Dolly Parton's Heartstrings (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript
♪ If I had wings, I'd fly away from ♪
♪ All of my troubles, all of my pain ♪
♪ And I would fly to a place of comfort ♪
♪ Heaven knows I need a change ♪
♪ If I had wings, Lord, give me wings ♪
Hey, everybody,
I am at Showstreet Palace Theater
here at Dollywood.
Now, when I wrote "If I Had Wings,"
it reminded me of my beautiful mama,
Avie Lee Parton,
when she would sing
the old mountain songs.
Those songs were stories of sadness
and struggle.
But they also had dreams in 'em
of what might be.
Now, my mama believed in dreams,
especially mine.
And I've learned in my life that dreams
don't just come true by themselves,
you gotta put wings on 'em,
see where they take you.
Now, sometimes you're dreaming
about getting away from a place.
Sometimes you're dreaming
about moving toward something
bigger and better and happier.
Now, this story includes all of those.
It's also about the bonds of family.
It started out as a stage play
a long time ago and far, far away.
It was called As the Crow Flies,
but I hope you'll enjoy our version
of "If I Had Wings."
♪ If I had wings, I'd fly away from ♪
♪ All of my troubles, all of my pain ♪
♪ And I would fly to a place of comfort ♪
♪ Heaven knows I need a change ♪
♪ If I had wings, Lord, give me wings ♪
Okay, Lord,
you know me.
You know what I've done.
And if you're not too busy today,
look my way.
I'll probably be needing your help.
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ Oh, Lord, just give me wings ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd make a change ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
Yeah, it's, uh,
I promise you it's not my fault, okay?
- I can't...
- Buddy...
Um...
- Buddy.
- Whoa!
Howdy, ma'am.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine. I just...
I'm a little stuck here
and I got no reception.
Yeah, I haven't had a signal
for ten miles.
Get in.
- I'll drop you somewhere.
- I appreciate you, ma'am.
My name's Clay.
Phyllis.
"Eagle Feather."
What? You, uh, you sell jewelry?
Design and sell.
Did you make, uh, all this stuff
you're wearing?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
I have a Navajo mentor
- that helps me out a lot. Mm-hmm.
- Really? Wow. Yeah.
He's a real craftsman,
if you know what I mean.
Yeah.
Not to mention a cultural resource.
Oh, my God,
I've learned so much
about the Native American experience.
Oh, I just... I love Indian jewelry.
Native American.
Yeah. Hey, you think, uh, maybe I can see
some of your work?
A corporate attorney, like myself,
really should have, uh, a small gift
- on hand at all times.
- Oh, yeah, of course.
I'm sure I have something
your wife would like.
Oh, uh, that may be so,
but, uh, I'm divorced.
Whoa!
Get out.
- What?
- Out of my car.
Uh, we're in the middle of nowhere.
Yeah, when you got in my car
you had a wedding band on,
then I mentioned your wife
and the ring was gone.
We're separated.
Out! Now!
- Get out of my car!
- Yeah, okay. Okay. I got it.
What a joke.
Hey, thanks a lot.
You better not be smoking, Tom Freeman.
I'm not smoking, I'm coughing.
Yeah, you only cough like that
when you've been smoking.
Well, you go ahead
and take a real good whiff, Ellie.
Come on.
Take a whiff.
Mm-hmm.
Ah! Tom Freeman, you stop that.
You didn't smell nothing
but Old Spice, though, did you?
Yeah.
What is this?
Fresh baked muffins,
- chicory coffee, your favorites.
- Ah, come on, Ellie.
You know how I feel about birthdays.
Oh, relax.
I'm just making a special breakfast
for the man I love.
Uh-huh.
You know, I don't remember seeing
a prettier morning.
No smokes, no sugar, no booze,
what it is the use of living?
Well, you have me and Bo,
what else do you need?
Well, there is that.
Hmm.
You know high fiber gives me gas.
Giving you gas is like pouring water
in the ocean.
I'll go boil you an egg.
But I can't waste too much
more time on you.
You know, I gotta get ready for the day.
Change clothes.
Hey.
Hmm?
You are a present 365 days a year.
That's all I needed.
Mm.
Well, that and an egg.
Hello there.
Uh, it's about an hour up to Jackson, yes?
More or less.
Do you have reception?
Because, uh, I cannot get a signal
anywhere out here,
and I'm afraid I'm gonna get
turned around.
I'm on Wi-Fi.
For the gas.
Thank you so much.
You've been lovely.
God bless.
What about it, old man?
You look like you could use
some fresh lemonade.
Fresh lemonade.
On a beautiful day.
Sweet and tangy.
Just like you.
Now then,
this is the third, may be the fourth time,
that you've commented on
what sort of a day this is.
Now, I know you, Ellie,
you're up to something
and whatever it is, it must be a doozy.
I wouldn't exactly call it a doozy.
Mm.
- Promise you won't get mad?
- Just spit it out.
Okay, but I want you to know
that I didn't do anything
without giving it a lot of thought.
Oh, Lord.
And if I hadn't believed
that this was the very best thing
for you and for them...
Them?
Them who?
Your children.
My what?
Your children.
You know,
the ones you refuse to talk about.
I sent for them.
You did what?
They're gonna be here today
to help celebrate.
Celebrate?
Good God Almighty.
Have you lost your da...?
Wait just one minute.
How did you even know how to contact 'em?
- Tom.
- Daggone.
Always messing around with my life.
- Always interfering with everything.
- I do not mess with your life.
Damn it, woman,
you opened my last will and testament.
Oh, you and that silly-ass envelope.
Do you really think
you can forget about your past
by hiding it in a drawer?
I didn't hide it.
I'm the one showed it to you, remember?
Well, if you didn't want me in the drawer,
why'd you tell me?
Because once I am dead and gone,
I can't hardly tell you about it then,
now, can I?
Oh, for heaven's sakes, Tom,
you put their names and addresses
right under my nose.
What'd you think was gonna happen?
- In a sealed envelope.
- Okay, maybe I was wrong.
- Maybe.
- But I did it
because I love you
and it was the right thing to do.
Oh, bull. You did it because you're always
trying to run my life.
I thought it was our life, Tom?
It is, but they're my children.
Tom?
You cannot just pack up and leave, Tom.
If I had wings, I'd already be gone.
You have fainted three times this month.
You're being plum damn stupid.
Well, then, you'll be glad
to be rid of me, won't you?
Why are you doing this?
You know...
I never talked about my husband,
God rest his soul, because I figured
- you didn't really wanna hear about him...
- You were right, I don't.
But he was a lot like you.
Kept his feelings to himself,
and when our child died,
it almost destroyed me.
But it was a lot worse for Wayne
because he had not once
told Glen that he loved him.
I am sorry about your son, Ellie, I am.
But talking is not gonna solve this.
There's nothing to solve.
This might be your last chance
to see your children.
You might have grandkids.
And family is the most important thing
in the world.
- It's much more important...
- I have got family!
I've got you and Bo.
But if you think
I'm gonna explain myself now
to a bunch of strangers
who just happen to share my bloodline,
now, you got another thing coming.
Daggone, woman.
Come on, Bo.
Kendal!
Tom, what the hell?
Let's go fishing.
All right. Good idea.
Dear God,
I'm in big trouble here.
