Original subtitles

- Tamara.

Come on, sweetheart, time to go.

- Oh, what is all this stuff, kids?

Stop arguing.

Go around the other side.

- Oh, come on, there's no room for these.

You don't even teach anymore.

Tamara, wait, wait, that belongs in this house, doesn't it?

- No.

- Are you sure?

- Yes.

- We move each year in the spring,

like birds migrating, but we don't

go back to a familiar place.

We pack up who we are and the few things

that we cling to and leave.

My dad's an artist and he says

that things look different everywhere,

but it all looks the same to me.

We're getting good at packing,

and we're getting really good at leaving behind.

I'm real tired of it.

In the summer of '54, I found

somewhere that I wanted to stay.

- We're almost there, kids.

- Dad, do you think one day we could live in a town

where there are sidewalks people on porches, kids on bikes?

Dad?

- Well, that's strange, it should

be a mile, but I don't see it.

- Then, we're probably getting close.

This must be it, honey.

It's been about a mile since we turned.

- Yep. I think you're right.

This is it, kids.

Look, our welcoming committee, cows.

- I'm going to pick my room.

- I get first pick.

- Not if I'll be on top of the stairs.

- I found it really hard to believe

that someone would wanna leave a place like this.

It was perfect, just like Mom said.

But the old dumpy house across the street

gave me the creeps at first...

until I met the people who lived there, the Murphys.

They're Baptists.

The eldest girl, Helen, was quite religious.

My mom wasn't keen on religion.

Then there was Rusty and his kooky-sweet sister Brenda.

- Tamara?

- Yeah?

- Can you help me with this?

- Uh-huh.

- Who are they?

- Oh, they're the people who own this house.

- You must be Stuart.

- Oh, how nice to meet you.

- Pleased to meet you.

- Dorothy Burns.

- Yep.

How are you liking your new home, sweetie?

- It's not our home, mother.

It's just another place to leave.

- We all agreed to do this for your father

until his work got established.

Hello.

- Hi, you must be Liz.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Dorothy.

- Oh, We just adore this house.

- No, it's wonderful, we're glad.

- Look, I hope we're not bothering anybody,

but we have a things we wanted

to talk to you about, if you've got time that is.

- Absolutely.

- I really must get to the grocery store, but Stuart-

- You go ahead, I can deal with this.

- Liz, I would love to come back

and help you plant the annuals.

- Oh, yeah, sure.

All right, I won't be long.

- Okay, bye, Mom.

- Bye.

- Bye-bye.

Bye.

- Your wife is quite lovely.

- Oh, thank you, yes, she is.

Oh, kids, this is Mr. And Mrs. Burns,

the people who own this house.

- Hello.

- Well, there's a pond for you to swim in

just that way as long as there's adult supervision,

and you can wander in the meadow.

The cow is friendly enough, but mind the bull,

and don't tease him, ever.

- There's a bull out there?

- Yes, but he's in a pen.

I wanted to talk to your wife about milking the cow,

but, well maybe I can talk to you about that.

- Oh, sure.

- Yeah, you can milk a cow.

- Okay.

- Let's go.

- Okay.

- Have fun.

- Don't move too fast or else you'll scare her.

Yeah, she'll get used to you

and you'll get used to her.

Your dad said you've been around cows a little bit,

and apparently your mom knows how to milk a cow.

- No, she-

- Yes, she does, very well in fact.

- Well then, you'll be fine, then.

- What's her name?

- Well, she doesn't have a name.

She's just a cow.

- We'd like to come by and check the cows

if that's all right, Sundays after church?

- No bother at all, no.

- We go to the Methodist church,

but there's a pretty little Baptist church

and a Catholic church, we can give you directions.

- No, we'll be fine.

- You folks Jewish, then?

- No, we're not Jewish, no.

- Hi.

- Hi, Mom.

- What's in the box, Mom?

- You'll see.

- Is it a present for someone?

- Kind of.

It's a present for us.

I'll open it.

- Mom, that's a glass.

- Yes, I know, dear.

Here, you put them in.

- But it's a glass.

- It's pretty, Mommy.

- That's going to be awfully difficult to move, sweetheart.

It might not make it.

- Oh, Stuart, we have to come here every day.

- Absolutely beautiful.

- Now you're it.

- Hey, come back.

- Kids, come here I wanna show you something.

Come here.

See the golds and sapphires in this landscape?

