ladies in it,
all of them.
Amen. Amen.
There. Great.
WOMAN: Thank you. You're welcome.
There.
( Man speaking indistinctly on TV )
( women clamoring )
What is that?
WOMAN 1: Give me that back!
WOMAN 2: You were not paying attention!
GIRL 2: I was too paying attention!
I told you, no phone calls!
WOMAN 1: About 20 minutes...
WOMAN 2: Who wants to watch this?
You ladies keep arguing over this television,
I will personally haul it over to the thrift shop and sell it!
And don't you think I won't!
I just can't make that new delivery truck purchase balance
with my total capital.
What is capital?
It's anything you've got that's real.
After all your losses, whatever you're still left with
that's worth something.
See, there.
You forgot to add that column.
Looks like you have a lot of capital left,
even after all your losses.
There's been a lot of losses.
So, what was it you worked at again?
I was...
( sighs )
I was an accountant at a cocktail lounge,
among other things.
( Upbeat theme playing )
That's great.
( Whispers ): Tess.
( No audible dialogue )
TESS: Father, we thank you for this abundance.
Amen. WOMEN: Amen.
TESS: Mmm.
Mmm.
Mmm?
( Women clap )
Would you like to contribute something, Monica?
Well, there was the time
that I drank six double espressos.
And... you stole them?
I drank them.
All six of them. One right after the other.
It's not something that I'm proud of,
but it makes me feel better to talk about it.
Gluttony is a terrible thing.
Thank you for sharing, Monica.
If no one else has anything...
JULIA: Um...
Well, you know that list that you wanted us to make up
with the list of people we wanted to apologize to?
And make restitution too, if you can.
Uh, well, I made it.
Wonderful!
You keep on like this, it won't be a halfway house,
it'll be an all-the-way house.
It's not a very long list.
Oh, well, it doesn't have to be long.
Just sincere.
Um... I may need some help.
Oh, well, now you've gone too far.
Just too far.
MAN: Hey, Bill. We got...
( rock music playing on speakers )
Thanks for coming.
Thanks for asking me.
( Whispers ): I'm very proud of you.
Do you need any help?
I hope not...
but I'll let you know.
We're closed until 4.
No salesmen. And no saleswomen, either.
Hi, Chuck.
Julia.
Wow, you look great.
You look like somebody. I don't believe it.
What happened to that cheap broad I used to know, huh?
Well, I cleaned up.
Everything. All clean.
This is Andrew. He's my...
Career counselor. Sort of.
You want a career, come back here. I could use you.
I lost all the old girls.
Tammy got married again,
and, uh, Ginger... You're not gonna believe this.
She split after I found out she was stealing from me.
Fifteen hundred dollars.
Um, well...
that's what I came here to see you about, Chuck.
Um, Ginger didn't steal the money.
I did.
I... I fixed the books so you wouldn't know about it
until I could pay you back.
And then I got arrested on that possessions charge.
And when I got out of jail that first time, I...
I just... I couldn't come back.
What do you want?
I want to apologize,
and I want to pay you back.
Good.
Pay me back.
Well, I... Um, I can't... right now.
Uh, I will, I promise you.
It's just... Well, I had to tell you first.
And now I'm gonna get a job,
and I'll start sending you monthly payments.
What do I look like to you, a loan officer?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Julia's trying to do the right thing here.
Well, that's exactly what I'm gonna do.
Yes, um, police, please.
I'd like to report a thief.
Yes. Um, I got $1500
ripped off of me a few years ago,
and the perpetrator just walked in.
( Dial tone ) Hello?
Hello?
It's dead.
You sure you paid your bill?
This doesn't mean anything.
I get cops in here all the time.
They're my best customers.
One ought to be walking in here any second.
I don't understand.
I'm trying to make good here, and you won't let me.
Julia knows that she did wrong,
and now she's here to pay you back.
Forget it.
She took it all at once.
I want it back all at once.
Okay.
What?
I can get it for you all at once.
Legally?
I don't care if it's legal.
I want what's coming to me.
And you'll get it.
You have my word.
I just need a little extra time.
Yeah, right.
Louis! Go into the parking lot and use the pay phone
and get the cops in here right now. Thank you.
