Original subtitles

All right. We've got the phony lawyer who's been practicing for ten years and

never passed the bar.

The supervisor's campaign.

Nothing I can sell for page one.

How did that, quote, spontaneous demonstration in Westwood turn out?

quote, spontaneous demonstration's been postponed till two o 'clock tomorrow.

Here's a wild one. Guy out near Palmdale, Ralph Tamura, has a couple of

cockroaches that predict earthquakes.

Does he say how?

They probably have a couple of little tiny seismographs.

Listen, send Duncan Aldridge to interview some of that lawyer's clients.

Go at the story from that angle. First I have to find Aldridge. I've been

looking for him. It's three o 'clock. He hasn't come back from lunch yet. Three

-hour lunch? I thought you invented that. Yeah, but I couldn't get a patent

it.

We got a guy who never passed the bar masquerading as an attorney.

Must be the guy that handled my divorce.

And the campaign practice this commission is really going after the guy

his supervisor in the 11th district.

Look, we're talking about the front page here.

Well, the next best story we've got is five straight days of 75 -degree weather

in the valley.

It looks like the only thing we've got to compete against loose stuff is the

Chinese nuclear weapons proposal, the president's new energy program, or the

Russian fishing fleet's crisis in the North Atlantic.

What about this plane crash investigation?

The National Transportation Safety Board won't have anything on that until

tomorrow. Okay, we ought to see that when it comes in.

Well? Students riot for third day in Paris.

Ah, gay Paris.

Anita Bryant hasn't been there yet.

Uh, was that an earthquake I called a minute ago? Huh?

Seemed like the whole building was shaking.

Hey, somebody call Caltech, huh? Just a little chandelier swinger. I'll call it

4 .1.

Wind is broken in the West Valley. 4 .5.

At most, maybe coastal on the comments to Rachel. 4 .3. No, not over 4. 3 .5.

I'm in for 3 .7.

Caltech says 4 .3.

So yours, Ben.

You know, that was my first quake.

We all have to lose it sometime, Lou.

Feel it? Feel what?

I know, I know.

Caltech with the epicenter out near Palmdale. We checked.

Minor damage, broken windows, a few cracks in the earth, nothing much.

Rossi? Yeah?

Take a look at the damage out near Palmdale. Take the animal with you. Why

Because if the earth opens up, I want you to be there.

You need a cigarette, just say so.

Here. What's this?

Peter, my apartment.

No, thank you.

No, I have to go to Palmdale. You have to feed my dog. I don't know when I'll

get back.

What kind of dog?

Pit bull.

Like father, like son.

Rothman, wait a second.

While you're up there, check this out.

It's a cockroach guy.

Come on, Lou.

Cockroaches? I've read about lots of scientific research going on about

sensing quakes before people do.

Yeah, but cockroaches are just barely animals.

They're just barely insects, but maybe you'll find a funny angle on it.

Maybe he'll find some humor in it.

Humor? Rossi?

Not exactly Art Buchwald.

He's not even Earl Butts. But he's all we've got.

City desk.

Yeah, George, what's up?

What?

When?

Uh -huh.

Uh -huh.

Oh, my God.

That's terrible.

Thanks for calling.

What?

Duncan Aldridge is dead.

Heart attack.

Duncan?

What's the matter?

Duncan Aldridge just died.

No.

What?

Where was he?

Some hotel.

Does his wife know it? No.

It'd be better if she didn't find out from the police.

Yeah, yeah, you're right.

One of us should call her.

Which one of these guys knew him?

I don't want to leave it up to a reporter.

It's unpleasant, but this is the kind of job that goes with running a paper.

You call her.

What? Charlie, I can't. Yes, you can, Lou.

I mean, if I were her, I'd want to find out from you.

I don't even know her. That's why it's easier for you to call. I mean, I could

get emotional. That'd be worse for her. Besides, you're good at things like

that. I'm good at telling wives their husbands just died. I never knew I had

that talent.

Okay, okay.

This isn't going to be easy.

Duncan was with a woman when he died.

He was in flagrante delicto?

What does that mean? It means he died with her boots on.

No answer.

They probably already told her. She's probably on her way.

Lou.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'll get over there.

I'm good at this.

I'm Lou Grant of the trip.

And I know you're a responsible man, Mr. H.

You're not going to print the name of the hotel, are you?

I mean, there's just no need to bring this favor to an L .A. institution.

Good point.

