Previously on “The Salingers”:
COUNSELOR: So… what are your plans after graduation?
BAILEY: (Hesitates) Plans? I’m… I’m not sure.
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WILL: (At job fair) First New York, now Chicago?
BAILEY: Look, I gotta go.
WILL: Seems to me you’re already gone.
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JULIA: I lied, Tania…on my application. I said I’m graduating from Stanford in May, but I’m not. And the truth is, I’m not even pursuing my degree because a couple years ago I sort of dropped out.
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MRS. MINA: (To Kirsten) I’m calling today because I’m concerned about Owen. He hasn’t turned in his last few homework assignments.
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CHARLIE: Not every problem is some major syndrome.
KIRSTEN: Charlie, I know you don’t want this to be a big thing. I’m hoping it’s not either. All I’m saying is… he hasn’t been himself lately.
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CHARLIE: Is this helping? Us being apart?
KIRSTEN: I don’t know how to answer that, Charlie.
CHARLIE: (Closes his eyes) You told me to leave and I left. That’s what I thought you wanted.
KIRSTEN: But I didn’t want this. I think we should see a marriage counselor.
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MAN: The eight contestants who are advancing to the finals round are: Margaret Nguyen, William Thatcher, So-Ock Kim… (As the names are read cheers ring out through different parts of the auditorium. Claudia breaths deeply.) Frances Ignagni, Martina Suarez, Stephan Allegro, Victor Choi… (As the last name is read, Claudia shuts her eyes and grasps the hand of Mrs. Clark.) …and Lance Van Doren.
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MR. CLARK: Claudia? (She turns around.) You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. You know that, right? (Claudia acknowledges this with a small smile, then walks into her room. She closes her door then leans back against it, cupping her face in her hands. She begins crying.)
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CLAUDIA’S ROOM, JUILLIARD. CLAUDIA unpacks her bags as she talks to HEATHER.
HEATHER: This place is insane without you! I’m glad you’re back. (Smiling) After all… you are my favorite roommate.
CLAUDIA: (Without emotion) Thanks, Heather.
HEATHER: Hey… what’s going on? (Claudia remains still.) Does this have anything to do with the competition?
CLAUDIA: (Sarcastically) Gee… do you think? Hmmm… let’s see. Well, I didn’t make finals. Maybe we should have a party! (Claudia glares at her.)
HEATHER: I’m sorry.
CLAUDIA: (Softening) No. I’m sorry. It’s just… I had such high hopes that I’d make finals. Maybe even win. It’s kind of hard to be here when all I keep thinking about is where I could be right now… (Heather notices the clock, gets up.)
HEATHER: I have a class, Claud. But we’ll talk later, okay? (Claudia nods and Heather smiles as she leaves the room. Claudia opens the zipper of her large luggage bag. She begins to unpack when VAL sees her from the doorway. She is wearing workout clothes and a walkman.)
VAL: Hey! You’re back! How did the competition go?
CLAUDIA: I placed 13th.
VAL: Wow, great! (Before Claudia can answer, Val increases the volume on her walkman and continues down the hall. Claudia rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath. Just then, TINA passes Claudia’s doorway.)
TINA: It’s the long lost roommate! So, how did the compe—
CLAUDIA: I lost, okay? (She shuts the door on Tina.)
PO5 Credits
CHARLIE’S HOUSE. OWEN is in the backyard, throwing a tennis ball against the guest house. He catches the ball with a baseball glove as it bounces back. CHARLIE watches from a distance as Owen repeats this several times.
CHARLIE: Hey, O. (Owen doesn’t respond, continues throwing the ball.) Listen, Lord of the Rings is playing at the Landmark. I thought maybe we could catch the 5:30 showing if you want.
OWEN: (Not looking at Charlie, throwing the ball a little harder) Are you asking me ‘cuz you feel guilty or something… ’cuz you haven’t been around?
CHARLIE: What? (Scoffing) I’m asking because I want to.
