This Close

[sound fades into Kate's sound POV]

[hearing aid beeps, sound rushes in]

- Git. -

I said git.

Mom, he's deaf.

He is disobedient.

He's 18.

Well, he is shedding like the dickens.

Okay, you, up.

I'm sick.

I need to rest.

Rrr-Rest.

That's what I just said.

What happened to your Rs, Kate?

You used to say them so beautifully.

I don't know what you're doing out there in Los Angeles,

but you have to keep it up

every night before bed, just like we used to.

Rrrr.

Now come on. Get up.

I will be damned if I'm gonna sit around here

and watch you mope over some man. Let's go.

Come on. I need help with Granny's birthday party.

Now where's your suitcase?

What?

I had to catch a flight.

Oh, my Lord. Maybe you really are sick.

Okay. Let's, uh...

Let's see about...

I'm sure this will still fit.

Hey.

Okay, now get dressed.

You have errands to run.

And wear that pretty hair down

so your chin don't look so pointy.

Start with the cake!

Oh, God.

She's very, um...

particular.

Yeah.

I knew that was you in there.

Hi, Shep.

Oh, wow.

So what are you doing home?

Oh, you know, just a little vacay.

Also it's my granny's birthday.

Blythe's got you on an impossible mission.

Mm-hmm. Always.

Well...

I'm off.

Oh, okay.

Uh, it was good... good to see you.

I'm going this way.

How can I help you?

You work here?

It's mine now.

I was... I was really sorry when I heard about your mom.

Yeah, I got your card.

It was very sweet.

Uh, but it's really okay.

We're just relieved she's not in pain anymore.

Of course.

Fuck. I wish I remembered more.

You look the same.

So how's Candace?

She's great.

She's with her boyfriend in Florida.

Hey, Uncle Shep, you want me to take these to the...

That is not Nathan?

Yeah. He shaves and everything.

Nathan, this is Kate, an old friend.

Hi. How's it going?

Could you go ahead and take that over to St. Francis?

Cool. See you.

Bye.

I had no idea about Candace.

I'm really sorry.

It's fine. It's for the best, really.

So what do we need?

Uh, two large arrangements for the back

and eight smaller ones for the tables.

Uh, it's Blythe, so I would imagine fairly traditional.

Probably. I mean, I don't know.

What are my options?

Can I show you?

So...

Carol: Did she have Ms. Pearl as her coach, too?

She's still coaching? My goodness.

Emmaline is on the J.V. squad now, isn't she?

Carol: For now.

Kate just loved cheerleading.

It made music visual for me,

and it got me out of gym class, so...

Were the girls nice to you?

Sometimes they are so mean to Emmaline.

Some. It took me too long to realize

it had nothing to do with being the deaf girl.

Blythe, this Russian tea is just too good.

I can't stop drinking it.

Oh, drink as much as you want, honey.

It's a holiday staple,

and there's an endless supply.

[Emmaline's sound POV, buzzing through implant] Why Russian, though?

You know, I haven't the slightest.

[Kate's sound POV, fuzzy through hearing aids] Oh, did I tell you

Chuck's sister fainted at Thanksgiving?

Really?

No, you didn't. Is she all right?

She's fine, but when she hit that kitchen floor,

you would have thought that the Lord was returning.

Oh, God.

[Kate's sound POV, fuzzy through hearing aids] Blythe, I simply cannot

- thank you enough for arranging all this. - What?!

Goodness knows we've been talking about this moment since we met.

Hollis, doesn't Emmaline remind you of Kate?

Stop it!

You know sign language?

Not really, no.

Her dad was fluent,

and after he passed, I tried, but...

Mom said deaf people who sign

don't like getting implants.

My daddy always used to say

nobody builds a house with just a saw

if they have an entire toolbox,

so that's why he gave me the box,

so I could decide for myself.

He felt that signing would, you know,

keep her on track language-wise.

Well, you speak very well for a deaf person.

Thank you.

We practiced together every single night.

How old was, um, Emmaline

when she got her implant?

Well, she was just a toddler,

and I will never forget the moment

when we turned them on

and we watched her little face

respond to sound for the first time.

- - So there's the door.

- I'm gonna get it. - Oh, let me.

- Sorry about that. - No.

Hey, Nathan.

Order for Bailey.

That's me.

What are these?

Flowers.

What on Earth have you done, Kate?

They're perfect, very Granny.

Shep is really good at this.

They are so me.

Oh, thank you, Kate.

Wildflowers for a wild party.

Go, Granny. Go, Granny...

Okay, stop! Just stop it!

Hmm, I can't wait to see the cake.

What is the problem?

Look, I know that you throw parties for a living,

but you just seem to be deliberately trying to mess everything up.

I mean, why don't you just drive your car through the gazebo again?

That was 15 years ago.

Yes. Well, what has happened to you?

You used to be such an agreeable girl.

No, I wasn't.

I just couldn't understand half of what people were saying.

That's just not true.

You always understood me.

No. I was pretending.

Well, why on Earth didn't you just tell me that before?

Why didn't you notice it?

Okay, just stop.

You just stop it right now. You hear me?

No!

I fucking can't!

I know you always wanted the perfect daughter,

and instead, you got me.

You think I chose to be like this

to... to spite you?

Hollis: Where's the vodka?

Mama, listen.