What did you say that he died in an unspecified fleabag at 120 West 14th

Well, now, the coroner, he said that he died from a, well, I guess it's not the

worst way to go, is it?

waiting for a tip, forget it.

Hey, not down the front. I'll show you the service elevator.

Um, I heard you from in there a minute ago.

You're Duncan City editor, right?

Right. And you're?

The bedtime story.

Listen, Mrs. Aldridge will be here in a few minutes, and I don't want her to,

you know, see... Here, let me help you.

I know what you're probably thinking.

No, I'm not thinking that.

He was a nice guy.

Yeah, he really was.

This wasn't what the setting makes it look like. I don't know why it's

to me that you know that, but it is.

Yeah, well, still, you don't want to be here when his wife comes.

My name is Lorette Wycliffe. I'm in the book. I'd like to hear about the funeral

arrangements.

Please. Okay.

Mrs. Aldridge.

Yes. You must be from the police?

No. I'm Lou Graham, Duncan's editor.

Oh. Oh, yes. Of course.

I have been at the paper very long, but I really liked him. Everybody thought he

was a hell of a guy.

Yeah, well, he was a wonderful man.

He was a good father and a good provider.

Who was that woman?

What woman?

That woman who just left.

The woman who just left?

Oh, that woman.

The coroner.

Oh, I thought the coroner was a Japanese man.

That's true. He is.

The young lady who just left is one of his many assistants.

Oh.

What was Duncan doing in this horrible place?

You mean here? In this fine old hotel?

Well, let's see. He was doing a piece on hotels.

Yeah. See, we wanted to do a comparison piece.

on the old traditional hotels and the new ones that are going up. So we sent a

reporter to stay at one of the newest and biggest, and another reporter to...

This is lipstick.

I'm sorry.

Oh, my.

What? The car. What?

The car was in the shop. Yeah. And I had to take a taxi here.

And now I don't have any money. And I don't know how I'm going to get home.

no, no.

I'll take you home. Oh, no, no, no. No, no. It's not your problem.

I'm sure I could get a bus. No, no, no.

I can't let you do that. Come, come, come.

I'll drive you home.

I'll drive you home.

Thank you very much, Mr. Grant.

It was the least I could do, Mrs. Aldridge.

Gloria. Gloria.

Oh, could I get you a drink?

No, no, thanks. I really have to get back to work.

Mom, are you home?

In here, Roger.

That's our son, Roger.

He and Duncan were very close.

Oh, I just had the craziest thought.

I guess it's habit, but I just thought I'll let... Duncan tell him.

Isn't that crazy?

No.

No. That's just normal.

I think I could handle this a lot better if I had a couple of hours to adjust to

it.

Hours. Years.

Well, I've got to be going now.

If there's anything at all that I can do... There is something that you could

do. Come on.

Where were you?

Would you tell him?

These cockroaches are more reliable than anything we've come up with yet in this

field.

People don't give cockroaches credit for having sensitivity.

That's true. I never have.

If you ever need any more, I got loads of them in my kitchen.

How do they predict earthquakes?

I'm postulating that it's the sensory hairs between the joints of their legs

which register vibrations and which are also related to their sense of balance,

very much like the fine cilia in our inner ear.

See, I suspect that what the cockroaches feel in advance of an earthquake is

analogous to our sensation of motion sickness.

I hope I'm not being too technical.

No. When the cockroaches throw up, you know a quake is coming. Right.

From 24 hours to two weeks before the jolt we feel.

The insects exhibit characteristic movements.

The trick is in the interpretation, in reading the cockroaches.

How do you learn to read the cockroach? Years of careful observation and study.

After a while, the movements become recognizable.

How do you mean?

Well, in layman's terms, I'd say they kind of, uh, dance.

Uh, with each other?

No, it's a formalized movement like the dance beast performed to tell the rest

of the hive where to find the pollen -bearing flowers.

Dr. Tamura.

It's Mr. Tamura. My doctoral work was interrupted through a lack of funding.

Your own?

No, the school's.

So I'm having to continue my research here on a more or less limited budget,

you can see. Could you hold one up over here by the window?

Sure.

I guess this is it. It's too much to ask the cockroaches to smile.

Did they predict this afternoon's quake?

Yes, they did.

I thought you'd say that.

I thought you might say that.

So, I sent myself a registered letter the day before yesterday.

Open it.

epicenter within 25 -mile radius of Palmdale over 3 .5 on the 14th.

Nice shooting.

Unfortunately, not all the news media have shown your interest.

So, I sent registered letters today to your paper, the wire services, and the

television stations.

