Cassadaga

Mommy's coming.

What did I tell you about dressing like a girl.

Get that dress off right now.

Right now.

Get it off.

Get it off.

It's for your own good.

No, my God.

I'm sorry.

This is for your own good.

Get dressed.

And get the hell outside.

What have you done?

What have you done to yourself?

Do you have a question?

I want to paint some clouds on it.

Sorry, I, I need to read your lips?

Oh, I want to paint some clouds on this, but I'm not sure how.

Okay, get a small amount of white on the end of your brush.

Yeah, and you use circular strokes.

Like that?

It's perfect.

Looks great.

Your sister Michelle's here?

Oh.

Hi.

They cancelled drama club.

So I thought I'd ride home with you.

Okay.

I still need to do the last speech,

probably another 15 minutes.

Alright, I'll be outside working on my French.

Only 962 more days until we move to Paris.

Uh, uh, 965.

We're going to your graduation ceremony.

If we must.

Um huh.

Everybody, put down your brushes,

if you'd stop painting and look up here.

Good job.

Okay, before we start cleaning up.

I want to say a few more words about overcoming adversity.

Okay?

Now when we came in this morning,

how many of you thought that your paintings

would turn out half as good as they did?

Anybody?

Okay, but they're really great.

They're beautiful.

That's because you all believed in yourself.

You broke down the challenge into manageable steps

and gave it your best effort.

You turned a problem into a masterpiece.

And these steps can really be used to overcome any obstacle.

That's the most important message here guys

is you can achieve anything.

Please.

Oh God.

No, please.

962 more days till we move to Paris.

So, how are you doing?

How's school going?

I got an A minus on the first physics test,

but I'm not really worried cause we get to drop a score.

Drop that one.

Yeah. It's very bad.

It is. Bad grade.

compared to last years.

You smarty pants.

Mrs. Pierson called me about the bullying.

She says a click of girls have been calling you names

and tripping you in the halls?

Everyone at school calls me the fetus,

it's like they don't want anything to do with me.

And I was so excited about skipping seventh and eighth

and going straight to high school,

but now I think it was the biggest mistake

I've ever made.

I know how cruel high school girls can be, okay?

But you can't let them get to you.

You are amazing.

So smart and funny and kind.

I'd trade all of that just to have boobs.

Baby, those girls aren't like you.

okay?

All they care about are their clicks

and their boyfriends and their popularity.

And pretty soon, you're gonna blossom

into the most beautiful girl in school.

I got you something.

Big sister promise: by the time you graduate,

I will have saved enough money to move us both to Paris.

Are you serious?

Yes, we will get an apartment

and you will go to school

and I'll wait tables and while all those other girls

are reminiscing about pep rallies and keggers,

you and I will be busy exploring the city of light.

Oh my God, thank you so much Lily.

Okay, but there's one more thing.

Um huh.

If you ever find yourself in a situation

with those girls or a boy, or anyone,

and you feel like things are spiraling out of control,

you do whatever it takes to defend yourself.

You understand me?

Yes.

Okay.

I got you through foster care,

we'll get you through high school.

Okay. Just keep your nose in those books

and you learn as much French as you can.

Okay.

You promise me?

Yes, I promise.

Pinkie promise.

Mommy said that a lot.

I don't remember.

After losing Michelle I spiraled deeper into the abyss

than I ever have been before.

At least after losing my hearing

I had my mom to comfort me

and baby Michelle to distract me.

Then after my mom passed, Michelle and I had each other.

I was focused on guiding her through foster care,

and getting ready to legally adopt her.

But when Michelle died,

I, I never felt so alone,

so utterly lacking direction.

When I ran out of savings

it was the best thing that could have happened.

Forced me to face the world again

and to find a new path for my life.

Well, I so glad you've chosen Cassadaga University

to be the compass for that new path.

We're all excited to have the daughter

of such a highly regarded alumni.

And if you're half as talented as your mom,

you'll make the university proud.

I just, I really want to thank you again,

and not just for the scholarship and a place to live,

but I know you had to pull some strings

to get some admissions requirements waived

and I really appreciate it.

No, that's nonsense.

You're a first choice applicant.

And with what you've accomplished,

the obstacles you've overcome,

I have no doubt that you are the ideal recipient

for the merit award.

Thank you for saying that.

Now, let's take a tour of the house,

and then I'll show you where you're going to stay.

Okay, please.

We are a bit particular when it comes to our privacy,

so I hope you'll use your discretion

when you invite guests over.

I will.

And I know you may have noticed

that there are a few areas that are locked.

And I did that for your convenience,

because I want you to have total access to the house

without worrying about what may or may not be off limits.

Okay, no problem.

I love the trees here.

They're live oaks.

Is that moss hanging off?

Yeah, beautiful.

That's my grandson, Thomas.

He keeps to himself on the upper floor.

You'll hardly know he's here.

So the old house is mostly unfurnished,

but your bedroom is cozy.

It gets wonderful light.

You have all the solitude you need

to concentrate on your painting.

Yeah, it's amazing.

Uh, I've never seen anything like it.

I know it's eccentric,

but I just couldn't bring myself to tear it down

when we moved into the new house.

There's 100 years of history in that house

and four generations of my family that called it home.

Well, here are the keys.

So go and get settled in.

If you need a hand, just let me know

and I'll send Thomas.

Okay, great, thank you.

Hey munch get off the ground.

Sorry I'm late,

I had a cardiac arrest at the end of my shift.

It's okay, daddy.

Yeah?

Saving people's lives

is the most important job in the world.

No it's not.

Being your dad is the most important job in the world.

Saving lives is a distant second,

remember that, alright.

What'd I just say?