Bailey... Bailey, come on.
Coit Tower.
Without question the most pointless landmark
in the San Francisco skyline,
Coit Tower was completed in 1944...
1934.
At the bequest of Coit S. Interruptus.
Bailey, you're not taking this seriously.
No, I'm not,
but I do take you very seriously.
I thought you wanted this job.
Who knew you had to take a stupid test?
What did you think?
They'd just stick you in a tour bus
and hand you a microphone and let you say stuff like,
"On your right, the Golden Gate Bridge.
It's tall, it's long, it's orange"?
[both laughs]
Forget me driving you to school.
What do you say we take a drive through the Presidio,
"One of the oldest military installations in the United States"?
Oh, God.
Or not.
No, I mean, it's my dad.
Barley, isn't it?
Uh, Bailey, sir.
Bailey Salinger.
It's a pleasure to meet you, sir.
Yes, well...
Bailey was gonna give me a lift to school.
Yeah. I'm an excellent driver.
Katie, why don't you invite your friend for dinner tomorrow?
The street is no place to get to know each other.
Well, I'm late for City Hall.
City Hall.
Completed in 1915,
its dome is taller than our nation's Capitol.
Not to worry.
[loud music playing]
I didn't know you worked here.
Yeah, well, I do.
Cool.
They know how old you are?
Hey, can I get a Beck's over here, Sam?
[Sam] Yeah, you got it. There you go.
They let you cop drinks for your friends?
Well, that's too bad because I'm totally out of cash.
You look good.
What, now that I can buy you a drink, you like me?
Is that it?
What's your problem? I just said--
I didn't deserve you dumping me the way you did.
Oh, right. That.
Yeah, that.
I mean, I liked you, and you just--
Oh, you liked me, huh?
Did you like me, or did you really like me?
Because if you really liked me--
Oh, God, there's something wrong with you.
Why do you have to be such a jerk?
[theme song playing]
♪ Everybody wants to live ♪
♪ Like they want to live ♪
♪ And everybody wants to love ♪
♪ Like they want to love ♪
♪ And everybody wants to be Closer to free ♪
♪ Closer to free ♪
A jacket adds elegance.
Jacket. Right.
Charlie, can you tell me what a lowest common denominator is?
You mean like when something appeals to everyone,
like in sex or violence?
Like in fractions. I'm doing my math homework.
Oh. Then I don't remember.
Claud, what do you think?
Needs a tie.
Could you just take a look at what it says here?
Maybe you can figure it out.
Claud, I've got to split. I'm late.
It'll just take a second.
It never takes a second, Claud,
and I really don't know this stuff.
Dad used to help me with my homework.
Claud...
Ditch the jacket.
The jacket's out.
He taught me the multiplication tables
with all those colored flash cards.
Look, I'm really busy and I've got to get to work,
so I can't do this with you.
Ask someone else. Ask Julia.
Dad used to sit with me for as long as it took
till I got them all right,
especially the sevens.
He let me sit in the kitchen at the restaurant
while he cooked.
Remember that?
Look, you know what, Claudia?
I don't need a guilt trip from you, okay?
Okay?
Sorry.
Lose the tie.
The tie.
They'll love you.
Thanks.
See you later.
[Charlie] Kind of quiet, huh?
[Joe] Yeah.
Hey, listen, last night, a bunch of your checks,
they were off a couple of bucks here and there,
but, you know, adds up.
I'm sorry. I'll watch it.
You know, Charlie, sometimes I get the feeling you're bored.
Your mind is elsewhere. There are times you'd rather not be here.
What are you doing, Joe? I said I was sorry about the checks.
You firing me?
I'm promoting you.
You're kidding.
No. I think it'd be a really good idea.
I mean, I've seen you.
You can do a pretty damn good job
when it's something you care about.
Thanks, but--
It'd be a lot more work, but it's something you can take some pride in.
Joe, thanks, but I don't think so.
I mean, I'm happy tending bar. Really.
I think you should expect more of yourself, too.
You know, your dad taught me how to manage this place.
It's an art, Charlie.
Handling people, ordering supplies, managing crises...
He was really good at it too.
-Was he? -Yeah.
I think if you put your mind to it,
you might find that you're just as good.
One night a week.
Tennis.