An aftershock. The day after tomorrow.

Thursday. How big?

Well, you'll find out.

Yeah. Is this Kern Brothers?

I'd like to make arrangements for a funeral.

Duncan Aldridge. A -L -D -R -I -D -G -E.

What's my relationship to him?

City editor.

Look, I'm just doing this as a favor for somebody.

Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should come down there. How late are you open?

24 hours.

Yeah, I guess you would be.

Look, look.

How much are we talking about in terms of money?

What? Are you crazy?

That's better.

Uh -huh.

Perpetual care?

What's perpetual care? They mow the lawn.

Gee, I don't know.

What about just 150 years?

Uh -huh. Well, I'll certainly be thinking about that, and I'll see you

evening. You have a nice day, too.

Think it's time to run another one of those stories about what to do in case

an earthquake?

Oh, we've done so many of those. You know, stay away from windows, stand

doorways. Everybody knows that stuff.

Yeah, we don't want to run that again.

Why do you stand under doorways? Oh, it's the strongest construction in any

building.

Maybe we better run the story, just for Lou's sake.

You know my greatest fear?

Getting stuck in an elevator during a quake.

Every time I get in an elevator, all the way up and down, I keep thinking, what

if there's an earthquake?

Don't you? I will from now on.

So you want to start working something up?

Excuse me.

Hello, Gloria.

Good morning, Lou.

Someone from the newspaper called me and said I could come down and get Duncan's

things.

I'm having a harder time than I thought.

I know what you mean.

A man's whole life is in here.

Look, why don't I help you?

Thank you.

That issue had a very good think piece on the decline of our cities.

I didn't even know he was working on a book.

Everyone's working on a book around here. You open any desk, you'll find

All telling the inside story of this paper.

How deadly my gun.

I guess this isn't one of them.

Here's his personal notebook. You probably want that.

Oh, yes, I will.

The way that he had with words.

The way he would compose little poems sometimes.

Could we go someplace for some coffee?

Sure, right over there.

I mean, away from here.

I'm trying to be realistic, Lou.

He was not a rich man.

Do you need money?

I'll lend you some.

Oh, no, no, no, I couldn't. I couldn't. No, Roger and I, we don't need very much

to get on. Just to tide you over.

Fifty, a hundred?

Oh, that wouldn't be nearly enough.

I could sell the house, of course.

No.

Don't do that.

All right, Lou, if you don't think so.

You don't have to make a decision on that right away.

Not while you're still a little upset.

Wait until at least after the funeral.

There's something else I want to talk to you about.

What?

Duncan wrote in his will about his funeral.

He said, I was never religious in life, and I don't want to be hypocritical in

death.

So please, no comments from a minister who never knew me.

Just have one of the guys from the paper stand up and say something.

Just like Duncan.

Yeah.

That's the way I'd want it.

I want you to do it, Lou.

I want you to be the one to stand up and say something.

You know, Miniter, ministers can be quite good at this.

You'd be better.

Look, there are so many guys around who have a, you know, a flair for handling

these things.

You're an editor, a writer.

I've gotten to know you, and I think that you definitely have a way with

Please, Lou, do it for Duncan.

For me.

I'll be glad to.

Excuse me.

What can I say about Duncan Aldridge

that all of us don't already know?

He was a very special person.

who love so many people.

Some of us only have enough love for our wives and our children.

But Duncan had enough love to spare.

He was devoted to his work.

A crackerjack, dedicated newsman.

That he always could find time for his family and others.

When I ask people, what shall I say about Duncan?

There was almost unanimous agreement that Duncan had a

very special quality.

Do you want to know what that quality was?

His niceness.

And in an age and a time when niceness is almost

obsolete, Duncan gave a whole new meaning to the word

nice.

At this time, when all of us are saddened by Duncan's passing,

that it's...

some consolation to know that this fine reporter

went the way he wanted to go,

doing the thing that he liked to do best.

I meant, what I meant is

that

Going the way he liked to go, by that I mean reporting, was

the way he loved to go.

And that doing what he liked to do best, I meant that nothing could

be better for him than to be covering a hot story.

I meant...

Or the wrath of God.

Will Mifflin... If you ever

consider the career in public speaking, forget it.

Please let me know if there's anything you need.

The Tribune always tries to take care of its family. I want you to know that.

Thank you, Mrs. Pynchon.

It just didn't come out right.

Nobody's blaming you.

For the quake.

Anything I can do, now you be sure to let me know.

