Original subtitles

So you see, I may have written a book on parenting,

but I don't have it all figured out.

Kristine Barnett, you're under arrest for child neglect,

the abandonment of a dependent and conspiracy to commit neglect.

You have the right to remain silent.

Do you know who I am?

Do you know how many children I saved?

Previously, on Good American Family...

This is First Path Adoptions in Myrtle Beach.

We have a little girl here who I think you will love.

This is Natalia.

Hi.

Are you gonna be my mommy and daddy?

We usually just add the past medical expenses

onto the other fees, if that works for you.

We have to pay for her surgeries?

We maxed out our credit card just to get down here.

I hate baths.

How about you can stand in the tub and I can wash your...

I said no!

Mommy, I'm so sorry. Mommy, I'm so sorry.

Mommy, I'm sorry.

I get the tantrum...

Now, now, now! I wanna go to the beach now!

the whole running thing, I mean, what was that?

Well, she's a kid,

she didn't just go out and buy a walker.

Did you give her Pop-Tarts after she didn't eat her dinner?

It's not a big deal.

Wasn't a big deal then why didn't you mention it?

- We're supposed to be on the same team. - Don't do that.

We are on the same team.

Hi sweet pea. Do you wanna get in and cuddle?

No. Not time yet.

He first came to see me in the fall of 2019,

and when he showed up, I'm not gonna lie,

I was... a little nervous.

My wife and kids are inside, so it'll be quieter out here.

- Is this okay? - Perfect.

Okay.

- Mind if I... - Oh, so, uh, we're doing that?

Uh, it won't bite.

I mean, yeah, I... I guess it's, uh... it's fine.

I thought you guys might like some pop.

Uh, Detective Drysdale, this is my... my wife Jennifer.

- This is, uh, Wyatt. - Thank you.

- Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Barnett. - Likewise.

So, I'll leave you to it?

Yeah.

- Love you. - Yeah.

- She seems nice. - The best.

How long you two been married?

A couple years, but you know, we're still, uh,

full-on honeymoon phase.

You know, she's, um... she's a complete opposite

- of my first, so... - Right.

Word is, it was a mean divorce.

Yeah, that's what I thought this might be.

Um, listen, man, I...

Those things that Kristine says about me that...

Don't believe it, okay?

It's not true. She's... she's a liar.

No, man. Listen, believe me, you seem like a good guy.

And I've heard plenty about how rough your ex is.

That's why I'm here,

to get it from the horse himself.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Okay, I mean, if that's the case, then, uh, um...

"neigh," I guess?

Now, I gather that your boys are with her.

- Uh-huh. - And you have a daughter too.

- Natalia, right? - Mm-hmm.

She with your ex as well?

No, God no.

I mean, they don't even speak.

I mean, you put those two together,

it's like...

fricking World War Three, man.

Huh.

So, how did things between your ex and Natalia turn ugly?

I don't even know where to start.

- The beginning's always good. - Okay.

To start at the beginning,

uh, Kristine is... is insane.

And she's also the... basically, the devil.

But she's the worst kind of devil, you know,

because she thinks she's God's gift

to the whole dang world.

How do you mean?

Do you know what a savior complex is?

Sure.

Yeah, well, that's, that's Kristine.

You know, she takes credit for all of Jacob's success.

She does that with all the kids she works with.

That's why we adopted Natalia in the first place...

- What is this? - so she could save her.

- When did you do this? - When that didn't work out,

that's when the proverbial crap hit the fan.

Mr. Barnett and I spoke last week.

That's why we could arrest you today.

Well, let me tell you something.

Don't believe anything that man says.

I swear to God, he's the real devil here.

This was 2010,

almost two weeks after we brought Natalia home.

Natalia.

Natalia.

What are you doing, Mommy?

I thought I heard you come in our room just now.

Just wanna check and make sure you're okay.

Did you? Just come in our room?

I don't think so.

Nighttime isn't for wandering, sweet pea.

It's for sleeping.

That's what I had been doing.

Can I hold Hercules for a minute?

Why?

Just wanna give her a checkup, like at the doctor.

We hate doctors.

Okay, not the doctor then.

Just...

Mom, Mom, stop.

- Natalia, just... - Mom, no.

- Mommy! No. - Natalia.

- Stop it! No, no! - Shh!