We've been really into tennis.
It's sort of an obsession with us.
What's your sport, Bailey?
Football.
Mm. No kidding. You play football,
for, uh, what is it, uh, Grant High?
Uh, no. Not...
Not really. Not anymore.
There was this incident, Dad.
It's kind of hard to explain.
You see, there was this fight, and I saw it,
and there was sort of a philosophical difference
between the school principal and I
over whether or not I should tell,
and the whole thing was sort of a mess.
I really don't know how to describe what happened.
You were suspended.
You could put it that way, yeah.
I suppose my feeling is, sir,
that I want to keep my options open at this point.
That is so smart.
Yeah. I mean, I'm young.
Now's the time to experiment.
I don't think I need to make any definite decisions about my future.
I couldn't disagree more.
No kidding.
The world is no place for dilettantes.
The sooner you decide what you want to specialize in,
the sooner you get the skills necessary,
the better your chances are for success.
That would be the other way to look at it.
Well, I'm hoping to become a licensed tour guide
for the Spirit of San Francisco tour bus company.
"Give us an hour, and we'll give you that San Fran-tastic feeling!"
[laughs] Really? Tourism.
Yeah, and, uh...
and I did work in this little shoe store for a while.
I know that doesn't immediately suggest an exciting future, but...
[coughs]
That's some job, being the only adult in a house with three kids and a baby.
Exactly how much older is he?
-He's 24. -And a great guy, Dad.
He is. You'd swear he was like 40 the way he's so mature,
and, you know, he's responsible and, you know, levelheaded and competent.
Nothing fazes him.
God, he's there for us like 24 hours a day.
No one has bad things to say about Charlie.
Mm-hmm.
I think I'd like to meet him.
Great.
[doorbell ringing]
[thunder rumbling]
What happened to you?
I, uh--
I can't--
P.K.?
Can I come in?
Please?
I've got nowhere else to go.
How's that feel?
Cold.
That the only place that...
He hit me?
Yeah.
Your stepfather, he, um, do this a lot?
It happens.
Have you ever tried--
Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?
I just don't want to talk about it.
Would it be cool if I, uh...
Crashed on your sofa?
Uh...
I'll get some blankets.
You'll have to be quiet, though.
My sister sleeps in the dining room in a tent.
Your sister sleeps in a tent?
Kind of a weird family.
Well, you have no idea.
[Bailey] Humor me.
If he asks you about your job, what are you gonna say?
Just walk me through it.
I'll tell him I'm managing a restaurant.
The truth.
Perfect. That's good.
We'll play up the small business angle,
and don't mention bartending.
This is ridiculous.
The man is stopping by the restaurant to meet your family.
It's a friendly gesture.
I don't think so. I made a very bad impression last night,
and I kind of think he's nervous about the atmosphere around here.
Why would he be nervous?
Listen, you guys, P.K.'s afraid that people are gonna start asking questions about where he's hiding out,
so he's gonna cut school today and stay here.
Point taken.
Look, not having parents around doesn't help,
so the illusion of an authority figure--
-Hey, you know what? -I'm sorry.
It just... Look, if he asks how you're planning for the future, just say something like,
"The world is no place for debutantes."
Trust me on this one.
And you think he'll look at outside bids?
Uh-huh.
Um, what's the address?
Okay. How about 20 minutes?
Hey, thanks for the tip, man.
What, are you going somewhere?
I just got a lead on a big restoration job over on Russian Hill.
I'm going to check it out, see if it's something I want to bid on.
I'll be back in an hour.
Wait. Hold the phone.
Did you do the table assignments, yet?
Chart's in the kitchen.
Did you confirm tonight's reservations?
We got a full house till 9:45.
Are you familiar with the specials?
Salmon, veal chops, Mediterranean chicken.
What is this, a test?
I'll be back in two hours, tops.
Charlie, you said an hour.
[coughing]
It's not polite to smoke in the house, you know.
Other people breathe that stuff in.
Happy?
Have you ever done drugs?
Hard drugs?
Anything intravenous?
Yeah,
and I killed a guy once for a cigarette.
You just love me, don't you?
You were kind of creepy to my sister.
Yeah, I was stupid, huh?
I can be a real jerk sometimes.
Yeah.