The kids are on their way,
and the clock is ticking, and...
I would just appreciate the heck out of it
if you could knock some sense
into Tom's hard head and send him back.
I really would appreciate it
if you could do that for me.
Oh. Whoo.
Good Lord, Jesus, that was quick.
Okay, thank you. Thank you.
Oh, thank you.
Okay.
This is not exactly what I asked for,
and you know it.
Well, hello there.
Hey, ma'am, I'm a little early,
but I hope that's not too much
of an inconvenience.
Oh, no, of course not.
I mean, somebody has to be first, right?
That's right.
Well, I'm Ellie. Ellie Holder.
And I would know you were Tom Junior
if I had to pick you out of a crowd,
because you surely do favor your daddy.
Well, maybe so, ma'am,
but I go by my middle name Clayton.
People just call me Clay.
Oh, okay.
Clay, it is.
Well, uh...
I tell you, I... I sent Tom off
with a list as long as your arm,
you know, a bunch of errands and things,
I didn't want him showing up
before the guests had got here, you know,
ruin the surprise and thing.
But anyway, come on.
Come on inside. Come on.
- Oh, thank you, ma'am.
- No, thank you.
That's him.
That's him right there. That's your daddy.
Tom is still a good looking man.
What name does he go by now?
What do you mean?
Oh, ma'am, if I had to guess
I'd say he's changed his name
five or six times over the years.
Well, I just know him as Tom. Tom Freeman.
"Free man," huh?
Nice touch.
How about some lemonade, hmm?
Fresh squeezed.
You sure you don't want a snort?
Nah, I'm the designated rower.
Well, then, this one's for you.
Best cough medicine there is.
I thought we came to catch fish,
not to drink like one?
Ah! It's my birthday, Kendal.
- Birthday? No shit?
- No shit.
Is that what this is all about?
Feeling like an old fart?
Well, looks to me
you got plenty of tread left.
Tell me something, Kendal.
You got any big secrets?
Me? Nah, I'm an open book.
How about with your kids?
Do you tell your kids everything?
Shit, no.
I'm honest, I ain't crazy.
What if they was to ask you
just straight-out, what about then?
What's all this yapping about kids?
Is that was this is all about?
They coming home to roost?
Ah.
How many?
Three.
Three grown ones.
When's the last time you saw them?
Well, let's see, uh...
When I left, the boy was six,
the girl was four.
There's another daughter
I hadn't even met.
Good God, no wonder you're drinking.
Ah, oh, yeah. Here he is.
- That's Tom painting the footbridge.
- Mm-hmm.
That's right after I hired him.
My husband Wayne had been dead
for three years.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
- Yeah. The place was going to seed, so...
my next-door neighbor Kendal
knew I needed help,
and he just steered Tom my way.
Yeah.
From day one, we really hit it off.
So, you know, a couple months later...
- What, he popped the question?
- Oh.
Oh, no. No. We're not married.
- No?
- No.
I mean, why rock the boat?
- So, y'all been living together for...?
- Eight years.
Living in sin for almost eight years.
- How about that?
- Mm.
Clay...
don't be too hard on him.
Ellie.
I suspect there are a couple of things
you don't know about him.
Or you probably wouldn't have cooked up
this little get-together.
I realize it's been a long time.
Thirty-four years.
Truth is I kind of figured
he was dead by now.
Tom has health issues.
And you never know how long
the Lord is gonna give you,
so I... I thought it was time
to gather the family.
Family?
Family, huh?
Clay.
Tom carries scars from the past,
just like you.
Oh, not like me.
I was six years old when he took off.
Went out for a pack of Camels one day,
never came back.
Doesn't matter, he's still your daddy.
Okay, ma'am.
I... I don't consider him my daddy.
I barely consider him my father.
Then why'd you come here, Clay?
I... I don't know.
I... I figured as long as the guy
is still alive, you know, what the hell.
Still a few issues I'd like to settle.
Settlin' ain't on the agenda.
I will not have you ruin this day.
So, if you have a problem with that,
turn yourself around,
march right back to Fort Worth
before your sisters get here.
- Sisters?
- Mm-hmm.
Uh, I only have one.
You have two.
One, I guess, you'd call a half-sister.
No way.
Huh.
Well, how about that?
I guess that makes sense.
He was younger than I am now when he left.
You do not know him
as well as you think you do.
Tom is a good man,
and he carries the burdens
only a good man would carry.
I admire your loyalty.
It's not loyalty, it's love.
And believe you me,
I am not careless with it.
Uh, ma'am, would you mind if I made
a couple of phone calls?
Oh, no. Go ahead.
No reception here.
Your best bet's to go out back.
- Out back.
- Mm-hmm.
♪ If I had wings, I'd fly away from ♪
♪ All of my sorrow, all of my woes ♪
♪ And I would fly to a place of freedom ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd up and go ♪
Oh, you must be Ellie.
Yes, I am.Welcome.
Oh.
I'm so excited to meet the family at last.
- Now, all we need is Nancy.
- Oh, who's Nancy?
- And... And whose car is that?
- That car is your brother Clay's.
- Brother?
- Uh-huh. And speak of the devil, Clay.
I want you to meet your half-sister,
Phyllis.
No.
Well, well, well,
if it isn't the horny hitchhiker.
I'll just leave you two to get acquainted
or reacquainted.
Guess it wasn't enough
to leave me stranded,
you gotta come here and call me names now?
You married guys are all alike.
Trawling like fishermen in a hatchery,
just waiting for the next bite.
Well, serves you right that one of us
ended up to be your sister.
Anyone want some lemonade?
Okay, maybe later.
Watch out for her. She wields hospitality
like a samurai sword.
Don't get witty with me.
You just need to take a breath,
close your eyes and do one of those
Indian chants you like so much.
Prentice is a lovely town.
I was even able to sell
a bit of my jewelry
to that sweet little store on the edge
of 3rd Street this morning.
I'm just glad you came.
I was thunderstruck
when I got your letter.
And now to find out I have a brother.
Well, half-brother.
And a half-sister.
Mm.
Is that the Nancy you mentioned?
Mm.
This will be some reunion.
I thought I'd never get to meet my father,
let alone discover that I have siblings.
What do you mean
you never met your father?
Oh, he left before I was born.
I'm sorry.
He... He deserted a pregnant woman?
There are extenuating circumstances.
- Can I have a piece of bread?
- Like what?
- Oh, yeah, go ahead.
- What exactly?
Well,
my mother was married when she met Tom.
That marriage was more or less over.
And she was already dating another man
who she married next.
I'm... I'm confused.
Tom was a fling.
I was an accident.
And Andrew Powell, the other man,
wanted marriage and kids, so...
they put Andrew's name
on the birth certificate.
And it wasn't until Mom was
on her deathbed
that she told me the truth,
who my real father was.
I'm sorry, I need to make just
a couple more phone calls.
Well...
I'll help you.
Oh.
Is that the train station?
No, it isn't, Tom.
Gonna need a little help here, Miss Ellie.
Oh, good Lord, Kendal, where's he been?
Uh, there you go.
Come on.
We were fishing, Ellie.
Yep.
But we got a skunk.
We didn't catch a damn darn thing.
But I didn't touch a single cigarette.
Not one. Ain't that right?
- That's right, Tom.
- Go ahead, take a sniff.