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey.

- No, stop it! - What's going on? What's going on?

Daddy, please. Tell Mommy not to take Hercules.

I wasn't out of bed, I promise. Please.

Don't worry, baby. Why would Mommy want to take Hercules?

It was a misunderstanding.

I just wanted to make sure that Hercules had enough hugs.

So, you do, uh...

Let's check.

Um, okay.

- So, honey... - No.

It's okay, sweetheart. Just... just real quick.

Everything's gonna be fine.

Mommy's just gonna...

And you didn't just come in our room?

Is Mommy okay?

Y-Yes. Y...

She's just tired. She's just tired.

You know what, we have a big day tomorrow.

Mommy always puts ice cream in our cereal

on the first day of school.

Will you tuck me in again, Daddy?

Of course I will, sweetie. Of course I will.

- Here's your Hercules, honey. - Thank you, Daddy.

There you go. Okay.

You're welcome, sweetie pie.

Kris, what the... what the heck's going on?

She came in our room earlier,

and it looked like she had a knife.

But they're all here, so I guess I must be crazy.

Dang it!

Oh, baby, I'm sorry. You okay?

Hey, let me see, let me see.

Hey, look, you're just... Honey, you're just tired.

You... you're stressed, and you had a bad dream.

- Come on, let's go to bed. Come on. - No, it wasn't a bad dream.

I know what that feels like. This wasn't that.

Hey, what's going on, huh? Come on.

Talk to me.

I thought I saw something, and then no, it w... it wasn't.

Don't go there. I know what you're doing.

Stress dreams feel really real. That's all this was, okay?

You are not your dad. You're not.

Okay, so say it was a stress dream.

That's almost worse.

I'm not myself with her.

I get frustrated so easy. We're not connecting.

And Michael, how am I supposed to be her mother

if I can't talk to her?

Do you hear yourself right now?

Do you remember this conversation

that we had about another one of our kids?

And look what you did there.

That kid's being recruited by Princeton.

- Jake is special. - So are you.

Heck, you're gonna be in the papers

because of what you can do.

This is a tough nut. Natalia is a tough nut to crack.

But you will. You are Kristine Barnett.

- Maybe I've lost my touch. - Bulldink, okay?

You've been doing this for 15 years, honey.

Nobody cares for kids like you do.

Nobody understands them better.

That's all Natalia is, she's just another kid.

Another kid who needs you, honey.

You're exhausted.

You've been taking care of all of us.

Honey, you've been taking care of me.

And that's my fault, okay?

I got... I got knocked out flat by the Blanca thing.

I did, okay? But I...

Hey. Hey. I'm back.

I'm back, baby.

And I wanna take care of you, okay?

What if you let me... what if you let me

take care of you for a little bit, huh?

What if we made this my turn? Would that be nice?

Hmm, there she is. There's my girl.

Mm.

Yeah. It could be nice.

I need my cow!

I know, baby. But if we can't find her,

we're gonna have to come up with another option.

- No! - What about we talk about something?

What about our trip to Omaha?

I mean, it is called Show and Tell, right?

No one does "Tell," Mom.

Well, maybe it needs a rebranding then.

I wanna bring Bessie Cow, Mom.

When's the ice cream?

It's your sister's first day, not yours.

So, when she comes down.

Right, then I'm gonna go get her.

Morning, zoo crew.

Hey, am I in the paper?

Not yet, hot stuff.

Mom! Bessie?!

Did you check the laundry room?

No.

Pulled out a suit for you.

Yeah, I saw that.

I'm not sure why. It's just a meet-and-greet.

- Hey, who's driving me? - Me.

We're gonna get your sister set up at school

and then run over to Jacob's place for my session,

and then head out to IUPUI

for your interview with

Princeton.

- It's a meet-and-greet. - With...

Princeton!

You guys are just embarrassing yourselves.

- Enough. - Natalia won't come out.

She says she's too tired because Mom woke her up in the middle of the night.

Mommy! Bessie Cow's not in here either.

It's okay. Hey, you stay on cow patrol.

I'll go check on Natalia, okay?

Knock, knock, rise and shine.

Come in.

Ta-da.

Are those Ethan's?

I didn't like what Mommy picked.

Well, she just wants you to look nice

for your first day photos, honey.

That dress is for a 5-year-old.

