- Latte and mocha.
- Thank you.
Thanks.
- Vincent's merger's dead.
- Don't worry about it, L.
You'll be out of here in 6 months.
The "until" job.
How long you been
working here, Ben?
Jesus.
I know. Pretty pathetic.
At least I don't delude myself
with hopes and dreams.
He's against hopes and dreams.
He's the anti-everything dude.
The antichrist.
You think getting a job in a TV series
is going to change anything?
In 3 days, you'll realize
it's just the same old crap
in a new package--
you'll still be working for The Man,
same as everyone else.
The Man? Who's The Man?
You know-- society, the establishment,
the corporate super-organism.
Him.
You're one dark dude, man.
He's here.
Hi, dad.
So what's new in school?
I don't know.
Math and stuff.
A guru from an ashram
in India came to visit us
in social studies.
He could remember
That kid recognizes you.
Probably from one of your C.D.s.
What were his past lives?
In one he was a prince.
In the other he was a
slave leading a rebellion.
That's the trouble
with reincarnation--
Everybody was always
a prince or a warrior.
Nobody was ever a museum guard,
a paramecium or a bed of moss.
People want to think
they were special, I guess.
Yeah, well,
that's how they get you.
They figure if they can fill you up
with that pie-in-the-sky stuff,
maybe you won't notice how much crap
you've eaten in your own lifetime.
Ready?
I think I'm a lesbian.
Why, 'cause you like hockey?
I like boys, but...
Not to kiss.
I like hanging out with them.
I wouldn't jump
to any conclusions.
You haven't even reached
puberty yet.
You're programmed from birth.
They have studies.
So...
What do you want to do?
You wanna go ice skating?
Dad, I like watching hockey.
I don't even know how to skate.
Do you want to go to McRory's?
Sure.
Very good. Nice-- Nice guitar.
Hey, Ben, this just came in.
Brazilian.
So fine it almost plays itself.
You want to play it?
Go ahead.
Jim and Sweeny are in the back.
Do you mind?
Just for a minute?
Maestro!
All right. I see
you got the Brazilian.
Sweet.
It's a shame.
What is?
To be so great at something
no one cares about.
I think I want to sleep
in my own room tonight.
Ibu snores too loud
and I have a bio quiz tomorrow.
Hey, what's the matter?
She wanted to come home,
that's all.
I love you, dad.
Hey, sweetie.
What did you say to her?
For God's sakes, Ben,
she's 11 years old. She still wants
to think the world is a nice place.
Hey.
She wants me to feed her
that positive-think crap.
We just exited the bloodiest century
in the history of civilization.
We got terrorism,
atomic bombs,
genocide of mythic proportions.
And what have all
these horrors produced
as we go into the new millennium?
Positive fucking thinking.
You know what that's about?
It's about grabbing
as much as you can
with your greedy little fingers.
So why don't you do
something special with her?
Take her to a hockey game
or something.
The only crime left in the whole
fucking world is negativity.
Negativity is treason.
They even have a pill for it.
It is a world in which The Man
is the presiding authority--
The 2 worst inventions
in the past 20 years--
The TV remote and positive thinking.
You know, I-- I hear something
on the radio today.
It was very interesting.
It was about this game theory.
They say if a man acts
in his own interests,
that he would act in a way that is
beneficial to those around him--
if he acts intelligently.
Big "if."
I don't know.
So I went on the internet
to read a little more
about it, you know?
And the cake is--
How you say?
Mutual game theory.
They say, you know,
The game theory between
like each one wanting
what is best for the other.
No fret, no fret.
Glucose spike, yeah?
Like you are my friend, right?
So that which you want,
I want for you.
I go out of my way
for you, Ben.
I would do it happily
because I know
you would do the same.
Great things can come
from this game theory--
Great things.
You know, the Wolofs back
in Senegal,
we don't say,
"that man has this"
or "this man has that."
That is why still magic
exists in Senegal, yeah?
What kind of magic is that?
When it rains, the fish,
they fall from the sky.
This happens
because we believe.
It is like-- like a form
of game theory, I think.
There's an old Wolof saying:
"Your thoughts are things."
And you've seen this?
You've seen fish fall from the sky?
With my own eyes.
The fish, they flap about in the grass,
trying to get back in the stream.
I told my sister about it in a letter.
She has seen it too, you know.
Check mate.
Every time we play, you get me
into one of these conversations.
