How's it coming, dear?
I know it must be hard going through Grandma Cathy's stuff.
Anything you want, it's yours, okay?
- Okay.
- "For my beloved Monica to read when I'm gone.
"Love, Grandma Cathy."
- What is this?
Jo?
- Everything changed the year I met Jo.
It was 1963, and America was on the brink of change.
Vietnam was heating up, and the nation marched
on Washington, schools were integrating,
the Beatles had landed.
We had credit cards and color TVs
and a new doll named Barbie.
But while the times were a-changin',
nobody knew just how quickly they could change,
and nowhere was that more true than Attaway.
My family had lived in Attaway ever since
my great-great-grandfather opened
the first auto plant in 1897.
By the time I was born, we owned half the town
and employed most of it.
We were the Fitzroys, unofficial royalty,
which of course made me the princess
locked away in her tower.
I had everything,
and knew nothing.
Well, next to nothing.
What I had learned was how little I knew
about those closest to me,
and how little I knew about myself.
My brother Henry had just left for military school,
and my parents turned all their attention on me.
- Is that what you're wearing, dear?
Ray, you're not bringing your Willie Mays ball to school.
- The guys wanna see it, Mom.
- The guys?
- We're gonna play after school.
Don't flip your wig.
- Excuse me?
- Don't have a conniption.
- Ray, I understand the sentiment, but I simply
cannot understand where you learned to speak that way,
and to your dear, loving mother.
It's all those movies, isn't it?
Pick it up.
- Sorry, sorry, my mom.
- Hop in, babe.
- Neat blouse.
Cath, we need to talk about cheerleading.
Donna said there's some fab grade eights
we need to look out for, maybe we can--
- Jo, on the other hand,
was from a different Attaway altogether.
- Jo, you're gonna be late!
- Jo's family had been in Attaway
almost as long as mine.
But our circles rarely overlapped.
- Have you seen my book?
- Morning, Jo.
- He's still coming today, right?
- Don't get your hopes up, kiddo.
Your Uncle Bobby never stays long.
- Sure, better to be hopeless.
Where's Junior?
- He's opening the diner.
He's gonna start working the morning shifts before school.
- I still don't see why I can't help out.
I've got nothing but time.
Plus, I'm way stronger than he is.
- We may not be the fanciest family in Attaway,
but I'm not so poor as I have to send my daughter to work.
You just stay out of trouble.
That's a full-time job.
- God, it's what, eight a.m.
and that scag is already reading.
- Who, Jo?
- Yes, ew.
- Watch this.
- Lawrence, don't.
- Hey, Jo!
Hey, wait up, let me help you.
Golly.
- What's your problem?
- Welcome back to school.
- Guys, that wasn't very nice.
- It's just Jo Chambers.
- We need a boy on Phoenix Fest committee.
I mean, 20 girls can handle the decorating,
but not the heavy lifting.
- What about him?
I'd certainly like to see him lifting weights.
- Babe, where's your pin?
- Right, my pin.
- Yeah, my varsity pin, the pin that lets everyone know
that we're going steady and that you're my girl.
- Sorry, my mom made me change outfits at the last minute.
I promise!
- Let's get to class, girls.
- Hey, Jo.
You got a little something on your shirt.
My office, Miss Chambers.
Class, ladies, now.
I wanted this year to be different, Jo,
a fresh start, a clean slate.
And then you come in on the first day
literally covered in mud.
- You think I planned this?
- You never do, Jo.
- Can I go?
- Not so fast.
Somehow your schedule's already cockeyed.
You are signed up for shop.
Maybe they confused your name.
- No, I wanted it that way.
You can't make me sit through home ec.
Sewing, cooking?
It's a violation of my fundamental rights.
- Jo, is this about what happened to your mother?
Because I've been assured by the committee--
- It has nothing to do with her.
- Well, if you ever wanna talk about it,
Nurse Hagelman is just down the hall.
Now, we can't have you going to class
all covered in mud.
- Today's complex equation, as you can see on the board,
is actually linear algebra, what we will be doing today.
- How about we get a shake at the diner tonight?
- Can't, gotta get started on festival planning.
Don't get all clanked.
- And don't you be a wet rat, we're supposed to be
going steady.
- Continuing on.
- What are you looking at?
- You reckon we have a chance of beating Millwood this year?
- Reckon, I'm certain of it.
With me starting at point guard, of course.
- Did Coach already give you the position?
- Well, not officially, but unless he wants a visit
from my father, he'll toe the line.
- Quite a shot, Junior.
Are you going out for the team this year?
- No, I started working the counter
at the diner after school.
- Did you see that?
What an arm!
- Don't get all hot and bothered.
Beginner's luck.
- You know there's a new flick playing
at the Millwood Passion Pit.
Pick me up after work?
- Sorry, Alice, we don't close until late.
- Well, maybe later I'll be craving a strawberry shake.
- Political statement?
- Big puddle, mud, Alice.
- That girl's a heel.
You know, I checked, I don't think she's once
checked out a book.
I'm not even sure she can read.
- Speaking of, do you have an extra copy?
- Aw, also Alice?
I think somebody checked out the last copy this morning.
- Who?
