Original subtitles

Good morning.

Good morning.

You remember this house?

Oh, yeah.

It's almost the same.

Does she still live here?

Oh, yeah.

Get out.

Hello. What?

Are you Elizabeth Jessop? Who wants to know?

Can I help you?

No, I don't need any help.

Damn.

What do you want?

My name is Monica.

I understand that you're writing your memoirs and I've been sent to help you

finish them.

Well, Monica, I have never had a deadline in my entire life that I didn't

Once I turned in a story in Saigon on the back of my last clean T -shirt.

Hmm? So you can go back and tell those pathetic publishers that Elizabeth

has never missed a deadline.

But your manuscript was due two months ago.

Yeah, well, that was their deadline. So I'm starting out right on schedule.

Before you leave, you see a newspaper around here?

See? Kids, they don't care. They don't care where they throw the paper.

Up and down on the porch.

The window right up here on the roof.

Can I help you? What is it, your big break or something?

You sit at the feet of a legendary journalist and one day you write your

book and you call yourself my protege. Is that what this is?

You're not that legendary, you know.

That's a legendary, you know.

Would you still like me to leave?

Or should I stay?

My, she was quite something.

She still is.

Why am I back here, Tess? I'm not sure. I just know somebody prayed a prayer and

you're the answer to it.

Oh, I need a little bit more to go on than that. No, you don't. You just go up

there and ring the doorbell and let things take their course.

And remember, you're visiting an old friend.

And old friends have a way of picking things up right where they left off,

they? Yes.

They do.

Yes, Elizabeth?

Yes?

It's me, Monica.

Your old friend, the angel.

It's so good to see you again.

Oh, no, no, absolutely not. Now, listen, you just, you, you, you go back home to

your cloud.

Goodbye.

I really mean it.

I thought you said I was the answer to her prayers.

I said you were the answer to somebody's prayer.

But not hers.

Definitely not hers.

When you walk down the road,

heavy burden, heavy load, I

will ride and I will walk with you.

I'll walk with you till the sun don't even shine.

Walk with you every time.

I tell you, I'll walk with you.

Walk with you. Believe me, I'll walk with you.

What did I say?

Go away!

Sidney, it's you.

Who are you expecting, Mom?

Just some pet.

Some, uh...

door -to -door nuisance.

You know, one of those happy religious people who won't take no for an answer.

Never mind. What do you say we take my car?

That's fine, but I'm driving.

You must.

I must.

Hello.

My name is Elizabeth.

And I'm an alcoholic.

Today, I am celebrating seven years of sobriety.

These last seven years have been the best years of my life. And that's not to

say that they've all been easy.

But, well, it certainly beats the decades of inebriation, humiliation,

isolation.

And all the other Asians I went through before I stopped drinking.

Hard to believe it's been seven years.

And so, on this, the hundredth anniversary of our city, it is only

the best of the best be placed in our time capsule to represent us for

Ladies and gentlemen, Elizabeth Jessup.

legendary. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to be here with you today.

The reason I can't tell you is because I forgot to write my speech.

But I am touched that you're including me in your time capsule, or my writings,

rather.

I can't imagine I'd be comfortable inside that thing.

But it would be a great honor to be interred with, um, what did you say is

there, there? A pound of wheat?

A picture of our new library?

Boy, that ought to set their hair on fire in 2094.

How about a nude picture of me instead?

Of the time.

I'm sorry.

She's on antibiotics and she shouldn't be drinking right now. I'm not finished.

Mom, let's go.

You never like to see me in the... It's not something I like to remember, but

I suppose it's more dangerous to forget it.

For heaven's sakes, Betty, aren't you tired of that damn thing? Give it to me.

Stand in another minute.

That's it.

That's it. Come on, Buffy. We're going to go. She wants some cake, Sidney. What

she wants is a sober grandmother.

I used to tell myself that I needed to drink to do my job.