Did you at least ask Ethan before you took his clothes?

I just...

I don't want everyone to think I'm a dumb baby.

Honey, no one's gonna think that, okay?

Look, when I... when I first met you,

I thought you were at least 45.

May... maybe 50 even.

I wish you were taking me, Daddy.

Me too, kiddo.

But I got the boss' bosses

coming into the store tomorrow, you know?

So, I gotta get it all ready for them.

I know. But...

do you know what I do when I have something

really scary at work like this?

I jump the jitters out.

What?

- You do that at work? - Yes, it helps get me outta my head.

♪ Jump the jitters, whoa, jump, jump the jitters out ♪

♪ I jump the jitters, jump, jump the jitters out ♪

Try it, here you go.

♪ Jump the jitters, jump, jump the jitters out ♪

♪ Jump, jump the jitters out ♪

♪ Jump the jitters, jump, jump the jitters out ♪

Watch out, here comes the worm.

- Here it comes. - No!

Whoa, whoa.

Natalia.

What happened here?

Where's the head?

I was just playing with it.

You were...

You know, Ethan's been looking all over for this.

Please, please don't tell Mommy I broke it.

- Please don't tell. Please... - Mike, we gotta motor.

Can you get Natalia's registration folder?

- Yeah, we'll be right down, honey. - Daddy, no. Daddy, please.

Daddy, please, Daddy, please don't tell Mommy I broke it.

Please don't tell Mommy. Please don't.

- Please don't. - Hey, hey, hold on.

- Please don't tell, please. - Hey, look. You're okay.

Take a breath.

You're okay.

Look at me.

I shouldn't do this, but I promise I won't tell.

But you have to work on being brave enough

to tell Mommy yourself, okay?

♪ Young child with dreams ♪

♪ Dreaming each dream on your own ♪

What took you slowpokes so long?

- And what happened to her dress? - Game time switcheroo, Mom.

- Alright. - Well, hop in,

or we're not gonna get there in time to take a picture.

Oh, my goodness, so much...

♪ Seems like you end up alone ♪

Buckles! Alright...

♪ Papa says he'd love to be with you ♪

You guys have the best day ever!

- Bye, Dad! - Alright, bye.

- I need that folder. - Oh, folder, yes.

♪ So you turn to the only friend you can find ♪

Okay, that's gonna cost you a kiss.

- ♪ There in your mind ♪ - Bye, guys.

♪ Shilo, when I was young ♪

- ♪ I used to call your name ♪ - Smile, Natalia.

Show the pearly whites.

♪ When no one else would come ♪

♪ Shiloh, you always came, and we played ♪

♪ Young girl with fire... ♪

As soon as we saw the photo, we fell in love.

We flew right down.

It was an emergency situation...

a child in need... we had to act.

But in this kind of adoption,

all personal information is strictly confidential.

- It's called redacted. - Mm-hmm.

Well, maybe.

I just... I'm not seeing much that I can go on here.

I mean, this one's not even in English.

That's her birth certificate.

Yeah, it just kind of looks fake to me.

Oh, because it's a photocopy.

Okay, um, do you have her school records?

It's withheld too, because it's all confidential.

So, where am I supposed to put her?

Does this mean I don't have to go to school?

No, sweet pea. We're gonna get it straightened out.

Alright, so we're gonna leave the swords at home next time,

foam or otherwise? Alright, buddy, back to class.

Dr. Wachter, Kristine Barnett.

Wes and Ethan are in third and first grade.

Of course. Such great kids.

So, we've just adopted Natalia here.

- Trying to get her enrolled. - Without any paperwork.

- What grade are you, sweetheart? - A-plus.

- I bet. - She's seven.

But we don't have records from her previous school.

- It was a closed adoption. - No problem, I've dealt with that before.

We can, uh, put her in first until we can do some testing.

Do you have her vax records?

- Uh, everything is here. - Ah, thank you.

Ah, you adopted her in New Jersey?

No, South Carolina. Why?

The fax number here. My mother-in-law's from Montclair.

I, uh, block every call with a 201 area code.

Hmm.

Why'd they redact the dates of the shots?

That... that I've never seen.

Oh, just being thorough, I guess.

Privacy?

Natalia, do you remember

when the last time you had some shots was, sweetheart?