How much has he had?
Well, he polished off
Celia's cooking whiskey.
And when a man's been dry for that long,
it don't take much to light him back up.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Whoa. Back it up, Kendal.
Get me the hell out of here.
- No.
- Settle down, Tom. Come on.
- Let's get you inside.
- There he is in all his glory.
- Settle down, Tom.
- No.
Let's get you inside.
Hmm.
Can I help?
- Oh, yes, please.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, okay, let's...
Are you...?
My mother is Lorraine Canfield.
I'm your daughter Phyllis.
Oh, my God.
You're as pretty as your mama.
Okay, Tom. Keep moving. That's it.
- Yeah.
- Keep moving.
Clay, can you help us out? Get the door.
Okay, next one.
Good.
Okay, one more step.
- Hmm?
- One more step. Look. That's it.
You can do it.
Up. Oh.
Well,
he's sleeping off a humdinger.
I don't know what to say.
Not a word.
It's gonna be fine.
I guess some folks are better at birthdays
than others.
I won't argue that.
- You'd be needing a ride home.
- Yeah.
Hey, Nancy.
Hey, where are you going?
Taking a neighbor home.
Am I late for the party?
Oh, no.
Fun's just beginning.
No, no, I got it, boys.
You don't wanna hurt yourselves
with all this.
Okay.
Now, who's that?
It's my sister Nancy.
Ah, pretty girl.
Yeah, she got that from Mama.
Reminds me a lot of her, actually.
Except for the whole religion part.
How's that?
Ah, only thing Mama believed in
was hard luck.
Not Nancy. No, sir.
She's a fully-fledged warrior
in God's army.
Believe me, you do not want to get
in the way of her and a good deed.
Oh, welcome.
- Hello.
- You must be Nancy.
Well, yes. Thank you.
And you must be Eleanor.
- Oh, please, call me Ellie.
- Ellie it is.
- Come on in. That's it.
- Oh.
Ah.
Right here, okay?
- Oh, yeah, that's fine.
- Okay.
Whoo! Well, I'm sorry I'm late.
Ellie, you know, I had, uh...
Oh.
You know, I had thought to arrive
about an hour ago,
and I guess the Lord
had other plans for me.
Yeah, so...
Lord has other plans for all of us,
I think, today.
Uh, Nancy, I'd like to introduce you
to someone very special.
All right.
Uh, Phyllis Powell.
- Hello.
- Your half-sister.
- What, my half-sister?
- Mm-hmm.
Yep. Seems like we share the same father.
I can't tell you how happy I am
to meet you, Nancy.
I was telling Clay how I wanted a sister
all my life.
I... I... I'm sorry,
so Clay knows about this?
Oh, not until today, but there'll be
plenty of time for catching up,
because Tom started celebrating
a little early.
So, we're gonna scooch the party
back a mite.
Yeah, he's sort of passed out
in the back bedroom.
Wait, passed out unconscious?
Fell off the wagon pretty hard.
- Do you know how much he drank?
- Mm-mm.
Has he vomited?
Is he pale or clammy?
Any irregular breathing?
What, are you some kind of doctor?
I'm a nurse.
And depending on how much he had
and how quickly,
you should look for symptoms
of acute alcohol poisoning.
Daddy?
Daddy?
Oh, honey.
Bo, come here now. She's a friend.
It's okay. Yeah.
Daddy.
Hmm.
Daddy, it's Nancy.
Na... Nancy, yeah.
Listen, I want you to roll on your side.
- Huh?
- Okay.
Listen, we'll talk about everything later.
I want you to rest on your side.
- Okay?
- I am resting.
All right, roll over.
No, not too far. Now come back.
Uh, he's gonna be fine,
but we should keep an eye on him.
Uh...
Can I have a moment alone with him,
please?
- Oh, surely.
- Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Oh, Daddy.
Go. Go.
Luckily, he didn't break the skin.
Lord help me if he did.
Has he been vaccinated?
Oh, for heaven's sakes, Nancy.
He's a farm dog, Phyllis.
God only knows what has been in his mouth.
Well, don't you worry none,
because soap's antibacterial.
It's gonna be fine.
All I'm saying is I would be nervous
about an animal
that's aggressive like that.
Bo was just trying to protect Tom.
From what? Prayer?
Maybe Bo's an atheist.
What church do you attend?
None.
Lately, I've been more drawn
to Native American beliefs.
Oh.
Well, I don't think you'll find salvation
in a sweat lodge.
- I mean, am I right, Ellie?
- Oh, don't ask me. I'm a back row Baptist.
Well, you know what, the Lord loves us all
no matter how flawed.
You know,
I think I'm gonna get a little air,
if you ladies don't mind.
- No, go ahead.
- We do not mind.
Great.
- Oh, stop it. Oh, stop it!
- What?
- These are so cute.
- Oh, you like those?
I do.
Yeah, I got them at a yard sale
over in Prentice.
- Oh, really? In Prentice?
- Yes.
Ah. Thanks for the lift.
Hey, uh,
Ellie told me you're the one
that introduced her to...
Your pa?
Uh, let's just call him Tom.
When's the last time you saw him?
What difference does that make?
Well, depends.
Are you the same person
you were back then?
I was a kid.
Besides, people don't change.
Not really.
I just know the man I know.
I leave judging to the good Lord
when he takes him.
Okay, well,
I don't need a character witness.
You a lawyer or something?
No, I'm a sales rep.
Farm equipment, tractors, loaders,
backhoes that kind of thing.
That so?
No use replacing the carburetor
when you can just switch out the O-rings.
And there you go, no more fuel leak.
You really know your tractors, Clay.
I appreciate the help.
You just keep me in mind
when you're ready for an upgrade.
Well, don't hold your breath.
Nothing personal.
Just not quick to give up on things.
Or people.
Well, that wasn't too subtle.
You may not know all there is to know
about him.
Well, maybe not Kendal, but...
I do know he's wanted for murder.
So do I.
And you didn't do anything about that?
You don't know what happened, do you?
I know that before he met my mama
he killed a man.
Do you know why he killed that man?
It don't matter.
You know, when I was a kid,
I thought he left
because I busted the handle
of his favorite pocket knife.
Eventually, Mama told us
that he was wanted by the law.
And we ought to wipe him
from our memories.
Never spoke of him again.
Not even when she got cancer.
So, your friend Tom pretty well ripped
a hole in a lot of lives.
Now that I know where to find him,
I'm gonna see to it that he pays.
Well, before you do
whatever it is you wanna do,
you might want to know
that the man that Tom killed...
was his father.
And I'll just leave the rest
for you two to talk out.
My, that is wonderful.
Oh, I'm just messing.
May I?
Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Oh.
You know, you probably got it
from your mother, 'cause...
Tom can't draw a garden rake.
And what do you think I picked up
from his side of the family?
Well, are you impulsive?
Stubborn?
- Loving?
- Yeah.
Daddy's gone.
- Gone?
- I went to look in on him.
The bedroom's empty
and the daggone dog is gone, too.
Okay. Uh, let's go find him.
Go where?
- He's probably headed to town.
- Check the south fork.
Over the cattle guard,
that's his usual route.
You're not coming?
Well, somebody should be here
at the house for when Clay comes back,
so you two go ahead.
- Well, all right.
- Okay.