There were cocktails with the ambassador, champagne with the prime

tequila shots with the leader of the resistance, scotch with the boys in the

press room.

But finally, there was just me and the bottle in the kitchen.

And it took my family...

and a very

pushy friend to pull me out.

This is Anita.

She's a counselor at the New Hope Center.

Hello, Elizabeth.

I've spoken with your family, and they've expressed to me their love for

They also feel that your drinking is getting in the way of your relationship

with them.

They also agree that unless you get some help for your problem, you can no

longer be part of their lives.

They've written you letters about their feelings and how your drinking has

affected them.

I drew mine with pictures.

Elizabeth, after you hear their letters, Sidney and I have arranged to take you

to the new Hope Center for our rehab program.

This is the single most asinine thing you've ever done in your entire life.

Mom, we want to help you.

Help me my ass.

You're trying to control me, and I won't have it. Do you hear? I won't.

For what I do in the privacy of my own home is none of your business.

That's just the point, Elizabeth.

It has become their business.

To try to use my granddaughter to get back at me for a problem that you have

with me ever since you could talk is reprehensible.

Mom, your drinking is hurting her, too.

Get out of my house.

You realize, Elizabeth, your family will not have any contact with you until

they're ready to... I said get out of my house!

Elizabeth, please, I... Get out!

All of you, get out!

And as you ever come back, you too, get out!

I was very grateful for my family's intervention, and I told him so. It was

the sun had finally come out.

Oh, it took a while to process things, of course. You know, there's always a

bumps in the road, but finally I surprised myself, and I walked into my

meeting, and I thought that was the hardest thing to do.

But the best, well, no, the worst.

Or maybe it was the best. The best was yet to come.

Because you will never guess who was celebrating.

Who was... My daughter Sidney

was... I have a bit

of a headache. I'm sorry.

I haven't been drinking, I promise you.

It's a bit of a headache.

There's a lot more to this story, but you're going to have to read about it in

my memoirs, which I promise you I will finish someday.

Let's go home, Mom.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

I do admire your persistence.

Sidney, you remember Monica. She was my secretary for a brief but crucial

period. Of course I do. It's nice to see you again. Oh, you too. So wonderful

that you came today.

My words, exactly.

Are you all right, Elizabeth?

I'm a bit tired.

I spent the morning answering the door, shooing away undesirables.

And I've developed a recent tendency for transient cognitive episodes of an

undetermined origin.

Transient cognitive episodes.

She's not doing well, Monica.

The doctors think that she could have a brain tumor.

It is not going to ruin your life, Beth.

No.

What did I say?

It is going to take you five minutes, and Grandma really wants to see you in

your costume.

Whatever it's called.

Just hop on your bike and ride over here, please.

Beth, you can do it.

No.

Five minutes.

Thank you.

She's a teenager now, isn't she?

14 teenage years of horror and humiliation at having cruel me for a

What? You could have been your own mother just now.

Ouch.

I guess we've always had more in common than I wanted to admit.

My name is Sydney, and I'm an alcoholic.

Hi, Sydney.

And as of today, I've been sober for one year.

I used to say that I was an alcoholic because my mother didn't love me.

But nothing changed until I admitted that I was an alcoholic because I didn't

love myself.

I used to think my mother was so glamorous.

She would go to the most exotic places.

She would meet the most famous people and drink champagne and crystal glasses

from Paris.

I adored her.

But I always knew that she was sorry that she had me.

I guess I cramped her style.

So I tried to make her happy that I was born.

I drew her pictures. I sent her letters on the road.

I tried so hard to be somebody that she could love.

But I couldn't compete with the champagne.

And the harder I tried, the more I saw myself through my mother's eyes, which

was dull, unexciting, and stupid.

And then one day I'm pouring a drink for myself in the afternoon, and my little

girl comes in the house and she looks at me and she says,

Mommy?

I'm so glad that you were born.