It's a Goddamn decoy.
Maybe you should look at
the world as your friend.
Yeah,
as soon as I see fish
fall from the sky.
Your--
Your car is supposed to be
flush with the pole.
This has been going on
since I moved in.
It takes me 5 swings
to get out of my spot.
What do you do?
Come out here with a ruler?
Bottom line--
Your car is illegal.
I'm trying to be civil
about this, dude, you know?
I could just call the police
and have your car towed.
You know what you are?
You're a vampire.
You think you're new to the earth,
but you're not.
You've been around for,
like, 10,000 years.
You were in the bible.
You're indestructible.
You're like an insect.
And when the nuclear
holocaust comes,
there'll be swarms of you
driving around in your S.U.V.s
- informing on each other.
- Park where it's legal!
Shut up.
So 8:30, Friday, funny bone.
Everyone's coming, right?
Cassie? Leon?
- Cassie?
- Yes.
Okay. Claire?
Funny bone, Friday?
You gotta come.
I rep a comic and he's
gonna be on at 10:00, so...
Who are you?
I'm The Man.
Are you God?
No, he deals with
the birds and beasties,
planetary alignments, quarks.
I just deal with
the human element.
Then I have a question.
Why are there soda machines
in schools?
Why is it all about
greed, agenda, money?
It is easier to
keep people in line
by appealing to their worst
impulses than their best.
Now everyone has bad impulses?
Not everyone has
good ones.
Maxine, go get dressed.
Lucas, go get dressed for school.
Lucas?
Thank you.
Go get dressed, sweetie.
Hey. Look at this ass clown.
- Who is that?
- It's a guy I work with.
- In proofreading?
- Yeah.
Did you know that there's
a new study that says
cinnamon is good
for the heart?
I'm not listening. You're just
trying to get me off my game.
No no no, seriously, though,
dark chocolate lowers
the blood pressure,
tannins in red wine.
All the medicine we'll
ever need is in the food.
you will have cancer--
The doctor will make you a salad.
Hey, Ben, Cyril G. Here.
I'm going down the list,
and you're coming, right?
You got somewhere to go?
All right, I'll see you there!
He just needs a warm body.
But of course, the consumables
have their own perils--
Mercury in the fish, caffeine.
Maybe one food will
cure cancer, yeah?
But it also gives you M.S.
Your queen is trapped.
You ever wonder what the proctologist
thinks about before he goes to sleep?
- 'Cause the brain's a funny thing, you know?
- Ben.
- Ben. - If you've been spreading
ass cheeks open all day,
you know what the last thing is
you're gonna be thinking about
before you go to bed that night.
To tell you the truth,
I don't know what I'm doing here.
I hate stand-up comedy.
It really moves me
that you came, then.
That's a bitch right there--
Proctologist.
You're the only ass clown
who showed up.
Those fuckers-- I can't believe it.
- Gynecologists.
- This is my guy.
Yeah, you won't regret you came.
He fucking kills.
"Baby, dinner's ready."
And you go, "not tonight, baby.
I had a long hard day
looking at pussies."
I mean, they're coming at you
from all different angles.
It's like big bushy ones,
little bitty ones,
the little Hitler ones, shaved ones--
All of 'em.
It's like a big pussy parade.
The dude over here,
he's like--
he's like, "who, me?"
This is crazy.
Not you, man.
He's like, "who, me?
What? What did I do?"
Not you, man. I'm talking
about Charlie Brown over here.
Yeah, you.
How you doin'?
- I'm good. - Your hemorrhoids
flaring up or something?
You need to watch the show
from the back of the room.
You can stand up back there.
You can watch the show from there.
Can we go on with the show?
Thank you very much.
- All in.
- You're bluffing.
- Call me.
- I'm in.
Flush.
Okay, fine.
You know, give Ben some chips.
Come on. Lucas? Thank you.
And then run--
Over there, yeah.
- Okay.
- And then you gotta get that one.
Good. Yes. Yes!
Good rally.
And it's back on the table--
Good.
Careful. Don't go in the street.
Ibu?
Where's the weed?
Ben.
Ibu!
- What's wrong? Hey.
- I'm okay.
- Hey, what happened?
- It's nothing.
- Nothing, I am fine.
- What? Did your sugar spike?
I inject already.
- You in-- inject?
- Yeah.
I have speaking engagement
at "good morning, America."
- Ibu, come on. Hospital.
