Strangers

I swear on a stack of bibles,

I started out loving my husband,

and I know he started out loving me.

But things change, people change.

Let's be totally honest.

Some men have an evil streak.

Laura?

Hey, Tony.

Um...

I'm sorry for last night.

I was drunk and...

I don't know why we always go to that awful place, you know?

I love you so much.

It drives me crazy, you drive me crazy...

We have to... stop.

I know I have to stop, I know that and...

It's never gonna happen again.

You know, I...

swear on a stack of bibles.

It's never gonna happen again, and I mean it this time, I do.

I mean it, Laura.

Hey, you know what?

Let's go for dinner.

Huh? Somewhere real nice. No.

Why don't we just stay home?

I'll, um, I'll cook up something I saw

on that stupid cooking show.

Oh, yeah? What's it called?

"Tsitsila tabaka"? Something like that?

Sweetie?

Why's the door locked?

Open the door, Laura!

What the fuck are you doing in there?

God, help me...

Honey?

Open the door, Laura!

Why's it--

Laura, are you okay in there?

Fuck! Fucking hell! Oh, my God!

My coccyx.

What are you laughing-- What?

What's-- What are you... what are you--

Why are you still laughing? What's so funny?

Huh? What?

People falling down is funny. Okay, yeah. It's...

It's a little bit funny, okay.

Hey, why was the door locked?

I don't know, I must've hit the little knob

when I closed the handle. I was just taking a nap.

I'm sorry...

Please forgive me. I forgive you, Tony.

I always forgive you. I know you do.

I love you.

Hey, Dimitri! Hi, Miss Laura.

I bought you a hot cocoa. Oh, you're always too kind.

I'm getting used to

these snow storms. It's not like San Diego.

- Hey. - Hey, hey!

You know what I got for us?

What? Little dishes of your favorite tastes.

You're so thoughtful! Well, of course!

You think I'm mashed potatoes here?

"First, you take a drink."

"Then, the drink takes a drink."

"Then the drink takes you." F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Okay, "Sex addiction..." Look at this. Look at this.

Mm. "...must be controlled and ultimately conquered

or it leads us down terrible paths

and destroys everything."

Well, that's every addiction.

Isn't it, my dear?

As we both know.

It's damaged goods, it's what we are.

Banged-up, bruised and beaten.

Never beaten, dear! Never beaten.

It's too late for me to make amends for all my sins,

but you got all the time in the world.

And that's a gift.

Well, I don't know that I'm gonna wake up tomorrow

any more than you do.

"It is my longing for whom I might have been..."

Mm. "...that distracts and torments me."

Who?

Who? Britney Spears.

Mm...

Fernando Pessoa.

The Book of Disquiet. Mm-hmm.

If you read it, you can have it. I devour everything you give me.

You're the only real friend I have.

What?

Your eyes so remind me of my daughter.

She was so beautiful.

My great regret...

among so very many.

That's a lot of makeup on that right eye.

Should I ask about it? You just did.

His paranoia's getting worse.

And maybe it's my fault,

'cause he wasn't like that when we got married.

Well, life takes its toll on all of us.

But that's no excuse to hurt you, it's unacceptable.

A man is a coward to do that kind of thing.

I'm kind of frail,

but when I was young, I had some muscle.

And I would've been prone to go over there

and confront the bastard, I'm telling you.

Hey, come on! You know.

And of course, then I would've made a big mess,

you know, worse than it is now. You know, that I'd like to see.

Yeah, well... You must've been some heartbreaker.

I was no prize. I was an untrustworthy man.

Untrustworthy men seems to be a specialty of mine.

Yeah. Thank God we met in AA.

Your visits are my only happiness.

My darling...

Okay.

You know, I'm, uh...

to be honest, sort of amazed

that old Tony lets me spend time with you.

You know Tony. He says, and I quote,

"Richard probably hasn't had a hard-on in a decade,

and if he did, he wouldn't know what to do with it."

Well, that's not true. No?

If I got a hard-on, I'd know what to do with it.

Ah, boy! Is this good?

No more talk about Tony.

No! Okay?

I don't want to talk about Tony. Mm-mm.

What should we talk about?

You.

I pass.

Let's talk about you, baby. Mm-mm.

No, you know everything about me.

There's nothing more to know about me.

I've known you for what, two years?

I know nothing about you. Who is Richard Evans?

What were your parents like?

Who taught you to cook? Why'd you move to Sofia?

You know, you never leave this castle anymore.

Everyone at AA misses you.

Why all the mystery? There's no mystery, dear.

I'm just an old man...

who, uh...

would sell his soul to the devil to be 40 again.

Hey, so what were you like when you were 40?

- You wanna know? - Yeah.

Okay.

I was a vain and selfish man...

who associated with the wrong people,

and tried to justify unjustifiable behavior.

I wish you'd tell me and then I could be the judge of that.

Look, I deserve everything that's happened to me,

and anything that's coming down the road.

How's that?

Saved by the bell. Mm-mm.

You're not getting off that easy.

You're gonna tell me.

You're gonna tell me! I need detail!

Why is this not ready yet, man? I understand your frustration.

You won't have to pay for it. This is on me.

- So please just-- - On you?

On me, so please, just give me five minutes.

Let me sort it out over there. Apologies.

Just grab a cup of coffee while you're waiting.

Oh, God! Tony!

I love you, babe...

Please continue, Laura.

I keep obsessing about everything

alcohol and drugs has taken away from me.

Just...

...constant regrets about the past!

All the stupid mistakes!

A friend of mine said...

"It is my longing for what I might have been

that distracts and torments me."

You know, it's amazing

how quickly you get onto that road,

and how impossible it is to get off it,

and it's the drugs and the booze that keep you there

in a fog and in a haze...

You can't see three feet in front of your face.

And I've been sober for 372 days.

And the fog has lifted.

But I'm still on that shitty road!

Sometimes we come to realize that the only way off a bad path

is to make the turn ourselves.

But it's hard to turn the wheel

if you're not in the driver's seat.

Can I help you? I'm here for the AA meeting.

Oh, you've come to the right place.

Take a seat, please.

Now, the 12 steps are not about perfection.

It's about progress. Hi.

To make the first steps

you have to acknowledge...

...simply acknowledge,

that you have a problem we can't solve.

Because we can't.

You seem familiar. Have we met? No, I would remember if we had.

Maybe it was a past life then.