No one had checked on him
in a couple hours,
- he could be long gone.
- I wonder what he's running from.
You're kidding, right?
He's running from us. His kids.
After all these years,
do you remember much about him?
Uh, no, not really.
I was four
and I only had one picture of him.
But I remember life was hard
after he left.
I know, God rest her soul,
Mama never forgave him
and neither did Clay.
And you?
Oh, I forgave him long ago.
Where are my keys?
So, you wanna convince Clay
to forgive him?
No.
I want to save his soul.
I can't imagine anything more glorious
than saving the soul of your own father.
Well...
maybe we should start
by finding his mortal self first.
I'll drive.
Would've saved us a bunch of time there,
but all right.
Okay, could you slow down
a little, please?
I mean, we've already scoured this road
coming out.
It's not like he's gonna magically appear
coming back.
Yeah, but he actually could be
on the road.
He... If we were on it and he wasn't,
and then he walked over here
and now we're on it again.
So, do you see what I mean? We...
We could have passed him
a million times by now.
I'm slowing down. Slowing down.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Can I reset your car clock?
'Cause this isn't Phoenix, you know.
Oh, knock yourself out.
- Thank you.
- Who cares?
Well, it's driving me crazy
'cause it's two hours off.
Two hours and eight minutes.
Wow, you're tighty-tight.
I am precise.
And, so... You know what,
just let me fix it, okay?
Do you have a car manual
- with instructions or some...? Thank you.
- Yeah. Glove compartment.
- Oh. "Becoming a Parent."
- Put it back.
Thank you.
Well, now, wait a minute.
You wouldn't be pregnant, would you?
Oh, unbelievable.
Pregnant and not even married.
Well, it's not a requirement in Phoenix.
Glad it's all a joke.
Are you really gonna do this?
You're gonna bring a child into this world
without a father in the home?
You're right.
I should just get an abortion.
You know that's not what I'm saying.
Well, then just shut up, Nancy.
Just shut up.
Don't you ever get tired of runnin'?
Good God.
You must be Tom Junior.
I go by Clay.
Well, why didn't you just run me over
and be done with it?
Too easy.
So, what now?
For years, I thought you left
because you were mad at me
for busting up your pocket knife.
I was mad, all right.
That pocket knife
was all I had of my brother.
And I'd been drinking all day long.
Outta control.
Oh, I'll never forget the whupping
you gave me.
I thought you wanted to kill me.
When I saw the look of fear in your eyes,
that scared me worse than anything
in my life.
I was afraid I was turning
into my own daddy.
And I figured that everybody
would be better off with me gone.
Why'd you kill your father?
I wasn't but 14 when it happened.
I come in one day
from working in the field, and...
Daddy was there in the house
beating up my brother Ben.
Ben just turned 16.
Our daddy was just the worst kind
of a bully.
And Mama was just...
Mama didn't do nothing.
And he used to get drunk all the time,
beat the hell out of both of us.
And this particular day...
Ben made the mistake of trying
to fight back.
It must have been pretty awful.
Because when I come in there,
his face was just...
it was a bloody mess.
Daddy had him down there on the floor
with his foot pressed into Ben's throat,
pushing on it, and Ben was turning blue.
And I pleaded with him to quit,
and I... I begged him and begged him.
And that son of a bitch
just laughed at me.
He had his huntin' rifle
hanging right there on the wall.
And I pulled it down,
I pointed it right at his head
and I pulled the trigger.
He was dead before he hit the floor.
I never will forget the look
on Mama's face when she come in there
screaming and carrying on.
Said I was gonna go to prison
for killing her... husband.
Called me a murderer.
Ben snatched that gun out of her hands
and told her
the only way I was going to prison
was over his dead body.
Yeah.
That's when he gave me that pocket knife.
It's all he had to give.
Then he told me to run and I did.
That night, I hopped on a freight train
and I didn't get off of it
until I saw the Pacific Ocean.
Two weeks later, I called the house.
and Ben told me
that I was wanted for murder.
Not to never come back there
and try to contact them.
I'd be done for sure.
After that, I just drifted.
'Til I met your Mama there in Lubbock.
Tried to settle down.
Whoo.
Ooh-wee.
I fell in love so hard, I really thought
that I could live a normal life.
I would've stayed there forever.
But when the police
started snooping around,
now, I knew it was just a matter of time
before they come and arrest me.
So I let out.
I figured I was just cursed.
Started up running all over again.
I was too ashamed
and embarrassed to face any of you,
so that's how come I wrote
all them letters trying to explain.
But instead of mailing them,
I just put 'em in a safe deposit box
for after I was dead and gone.
Shoot.
I didn't think Ellie knew
how wrong that was.
All this, that's just...
Ellie's way trying to make things right.
Bless her heart.
There's no reason to be upset.
You know, Nancy,
I almost admire the way
you don't hesitate a nanosecond
to say exactly what's on your mind,
no matter how insensitive it might be.
Well, I don't mean to sound insensitive.
You know, I would never purposely
hurt anyone. I'm a nurse,
- for heaven's sake.
- Oh, my God.
Calm down!
Anything on Tom?
No.
Excuse me. I need a moment.
For the life of me,
I will never understand this hostility
towards people of faith.
How am I supposed to be good a Christian
if I don't make judgments
about what is right and what is wrong?
Depends on if you're being a horse's ass
about it or not.
Phyllis.
Can I have a minute?
Okay.
Okay, Phyllis,
I would like to... apologize.
For being a...
Well, for being a horse's ass.
Now, I'm not normally like this.
I, um...
Well, maybe I am.
Which is why my family is all riled up
and, well, truth be told,
I'm a bit of a mess...
right now.
Good Lord, Can I have a...?
Could you hand me my purse real quick?
Excuse me.
- Oh. Here, I'll get it.
- Oh, no, let me.
Isn't that...?
Yes, it is.
I can't explain it. I have these... these,
uh, impulse control issues...
and sometimes I just...
I just take things.
What you must think of me.
Oh, Lord.
We're family.
It'll be our secret.
I wasn't gonna keep it.
- I know.
- Truly.
Yeah. I know.
- Yeah, 'cause I'm still a Christian.
- I know.
- Mm-hmm.
- You know, I'm just, um...
Well, just a flawed one.
I know.
Hey, this...
We held supper.
Praise the Lord.
You're home.
I'm sorry. I mean that.
I'm so sorry.
Okay, now,
why don't you come and sit down?
Take a break.
I, uh...
I got some things that need saying.
How about over some, uh, cold chicken
and birthday cake?
Suits me.
Uh, I...
You were right to bring us together,
Ellie.
Y'all sure are a fine, fine looking bunch,
I'll tell you that, now.
And I don't deserve any...
I'm just so grateful.
Dad.
Happy birthday.
Shoot.
Y'all let me get cleaned up a little bit,
and we'll get something to eat, all right?
I'm so sorry, Ellie.
You came back and that's all that matters.
I love you more than you know.
Um...
My boy.
Found him out hitchhiking.
I started to take him to jail, but, uh...
we got to talking.
What was that?
- Tom?
- Daddy?
Oh, okay.
- Honey?
- Oh, my God.
- Come on.
- 911.
Tom? Come on, honey, don't quit.
Come on, wake up.
I wish I could be more hopeful,
but there's been no change
since yesterday.