- No.
- I speak on game theory.
- Okay.
- I have to go to "good morning, America."
- This way.
- We go now, yeah?
- Yeah, we go now.
- Okay, come on.
- Speak on game theory.
Wait a minute! Sir, I need that.
Wait, stay here. Stay here.
It's okay. Stay here.
Wait, sir.
I have a medical emergency.
Your vehicle is property
of the city, bro.
My friend is diabetic.
He needs to get to a doctor.
Sir? Sir, I think he's in shock!
You should have thought about
that before you parked, right?
Wait!
Wait!
Wait, Ibu.
Ibu, wait wait wait.
I have to--
Come over here.
Come over here and sit down
and wait here, okay?
I have to call.
Stay here, stay here.
Just stay, okay?
Don't move.
Shit.
9-1-1. What is your emergency?
Your friend's blood sugar
spiked precipitously,
probably while he slept.
He must've woken up and
injected himself with insulin.
Is he gonna be all right?
Mr. N'Diyae has gone
into a diabetic coma.
He could come out
of it tomorrow
Or it could be months,
even years.
Does Mr. N'Diyae have family?
Do the doctors think
he'll get better?
They don't know.
Can I see him?
You don't want
to watch the game?
He looks like he's dreaming.
Maybe he's dreaming
he's back in Senegal.
No, there's no R.E.M.
He's a meat puppet.
You took her to see
a coma patient?
Jesus Christ, Ben,
what were you thinking?
I wasn't thinking anything.
Well, I'm sorry.
I know that you two were close.
What do you tell her...
When she asks about things?
What things?
I don't know-- us,
our differences.
You mean like
"who left who and why?"
Well, I lie, Ben.
For God's sakes,
I lie.
Are you happy here
in this house with the gas light?
You know, sometimes I look
at things through your eyes,
and I think...
what an asshole I am
and, you know,
I hate my hair.
But then when I look at things
through my own eyes,
I don't know, I realize that...
I'm happier.
You've empowered yourself.
"At the end of Missour-er
by the great western fir,
lies the cold wet town
of north happier-er-er."
Buford wants to see you.
- You wanted to see me?
- Yeah.
We missed the E.T.A. on the Pratt/
Hodges/Parradine/Holland/Thurston docs
On account of you being
That deal was worth
$10 million to the firm.
My roommate went
into a diabetic coma.
Yeah?
Well, we're letting you go.
Get prepped,
all right?
I've been working here
for 8 years.
Noted.
Bottom line--
You cost the firm money.
Yeah?
What's up?
How was your trip?
Nah, just putting out fires.
Well, then, I guess this is goodbye.
Have you been injured?
Fired unlawfully?
Victim of asbestos?
Harassment in the workplace?
Never bring a knife to a gunfight.
We come armed to the teeth
with every legal weapon available.
We are lawyers,
investigators, specialists--
Everyone to even the odds.
Even the odds!
Call this number on the screen.
Marty Rowe--
The voice of the victim.
You're accusing the city
of depraved indifference?
The city employee
who impounded my car
was apprised of Mr. N'Diyae's
diabetic condition
Just before leaving him
half-conscious in the street.
To prove depraved indifference,
you'd have to first prove
That the city's lack
of compassion is systemic.
Or you could prove the opposite
by agreeing to hear my case.
The presumption being
that if I refuse
to hear your case,
I'm guilty of depraved indifference?
Your honor, motion to dismiss.
This is a waste
of the court's time.
May 3rd, 12:00 p.m.
Your honor, this whole lawsuit
is completely frivolous.
How can it hurt to hear the case?
You must be Ben.
I am Khadi.
So this is your side
of the room.
I'm behind the curtains.
Sorry, we only have 1 bathroom.
It's okay.
Tomorrow-- Ben?
Tomorrow, I--
I cook you Senegalese meal,
tiebou dienne.
It is our national dish.
You eat it and you are Wolof
for an hour.
You are what you eat, right?
Look, this isn't quid pro quo.
Just 'cause I'm giving you
a roof over your head
doesn't mean
you have to cook for me.
I need help.
Please.
Yeah.
You have a wonderful country.
Anything you ever dreamed of
is there for your fingertips
if you have money.
Are we opening a foot locker?
I do not understand.
Shoes.
Even the fruit is beautiful here.
Yeah--
Genetically engineered
not to bruise.
But it tastes like cardboard...