- I don't like shots. - Who does?

Well, is it okay for her to start? It's getting late.

Well, I'm not sure these will fly long-term,

but the state gives us a 20-day grace period on vaccinations.

So, if you can get us the full list over the next few weeks,

- we'll be cruising. - Great.

So, you want Mommy to walk us to class?

- Let's go. - No, thank you, I'm a big girl.

- I can just go with you. - Mm.

Okay, well, look at you.

So, we gotta get in their heads, you know?

If I'm corporate, one thing I am definitely checking

is that our top selling SKUs

are well stocked on the floor, right?

So, right away, on the way back, I noticed we're a little low

on the LG-65-LED-80-HNA and the SAM-70-LCD-72-FHA.

Every dang time. It's scary.

You know, we don't speak SKU, Mike.

You've got that in English?

Sorry, humans. Translating.

The LG 65-inch and the Sam 70.

Oh. Oh, copy you.

For real though, man, shit like that's why you're getting a promotion.

You're gonna jinx me. Where... Now, where's the wood?

Where's the wood? Ah!

- Oh, God. - Wow.

- Mike. - So, so embarrassing.

Kristine made this her ringtone a while back, I forgot to change it.

I hear that's how he won her heart, by knowing the SKU

to the Samsung 60-inch.

I'm never gonna live this down, am I?

Hey babe, how'd it go at school?

Not great.

They almost didn't let her enroll.

What? Why?

Because all her vax records were redacted.

Dr. Wachter said he's never even seen that before.

Okay, but they let her in, right?

For now.

But also, Mike, all the records

were faxed from New Jersey.

Don't you think that's weird?

Uh, I don't know. Why is that weird?

Because we adopted her from South Carolina.

- So? - So, why would a family from New Jersey

go to South Carolina to put a kid up for adoption?

Uh, I don't know. Why would a family from Indiana

adopt a kid from South Carolina?

Well, because that's where the kid was, Mike, it's different.

Why is this bothering you?

I-It's gonna be fine. They let her in, right?

For now.

We have to get the actual vax records though.

Okay, so you'll call First Path, right?

Yeah, yeah. Fine.

I'll handle it.

I gotta go.

Wait till you see what I got you at the junk store

this time, Shawny.

Okay, sweetie, I have to run, but I'll get that screwdriver

and we'll open up the rest of it another time, okay?

- Okay. - Okay.

Shawny did great today.

Oh, well, this is her nirvana.

Oh, hey. They called me for a quote

- about the Jake's Place article. - Oh!

I told them that you're Indiana's own miracle worker.

Cute, right?

I just wish it would come out already.

I want people to see what we're doing here.

I know, I totally get it.

I mean, that's exactly how I feel

whenever I have a listing that's ripe for a bidding war,

it's torture.

Trust me, this place is gonna be huge.

You're gonna have more enrollments than you know what to do with.

Mm...

From your lips.

Alright, enough belly gazing. Gotta skedaddle.

Today is Jake's Princeton interview.

How exciting. Good luck.

Go get 'em.

Call First Path Adoptions, Myrtle Beach.

Wheels up in 10, bud.

We're sorry.

You have reached a number that has been disconnected

or is no longer in service.

"First Path Adoptions."

You okay, Mom?

Yeah, bud. Peachy.

Get packing up though, we gotta scoot.

Hi, it's Sandy.

You know the drill.

Hi, Sandy. Kristine Barnett here.

You helped us adopt Natalia Grace.

It's all going great.

Except today, when we went to enroll her in school,

we were missing some key paperwork.

So, call me back, would you?

Also, what in the blue blazes is up with First Path?

Did they close?

Okay.

Princeton, here we come.

I'm primarily focused on particle physics,

but right now I'm also taking a class

in philosophy and physics.

The direct nature of time,

probability of statistical mechanics,

- that sort of thing. - I was a French major,

so you'll have to give me a little more...

- Contexte? - S'il te plaît.

He speaks Arabic too.

Cool, so basically... well, one thing we like to talk about

is how humans perceive something like this.

- What do you think this is? - Well, I know what that is. It's a pen.

Good guess.

But you're ignoring the millions of molecules that go into this.

You're simplifying to see what you need out of a pen

instead of what it actually is.

It's what we do as humans.

You know, we assign meaning to objects.

