Kate Reddy?
I've known her six years.
Smartest girl I know.
And a heart of gold, too.
All us working mothers feel
like we're spinning 50 plates
in they air at once, but Kate,
you can give her ten more plates,
all the size of manhole covers,
and she just keeps going.
Big report due the
next day at work, done.
Sew some extra fairy wings
on for Emily's recital, she's doing it.
Last minute in-laws show up, she can
do it without mixing vodka and Xanax.
It's amazing.
I'm telling you, she's amazing.
For all of us moms, there comes a time
when you almost don't pull it off,
and, um, for Kate, that was
those three months last winter.
And all that trouble started
with the bake sale.
Did she tell you
about the bake sale?
Oh, my God,
the kindergarten bake sale.
I had just flown home to
Boston from a business trip.
But then I got the reminder
from Emily's school about the bake sale.
I promised Emily that I'd
make something homemade
and I was prepared to
stay up all night to do it.
But the deli was
out of baking supplies.
This pie was going to be homemade
if it was the last thing I did.
Why did I care?
Well, first of all,
the other mothers are like a tiny army
of mini Martha Stewarts.
Their contributions would look perfect.
Their daughters would feel proud.
I just wanted Em
to feel the same way.
I'm trying to prevent the newsflash,
20 years from now.
Friends trace the start of Emily Reddy's
mental problems to a school bake sale
where her mother, a shadowy
presence in her life,
humiliated her
in front of her classmates.
I was not
gonna let Emily down.
Spread out,
spread out, spread out...
Bigger, bigger, bigger...
You don't understand.
I still remember the looks I got
in 1974, when my mother
sent me to the school bake sale
with two cans
of sliced peaches.
You made a pie.
- Hi!
- Hi, welcome home.
Thanks. I... I thought maybe
the powdered sugar would help.
No. No,
we're way past help on this.
Come to bed. Listen,
we got Chips Ahoy here.
We can throw these in her backpack.
She'll be good to go.
Are you kidding me?
Do you have any idea what those
dietetically correct mothers
would do if I brought cookies with
high fructose corn syrup and salt?
Oh, my God, that sounds really good.
Can I have like a little?
Mm...
- Mm! Yeah.
- Hm? See?
- You worry too much.
- Well, you know, I just...
I just want Emily to feel proud
of what she brings to the bake sale.
I don't want her to feel different
from the other kids because her mother
has to travel for work, you know?
I just...
- I want her to know I tried.
- All right, I take it back.
Those are nice things
to want for her.
- Hey, how was Phoenix?
- Oh, it was fine.
You know, airport, taxi, meeting,
hotel, meeting, taxi, airport.
You must, be, uh... exhausted.
Oh! Well... a little.
But not completely.
# Does he love me?
I wanna know
I'm not one
of those wives who doesn't
wanna have sex
with her husband.
I still think he's
the cutest guy I know.
His adorable little frown lines,
his seaweed-colored eyes,
the way he smells after a shower.
There's just one problem.
# It's in his kiss ##
A recent study showed that
64 percent of women with young children
don't sleep through the night.
Researchers were at a loss
to explain why.
They could have asked me.
At night, I, like women
all around the world, do the list:
Emily's birthday party theme.
Pirates or pop stars?
Things to buy: Paper towels,
toothpaste, pork chops.
Buy a present
for Jedda's birthday party.
Find out Jedda: Boy or girl?
Call the guy about the thing.
Make a playdate for Emily
with that kid that doesn't bite.
Refill washer fluid in car.
Wait a minute.
Shouldn't that be
on Richard's list?
Who am I kidding?
Richard doesn't have a list.
Wax something, anything.
Call Richard's mother and say hi.
Orjust email hi.
Wash Ben's teddy bear.
Renew birth control pills.
Twinkies...
...Ambien while I'm at it.
Finish year-end fiscal summary.
Hamster. Oh, no,
start year-end fiscal summary.
...new ways to say no.
Kegels?
Bagels!
When I come home
after a trip,
Ben doesn't hold
my absence against me.
- Hey, baby.
- He's too little for grudges.
- Little buddy, hi! Boo!
- Boo!
I love being a mother of
a two-year-old boy.
It's like being a movie star
- in a world without critics.
- Hi, Em.
Unfortunately, my daughter
isn't quite as forgiving.
If I'm gone for too long,
she rewards me
with a game of snubs and punishments.
I want Daddy to take me to school.
Paula gives me a bath.
I don't like hugs.
Aw!
Any working mother who says
she doesn't bribe her kids
can add "liar" to her resume.
Who wants to watch cartoons?!
I got your
happy ending right here!
You swine!
Good morning.
Hey, we gotta call Beachwood Carpets
and get an estimate on those stairs.
Oh, you say the nicest things.
Something's different about you.
You're...
Not in a shirt with barf on it?
Your big meeting, it's today, right?
I'm getting the gig. Definitely.
Get a sitter.
Tonight, we are celebrating!
- Done.
- I mean it.
Who cares if I'm up against huge firms
with portfolios filled with
museum wings and hotel lobbies?
I have a fantastic bathroom in Back Bay
and a mind-blowing basement
renovation in New Hampshire.
- Not to mention a shirt without barf.
- Mm. I better get it.
I picked the worst time to go on my own.
It's like the economy was waiting for me
to start my own business and then tank.
- Richard.
- No, Kate, I am bankrolling this firm
with change from our sock drawer.
Well, that's gonna change.
It has to, because you're too talented
- for it not to.
- I hope so.
The pay isn't much,
but in the long run,
- it'll be great for both of us.
- You're gonna get it.
- Am I gonna get it?
- You are gonna get it.
I'm gonna get it! OK.
- I gotta go.
- No, no, wait, wait!
Can you just wait one second
- while I take a really quick shower?
- Where the hell is Paula?
She's been late every day this week.
Honestly, I'm gonna talk to her.
Oh, no, Richard,
please don't talk to her! Please.
If we don't keep her happy,
she'll leave.
Would that be the worst
thing in the world?
Uh, frankly, at this point,
it would be easier if you left.
You know what I mean.
- She's here! She's here.
- Good morning.
Men and women
look at childcare very differently.
- The surf was beautiful today.
- Richard sees an outflow of cash
we badly need at the moment,
and I see a person who knows
which blankie Ben likes.
It's a good job. I love the kids,
and Kate is a great boss.
What does Kate do for a living?
I have no idea.
Works in a bank?
Is she... is she like a teller?
Come on, Mom,
we're gonna be late.
Hey, Paula, can you put
this in a container for me?
Sure.
- You... made a pie?
- Yep.
OK, can I just say that I work
for a high-powered investment firm,
yet nothing scares me more
than being caught by my
daughter's kindergarten teacher
when we're late for circle time.
Does Mama love you
a little or a lot?
A little.
- A lot.
- A lot! Oh!
Have a good day, OK?
I love you. Goodbye. Go.
Go, go, go, go, go, go.
Late again,
Mrs. Reddy?
Yeah, sorry.
We'll do better tomorrow.
Perhaps.
- Good morning.
- You baked a pie, really?
Are you trying
to make me look bad?
It's from the deli
around the corner.
And you distressed it? Nice!
Did you have to throw away the
package before the nanny saw it?
Well, duh.
This is my friend Allison.
Oh, wait, you've already met her, right.
She's a single mom, and I can always
count on Allison,
especially for things like
making something much worse
than I did for the bake sale.
That is unset Jell-O, folks.
Kate and I bonded immediately.
A working mother needs solidarity.
And we know where we rank
in likeability.