Me too.
I don't mind if you stay here.
[Julia] Claudia.
Hey, P.K. Claud, you ready?
Bailey's going to meet us there.
We're going for dinner at our dad's restaurant.
It's kind of a thing. Want to come with?
I don't think so.
Okay. I'll bring something back.
See you.
There'd better not be anything missing when we get back.
Yes, ma'am. Right away.
[telephone ringing]
Sorry. Sorry.
Charlie, you got a minute?
Not now, Bay.
It's the pressures of running a small business.
Can you imagine?
[patron] You know, we ordered our appetizers 30 minutes ago.
I'll check on it.
Some problem in the kitchen.
Yes, well, we probably shouldn't stay for dinner.
Maybe tonight is a mistake.
No. No, it isn't. Charlie?
Mr. Bishop. Charlie Salinger.
Sorry about the, uh, chaos.
That's okay.
I was just anxious to meet the person in charge--
Actually, could you give me a minute?
Charlie, I'm starving.
I thought you said 10 minutes.
Claudia.
He is so resourceful.
Cancel the appetizers!
Just bring us the entrees.
Fine.
[Claudia] Sorry about Charlie.
He doesn't usually manage the restaurant.
He's just a bartender.
[Julia and Bailey] Claudia!
Talk about moving up quickly in a job.
Your brother tends bar every night?
He calls home frequently.
I really want get a chance to talk with you.
Same here.
Bailey has told me so much about you that I feel as though---
[patron] Hey!
Actually, could you give me one more minute?
Sir, your entrees are not ready, but as soon as they are, I promise---
You know what? This is insane.
I get better service eating at home.
Then why don't you just leave?
My apologies. Your dinner will be here in a few minutes, on the house.
What was that about?
The guy was in my face.
Will you pull your act together? We've got a big problem here, thanks to you.
It's not my fault the damn range blew in the kitchen.
Well, maybe if you had stuck around this afternoon--
Can we talk about this later?
Instead of running off the first chance you got, you would have taken care of it three hours ago.
You were out too, Joe. You could have seen to it.
This was your night to manage.
You know, this irresponsible kid act of yours is starting to wear thin.
Thanks for the advice, Joe.
Do you think your father--
Hey, you know what? I don't want to hear it. I've got to get back to work.
That's Charlie.
[both] Claudia.
I think you still like him.
Throw me a towel, would you?
I think you still want to go out with him.
-I do not. -Do too.
-Claudia... -Do too. Do too.
Shh.
You're so obnoxious. You know that?
So I guess he apologized, huh?
For what he did to you.
-Before. -No.
Then how come you're not still mad at him?
I'm just not, okay?
Why?
Maybe all that stuff going on with him at home just made him act...
I don't know.
I guess he kind of doesn't have any parents either.
[Bailey] What does that mean, a curfew?
You can't stay later than six p.m.? No.
God, Katie, you got to talk him out of that.
Okay, okay, so Charlie isn't exactly a model parent.
Okay, so there's no adult in the house.
What does your dad think happens here when you come over?
Don't answer that. Okay.
Okay, okay, here's what we do.
What? Now? Well, just--
Just tell him you're on the phone... with your priest.
Okay, okay. Okay.
I'm sorry. Good night.
[piano playing softly]
Can't sleep?
You play?
A little. Not anymore.
You take lessons and stuff?
-My mom kind of taught me. -Yeah?
It's two in the morning. Aren't you tired?
My dad... my step dad, Frank, he taught me how to smoke.
Camel Straights.
And darts. We played darts once.
-Maybe you should lie down. -No.
-Maybe if you tried? -No.
Why not?
I don't want to close my eyes.
I have this dream all the time
when I'm just going along, you know, just going along,
and out of nowhere, he hits me.
You should tell someone about it.
-Your mom. -She knows.
But--
She knows, okay? She knows.
I bought Frank...
this really good bottle of whiskey for his birthday.
He punched me out,
because he figured that I stole it.
But he drank it, you know?
He hates me.
-No. -Yes, he does.
He hates me.
He's got a problem, and he needs help.
We've all got problems, and we all need help.
The one thing that I, I can't figure out, is...
What did I do? What did I do?
What thing did I do that was so bad that he can't forgive me?
