Original subtitles

- Often, the problems we confront in our pro bono cases

are not legally complex but are nonetheless critical to those

experiencing them.

And the satisfaction they will bring you

cannot be measured in dollars.

I would urge you never to forget that as lawyers, we

have an historical responsibility

to represent the needs of all the people,

not just those who can afford us.

Whatever our aspirations, I'm afraid

my generation cannot lay claim to having

been very good caretakers.

More people will awaken this morning

in a state of poverty and despair

than populated the planet in the year I was born.

You are the privileged of our youth.

And our hopes reside with you, that you will profit

from our mistakes, so that during your watch,

you will realize a fairer, more just society.

God knows there's never been a greater need.

[applause]

- Let's open the floor to questions.

[student clears throat]

[coughing]

- You, sir.

- Mr. McKenzie, we are aware that many of the New York law

firms have raised their starting associate salary

levels to $65,000 per annum.

And what I'd like to know is, in your opinion,

do you feel that the Los Angeles firms will

follow suit in the near future?

And specifically, will McKenzie Brackman move

to increase their starting salary levels commensurately?

- Oh, I assume we'll offer something

compatible with what's being offered elsewhere.

- Mr. McKenzie.

- The young lady in the front.

- In that vein, what impact would the new tax laws have

on such things as perk packages, company cars, and other forms

of non-salary compensation?

- Mr. McKenzie-- - Sir.

- Sir. - Sir.

- Mr. McKenzie--

[women chatting indistinctly]

- Good morning, Mr. Brackman.

- Who are all those people, Liz?

- They're all here in answer to your ad in The Times.

You're interviewing housekeepers today?

- Ah.

I'll see them all at once.

- Mr. Brackman, Mr. Sifuentes says

that you have to spend at least five minutes with each one

before you turn them down.

- Well, they can't wait in reception all day.

Put them somewhere out of the way.

- Where?

- You're a smart woman.

You figure it out.

- Where the hell is that letter from Ralph Moorewood?

Oh.

That's so strong!

I'll be jumpy all day.

And how many times have I told you I don't like these cups?

The handles!

You can't-- they're too small.

- Did we get out of bed on the wrong side this morning?

- Oh, damn it, Iris.

I tried to communicate a sense of responsibility,

a sense of pride in the law.

And all those little snots could see were dollar signs.

- Well, I'd be most grateful if you

didn't vent your fiscal outrage on me, thank you.

- Hi.

- judge is Coleman.

He's an administrative--

- Ms. Kelsey, could I see you for a moment

Mr. Chaney's office, please?

- What's up, Stuart?

- Please.

- Thanks, Alex!

[giggling quietly]

- If you don't give me a wet one right now,

I'm gonna be forced to use force.

[women laughing]

- (MUFFLED) Stuart?

- Hmm?

[laughter]

[theme music]

- So I would argue, Your Honor, this case should be dismissed,

there being no probable cause for the police

to stop and question my client in the first place.

- Defendant was walking naked down Hollywood

Boulevard, Your Honor.

- Freedom of expression, Your Honor.

First Amendment, backbone of the personal freedoms

our Constitution holds so dear.

- Counsel is under the misapprehension

it's his client's backbone that's the particular bone

of contention here. [laughter]

- There being sufficient and probable cause

to believe a crime has been committed,

defendant will be held to answer.

Trial is set in Department 137, November the 3rd at 9:00 AM.

Released OR.

See that he keeps his pants on until that time, Mr. Pomerantz.

[laughter]

- Hi.

- Don't they give you enough work to do, Mr. Kuzak?

- As a matter of fact, I'm unexpectedly free.

Would you care to get some lunch?

- You don't take no for an answer.

- Well, strictly speaking, you haven't said no.

- No.

And frankly, you are pestering me beyond the limits

of good taste.

- I plead guilty to one count with time

off for good behavior.

- Ah, but the court has yet to see

evidence of this good behavior, Mr. Kuzak.

- If I have gone too far, I apologize.

- I accept.

- Actually, I just wanted you to know that this

is not some high school crush.

- I'm flattered.

Thank you.

But I'd feel better if you gave me your assurance that from now

on, you will leave me alone.

- You got it.

Absolutely.