Just below felon
and just above shoplifter.
God, it's so sad. Women used to
make the pies and fake the orgasms.
Now we fake the pies.
That's a big improvement
as far as I'm concerned.
Thank you. I was up all night.
Oh, shit!
There they are.
There they were.
The most terrifying creatures
in captivity.
The Momsters.
On the right, Wendy Best,
room parent,
field trip chaperone,
parent association
vice president,
also chief poobah in charge
of terrifying working mothers
with her domestic prowess.
And Janine LoPietro.
She does Pilates, yoga,
spinning and krav maga.
Fitter than a Navy SEAL,
tougher, too.
There you are, Kate.
I haven't seen you in ages.
Honey, you look great.
Well, I am just so jealous
of you girls.
You get to wear high heels
and look nice all day.
We just frump around at the park.
Kate, I don't know how you do it.
Wendy and I,
we always say that. Cookie?
- Oh... sure, thank you. Yummy.
- Yeah.
- Allison, please.
- No, thank you.
- Bye.
- OK.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye!
Bye.
- Brush your hair.
- Did you see what she was wearing?
You know, for me,
when I decided to have kids,
I wanted to be the one
to raise them.
But women make different choices
in their lives.
And, uh, I don't judge.
I try not to... judge.
- Bye. I'll talk to you later.
- Bye.
Oh, hello.
You should go home.
Oh, oh! No,
don't go in the street!
Don't go in the street!
So now, of course,
I'm late.
And I am gonna have to race
to the office
to get there before my boss,
Clark.
- Oh, hi, Clark.
- Oh, good morning.
- How are you? Here, please.
- I'm well.
- Allow me. Ladies first.
- Thank you.
Say, are you running a little late this
morning? I've just come from a meeting.
I have two choices here.
The man's excuse:
Bad traffic, downed power line,
faulty carburetor. Or...
- Mammogram.
- Oh.
Well, then, I think I'll
just take the stairs.
Good cardio.
Hey, morning, Jill.
- Meeting.
- Yeah, just a second.
Oh... Ugh!
Is that a Rice Krispie?
- Oh.
- I hope.
Oh, it's just dried
pancake batter.
Oh. Mm. Big relief.
Momo is a brilliant
junior research analyst.
She has the work ethic
of a robot, and the warmth.
But I don't care because
she devotes all that energy to herjob.
Kate Reddy? Well, she's
the best fund manager we have.
She's great at her job,
works really, really hard.
People think she's weird, though.
She checks on her kids every day.
Even during lunch,
when she should be working.
OK, can we go
to the meeting now?
Well, I guess. We don't have time
to do anything about your roots.
So I heard Clark has gotten
some feedback from New York
- on our fund proposal.
- Come on.
New York never lets us run
with anything big.
They treat the Boston office
like a sad stepchild.
- Look, you're always tired...
- Morning.
...and insufficiently groomed.
- Welcome back.
Once you smelled
like paste all day.
But you write the best reports
on the floor.
I doubt they even read them.
And I certainly doubt
they picked one from here,
but mark my words, if they did,
it will be Bunce's.
Don't ask me how, but that
guy just keeps failing up.
Oh, speak of the devil.
Kate!
There's Chris Bunce.
He's our DOA:
Designated Office Asshole.
Bunce loves that I have kids.
Keeps me from getting an edge
on the competition,
the one men get when they take clients
out for drinks and dinners
and golf games. You know
what I'm talking about.
The schmooze.
There you are.
Everything OK this morning?
I was looking for you
and I couldn't find you.
- Nothing with the kids, I hope.
- Oh, I had a...
- Don't ask.
- Anyway,
I was just saying to Clark,
Kate is amazing, isn't she?
I mean, I don't know
how she does it.
- All those children...
- I have two.
- It's so impressive.
- You have four.
Yeah, but two of mine are twins.
Bunce.
How the hell is equality
between the sexes supposed to work?
They can give you good jobs,
maternity leave,
but until you program a man to notice
when you're out of toilet paper,
the project is doomed.
I resent when people say
there's a double standard.
Men also have a lot to juggle.
Take our shoes.
Do women's shoes need to be
shiny all the time? No.
You never see a woman
getting her shoes shined.
Women's shoes
can be flat and dull.
Not men's.
That's a double standard.
Bunce had a great series
of meetings this week
with the institutional investors from
Oakland about their retirement fund.
Yes, meetings went great. Even got in
a little culture while they were here.
Took them to a dance show.
Hey! Whoo!
Interpretive.
Interpretive dance show.
Nice work, Bunce.
Moving on to new business.
Jack Abelhammer in our New York office
has sparked to a proposal
from this office, and he'd
like to meet the author.
Kick the tires, see if it's an
idea worth bringing to Harcourt.
Bunce, I know how long
you've waited for this chance.
Keep waiting.
Congratulations, Kate.
You'll be heading to New York tonight.
You've got a 9am with Abelhammer.
Really?
Guess someone finally
read one of your proposals.
Wow!
Congrats to the B team.
OK.
If this works out,
this could be a big step up.
A lot of travel,
a lot of one-on-one with Abelhammer.
It's gonna be great.
Plus, gives your kids a chance
to spend all that extra quality time
they've been hoping for...
...with your nanny.
And your husband will be thrilled.
Congratulations.
You know she's married,
right?
Well, in her marriage,
she has to call her husband
every time she has to work late
or go across the country
or she can't pick up her kids
from school.
It's like she's on parole.
And that is why I'm not
getting married
or having children.
I did have a fish once.
But then he kept looking at me
with these eyes,
like, "Feed me. "
So I flushed him.
His name was Derek.
Derek Chan.
Hey, let's blow
off work early, go to a bar,
pretend we're single.
And rested.
Either one. Maybe both.
Just confirming
our meeting tomorrow.
9am. Looking forward
to meeting you.
Jack Abelhammer.
Would love to get
blotto, sadly can't.
Have to go to New York
and blow somebody.
Dear Jack, looking forward
to meeting you, too.
Kate Reddy.
Richard, this thing
is a long shot, I promise you.
I have to pitch to him, and he'd
have to pick me over everyone else.
And... the chances of those two things
happening are very slim.
Oh, well, if it comes down
to your ability to pitch
and the quality of your idea,
honey, of course you're getting this.
Good luck at your meeting, honey.
And please don't worry about me.
It's such a short trip. No one will even
notice I'm gone again. I promise.
No! You just got back.
Honey, I know,
but it's just... It's one night.
And I will have this with me.
You call me any time.
Whatever, Mom.
At least you don't hate me.
Um... did...
Did you take Ben
to get a hair cut?
Yeah, his bangs
were in his eyes,
so I took him to that
place on the corner.
Oh.
Oh... he looks...
I mean, it's adorable.
Thank you. I just...
It was...
That was his first hair cut.
- So...
- Yeah, I wanted to call.
I just didn't want to disturb you at
work. I didn't wanna bother you.
Oh, no! Paula, no, it's...
No, you're never bothering me.
Nothing is more important to me than the
kids. I'm always happy to hear about
- any little or big thing. Honestly.
- Got it.
Great, thanks.
- I love you.
- Bye-bye, Mama.
Bye-bye, bunny.
- I love you. Paula, you'll call me?
- Yes.
For anything?
I don't care the reason.
- Bye.
- Come on.
Bye. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye!
The books say
children get over separation
anxiety by two years.
Good evening.
That was weird.
No age limit
is given for mothers.
He'll never have his
first hair cut again. Never.
They didn't have purple tights
in your size, Em,
but I'll keep looking.