And finally, finally, for the first time

in my life, so was I.

I'm so sorry.

And I'm so glad you were born.

You should have been there that day.

She was extraordinary.

I'll make you some coffee.

I know you'd like it.

Thank you.

You know, I was there that day at the meeting.

You were extraordinary, too.

You saw that?

Really? It seemed like you just dropped out of sight.

Well, I'd come to help your mother finish her memoirs. Right, the elusive

memoirs. And then after the fire, I knew that she had more important things to

deal with.

Yeah.

I was surprised that she didn't mention the fire at the meeting today.

Well, we've been really trying to get past that. You know, it's, um... Sydney!

We just, we've really got a lot more things to handle right now, and, um,

are for her headaches.

Just so you know, she's in complete denial about what's going on. She

want to get help from anybody.

Sydney! I'm coming!

You know, it's like he's showing up today as an answer to my prayers.

Mom.

Why is she still here?

I came to finish what I started.

Listen.

I will finish my memoirs when I get damn good and ready.

Understand?

Bethy! Oh, that's my precious boy.

You remember Monica?

No. It was a long time ago, Beth, but I remember you.

So, Beth, how was school?

Good. Well, tell us. Well, Mom, she... Mom, she has her cheerleader tryouts

today, and she just wants to show you her new outfit.

A cheerleader? Dear God, is this by choice?

If I can't be a famous Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, I'll just settle for

being incredibly popular.

You can be whatever you want to be, sweetheart.

I'm probably not going to make it anyway.

Good.

Now go cover up that butt.

First rule in journalism, I do believe it's covering one's butt.

We got to go, Mom.

Okay.

Monica's going to stay with you, Mom, and I will be back tonight.

Bye, Grandma. Bye, Monica.

Have fun.

So, how are you feeling?

Marvelous, just marvelous.

Sidney believes that you have a brain tumor.

Well, Sidney believes doctors.

Sidney believes in the basic goodness of all mankind, and she also believes that

the Swallows will be returning to Capistrano this year because they did

year.

What do the doctors say?

You are the angel.

You tell me.

They suspect a tumor.

But they won't know for certain unless you have an MRI and you refuse to go.

That's right.

It's a waste of time.

I'm the one inside this brain and I'm telling you I have migraines.

I've always had migraines.

Would you please stop fussing? What are you doing?

Honest, I... I don't need you.

So what do you think?

It's very inspiring.

But you never mention the fire.

You never mention an angel. It's as if one day you saw the light and that was

that. Well, that's close enough.

But it's not true.

Listen, Monica.

This story is supposed to be a view of the world as seen through the eyes of a

hardened reporter.

Now, if I write about meeting an angel one day, they're going to laugh me right

out of the business.

You make it sound as if that's something to be ashamed of.

Regular people don't have angel visitations, Monica, you know, an

Many people have been visited by angels, Elizabeth, a lot of them well -known.

Well, name one besides me.

Billy Holiday.

Oh, give me a break.

Mark Twain, Charles Lindbergh, Abraham Lincoln.

You're not kidding.

If you remember your history, Mr. Lincoln even spoke about being visited

angel. He wasn't ashamed.

So that's why you've come?

To tell me I'm going to die?

Well, let me tell you I have no intentions of dying.

I've got to sell a lot of books and make a lot of money so I can get my

granddaughter to the best college I can afford.

Elizabeth, if you want to give your granddaughter anything, give her the

the absolute certainty from someone she loves and trusts that God exists, that

you have personally experienced the miracle of God's love.

How could any responsible reporter keep news like that to herself? I can't do

that, okay?

I can't do that.

If I do that, I'm going to have to tell the whole story.

I'm going to have to tell how this house almost burned to the ground. I'm going

to have to tell how my granddaughter could have died in that fire. And worst

all, I'm going to have to admit that I was responsible for it. And that's

something that Betty will never, never know.

You mean you've never told her?