It's efficient, but that doesn't mean

it's the actual truth of the object.

So, you're telling me that's not a pen?

So then, what about me? Am I me?

You're definitely you.

You just may not be who you think you are.

Whoa. See, now that is très French.

Oh.

Real quick.

Hello.

Hi, Sandy. Thanks for returning my call.

Listen, your daughter is gonna be just fine.

'Kay? She's, she's one of the lucky ones.

Just... Best to leave it at that.

Wait, what? What do you mean?

If you just stop asking questions,

you probably won't be implicated.

I... I'm sorry? Implicated for what?

- What are you talking about? - That's all I can say.

Don't call me again.

- Looks nice, right? - Yeah, it's beautiful.

Sorry about that. Work stuff.

Oh, no worries. We were just talking about housing.

So, since Jacob would be transferring in as a sophomore,

- he would be assigned residential... - Jake is 12.

He can't live on his own.

Mom, seriously?

This is your brothers' school.

The problem is, uh, it wasn't just one kid.

She rammed several students with her walker.

But all the kids are okay.

Well, they're just shaken up a little bit.

But Mrs. Barnett, I had to leave Running Club for this.

And I will admit that I feel a bit... betrayed.

Betrayed? How so?

Well, when we agreed to take Natalia this morning,

you neglected to mention her severe behavioral issues.

Well, because there hasn't been any.

- No troubling behavior at home, or...? - No.

Just the usual temper tantrum or some cranky kid stuff.

And I have to ask you... well, you may not know,

because you were at Running Club.

What was going on before this happened?

Were the kids teasing her?

Are you saying the children deserved to be hurt?

No, but I find it hard to believe

that Natalia just started randomly

ramming her walker into kids unprovoked.

As I'm sure you're aware, children with disabilities

are often the victims of bullying.

Mm-hmm, although from what I understand,

it was Natalia who was doing the bullying.

What about her previous family, her past schools?

Are you aware of issues there?

Well, as we established this morning,

I don't have her school records.

- I'm working on getting them. - Okay.

Well...

Perhaps it would be better if we wait

until we have some more information on Natalia

for her to come back to school.

You're suspending her on her first day?

Do you know how destabilizing that'll be for her

while she's in the middle of this massive transition?

I'm sorry, but I'm an advocate for kids in need.

And if Natalia is having behavioral issues, this is why.

Because of all that's been done to her.

If it's helpful to you, I'd be happy to come in

and have a workshop for your faculty

on working with kids with disabilities.

Thank you, that's so kind.

But, uh, you know, we don't have to consider this

a, a suspension, per se.

This is an opportunity for us

to get some more information and reassess.

It might just be that we have her in the wrong grade.

Can we talk about what happened at school today, sweet pea?

I know you would never hurt anybody on purpose, Natalia.

A kid must have done something to you.

Did someone do something?

I'm trying to talk to you, sweetie.

I should've worn something else.

Did someone say something mean?

You know, you can tell me anything.

And that goes for whatever...

stuff now, or stuff that happened

before you came to us with your other family.

Where was that, anyway?

Were you in South Carolina,

or did you maybe take a trip from New Jersey?

I thought you weren't allowed to ask questions

because it's closed.

We're family.

I'm allowed to ask you anything, and you're allowed to tell me.

Okay? Anything you want.

I don't remember.

Natalia, stop that. It's dangerous.

Were you happy with your other family?

Did something happen there that made you sad?

I was just sad to leave them.

Natalia!

Natalia Grace! Don't you ever do that again!

Do you know how dangerous that was?!

"First Path Falsifying Adoptions."

We had two beautiful weeks with Miguel

before they told us there was a custodial issue

and they took him back...

They promised our baby to two other families.

We never got the baby they promised us.

Now, we might lose our house.

a nd ever since that second adoption fell through,

my wife is a wreck.

Cries all the time, can't get off the sofa.

They destroyed her!

Then two weeks before the due date,

they said our birth mother was shot and killed...

My name is Justine.

- I live outside Indianapolis. - Oh.

- And First Path ruined my life too. - Mom, what's up?

Tough crossword tonight.

Sorry for the Rando DM.

I adopted a child from First Path too.

I live near you and was wondering...

What's up, fam jam?

Hi.

How's everybody doing?