I promise. OK?
OK, honey.
Do you want a brush?
What, I'm a little itchy.
Is that a crime?
Oh. Hello?
Today's playdate's
in the park, right?
You just have to confirm
that with Owen's nanny?
Yeah, I have the number.
Can you hold on?
Just hold on, OK?
No, I think I have the number.
Can you hold on a second?
I think I have the number.
OK. Hold on.
Can you hold that for a second?
Can you?
Sorry.
Do you mind?
Hello, baby. Bye-bye.
- Why is this wet?
- That doesn't belong there.
Sorry, it's kind of precious.
Something
smells like raw meat.
I wondered where that was.
A- ha! Yeah! Yep.
Yep, yep, yep. Got it, got it.
Got the number.
Wait, are you...
are you still there?
Go ahead, say it.
- Say what?
- Oh, just get it out.
No, it's just...
I don't know how you do it.
Well, you will, one day.
No, no, no.
I am not having kids.
Really? Why not?
- Well, for one thing...
- Can you just hold this for a second?
Momo, I promise you
that being a mother
is one of the most rewarding
and enriching experiences
a person can have.
It's probably just my stress
eczema flaring up again.
I'm sorry.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- He'll be right with you.
- Great, thanks.
Oh, sorry. My kids love that music.
Hey, Allison, I'm just
stepping into a meeting.
- Can I call you back maybe?
- Sure.
But why did you send me an email
saying that you were
looking forward to meeting me?
- What?
- Last night, when I asked you
if you wanted to get a drink,
I just reread your response
- and it doesn't make any sense. So...
- No.
No, no, no. I didn't send you that
email. I sent you a different one...
Oh, my God! Wait!
I... I didn't send you
an email about a b job?
Uh, no, honey.
I mean, not yesterday.
- Oh, my God!
- Kate Reddy?
Jack Abelhammer.
Momo Hahn.
It is an honor to meet you, sir.
- Shall we?
- Uh... yeah... Listen,
Jack, um... Jack, about the email
that I sent yesterday,
the, um... the, uh...
activity mentioned,
- that's not... I don't...
- Oh, yes, I saw that.
Are you still planning to start
the meeting with that action item?
Uh, sorry. There's...
There's been some, uh...
Some budget cutbacks lately.
So no.
Oh, disappointing.
Oh, sorry.
I'm gonna silence this thing.
Yeah, here I am...
I'm silencing it.
Sorry, again. Sorry.
Everything OK?
Yep!
Oh, my God!
We received a lot of proposals,
but I was most intrigued
by your notion of an
individual investor
retirement fund.
In order to make that work,
you'd have to pick stocks
with a big dividend yield.
Well, of course, but you know
you also have to avoid the value traps.
I think you'll see that I've
targeted a few industries
where I really see
the dividends multiplying.
Mm. Yeah.
I see.
The rub is Harcourt
hates the retirement business.
So, what could we do to convince
him... What's a bouncy house?
- What?
- You have it written on your hand.
I haven't seen a girl write on her hand
since I was ten-years-old.
Oh!
A bouncy house is a
blow-up-y kind of tent thing.
You know, the kids get in and they jump
up and down. It's a bouncy house.
It's... It's my daughter's
birthday next week.
Mm-hm.
- How many children do you have?
- Uh, six.
- Two!
- Two. Two.
- She has two.
- It feels like six.
Hm...
Look, the fund you're proposing
is very ambitious.
I mean, Harcourt, he'll wanna see
that this is a real business.
He only cares about profit ratios.
This is ambitious.
I know that. I know that.
But if it works, it works big.
I mean, think about it. A retirement
fund that makes it possible
for people to supplement their Social
Security so they can actually retire.
That would mean so much to people in
this country who are scared to death
about their future.
Look, I got into investing
because I watched my father
gamble away every paycheck
he ever got.
I wish he put that money
into a fund like this.
It would have left
my mother with something,
instead of what she had,
which was two jobs, no savings
and a very angry loan shark
named Claude.
What is the matter with you?
I think you flicked something
in my mouth!
- I have lice!
- You have?
Lice! Oh, my God!
I couldn't get out
of there fast enough.
I just kept picturing
little tiny bugs
repelling off my hair
into his inbox.
Oh, my God. I'm going to vomit.
Oh, no!
Hold on, Richard. Hold on, hold on.
I'll be right with you.
Wait, don't put the phone
near your hair.
Hi, Richard.
- What's up?
- I got it.
No more basement
renovations for me.
Oh, my God! Oh, that's
the best news in the world!
Oh, honey! I'm so proud of you.
Well, come on home.
We gotta celebrate.
I will, I'll be home
before you know it. Bye.
Yay! Wow!
This could be a disaster.
Of course
a lot of kids get lice.
The dirty ones.
The ones whose mothers don't have time
to wash their hair properly.
Kate. Or worse, have a
19-year-old wash 'em. Ugh!
Come on, lots of kids get lice
at school. It's not a big deal.
Yes, there were whispers
that Kate had lice.
And in the world of finance, we know
that you don't ignore the whispers.
So I had my office fumigated,
and then I went to the kitchen
and threw away Kate's coffee mug,
as well as anything in the refrigerator
with Kate's name on it.
And moving forward, I will not
get in an elevator or a taxi with Kate.
Oh! Ooh!
- Sorry, I'm...
- If you get this, you have to take it.
- It's huge.
- How can I?
Richard's really hoping I'm gonna work
less now that he's got this new project.
And I am barely... Ow!
...barely... Sorry.
I'm barely keeping up as it is.
Anyway, it's never gonna happen.
Abelhammer clearly thought I was insane.
I sent him an email about a...
I had "bouncy house"
written across my hand,
and I was scratching like a dog.
Hello?
Oh, hi, Clark.
Oh, I'm... I'm...
I'm at a... I'm at a breakfast.
Is everything?
OK.
Yep, I'll be there.
OK. Ow!
OK, bye-bye. Bye.
Abelhammer wants to talk to me.
OK, the call is up.
You're just waiting
on Mr. Abelhammer.
OK, great. Thank you.
Oh, for crying out loud.
How the heck did that happen?
Oh, God!
- How long have you been there?
- Long enough, but go ahead.
If there's anything else
you need to, uh... adjust.
No, no. I think I am...
I'm fully adjusted, though.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks for coming
down here yesterday.
Of course. Of course,
you know...
So I like the proposal.
Got a lot of holes in it,
but I think we can fix them
and maybe make some money here.
However, we'd be
on a tight deadline.
Harcourt's looking
at other possibilities
and wants to make a decision
by the end of the year.
This is a massive undertaking.
- Yeah.
- This will mean a lot of travel,
long days, late nights,
and I just wanna make sure
it won't be too much for you,
considering what you're up against
with the six kids and the lice.
Oh, my... Oh, my God!
- How do you know?
- Your text message was showing.
- I can read upside down.
- Oh.
So... what do you think, Kate?
Can you swing it?
This could be the best thing
that's ever happened for my career.
It's just the worst time
for it to happen.
Gives your kids a chance to
spend all that extra quality time
they've been hoping for...
with your nanny.
You love yourjob more
than almost anybody I know.
A lot of travel,
a lot of one-on-one with Abelhammer.
I knew exactly
what I needed to say.
Of course I can.
Oh, can you hold
that elevator?!
Can you? Oh! Thank you!
Can you scooch over a little?
Sorry, it's my daughter's
sixth birthday tomorrow,
and I was just afraid the bakery
and balloon place would close,
so I went at lunch.
Great. Can someone
push lobby for me?