Well, Sidney and I agreed that it could jeopardize our family relationship.

Sidney doesn't know the whole story either if she knew that I'm an angel.

Monica. I just got over one headache. Please don't give me another one.

Maybe sometime when the time is right,

I'll tell Sidney about you.

And when Bethy is older and she can understand, I'll tell her about the

But for right now, it's just...

I've been waiting for you.

Well, I had a little trouble with the GPS, but we've got it in.

You're ready to roll.

So just sign here and here, and she's all yours.

Right.

And a plate should come in the mail in about two weeks.

Are these yours?

It's yours?

Have fun. Oh, I will. Thank you.

Speaking of Lincoln, how would you like to take a ride?

Perhaps you shouldn't be driving until you have a diagnosis.

Oh, Monica, Monica.

You are not the perky little angel I... You are not the perky little angel I

used to know.

People who are dying do not buy new cars.

They do if they're afraid.

I have never been afraid of anything in my life.

Elizabeth. Mom, they want to run some tests.

Absolutely not. You have no choice. The doctors need you to fix it.

So, how did the cheerleading tryouts go today?

I don't know.

Not very well.

I'm not exactly one of the popular girls.

I'm not really anything.

I think that's what it feels like to be a teenager.

Nah, this is what being me is like, and I'm going to be this way forever.

Some people are smart and special like my grandmother, and some people just

exist.

She is impossible.

She's just frightened, Sydney.

No, my mother does not get frightened. She is more like a carrier, like typhoid

Mary. Is Grandma going to be okay?

I don't know, sweetheart. That's what the doctors are trying to find out.

Excuse me.

It's getting late.

If you'd like to stay, I could arrange for a cot.

No, no, thank you.

I've got to get Beth home. She's got school in the morning.

I can skip.

I can stay the night.

Thank you, Monica. You are a saint.

They said that they would call me as soon as they know more, and then I'll

come back first thing in the morning.

Okay. Night, Monica.

Night, night. Sleep tight.

Don't let the grandmothers bite.

Traitor. God, no. Benedict Arnold.

And don't tell me you met him, too.

I'm not leaving, no matter how hard you try.

We'll just see about that.

She's not leaving.

Oh, no, don't tell me. Yes, my name is Tess, and I'm the angel on the floor

tonight, and I'm not leaving either.

Yeah.

Well, if you think I'm getting any sleep tonight, you can forget it.

Well, I came prepared for that, too.

in 1920?

Pretty good.

So what was your favorite assignment?

Tell me yours. I'll tell you mine.

Oh, well.

Let's see.

I don't know that I could narrow it down to just one.

But the ones I can't forget, they were the hardest of all.

My God, you were there?

In World War II?

Yes.

I never get over how God uses everyday people to change the world.

So, I told you.

Now, what have your favorite assignments been so far?

Well, once I got to interview Rosa Parks.

She was a very impressive woman.

I know.

I met Mrs. Parks.

Oh, tell me.

You were on the bus?

No.

You won't believe I was... I was, um... What?

I was a black person for a day.

I see.

And this was God's idea?

Yes.

Kevin, I'm so afraid.

Please.

Please.

Make me white again.

Please. Please. No.

Please. Don't. Relax, lady.

Have you seen a nigger woman come through here?

No.

Sorry if I scared you.

I was so ashamed.

Monica, I'm shocked that an angel... I know.

But Mrs. Parks, she helped me to understand.

God is good, Monica.

He forgives and heals.

He heals.

It is my greatest regret.

Monica, everybody gets frightened.

Your daughter says that you never do.

I'm exceptional.

Listen, if you think I'm sitting here worrying about some results from some

stupid test...

This is such a way I should not be lying in this bed. There's someone else who

could really use it What's up doc Elizabeth How

you doing I thought you were gonna tell me I

Don't worry about Monica just give me the headline

So, it could be benign.

Absolutely.

And if it's not?