- Thank you.

- I hope you'll be happy with what's-his-name.

Oh.

- Thank you, Mickey.

- Mr. McKenzie?

Jeffrey Sullivan, sir.

I apologize for trying to see you without an appointment.

I tried to get a few minutes with you after your talk,

but you left in such a hurry, I--

I didn't get a chance.

- Well, I'm rather pressed for time, Mr. Sullivan.

If this is an application for a job,

you may leave your resume with my secretary.

- No, I'm not here about a job, and I don't want to take

up much of your time either.

I-- I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated what

you had to say to us yesterday.

I just want you to know that not everybody in law school

just cares about money.

I mean, if defending the ruling-class interests

is what it's all about, I don't think

I want to be a part of it.

I mean, if being a good lawyer necessitates

having to competently argue either side of the same case,

how do you do a good job and still hold on to your values?

- I don't eat.

I got no pep for the business.

The doctors put me on sedatives.

- Divorce is a dislocation, Mr. Lewis.

Like an injury, it takes time to heal.

- You don't understand.

Without her, I can't get up in the morning.

I want to cancel the settlement meeting.

- Let me give you a couple of reasons

why that's not a good idea.

I had one of our private detectives

do a check on your wife's boyfriend.

His rap sheet.

We also found this, a pawn ticket for a piece

of your wife's jewelry.

- He's pawned the gold Rolex with the diamonds?

Do you know what I paid for that?

- They're paying the hotel expenses on your credit

card, their room service.

- She's infatuated.

It'll burn itself out.

- Human nature is a pretty tricky piece of machinery.

See, you'd think if you treat her like a princess,

you hand over the cookie jar, she'll be devoted to you.

But she's like a child.

She wants you to set limits.

- I don't know anything about that.

All I know is I want my wife back.

- And I want you to have her back.

Look.

You're older, and you're wiser than I am, Mr. Lewis.

But in this one area, I do know my stuff.

You're going to have to shut down the gravy train.

[knocking on door]

Otherwise, she's got your money, she's got the guy.

There's nothing to motivate her.

- So how do we do that?

- Well, uh, briefly, Irving, the reason we settled with the IRS

was to characterize those monies you placed

in service of your wife's holding

corporation as personal loans.

Bottom line, and depending on which set of figures

they go with, if she insists on divorcing you,

either you won't owe her anything,

or she's going to owe you nearly a million bucks.

- This is legal?

- Absolutely.

You just paid $1.8 million to assure it.

- Scoundrels.

This will get us back together?

- Believe me, Mr. Lewis.

We know what we're doing.

- Tomorrow?

- Day after.

2:00.

- Now, I feel better.

[phone ringing]

- [laughs] No, that's--

Oh, Iris!

Mr. Sullivan will be joining us as a clerk.

He'll be working here afternoons after school.

- How nice.

- He'll need paper, pens, supplies, and a telephone.

Anything at all you need, Iris will be happy to assist you.

- That'll be great.

- And after observing the dead body of Billy Simmons, age 18,

did you have occasion to arrest his sister, Tracy Simmons,

for the murder?

- Yes, I did.

- And then, what happened?

- I read the defendant her constitutional rights,

at which time she waived her rights

and told me she wanted to talk to me without a lawyer.

- And did she make a statement?

- She said she killed her brother with her father's gun.

- Thank you.

No further questions.

- Cross.

- Thank you.

Officer Castellano, did Tracy tell

you why she killed her brother?

- Something about having an argument with him.

- Did she mention his trying to rape her?

- She said a lot of things, kind of rambling on.

It was hard to understand her.

- Isn't it true, Officer, that she said that

when her brother tried to assault her,

she shot him in self-defense?

- No.

Not in those words.

- But that was the gist of it, wasn't it?

- Yes.

- Thank you.

No further questions.

- People rest.

- Mr. Sifuentes, any defense?

- Yes, I'd like to call Tracy Simmons to the stand.

And who was home that night, Tracy?

- My mom and dad were out, and my baby sister was asleep.

- Where was your brother?

- He was out.

- What time did he come home?

- 11:00, 11:30.

- And then what happened?

- He, um-- he came after me.

- How, exactly?

- He, um, push me down on the couch.