Thank you.
All in?
Everyone knows the right way
to throw a birthday party.
You call Ernesto
at Playtime Events.
He handles everything.
The letter-pressed invitations,
the balloons, all perfect.
And if you slip him an extra 50,
he will even send your in-laws
the wrong address
so that they end up just driving
around the city all day,
and then they show up right
at the end of the party.
- Hi, honey.
- Mom, Dad, hi, come on in.
- Oh!
- Hi, Kate.
- How's it going?
- Hi!
- Hi. Thank you for coming.
- Our pleasure.
Oh, that's very sweet.
Good to see you.
- Good to see you.
- That's lovely. Thanks.
So, um, can I
get you guys a drink?
Oh, no!
Or some candy?
- Do you have any soda for the kids?
- No, no soda, Mom.
Too much sugar.
Yeah, and dried fruit is out.
It rots their teeth.
Last year, the nursery school
issued a fatwa on raisins.
- And yet you have a piata.
- Well, you know, that's different.
That's, um... That's, uh...
culturally enriching.
- Ah.
- Mm-hm.
Here's some water,
sweetie.
- Thanks, Grandma.
- She thinks we're ridiculous.
'Cause we are, a little.
You OK?
You seem a little off today.
Me? Yeah.
I'm great, why?
The, uh, savages have arrived.
I'll get the door.
Wait, Richard, Richard.
We need to talk.
Now?
Uh, no, OK, later.
Of course, you're right.
Later.
- What is it, Kate?
- No, it's just... You know what?
It's just a thing. Honestly, it's no
big deal. We'll discuss it later.
- You sure?
- Yeah, yeah, go. Open the door.
I'm really sorry, but New York
liked my idea for the retirement fund.
They want me to develop it further.
Which means that I will be really busy
and traveling for the next two months.
Let me in!
Is that cake made
with organic flour?
- Yep.
- Thanks.
We got a diaper change!
Clothing change.
Oh, they need to be boiled.
Hey, we need to talk
about that thing later.
Yep, can't wait.
Are you guys having fun?
He really is incredible
with them, isn't he?
- Yeah.
- I know when our kids were little,
I don't think Lew
changed one diaper.
Men just didn't do
that kind of thing back then.
- Well, that's because...
- Yeah, we were terrible parents.
We didn't know what tofu was.
Oh, but that was a simpler time.
And everybody knew their place,
what they had to do.
Lew made the money,
I changed the diapers,
if we couldn't pay the bills,
that was Lew's fault.
The kids were crying,
that was me.
But boy, you all...
If something goes wrong,
it's everybody's fault.
I don't think that does
anyone any good.
Well, I think it's...
I think it's just a more complicated...
Well, it's as complicated
as you make it, dear.
You know, I was wondering,
if you had stayed home with Ben,
would he be talking now?
He's almost two
and not one real word.
Doesn't that bother you?
And the worst part is she's right, you
know? I mean, about Ben not talking.
By this age, Emily was reciting the
first chapter of Canterbury Tales
in Middle English,
and all Ben does is grunt.
Kate, that's fine.
We gotta talk about the fact...
Richard, Richard, I know.
I know it's lousy timing for both of us.
To get a big project at work
at the same time, I know that.
But we can make it work.
I know we can.
And I'm gonna do my very best
to make sure that
nothing falls through the cracks.
Look, Richard,
you have been working so hard
to get a big break at work. Me, too.
It's a great problem.
We can do this.
- We just have to do a little juggling.
- I know.
- But if we're...
- I promise I will make everything work.
- Don't worry.
- OK, but I'm just telling you...
I said don't worry!
You kind of yelled it,
which isn't as comforting, actually.
What's this?
What are you doing?
Hm?
We're about to make
a giant mess out of our lives
and you're gonna use sex to try and
pretend everything's better?
Is that the plan?
- Yes.
- I like it.
I mean, I really like it.
Quite frankly, using sex to make up
for the flaws in your relationship
is as low as you can go.
But sometimes you have to do it.
I actually do it all the time.
One hundred percent success rate.
Richard was right to be worried.
It was gonna be very challenging.
Thank God I had Momo
to help me with the workload.
Kind, supportive, friendly...
she was none of those things.
But she worked her ass off.
I've been running...
My job was to spend
two or three days a week
in New York with Jack.
He was impressive,
he was insightful,
he was smart,
he was a lot of things.
And none of them were Chris Bunce.
I think we should include an
insurance wrapper on the fund
- for the low-income retirees.
- Exactly.
- Jack, I just wanna say...
- If you're gonna thank me again,
- please don't.
- No.
I wasn't going to.
I wouldn't thank someone
for giving me a big break,
I mean, possibly the biggest
break of my career.
I mean, what kind of person
would that make me?
Fine. Precisely.
But thank you.
This is the one
we'd better get done.
Yep, all right.
All right, I gotta hit the ladies.
I'm sorry I won't be there to kiss you
good night, but I'll see you tomorrow.
OK?
OK.
# I love you
# A bushel and a peck
# A bushel and a peck
and a hug around the neck
# A hug around the neck
# And a barrel and a heap
# A barrel and a heap
and I'm talking in my sleep
# About you #
For the high-yield set,
I thought we could do a time series
showing the higher yield
on the MSCI index...
- Bup, bup, bup! No more work.
- Sorry.
And can I have my martini back?
You keep on moving it away
from the edge of the table.
I'm sorry.
Sorry, it's horrible. I'm surprised
I'm not cutting your steak for you.
It's force of habit, I guess.
- That's OK.
- Do you... do you have kids?
No.
Um... I did, um...
I was married, once.
She was a great girl.
Very special.
And then...
...two years into the marriage,
she got sick and...
Even though she put up
an incredible fight...
- I'm very sorry.
- It's OK.
I'm OK. You know,
something like that
happens in your life,
and it changes the way,
well, you... see everything.
So, since then, I try to keep
things as simple as possible.
I love my job,
I love my work.
It has its ups and downs, but at least
it doesn't break your heart.
So, what about you?
You like what you do?
- I love my job.
- Mm-hm.
They market doesn't know what sex I am,
it only knows
whether I'm right or wrong.
- I like the fairness of that.
- Mm-hm.
Although, sometimes I wish
I didn't love my job so much
- because then...
- Then you could be home with your kids.
You're allowed to miss your children.
Here's the thing.
I have two beautiful kids.
And I love them.
But life changes.
There's no question about that.
There's no spur
of the moment activities,
you're not meeting people
for dinner at the last minute,
or seeing a movie
whenever you want.
Or, you know, going bowling.
- Bowling?
- Yeah.
My sister and I
used to bowl all the time.
But now we're both mothers and...
So, you know,
where is the time?
Bowling.
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told
you all that about my children.
- Not professional.
- Uh-huh.
I'll tell you what.
From now on,
don't think of me
as Kate the working mom.
Think of me as Bill,
your trusted
financial analyst.
Well, the fact is studies show
women make better investors.
- Hm!
- But if you want,
I'll just forget you're a woman.
OK, oh...
Here you go.
All right.
Thanks. I mean, not thanks.
Well...
- Good night, Jack.
- Good night, Bill.
Oh! Bye-bye! Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
From that moment on,
life got busier and busier.
And the funny thing is it really looked
like I was making everything work.
I read once that the key to juggling
is not catching, but throwing.
So I just kept throwing,
and throwing, and throwing.
It doesn't smell.
It's got no stains.
My God!
I have something to wear!