This is a devastating injury.
We're doing everything we can
to control the brain swelling
with the available treatments,
but it's really a day-to-day situation.
I'll check back later in the day.
And I love you more
than you could ever imagine.
- Excuse me, ma'am.
- Ma'am, we need you to step outside.
- Get a crash tray.
- Okay, Ellie. Let's go. Let's go.
- Is he gonna be okay?
- Clay. Phyllis.
He's not responding.
They're gonna take him
into surgery in an hour.
Doctor Davis. Doctor...
Good afternoon.
We know it's been touch-and-go,
buthe has a brain herniation.
We just weren't able to control
the swelling.
All of our exams and tests this past hour
indicate that there is no longer
any brain activity.
So, clinically, he has passed,
but we still need to exctubate him
and remove life support.
So, if you'd like to be present
with him at the end,
we can make those arrangements.
Yes.
We did everything we could.
I'm so very sorry.
I'm so sorry.
May you rest in the arms of the Lord,
our God, Daddy.
I am so glad I got to meet you, Daddy.
Know that it's okay...
just to go.
We're gonna be just fine.
I love you, Pop.
Tom.
I love you.
He's yours now, Lord.
I sure don't understand your ways,
but I'm truly thankful
for all the time we had together.
You take care of him, you hear?
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
Be at peace, Tom Freeman.
Be at peace.
Come on, Bo.
Good boy.
Over here, Bo.
Letter from Nancy.
Whoo! New snapshots, I hope.
She never fails.
First, it's addressed to me. Okay.
Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna need another scrapbook.
Look at all this.
Save room for the baby photos.
Oh, don't worry.
Little Tom's gonna have a scrapbook
all his own.
Ooh!
These boys are getting handsomer
every day.
Oh!
What?
She and Jimmy Ray are driving over
for Thanksgiving.
Says Clay's coming over
with his boys, too.
- She must've told him we have Wi-Fi.
- Oh, be nice.
- Let me see the photos.
- Now, hold your horses.
I can't remember when I've had
a real family Thanksgiving.
Oh, I wish...
I know.
Me too.
Yeah. Thanks.
♪ Oh, I've had my share of sorrow ♪
♪ Walked along a lonesome road ♪
♪ And I could use a new tomorrow ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd make it so ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd up and go ♪
♪ All of my troubles, all of my pain ♪
♪ And I would fly to a place of comfort ♪
♪ Heaven knows I need a change ♪
♪ If I had wings, Lord, give me wings ♪
Hey, everybody,
I am at Showstreet Palace Theater
here at Dollywood.
Now, when I wrote "If I Had Wings,"
it reminded me of my beautiful mama,
Avie Lee Parton,
when she would sing
the old mountain songs.
Those songs were stories of sadness
and struggle.
But they also had dreams in 'em
of what might be.
Now, my mama believed in dreams,
especially mine.
And I've learned in my life that dreams
don't just come true by themselves,
you gotta put wings on 'em,
see where they take you.
Now, sometimes you're dreaming
about getting away from a place.
Sometimes you're dreaming
about moving toward something
bigger and better and happier.
Now, this story includes all of those.
It's also about the bonds of family.
It started out as a stage play
a long time ago and far, far away.
It was called As the Crow Flies,
but I hope you'll enjoy our version
of "If I Had Wings."
♪ If I had wings, I'd fly away from ♪
♪ All of my troubles, all of my pain ♪
♪ And I would fly to a place of comfort ♪
♪ Heaven knows I need a change ♪
♪ If I had wings, Lord, give me wings ♪
Okay, Lord,
you know me.
You know what I've done.
And if you're not too busy today,
look my way.
I'll probably be needing your help.
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ Oh, Lord, just give me wings ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd make a change ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
Yeah, it's, uh,
I promise you it's not my fault, okay?
- I can't...
- Buddy...
Um...
- Buddy.
- Whoa!
Howdy, ma'am.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine. I just...
I'm a little stuck here
and I got no reception.
Yeah, I haven't had a signal
for ten miles.
Get in.
- I'll drop you somewhere.
- I appreciate you, ma'am.
My name's Clay.
Phyllis.
"Eagle Feather."
What? You, uh, you sell jewelry?
Design and sell.
Did you make, uh, all this stuff
you're wearing?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
I have a Navajo mentor
- that helps me out a lot. Mm-hmm.
- Really? Wow. Yeah.
He's a real craftsman,
if you know what I mean.
Yeah.
Not to mention a cultural resource.
Oh, my God,
I've learned so much
about the Native American experience.
Oh, I just... I love Indian jewelry.
Native American.
Yeah. Hey, you think, uh, maybe I can see
some of your work?
A corporate attorney, like myself,
really should have, uh, a small gift
- on hand at all times.
- Oh, yeah, of course.
I'm sure I have something
your wife would like.
Oh, uh, that may be so,
but, uh, I'm divorced.
Whoa!
Get out.
- What?
- Out of my car.
Uh, we're in the middle of nowhere.
Yeah, when you got in my car
you had a wedding band on,
then I mentioned your wife
and the ring was gone.
We're separated.
Out! Now!
- Get out of my car!
- Yeah, okay. Okay. I got it.
What a joke.
Hey, thanks a lot.
You better not be smoking, Tom Freeman.
I'm not smoking, I'm coughing.
Yeah, you only cough like that
when you've been smoking.
Well, you go ahead
and take a real good whiff, Ellie.
Come on.
Take a whiff.
Mm-hmm.
Ah! Tom Freeman, you stop that.
You didn't smell nothing
but Old Spice, though, did you?
Yeah.
What is this?
Fresh baked muffins,
- chicory coffee, your favorites.
- Ah, come on, Ellie.
You know how I feel about birthdays.
Oh, relax.
I'm just making a special breakfast
for the man I love.
Uh-huh.
You know, I don't remember seeing
a prettier morning.
No smokes, no sugar, no booze,
what it is the use of living?
Well, you have me and Bo,
what else do you need?
Well, there is that.
Hmm.
You know high fiber gives me gas.
Giving you gas is like pouring water
in the ocean.
I'll go boil you an egg.
But I can't waste too much
more time on you.
You know, I gotta get ready for the day.
Change clothes.
Hey.
Hmm?
You are a present 365 days a year.
That's all I needed.
Mm.
Well, that and an egg.
Hello there.
Uh, it's about an hour up to Jackson, yes?
More or less.
Do you have reception?
Because, uh, I cannot get a signal
anywhere out here,
and I'm afraid I'm gonna get
turned around.
I'm on Wi-Fi.
For the gas.
Thank you so much.
You've been lovely.
God bless.
What about it, old man?
You look like you could use
some fresh lemonade.
Fresh lemonade.
On a beautiful day.
Sweet and tangy.
Just like you.
Now then,
this is the third, may be the fourth time,
that you've commented on
what sort of a day this is.
Now, I know you, Ellie,
you're up to something
and whatever it is, it must be a doozy.
I wouldn't exactly call it a doozy.
Mm.
- Promise you won't get mad?
- Just spit it out.
Okay, but I want you to know
that I didn't do anything
without giving it a lot of thought.
Oh, Lord.
And if I hadn't believed
that this was the very best thing
for you and for them...
Them?
Them who?
Your children.
My what?
Your children.
You know,
the ones you refuse to talk about.