Shh. It's okay.
It's okay.
[gently] No.
Okay.
God, I'm tired.
I'll stay up.
You go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
-Joe, you got a minute? -Later, huh?
I'd kind of like to talk to you now.
Look, I don't think you're being very reasonable about this.
-I don't think this range is-- -I said later.
It'll only take a sec--
I got other things to worry about, Charlie.
I'll talk to my client.
Well?
Getting a lawyer involved just antagonized the S.O.B.
He's not budging, Joe.
You in trouble or something, man?
If he thinks he's getting somebody else in here to pay that kind of rent, he's crazy.
200 percent increase.
19 years we've been here.
Yeah, he's got you over a barrel, Joe, and he knows it.
The landlord?
I thought we had a 10-year lease on this place.
Well, you did, but then your dad had a bad year a few years back, and he renegotiated a lease.
And what he should have done was taken out a small loan or a second on the house.
It was a mistake.
He got short-term relief, and now... we're at this guy's mercy.
Dad did that?
You know, if I jack up the prices, then I lose customers,
and if I cut prices, then I don't make enough profits,
and if we move, it's like starting all over again.
So he screwed up, huh?
[Julia] Hey, Bay, is it so much to ask that you put my wet stuff in the dryer
when you want to do a load?
[Bailey] Julia...
This is Officer Garret.
We're looking for Peter Strickler.
P.K. I'm his mother. Is he here?
-No, he's not. -But he was?
We know he was here as of early this morning, because we traced a phone call
from your residence to Mrs. Strickler's home.
He called to let me know he was okay, and not to worry.
-He was here, yes. -But he left.
He was gone when we woke up this morning.
He left. Take a look. He slept on the sofa.
You can see for yourself. He's not here.
-Is he coming back? -No.
He mentioned something about a friend. Uh, he was going to crash there.
I don't know the guy's name.
If you see him or hear from him, you need to contact the station immediately.
He's a missing person and a minor. Housing him could have serious implications.
If you know where he is, you have a responsibility to report his whereabouts.
We'll be sure to do that, Officer.
Uh, Mrs. Strickler...
P.K. told me what's been going on at home.
I don't know what you're talking about.
He told me about his stepfather, how he hits him.
Hits him?
Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration.
That boy is out of control.
My husband does what he can to keep him in line.
I saw what he does.
Julia...
He's your son.
You tell him to come home, okay?
[Kate] Look, it's not as bad as you make it out to be.
Really? Give me the plus side. I'm all ears.
Well, first of all, I'm at my mom's half the time anyway.
Great, so every other week I can see you whenever I want.
And I have a million after-school activities, from track to junior class, every one of them an alibi.
He doesn't need to know where I am all the time.
He'll find out. He has ways.
All right, so we'll meet in the shadows, hide from a world
that wants to keep us apart.
I'm glad you're not over-dramatizing this.
I just don't like the feeling of not being trusted, you know?
Bailey, this isn't even about you. I'm his only kid.
He thinks he lost me after the divorce.
Laying down the law is the only way he knows how to show he cares.
It's kind of confused, but it's him.
I'm sure he'll warm up to you.
Yeah. Right.
Hey.
He doesn't have to fall in love with you. I do.
Charlie...
All right, the cobwebs have cleared. I got it all figured out.
We're not going to close the place.
Joe, wait. Just listen to me.
Now, I don't know if that means raising the prices a little or putting out a couple more tables,
or maybe doing some more advertising, but I do know that, um...
it's gonna be a lot more work, and I also know that you and I,
have got to put our problems behind us, so what do you say?
-Joe, come on. -What?
What, are you not seeing what's going on?
I mean, you were there last night.
You're not happy with me, and... and I don't want this.
I'm done. I'm not doing it anymore.
You've got to be kidding me.
Joe, I--
You going to walk out on me now?
Oh. Oh, excuse me. I forgot who I was talking to.
Hey, you know what? I am sick of you telling me what's wrong with me,
and I'm fed up with being reminded every day that I'm not half the man my father was,
especially when it turns out when he wasn't everything he was cracked up to be.
I'm not the one who screwed up your business.
Blame that on the management whiz, the guy who never lost his cool, saw everything coming.
My father did this to you.
Why don't you sit down?