Didn't get that in Georgia, and the blues,

and greens and ultramarines, didn't get those either.

It's why we can never stay in one place too long.

The wonders of nature are always different.

- Oh, it's beautiful.

- Hi, mom.

- Where's your father?

- Where do you think, Mom?

- Getting inspired somewhere, I suppose.

All right, you're all registered at school now.

- Oh, good.

- Where did you get the bike?

- We found it in the shed.

The tires need air, kinda rusty.

- We'll take it to town later.

- Mom, whose bike is it?

Can I have it?

- It must have been the Burns' son's bike.

He died last year.

He was only 17.

It's very sad.

- Did he die in the farmhouse?

- Yes, sweetheart, he did, in his sleep.

- In my bed?

- Ooh, spooky.

- A boy died in your bed, Tamara?

- Mrs. Burns bought all new sheets and blankets

for you, honey, and they rented the house

because they couldn't bear to live

in it after their son died.

- Oh, great.

I feel so much better now.

- Wow, I've always wanted a hula hoop.

Hi, there.

So you moved into the Burns' house, huh?

- Yeah.

- Do you know what happened in that house?

- Yeah, their kid died.

I'm sleeping in his room.

-really?

You're sleeping in Timmy's bed where he died?

I couldn't do that.

I'm Brenda.

- I'm Tamara.

- What?

- Tamara, like "tomorrow" with an "A".

- Oh.

- I'll be 15 in two weeks.

- I'm 14, too.

This is so perfect.

You're gonna be my new best friend.

Do you want to come over to my house?

I live right over there.

- Oh, no thanks.

- Why not?

Nobody died in our house.

- Actually, I have to help my mother with things.

- Well, wait. I'll help, too, then.

This is so great that you moved here.

Are you any good at math?

We could do our homework together.

- Yeah.

- Who is that?

She's beautiful and naked.

- One of my dad's models.

- That's my mommy.

- That's your mom, wow she's pretty.

- Yeah, my dad was an art student visiting from England.

They fell in love and he stayed.

- We move every year.

- You move every year?

- All right, I got some more questions for you guys.

All right, you know what's in the bucket, right?

You know they like oats from the bucket?

- Yeah.

- All right, what else do they like to eat?

- Hay.

- Hay, yeah.

- Okay, what else?

- Oats?

- Yes, but that's in the bucket.

- Grass, they like grass.

- Okay, this is a tough one.

How many stomachs does a cow have?

- Eight.

- Two.

- Wrong, wrong.

- Oh, I know

- How many?

- 12.

- One.

- Four.

- 16.

- One.

- No, You guys are so off, four.

- Four, I was gonna say four.

- And you know what, this way, Megan.

Now, the instructions say that I'm supposed

to squeeze until she's empty.

And that's the last drop, then.

- Okay, Who wants to try some?

- Ew.

- Mom, can we name the cow?

Even if she's just a cow?

- Sure we can.

Let's see, how about Edith, after your grandma?

- Yeah.

- Good.

Thank you, Edith.

- Hey, so, I hear you don't go to church.

Are you a Communist or something?

- No, I'm an atheist, not a Communist, stupid.

- Hi.

So, where are you from anyways?

- Austria.

- Wow, Austria?

- Mm-hmm.

- So how was school?

- Same kind of dumb questions as always.

You know what it's like.

- So tell me you saw some.

Tell me you saw at least one.

- No, Mom, none.

- Saw what?

- A Negro.

- Oh, dear.

- That school in Georgia, they're gonna think

that we left because of the end of segregation.

I'll just have to write and explain.

I mean, what are they gonna think of us?

- Hello?

- Hey, teacher, come on in.

- It's so nice outside.

Let's sit at the picnic table.

- Okay.

- This is so great of you.

I'll get an "A" next year.

- Every math equation has a formula to solve it,

or a series of formulas.

Look, I'll show you.

Take equations, for example, in this instance, X is 4.

Do this one, Brenda.

It's not so hard, Brenda, try it.

- Screw this.

- Math is like a code.

You just need to know the rules, that's all.

- Forget it, I can't do this.

You know the girl in the pink sweater with the holes in it?

She had lice twice last year.

And, the girl in the orange sweater,

she has really bad BO, especially after gym class.

- Was Timothy cute?

- Uh, the dead boy?

Yeah, kinda cute, I guess.

- Have you seen him, I mean, since he died?

- Are you crazy or something?

See you, tomorrow

- Bye.