Courtesy of The Man.
I think I like your man.
Why are you dressed like
a pizza delivery boy?
I just got off work.
Well, what happened
to proofreading?
I wanted something more challenging.
Where's Sandra?
Didn't you get the message?
No, she's at a sleepover
at a friend's, yeah.
I mean, she didn't want to go
'cause it was your weekend,
but she gets so few invitations,
and I just sort of felt like--
No, that's all right.
I'm glad she went.
- Okay, good.
- I'll see her next weekend.
No.
Actually, you won't because we
have the school camping trip, so...
You want to--
You want to come in for a sec?
No, that's all right.
I'll see you later, Eliza.
What is--
What is happening?
His blood pressure went down.
Can we clear the room, please?
I will stay here.
So what's with the sneakers?
Sneakers?
The Nikes.
Yes. The Nikes.
It is very hard to get Nikes
in our tiny little spot
on the globe.
It is a Wolof expression.
"If you do not have it,
it is a treasure."
Now you tell me, please,
American phrase.
Okay.
Well...
In America, we have a phrase,
"bottom line".
Bottom line?
Yeah. Yeah, it's the line
from an accountant's form
that tells you your net value,
but we use it when we're about
to do something
that we know is wrong.
Like, we'll say,
"bottom line-- She isn't pretty enough,"
before we dump a girlfriend
or, "bottom line--
He doesn't fit into the company,"
before we fire a guy with 3 kids.
"Bottom line--
he does not fit into the company."
Right. You understand bottom line,
you understand America.
In Dakar, we all have
eye on America.
We see it on TV,
in the magazines.
It is truly the land of more.
Senegal is a very
very small country.
We all are poor,
except a very very few.
Bottom line.
Back to his rugged self.
That doctor is...
Asshole.
She is asshole.
She treats people like
they are water--
One is the same as another.
Excuse me.
I will-- I will be returning home
this afternoon.
Back to Dakar?
Yes.
I am out of funds.
Well, you spent it
all on footwear.
Thank you for--
for everything.
Well, if Ibu--
When Ibu--
I'll tell him.
Yes, thank you.
Yeah.
This is from your brother's
safety deposit box.
He would have wanted
you to have it.
PieWorks delivery.
Yeah. Can you hold on
just one sec, please?
Yeah, no, it's just the timing
is really tough for me.
Girls, no running.
So that's one half mushrooms,
one half anchovies, right?
Thank you.
Thank you.
There must be no light
except for the votive candles.
It is...
Wolof ritual, to make him get better.
You help, no?
No, I'll pass.
Thanks.
Come here, Ben.
Seriously, you don't want me.
I'll send bad vibes or something.
Please, it is better with 2.
In Wolof, we have saying:
"Thoughts are things."
This substance is my brother
who we are longing to get better.
We ask his ancestors who are here
to think these same healing thoughts.
It has no weight, a thought--
no charge,
no properties.
Thoughts do not exist,
not the way a chair exists.
They cannot die. We believe
in the power of our ancestors
because we believe their thoughts
and feelings are forever.
It is salt water from the ocean.
It is now a quiet wave...
Like him.
Move your fingers through the water.
Do it like it is a living thing.
But it's-- it's sea water.
You do not believe in magic, no?
But magic is everywhere.
Feelings are magic, no?
The feelings people have;
What a feeling can do
to another person--
It is like
chemical reaction.
Put your eyes here.
We both love him.
Let the feelings talk.
Wait. Please.
We leave now.
You must not look behind.
If you look behind,
he will not get better.
I'm sorry.
I don't know why I--
My first day of school.
Ibu walked me.
He always held a big stick
to protect me from snakes.
I was not afraid of snakes,
but I never told him.
You were close.
That is Fatou,
my mother.
After my father left,
Ibu became our prince.
He could do no wrong.
She save for him to
go to U.S. For a better life.
It is all she thought about.
After he left, she was
feeling terrible grief,
and then there was nothing left.
I can count the number
of times I was kissed.
Once when I turned 9,
and the other when I turned 10.
I felt a spot on my cheek for days,
and it made me sad,
tragically sad.
I was a very tragic little girl
walking around
with my unkissed face.
Excuse me.
Can you drive me, please,
to the hospital?
Jesus.
I heard you
the first time.
And you figure
what's the hurry, right?
What could possibly be the hurry
in an intensive care unit?
How can I help you?