I'm sorry, I just... Sorry.

You were wonderful.

Excuse me. Please, ladies and gentlemen, could I have a client, sir?

No pictures, please.

The exclusive rights for photographs have been sold to People magazine.

Why not True Insect magazine?

Mr. Tamura? Yes.

What do you feed them? Table scraps.

They are cockroaches, after all.

Do you have any plans to stud them?

In actual fact, the...

Interpretation of the cockroaches is the key to using them for earthquake

prediction. These are ordinary garden variety roaches, although I have grown

attached to these too.

Do you, do they have any other predictions?

Yes, I was watching my little friends this morning, and they've indicated to

an aftershock two weeks from today in the range of 6 .7.

6 .7?

That's larger than... That's bigger than the one in 71, yes.

Do you have an approximate time?

No. I have an exact time.

Two weeks from today, November 30th, 5 p .m. Pacific Standard Time.

Would somebody get that, please?

Yeah?

It's somebody from Johnny Carson.

Yo!

Aren't they jumping again?

Bugs didn't call a quake until tomorrow.

Pretty depressing.

The end of the world?

No, I have to go back up to Palmdale again and feed my dog.

Okay. Anything special you want me to give her? No.

Why? Could be her last meal.

I'm having a pizza with everything.

I've been over there almost every other night.

Contractor was redoing her kitchen, was dragging his feet, so I had to take care

of that.

I don't know what to do.

I've got this lady really dependent on me now.

She even wanted me to decide whether to have him cremated. What'd you decide?

I decided on cremation. Oh.

Is that wrong?

Well, it's not wrong, but for me, well, I wouldn't do it. He always liked the

heat. He used to go to the desert a lot.

I guess this is the ultimate fun dance.

I don't know what to do.

How do I get out of this?

What do you do when guys cling to you?

Well, mostly I cling back.

No, no, no. I mean, how do you stop it? Are you sure you want to stop it?

Maybe you're letting her do this because you really don't mind. I don't mind. Of

course I mind.

She's bright, nice -looking.

Yeah, sure, but I don't. Lou, everybody's shaky now because of this

stuff. It's a time when people really seem to need people. I can remember

the big quake in 71, people all over the office were having affairs.

People you wouldn't expect.

Like who?

Like me.

Oh, dear.

Well, that was different. That was a real earthquake.

Yeah, I can't believe that mature, intelligent people are going to

their lives just because of something a couple of bugs said.

Lou? Huh?

Here's that story I was working on. I wanted to get it in before I went on

vacation. Oh, that's right.

Boy, I really envy you. A couple of weeks on a beach at Balboa.

Yeah.

Well, we decided to go to Kansas this year.

The tornadoes will get you.

Lou.

There's a call for you on one.

I'll be right back.

Hello. Lou, Roger's run away.

Roger? My son.

I think he's on the way to San Francisco.

Why?

I told him how Duncan died.

About that woman.

Oh, I don't know why I did it.

I guess I just wanted to punish Duncan.

Punish Duncan?

I don't think you can.

Anyway, Roger took it very hard.

I think it really confused him. He went up and he packed his backpack.

And just now, he called me from the bus terminal.

Well, he called you because he probably wanted you to tell him to stay. From

what he said, I think he's very serious about going.

What did he say?

Goodbye.

Oh, I'm some mother, aren't I? For 15 years, I feed him, I go to all those PTA

meetings, and now when he really needs... I lay this on him. Yeah, yeah,

right, all right.

Don't worry, don't worry. Don't worry about it. Okay, bye -bye.

Take over for me. Gloria just called.

I got to get to the bus station.

It won't work, Lou.

She'll find you wherever you go.

Bus 701, San Diego's departing at 2.

Hello,

Roger.

Hi, Mr. Grant.

Do you believe some of the ads in here? Look at this.

No. No, I don't believe it.

I guess they're pretty funny.

A little bit depressing, too.

Where are you going? Are you taking a bus?

Back to work.

Mom sent you, didn't she?

No, she didn't send me. She told me you're down here.

Thought I'd come down to see you off.

Where are you headed?

San Francisco.

Oh, nice town, San Francisco.

You got a place to stay up there? Yeah, I got some friends.

Oh, that's good.

That's my bus. Well,

have a nice trip, huh?

You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were going to try to talk me

of going.

Yeah, when I first saw you, I thought I was too.

Then I thought, this is a smart kid.