Come on, go ahead.
This place is about to go under.
Your dad's place.
Now, you tell me
that you're going to stick around and help me save it or you're going to walk.
Joe--
Because I want to see just how selfish you are.
Selfish.
[laughs]
Are you kidding me?
I live in his house, I take care of his kids, I work in his restaurant.
I'm 24 years old. I have a right to figure out what I want out of my life.
I came through for you, Charlie.
Are you going to come through for me or not?
-Mr. Bishop. -Bailey.
What are you, uh... What are you doing here?
I was, uh... hoping you might have time for a match.
Uh, for a set.
For a round.
Uh, you know, to hit a few balls, sir.
This is a private club, son.
Look, uh, we don't have to play or anything if you're tired.
Maybe we could just have a couple iced teas and hang out a little.
Kate tells me that your specialty is maritime law.
That's always interested me.
How does someone get into that?
What are those, basketball shoes?
Oh. Yeah. Well, it was either these or cleats, so I figured--
Look, uh,
you want to play tennis, at least get yourself a pair of shoes.
No, thank you, sir.
I don't want your money.
Then what do you want? What are you doing here?
I know you don't have a very good impression of me, sir, so I figured
that maybe if you got to know me a little better, then--
Oh, I think I know you pretty well, son.
I'm only asking for a few seconds, Mr. Bishop, to let you know just what kind of guy I am.
See, when something goes wrong, I fix it.
I make sure that my little sister's got her milk money in the morning
and that all our doors are locked at night,
and you know what, Mr. Bishop? I don't have a clue what I'm good at besides that,
but it seems to me that should count for something.
That, and the fact that I am nuts about Kate,
and I'd think that'd make me exactly the kind of guy a father would want his daughter to go out with,
and the fact that you don't think so means that you don't know anything about me.
Nothing at all.
I don't know, Charlie.
I mean, do we have to?
Yeah, I think so, Claud.
Bay, don't you think so?
Think so what?
That we've got to do something.
I wasn't there this morning, but--
No.
No, we've got to.
Hey, there you guys are.
Listen, we ordered pizza for dinner, so we're going to go pick it up.
Hey, you know what, Jule? We've got some stuff we've got to talk about.
P.K., you mind?
Yeah, no problem.
That ought to cover it.
[door closes]
What was that all about?
We, uh...
We don't think P.K. should stay here anymore.
What?
I heard about what happened with the police this morning.
Yeah, so we had a little scare.
We could get in big trouble.
We're not going to get in trouble.
You don't know that, Julia.
He's a minor.
He's missing and the police are looking for him.
No, you can't be serious. I can't believe you would do this.
Bailey...
Be reasonable, Julia.
We're not exactly on steady ground here.
I mean, if they find out we lied to the police, who knows what they'll do to us.
They might decide Charlie wasn't being a good enough parent.
Please don't do this.
Please?
Where else is he going to go?
There must be places.
I mean, if he's being abused, I'm sure there are places.
You're sure there are places? That's great.
You guys are really brave.
You know how it must feel to not have anyplace to go?
Please.
The kid made it clear she didn't want me smoking in the house.
You know, I was thinking, In a little while, I might go up the street
and get some ice cream for you guys.
Kind of a thank you.
P.K., you can't stay with us.
What did I do?
Nothing. You didn't do anything.
It's because of what happened with the police this morning.
All right.
My family kind of freaked about that.
Your staying here, it's kind of risky.
See, the Department of Social Services, they check up on us all the time,
and if they found out,
well, they might not let us stay together.
Sure. I understand.
I'm sorry.
Don't sweat it. I've got plenty of friends who can put me up.
-Really? -Yeah.
There's Johnny Brancotto.
He's cool.
I would've went there in the first place, but, you know,
I figured they'd look for me there, but it's been a few days, so...
Yeah, he'd definitely let me hang.
You think maybe I could, uh, stay in your garage?
Guess not, huh?
Never mind.
Tell someone.
Don't tell me what to do, okay?
I'm not your problem.
You saw my mom.
You saw her. She's never going to kick him out. Ever.
What are you going to do?
Well, I've made it this far, haven't I?
So just don't worry about me, okay?
Hey. You got a minute?
It's the rest of what I owe you from the loan.