Then he pulled the zipper on my pants.

- What did you do?

- I tried to get him off of me.

I told him I wasn't going to let him do it to me anymore.

- Then this had happened before?

- Yes.

- I know this is painful, Tracy.

But could you tell the judge the first time it happened?

- Um, about-- about two years ago,

he came into my room and he put a pillow over my face to shut

me up, and he did it to me.

- Did what, exactly, Tracy?

- Had, um-- had sexual intercourse.

- Did it ever happen again?

- Yes.

- How often?

- At least once a week.

Until I decided, no more.

- And what happened the night you decided to say no?

- He started hitting me around.

Then, he-- he got on top of me.

He yanked me by my hair and told me

if I didn't let him do it to me, he'd beat me up real bad.

- What did you do then?

- I, um--

I socked him as hard as I could in between the legs,

and I tried to get away.

He was real mad, saying what he was going to do to me.

I ran to the closet, and I got my daddy's gun down.

I told him to get out, and I told him, no more.

But he kept coming at me.

So I, um--

I shot at him.

And I kept shooting until he stopped coming at me.

- Thank you, Tracy.

No further questions at this time.

- Cross.

- Tracy, did you ever tell anyone about what

your brother was doing?

- No.

- You say that you and your brother

had sex at least once a week for two years,

and you never told anyone.

- No.

- Why not?

Was it because you liked what he was doing?

- Objection.

- Withdraw the question.

Did you not bring it up because it never really happened?

- I tried to tell my mother, but she didn't believe me.

- When did you tell your mother that your brother

was having sex with you?

- I never exactly told her that.

- Well, I thought you just said that you did.

- No, I said I tried.

- Did you tell your mother about your brother?

Yes or no?

- No.

- Well, I'm confused, Tracy.

See, first, you said yes, now you say no.

Were you lying then, or are you lying now?

- Objection.

The question has been asked and answered.

The DA is badgering the witness.

- Sustained.

- I have no further questions, Your Honor.

Defense rests, Your Honor.

- All right.

- Kendall, what the hell were you trying to do in there?

- In there?

My job.

- Bullying a little girl who's been raped

and brutalized by her 18-year-old brother

goes beyond the job profile.

- Mr. Sifuentes, you're so intent on winning your case,

you're not even thinking about what's truly in your client's

best interests.

- Not juvenile hall.

- Well, it beats the alternative.

- The alternative is a reasonably stable

home environment.

- 18-year-old boys who rape their little

sisters don't usually learn their moves in a vacuum.

Now, you send that little girl home,

and a month's salary says she's only killed half the problem.

- Bringing us to Farmer versus Continental Systems Technology.

That's our leverage buyout situation.

Ms. Kelsey, have you had a chance to dip into those

interrogatories I left out for you?

- Douglas, you just dumped 15 tons of documents

on my desk a half an hour ago.

- Should she deign to honor us with her presence

at some point, Dragoon Ms. Perkins.

That's what she was hired for.

What's State versus Simmons?

- That's mine.

13-year-old girl who'd been molested by her brother

killed him.

- Pro bono?

- What's the problem, Doug?

You worried it's going to interfere with the green card

that I'm getting for your housekeeper?

- Sleazy tabloid, low-rent pro bono cases may stimulate

your viscera, but let us not lose sight of your commitment

to generating billable hours.

- Now, that's enough.

I'm sick and tired of this obsession with fees.

If Mr. Sifuentes or any other attorney in this firm

sees fit to offer his or her services

and time for the public good, that's good enough for me.

Now, move along.

- Before we adjourn, may I point out that this

firm's consumption of 8-by-14 yellow legal pads has increased

over the last six months by a factor of 37%, whereas our work

output has increased a mere 8%?

The most benign interpretation of this disparity

is that some or all of us are wasting paper.

The most malignant is that you're taking them home.

At $1.19 a unit, might I suggest, at the very least,

that you use both sides?

We stand adjourned.

- Hi.

- It's almost 12:30.

- I'm sorry.

I was going crazy waiting for Angela Sipriano

to call me back, so I tracked her down at her office.

- Why didn't you just let her do her job?

- I just needed to check.

OK?

I'm sorry.