- Mm! - Mwah! Mm.

How was Princeton?

Kid's a shoe-in.

And Natalia? Everything go smoothly

once you got her settled?

She did great.

Awesome. She sleeping?

Yeah, they went down about an hour ago.

Just us chickens now.

I might just go take a little peek in on her.

- Okay. - Oh, so, uh, Jenn

had a little shower at work, and she refused the leftovers.

Guys, red velvet.

- Oh. - Just sayin'.

- Don't stay up too late. - Ooh. Okay.

Maniacs.

Red velvet. Oh.

- No. - Oh.

Looks like someone murdered it.

Not even Wes would eat that.

Have a cookie.

So, how come you didn't tell Dad

that Natalia got kicked out of school?

Did you see how happy your dad was just now?

I just believe he deserves to stay that way.

What about you though? You don't seem happy.

What makes you say that?

Well, you basically ate all the cookies yourself.

Now it looks like you're gonna eat the cake too?

Also, you almost screwed up my interview

after trying to make me wear a suit to it.

Sorry...

that I had to keep running out like that.

I just...

It's okay. I actually had fun.

I hope I get in, don't you?

You deserve to be happy too.

I'm just not sure I'm ready to give you up to dorm life yet.

I'm going in.

Oh, gosh.

Hi there.

Happy to tell you about my experience with First Path.

The headline is, because of those criminals,

I had to give my daughter back.

I'm so sorry. What happened?

I'll tell you, but not online.

I'm not at liberty to speak freely.

I just feel like she's the missing puzzle piece

in our family, you know?

Just, just fits right in.

Do you remember when Wes used to sleep sideways?

Like with his head on our bellies like this?

Natalia does the same thing with me.

It is so cute, it kills me.

Uh, can you take her to work with you tomorrow?

Doesn't she have school?

Well, turns out they need the full vax chart

before she can go back, so it's just a,

a red tape thing.

Well, that sucks.

Did you call First Path? Are they gonna send it?

Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine.

I just... I have a lot of students tomorrow,

so I can't take her.

Oh, uh, tomorrow's tough for me too.

I have corporate coming, so I don't...

I could bring her to my mom's.

Uh, you know, no.

Uh, I will get one of the guys

at work to watch her,

and we'll just say it's Take Your Daughter to Work Day.

- It'll be fun. - Perfect.

There she is.

Hi. Daddy, it's me.

It's you!

Well, there's... there's a lot of yous.

There's one, two, three, four... I can't even count that much.

I love it. So many Natalias!

There's one. That's my favorite one right there.

- I like this one. - Wait, what about her?

Wow, Mike, you didn't tell me Taylor Swift

was coming into the store today.

Can I get a picture? Snap, snap, snap, snap.

So, Natalia, this is my friend Jenn.

- Hi. - And you are gonna hang out with her

while I go meet with my bosses, cool?

Can't I just stay with you, Daddy?

Oh, I get it. Your dad's the coolest.

Do you want to hear a secret?

I've got a baby in here.

That's kind of obvious.

Well, that's not the secret.

Have you ever heard of cravings?

Mm-mm.

Cravings mean I'm always

hungry for sweet treats.

So, why don't we let your dad go get his big fancy promotion,

and you and me, we can go pig out.

How do donuts sound?

Donuts sound like, "Eat me, eat me now."

That is an incredible impression.

We should probably find out what cocoa sounds like too, right?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Bye, Daddy. - Have fun, sweetie.

Daddy's gonna miss you.

We really thought we had found our daughter, but then...

Okay, the story they gave us was that her mom died

and her dad and stepmom neglected her.

It was like Cinderella,

only I got to be the fairy godmother.

And how'd you find out that wasn't true?

Molly started to learn English.

She started saying stuff like, "You're not my mom."

Like, "I miss my real mom."

In general, she was harder on me than she was on Dale,

my husband.

Her mom died when she was so young... we thought.

But her English got better, her stories got more specific,

like details about her mom's cooking.

And one day, her mom told her

she got picked to go to boarding school.

But instead of taking her to school, they took her to us.

Do you think First Path was doing this a lot?

Not always this.

Sometimes they'd make fake birth certificates

or health records.

Anything to make kids more appealing

to adopted families.

It's pure evil.

We're part of a class action suit,

that's why I couldn't talk to you online.