Wait. Wait.
Chuck, the lady has come here to make amends.
Now, that seems reasonable it me.
And it only seems right
for you to be reasonable too,
because you look like a reasonable guy.
So I'll tell you what.
What if I can guarantee
that she'll come back with your money?
I'm listening.
I'm your collateral.
I'm gonna sit right here and wait
until Julia returns with your money.
I don't think so.
Chuck, we can do this the easy way,
or we can do this the hard way.
And what's the hard way?
The wrath of God?
Yeah.
Okay.
What are you drinking?
Orange juice.
You got it.
Three to the right...
No. No. No, it was left.
Three to the left. One, two, three.
Three. Okay.
( Whispers) Yes.
( Woman speaking indistinctly in distance)
( car horn honks )
WOMAN: Where you goin' tonight?
( Man laughs )
WOMAN: Hey, what ya doin'? Good.
Phew.
WOMAN: See you guys later.
( Poignant theme playing )
Hey, princess, what gives?
What, straight life lose its luster?
You halfway back to us now?
MAN: No, no, no. It ain't happenin'.
( Dance music blaring on car stereo )
Been looking for you.
Can't have been looking too hard,
'cause I've been standing right here.
You calling me a liar?
No. I'm calling you blind.
( Screams )
( grunts ) Ah!
( Man grunting, Fran screaming )
( grunting and screaming continue )
WOMAN: Sharon, come on.
FRAN: Ah!
( Fist slapping )
( Fran whimpers )
( Fran screams)
Stop it! Leave her alone!
What? You want some of this?
Where has she gone, Tess?
I don't know.
But I do know that Chuck is gonna file charges
in the morning if she doesn't turn up.
But what...? What if she's run away?
Then she's run away.
It's always her decision.
And I keep telling you, baby,
we cannot force people
to make the right choices.
( Door closes )
JULIA: Hello?
MONICA: Fran? TESS: Who did this?
Jimmy.
Oh. Oh.
He told Fran he wanted some of his cut,
and she came up short.
Did he hurt you, too, Julia?
No.
No, I'm perfectly perfect.
I helped my friend.
I'm like an angel.
Uh-huh, but what happened to that money
you were gonna give Chuck?
Chuck agreed not to call the police,
but if he doesn't get that money,
he's gonna make that call.
I don't have that money anymore.
Oh!
No, Julia.
No.
She's resting. I'm sure she'll be just fine.
But you...
Oh, Tess, I'm so sorry.
Monica, I'm really sorry.
It's all right, Julia.
Hold on.
I would like to hear
how you spent $1500
in six hours.
Well, I had to pay Jimmy off for Fran,
and I had a tiny bit left,
and I was just so scared.
I really wanted to stick with the program.
And I tried.
But I just kept hearing how Chuck kept telling me
I was no good, and...
Oh, I guess he's right.
No. You're fine, Julia.
You just had a wee bit of a setback. That's all.
Well, I still think that I should call the police
and turn myself in before Chuck does.
Not so fast.
Don't be so hasty to give up your future just like that.
I don't have a future anymore.
I sold it tonight at the pawnshop.
TESS: Lord, help this angel.
These all-night jobs are killing me.
What did Julia sell at the pawn store?
I haven't the slightest idea, angel girl.
It seems that angels work on a need-to-know basis.
Have you noticed that, Tess?
That is the cornerstone of our profession.
But don't you think we need to know something now?
God's timing is perfect, Miss Wings.
Example:
I think it's time for me to hit the sack.
But the Creator of the universe has a different idea.
Where are you going?
Where angels fear to tread.
Except this one.
( Door slams )
Oh, God, please. Please help me.
Julia?
What are you doing?
( Weeping ): I lost it.
I lost it.
It's all I have left.
I...
I sold the bracelet,
but I... I kept the necklace.
The bracelet, it didn't... It didn't mean anything.
But the necklace...
The necklace is all I have left!
Julia, slow down and tell me what it is that you've lost.
Huh? ( Sobbing )
My baby.
What?
I've lost my baby.
How?
How have you lost your baby?
What baby?
Julia, where is your baby?
I don't know.