- Oh, honey, you're such a young lady now.

- Hurry up and blow 'em out, I want the cake.

- [Stuart I can't believe how old you are.

- Look at all the candles.

- I wonder if Timothy sat here on his birthdays.

I wonder what he wished for.

- Tamara, honey.

- We are always sitting in other people's chairs.

Aren't we, Father?

- Oh, Tamara.

- I wonder what it's like to die.

- Blow 'em out.

- Hi.

- Hi.

I did.

- I did.

- Oh.

- Oh, she's so glamorous.

I wish I could look like her.

- I can try.

- Brenda, I'm sorry.

- I love it, I love it, I love it!

I look just like Marilyn Monroe, don't you think?

Oh, Tamara, you're the best, thank you.

I have to go show mom and Helen.

Marilyn Monroe, that's me.

- Hi, sir.

- Hi.

- Is Brenda home?

- No, she's gone shopping with her mother.

That was sure some makeover you gave her, huh?

- Thanks, Mr. Murphy.

- Hey, come here, shh.

- What do you want?

- You know what I want.

I've seen you looking at me.

- So?

- I want a kiss.

- A kiss, huh?

Well, sure, why not?

- Okay.

- That kiss was really good.

- Yeah, it was.

- Another?

- Later.

- Is there anything that I can help you with Mrs. Anderson.

- This isn't necessary, Helen.

- It's my duty to help, really.

- Your duty, really?

- I'd like to take Tamara, Robert, and Megan

to our Baptist church on Sunday,

if it's all right with you and Mr. Anderson.

- I don't think so.

- I know you don't believe in God, Mrs. Anderson,

but I won't preach to them,

I just want to take them to church.

- But you will preach to them, you always do.

You're compulsive about it.

They've burned it into you.

I don't even think you realize that you're doing it.

- I merely point out God's offerings to them,

like these beans, surely you don't think

that these beans don't come from God

just because you bought them in a store.

- Everything is a miracle, Helen.

But it doesn't mean there's a God that controls it all.

There is scientific evidence of evolution.

But everything you believe comes from a book of fiction.

- I disagree.

You have bright children because you have

allowed them so much knowledge.

I just want them to learn something of our religion

so they can make up their own minds.

Are you afraid of that?

- Fine, they can go if they want, and only if they want.

But I'll doubt they'll wanna go.

- Do you mind if we go, Mom?

- Look at the cows over there.

They look like they're having a tea party.

How silly am I sounding?

You look so lovely.

Go on, go.

You make up your own mind.

- Okay.

- Move over.

- Is there anyone special we can include in our prayers?

- I'd like to pray for my brother

and his wife who have moved.

- This guy stands up every Sunday.

- Thank you.

- Isn't that a small thing to be bothering God for?

I mean, shouldn't we ask for world peace or something?

- Shh.

- I'd like to pray for my father

who had a heart attack last week,

that he'll recover quickly and come home.

- Anyone else?

- I'd like to pray for our new neighbors,

the Andersons, who have no beliefs of their own,

that they will find Jesus and be saved.

- Thank you.

- Tamara!

Mom, Mom, Mom!

Did you see me fly on the porch today?

Do you think God helped me fly?

- You didn't fly, Tamara.

- Did you fly, really?

- Well, you kinda flew from where I was standing.

It was very strange indeed.

- Your play.

- Do you think it's a message from God that He exists?

- I don't believe in God.

- I flew, Mom.

- It's good to have an imagination.

Just don't try jumping out a window.

- Hey, you don't scare me now.

- So, Helen, how long will you

be able to help me with the garden?

I think it's terrific, but don't you have school or a job?

- No, I'm waiting for God to tell me what to do.

- You're waiting for God to tell you what to do?

- I'm helping at home right now, so that must mean

that's what He wants me to do.

It's hard on my mom, with two jobs and all.

My dad's a mechanic, but he's not as fast

as he used to be because of his injury from the war.

- Hmm.

- They should sell seeds there, Mrs. Anderson.

- Mom, I would like to go

to church with the Murphys tomorrow.

- Why, did you find God there?

- No.

- I like the angels.

- I kinda like looking at all the people.

- And I like the singing, Mom.

- What?

- What, they're just balancing the scales, that's all.

- Well, I think they're being brainwashed,

and I find it frightening.

- If you're wrong, we'll be

condemned to for all eternity.

You're risking our souls.

- that Helen.