Well, then we'll do the best we can.

Doctors talk.

Sew you up, send you home.

No, no, not necessarily.

Okay, we'll do this.

Good.

Then I'll schedule the OR for 6 a .m.

And get some rest.

Tell that to your surgeon.

Such idiots.

Andrew is not an idiot.

How would you know that?

Oh, no. Oh, please. This is a conspiracy.

Excuse me. Is someone still awake in here?

I need you to sign this consent form.

I called your daughter, and I told her and Beth to come at 8 o 'clock in the

morning and get some rest. No, no, no. I didn't ask you to call. Did I ask you

to call her?

No, but I don't take orders from you, if you know what I mean.

And I'll be back soon to prep you. Soon, as in not a lot of time.

That woman, Angel, whatever she is, is annoying.

She's just doing her job.

Really? And what is that?

The same as mine.

To prepare you for surgery.

To remind you that it is God who sustains and supports all life.

Elizabeth, I don't know what the outcome of your surgery will be.

But I do know that you don't want to go in there without sharing the truth of

God's love to those who really need to hear it.

Don't deny them the truth, the whole truth.

And don't deny yourself the blessing and joy of sharing it with them.

No one knows how many days or hours they have left in this life.

Use the hours that you have.

Please, write the last chapter.

Longhand is out of the question.

Did I leave my computer at home?

That's not a problem.

Hello, Elizabeth.

Oh, Lord, not another one.

Now I know I'm going.

This is Gloria.

It's such an honor to meet you.

I've read your other chapters, and you've had such a fascinating life.

I can't wait to see how it ends.

The book. I mean, the book.

Okie dokie. So, um... Chapter 37.

Here we go.

Okay, here we go.

The last drink I ever took... I don't even remember pouring.

I was lying on the couch.

I had a headache.

And, uh...

Of course, when you're an alcoholic, you're accustomed to gaps.

They're about to take her to prep.

She's waiting for you.

I know.

I just, uh... What do you say to your mother when you know it could be the

time? Don't think that way, Mama.

Oh, God, Monica, I'm not ready to lose her yet.

You were right.

It's okay.

It's all right. You're going to be fine.

You're going to go in there, take this tumor out, and I'll be back out here

making you crazy again in no time.

But listen, there's something I need the two of you to do for me while I'm

upstairs. Okay.

Monica's got this funny little friend who's holding a stack of papers.

It's the last chapter of my memoirs.

The one I didn't want to write because I was afraid.

Oh, I know you think I'm perfect.

And in most regards, I am.

But I've been holding on to a couple of secrets that are getting a little too

heavy to carry, so I want you to read about them.

Okay?

And maybe, hopefully, if I make it through this, you'll forgive me.

And if I don't, are you pleasing to me? If I don't,

I'll know that you've forgiven me anyway.

Just know that every word is true.

That I love you both very much.

I love you too, Grandma.

I'm going to be waiting out here for you.

I'm counting on that.

Okay, gentlemen, please, let's get this show on the road. The meter is running.

Come on.

Let's sit down.

The last drink I ever took.

I don't even remember pouring.

Do I actually meet an angel?

Yes.

Is God real?

Yes.

Will every self -respecting colleague of mine decide I finally lost my mind?

Probably.

But tonight as I write what could be the last chapter of my life, I do not seek

the approval of the world.

I ask only the forgiveness of my family.

from whom I've kept the wonderful news of God's love a secret for seven years.

Bessie, an angel carried you through that fire.

You remember that whenever you start to doubt just how special you are.

Sidney, thank you for being strong when I couldn't

love myself.

And thank you for believing me now when I say that you were God's greatest gift

to me.

It's been a wonderful life.

I've seen so much and survived so much.

Only now can I admit that it has all been by the grace of God.

I hope that it's not too late.

Love, Mom.

Andrew? The operation's over.

I got it.

You're gonna be okay.

It's benign.