The Reckoning

They used to paddle around in the morning,

and then they'd duck in, and their feathers were going like this...

To sit on an evening, and watch the little birds

having baths, It was so sweet.

Pass the salt, my good man.

And why would my chicken Kiev need salt?

And the pepper.

Are you trying to hurt my feelings?

-I'm British. Humor me. -

He's also on blood thinners.

Trust me, salt is not on the menu.

-Ah... -And pepper is bad for your heartburn.

-Oh... -What? Don't look at me.

The doctor says I have the constitution of a woman half my age.

I'm practically a teenager.

Only if you reverse the numbers.

- - Oh, cheeky.

Sit, sit.

Are you all right, Miss Katherine?

Yes. As you know, I was raised Amish and Amish never eat alone.

I'm tired of eating by myself.

It even tastes better.

At least somebody appreciates my cooking.

It's about time.

-It's much better with salt and pepper, Miss. -

Miss Katherine, I was wondering

whether we could play a game of cricket on the lawn outside.

-Sure. -Cricket is an insect, not a sport.

I'm sure Miss Katherine doesn't want to hear about sport.

Argh!

-I'm horrible at this, Justin. - Hey, don't beat yourself up.

This sport takes practice.

Okay, go again. Remember what I taught you.

So, start three steps back.

Go one, two, three,

slide forward, keep your wrist straight

and throw past your ankle.

It's simple.

Yeah! For someone who's been doing it since he was four.

Five, but who's counting?

All right, I'm gonna give you bit of incentive here.

I will buy dinner if you can knock down just three pins.

Looks like I'm going hungry tonight.

I'll throw in some flowers.

-Some dark chocolate, too? -You're on.

Come on.

Whoa!

Someone's been practicing.

Maybe.

I just got hustled, didn't I?

Just a little.

Unbelievable.

That guy is crushing it.

Maybe they're just friends.

I wish I had a friend like that.

-Daniel, you said you came here to get her back. -I did.

You've been here for months.

If you don't make your move soon, it's gonna be too late.

I will.

I made a promise a long time ago to marry that girl,

and that's what I'm going to do.

Meanwhile, that dude's probably already planned the honeymoon.

That was fun!

I can't believe you bowled that strike.

Yeah, I got you.

Time to get on the stick, bro.

-If you don't do something... -I know, I know.

It's gonna be too late.

Did you have a nice time with Justin?

Yeah, I think he's growing fond of me.

"Fond" is putting it mildly.

Justin Wirth is head over heels for you.

Ja, so it seems.

I think you two suit each other.

Me, too.

I mean, he's smart but also kind, hard-working and practical.

The kind of practical man that my Amish father might have approved of...

-Hmm. -If Justin weren't an Englisher.

-Not so bad on the eyes either. -Aah!

-Yeah! -

Let me help.

I'm capable of doing a few things myself.

I know you are, Miss Katherine.

Remember, I grew up milking cows and mucking out horse stalls.

But this is my job.

I've been serving this house for nearly three generations,

long before you arrived.

I know, but I can't help myself.

I feel ferhoodled seeing how hard you all work.

"Ferhoodled."

I loved it when your mama said that word.

Whenever I heard the Pennsylvania Dutch coming from her,

always made me laugh.

Why do you think she used Amish words in an English world?

I don't think she ever got over giving you up for adoption.

She wanted to be part of your life,

to understand what you were going through.

She learned everything she could about the Amish.

God rest her soul.

I miss her.

There's still so much I wish I knew about her.

We had so little time together.

I know she felt the same.

But she was so happy to finally find you.

It meant the world to her.

That's why she left all of this to you.

I'd give it all away to have her here again.

She'd help me find my way in the English world.

Oh, trust me, you're doing a lot better with it than you think you are.

You think so?

I do.

Besides, we're all here to help when you need it.

I know. Danke.

Have you thought about writing your parents in Hickory Hollow?

Maybe you should let them know you're planning on staying here.

I've tried, but the church forbade them from speaking to me,

when I was shunned.

They haven't responded to any of my letters.

That's what happens in the Amish world

when you run out on a wedding to the bishop.

What if you spoke to them indirectly?

What do you mean?

What if you wrote them a letter but it wasn't from you?

Come on, Daniel, you're gonna talk to her or not? We're gonna be late for work.

Easy for you to say.

Just get it over with. The longer you wait, the worse it gets.

I know, I know.

What do I say to her after three years?

She still thinks I'm dead.

It is kinda awkward.

Hey, come on, man, try to have a sense of humor. I mean, it's only a girl.

Katie Lapp is not just any girl.

That's for sure and for certain.

So, these are the three charities we'll be meeting with later today.

They're asking for the foundation's help with special projects.

"Oak Vale Home for Boys." I like the sound of this one.

Yeah.

They've submitted a proposal for renovating their facilities.

I met with the director already.

He's got a good heart and his place needs help.

It's pretty shabby and he's operating on a shoestring.

Sounds like a good candidate.

It's places like this boys' home that inspired me

to continue with the foundation after my mother died.

It's a good thing you did too.

Otherwise I'd still be working at Google.

Just because I like you doesn't mean your job as managing director is secure.

-You understand that, right? -Wait... what?

I wouldn't worry about it. You're a Harvard grad.

I'm sure you'll land on your feet.

-Are you telling me... -

You're way too easy.

I can't believe it.

Hustled again.

-You're terrible. -I know.

By the way, don't make any plans for tomorrow night.

I've made reservations for us at my favorite dinner spot.

Oh, sounds good. Where are we going?

No, I'm not telling you. It's a surprise.

Oh, come on now, a little clue?

Not a chance.

You can try and resist, but you know sooner or later I'll get it out of you.

All right, fine. It's Big Vinnie's Pizza Shack.

-Sounds fancy. -Oh, it is.

It's just the kind of place where you can turn the menu into a hat.

So, as you can see, all work on the facility came to an abrupt end

when we lost our federal grant.

Budget cutbacks.

And the home needs more than just a facelift.

It's suffering from years of underfunding and neglect.

So, how do these kids end up here in the first place?

Uh, most of the boys are wards of the courts.

You know, they come from hard places.

Abandoned, abused, a few orphaned.

Why aren't they placed with families?

Believe me, none of them want to be here

but it's difficult at their age to be adopted or placed in foster care.

My hope is to give this place a complete makeover.

Make it a place that feels comfortable and safe.

-Like home. -Exactly.

Well, this is our common room.

Yeah, with your help we're hoping to bring this into the 21st century.

We'd like to give it an overall facelift,

add a new big-screen TV, computers, Wi-Fi.

With newer technology we could provide all sorts of enrichment activities,

online classes, research, books...

And make it a fun place to spend time.

Excuse me.

I've never played a video game before.

-Is it fun? -It's okay.

Maybe you'll show me sometime, hmm?

Yeah, maybe.

Great. Thanks.

Uh, that's Willie. He's...

He's had a tough go of it.

I can see that.

Congratulations, Mr. Bryant.

Our foundation will approve all of your funding.

Really?

But you haven't even seen my proposal yet.