- Douglas has given us the Farmer buyout.

I've divided it up by year.

Start on '83, '84.

I'm going to want them back tomorrow morning.

- All of them?

- I can't do it alone.

- Ann, I'm going through a very tough time.

- I understand.

If you need a week off, two weeks, say so.

But don't tell me you'll be here to do the job,

and then not do it.

- Why are you being this way?

- Because I have to be able to count on you.

You didn't show up yesterday.

You missed an important meeting with Farmer,

and you leave me holding the bag.

- You don't have children, and you don't

know what I'm going through.

You think you can drown out your problems

by working all the time.

- We are not talking about me.

- I am paralyzed.

It takes all my strength just to get out of bed in the morning.

It would be easier if he were dead.

At least, then I would know and I could get on with it.

- Abby.

You can either let this thing destroy your life or inform it.

The reality is, you may get Eric back tomorrow.

You may not find him for six months.

Or you may never see him again.

- I can't think in those terms.

- You don't have any choice, Abby.

You just don't have any choice.

- When do you want these by?

- Tomorrow, first thing.

- I'll have them for you tonight by the time I leave.

[music playing]

- Hi.

- Can you give me a minute with her, OK?

How are you, Tracy?

You nervous?

- A little.

- It's going to be fine.

Let me ask you something, Tracy, about your father.

Did he try to have sex with you?

If he did, Tracy, I can help you.

But you got to trust me.

- What would happen to him?

- Well, we could get him out of the house.

- We finally going to get a verdict today?

- On the facts presented, I found the testimony of

the minor child to be credible.

And along with physical evidence of struggle,

I find that she acted in self-defense.

[sighs in relief]

Accordingly, the petition will not be sustained.

Young lady, you may go home.

- Your Honor, a return to the home at this time

could be highly destructive.

Studies have shown--

- Counselor, unfortunately, I cannot

decide a case on the basis of studies,

probabilities, and maybes.

However, if you have any substantive evidence

of an unfit home environment, I would encourage

you to file a petition, at which time

a determination can be made.

Call the next case.

- Well, you won the battle.

Stay tuned for the war.

- Mr. Simmons, can I talk to you for a second?

- What about?

- Come into my office.

- This gonna be about money?

- It's about you and your daughter.

- Let me tell you something about my daughter, OK?

She lies.

She makes up stories.

- No, Mr. Simmons, I'll tell you something.

If what I think is true, and I'm pretty sure it is,

I'm not going to turn my back on it.

- Listen, mister.

Nobody interferes with how I raise my family.

Nobody!

Now, I'm walking out this door, and I'm taking

her home, where she belongs.

If you got a problem with that, you go live

in the freaking Soviet Union.

Because you got no right threatening people

and breaking up their families.

We straight on that?

[music playing]

- Mr. Kuzak?

Kevin Crenshaw.

- Hi.

- I'm sorry I'm late.

- No problem.

I appreciate your making time for me on such short notice.

- I can't tell you how pleased I am that the Trial Lawyers

Association wants to give Grace Van

Owen a favorable evaluation.

- We've had our eye on her for some time now.

- I brought you some additional information on the candidate.

- I can keep these?

- Please.

- You know, I think I remember hearing

your name first in connection with Skelley's

campaign for the Senate.

I was very impressed with what you did there.

- Imagine how impressed you'd have been if he'd won.

- Well, win or lose, your campaigns almost

always take the high road.

Frankly, I was surprised to hear your name in connection

with a local judicial election.

- I have a personal involvement with the candidate.

We're getting married in three weeks.

- Congratulations.

- The truth is, marriage aside, I

wouldn't have taken this on if I didn't feel

that she's uniquely qualified.

- Sorry I'm late.

- Speak of the devil.

The candidate.

- Hi--

- Grace?

You're not going to believe that I didn't set this up,

but I didn't.

- Excuse me.

Kevin.

- Meet Michael Kuzak.

He's with the Trial Lawyers Association.

- What a genuine pleasure it is to meet you, Ms. Van Owen.

I am a great admirer of yours.

- Mr. Kuzak.

- Can you join us?

- I really can't.

- Oh, just for a minute.

- What's this about, anyway?

- You.