# You gotta move with the traffic
and go with the flow
# Hop on one foot
while you touch your nose
# Juggle ten things
# With your other hand
I have never seen Kate
work so hard,
but she's always been there
for Ben and Emily.
I mean, she spreads
some serious love on those kids.
# Ah, suck it up and leave me
# Can't do it all
Baby, if you're asking
# You're looking at the queen
of multitasking
I drop my kids off
for school at 7:15,
so I'm here about,
what, 7:45? Eight-ish?
- That's about right.
- Yeah.
And then I leave around... two?
# I know it's hard
You try to make it look easy
# Try to stay in charge
I know you want to, but you
can't quit the newspaper business.
Why not?
I know you, Hildy,
I know what winning would mean.
- What would it mean?
- It would kill you.
- You can't sell me that.
- Who says I can't?
- You're a newspaperman!
- That's why I'm quitting.
I want to go someplace
where I can be a woman.
Suddenly,
it was as if our lives
were on fast forward.
I just had to keep my eye on everything,
all at the same time.
Look out! Coming through!
See, the other
basic rule ofjuggling
is that what goes up...
...must come down.
Hello, baby.
- Watch out for dog doo, honey.
- Bye-bye.
At the same time, Jack and I had
this insane deadline looming,
so our emails went
from daily to hourly.
But I promise you,
I was careful to maintain
the proper, professional distance
at all times.
"Dear Jack, here's the final
version of the PowerPoint.
Should you have any desire... "
"Dear Jack, I will be putting
the finishing touches to bed. "
Oh...
"You know I would
bend over backwards... "
"I'll see you soon. Kate. "
Hey, why are you still up?
Working.
Enough, we're good.
Go to bed.
Ah, too much to do.
Bed's a waste of time.
Not always, I hope.
- Hm!
- Good night, Kate.
X O, Jack.
Good night. X O...
Good night, Kate.
No. If you're gonna sign "XO,"
you might as well sign,
"Please enter me. "
- OK, Ben. Say one...
- Hi.
Hi, Daddy. Two, three.
Hey, you remember that Paula's
gotta leave today at five.
- So can you...
- Oh, no, I got that meeting at 4:00.
- Oh, shit.
- Then I got the dinner afterwards.
- Yeah, I forgot.
- So you think maybe you can...
Yeah, that's not a problem.
I'll do that.
- I love you, gotta go.
- Oh. I love you, too. Bye.
- Where in the hell is Paula?
- Oh, I don't know. Don't...
I'll take, um, I'll take
Ben to Allison's nanny,
and then I'll take Emily
to school, OK?
- Oh, good.
- Bye, Daddy.
- Bye.
- Bye!
Em, honey?
Can you come get your lunch box?
Great series
of meetings this week.
The T note yields for the
third quarter look good.
All right, then.
Let's go make some money.
Bunce, you wanna go get a steak?
You know I do.
It'd be an honor if you let me buy.
What'd you think
about that game last night?
I'm gonna be in late tomorrow.
- Doctor's appointment.
- Oh, OK.
Because I'm pregnant.
- You're what?!
- I know, I know.
Some kind of systems failure
on the birth control.
Don't worry,
I'm dealing with it.
I'm not having kids,
remember?
Wait, wait, wait! Wait, wait.
I know you look at me
and you see a mess,
a hurry, a giant un-tweezed eyebrow,
I am walking birth control.
I get it.
But it's not all that.
There is so much joy.
And if, for some reason,
you wanted to go through
the madness of having a baby,
I could help you.
I've been doing it for a while.
I could teach you some useful tricks
to help you manage
both work and home
so that neither side gets...
Oh, my God! What time is it?!
Oh, shit!
Shit! Shit, shit.
Oh, shit! Shit, shit, shit!
Shit.
Hey, Richard, it's me.
I am so, so, so sorry, honey.
I know you have a dinner,
and I am on my way
and then you can go.
I am on the stairs.
I'm approaching
a revolving door.
I am in the revolving door.
A woman just keeps the puzzle
of family life in her head.
She just does.
The inside of a working
woman's head is like...
...the control tower at O'Hare Airport.
Richard, honey!
I'm here! I'm home!
- Mommy, Mommy!
- Hi, honey. Where's Daddy?
- He had to go to dinner.
- He's at dinner?
Then who are you here with?
I'm sorry,
I didn't know what to do.
- Yeah, I know that, but...
- So I called Wendy what's-her-name,
and I asked if her babysitter
could come over after work.
You called Wendy "I do
everything perfectly best"?
And then you left my kids
with somebody that I don't know?
Kate, you weren't here.
I left them with a sitter.
- Yes, who doesn't know them.
- It was OK!
Sometimes OK has to be good enough.
I mean, the kids are fine.
So, in this case, I would say
the old lady was the perfect babysitter.
Getting a backup sitter
is on my list.
Oh, Jesus, with these lists.
Really?
I mean, do Pilates,
bake lasagna,
you might as well
put down dock the space station.
Well, that's not very nice. You know,
I get a lot done from those lists.
I know, I'm sorry, honey.
Let's just... let's go to bed. OK?
Wait, Richard, wait.
I have to go to Cleveland tomorrow.
It's just for one night.
Jack and I have to meet
these potential brokers,
you know, to just get a sense of how
much they're willing to commit
before we put this
in front of Harcourt, and...
Come on. Let's go to bed.
I'm still...
I'm still in here.
Look, you have to travel
in this job. We're road warriors.
And if you are tethered to anything,
uh, then you are a bird that cannot fly.
And no one goes to a pet store
and says,
"I would like a bird that cannot fly. "
...volatility...
We're talking about bringing
a closed-in...
Thank you.
They'll be some
persuading Harcourt to commit.
Thank you very much.
How big was the potato
that this came from?
This is the sort of thing
that cracks my family up.
Sorry.
So the brokers,
you feel good about them?
They love it. You know...
Should we go visit some of the
famous sights of Cleveland?
What were they again?
You wanna know the joke
of business travel?
My mother always says,
"Oh, it must be so exciting
to see all those different cities,"
but we mostly just see
the insides of hotels and airports.
Mm-hm. Not tonight.
- You bowl?
- Do I look like I bowl?
You guys are all set, except it's gonna
be like a half hour for a lane
because it's R&B night.
Unless you wanna play
with one of the groups.
They can get
a little competitive.
# I'm just a sucker for love
- # For love
- # I'm just a sucker for love
# Sucker for love
Sucker for love
Ah!
You're little,
but you can throw! Whoo!
Just watch and learn.
Lumber Liquidators
is going down!
Timber!
Abelhammer, you're next!
Show them what
you can do, New York!
It's pretty simple.
You just balance, and then you...
...aim right down the center.
I'm just gonna throw it
and hope for the best, OK?
Whoo!
OK, I got it!
- I got it!
- They get a little slippery.
OK.
# I'm just a sucker for love
Sucker for love
# Sucker for love, baby
Max's Automotives is going down!
I see what you mean! Bowling's fun!
- Hey, time to refuel.
- Cheers, everyone.
Well done.
Yeah!
Oh... Very nice.
Doesn't she look like me?
Oh!
If you win this for us,
we'll forgive you for being a banker.
# Sucker, sucker
Sucker, sucker
Yeah!
- There we go, great!
- Get in here. Thank you.
Thank you.
Yes!
Yeah.
Whoo!
I can't believe
you're a closet bowler.
Well, when I went to college,
all my buddies bowled.
It was, uh...
It was fun.
But not as much fun as tonight.
Yeah.
- And then?
- Then I, uh, went to my hotel room,
ate all the Swedish Fish,
and fell asleep.