- Unknown quantity.
Check the card catalog.
- Well, boys, welcome to auto shop.
First up, some safety rules and regulations.
I don't wanna lose any fingers this year.
- How is Jeremy?
- If Lawrence were my guy,
I'd keep my pin on 24/7.
- Welcome to Home Economics, where girls become ladies.
Proper ladies.
Are we missing a lady?
- Excuse me. - Ratchets.
- Excuse me. - And wrenches.
That's how you build a fine automobile.
Builds fine young men, too.
Now.
- Far out.
- Yeah, Equal Rights, it's super far out.
- What was that?
- Um, nothing.
- Who are you?
- Joseph.
- Attaway is hosting its first ever Phoenix Fest.
Cathy Fitzroy, would you like to enlighten your classmates?
- It's going to be like homecoming, but because of the fire,
we wanted to do something different this year.
- Cathy, as Social chair, has enlisted our help
with decorations, a perfect marriage, pun intended,
with our syllabus, for every housewife
must be a consummate host.
- Which reminds me, there's going to be plenty
of heavy lifting, so we need someone to chop the wood
and build the stage.
- Why don't you see if Mr. Richards
can part with one of his strapping young men?
- I can already use a hand, circle, and jigsaw.
Plus I can use any one of these wrenches.
- Yeah, there, little lady.
- I just wanna learn a useful skill,
like how to build a car or a Winnebago.
Which could technically be considered homemaking, so.
- Excuse me, I was wondering if I could borrow somebody
for the build for Phoenix Fest.
- I think I've got the perfect volunteer for you.
What do you say, Joseph?
- We could really use your help.
You're probably the only girl in Attaway
that's ever even held a hammer.
- That's what I've been trying to explain to everyone!
- So then you'll do it?
- Absolutely not.
- Is this about your mother?
Because if it is, then I assure you we can--
- It has nothing to do with her.
I don't need to plan an event I won't attend.
- Very well.
There are several ways to fold a dinner napkin,
which is the building block for any worthwhile soiree.
- Some things never change.
- Brett, I asked you to check the freezer before you left.
You ruined 40 pounds of ground beef!
- You call that beef?
- Get out, you're fired!
- Fine by me.
Welcome to a Attaway Diner.
Choose any--
- Hey, Tommy.
- Hey, can I play?
- Stop.
- Seriously, babe?
- Let me out.
- You can't be for real.
- I'll call you later.
- Have it your way.
- Good luck with that four-eyed sweat hog.
- I come in peace.
- Forgive me if I don't believe you.
- Have you thought any more about
the Phoenix Fest committee?
- No.
- Can you just promise to think about it, please?
- I can't, okay?
Plus my Uncle Bobby's coming to town.
I mean, at least he's supposed to.
Gosh, could you even imagine living here?
- Yes, unfortunately.
Come on, I'll give you the grand tour.
Mom, Ray?
Shall we?
- I guess we shall.
- You said I could play.
- We meant in 10 minutes.
- You said, "We meant in 10 minutes," 10 minutes ago.
Don't you wanna see my signed ball?
- Cut the gas, kid, you don't have a signed ball.
- Yuh-won against the Phillies last May.
My dad took me.
- My dad took me.
- Looks like a phony to me.
- But it's real.
- In that case, we'll keep it.
- When you're young, you're focused on the here
and now, on a math assignment or the school dance.
So when the truth comes out,
it can take you totally by surprise.
What's a good theme that hasn't been done a million times?
- You're reading "To Kill a Mockingbird," too?
- Just finished it last week.
Actually, you remind me of Scout.
- Too bad my copy's ruined for good.
- Take it.
My friends did a number on yours.
- I'll just get a copy at the library.
Why are they your friends?
- I know Alice can be tough,
but she's one of my oldest friends, she's loyal.
- If you say so.
- She's tough like you.
Honestly, I bet you two would get along.
- Fat chance.
Anyway, I should probably go see if Uncle Bobby
turned up at the diner.
- That's just where Alice will be.
We should go together to surprise her.
Please?
- Seriously, I gotta get home.
I wasn't even supposed to take it out of the house.
Come on.
- Watch this.
- No, no, no, no, no, no!
- Just went over the fence, kid, relax.
- But that's the old Everest place.
- Did you see Lawrence's Mustang in the lot?
Wonder where he got off to.
- Excuse me, kids, do you know where I can find
a pint-sized girl about yea tall, nose in a book?
- Uncle Bobby!
Dad said you wouldn't come, but I knew it, I knew it.
- Thank you for not losing faith in me.
- Hey, settle down over there?
We got customers.
- Hey, sis, look what Uncle Bobby
brought me from San Francisco.
- What'd you get me?
- Just a little something.
- It's perfect. - Yeah?
- Yeah.
- So what's, um.
- Wait, Cath.
- It's not what it looks like.
- How could you?
- You little--
- Hey, Alice, you have something on your shirt.
Come on, let's go.
- We could never have guessed how our lives
would change after that day.
But once Jo was in my life,
nothing would ever be the same.
- Monica.
Dear, you've barely boxed a thing.
What's that? - Nothing.
Just some old school books.
- Okay, hurry up.