How long has it been since
you've changed his sheets?
What do you figure,
"skip the vegetable"? Is that it?
I'll-- I'll get new bedding.
Thanks. Terrific.
I'm getting a sandwich.
Do you want anything?
Oh, no--
No, thank you.
Ben?
- I...
- I'll be right back.
Yeah, I know.
"Thoughts are things."
Are you one of those things?
Is that why you're in my dreams?
It's all about expectations.
She never told you
to back off.
It was pretty obvious.
How much of your life
is your fault
And how much
is the world's?
That is your big question.
You have no career,
you've been fired
from your job,
your own daughter
won't speak to you.
Bottom line-- You can't
even earn a living.
That's what it's all about for you,
isn't it? Money.
Let's take money
out of the equation.
What would you like it
to be all about?
Hey, there he is.
Hey, I'm glad you came.
I want to talk to you.
Come over here.
Somebody's birthday?
Cassie got a gig on a show.
So I found that while I was
going through my kids' old C.D.s.
You're outted, bro.
I-- I googled you.
You were the 3rd-biggest
kiddie singer in the country.
You played the Pasadena Civic Center.
God, I don't know what happened,
but we've got to get you back
on that kiddie gravy train.
All right, I know what you're thinking.
"Why me?"
Well, I'm gonna tell you.
Because...
I have no talent. None.
Zip. I used to copy other
kids' drawings in art class.
I'm not kidding--
I cheated in art.
So this is an ego-free zone.
When did you find out
about this?
What difference
does it make?
If I wanted a parasite,
I'd eat raw pork.
What? Wait.
You're beating your hands
against a boulder.
Hey.
- Where's Sandra?
- She's at her friend's house.
They're doing
a book report together.
I'm sorry.
I should have called you.
I want to talk to her.
She's at her friend's house.
Ben.
- Sandra?
- Ben.
- Sandra!
- Is there a problem?
No, Evan, I can handle this.
- Let me handle it, okay?
- Yeah. Okay, Evan?
Go back to the den
with your toolbox.
- I've got it.
- Sandra?
That wasn't very nice.
Well, I think the director
of acquisitiveness can take it.
Director of acquisitions.
Director of acquisitions,
vice president of greed-- whatever.
- You know what he is.
- Ben, get out of the house
- or I am calling the police.
- I have a right to see my daughter.
You can't keep her locked up
here like a prisoner.
Like a prisoner?
Ben, she is the one
who doesn't want to see you.
You-- You want to know why?
Because you make her feel bad.
You know, you poison
the air around her
With all of your complaining.
And have you ever ever
Asked her one question
about herself?
I mean, you can't even see
that your own daughter
is hurting.
I mean, she doesn't
have any friends.
She's confused.
You coming?
So do you want to go to McRory's?
No, let's go ice skating.
Dad, I don't know how to skate.
Well, maybe it's time you learned.
Dad, I think the needle's on empty.
That means there's
a half gallon left in the tank.
They just do that so you'll
buy more than you need.
It's a conspiracy between
the car companies
and the oil companies.
What kind of neighborhood
doesn't have a gas station?
Residential ones, I guess.
I'm sorry.
I really wanted you to
have a good time tonight.
It's okay, dad.
It's an adventure...
Sort of.
God damn it.
Okay, now move the pot sideways.
Yes, and then the other side.
Yes, like that.
What do you do in Dakar?
I--
I work in hotel.
I don't mean to be
ethnocentric or anything,
but do you get paid
below-subsistence wages,
like $5 a day or anything?
My life is one of misery and pain.
Does that make you feel better?
I'm sorry.
I was being shallow and stupid.
I was being a total asshole American.
My country is very different from yours,
but we have fun too.
There are clubs, we have music.
We listen to a lot of music.
We Senegalese love to dance.
Go on, try it.
I'm so inept at dancing.
There ought to be
a special ring in hell
for the guy who invented
the air mattress.
You are being ethnocentric.
Come on.
I'm a total klutz!
Try it.
I know. It's genetic.
You are making her self-conscious.
You want me to leave?
Okay.
Okay, yes!
Yes!
You wore her out.
Here.
That was fun.
Bye.
This is mistake.
I did not want to do this again.
Why?
I do not want to be--
How you say?
Your mistress.
My mistress?
There is no time for anything else.
I have 2 weeks left on my visa.
To stay here,
I would need green card.
But you-- We do not
know each other enough.