- Mom, are you in here?

Mom?

Dad?

- Hmm.

- Have you seen Mom?

- Uh, no, no, I haven't darling.

- Oh, hi, Mom.

- So how was church?

- It was okay.

- Did you find God?

- No, not yet.

Are you mad at me for going, Mom?

- No, sweetheart, I'm not mad,

a little disappointed, that's all.

I'm tired, just very tired.

- Are you all right?

- I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.

- Then I'll take you.

- You seen anything like this?

- Just once, when I was a kid.

- This is another one of God's gifts to us.

- It's very nice.

- Yes, it is.

- So many.

- Will heaven be like this?

- It'll be like this for me.

- Hey, Meg, come look at this.

- Oh, neat.

- This is a special night, isn't it, Mom?

Mom?

- We'll be a couple of hours, all right?

You'll be okay with Robbie and Meg?

- I'll be fine, Mom, go on.

- Bye, sweetie.

- Oh, Mom, I'll make dinner

for you tonight, tuna casserole and peas.

- That's my favorite.

- Bye.

- Bye, sweetie.

- Hey.

- Hey.

- You wanna come see my fort?

- Sure.

- There it is.

- It's real neat.

- You know, I don't bring no one up here.

- I don't bring anyone up here.

- That's what I said.

Anyway, you're the first, come on in.

- Did you know that boy?

- The Burns' kid?

The kid who died, yeah.

Yeah, I knew him.

- What was he like?

- Smart, like you, I guess.

Wanted to be a scientist.

Probably would have been, too, if he hadn't died.

- Were you friends?

- I guess, I mean, I read his comic books.

He helped me build this fort here.

Never got to see it finished, though.

Doctor said he couldn't come up here, he was too sick.

- How did he die?

- Leukemia, cancer in the blood.

The Burns' got so sad when he got sick.

It was like, almost like they got

old real fast, you know, they just

stopped laughing and, they used to be so much fun.

I saw Timothy the day he died.

I saw him dead in his bed.

I went up to his room.

He was just laying there, you know, white.

Nobody told me he was gonna die.

Sometimes I don't think he's dead.

- He's still there, in the house.

- What?

- His ghost is stuck in the attic.

- Tamara, you're crazy, you're nuts.

- So, now that you think I'm nuts,

do you still want to kiss me?

- Yeah, yeah, I do.

- Hi, Dad, where's Mom?

Dad?

Dad, where is she?

- Where's Mommy, Daddy?

- She couldn't come back with me.

- What do you mean by that?

- Let's all go through to the living room.

I need to sit down.

Listen, your mother has tuberculosis.

Now, it's extremely contagious,

which means that she can pass it on to all of us.

It's in her lungs, but it may well have spread by now.

- When is she coming back?

- Well, they don't know that yet.

Right now, she's in a special wing in the hospital,

but they're gonna have to transfer her to a sanatorium,

it's a place just for tuberculosis patients.

But, the doctor who's treating her

says that he might be able to get her

into one that's only about an hour away from here.

So, he's gonna do his best to make that happen.

Right now, we're just gonna have to wait.

- You just let them take her?

- I didn't have a choice, Robert.

They needed to keep her in for our protection.

It wasn't just the hospital.

Your mother was so concerned about

the three of you getting infected

that she refused to come back.

There really wasn't anything I could do about it.

- It's all your fault.

If you'd taken your eyes off your darn canvas

for one second, you would have realized that she was sick.

- My God, what have you done?

- I tried to fly, I didn't make it.

- Just try and be still.

- Ow.

- You look like a goof.

- Hey, hey, that's enough, stop it.

Right, finish your breakfast.

We're all going to the hospital.

- Daddy, are we gonna get Mommy back?

- No, sweetheart, we all have to have tuberculosis tests.

Will you just go upstairs and pack

some things for your mother, please?

- What happens if I have it, too?

- Well, you'd have to stay at the hospital.

- Oh, goodie, I'm going to pack my suitcase, too.

- Hi, the Andersons, Megan, Tamara, Robert.

- Who wants to go first?

- Me, me first.

- Okay, come on, up you go.

Oh, you're a brave girl.

- I have tuberculosis.

- My, oh, my, oh, my, I certainly hope not.

- But I have to have it, so I can stay here with my mommy.

- Well, we need to do some blood tests.

I'm going to inject this needle into your arm.

Now, do you wanna watch, or do you want to look away?

- I think I'll watch.