The Trial Lawyers Association is giving

you a favorable evaluation.

- Is that so?

- Well, your casework is exemplary.

You have one of the best conviction

rates in the DA's office.

And you're given high marks by your fellow attorneys

on both sides of the aisle.

In short, Ms. Van Owen, you have substance, without sacrificing

style, humor, or compassion.

- That's lovely.

You have really put your finger on this woman.

- Thank you.

I love eating my lunch at 4:00.

- Try thinking of it as an early dinner.

- I'm going to get a soda.

You want one?

- I just want to make sure we're still on for tonight.

- I've still got so much to get through here.

Maybe tonight's a bad idea.

- Well, uh, come to my house.

You can come right from the office, and I'll--

I'll cook something up.

- I don't even know where you live.

- Well, I'm going to tell you.

[chuckles] Got a little house in Brentwood.

- Are you sure?

I mean, I may be a while.

- Well, you'll get there when you get there.

OK?

- Assuming we're agreed on formula,

my client is prepared to accept a lump-sum settlement of $7.35

million, plus alimony of $40,000 a month

for a period of three years--

half the number of the years of the marriage.

What is this?

- Corporate records prepared by Nat Oppenheim, an accountant

hired by the Lewises to oversee a personal holding

company known as Denitra Loves Irv, Incorporated.

- Irving handled all that.

- Nevertheless, those are your signatures on those documents,

are they not? - Yes.

So?

- Directing your attention to the column on the right,

you'll notice in the years 1980 to 1986,

Mr. Lewis deposited nearly $8.1 million into that corporation,

effectively financing every aspect of his wife's career.

- A business investment.

- No, sir.

Loans personally guaranteed by Mrs. Lewis, due and payable

upon dissolution of this marriage.

Additionally, you'll see there a copy of Mr. Lewis's

recent settlement with the IRS.

- [chuckles] Really, you can't expect

to ride roughshod over us with this flimsy bookkeeping trick.

In any event, these are all community obligations.

- I strongly disagree, as does our tax department.

The way we see it, Mrs. Lewis owes

Mr. Lewis close to $1 million.

- Well, we're wasting our time here.

We'll see you in court.

- No!

- Atta girl!

The hell with the lawyers.

You come back, we'll take a nice cruise.

- I'd rather kill myself.

- Why do I deserve this after all I did for you?

I gave you everything!

- You bought me everything-- the house, the car, the jewelry.

I couldn't go anywhere!

I couldn't do anything!

You had television cameras installed

in every room of our house, so you could keep an eye on me!

- That was for security!

- [sighs] That was to keep me prisoner.

- I'll take them down!

Denitra, give me another chance.

I can change.

- The only person who can change is me, and I'm doing it.

- So that's it, huh?

You and the pretty boy, you're going to run

off into the sunset together.

- That's history.

I kicked him out.

All he wanted from me was money.

And all I wanted from him was an excuse

to get out of a lousy marriage.

- Oh, some lousy marriage.

I gave her millions to make her happy!

She treats me like dog poo!

Will someone please explain to me why I still want her?

- Please don't do this to yourself.

I don't want you.

But you'll take another $7.35 million and $40,000

a month, huh?

- I don't want you or your money!

- Hold on here.

- So be it!

She gets nothing!

- Fine!

Draw up any kind of paper you want, and I'll sign it!

- I strongly advise against this.

You don't know what you're giving up here.

- I know what I'm giving up.

You don't know what I'm getting.

[sighs]

- Don't worry.

Everything's going to be just fine.

- Sure.

If I'm lucky, I'll get a disease and die.

- Where's Michael Kuzak's office?

Thank you.

- Uh, excuse me--

- You're excused.

- Grace?

- I have one question.

What were you trying to prove?

That you could get back at me by trying

to humiliate a decent good man?

- Well, I had no idea you were going to be there,

and I wasn't trying to humiliate anyone.

I just wanted to meet my competition.

- There is no competition.

And for your information, you haven't put your finger on me,

and you will never put your finger on me,

and you can keep your damn fingers to yourself.

- Well, it was a metaphorical finger.

- It was a metaphorical finger, my butt.

What I ought to do is go into your senior partner's office

and seek a formal admonishment.