$2,000.
I can't pay you back for all the times you've come through for me, Joe,
but at least we're square on the money.
-Come on, Charlie. -Take it.
I won't leave you in the lurch.
I'll train my replacement before I go.
And, listen, I...
I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I really do.
This isn't a personal thing.
It is personal, Charlie.
-Joe... -I don't want the money.
And I don't want to talk about who owes who what.
That was stupid of me.
Joe, you got to cut this out, man.
You think that I moved you up to manager because there was nobody else I could find to do the job?
Charlie, I wanted to do for you what your old man did for me.
He took me in, he taught me the business, he made me a partner.
He was my best friend.
I know he was.
Yeah, and you kids,
you're the only ones I got, and that place...
is the one thing that I have that I can leave behind,
and, uh...
maybe it's dumb, but I wanted to leave it to you.
The way your dad would have.
Lopez.
Rock 'n' roll.
Salinger.
Okay, Julia, here's your salary,
it's in there, and I split tips based on how many hours and days you worked, so you worked--
-Just Saturday. -Just Saturday.
20, 40, 60, 80, 100.
-Go crazy. -Thanks.
All right.
Okay. Reviewing.
Red wine, white wine, water glass.
Okay.
-Hey, Joe? -Yeah?
You remember Gil, right? He applied for a job last week.
Oh, yeah.
Charlie told you your hours?
Five o'clock means five o'clock, not 10 after.
Well, what do you mean by...
What's he mean by five o'clock? I thought was going to work--
Gil's going to handle the lunch shift.
The dinner shift's my gig.
It's better tips.
Hey, just go on and take off. I'll take care of this stuff.
Great. Thanks.
You're staying?
I'm staying.
How long? For the long haul?
For now. I don't want to see this restaurant go down the tubes without a fight.
He would be very happy to know that it means something to you.
It does, but, uh...
I'm telling you something, Joe, and I want you to listen.
This isn't where I see myself ending up.
It's not what I want for myself.
I'm not him, and I'm staying behind the bar. That's it.
I hope that's enough for you.
-What you doing? -Reading comprehension.
"The main idea of this article is, A, the American government
frequently broke its promises to the Indians,
or B, Arizona is no place to live."
-Any problems? -I can handle it.
I don't want to take up your time.
-Hey. -Just kidding.
Just a joke.
I'll let you know if I have any problems with my math homework.
Okay,
but I'm telling you right now, I don't know anything about that base 3, base 4, base 5 stuff.
Dad didn't know that stuff either.
Well, then I guess I'm off the hook.
Don't you think Dad would have known what to do to help P.K.?
I don't know, Claud. I mean, sometimes there just
aren't any good answers.
I bet he would have known what to do,
like that time Gretchen Bassett kept beating me up,
and I wanted to learn how to box so I could beat her up.
Instead, Dad took us both out to lunch and the movies, and we became best friends for two years,
until she had to move to New Jersey.
Dad would have figured something out.
Yeah. I bet he would have.
I never brought anyone home to meet my folks.
-No? -No.
Well, friends, guys, but girls?
I never really had anyone before you.
You know what would have happened if I had brought you home?
Right off, my dad would have made you stay for dinner. Didn't matter if you'd already eaten.
What would he make?
Something with all of your favorite stuff in it,
and then he would have named it after you, like Veal a la Kate or Pasta a la Kate.
He was always doing stuff like that.
Of course, he'd want to know where you stood on the garlic issue.
None, a little, or there can never be too much.
C. Definitely C.
He would have made you tell him the stupidest joke you had ever heard
and he would've been totally interested in your running.
And he would have showed you some gizmo that he'd bought off the TV, like...
Something we all thought was stupid, like a...
like a rock polisher or something.
And when he thought I wasn't looking,
he would have winked at my mom across the table, like...
"Good for Bay. He's found someone great."
Look. There's Cassiopeia.
He would have loved you.
-I can't. -Yes, you can.
-No. -Please?
Please.
Take it. I want you to have it.
Thanks.
Where will you go?
I don't know.
I was thinking about trying to find my dad.
He's in New Orleans somewhere.
Well, you've got to go, huh?
My break's almost over.
You take care of yourself, okay?
Okay?
Okay.
[theme music playing]