OWEN: I already saw it with Kenny.
CHARLIE: Oh. Okay. (Moving closer) O, is there anything you want to talk to me about?
OWEN: Nope. (Bounce.)
CHARLIE: Are you sure? You know, just because I’m not sleeping here right now doesn’t mean things have to be different between us. I’m still here for you, no matter what. So if there’s anything you need, anything you want to talk about—
OWEN: There’s not. (He throws the ball with force and it bounces back over his head. He doesn’t even bother to try to catch it.) I better go do my homework now. (He hurries off as Charlie stands there, dumbfounded.)
FRANKLIN MILLS SHOPPING MALL, PHILADELPHIA. BAILEY and MARIA are browsing through a luggage store. Bailey pulls a leather briefcase off the shelf, examining it.
BAILEY: What do you think?
MARIA: I don’t know. It’s kind of… corporate.
BAILEY: What’s wrong with that?
MARIA: Nothing. But a little style wouldn’t kill you.
BAILEY: I’m interviewing with a consulting firm, Maria. Style points are pretty low on the list of requirements.
MARIA: I don’t know. They’re pretty liberal-minded in Chicago.
BAILEY: So what? You want me to strut in there with my Fubu backpack?
MARIA: Of course not. I’m just saying—
BAILEY: Look, I’m not taking any chances with this. I need everything to be perfect. (Looking in a full-body mirror) I need them to take one look at me and say, “This is our guy.”
MARIA: (Sighing) Okay, so… it’s corporate we want.
BAILEY: Right.
MARIA: Professionalism.
BAILEY: Right.
MARIA: (Rolling her eyes) Get the briefcase. (Bailey holds the briefcase to his side, looking in the mirror. He smiles, then he looks closer in the mirror.) What?
BAILEY: You think I should get my teeth cleaned? (Maria laughs, then walks off, shaking her head. Bailey looks into the mirror again and smiles.)
CHARLIE’S HOUSE. KIRSTEN and CHARLIE are sitting at the dining room table. We feel their tension as they look awkwardly at each other across the table.
CHARLIE: I just don’t see how a complete stranger who knows nothing about us and our lives is going to solve our problems. That’s something we have to figure out on our own.
KIRSTEN: Well, that’s not working, is it?
CHARLIE: Because we’ve been practically avoiding each other. We’re not spending any more time together, alone or with the kids. I’ve been trying to give you the time you need to work this out, give you some space to figure it all out, and now you’re telling me we need counseling? (Running his hands through his hair) I think we missed a step here somewhere.
KIRSTEN: We’ve tried everything else, Charlie.
CHARLIE: No, we haven’t. Look…I know things have been rough for a while with me working so much, but that’s gonna change now. I got a manager for the restaurant, Kirsten. And with him running things, there’ll be more time for us. Isn’t that what you wanted?
KIRSTEN: Yes, but… (looking down) …I wish it were that simple.
CHARLIE: Why isn’t it? (Kirsten doesn’t answer.) Kirsten, I love you. I want to be with you. We’ve made it through tougher times than this on our own, haven’t we? Can’t we try to work this out, just the two of us? (He puts his hand on hers, but she doesn’t move.)
KIRSTEN: (Shaking her head) I’m sorry, Charlie.
JULIA’S APARTMENT. JULIA is sitting at a small table in the corner of the living room. She is deep in thought, concentrating on the form in front of her. Her left arm is propped up, fingertips gently pressed against her forehead, while her right hand intermittently shakes the pen she holds, then writes, then shakes again. GRIFFIN enters the room and grabs his coat from the coat rack. He slips his arm through the sleeve and turns to Julia.
GRIFFIN: I’ve gotta go pick up Matthew.
JULIA: (Continuing to study the paper) Okay.
GRIFFIN: (Pushing his left arm through the other sleeve) I’m gonna stop and pick up some of those little animal crackers he likes so much. You know, something to snack on while we’re at the playground. (Turns to leave, hesitates, looking back to her.) Hey, does Owen still eat those, or would he think they’re too baby-ish for him now?