He already knows all the things I'm going to tell him. But your mother might

some things to you which she wishes that she hadn't because she's feeling pretty

lousy. But now is when she needs you and you're running out on her because

you're feeling pretty rotten yourself and you don't know how to handle it.

Mr. Grant, I know all that stuff, all right?

That's what I said.

You don't know how heavy things have been around the house. You don't know

she's treated me for the last two weeks.

I think I do.

It's not just the thing about Dad.

It's how Mom has taken it.

Well, maybe it's pretty hard for her.

Well, right, but it's hard for me, too, and all she does is makes it harder, and

she doesn't give me any room to breathe.

I know the feeling.

Final boarding call for bus 458 to San Luis Obispo, Salinas, San Francisco.

That's my last call. I've got to get going.

Um, Mr. Grant, I know maybe now is not the greatest time to go, but ever since

Dad died, she's really been expecting too much of me.

You know, it's not easy being an only child.

Roger,

you might be an only child.

Now she's an only parent.

And maybe she hasn't had time to get used to that idea.

You

know,

I knew you were going to talk me out of going.

I didn't.

Shouldn't you pay for that?

Final call.

Long Beach, Laguna, Oceanside, San Diego.

Final call.

Oh.

Oh, thank you.

He talked me out of it, just like Dad would have.

Oh, would you excuse us? We've got to talk.

Right, I'll go. No, no, I mean I want to talk to you.

Oh, I'll go unpack.

Good.

Come.

Can I get you a drink?

Listen, I really have to get back. I don't have time. I got a full -time job.

Look, I mean, I'd really like to help you as much as I can, but I really have

get back.

How about a glass of water?

You sure you wouldn't like something stronger?

Okay, iced tea.

I've had an offer on the house. It's a very good offer, and I'm thinking of

taking it.

Well... Are you sure? It's a very nice house.

Well, it seems kind of big for the two of us. And everything here reminds me of

Duncan. It's a nice vase.

Is it new?

It's Duncan.

I think I will have that drink.

Coming up.

What do you think? Shall we sell the house?

What happened to your hand?

I was at Rossi's place feeding his dog.

The dog bit me.

Better take the dog to bed, get a check for rabies.

Then what? Well, if the tests are positive, you'll have to be destroyed.

That's good, Art.

That's real good.

You know, Billy's story of what to do in case of an earthquake is pretty good.

But I'm thinking now may not be the best time to print it.

Now's when we have a prediction. It's on people's minds.

That's what I mean. It's like we believe the bugs.

Oh. Okay, we'll save it. Run it during brush fire season.

Hi, Lou.

Hi, Art. Hi.

Hi, Gloria.

I was down in Classified placing an ad.

I'm not going to sell the house.

I'm going to rent a room. Take in a boarder.

Well, you didn't have to come all the way down here to place an ad. You can

phone it in.

I know.

I had an ulterior motive.

Huh?

I thought if I showed up, he'd ask me to dinner.

Well, that sure would be nice.

Thank you.

Yeah. Oh, and I had the most wonderful idea just walking around here.

You know, I used to work here. I didn't know that.

Yeah, this is where I met Duncan 18 years ago.

And I thought, I've got to go back to work somewhere. And I thought...

Why not here?

I mean, I've got the experience and I always liked it.

And I thought that I probably have a very good chance of having my

seriously considered since I seem to have some very good connections around

here.

Well, it's a thought.

Well, I guess I'll go to personnel.

I guess they'll cut through some red tape when they see whose name I put down

for a reference.

Gloria wants that job real bad.

Well, what do you want me to do? I want you to pull every string you've got to

keep her from getting it.

I'm just kidding, but... Getting that bad, huh?

Yeah, what can I do? She's so vulnerable right now.

Yeah, I know what you mean. You're really in a tough spot.

She just needs a little comforting, that's all.

Lou, if you don't look out, you just might find yourself comforting her.

Down the aisle.

I can't figure out who shot who in this murder story, Donovan.

Donovan?

City desk.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We should look into that.

Look, can I call you back? It's our deadline.

Yeah, usually it is at 6 o 'clock, but today it's at 5.

Well, well, well.

Tough news, people, huh?

All you skeptics who've been putting down this crackpot prediction.

You people have been in forest fires.

You've been in riots.

Some of you have even been in battle with bullets whizzing around your heads.

Why are you all standing in doorways?

Why am I going to?

This

is fun.

We should do this more often. Go find your own doorway, buddy.

Contrary to popular belief, cockroaches are not infallible.

Two out of three isn't bad.