- Okay, who's next?

Oh, dear, what happened to you?

- I fell.

- She tried to fly.

- Well, that would do it.

But you're healing up nicely.

- No, Daddy, I wanna stay with Mommy.

- Megan, sweetheart, you have to come home with us.

- I wanna stay here with Mommy!

Please, I have it, too, please!

- Well, Megan won't talk.

Why don't you go paint something, something pretty.

- It's not my fault.

- "Dear Tamara, I miss you.

"I'm not allowed to do much here.

"Only lie or sit in bed.

"They are believers in fresh air, though,

"so the windows are always open.

"It's absurd they took me away

"from where I got plenty of fresh air.

"There are so many rules here,

"times to eat, go to the bathroom, to take pills.

"I must obey to get well.

"I'm sorry I have to rely on you

"to take care of the children, and your father, too.

"It is much to ask, but there it is.

"I must believe that I'll get better."

- Are you crying?

- No, it's just the onions, you idiot.

- You're not making those awful egg things again, are you?

- Come here and say that.

You stupid jerk, that was Mom's.

- What is going on here?

Oh,

Don't let your mother know about this.

- It's Helen, she brought us pie.

- Finally, something good to eat.

- I'm sorry, come in, come in.

- We can't, our parents are afraid

that we'll catch what Mrs. Anderson has.

- Helen, the doctor told us that we didn't have it.

- This house is bad luck.

- I'm sorry, sir.

- Megan?

Ow,

- Tamara, get over here right now, now!

Now.

- Dad.

- I will not have you talk like this, do you understand?

- Yes.

- Look, Rusty can wait, now get upstairs

and write a letter to your mother now.

Now!

- Fine, but it's private, don't read it.

- It's no one's fault.

- "Dear Tamara, I was so glad to get

"your letter today after the confusing one yesterday.

"I understand how angry you are.

"But, it's important for you to know

"that these medicines are new and that TB is curable now.

"We're living in a modern age

"and I intend to get cured and come home.

"So tell your father he can't move

"until I'm ready to come home, too.

"I miss you all terribly.

"I'm tired now

"I love you so much, Mom."

- I wanna talk to her right now.

I have to tell her something right now.

- If you do that, Robert, you'll upset her

and make her even more sick, is that what you want?

- Hey, Tamara, whatcha doing?

- Hi, Tamara.

- Hello.

- We're real sorry to hear about your mother.

How is she doing?

- She's okay.

- That's good, you give her our regards, huh?

- Yeah.

- Where's your dad?

- Off painting somewhere, and Megan's

locked herself in her room.

- Who's milking the cow?

- I am.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- I think I better go check on her.

- Do you wanna come in the house for some lemonade?

- Uh, no, thanks, I'm fine.

- A beer, then, what about a beer?

- This time of day, sweetheart?

You're very kind to ask, though.

- Honey, why don't you get a basket and we'll take care

of some of those beans in the garden.

- Okay.

- Robert, have you been milking Edith?

- No way.

- Have you seen her?

- Nope.

- Great, she's probably burst by now.

Are you okay, Mrs. Burns?

- I know it's silly, but I just can't go in there.

I just can't.

You know, when I decided I had to move out,

I picked up a glass of water,

and I realized it was the same glass

Timothy had drank his last glass of water out of,

and I remember because all our glasses don't match.

Well, I just couldn't look at it again.

So, I packed up Timothy's things

and I put them in boxes and put them in the attic,

and we moved to my sister's with just our clothes,

so that way we could pretend we were coming back.

I don't think I can come back.

- Well, what are you ladies up to in here?

- Oh, just girl talk.

- The cow's fine.

- Tamara get down here this instant.

- I can't right now, Dad.

- You can and you will, now get down here now.

Now, I've just about had enough of this foul lang.

- What's that?

- I have my curse, I need napkins.

- I see, well, don't we have any?

- Obviously not, Dad.

- Can't you go across the road

and ask Brenda or Helen for some?

- No, not like this I'm not.

- I'm not asking for girlie stuff.

- Okay, then I'll drive to town and get you some

and maybe I should get a few for next time, I think.

Yep, that's what I'll do.

I'll get a couple of boxes then, it's okay, we'll survive.

- Dear God, I don't know if I really believe in you or not.

Our mother's very sick and I just want her to come home.

Are you punishing her because she doesn't believe in you?

I don't know if I'm an atheist or not,

but I'd like to make a deal with you.