JULIA: (Not looking up) Um… okay.
GRIFFIN: (Smiles) What? What are you doing?
JULIA: Huh? Oh, nothing.
GRIFFIN: (Walks over to her and peers over her shoulder at the form on the table. As he reads he raises his eyebrows.) “Application for Admittance.” You’re going back to Stanford? (Confused) I thought your job didn’t care about that.
JULIA: (Looking up at him) They don’t. But… maybe I do.
CLAUDIA’S ROOM, JUILLIARD. The light is low, and the room is a little bare with boxes packed in the corner. CLAUDIA sits on her bed staring at her phone. After a moment of hesitation, she picks it up. A beep is heard and she begins to leave a message.
CLAUDIA: Hey, Bay. If you had any plans for Valentines Day, don’t cancel them. You don’t have to worry about flying out to Denver next week. I didn’t make finals. I’m back in New York now and everything is fine so… so I guess that’s it. Talk to you soon. (Claudia hangs up. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She places her hand on the receiver and with a sigh picks it up and begins to dial another number.) Hey, Jul. I know you were all set to fly out to Denver next week, but you can scratch that plan.
EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF SANDERSON CONSULTING, CHICAGO. BAILEY sits across from a man who looks over his application. This is DEAN STRICKLAND. We know this by the gaudy gold cardholder on his desk that bears his name. Bailey squirms a bit, trying to make himself comfortable.
STRICKLAND: The good ol’ Red and Blue, eh? Sanderson went to UPenn, too.
BAILEY: Sanderson?
STRICKLAND: Walt Sanderson. Sanderson Consulting.
BAILEY: Oh, right. Right.
STRICKLAND: Graduating in May, eh?
BAILEY: Yes, sir.
STRICKLAND: (Looking at the application) GPA’s not bad.
BAILEY: (Enthused) Yeah, I—
STRICKLAND: Could be better.
BAILEY: (Recovering) —I don’t think it reflects my true, uh, potential, you know? What I mean is, I think—
STRICKLAND: What about your internship?
BAILEY: Excuse me?
STRICKLAND: I don’t see anything about your internship.
BAILEY: Oh. That’s because… I sort of didn’t do one. I opted to take classes instead.
STRICKLAND: I see. (Raising his eyebrows) Well, I wouldn’t say that’s a deal-breaker. Although we do prefer the work experience.
BAILEY: Okay.
STRICKLAND: I’ll have HR look this over. We’ll be in touch.
LAFAYETTE PARK, SAN FRANCISCO. Dozens of kids are involved in their various play activities as parents and other adults look on. In the middle of this are GRIFFIN, JULIA, OWEN and MATTHEW. Griffin is pushing Matthew in a baby swing, and Owen is chasing Julia in circles around a monkey bar dome.
GRIFFIN: Hey, slow down, will ya?
JULIA: (To Owen) Give up?
OWEN: No way! (Owen begins climbing over the dome to get to Julia. She tries to run to the other side, but Owen jumps off toward her. They fall to the ground, laughing.) Got’cha! (They both laugh as Griffin looks on from a short distance.)
GRIFFIN: Hey, be careful, you guys! Someone’s gonna get hurt.
JULIA: (Whispering to Owen) When did he get so boring? Must be a Dad thing.
OWEN: (Owen looks down) Yeah. (They get up and sit on the dome, brushing the bark off their clothes.) Julia, can I stay with you tonight?
JULIA: Tonight? I don’t know, O. We didn’t bring your sleeping clothes… or your toothbrush.
OWEN: Please?
JULIA: Well, I guess we can swing by Charlie’s and grab that stuff.
OWEN: Cool!
JULIA: But let’s get some lunch first. Pizza okay?
OWEN: Hmm. How about hot dogs… from Combo’s?
