Prodigal Sons

(wind whistling faintly, birds chirping)

Woman: My brothers and i grew up in the '70s in montana.

Everyone called it the big sky country.

It seemed anything could happen there.

And anything did.

My dad, loren, was a doctor.

My mom, carol, was a schoolteacher.

They adopted my older brother marc

because they thought they couldn't have children.

The day they picked him up

was probably the day they conceived me.

Hormones are sometimes unpredictable that way.

A year later, along came another surprise,

our younger brother, todd.

It looks like a fairytale childhood,

but appearances can be deceiving.

After high school, i left for san francisco,

then new york.

I'd never stopped loving my home,

but i never really returned.

I thought i'd put my past behind me,

but 20 years later,

i decided to go back for my high school reunion.

My brother marc was in the same grade as me,

so he was going to be at the reunion, too.

I was nervous about seeing my classmates,

but i was more nervous about seeing marc.

We'd been estranged for more than a decade.

Kim is here this week from new york

for the class reunion.

Marc comes in tonight.

Two more come in today around midnight.

And so it's wild and crazy.

It wasn't too shabby, that little plane.

Good.

Compared to the big ones, you know,

it does ride a little rougher.

Mom and i were walking on eggshells around marc.

We always did.

It was going to be the longest marc and i

would spend together in years.

Marc, show me your scar.

What scar, this thing? Yeah.

Well, you can't see it all yet, but it's getting worse.

Badge of honor.

It's getting worse. Badge of honor.

The rest of that hair goes, you'll see.

We'd had a rough time being siblings the first time around.

Marc was held back in preschool,

putting us in the same class.

So he always felt a lot of competition with me.

But i was hoping this was our chance to start over.

Everybody ready to go?

Banana bread, anyone?

I feel like we need to do something

to commemorate our departure.

Marc: I love montana. Montana is awesome.

My beautiful wife doesn't like montana.

I had a horrible accident when i was young

in las vegas and rolled my truck.

And then i had part of my brain removed.

So it's been a tough one.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm sorry to interrupt, marc, but here's turtle rock,

your lovely turtle rock.

I was born in tacoma, washington.

Dr. Loren e. Mckarrow chose me,

and they brought me home, and then...

paul was born.

Paul, who is now kim.

My dad had passed away two years earlier.

He was the bedrock of our family,

and we missed him.

He had known about my transition for years,

and it amazed me how easily he accepted me.

But it was on the day dad died

that marc found out i would be his sister.

We were on our way to the farm

our great-grandfather homesteaded.

It's where dad grew up,

and his two brothers still live there.

And there was a big, huge grain elevator

that was built by my dad and his brothers

in one summer.

You know they built that in one summer?

Yeah. It's incredible.

Yeah, that's where it all goes back to.

What'd you say, marc? Yeah.

Going back to the farm.

Hey! Good to see you!

Somebody's got it.

We're missing somebody?

Hi, marc. Hello.

Wasn't surprised that you were coming.

Hi, darling. So good to see you.

Marc, what do you think?

That's the way to go.

What do you think is the front? The one with the bow?

I'd definitely keep the bow in front.

The bow in front? Yeah.

You think? Gotta have it in front.

You're so concerned about my bow.

I need that cowboy hat.

I think that's another mckarrow trait,

is the little, tiny... grab that cowboy hat there.

Oh, that's me.

Ooh, that's dusty.

That... that's the real me.

Mm-hmm.

It hangs up on your visor.

Oh. Oh no, this is for money.

Meter money and your pencils

and receipts and sunglasses and coins.

Just found that today.

One word for ya... plastics. Yep.

Man: What were you playing?

I do not know.

I was just playing whatever my lovely fingers play.

That's the thing i don't understand.

It's just something that...

i don't know where it came from.

It's another reason i want to research

the family a little bit more.

Bye.

My hometown had heard about my transition a while ago.

Just before my dad's funeral, my mom had a tea party

and broke the news to her closest friends,

then asked them to spread the word.

Mom kept saying that my dad had died

but i was being reborn.

So my classmates had heard about me,

but this was going to be the first time

most of them would actually see me.

We're going to a barbeque, and everybody's gonna be there.

And there's already like 14 trucks parked outside.

And there's a budweiser...

claire: She's wigging out!

I'm wigging, kinda. I'm a little bit nervous.

This party is at kevin bartsch's house.

Kevin bartsch was the co-captain

of the football team with yours truly.

Announcer: Paul mckerrow!

Newscaster: Let's run down the bengal offense for you.

They're led by senior quarterback paul mckerrow,

who wears number 7 in the backfield.

Newscaster: Mckerrow's throwing the ball right on the button.

I'm pretty impressed with his throwing arm tonight

and his accuracy.

Mckerrow's passed to 56...

so far what i've seen of mckerrow,

this quarterback for helena high,

he is a darn good one,

and i wouldn't be surprised a bit

if he went to a major college.

(marching band playing, crowd talking indistinctly)

Twenty years ago,

they'd voted me most likely to succeed.

Now i was just hoping they wouldn't laugh at me.

Hey, john!

Hey, kim. How are you?

You have to come all the way to montana to see me?

How are you? Nice to see you.

Is that gina? That's gina.

Hi, gina, how are you?

Good, how are you? It's good to see you. I'm nervous.

I need a beer.

I have doubles at home anyway.

What is it? What is that picture?

A picture of her and i at a dance

freshmen in high school.

Yeah, put your arm around me.

All the girls that... like, anna and cindy and...

they were all upset

because he asked me and not them

'cause they all had crushes on him.

Cheers!

I don't recognize you, that's for sure. She remembersyou.

You do? Not me.

Do you know who i am? Oh, yes. Yes, i do.

Does anybody in this city not know who i am by now?

Does anybody in this city not know whoiam?

I so need to move.

Everybody knows who you are. Your name is nanc...

chris, marc! Chris! Chris welles.

Jesus! Pullman! Pullman!

Chris pullman.

Give me a break, though. I got a head injury.

Have you seen our annual? No.

I'll bring it tomorrow. I would love to see that.

Oh, god.

It took me years to get her to show me old photos.

She was just like, "no, no, that's the past.

"It's a part of my life

that i don't want to be in touch with anymore."

The cop, when he pulled us over...

and you don't remember this... he says, "i clocked you at 105,

"and i shut the radar off at 105,

and you guys blew by me at 120."

I kid you not... 120.

Actually, i had never seen a keg in real life until tonight.