It is impossible.
We are like different species.
We are like lion and
hippo trying to mate.
Which one is the hippo?
You.
Do I look
like a hippo?
So you don't think there's
any hope for us at all?
None...
whatsoever.
I am bad.
I see something I like
and I must have it.
I am greedy.
There's nothing bad about you.
You do not know every part of me.
What part don't I know?
Right here...
And here...
And here.
I know it a little.
Get to know it better.
How come you quit singing
for children, Ben?
The record company said
that they'd produce
an acoustic solo album
if I went on
a national children's tour.
And the record company
went back on its word?
No, they produced it,
but they dumped it.
They didn't promote it.
They didn't advertise.
They said it wasn't accessible.
Bottom line.
Yeah. Bottom line.
You have C.D.?
The one the record company
did not want to promote?
You don't want to hear that.
I would like to hear it.
You're probably one of 10 people
who's heard this.
I see why you got angry.
It is maybe too quiet for the world.
All rise.
Be seated.
You guys multiply like Amoebas.
How could the tow-truck driver know
That towing Mr. Singer's car
would lead to Mr. Nidia's--
N'Diyae.
Mr. N'Diyae going into
a diabetic coma?
I mean, is he a doctor?
Is he a trained nurse?
The fact is, Ben Singer
was parked illegally
and the tow-truck driver
simply did his job.
Your honor, this is a no-brainer.
I know I'm just a--
a joke to you,
and you only decided to hear my case
because you were amused.
Some crackpot acting
as his own attorney
accusing the city
of depraved indifference.
You know what the most crowded
room is in the getty museum?
It's the room with
Van Gogh's "Irises."
Why? Because someone bought
the painting for $54 million.
There's a reverential silence
in the Iris room.
Mr. and Mrs. Museum-goer
might as well be looking
at a framed pile of cash.
Newspapers publish
movie grosses.
If a movie earns over
$100 million,
we assume it must be good.
There's no God.
There's no beauty.
If a painting or a C.D.
doesn't sell, throw it out.
The 910 freeway has
a very sharp turn
as it winds into the valley
from the hills,
and every year 4 or 5 motorists
are killed on this spot.
The city conducted
a cost-and-effect study,
and the study concluded that
the cost in terms of human life
was not equal to the cost
of rebuilding the highway.
And so this deadly spot
on the highway remains,
and in 5 years
Well, if this isn't
depraved indifference,
I don't know what is.
Ibu N'Diyae came here from Senegal.
He worked as a guard
at an outlet store in Carson.
He's a great chess player.
He's my friend...
and he was thrown away.
Well, what kind of a world
do we live in that his life
is worth less than this
nobody's ability to get quickly
into a parking space
or the city impound's need for revenue,
so that each one of these Amoebas
can have a beach house in Miami?
Is that really the kind of
world we want to live in?
All rise.
My sympathy is with Mr. N'Diyae
And I wish him a speedy recovery.
However,
a tow-truck driver is not
a trained medical diagnostician
and should not be expected
to behave like one.
Bottom line--
You were parked in the wrong place
at the wrong time.
I rule in favor of the defense.
I hope the western world survives.
Can't we just agree to disagree?
Fuck you.
I think we made a connection, yes.
Do you think he will marry you?
Yes, I think he will marry me.
Get green card then.
You get green card, there is
more opportunity for you.
That is all good, Khadi.
Are you feeling okay?
Okay, sir, we're gonna get you
up in the wheelchair now.
Here you go.
Did you really think
that you'd get away with it?
What are you
talking about, Ben?
Did you really think that I was
gonna walk down the aisle with you
While you were picking
my fucking pocket?
Jesus, you're
really something
with your bullshit African dancing
And your "I'm gonna
cook you a Wolof meal."
The whole time,
you're nothing but a con artist.
I-- I do not know why you
are saying these things.
Don't give me that innocence crap.
The whole time you've been playing me.
You've been prostituting yourself
for an American citizenship.
Remember that slap.
It's the last time we touch.
The angry man?
It's good to see you
back in the land of the living.
Maybe I go back into coma...?
Is she here?
Khadi went back to Dakar.
You know, Ben,
she was not only
after your green card.
It is possible to love someone
and to also want
something from them.
Game theory.
Ideally, we'd keep you
a couple more days,
but Medicaid stops paying
once your vitals are normal.
Any pain, any dizziness
or pain here, you call, okay?
