Wolf Like Me

Oh?

OK.

Well, why aren't you upset?

I mean, I am.

But it's fine. You obviously have your reasons.

Do you want to know what they are?

I mean, if you don't think we should keep seeing each other,

I'm certainly not going to force you.

We've been seeing each other for three months

and you have never once opened up to me.

I do have a little girl to consider.

A little girl? She's 11.

It was a big step for me to start dating again.

You're a grown man, aren't you? Maybe it's time for you

to put on your big-boy pants and be emotionally available.

There's a lot for me to navigate, with regard to Emma.

Oh. Thank you so much for reminding me.

Please don't be sarcastic.

Can you please not be a piece of shit?

OK... um...

Emma's in a really fragile state right now.

She keeps having these full-on panic attacks.

I'm not even sure if I know how to stop them.

Then I should talk to her. I'm an empath.

OK, are we ready to order?

Does it look like we're ready? Fuck off!

You don't think I'd make a good mother, do you?

I'm the one breaking up with you.

Please don't take this away from me.

I'm sorry?

- You're antiquated. - I'm antiquated?

You're old-fashioned, outdated.

No, I know what the term 'antiquated' means.

You're a dinosaur.

And do you know what happened to the dinosaurs?

- Mm-hm. - A flaming meteor crashed into them

and they died because they weren't ready.

Can anyone really be ready for a meteor?

Well, you're certainly not.

And you're a three.

- I'm a three? - Mm-hm.

Usually, I'm a seven.

But when I'm with you, I'm a nine.

Emma would be sooo lucky to have a mum who's a nine.

Can you please stop making a scene?

Oh, my God! Stop trying to control everything!

You can't control everything!

And traffic is starting to back up on the A20.

Now here's Tony with the weather.

Thanks, Karen. After a chilly night of 7.5 degrees,

Adelaide is in for a sunny one today,

with a high of 25 degrees in the city,

while the lower southeast Mt Lofty region...

Hey, bubs.

Gotta go.

Em?

Look, I know how tricky today must be for you.

- It is for me too... - Dad!

Right.

Uh, I'll meet you outside, then, OK?

I don't need your help.

We're not going to make it in time.

I was trying to get you out of your room this morning-

I had to finish Earth.

Go that way.

Bubs, we're better off staying

- on the usual route, I'm telling you. - It's not moving!

Hey, over here!

Emma, no.

- Dad! - No, no.

- Stop. - I said no.

Dad!

You gotta be kidding me. It's too damn early.

Hey, how are you?

- We gotta go. Hope these sandwiches are OK. Thank you.

- Bye-bye. - Thank you.

You cannot do things like that.

- He's homeless. - I don't care.

He could be dangerous.

It is my job to keep you safe.

Hey! Are you calling? Somebody call an ambulance!

No airbags. No airbags.

Em?

Em, it's me it's daddy.

I'm here. You're OK.

Hi. Are you OK?

- She gets panic attacks. - Yeah. OK. I get it.

Look at me. Look at me. OK. I just need you to look at me.

There's something in her bag.

Coming, Em! Coming, baby!

Em! Em!

Em! You're... OK.

What did you say to her?

What did you do?

She hit your car.

Oh, God.

It's to stop me from turning my head.

- Does it hurt? - Who is it, bubs?

Um, hi.

You gave me your address, through insurance.

I wanted to say sorry for...

for wrecking your universe.

I read it when I was your age, and I loved it.

You don't know my age.

- 11? - I'm 12 in two months.

That's a thoughtful gesture. What do you say, Em?

No?

You don't want to say anything?

Well, at least she took it.

Um... Do you want to...

This is a complete invasion of...

I should not have... I shouldn't have come here.

What? No, no.

Hey. Um...

Hey! Hey!

Uh... Hey!

Wait up!

What was your name, again?

Mary.

Would you, uh, like a cup of Gary?

Fuck.

Tea.

Would you like a cup of tea, Mary?

My name is Gary.

Sure.

How long have you been in Australia?

Uh, 12 years.

That's Emma's mom.

My ex-wife.

She live far away?

Uh, yes...

I'm sorry. I don't know why I said ex-wife.

Um.

She died.

Oh.

Cancer.

Um, I'm sorry.

Oh. Well, thank you. We're used to it by now.

As used to it as you can be, I guess.

- Uh, milk? - Yeah.

What was her name?

Lisa.

- Oh, shit. - What?

The book I gave her -

the mom is dead and she lives alone with her dad.

Oh, God. Well, I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Well, then her dad dies and leaves her all by herself.

Mmm. She may actually like that bit.

Agh!

- Are you OK? - Uh, yeah.

I just dropped the, uh... Damn!

- Oh, that's a lot of blood. - That is a lot of blood.

I would put that under the tap.

- I'm gonna go get a bandaid. - I'll get you a bandaid.

- OK. Sure. - Tell me where to go.

- It's, uh, just down the hallway,

and it's gonna be the bathroom, last door on the right.

OK.

You said you knew where I was.

After the accident.

When I was scared.

You said that you'd been there too.

Oh, I have. A bunch of times.

Well, there's a lot of blood coming out of your dad.

I'm gonna stick some of this... This is eucalyptus oil...

It's gonna sting.

- I'm sorry. - Brave. Brave.

Yeah. I'm gonna do two. I'm gonna do two.

- Mm-hm. - I'll make it quick.

- Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Mm-hm. - Oh, gosh. Sorry.

- It hurts a lot. - Does it really?

Yeah. I want to pretend like it doesn't.

What, uh, brought you here?

Truthfully?

Um...

There was something about your daughter.

At the accident, I... I know this sounds like a complete weirdo thing to s...

I'm so sorry.

I meant what brought you to Australia?

Oh.

Idiot. Um...

Uh... I... I wanted a change.

Whereabouts in America?

Chicago.

Can't get more of a change than Chicago to Adelaide.

Mm-hm. You bet.

Why did you choose Adelaide?

Uh, I can work from anywhere.

What do you do?

I volunteer places. I do stuff for charities.

So I go to a nursing home every day,

I make and donate stuff.

Oh. Did you mean what do I do for a living?

Oh, right, um...

Uh, I give relationship advice in a column.

Wow! What kind of qualifications

do you need for something like that?

Oh, I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, um,

but I don't really use it, um,

well, I stopped pursuing that when I got here,