I sent for them.
You did what?
They're gonna be here today
to help celebrate.
Celebrate?
Good God Almighty.
Have you lost your da...?
Wait just one minute.
How did you even know how to contact 'em?
- Tom.
- Daggone.
Always messing around with my life.
- Always interfering with everything.
- I do not mess with your life.
Damn it, woman,
you opened my last will and testament.
Oh, you and that silly-ass envelope.
Do you really think
you can forget about your past
by hiding it in a drawer?
I didn't hide it.
I'm the one showed it to you, remember?
Well, if you didn't want me in the drawer,
why'd you tell me?
Because once I am dead and gone,
I can't hardly tell you about it then,
now, can I?
Oh, for heaven's sakes, Tom,
you put their names and addresses
right under my nose.
What'd you think was gonna happen?
- In a sealed envelope.
- Okay, maybe I was wrong.
- Maybe.
- But I did it
because I love you
and it was the right thing to do.
Oh, bull. You did it because you're always
trying to run my life.
I thought it was our life, Tom?
It is, but they're my children.
Tom?
You cannot just pack up and leave, Tom.
If I had wings, I'd already be gone.
You have fainted three times this month.
You're being plum damn stupid.
Well, then, you'll be glad
to be rid of me, won't you?
Why are you doing this?
You know...
I never talked about my husband,
God rest his soul, because I figured
- you didn't really wanna hear about him...
- You were right, I don't.
But he was a lot like you.
Kept his feelings to himself,
and when our child died,
it almost destroyed me.
But it was a lot worse for Wayne
because he had not once
told Glen that he loved him.
I am sorry about your son, Ellie, I am.
But talking is not gonna solve this.
There's nothing to solve.
This might be your last chance
to see your children.
You might have grandkids.
And family is the most important thing
in the world.
- It's much more important...
- I have got family!
I've got you and Bo.
But if you think
I'm gonna explain myself now
to a bunch of strangers
who just happen to share my bloodline,
now, you got another thing coming.
Daggone, woman.
Come on, Bo.
Kendal!
Tom, what the hell?
Let's go fishing.
All right. Good idea.
Dear God,
I'm in big trouble here.
The kids are on their way,
and the clock is ticking, and...
I would just appreciate the heck out of it
if you could knock some sense
into Tom's hard head and send him back.
I really would appreciate it
if you could do that for me.
Oh. Whoo.
Good Lord, Jesus, that was quick.
Okay, thank you. Thank you.
Oh, thank you.
Okay.
This is not exactly what I asked for,
and you know it.
Well, hello there.
Hey, ma'am, I'm a little early,
but I hope that's not too much
of an inconvenience.
Oh, no, of course not.
I mean, somebody has to be first, right?
That's right.
Well, I'm Ellie. Ellie Holder.
And I would know you were Tom Junior
if I had to pick you out of a crowd,
because you surely do favor your daddy.
Well, maybe so, ma'am,
but I go by my middle name Clayton.
People just call me Clay.
Oh, okay.
Clay, it is.
Well, uh...
I tell you, I... I sent Tom off
with a list as long as your arm,
you know, a bunch of errands and things,
I didn't want him showing up
before the guests had got here, you know,
ruin the surprise and thing.
But anyway, come on.
Come on inside. Come on.
- Oh, thank you, ma'am.
- No, thank you.
That's him.
That's him right there. That's your daddy.
Tom is still a good looking man.
What name does he go by now?
What do you mean?
Oh, ma'am, if I had to guess
I'd say he's changed his name
five or six times over the years.
Well, I just know him as Tom. Tom Freeman.
"Free man," huh?
Nice touch.
How about some lemonade, hmm?
Fresh squeezed.
You sure you don't want a snort?
Nah, I'm the designated rower.
Well, then, this one's for you.
Best cough medicine there is.
I thought we came to catch fish,
not to drink like one?
Ah! It's my birthday, Kendal.
- Birthday? No shit?
- No shit.
Is that what this is all about?
Feeling like an old fart?
Well, looks to me
you got plenty of tread left.
Tell me something, Kendal.
You got any big secrets?
Me? Nah, I'm an open book.
How about with your kids?
Do you tell your kids everything?
Shit, no.
I'm honest, I ain't crazy.
What if they was to ask you
just straight-out, what about then?
What's all this yapping about kids?
Is that was this is all about?
They coming home to roost?
Ah.
How many?
Three.
Three grown ones.
When's the last time you saw them?
Well, let's see, uh...
When I left, the boy was six,
the girl was four.
There's another daughter
I hadn't even met.
Good God, no wonder you're drinking.
Ah, oh, yeah. Here he is.
- That's Tom painting the footbridge.
- Mm-hmm.
That's right after I hired him.
My husband Wayne had been dead
for three years.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
- Yeah. The place was going to seed, so...
my next-door neighbor Kendal
knew I needed help,
and he just steered Tom my way.
Yeah.
From day one, we really hit it off.
So, you know, a couple months later...
- What, he popped the question?
- Oh.
Oh, no. No. We're not married.
- No?
- No.
I mean, why rock the boat?
- So, y'all been living together for...?
- Eight years.
Living in sin for almost eight years.
- How about that?
- Mm.
Clay...
don't be too hard on him.
Ellie.
I suspect there are a couple of things
you don't know about him.
Or you probably wouldn't have cooked up
this little get-together.
I realize it's been a long time.
Thirty-four years.
Truth is I kind of figured
he was dead by now.
Tom has health issues.
And you never know how long
the Lord is gonna give you,
so I... I thought it was time
to gather the family.
Family?
Family, huh?
Clay.
Tom carries scars from the past,
just like you.
Oh, not like me.
I was six years old when he took off.
Went out for a pack of Camels one day,
never came back.
Doesn't matter, he's still your daddy.
Okay, ma'am.
I... I don't consider him my daddy.
I barely consider him my father.
Then why'd you come here, Clay?
I... I don't know.
I... I figured as long as the guy
is still alive, you know, what the hell.
Still a few issues I'd like to settle.
Settlin' ain't on the agenda.
I will not have you ruin this day.
So, if you have a problem with that,
turn yourself around,
march right back to Fort Worth
before your sisters get here.
- Sisters?
- Mm-hmm.
Uh, I only have one.
You have two.
One, I guess, you'd call a half-sister.
No way.
Huh.
Well, how about that?
I guess that makes sense.
He was younger than I am now when he left.
You do not know him
as well as you think you do.
Tom is a good man,
and he carries the burdens
only a good man would carry.
I admire your loyalty.
It's not loyalty, it's love.
And believe you me,
I am not careless with it.
Uh, ma'am, would you mind if I made
a couple of phone calls?
Oh, no. Go ahead.
No reception here.
Your best bet's to go out back.
- Out back.
- Mm-hmm.
♪ If I had wings, I'd fly away from ♪
♪ All of my sorrow, all of my woes ♪
♪ And I would fly to a place of freedom ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd up and go ♪
Oh, you must be Ellie.
Yes, I am.Welcome.
Oh.
I'm so excited to meet the family at last.
- Now, all we need is Nancy.
- Oh, who's Nancy?
- And... And whose car is that?
- That car is your brother Clay's.
- Brother?
- Uh-huh. And speak of the devil, Clay.
I want you to meet your half-sister,
Phyllis.