Okay, doctor.
Well, it's all about liability.
They'll release you when
your life is still in danger,
but you gotta be in a wheelchair.
You know, has anyone
ever told you that
maybe you are a bit
too negative, Ben?
So do you remember
anything from the coma?
It-- It-- It was like
the world went away;
like the whole world was
on vacation, yeah?
It-- It was much quieter
without the world.
And-- And then I missed it.
And now that the world is back,
it is kind of like
your child that
you have not seen in a while.
You know?
Listen.
Do you hear?
That-- That there--
The honking of the car,
the dog bark...
There is something
very friendly about it.
It is good to have it back, Ben.
Hey, how you feelin', Ibu?
You want coffee?
- Mr. Ben.
- Hello.
- Welcome to Senegal.
- Thank you.
We are over here.
I am glad you came
all the way to Dakar.
He would have wanted
you to be here.
Those things that I said,
I know I can't take them back--
but you want to take them back.
Yes.
Ibu talked about you
in his letters.
You know what
he called you?
"The good man."
He answers ad to share rent
And you treat him like a friend.
He wrote about you a lot.
You are a good man.
You gave him heart.
You gave him magic.
That is how I will--
I will think of you.
I don't want you
to think of me.
I don't want it to be
in the past tense.
I made a mistake.
What do you want?
Me to come to America with you?
Get my green card?
Do you--
You want to stay here
in Dakar with me?
What-- What happened
with us was...
a fantasy.
This is where I live.
My friends are here.
It has its own smells,
this country.
I missed it.
I like it here.
This is my home.
Excuse me.
No no, it's no problem at all.
So how are things?
I mean, at school and stuff.
They're okay.
Some of the kids...
make fun of me sometimes.
Well, the world can be
a bad place.
Sometimes people act
like assholes
just to fit in.
You mean it's
a defense mechanism,
like a chameleon?
Yeah.
But most people
are basically okay.
What about The Man?
He's a schmuck,
but he's not Adolf Hitler.
- That's reassuring.
- It is?
Actually it is.
I don't know why, but...
It is.
I want you to have
good expectations.
You're young.
You're bright.
You're pretty.
Of course you'd say that.
You're my dad.
Well, I would tell you if you were
a depressing, ugly little shit.
No, you wouldn't.
Bye, dad.
Bye.
Hey, how you doin'?
Thanks for coming out.
My name is Cyril Hedges
and I kind of helped put
this whole thing together,
so I really appreciate
you guys coming.
Quick thing, though--
Has anyone seen my lucky socks?
- No! Yeah!
- I don't know where they are
and I really--
I can't start until I find them.
And I just don't know where--
I'm sorry?
No, socks don't belong
in your pockets.
I don't know why you would
think that that's--
I don't know why you're saying that.
They're not behind me.
Behind me?
Behind--
Behind me, with the pink toe.
Okay, I got them. All right.
All right, we're good to go.
So please welcome to the stage,
ladies and groundhogs,
Ben Singer!
Hello.
Hi, everybody.
I-- I guess I'm back.
Late July
and it's carnival time
We're together
and the weather's fine...
Take my hand and we'll get in line
This day might never end
There's a big wheel towering
above our heads
Kaleidoscope turning
yellow, green and red
"You can see forever
from the top," they said
And summer's here again
And the world is
spinning out in space
The sun is shining
down on your face
Think of all
that we might do
Ride on the wheel
of fortune, spinning too
We're spinning too.
You just go anywhere
you want to
Summer wind
You just go anywhere
you want to
Summer wind
You pay no mind
to what we say
You ramble in
and then you blow away
Oh, please come back
again and stay
Summer wind
You came up here
from the south now
Summer wind
You came up here
from the south now
Summer wind
You brought the good times
to the north
You said, "am I welcome?"
And we all said, "of course"
And then opened
the windows
And opened the doors
to the summer wind
You take the clouds
out for a ride now
Summer wind
You take the clouds
out for a ride now
Summer wind
We lie around
and watch them pass
Out in the park
with our backs on the grass
Oh, and the clouds
they try
To make us laugh,
summer wind
I think of you when
the deep snow falls
Summer wind
I think of you when
the deep snow falls
Summer wind
I can almost hear
your breezy sound
And I can picture Anna's
hair blowing up and down
The seasons just
keep turning around
In the summer wind
Oh, summer wind
Summer wind
In the summer wind.