Shh.
It's okay.
You can tell me everything.
Please.
I can't.
You'd hate me. It's unforgivable.
Don't count on it.
Come on.
Well...
eight, nine years ago, I...
I met this guy, and I... I fell in love.
Joe was so funny and charming,
and crazy,
really crazy.
He'd been in Vietnam
and hadn't gotten all the demons out, I guess.
And one day I... I woke up and...
he was gone.
I don't know if he would have stayed
if he'd known there was a baby coming.
He would have tried, you know.
But he was just so... damaged.
So...
I had my little boy.
He was the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me.
And then I...
I blew it.
You, uh... You started taking drugs.
I went to work for Chuck in that club,
and some of the people working there
were dealing out the back door.
And he got me hooked.
And so I started dealing too.
You know, to pay for my habit.
And your little boy?
He was so... strong.
Three years old and he'd just sit up there on the counter
and put little ice cubes in everybody's drink.
Everybody was crazy about him.
They'd take care of him when I was...
too wasted or in jail.
Well, what happened to him?
Joe came back.
I didn't know if he was all well or not,
but... I was in jail, and he wasn't.
And I was just so...
God, I was so strung-out.
And Joe, he found me,
and he said he wanted his son.
And I said no, Monica.
No.
But then he just kept coming to the jail every day.
And I was...
I was getting the shakes, you know,
and I knew I was gonna be getting out soon
and I was gonna need a fix, and I didn't have a dime, so...
So I...
It's okay.
No! No, it's not okay.
It's never gonna be okay!
Oh, my God! I sold my baby!
I sold my baby!
Joe told me if I would sign this paper
that he'd give me $50, and I did.
I signed it.
And he took my baby.
Oh, God! Oh, God!
I sold my baby for $50!
Oh, God, forgive me!
Please forgive me.
( Sobbing )
TESS: Hey, you there.
That's right, Mr. Cool. Get in the car.
Don't you turn your back on me.
You put your butt in this car this minute,
or I'll put it in here for you, and don't you think I won't.
What's in it for me?
Your toupee.
Come and get it.
Pick that thing up!
I don't like litterbugs.
You the woman-beater with $1500 in your pocket?
Depends.
Gimme that.
Baby boy, I'm fixing to make you an offer you can't refuse.
Who sent you?
Godfather?
No. God, the Father, sent me.
Hey.
Who are you?
Fear not.
( Tires squeal )
( door opens )
Where have you been?
It's an ugly world out there,
angel girl.
I've just been doing a couple of makeovers.
Tess, you're a miracle.
Yes, I am.
One tired miracle.
Hello, honey.
Monica's got something to tell you.
By the way, I got the $1500 back from Jimmy
and gave it to Chuck,
and Chuck's not gonna call the police,
and you're not going to go to jail.
And Jimmy is in a whole lot of trouble.
And Tess is going to bed.
I'm not going to jail?
I-I don't understand.
She talked to Jimmy?
Tess can be very inspiring.
Look.
( Sighs )
Oh!
On a wall in an alley behind a brick,
I used to keep this.
This necklace and a bracelet.
A ruby bracelet...
some rich guy from out of town had bought for his wife,
but he... paid me with it.
I knew it was worth a lot of money, so I kept it.
And no matter how strung-out I got,
I never pawned it. Never.
Never even thought it.
I was saving it for my son.
I kept telling myself
one day I was gonna get clean, and I'd find him
and I'd give him the bracelet, and he could sell it
and use the money for... college maybe.
He was really smart.
And you sold the bracelet last night.
You gave everything you had away to save the life of your friend
instead of your own.
Yeah.
I also got high.
I was trying to get something for myself
that maybe I don't deserve.
I failed.
Ah, Julia.
You've had setbacks before, and there will be others.
But it's not important how many times you've fallen.
It's how many times you let God pick you up
that matters.
You're still a remarkable woman.
Don't say that.
God says that.
Don't be afraid, Julia.
I'm an angel.
So is Tess.
You're angels?
You've come here to punish me, haven't you,
for all the terrible things I did?
For abandoning my little boy?
No. God loves you, Julia.
Are you listening to me?
God loves you.