No.
Well, well, well,
if it isn't the horny hitchhiker.
I'll just leave you two to get acquainted
or reacquainted.
Guess it wasn't enough
to leave me stranded,
you gotta come here and call me names now?
You married guys are all alike.
Trawling like fishermen in a hatchery,
just waiting for the next bite.
Well, serves you right that one of us
ended up to be your sister.
Anyone want some lemonade?
Okay, maybe later.
Watch out for her. She wields hospitality
like a samurai sword.
Don't get witty with me.
You just need to take a breath,
close your eyes and do one of those
Indian chants you like so much.
Prentice is a lovely town.
I was even able to sell
a bit of my jewelry
to that sweet little store on the edge
of 3rd Street this morning.
I'm just glad you came.
I was thunderstruck
when I got your letter.
And now to find out I have a brother.
Well, half-brother.
And a half-sister.
Mm.
Is that the Nancy you mentioned?
Mm.
This will be some reunion.
I thought I'd never get to meet my father,
let alone discover that I have siblings.
What do you mean
you never met your father?
Oh, he left before I was born.
I'm sorry.
He... He deserted a pregnant woman?
There are extenuating circumstances.
- Can I have a piece of bread?
- Like what?
- Oh, yeah, go ahead.
- What exactly?
Well,
my mother was married when she met Tom.
That marriage was more or less over.
And she was already dating another man
who she married next.
I'm... I'm confused.
Tom was a fling.
I was an accident.
And Andrew Powell, the other man,
wanted marriage and kids, so...
they put Andrew's name
on the birth certificate.
And it wasn't until Mom was
on her deathbed
that she told me the truth,
who my real father was.
I'm sorry, I need to make just
a couple more phone calls.
Well...
I'll help you.
Oh.
Is that the train station?
No, it isn't, Tom.
Gonna need a little help here, Miss Ellie.
Oh, good Lord, Kendal, where's he been?
Uh, there you go.
Come on.
We were fishing, Ellie.
Yep.
But we got a skunk.
We didn't catch a damn darn thing.
But I didn't touch a single cigarette.
Not one. Ain't that right?
- That's right, Tom.
- Go ahead, take a sniff.
How much has he had?
Well, he polished off
Celia's cooking whiskey.
And when a man's been dry for that long,
it don't take much to light him back up.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Whoa. Back it up, Kendal.
Get me the hell out of here.
- No.
- Settle down, Tom. Come on.
- Let's get you inside.
- There he is in all his glory.
- Settle down, Tom.
- No.
Let's get you inside.
Hmm.
Can I help?
- Oh, yes, please.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, okay, let's...
Are you...?
My mother is Lorraine Canfield.
I'm your daughter Phyllis.
Oh, my God.
You're as pretty as your mama.
Okay, Tom. Keep moving. That's it.
- Yeah.
- Keep moving.
Clay, can you help us out? Get the door.
Okay, next one.
Good.
Okay, one more step.
- Hmm?
- One more step. Look. That's it.
You can do it.
Up. Oh.
Well,
he's sleeping off a humdinger.
I don't know what to say.
Not a word.
It's gonna be fine.
I guess some folks are better at birthdays
than others.
I won't argue that.
- You'd be needing a ride home.
- Yeah.
Hey, Nancy.
Hey, where are you going?
Taking a neighbor home.
Am I late for the party?
Oh, no.
Fun's just beginning.
No, no, I got it, boys.
You don't wanna hurt yourselves
with all this.
Okay.
Now, who's that?
It's my sister Nancy.
Ah, pretty girl.
Yeah, she got that from Mama.
Reminds me a lot of her, actually.
Except for the whole religion part.
How's that?
Ah, only thing Mama believed in
was hard luck.
Not Nancy. No, sir.
She's a fully-fledged warrior
in God's army.
Believe me, you do not want to get
in the way of her and a good deed.
Oh, welcome.
- Hello.
- You must be Nancy.
Well, yes. Thank you.
And you must be Eleanor.
- Oh, please, call me Ellie.
- Ellie it is.
- Come on in. That's it.
- Oh.
Ah.
Right here, okay?
- Oh, yeah, that's fine.
- Okay.
Whoo! Well, I'm sorry I'm late.
Ellie, you know, I had, uh...
Oh.
You know, I had thought to arrive
about an hour ago,
and I guess the Lord
had other plans for me.
Yeah, so...
Lord has other plans for all of us,
I think, today.
Uh, Nancy, I'd like to introduce you
to someone very special.
All right.
Uh, Phyllis Powell.
- Hello.
- Your half-sister.
- What, my half-sister?
- Mm-hmm.
Yep. Seems like we share the same father.
I can't tell you how happy I am
to meet you, Nancy.
I was telling Clay how I wanted a sister
all my life.
I... I... I'm sorry,
so Clay knows about this?
Oh, not until today, but there'll be
plenty of time for catching up,
because Tom started celebrating
a little early.
So, we're gonna scooch the party
back a mite.
Yeah, he's sort of passed out
in the back bedroom.
Wait, passed out unconscious?
Fell off the wagon pretty hard.
- Do you know how much he drank?
- Mm-mm.
Has he vomited?
Is he pale or clammy?
Any irregular breathing?
What, are you some kind of doctor?
I'm a nurse.
And depending on how much he had
and how quickly,
you should look for symptoms
of acute alcohol poisoning.
Daddy?
Daddy?
Oh, honey.
Bo, come here now. She's a friend.
It's okay. Yeah.
Daddy.
Hmm.
Daddy, it's Nancy.
Na... Nancy, yeah.
Listen, I want you to roll on your side.
- Huh?
- Okay.
Listen, we'll talk about everything later.
I want you to rest on your side.
- Okay?
- I am resting.
All right, roll over.
No, not too far. Now come back.
Uh, he's gonna be fine,
but we should keep an eye on him.
Uh...
Can I have a moment alone with him,
please?
- Oh, surely.
- Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Oh, Daddy.
Go. Go.
Luckily, he didn't break the skin.
Lord help me if he did.
Has he been vaccinated?
Oh, for heaven's sakes, Nancy.
He's a farm dog, Phyllis.
God only knows what has been in his mouth.
Well, don't you worry none,
because soap's antibacterial.
It's gonna be fine.
All I'm saying is I would be nervous
about an animal
that's aggressive like that.
Bo was just trying to protect Tom.
From what? Prayer?
Maybe Bo's an atheist.
What church do you attend?
None.
Lately, I've been more drawn
to Native American beliefs.
Oh.
Well, I don't think you'll find salvation
in a sweat lodge.
- I mean, am I right, Ellie?
- Oh, don't ask me. I'm a back row Baptist.
Well, you know what, the Lord loves us all
no matter how flawed.
You know,
I think I'm gonna get a little air,
if you ladies don't mind.
- No, go ahead.
- We do not mind.
Great.
- Oh, stop it. Oh, stop it!
- What?
- These are so cute.
- Oh, you like those?
I do.
Yeah, I got them at a yard sale
over in Prentice.
- Oh, really? In Prentice?
- Yes.
Ah. Thanks for the lift.
Hey, uh,
Ellie told me you're the one
that introduced her to...
Your pa?
Uh, let's just call him Tom.
When's the last time you saw him?
What difference does that make?
Well, depends.
Are you the same person
you were back then?