JULIA: Combo’s? By our old house? (Owen nods.) That’s way over on the other side of town, O. Why don’t we grab something else and I can make you some hot dogs tonight? (Owen looks down, disappointed.) Well, if that’s what you really want… (musses his hair) …okay. (Owen smiles, and they begin walking toward Griffin and Matthew.)
OWEN: And maybe we can go by the house, huh? Just to look?
CLAUDIA’S DORM ROOM. SARAH is gathering the last of her items from the room, packing them in a box. CLAUDIA watches, sitting on her bed.
SARAH: It’s nothing special. Just a bedroom, a bath and a small kitchen, really. But at least it’s in a decent area… and I can afford it. Have you seen my hair dryer?
CLAUDIA: On the dresser.
SARAH: Thanks. (Sarah grabs the hairdryer.) Albert’s been my saving grace. It’s pretty competitive out there, but he’s been able to find me little gigs to keep me busy. Nothing spectacular, but enough to get me a few months ahead in rent.
CLAUDIA: (Half-hearted) That’s great, Sarah. You found something you’re good at. (Sighs) Maybe I should try modeling…I might have better luck.
SARAH: Claudia, I know you’re disappointed, but… come on. You know how amazing you are. Don’t get down because some stupid judges made the wrong decision.
CLAUDIA: Those judges are experts, Sarah. Retired music professors, life-long musicians. They know their stuff. I just didn’t cut it. (Sarah sits next to Claudia on the bed.) And the worst part is, I’ve got to face my class tomorrow. I’ve got to walk into that room, and everyone’s going to think, “That’s her. Poor girl.” God, it’s so humiliating. (Claudia begins crying, and Sarah hugs her.)
SARAH: It won’t be that bad, Claud. You’ll see. (Releases the hug) I can stay with you tonight if you want. (Claudia nods through her sniffles, still looking down.)
JULIA’S APARTMENT. JULIA and OWEN are in the living room. Owen is in his pajamas, watching as Julia pushes the couch and loveseat together.
JULIA: Here, O. Catch. (She holds one end of a blanket and tosses the other end to Owen. It lands on his head, and he laughs. Julia giggles.) Oops. (Owen appears from under the blanket and grabs the end.) Okay, now pull. (They spread the blanket on top of the furniture, creating a makeshift “tent.”) You sure you don’t want to just sleep on the couch?
OWEN: (Shaking his head.) Uh-uh.
JULIA: Okay, then. There you go. All campers, please report to their tents. Lights out. (Julia tosses a pillow onto the floor. Owen smiles and backs himself under the blanket. He leans on his elbows, peering out.) I’ll see you in the morning, O. (Julia leans down and kisses him on the cheek.) G’night.
OWEN: Night, Julia. (Julia walks over and switches out the light, leaving just a small glow from the light over the stove. She walks toward her room.) Hey, Julia?
JULIA: (Turning around) Uh-huh?
OWEN: Can I stay with you?
JULIA: Well… you are staying with me, O.
OWEN: I always have fun with you, Julia. It’s nice here.
JULIA: (Smiling) That’s sweet… I have fun with you, too. We’ll have you stay over another night soon, okay?
OWEN: No, no. I mean… stay with you. For just a little while. Kirsten won’t mind. She’s always busy with Stewie anyway. And Charlie—
JULIA: What?
OWEN: Nothing. I just thought it would be really cool.
JULIA: We can talk about it in the morning, ‘kay? Sleep tight. (In the soft light, we see Julia bite her lip as she walks away.)
THE FACTORY. CHARLIE is sitting at his desk, which is covered with papers. LUKE stands in the doorway, hesitating as he sees Charlie is on the phone. Charlie waves him into the office.
CHARLIE: Great, Kendall. Sounds like you’re all set. Just give me a call if you need anything else. (He hangs up the phone.) Hey, Luke.
LUKE: Hey, Charlie. I’ve got the invoices from Alta Resources.
CHARLIE: (Motioning to his desk) Just add them to my pile…
LUKE: (Smiling) So, how are things going at the restaurant?