So, you think your daughter might be...

Maybe.

I don't know.

You should get a lawyer.

We gave all our savings to First Path.

Well, reputable agencies hate places like First Path.

Did you ever work with another agency?

They might be able to help you.

You're okay.

You're okay.

Jump, jump, jump.

♪ Jump the jitters ♪

♪ Jump, jump the jitters out ♪

♪ Jump, jump the jitters ♪

♪ Jump, jump the jitters out ♪

♪ Jump ♪

Hey.

Uh, yeah, come on.

Nice to see ya.

The whole reason we did this

was to help Natalia,

to save a child.

So, the thought that I would somehow be complicit

in taking her from her family, I'd be devastated.

I can only imagine the pain you must have been in

thinking you might be losing her.

But, here's what makes me feel better, Mrs. Barnett.

First, from what I can see in our database,

Natalia came to the U.S. through New Hope Christian Services.

They're a good reputable agency. No history of trafficking.

- Really? - Mm-hmm.

And second, and this is good news for your family

and sad news for...

I don't know, the world, I guess.

Um, it would be unusual in a country like Ukraine

for a child like your daughter to be trafficked for adoption.

Kids with disabilities aren't usually targeted.

They aren't considered, um... attractive.

What is more common

is for hospitals to pressure moms

into giving up these kids into state orphanages.

And... they don't live happy lives.

And you think that's what happened with Natalia?

That would be my suspicion.

Okay.

My poor girl.

We're called upon to visit orphans

and widows in their afflictions.

Amen.

And thank you for squeezing me in so quick.

Oh, of course. Anything I can do.

- Actually, there is one more thing. - Hm?

We need to get her school records

to get her back in class. Do you see those?

I can print these and I can redact the personal info.

Or you could just leave it.

We are dying to know more about our girl.

I wish I could.

You could go get a pop or go to the bathroom.

Forget to put your computer to sleep.

You're fun.

Uh, but maybe I just print it

and I, I redact the secret stuff.

- That works too. - Mm-hmm.

All I've ever wanted was a family

and a job that I love.

And with my Circuit crew, I get both.

Well, your fam's conversion and sales per square foot

- are super strong. - We have a, a going gag.

Any associate that gets their average up to two for the quarter,

I'll do a back flip up at the register.

I'm not sure that jives with corporate policy,

but I'd love to see it.

Man, that was not a smart bet on my part.

I got some strivers on, uh, this team.

Well, the numbers sure show it.

You know, I'm not sure if you're finding this at other stores,

but, um, we just cannot keep the new L...

Um...

- The L... uh... - You okay?

Yes, sorry. I... I just remembered,

I forgot to send a PO out on some Samsungs.

Hey, hey. Don't sweat the tiny stuff.

Your numbers are really great.

- Okay, yeah. - Let me tell you...

to be increasing in sales right now

when everyone else is plummeting,

that's meaningful.

Okay, okay.

Which is why it sucks so hard

to let you know that we're gonna need to close the store.

I know, I know. It's a tough thing to hear.

It's a tough thing to say too,

though I, uh, have the routine down these days, so...

Here's what happens next.

Hold off on telling your team until HR reaches out.

Then, you're gonna do a fire sale,

try to liquidate.

What?

♪ Do you have the time to listen to me whine ♪

♪ About nothing and everything all at once? ♪

- ♪ I am one of those ♪ - Do you mind the music?

This is Daddy's mad music, so it's gonna get a little loud, okay?

- I-I don't mind. - You sure it's okay?

♪ Neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it ♪

Thank you.

♪ Sometimes I give myself the creeps ♪

It's gonna be okay 'cause I'm gonna get another job.

♪ Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ♪

It's gonna be okay. I'll get another job.

♪ It all keeps adding up, I think I'm cracking up ♪

♪ Am I just paranoid or am I just stoned? ♪

♪ I went to a shrink ♪

Hey sweetheart, um,

is it okay if we don't tell mommy what happened?

'Cause I just need to, um...

It needs to be the right moment, okay?

I-I'll wait till you're brave enough

to tell her yourself.

Thank you. I'm gonna turn the music up again, okay?

Okay.

I'm gonna get a little loud, is that okay?

Okay.

♪ Sometimes I give myself the creeps ♪

♪ Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ♪

Alright, sweetie, here we go.