But then he showed up at your door and
said, "Kate, I can't live without you.
- Run away with me. "
- No.
- No, it was not like that.
- Really?
Did you tell Richard
that you went out with Jack?
No, because we didn't go out.
We went bowling.
And this is absurd.
Jack and I are just...
...friendly.
- No, you're right.
I know how straight, single guys
hate to hit on attractive
coworkers on business trips.
He's not creepy like that.
How does he sign his emails?
- What?
- Jack.
"Best"? "Yours"?
- "Thinking of you"?
- I don't know.
Is it "XO"?
It's "XO," isn't it?
Will you stop cross-examining me?
This isn't one of your depositions.
- Oh, my God, you're blushing.
- I am not.
Kate, promise me... promise me
that you won't do anything
disgusting or immoral...
...without telling me everything.
OK, it's microwave fresh.
Mm... Come on!
It's gonna get cold.
- OK, hold on.
- Hey, how was your trip?
- What?
- You went to Cleveland.
Oh! Uh, it was fine. Fine.
Anyway, um, good news is
the project is in good shape.
- Jack's happy.
- Jack's happy.
Jack likes the tech sector.
Jack's allergic to tree nuts.
You know, I Googled him.
Sit down.
He's a hideous-looking fellow.
My gosh.
Just... must be a nightmare
hanging out with that guy.
- Is he? I hadn't noticed.
- Oh, you hadn't noticed?
- Is he... is he not hideous?
- No...
So he's happy.
Which means that we can go to
your parents' for Thanksgiving.
And then we can get the Christmas tree
on Friday like we've been talking about.
And then I was thinking that maybe...
...we could get a sitter.
- Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, we can get a sitter,
and then maybe we go
to the movies, you know?
- Yeah. That'd be fun.
- Yeah.
It's gonna be a great,
perfect, fun trip.
OK, OK. I like it.
I woke up in the middle of the night and
I realized we should adjust the charts
so that dividends are grouped
by asset class.
Great. We can go
over this tomorrow.
No, you can just email
it to me. It's OK.
I'm out of the office
till Monday.
You are? But there is so much
that you said...
It's Thanksgiving.
It's fine. We are OK.
- Are you sure?
- Yes. Yes.
And I really wanna
spend time with my family.
- One more thing.
- Yeah?
I'm having the baby.
I'm sorry, what?
I'm only disclosing that
because, as my superior,
- I believe that you...
- Oh, my God, Momo!
Momo, forget about all that.
I'm uncomfortable now.
I'm just so happy for you.
I'm still uncomfortable.
There's no way anyone
can explain it to you
before you have a baby,
and once you do,
you'll wonder why no one
ever told you how it felt.
Please stop holding me.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Same to you.
Being pregnant
doesn't feel awesome.
It feels like a mistake.
But lots of people
have babies as mistakes.
Maybe... maybe my baby
will turn into Justin Bieber.
He started as a mistake.
Now he's a billionaire.
- Good night.
- Good night, Kate.
There you are.
Heard you're taking off what?
Five days? I love that carpe diem thing
you have going on.
But, just so you know,
I'll be in town.
Wife cooks dinner
for about 20 people.
Makes three turkeys.
So if you need me
to cover for you,
I'll be right here.
Three turkeys? Wow.
That's... that's amazing.
You know, why not give Abelhammer
my cell in case he needs anything.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This is what you need
to know about Bunce.
He's one of those guys
who loves to come in at the end
and take the credit after someone else
has done all the hard work.
If I slip up even a little,
he is so ready to pounce.
I make a great turkey, too,
by the way.
It's delicious.
Everyone says my breast
is very juicy.
- Ah!
- Oh, my God.
You like the mule
in Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
OK, I got the changing pad
and the portable high chair,
the porta-crib, bibs,
Thomas the Tank Engine
cereal bowls.
There's no reason to pack.
Everyone knows that you buy
two of everything,
you keep one set at the country house.
Boom. Done.
I swear to God, Louis XIV
traveled lighter than we do.
You ready to have fun?
Well, I like the spirit.
Just don't tell your mother about my new
project or that I'm on deadline, OK?
What do you wanna do?
You wanna lie to her?
Hm... let's see. Yes.
Oh, OK. All right.
- Here. Ah!
- That's not gonna wanna stay.
- One, two, three...
- Whoo!
Don't worry about that.
- That's ours, right?
- Oh, no.
Who knows the lyrics?
- You do, Daddy.
- Come on. I love this part.
# Bears heavy on my mind
Take it, Kate.
OK.
# Then I look at you
Emily, come on!
# And the world's
all right with me
That's right.
Take it, Kate.
# Just one look at you
What are we gonna do?
# And I know it's gonna be
- Here we go!
- One, two...
- # A lovely day
- Oh!
Look at this.
We're on a trip.
We're all in one place.
Right?
You're right.
You're right, this is great.
- It's nice.
- Really.
- You're buzzing.
- Oh.
- Sorry.
- No, it's all right.
I'm gonna silence this thing.
And it's... quiet.
- And I'm not gonna work.
- Sounds good. OK.
I'm...
I am not working.
See?
- Don't need it.
- Are you sure?
- Yes!
- It's OK.
If you need to take the call,
it's fine.
- I don't need it.
- OK.
Oh!
That's a mistake!
Big mistake! Who wants some?
- Come over here!
- Ah!
- Get him, get him!
- Ah!
- Those look great.
- Thank you.
Thanks for doing this.
Those smell delicious, Kate.
- So a bunch of snowmen are standing...
- Oh, no!
A bunch of snowmen are standing
in front of the barbershop,
- and one of them says...
- Who smells carrots.
- Uh... Oh, come on!
- Same one as last year.
- Thank you.
- You ruined my joke!
- You ruined my joke!
... 30 years ago...
That's my joke!
- I don't get it.
- Because of their nose.
- 'Cause their nose is a carrot.
- You know the pond is frozen.
So if anybody wants
to go skating tomorrow...
Well, I promised Em that we were gonna
build a snowman tomorrow, right?
- Yeah.
- We can do it at the pond.
Oh, that was great,
Mom. What did you do this year?
I ran out of canned
pumpkin, so I had to...
You used cream?
Yeah.
I used light cream,
- but heavy cream's better.
- You OK?
- Yeah, she's here.
- Yeah.
Kate, it's for you.
It's someone named Nono.
Oh, no, Momo.
I'm gonna take it in the other room.
Momo,
what does that mean?
- Are you OK?
- What is the matter with you?
- I left you 100 messages.
- OK.
- Jack is trying to reach you.
- OK, I'll check my phone.
Remember Barry Brentwood?
- He was arrested.
- Mm.
- What?
- He's going to prison.
- Really?
- Barry Brentwood?
- Barry Brentwood.
- What did he do?
Oh, my God.
He got into something
with a drug dealer, and they
hired him to kill somebody...
Oh, no.
Who did he kill?
I don't know!
I don't know. Somebody...
Hi, Jack, sorry I missed your
calls. My cell reception is...
Um, anyway, what's up?
Sorry, Kate.
Harcourt's schedule changed.
- He can only hear the pitch tomorrow.
- Oh, shit.
Well, um, when did that happen?
If you can't make it,
maybe Bunce can take over.
So Harcourt has to go to Hong Kong
the day after tomorrow for a week.
There's some emergency
with the Asian brokerage house.
Which means that tomorrow
morning is our only shot
to get this thing in front of him.
But Jack said Bunce would do it.
- Let him go.
- Come on, Richard.
I can't let Bunce take this. You know
how hard I've been working on it.