No. No, he couldn't.
He couldn't. I sold my little boy.
I'm so ashamed.
And you are so loved.
God is faithful,
and he'll stick with you, even if you won't.
And he'll forgive you,
even if you can't.
His mercies are brand-new every morning.
And this morning
he wants to give you this day,
and all the rest of your days.
All you have to do is say yes.
( Julia sighs )
JULIA ( softly ): Yes.
Hey, Fran.
This goes on the table, not behind the counter.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Save a girl's life, you think she's your slave.
Julia.
Have you ever heard of a little town in Kentucky
called Chicory Creek?
I've never really been a small-town type of girl.
Never say never.
There's a bus leaving for there at midnight.
Well, wait. I'm not ready to leave.
Yes, you are.
You've gone all the way in the halfway house,
and God has restored you totally.
So stop talking and listen.
MONICA: When you get off the bus,
look for a man
with a 1949 burgundy Cadillac.
With burgundy leather upholstery, baby.
Mm-mm-mm.
So you've met him? You know him?
Well, let's say he knows me.
There's Andrew for my parole meeting.
Oh, wait a minute. I can't leave the state.
That's a violation of my parole.
Andrew wouldn't let me.
Oh, I think we can prevail upon him.
So you're going, huh?
We're so used to taking care of each other.
What are we gonna do now?
Concentrate on never forgetting each other.
ANNOUNCER ( on speaker ): Bus 502 is now ready to depart for Michigan and Wisconsin.
Here you are.
JULIA: ♫ In this valley ♫
♫ They say You are goin' ♫
♫ Do not hasten To bid me adieu ♫
♫ But remember The red river valley ♫
♫ And the one Who did love you so true ♫
( exhales heavily )
( muttering ): Just fine...
( chuckles )
Feeling sorry for me, huh?
Well... don't do it.
No, sir.
This beauty
been good to me for many years.
Well, it is beautiful.
Mm-hm. It's a '49, isn't it?
Good for you.
You know cars.
Well, just Cadillacs.
Oh.
Just getting into town?
Yeah.
Listen, um, would you know,
do they have a...? I don't know,
a market or something around here
where they put up notices for rentals?
Yeah.
Yes, they do.
As a matter of fact,
I was headed there myself.
I've got a room to rent.
Oh, it's perfect.
How much are you asking?
I don't know.
The idea only came the other day.
A friend suggested it.
Well, this was my daughter's room
when she was young.
( Sighs )
Is this your family?
Mm-hm.
Yeah. Heh-heh.
That's Mama,
her sister Marion, and me...
and my Aunt Georgia.
Your Aunt Georgia? Mm.
She looks an awful lot like a friend of mine.
Yeah, I got a friend who looks a lot like my Aunt Georgia.
Her name is Tess.
You know Tess?
Yeah. I met her a... A few months past.
So... you must be the one.
I guess so.
Well... she said that you would certainly
want to see this picture.
That's the Greenes.
I call them my extended family.
They're travelling all over the country,
seeing America and having the time of their life.
But Chicory Creek is their home base,
and it's getting close to Thanksgiving.
They wouldn't wanna miss that.
So I expect them to pull into this yard any day now.
That's Russell, Claire,
heh-heh, Hattie, Josh,
Dinah...
and their nephew...
Nathaniel.
( Delicate piano theme playing )
Yeah. Nathaniel.
Erasmus, do you like tea?
Yeah.
Good.
Because if you don't mind,
I'd like to brew us up a pot
and have ourselves a little chat.
JULIA: Well, I'm living with Erasmus
in this house right here,
and he's got me a job with the church over there.
And the best part is,
the Greenes are coming home for Thanksgiving,
so I'm gonna get my son back.
( Monica sighs )
Nathaniel must be very excited about seeing you.
Well, he doesn't quite know that I'm here yet.
But everything's gonna be just fine,
I know it. So... thank you.
God bless you.
She looks happy.
Isn't it great when everything works out?
It is.
ANDREW: Tess?
Everything's gonna be okay, isn't it?
We're finished here, right?
You'd better fasten your seat belts.
This ride has just begun.
( Engine starts )
( bright, up-tempo theme playing )