CHARLIE: (Nodding) Great. Kendall’s really getting up to speed quickly. We sure got lucky bringing him on board.
LUKE: I’m glad to hear that. You deserved the break, man.
CHARLIE: Thanks.
LUKE: And I imagine that makes things better at home, too.
CHARLIE: (Sighing) Yeah, well… you’d think so.
KING OF PRUSSIA COURT AND PLAZA MALL, PHILADELPHIA. WILL and BAILEY are in a women’s fragrence store. Will is testing out all the perfumes on his wrist as Bailey looks on.
BAILEY: The guy couldn’t have liked me any less, I swear. (Will moves on to another fragrance table. Bailey trails him.) I mean, he actually said my GPA sucked. (Will puts his wrist in front of Bailey’s nose.)
WILL: How’s this?
BAILEY: Too flowery. (Will continues his search.) So he says, “We’ll call you.” Like that’s totally not the kiss of death, right?
WILL: How ‘bout this? (Again puts his wrist out for Bailey) The sign says “compelling and provacative.” So… does it make you feel… you know…?
BAILEY: Will. You don’t really want to finish that question, do you?
WILL: I don’t know. It’s just— This is our first Valentines Day. That’s important stuff.
BAILEY: You’re overreacting, man.
WILL: Oh, right. Say… say she’s the one, okay? Twenty years from now I don’t want to hear her complaining about… about the lame teddy bear I gave her… or the music box that plays “My Heart Will Go On.” (Brightening up) I want her to think… “That’s when I knew. That’s when I knew he was the one. When on our first Valentines Day, he gave me…” (Frantic) And that’s when it goes blank!
BAILEY: Nice to see you’re keeping this in perspective. (Will shoots Bailey a look, then continues to the next counter.) So I guess I’m not supposed to talk to you about this stuff, right? My interviews.
WILL: I didn’t say that.
BAILEY: That’s ‘cause you haven’t said anything.
WILL: Look… (sighs) I know I’ve been kind of a jerk about… the idea of you going away. The thing is, Jean’s graduating in May, too. And we kind of haven’t decided what to to about… things, you know?
BAILEY: Things. Like… where you’ll live things?
WILL: Like whether we’re going to stay together things.
BAILEY: Whoa. That’s— I had no idea.
WILL: So when you talk about working in Chicago or New York, it’s like… I feel like I’m losing everyone. (Bailey looks down.) Now you know why I’m killing myself trying to find the perfect gift. Maybe it’ll tilt the scales my way. (Will sprays another fragrance on his wrist, and Bailey looks at him with new understanding.)
THE FACTORY. CHARLIE sits at his desk. He looks beyond the stack of paperwork on his desk to a framed picture of Kirsten and Stewie. He picks it up and looks at it, thinking, as JULIA walks in.
JULIA: Hey, Charlie.
CHARLIE: Hey. (He sets the picture down.)
JULIA: Me and Griffin are going to that Mexican place on the corner for lunch. Wanna come?
CHARLIE: That’s okay. Thanks.
JULIA: Okay. (A beat.) Too bad about Claud, huh?
CHARLIE: Huh?
JULIA: The competition.
CHARLIE: Oh, yeah… yeah. Too bad. (Another beat.) So, how’s the new job coming along?
JULIA: I don’t know. It’s kind of too early to tell, but I’m gonna try to make it work. (Charlie nods.) It’s funny, ‘cause the whole idea of this job – how it came about – seemed kind of like a mistake, you know? I mean, I really wanted to write fiction, so the idea of writing criticism just… didn’t seem like it would work for me. But then I thought, why not? (She smiles.) Weird, huh?
CHARLIE: What is?
JULIA: How a person can try to make things work out a certain way, and for whatever reason they just don’t. Then something you totally think won’t work – I don’t know – it just might. (Charlie glances back to the picture of Kirsten.) That probably sounds stupid, huh?
CHARLIE: (Speaking softly) No. Actually, it doesn’t. (GRIFFIN walks in.)