But I can't control
how and where we pitch it.
It's not my fault. I have... I have
planned everything so this exact thing
would not happen.
But we were supposed
to make a snowman.
Sweetie, I know. Listen.
The very next time there's snow,
we're gonna make a snowman.
I promise. OK?
You already promised.
Hey. Bye-bye, bunny.
- Bye-bye, Mama.
- Oh, my God!
You spoke!
Ben!
You said, "Bye-bye, Mama. "
- He spoke!
- "Bye-bye, Mama. "
Well, it'll come in handy.
- Richard, I'm...
- You gotta go, Kate.
And we'll talk about it
when you get back, OK?
Bye.
Oh, we all heard
about Thanksgiving.
Leaving right after dinner?
Seriously? Who does that?
No, I prefer
to be with my family.
You know, clean up while my husband
and his friends watch football
and I chase after the kids because
they've had eight slices of pecan pie.
Then I make 11 sandwiches of leftovers
for everybody for the next day.
Listen to my mother-in-law yammer on
for the 15th time
that my stuffing was too dry.
Like I've never
heard that one before.
I just...
It's family, and I love it.
I love it.
I'm feeling
much better, thanks.
- Let's focus on the proposal.
- OK.
I was thinking we could
start with an overview
of dividend payers
versus non-payers.
Whoa! Careful!
Or you could... throw up
again a few more times.
- Momo, you OK?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
This does not
feel like a miracle.
Oh! Don't worry, morning sickness
only lasts about, um,
nine months.
Ooh, oh, yeah.
I've been there.
- You OK?
- Don't I look OK? Let's walk.
Oh, Momo! Momo, Momo! Momo!
Oh, my God!
It's official.
I'm disgusting.
How did this happen?
Don't answer that.
I didn't get any
sleep last night.
I think this baby's
on a treadmill.
Thank you.
- Hey. Hey, good morning.
- Good morning.
Thank you for your lovely note
and the room is beautiful.
You know what? You knocked yourself out
getting this thing right.
You deserve a nice room
and if this thing has any chance at all
with Harcourt, it's gonna be because
- of the way you pitch it.
- He's ready for you.
Let's go.
Remember, we're a great team, Bill.
Good morning.
We're here today
to talk about possibility.
The possibility of a
new financial product
that could restore some of the faith
we've lost with our customer.
We wanna show them that we understand,
that we wanna make money
for them as well as for us.
So I would like to start off
with a few charts
showing you the dividend
base strategy we've devised.
Momo!
- Which will show you...
- The PowerPoint presentation
was going really well.
No one could tell Momo and I
had been up all night rehearsing.
Until...
OK, 300 presentations last year,
and I never messed up once.
It's not my fault. The pregnancy
did something to my brain.
I don't get it, OK? The baby
is nowhere near your brain.
What else can it do to your brain?
Mm!
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry. I was so nervous.
- I forgot the whole...
- Are you kidding? That was a home run.
I didn't have to say a word.
He loved it. I could tell.
- Really?
- Really! You lunatic!
God, I love...
I love the way you ran that.
It was brilliant.
- Absolutely brilliant. There he is.
- Thank you.
- Let me close this.
- OK, OK.
OK.
You OK?
Kate, I hope
I didn't blow this for us.
No, it's fine.
Don't worry about it.
Just like I thought.
He thinks you're terrific.
Wants to know what we've been
doing hiding you in Boston.
- Really?
- Yep. He's going to take me to lunch.
He's got a lot of questions.
But they sound like the right questions.
The ones that mean he's serious.
So should I?
Should I go back? To Boston?
Yeah, I guess. Uh, I'll
call you if I hear anything.
- OK?
- OK.
You know the first thing he said to me?
- Where did I get this idea?
- Oh...
I hope he told him he
got the idea from you.
Well, I mean, you know, we really, he
and I really developed it together.
It's changed a lot
since the version that I started with.
It's not right.
You should be at the lunch.
- Harcourt should know you.
- He will. He will.
I mean, he does. I'm the one that really
pitched it in the meeting, not Jack.
Yeah. But now Jack is going
to lunch with Harcourt,
and you can just bet by dessert,
this whole thing will be Jack's idea.
These guys don't get to the top
by giving credit to the junior team.
What am I doing?
You gotta come with me.
You're where I got this idea.
It's yours.
We're a team.
And teams stick together.
Right, Momo?
So it's the 18th frame,
or maybe the 28th frame,
I can't remember.
- Eighteenth.
- Eighteenth frame.
And, um, you know,
a lot of tension in the bowling alley.
In fact, I think everybody
was completely silent.
- And this gentleman...
- Except you.
This elegant,
wherever you're from,
gets up...
Gets up and he says,
"Max's Automotive is going down!"
- Just like that.
- Just like that!
I came out of my shell.
I think with
a Bronx accent, right?
He fit right in.
It was a pleasure
to meet you.
- Likewise.
- Jack will tell you
that I like to say no,
and I had my doubts coming in,
but you made a very compelling case.
- I am intrigued.
- Oh, my God. Well, thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
You're right,
she does like to say thank you.
I'll be in touch.
That was miraculous.
He never says anything positive.
My God, you think he'll go for it?
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
I think we got a good shot at this.
- Absolutely.
- Oh, my God!
I can't believe it went so well!
- Think you're gonna make your plane?
- Uh, I don't know.
- I have to see what time it is.
- OK.
Wow, will you look at that?
This thing finally quit.
- Battery died?
- Yeah, I didn't charge it.
OK, OK, hold on.
Use mine.
That's odd, look at this.
I got a bunch of missed calls.
All from you.
Richard, honey, I'm on my way.
I'll be there as soon as I can.
But keep a close eye on him.
If he experiences any dizziness
or nausea tonight,
- call us immediately.
- Thank you so much.
- Emily?
- Hi, bunny.
- Hi, sweetie.
- Mommy.
Oh, hi, baby.
What happened?
Well, he tripped on that place in the
carpet and fell down the stairs.
Oh! Sweetie...
A man announces he's going to
leave the office to be with a child,
and he is hailed as a selfless,
doting, paternal role model.
A woman announces that she's going to
leave the office to be with a child
on its sick bed, and she is damned
as disorganized, irresponsible,
and showing insufficient commitment.
I know, it was
on the list, right?
No. No, forget the list,
Richard. You live here.
Haven't you tripped on that
thing a million times?
At least I was here when it happened.
And I tried to call you.
And text you. You didn't
pick up your phone for hours.
I told you,
I forgot to charge my phone.
So I was reduced to breaking into
your address book on your computer
to get the number to your boyfriend.
That was a great feeling.
- Oh, come on!
- Then he didn't answer either.
Jack forget to charge his battery, too?
Doesn't sound like him.
No, we were meeting Harcourt.
You knew that.
It's not like we were naked on a beach
in Aruba sipping Mai Tais.
Well, that's a weirdly vivid denial.
You're right. I failed.
I messed up.
I wasn't here
when Ben needed me.
What difference does it make? Even when
you're here, you're not here, Kate.
We never sit down.
We never relax,
we don't laugh or goof off.
I don't want to discuss
how often we're not having sex.
Well, you know what?
I honestly...
Honestly, I don't understand
- what you want from me.
- You don't know what I want?
I want just a few minutes
where we're not in a panic.
Where we talk about something
other than logistics.
Where you pretend to laugh at my
old jokes that you've heard before.
Where we have five minutes,
just five,
of calm, quiet conversation.
Just five minutes of being together.
That's all.
My list.
Number one:
Get my life together.