And if I have any more trouble from you,

I will do exactly that.

Is that clear?

- Entirely.

- Fine.

- Hi, Grace.

- Go to hell, Victor.

- Girl trouble?

Anything you want to talk about?

- I hear you won your pro bono case.

- Yeah.

Look, let me ask you something.

You ever had one of these cases when

you were at the DA's office?

- More than I care to remember.

This one time, I couldn't make the case against the father.

The daughter who was being molested wouldn't cooperate.

The wife was useless.

So since she was 16, we had her declared an emancipated minor.

- Well, kid's too young.

- So we got her out of the house,

then the father moves in on the younger sister, who, six months

later, tries to commit suicide.

Nice, huh?

- How old was the sister?

- 10.

Believe it?

- This is your little house?

- Yeah, well, you know.

It's, uh, it's not a lot of rooms, really.

[gasps]

Here.

- It's stunning!

It's like something out of House and Garden!

- Yeah.

Oh, excuse me.

My clams are opening.

Yeah.

[sizzling]

Oh, boy.

I hope you brought your appetite.

- Stuart, this is amazing.

Are you-- are you a bank robber on the side?

- Well, I have a confession to make.

I'm rich. - Yeah.

- Yeah.

Well, my grandfather is rich, and then my father--

he was rich.

And then, I didn't hurt myself in the real estate boom,

you know.

And a little parsley.

And we're eating.

You wanna grab the cheese?

To us.

[music playing]

- I thought I knew you.

It's like all this time, you had a secret life.

- It's no secret.

I just never had anybody I wanted to share it with.

And perhaps I'm being a little forward,

but would you consider moving in with me?

[sighs]

- Can I just visit for now?

- Sure.

Would you like to see my shower?

[chuckles]

- Actually, you know what I would really love to do?

Do you dance, Stuart?

You want to dance with me?

[music playing]

- I'm urging you to file charges, Mrs. Simmons.

- That's crazy.

My husband's not a criminal.

- Your husband is sick!

He's destroying your children, and you're letting him!

Now, please, I want to help you, but I

can't unless you file charges.

- I can't do that.

I just can't.

- There's no one else who can do it.

- Tracy could.

- Who is the wife in this family?

You or your daughter?

Now, you've lost one child by turning your back on the truth.

How many more are you willing to sacrifice?

- (CRYING) Oh, my god!

- How can you live with yourself,

knowing that this man puts his hands on your children?

He forces them into adult sex acts!

- (CRYING) Please, please, just leave.

- He molested your daughter.

I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same thing to your son.

What is to stop him from turning on your youngest?

[sobbing]

My phone number is on the back.

I'm begging you, call me.

[music playing]

- You miscited State versus Vogel.

- Really?

- We use state court citations, not the Pacific Reporter.

- You wouldn't happen to know that offhand, would you?

- Why don't you look it up yourself, Mr. Sullivan?

- Right.

- How's our young man?

- Careless.

- Oh.

Is there a problem?

- I'm not an Eskimo, Leland.

- Excuse me?

- You can't just loan me out to strangers.

- Shall we discuss this inside?

- I did some checking in the files.

Mr. Sullivan's singularly undistinguished resume

has been in our file for months, along with dozens

of other far more qualified applicants

who can't get through the door!

Face it.

He's conned you.

- If so, we'll know soon enough.

- I know it now.

- What has set you off like this?

- I have been sitting out there, taking orders

from this impertinent squirt!

One more lawyer I have to break in,

one more kid with a blazing future

who doesn't know half the law I know!

And I begin to see I've spent the better

part of my entire adult life devoted

to furthering your aims and your career

at the expense of my own!

- Do you feel that you deserve more money or--

- I deserve your attention.

I deserve answers to questions.

I deserve not to be made to feel like some functionary,

like a stick of furniture!

Maybe I don't have the right to your passion any longer.

But I insist on your respect.

- You have it.

And my gratitude.

But-- I think you'd be well-advised to start

living your own life, not mine.

- Maybe if you'd given me this little speech 15 years ago,

I would have been able to do something about it.

- If you're unhappy with your life

and you're unwilling to change it,

that's your fault, not mine.

- Always the consummate lawyer, aren't you, Leland?