GRIFFIN: (To Julia) Hey, ready to go?
JULIA: Yeah. (To Charlie) See ya.
CHARLIE: Yeah. (Julia and Griffin leave, and Charlie fixes his glance back on Kirsten’s picture.)
PARKING LOT AT KING OF PRUSSIA MALL. It’s evening, and BAILEY and WILL are looking for Bailey’s Jeep. Bailey is opening a new CD as they walk. Will is carrying nothing.
WILL: Didn’t you notice any landmarks when you parked?
BAILEY: Landmarks?
WILL: A light post… a sign. Anything.
BAILEY: Yeah, I remember parking next to a bunch of cars. Now calm down. It’s gotta be around here.
WILL: Calm down? Calm down?! I just spend three hours looking through God knows how many stores trying to find the perfect gift. Unsuccessfully, I might add.
BAILEY: Yeah, but you act like it’s the end of the world.
WILL: Oh, I’m sorry. Right. You got the latest Nickelback CD. Where’s the confetti?
BAILEY: No, what I’m saying is… it just means you have to think outside the mall, y’know? Get a little creative here.
WILL: Creative, huh? You mean like a monster truck show?
BAILEY: Very funny. I mean, like…like… I don’t know. Creative!
WILL: Oh, that helps. C’mon, give me something specific here. Like… what are you and Maria doing?
BAILEY: Me and…? Nothing.
WILL: Nothing?
BAILEY: Nothing.
WILL: (Taking this in) Nothing.
BAILEY: Why would we? Valentines is for boyfriends and girlfriends, right? Husbands and wives. Not… not… whatever it is we are. (Will raises his eyebrows.) Technically speaking, we’re not together.
WILL: Okay.
BAILEY: What? You… you think she’s expecting something?
WILL: I don’t know, man. But what I do know is she’s a woman. And when it comes to women, it’s always safer to be more thoughtful than less. (Bailey thinks about this.) You know what’s sad? Here’s the highlight of my day: I see your stupid Jeep. (Will walks on, and Bailey follows.)
MORSE HALL, JUILLIARD. PROFESSOR OLDHAM is standing in front of a small orchestra in a practice room.
OLDHAM: When you think about it, the notes on the sheet are like a skeleton. Your interpretation and style are the flesh and blood of the piece. Remember to always… (Claudia walks in to the rehearsal room late, trying quickly to sit down in the back row. Professor Oldham gives a wide smile upon seeing her. He begins to clap for her. The other students begin to clap for her, and a few stand up, giving her an ovation. The rest of the students join in, all standing and clapping enthusiastically. Claudia blushes, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. The applause continues, and she looks down, closing her eyes. She stands up and leaves quickly, and the clapping gives way to a muffled sound of confusion.)
CHARLIE’S HOUSE. CHARLIE goes up the stairs and is about to walk into the bedroom, but stops suddenly in the doorway and steps back into the shadows. He watches quietly as KIRSTEN, seated at the vanity, brushes her long hair. Her expression is blank as she continues her nightly ritual—one that Charlie hasn’t seen for a very long time. Charlie moves slightly and Kirsten turns with a start, seeing him in the mirror.
KIRSTEN: (Turning around) God, you scared me half to death.
CHARLIE: (Moving toward her, smiling) I’m sorry… I would have said something, but… (softly) you looked so beautiful.
KIRSTEN: Charlie, I— (He walks closer and kneels down next to her, so they are at eye level.)
CHARLIE: Wait, Kirsten. Before you say anything, please… (She pauses to listen.) I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and… I know I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I don’t have any answers. But the one thing I know for sure, the one thing I’ve always known… is that I don’t ever want to lose you again.
KIRSTEN: We’ve been through this, Charlie—
CHARLIE: And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen. (He holds her hand in his and looks straight at her.) Whatever it takes. I want to try, Kirsten. The counseling, I mean. I want to try. (Kirsten smiles as the scene fades.)
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