Number two:
Stop making lists.
- Where's Daddy?
- He had to go to work early.
Hey, Em, you know that I didn't
want to leave Thanksgiving, OK?
- I wanted to stay...
- Yes, you missed it.
Just like you missed Jamaica Day.
And Evie's birthday party.
Because you have
to talk on the phone
and take an airplane to New York.
I tell everyone that.
And maybe someday
we can make a snowman together.
- But probably not.
- No.
No, we will, Em.
I promise. OK?
The very next time it snows.
I love you.
At work, when you act
like one of the boys,
they call you
abrasive and difficult.
So you act like a woman,
and they say you're
emotional and difficult.
So difficult is really just the word
for anything that isn't a man.
I wanted to let you know
I'm hearing some merger rumors
out of Atlanta on that PharmaCom stock.
Yeah, I heard that.
Gotta get somebody
down there tonight.
No, yeah, OK.
Hello?
Well...
You're... you're where?
This is a very nice surprise.
What are you doing here?
Well, it's just not fair
that you have to keep
coming to New York all the time.
- Oh.
- We'll have to do something about that.
- Especially now.
- Why now?
The fund's gonna need a name.
Wait... We did it?
Harcourt's only funding
a pilot program,
but he rarely does this
unless he's absolutely...
- Yes, we did it!
- Oh! We did it!
Kate, I...
I just wanna say...
- Wow!
- Uh, I also came up here
to say...
You and I...
...we're a team,
a really great team.
And, uh,
I've been thinking lately.
Kate, none of this is me.
Checking my emails
every ten seconds
to see if there's
something from you.
Wanting to tell you all the funny little
things I hear and see during the day.
I know, given our... your
circumstances, this is crazy,
but I had to tell you, because...
...if there's any part of you
that feels the same...
I told you my story,
keep it simple.
However, you make
complicated look appealing.
And I, for the first time
in a long time, feel ready to...
I... Jack, I am so happy
you feel that way.
And now you're gonna find someone
who will mean as much to you
as Richard does to me.
I have made a terrible
mess of things,
and I hope I still have
a place with him,
because that's where I belong.
And it's...
It's snowing.
Yeah.
Oh, my God!
I have to go!
I'm sorry, I... I'll call you later.
There's something...
There's something
that I have to do.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you!
I need to talk to him now.
He's in a meeting,
dear, and I don't...
...gentlemen, I...
Hey, how are you?
Hey, Mitch, Jon.
Yeah. Um, Clark?
Uh, I just wanted to let you know that
I'm gonna go to Atlanta on Monday.
- So... take care, then.
- No.
No, you're going this weekend.
Client's expecting you.
Can we talk
about this in private?
We can talk about it on Monday,
when you come back from
your Atlanta trip this weekend.
- OK. So, my view on...
- Yeah.
See, the problem is that...
...I'm...
...unavailable.
Because?
Because...
...I have
to make a snowman.
Reasons it's OK if I don't work
at Edwin Morgan Forster anymore:
Number one:
Because I have two lives,
and I don't have time
to enjoy either one of them.
- Merry Christmas!
- It's snowing.
Mommy's coming home early, right?
No, honey. She's...
- She's gotta work. We'll see her later.
- No, she is.
Taxi! Taxi!
Number two:
Because trying to be a man
is a waste of a woman.
She's coming.
She said the next time it snows,
we'll make a snowman together.
She'll be there.
She promised. Twice.
Number three:
Because my kids will be grown up
in a flash, and I will have missed it.
Honey, Mommy loves you very much.
But she's gotta work, OK?
Really? You sure?
You wanna go play?
Come on, Ben.
Number four:
Because somehow, some way,
someday, things have to change.
Richard, I...
I know things
have to be different.
I know if I didn't have this job,
things would be better in so many ways.
But... me without that job isn't me.
And me without you and Ben and Emily
is... it's nothing.
So... I went in to see Clark today.
Look, I've given everything
I have to this job.
And I love it. I do.
But I can't dump my family
at a moment's notice anymore.
I won't do it. If what I have
to give is not enough for you...
...then fire me.
But I won't quit.
I will not...
I cannot give up.
Then get out.
You can go on Monday.
Now... leave,
before I reconsider.
- Really?
- Leave.
Thank you! Thank you!
Bunce.
Wipe that smirk off your face.
You land a major fund
with Jack Abelhammer,
we'll talk about
relaxing your schedule, too.
So from now on, if somebody's
gonna be disappointed,
it's gonna be Clark or Jack or Bunce.
And if that's not OK with my bosses,
then I will get a new job.
You know, there will always
be another deal to be made.
But there will only
be one first haircut.
- OK.
- Also, from now on...
- Yeah.
... I will carry that store-bought pie
and I will wave it around bravely.
Uh... that's right!
I bought that freaking pie!
Yep!
- What's wrong with her?
- Richard, Richard, look.
I know I drive you crazy.
But I love you...
...an amazing amount.
And I am so sorry about everything.
- Are you done?
- Yes.
'Cause I have something to say, too.
Something to... read, actually.
A list?
Uh... yeah.
"Change the carpet on the stairs. "
I did that. Oh, I got a leotard
for Emily's ballet recital.
Ben's speech therapy
starts Thursday.
It's all set.
I got an Ab Roller.
I'll never use it. But maybe just
looking at it will tone me up.
"Me and Kate. "
Yeah.
That's number one.
Oh, Richard.
It'll still be a mess, you know.
I mean, that's the only thing
I'm sure of. It will still be a mess.
Yeah, it will.
It'll be our mess. Right?
- Where are they?
- I don't know. Let's go find them.
Where are they? Oh!
Hey! Hi!
Let's make a snowman!
In these circumstances,
an ending that wrapped
things up neatly
might be out of the question.
Kate got her own fund.
And we're all very happy for her.
I think, of everyone, I'm the
least very happy for her.
But I'm still very happy for her.
- Oh, Momo, he is so beautiful.
- Yeah.
It's all so...
...hard to compute.
The second they gave him to me,
it was just like...
...just like...
Why didn't
you tell me any of this?
It's rude not to share.
It's not funny.
You know, we expand
into global funds,
we could get our percentages up
two or three percent.
God, you would sound so much
more compelling saying that
if you didn't have mustard
on the side of your face.
Ah...
- Here? Thank you.
- Uh-huh.
Are you 100 percent sure you don't
wanna run off to Aruba with me?
- Yeah, 200 percent.
- Oh...
But my friend Allison loves Aruba.
She's smart, she's beautiful,
she's available.
You would love her.
Hey, how's it going getting that
meeting with Victor Chau?
He'll be in New York on Saturday.
He said he can meet in the morning.
Oh, I can't, I've got another
appointment on Saturday.
One, two, three!
# L is for the way you look at me
- Mommy?
- Yeah?
- Can I have that?
- Steps back, eyes the ball...
Boom! I got back
from Berlin on Tuesday.
Kate had to go straight
to San Francisco.
I'm actually going
to New York next week.
Man, that sounds like
a hectic schedule.
It is.
Listen, um,
I can't remember,
what does...
what does Kate do again?
Something complicated
with money, right?
Oh, no, no. It's, uh,
pretty simple, actually.
She's, uh...
She's a juggler.
# Please don't break it
Love
# Was made for me and you
You've got an e-card.
Oh!
Greetings
from Jack and Allison in Aruba.
Dear Kate, she's a great girl.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you,
thank you.
Maybe he's Irish,
maybe he's Scottish,
but whatever is going on
underneath that kilt,
let me just say they don't call
him Abelhammer for nothing.