If you make my mother well,

I not only promise to believe in you,

but I'll go to church with the Murphys

for as long as we live here, Amen.

- Hello?

Hey!

Really?

Oh, that's great, that's wonderful news.

Yeah, of course I can arrange something.

Yeah.

No, I will see you very soon.

Bye, thanks.

- That was about Mom, wasn't it?

She's coming home, isn't she?

- No, no, no, it was my agent.

Apparently, the new pictures have turned out

to be very popular, and there's a gallery

in New York that's interested in showing my work.

They want me to come out day after tomorrow.

- You said you couldn't, right, Dad?

Dad, you said no, didn't you?

- No, I didn't.

Listen, the sanatorium isn't cheap.

Tamara, this is what I've been

working towards all these years.

We need the money, sweetheart.

- You're gonna leave me here alone?

- Listen, are you gonna be okay with this?

- I don't wanna stay in that house.

I'll get cockroaches in my ears at night.

- Tamara, that is a terrible thing to say.

The Murphys are good people.

They don't have to put themselves out like this.

- If they're such good people, how come you

and Mom never invited them over here once?

- You're right, we should have.

We'll invite them over as soon as I get back.

But right now, I have to go.

Be good, hey be good.

Sweetheart, it's only for three nights.

- All you're gonna do is eat there

and sleep there, that's it

Come on.

Don't forget to write to your mother.

- Bye, Dad.

- Bye, sweetheart.

- I wanna thank you for helping

Brenda with her math, Tamara.

- Oh, you're welcome, Mrs. Murphy.

- The kids are really glad that you're staying here with us.

- Ah, would ya?

How is it?

- How comes there's no siding

on the outside of your house?

- Well, you know, Tamara, siding costs a lot of money.

It's more than we have at the moment.

But the rain stays outside, and we stay

nice and warm and dry inside.

We can thank the good Lord for that.

You know, sometimes it's a waste to be cross

about things you can't do anything about.

- Let's go for a swim.

- We'll catch if my dad finds out

we snuck out to go skinny dipping.

- Scared?

- No, it'll be fun.

Rusty will see you naked, you know.

- Oh, yeah, I forgot, silly me.

Oh, well.

That's my end.

Guys, come on.

- Rusty, Brenda!

- Get out, now!

What the, get your clothes on

and meet me at home, all of you.

- Did you see the look on his face?

- Yeah.

- He never lets us have any fun.

"Go to church, eat your peas, do the dishes."

- You got your father really upset today, Brenda.

Now say your prayers and lights out.

- I'm sorry I got you in trouble.

- It's not your fault. I'd do it anytime.

Your brother was trying to feel me up

under the water today, can you believe it?

- Shh.

"Helen's milking Edith, and Brenda's

"a really good friend now.

"She's gonna pass her summer school course.

"She says it's all because of my help.

"Are you feeling any better?

"I'm trying to do a good job looking

"after things here, but I miss you.

"I'm making your favorite tuna casserole tonight.

"I wish you could come.

"I tried making your meatloaf last night,

"but it didn't turn out so good.

"I hope this is okay with you,

"but we're going to church tomorrow.

"I need to pray for you."

Hello?

- ] Hello, is your father home?

- No.

- Well, when will he be home?

- Maybe tomorrow, maybe a week.

What do you want?

- Well, I'm a Federal Veterinarian,

and we received a report about your mother's tuberculosis.

Now, we receive such reports when the infected

have been working with farm animals.

We need to test the cow for tuberculosis.

- The cow?

- Well, cows carry the disease, too.

It might be how your mother contacted the disease.

Did you drink the milk?

- No, we didn't, but my mother did.

- Okay, I better come

by tomorrow and test the cow.

It's positive, I'm sorry.

- What's that mean, positive?

- She's gonna die.

- You gonna kill Edith?

You're gonna take her away, like they took away my mommy?

- Come on, kids, let's go outside, come on.

- It's your fault my mom's sick, isn't it?

It's your cow.

It's all your fault.

- Tamara, honey, wait.

Oh my God, did my cow make Liz sick?

Oh, my God, no.

- "I just mailed you a letter yesterday

"to cheer you, but now this one speaks the truth,

"and you cannot read it until you come home.

"I keep saying that 'Until you come home.'

"Life is really awful without you.

"Robert is crying all the time,

"and Tamara has cloaked herself in anger.