Well, in baseball, that'd be a 666 batting average. It'd be better than Rod

Carew. I never said the cockroaches were totally accurate. I thought it was how

you read them.

Well, they develop some bad habits.

As with all living things, too easy a life has had a detrimental influence on

their effectiveness.

You mean they started goofing off?

You can't imagine what it's like to feel like Pasteur.

Like Einstein. Like Darwin.

If only for a day.

So this is the end of your experiment?

Oh, no, no. I still have my snails and lizards.

They're much more dependable.

Listen.

I didn't have any lunch today. Do you mind if I have one of those donuts?

One. You might as well take them all.

Thanks.

Mr. Grant.

Miss Pinchot, what are you doing here so late?

I was just about to ask you the same question.

I'm having dinner with Gloria Aldridge tonight.

You've been a terrific help to her. She's applying for a job here. She used

work here, apparently.

Yes, I know.

I've always been very fond of Gloria.

She's a bright girl. She's attractive.

So,

you're having dinner, and then?

She'll go home. I'll go home.

Oh, well, certainly.

It's none of my business who goes where, Mr. Grant.

Well, what about tomorrow or the next day? Will you see her then?

Yeah.

I don't know. You know, as I say, this is none of my business. Are you serious

about that woman?

She's nice.

Very nice.

Mr. Grant.

No, I am not serious about her. At least I... It's a difficult problem.

I had the same thing happen to me with a fine man right

after my husband died.

It's a friend of Matthew's. It's an old friend.

I'm afraid I did to him exactly what Gloria's been doing to you.

Oh, a little more elegant, maybe.

Nevertheless, it's...

It's hard to picture you leaning on somebody like that.

Leaning on? Oh, I collapsed on him. I suddenly had him making decisions for

everything that came into my life.

One day I called him in his office, and there was a mix -up on the extensions.

I heard the secretary announce me, and then I heard him say, Oh, God, not her

again.

I was devastated.

But I realized just what I'd been doing to him.

Those few words turned me around.

I pulled myself together. I went to work.

And I started to learn how to run this newspaper.

But you know, I don't think it would have hurt as much if

he'd spoken to me directly.

You mean I can tell her? I mean you must.

For her sake as well as your own.

Well, my interview with the personnel manager is next Thursday, so I think

next Tuesday would be a good day for you to call him and sort of remind him, you

know? Oh, he'll remember you.

Oh, I don't know. He sees an awful lot of people in a week.

Okay, I'll give him a buzz.

Oh, I am really looking forward to going back to work.

Getting out of the house, making a contribution, meeting new challenges.

Oh, and I've always loved newspapers.

Me too.

But the best part is that I'll be working on this newspaper.

Yeah, it's a great little newspaper, all right.

We'll be in the same building.

We'll be able to see each other during the day.

Yeah. There might be a light day we could see each other every couple of

or so.

Well... Look.

I'm starting to fall in love with you.

Vivian, a couple of double scotches.

Yes, Mr. Grant.

You want anything?

It would be fun to fall in love again.

No, I wouldn't.

You're fighting this thing because of Duncan, and I respect you for that. I

really do.

But there's no hurry here, Louie. We have all the time in the world.

Gloria, years ago, on my small -town paper, my editor called me over and he

said, Hey, what does this mean?

Because I had written a sentence and a story.

I had a prisoner blurt out a confession.

And my editor told me, people don't blurt.

They say.

And he made me change it.

And from that time on, I never, never blurted again.

Until now.

When the top of my head is coming off and I can't say.

I have to blurt.

Go ahead.

Blurt. Get off my back.

No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait a minute.

Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute.

I didn't mean that quite the way it sounded.

What did you mean?

I thought that you liked me.

Maybe I do. I don't know. You haven't given me a chance to find out.

Now, it could be that given a period of time, I would like you very much.

No, you're just saying that. You're just saying that to make me feel better. No,

no, no, no.

It's the first time in weeks I haven't said something just to make you feel

better.

Now let's just give it time and see how I feel about you.

Without the pressure.

That's right.

I've got to stop depending on you to make all my decisions for me. Isn't that

right? Now you're getting it.

Have you decided?

Yeah.

I'll have the New York steak.

Rare.

Roquefort salad.

Baked potato.

Laurie.

Gee, I don't know.

Shall I have a steak, too?

How would you like that done?

Medium rare.

Baked or fries?

Baked. Sour cream, no chives.

I thought you weren't going to make any more decisions for me.

Starting with dessert.

You're on your own.