Always twisting facts so they come out your way.

What do you advise me to do, join the circus?

Go to law school?

- Why not?

- Because it's late.

I'm not a kid.

Besides, you couldn't survive without me.

- Go to night school.

- It's that easy?

- No.

Blaming others for your frustration is easy.

Doing something about it--

that's hard.

- Mr. Hardball, huh?

Mr. Trust-Me, Mr. Know-It-All, you destroyed my marriage!

- I did what I thought was in your best interest.

- If that's your best, you're incompetent to practice law!

I'm firing the whole bunch of you!

And I'm not going to sign this agreement.

I'm going to make sure she doesn't either.

- She already has.

- What?

- Mr. Lewis, couples don't break up because of lawyers,

and they don't get back together because--

- Stop with the psychology!

I listened to you, I lost the princess!

- All right.

I had occasion today to see Denitra to get her signature.

Your princess is hustling her cakes at a strip joint

off Western Avenue.

- I ought to knock you down for that, sonny.

- You got your car here?

- Yes.

- Come on.

Let's go for a ride.

[phone buzzes]

- Yeah?

OK, I'm coming.

- I want to do the right thing.

- Come on in.

We'll make a few calls.

[music playing]

It's going to be all right.

[club music]

[men chatting indistinctly]

- You boys ready for some more drinks?

I said, you boys ready for some more drinks?

- Bring it down here, honey. - What can I get for you?

- I'm nearsighted.

- Oh, yeah.

- Be right back.

[laughs]

- Get your hands off her, you slob!

- What's your problem, pal?

[yelling]

- Come on!

You want a piece of me?

- That's enough!

- Get off that stage!

You look like a whore!

- Irv?

Irv!

[indistinct yelling]

- It's what I told you at the get-go, honey.

No boyfriend, no trouble.

- I know, Jerry.

- If I make an exception for you,

then I got to make it for everybody.

OK, sweetheart?

- OK.

Why did you come here?

- Because I love you.

- I don't want you to love me anymore.

I need to make it on my own.

- This is making it?

Letting guys grope you, touch you?

- It's my life!

It doesn't affect you.

- OK, so you made your point.

Stop torturing me and come home!

I can change.

I swear, I'll try.

- I know you will, Irv.

And maybe even for two or three weeks,

you'll do a pretty good job.

But you're 66 years old.

You're too old to learn new tricks.

I need to find out who I am.

And I can't do it living in your fantasy world.

- Denitra.

I can't live without you.

- You're going to have to.

I love you, Irving.

Probably always will.

Please believe that.

But I can't live with you anymore.

What are you doing?

- What does it look like?

Here, take it.

- Irving, this is half a million dollars.

- It's all right.

- Take it.

- You're still trying to buy me!

Haven't you heard a thing I said?

- Now, you listen, kiddo.

You think it's brave to be on your own,

parading naked for garbage?

It's not brave.

It's foolish.

You want to be somebody?

Go to college.

- Irving.

No more gifts.

- It's not a gift.

You've earned it for six wonderful years of marriage.

- All right.

Thank you.

[sighs]

- (CRYING) You be a good girl.

- I will.

- Don't you think you're taking this pride thing a little bit

too far?

- I never had a chance to be proud.

I kind of like it.

- You know, it's a lot tougher out there than you realize.

- Except for my marriage, I've worked every day in my life

since I was 14 years old.

- You got a lot of guts.

- Look out for him, OK?

- Yeah.

[doorbell rings]

- Coming!

- Hello.

- Hi.

- Uh, I know it's late, but I couldn't sleep.

- Oh.

Come on in.

- You know I can't.

I just wanted--

I wanted to apologize for the other day.

- Excuse the mess.

- I-- I acted immaturely.

- Well, I guess I did, too.

- Well, whatever our differences may have been,

we're going to cross paths socially and professionally,

and I just don't want this to be a source

of ongoing embarrassment.

- Well, nor do I.

- Truce?

- Yeah.

- No, don't, please.

I have to go.

- Well, there's the door.

[music playing]

- Stop.

Stop.

- You stop.

- I have to go.

- Stay.

- I can't.

- Stay.

- If I stay, I might never leave.

[music playing]

[door closes]

[theme music]