"Sometimes I want to shake her

"and tell her no one is to blame,

"but she won't believe me.

"She needs you."

"My paintings are nothing like I've ever done before,

"because you used to ease the demons out of me

"by listening to me and holding me every night.

"Now no one listens and all the fears

"come out in my fingertips, and my paintings speak

"of love and loss, they are my best work,

"and I'm afraid to tell you

"because it means that I am profiting from your illness.

"But I suppose I have profited from you in every way.

"You are my compass.

"I need you, please come back."

- It's not her fault.

It's nobody's fault, tell her.

- Hello?

Yes, Stuart, she's here.

- I don't want to talk to him.

- You must speak to your father, Tamara.

- Yeah?

We will.

All right, bye.

- What'd he say?

- He's coming home Tuesday to take us to see Mom.

- Tamara, dad's here, come on.

- Hey, I missed you.

Come here.

Hi.

- Mr. Anderson, Dr. Gordon, hi.

First off, there's to be absolutely

no physical contact with your mother at all.

No touching, none.

I'm breaking the rules just letting you visit her.

Do you understand?

Now, we are seating her outside in the fresh air.

You are to sit in the seats provided

and please be very careful not to exhaust her, okay?

- All right.

- All right.

- There, there, she is.

She's doing much better today.

She's a very charming woman and we all love her.

Can I take that for you, little one?

- No, thank you.

- Listen, thank you, there's Mom.

- Hello.

- Come on, sit there, and grab a chair.

- I'm so glad you could come.

I've missed you so much.

- Daddy's been away for a long time, too.

- Yes, sweetheart, he's been in New York.

So, how's the garden?

And Edith, how's she doing?

And you kids, are you going to church with the Murphys?

I wanna know everything.

- Well, Edith has tuberculosis.

A farm doctor came and now they're

gonna kill her for making you sick.

- I started feeling bad weeks before we got here.

Megan, can Mommy have her blanket?

And you, my grown-up young lady,

what have you been up to?

- Listen, the doctor wanted to speak to me.

I'll be right back.

- Well, I've been cooking a lot

and taking care of the garden.

- What about church?

- I think I'll give it up.

- She just fell asleep, right in the middle of a sentence.

- Can you two leave me alone for a couple minutes?

I just need to be with your mother.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- Don't wander too far.

- Can we go now?

It's spooky here.

So, what's up with Dad?

Maybe he talked to some vampires?

- You read too many stupid comic books.

- Yeah, well, did you see her?

You really think she's getting better?

I need clothes for school.

Who's gonna take me shopping, huh?

- I will, I'll take you.

- Liz.

- Hey.

- Did I fall asleep?

- Just for a minute.

We have to go, sweetheart.

- So soon?

- Yep.

- Thank you, thank you so much for coming to see me.

- Mommy, when are you going to come home?

- Come on, kids, your mother needs her rest now.

- Oh, my poor boy, he's so sensitive.

Will you take care of him for me, Tamara?

Come here, sweetheart.

When I lost my father, your grandpa,

I was only Megan's age, but I still remember

how much love he had inside him.

I don't know why these things happen

and I'm sorry, I'm counting on you, honey.

Be brave, I love you.

- I love you, Mom.

- Don't come close.

- Bye, Mom.

- Bye, baby.

Bye, babies.

I love you.

- Listen, I need to tell you something.

You're mother does not have bovine tuberculosis,

which is the type that you get from cows.

She has regular TB, which means

that Edith caught it from her.

Now, the doctor thinks that it must

have been lying dormant for a while

and then became active again, probably due to stress.

- Stress?

- Well, not from you kids, but, they don't know exactly.

- From moving all the time, maybe?

- Anyway, he says it's a miracle that we didn't catch it.

Your mother is very sick, and the drugs aren't

helping much anymore, and he's pretty sure

the TB has spread to her bones.

But the main problem is that the sanatorium

she's in is about to close down.

So, we're gonna have to move her to another one.

- We're just moving mom, right, Dad?

- Well-

- We're moving again, when?

Dad, I'm so tired of this.

- As soon as I find a place, maybe next week.

- I'm not moving again, I don't care if you go.

I'm staying here

- Tamara, we have to be near your mother.

- I'm going for a walk.

- Can I come?

- No, I wanna be alone.

She's not so good.

They have to move her to a place near Kingston.

- Kingston?

God, that's a far ways away.

- Yeah.

- You think they're gonna make her better there?

