Little Brother

- -Mmm.

Jakey. Look at you.

Hey, uh, open the door.

Yeah, one second.

No, you-- you just-- You locked it.

-No, you-- you-- - Open the door.

-You have to press unlock. -Take-- take your hand off.

Come on. Let's go.

There.

Thank you.

What was that about?

Nice call with the Kia.

It's all the airport had left.

Well, Koreans know their cars, man.

Bro.

You can just stay straight on Silver.

All right, man.

Where are your shoes?

Oh, it's protocol, bro. No laces, no belts.

I do love these hospital socks, though.

With the little, uh, grippy things.

So, are-- are they gonna come, then, or?

Mom and Dad?

They seemed okay on the phone.

They, uh-- they knew I was coming, so...

No, no, yeah, yeah, sure.

It's an expensive flight,

especially last-minute.

Yeah, pardon the mess. I-- I wasn't expecting guests.

I wasn't really expecting anything, actually.

So, how long are you in Albuquerque until?

Uh, Thursday.

Uh, you can't stay longer?

This isn't a leisure trip, Pete.

Really? I had no idea.

Hey, uh, how's Abs, by the way?

Uh, you guys good?

Uh, we're, uh...

We're-- we're-- we're good.

That's good.

Hey, um...

what are you doing in there?

I'm, uh, just taking a leak.

-Hey. -Hey.

- -Fuck.

Why am I only competitive with you?

It's like I'm eight years old again.

Because I'm the only person you can't beat at anything.

So, uh, when did Burning Man move on?

Burning Man? Oh, uh, Mondo.

Uh, like six months ago

with his-- his girlfriend. Or, sorry, fiancée.

You, uh-- you haven't thought about getting new roommates?

I thought about it.

And have you...

thought about maybe-- maybe moving?

Are-- are you serious?

I mean, yeah.

Uh, I can't.

You know, people don't really realize this,

but being a painter doesn't really pay shit.

No, I'm pretty sure that everybody knows that.

Besides, when's the last time that you painted?

Don't change the fucking subject.

Wasn't painting the subject?

That's Meemaw's house.

I'm not leaving.

It's been, like, a year and a half now.

It's, uh, two years this month, actually.

You got these?

Listen-- listen to me, Pete.

Oh, my God.

Yes!

- -There he goes.

I told you not to drink.

Ugh, it's just beers, man.

It's probably, like, my meds or something.

- -

It's the cops.

It's Dad.

Same thing.

Hello.

You were supposed to call an hour ago.

Yeah, yeah, sorry. We, uh, we went to get food.

I told you to keep him home.

Yeah, yeah, no, we-- we-- we got takeout.

You're Dad's bitch.

Oh, okay.

Hey, baby.

Hey, Mom.

So, how is he?

He's-- he's-- he's-- he's good.

Let me speak with him.

Uh, speak with him?

-Yes. Put him on the phone. -No!

I'm-- I'm...

- Jake? -Uh...

Oh, he's, uh, he's in the shower.

Well, at least he's bathing again.

So, have you told him yet?

Uh, yeah.

Yeah.

Okay, and? What-- what did he say?

Um, he-- he said--

I'm-- I'm-- I'm good.

"I'm good"?

Uh, no, no. Uh, okay. He-- he said, "Okay."

Just okay?

Yeah, what-- what does that mean?

Uh, yeah.

I think it means okay.

He's lucky we're giving him the option at all.

-Should have cut him off after-- - Honey.

After your-- your grandmother passed.

I was just...

I was worried he'd try again.

-Honey. -I'm fine, I'm fine.

Did he...

say what it was this time?

Dad.

Yeah, I know, I know.

Just call us when you're on the road, okay?

Don't forget.

Yeah, I won't.

Okay, baby, see you soon. I love you.

- Love you. -Bye, son.

So, how's the pope?

You're right, it's not funny.

And insulting to Francis.

What's up?

No, I'm-- I'm not flying back Thursday.

You wanna stay longer?

No, I'm-- I'm not flying back at all.

I don't understand.

Mom and Dad, that's, uh, that's why they're not here.

They, uh...

sent me to come get you.

Hey, Pete, Pete, Pete, Pete.

Yeah, don't fucking touch me.

Why-- why aren't you flying?

They want us to drive your car back to Washington

-so that we can be together... -That's fucking bullshit.

...as a family to evaluate things.

To evaluate things?

Evaluate me?

And after my evaluation, what then, doctor?

-Come on, man. -No!

What then?

If we or you think that it's for the best, then...

maybe you move back to Seattle.

-Jesus Christ, man. -Just for a while.

You can see your old friends, old doctors.

There's nothing there for me, man.

Yeah, unlike here, right?

Pete, Pete, Pete.

Dad's thinking of selling this place.

Hey, Pete?

Pete?

Pete.

Shit.

It's Pete. Nobody uses voicemail. Fuck--

Damn it.

No fucking shit.

Tell me next time you're gonna leave the house, man.

I'm in the backyard, you ghost.

You just call me a ghost?

Yeah, because you're fucking haunting me.

I'm sorry.

Can I sit?

Yeah, if you don't fall through the chair, you fucking ghost.

So, um...

have-- have you thought about the trip then?

We should get going.

Hey, man, you ever just, like, fucking chill out?

Look.

This is Meemaw's car.

Pretty sure a coyote gave birth in the trunk.

I like to, like, sit out here

and, like, work through shit with her.

Hey, you remember, uh-- uh, Christmas in Tombstone?

I mean, I've seen the pictures.

Yeah.

Mom and Meemaw wanted to go to, like, Colorado, have, like,

this, like, white Christmas.

But, of course, Dad won out, and we end up in Arizona

because I shit you not, he had just seen the movie Wyatt Earp.

Anyway, we get there and it's a total fucking tourist trap.

We watch, like, one really shitty reenactment,

and then we just, like, go home early.

I fucking-- I still hate Arizona because of that.

Best part of that trip, though, was, uh...

car ride there.