Hi.

- How was your day? - Why are you in my room?

I went shopping.

You went shopping? With... with what money?

I was excited. I got all the paperwork sorted out,

so we're ready to go back to school.

And I thought these would be perfect

for Natalia's second first day.

I don't wanna go to school.

I know the first day was hard, honey.

But we can start all over.

We can even retake your pictures.

I don't wanna go to school!

I wanna go to work with Daddy!

It's okay. It's okay.

Sweetie, I'm sure you were very helpful.

Daddy's been at that job a long time.

He knows how to get by.

But, now he has an even busier job.

- He got a big fancy promotion. - Oh, wow.

Guess I should have shopped even harder then, huh?

Congrats, babe.

Eh, you know.

It's... It's not... not a big thing.

Hey, Val, you okay?

Oh, no, did I wake you?

I'm so sorry. I thought for sure

you'd have seen the article.

About First Path?

What? No, what's First Path?

Here, listen. This is on the front page, by the way.

Headline, "Genius at work."

And then a big honking picture of Jacob!

- Michael, Michael, wake up! - What, what, what?

- We're on the front page! - What, what?

- Go ahead, Val. - Okay, here we go.

"Jacob Barnett has memorized pi to 200 digits.

"He taught himself algebra,

"geometry, trigonometry,

"and calculus in two weeks.

He's 12."

- Yes! That's our boy! - Yes!

And what does it say about Jacob's Place?

Um...

Okay, let me see. Let me see.

Here we go,

"His mom even named her daycare after him."

Okay, not bad.

So much for enrollment numbers.

- Oh, come on. - No, no way.

Jake's the best PR you could get.

After this, people are gonna be lining up

for your advice, I swear.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, alright.

- Thanks, Val. I'll call you back. - Bye.

I am proud of you. Come on.

You're in the paper there, you are.

What's going on?

Your brother's in the paper, bud.

You wanna run down and get it?

Cool.

- Got some great news, bud. - Uh, what?

Ow!

- Mom, Mom! - Ethan!

Mom!

- What is it, what? - Ow, Mom.

Oh, what in the...

- Mom, Mom. - What did she do?

- Who? What? - Nothing. Never mind.

- Okay, let's just... - What's going on here?

No, no, no, no, no. Don't come out here with bare feet.

- Okay, hold on. - Natalia put tacks.

Wait, what? Why do you think she did it?

How would she even have done this?

Because she's the one with the cork board in her room.

Go ask her.

Why would she do that!

- Okay. Alright. - Okay.

You two go get dressed for school, please.

- Okay. Okay. - Ow! Ow.

Look at me, don't look down.

Ready? One, two, three.

Ow!

- Knock-knock. - Okay.

- Hello. - Okay, Mom, did we have a date?

Uh, No. I just brought some kringle

to celebrate Jake's making the big time.

- What's happening here? - Ethan stepped on a tack.

That Natalia put there.

What about that is funny, Mom?

Well, Ethan was always a bit soft.

Maybe God saw a chance to give him some calluses.

- Mom. - Well, she said she didn't do it.

Go get dressed.

Of course, she says she didn't do it.

Even if she did, who cares? It's just a goofy kid prank.

For Pete's sake, Mike,

will you stop being so defensive?

How are we supposed to help her if you don't

admit there's an issue?

She's troubled.

- Michael is right. - Wh... I am? What?

Now, that should be in the paper.

It's no big whoop. She's just a kid.

You're blowing the thing up all out of proportion

like you always do.

You see problems that don't exist.

I see problems that you refuse to admit exist.

Could you please calm down

and find me something to cut this with?

Who invited the mother?

What... What's going on? What is it?

What?

Natalia?

Natalia!

Natalia!

Have you seen Natalia?

- She's not in her room? - No.

Will you relax? She's just a little girl.

Close the door!

Michael?

What? Wh-What happened?

She has hair.

Wait, what? What hair?

Down there!

I don't think she's a little girl.

Who wants kringle?

♪ Do you have the time to listen to me whine ♪

♪ About nothing and everything all at once? ♪

♪ I am one of those melodramatic fools ♪

♪ Neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it ♪

♪ Sometimes I give myself the creeps ♪

♪ Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ♪

♪ It all keeps adding up, I think I'm cracking up ♪