- I don't wanna talk about my mother anymore.

- Okay.

- What's it like to have a room that's just your room,

that has always been your room with your own stuff

and your own bed and not some stranger's things in it?

- I don't know, it's good, I guess.

You know, it's good.

Tamara?

- Yeah?

- I just want you to know that I really like you, okay?

I'm really gonna miss you.

- I'll miss you, too.

Timothy is that you?

- Hello?

- Oh, hi.

- Nobody home yet?

- No, they just left, actually.

- How's your mother?

Is she any better?

- No.

- I'm gonna go and check on the gate.

- Well, I might as well go take a look at the garden.

You wanna come with me, Tamara?

- Sure.

- I don't know what to say, to tell you

how sorry we are about your mother.

- No, Mrs. Burns-

- We didn't know our cow was sick.

- No, Mrs. Burns, I'm sorry.

- No, honey, it's all right.

I'd be angry, too, if somebody made my mother ill.

- No, Mrs. Burns, it's not all right,

because I was wrong, Edith didn't make my mom sick.

The truth is my mom made Edith sick.

So, we're sorry and I shouldn't have.

- You are so much like him.

He was so mad at himself for being sick

and making us sad, I blame myself for waiting

so long to take him to the doctor.

If he'd been diagnosed sooner...

There are a lot of things up there

that you kids could make use of.

You'll bring those things down from the attic, won't you?

- Only if you want me to.

- Yes, I do.

- Mrs. Burns, I brought his clothes

out because he wanted me to.

He didn't want to be boxed up.

- I just wish I could hold him once more.

- I can't hug my mother and she's not even dead.

- We better finish picking the tomatoes now, huh?

- We're moving again.

My dad won't let us pack glass jars of tomatoes.

- You're leaving?

- He didn't tell you?

Yeah, they're moving my mom to a sanatorium near Kingston.

- Well, that's a nice place.

- Can I stay with you?

Can you adopt me so I don't ever have to move again?

- Oh, honey, that's sweet of you to ask, but you can't.

Your father needs you.

Robert and Megan need you.

You may not realize it right now, but you need them, too.

I don't ever want you talking to your dad about this.

- Okay.

- And I have one more thing I wanna say to you.

I am so flattered by what you asked me

that I'm gonna go home and have a good cry myself.

Now, you go on and play with Brenda, okay?

- Mrs. Burns?

I saw him, you know?

Twice, and he kept saying, "It's not her fault" at me.

I thought the message was for me about mom.

But, maybe it was for you.

- Oh, you are such a sweet girl.

I think I saw him too.

Thank you for that.

Thank you.

- Bye, Tamara.

See ya Sunday.

- Bye.

- Hey.

I brought you something.

Well, why don't you go and take some pictures?

Go on, I can finish this.

I know that you read my letters and I wish that you hadn't.

Who I am, the bad guy that you think I am,

is not all of who I am, and even though I know

that you can't see that now, I know that one day you will.

No matter what happens, I know

that you love me and I love you.

- Oh, Dad, this one's for you.

- Thank you.

Now, I've had a long talk with your mother

and I've promised her something.

Now, she's told me that when she finally comes home,

she's not gonna have the strength to travel very far.

So, she's asked that I find a house in Kingston,

not in the middle of nowhere, but somewhere

in town where all of you can walk to school.

But, I've promised that we'll stay there

at least until Megan finishes high school, okay, so?

- Really?

- Really.

- Yes.

- Dad?

- Uh-huh?

- Let's go to the hilltop one last time.

- You guys go ahead. I need to finish this, okay?

- Come on, let's go.

- You really think we'll stay

at the next house for very long?

- Dad promised mom.

- Yeah, but what if she dies?

- Yeah, will we have to move if mommy dies?

- A promise is a promise.

- But if she dies, she won't know if we move or not.

- Oh, yeah, she'll know.

She'll be watching us and watching dad,

so he can't break his promise.

- It's not the same.

- Keep working on your math, Brenda, you'll do fine.

- I wish you didn't have to move.

But, hey, thanks for the makeover.

Bye.

Hey.

- Maybe if I buy a car I'll come up and see ya, huh?

- Really?

- Yeah.

- Okay, sure.

- All right.

- Come on, kids, get in the car.

- Bye now.

- Say hi to God for me.

- After years of moving around,

we are finally in a place that we can call home.

I understand now that just because we leave people,

or they leave us, doesn't mean we love each other any less.