I was a kid.
Besides, people don't change.
Not really.
I just know the man I know.
I leave judging to the good Lord
when he takes him.
Okay, well,
I don't need a character witness.
You a lawyer or something?
No, I'm a sales rep.
Farm equipment, tractors, loaders,
backhoes that kind of thing.
That so?
No use replacing the carburetor
when you can just switch out the O-rings.
And there you go, no more fuel leak.
You really know your tractors, Clay.
I appreciate the help.
You just keep me in mind
when you're ready for an upgrade.
Well, don't hold your breath.
Nothing personal.
Just not quick to give up on things.
Or people.
Well, that wasn't too subtle.
You may not know all there is to know
about him.
Well, maybe not Kendal, but...
I do know he's wanted for murder.
So do I.
And you didn't do anything about that?
You don't know what happened, do you?
I know that before he met my mama
he killed a man.
Do you know why he killed that man?
It don't matter.
You know, when I was a kid,
I thought he left
because I busted the handle
of his favorite pocket knife.
Eventually, Mama told us
that he was wanted by the law.
And we ought to wipe him
from our memories.
Never spoke of him again.
Not even when she got cancer.
So, your friend Tom pretty well ripped
a hole in a lot of lives.
Now that I know where to find him,
I'm gonna see to it that he pays.
Well, before you do
whatever it is you wanna do,
you might want to know
that the man that Tom killed...
was his father.
And I'll just leave the rest
for you two to talk out.
My, that is wonderful.
Oh, I'm just messing.
May I?
Oh, yeah.
Thank you.
Oh.
You know, you probably got it
from your mother, 'cause...
Tom can't draw a garden rake.
And what do you think I picked up
from his side of the family?
Well, are you impulsive?
Stubborn?
- Loving?
- Yeah.
Daddy's gone.
- Gone?
- I went to look in on him.
The bedroom's empty
and the daggone dog is gone, too.
Okay. Uh, let's go find him.
Go where?
- He's probably headed to town.
- Check the south fork.
Over the cattle guard,
that's his usual route.
You're not coming?
Well, somebody should be here
at the house for when Clay comes back,
so you two go ahead.
- Well, all right.
- Okay.
No one had checked on him
in a couple hours,
- he could be long gone.
- I wonder what he's running from.
You're kidding, right?
He's running from us. His kids.
After all these years,
do you remember much about him?
Uh, no, not really.
I was four
and I only had one picture of him.
But I remember life was hard
after he left.
I know, God rest her soul,
Mama never forgave him
and neither did Clay.
And you?
Oh, I forgave him long ago.
Where are my keys?
So, you wanna convince Clay
to forgive him?
No.
I want to save his soul.
I can't imagine anything more glorious
than saving the soul of your own father.
Well...
maybe we should start
by finding his mortal self first.
I'll drive.
Would've saved us a bunch of time there,
but all right.
Okay, could you slow down
a little, please?
I mean, we've already scoured this road
coming out.
It's not like he's gonna magically appear
coming back.
Yeah, but he actually could be
on the road.
He... If we were on it and he wasn't,
and then he walked over here
and now we're on it again.
So, do you see what I mean? We...
We could have passed him
a million times by now.
I'm slowing down. Slowing down.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Can I reset your car clock?
'Cause this isn't Phoenix, you know.
Oh, knock yourself out.
- Thank you.
- Who cares?
Well, it's driving me crazy
'cause it's two hours off.
Two hours and eight minutes.
Wow, you're tighty-tight.
I am precise.
And, so... You know what,
just let me fix it, okay?
Do you have a car manual
- with instructions or some...? Thank you.
- Yeah. Glove compartment.
- Oh. "Becoming a Parent."
- Put it back.
Thank you.
Well, now, wait a minute.
You wouldn't be pregnant, would you?
Oh, unbelievable.
Pregnant and not even married.
Well, it's not a requirement in Phoenix.
Glad it's all a joke.
Are you really gonna do this?
You're gonna bring a child into this world
without a father in the home?
You're right.
I should just get an abortion.
You know that's not what I'm saying.
Well, then just shut up, Nancy.
Just shut up.
Don't you ever get tired of runnin'?
Good God.
You must be Tom Junior.
I go by Clay.
Well, why didn't you just run me over
and be done with it?
Too easy.
So, what now?
For years, I thought you left
because you were mad at me
for busting up your pocket knife.
I was mad, all right.
That pocket knife
was all I had of my brother.
And I'd been drinking all day long.
Outta control.
Oh, I'll never forget the whupping
you gave me.
I thought you wanted to kill me.
When I saw the look of fear in your eyes,
that scared me worse than anything
in my life.
I was afraid I was turning
into my own daddy.
And I figured that everybody
would be better off with me gone.
Why'd you kill your father?
I wasn't but 14 when it happened.
I come in one day
from working in the field, and...
Daddy was there in the house
beating up my brother Ben.
Ben just turned 16.
Our daddy was just the worst kind
of a bully.
And Mama was just...
Mama didn't do nothing.
And he used to get drunk all the time,
beat the hell out of both of us.
And this particular day...
Ben made the mistake of trying
to fight back.
It must have been pretty awful.
Because when I come in there,
his face was just...
it was a bloody mess.
Daddy had him down there on the floor
with his foot pressed into Ben's throat,
pushing on it, and Ben was turning blue.
And I pleaded with him to quit,
and I... I begged him and begged him.
And that son of a bitch
just laughed at me.
He had his huntin' rifle
hanging right there on the wall.
And I pulled it down,
I pointed it right at his head
and I pulled the trigger.
He was dead before he hit the floor.
I never will forget the look
on Mama's face when she come in there
screaming and carrying on.
Said I was gonna go to prison
for killing her... husband.
Called me a murderer.
Ben snatched that gun out of her hands
and told her
the only way I was going to prison
was over his dead body.
Yeah.
That's when he gave me that pocket knife.
It's all he had to give.
Then he told me to run and I did.
That night, I hopped on a freight train
and I didn't get off of it
until I saw the Pacific Ocean.
Two weeks later, I called the house.
and Ben told me
that I was wanted for murder.
Not to never come back there
and try to contact them.
I'd be done for sure.
After that, I just drifted.
'Til I met your Mama there in Lubbock.
Tried to settle down.
Whoo.
Ooh-wee.
I fell in love so hard, I really thought
that I could live a normal life.
I would've stayed there forever.
But when the police
started snooping around,
now, I knew it was just a matter of time
before they come and arrest me.
So I let out.
I figured I was just cursed.
Started up running all over again.
I was too ashamed
and embarrassed to face any of you,
so that's how come I wrote
all them letters trying to explain.
But instead of mailing them,
I just put 'em in a safe deposit box
for after I was dead and gone.
Shoot.
I didn't think Ellie knew
how wrong that was.
All this, that's just...
Ellie's way trying to make things right.
Bless her heart.
There's no reason to be upset.
You know, Nancy,
I almost admire the way
you don't hesitate a nanosecond
to say exactly what's on your mind,
no matter how insensitive it might be.
Well, I don't mean to sound insensitive.
You know, I would never purposely
hurt anyone. I'm a nurse,
- for heaven's sake.
- Oh, my God.
Calm down!
Anything on Tom?
No.
Excuse me. I need a moment.
For the life of me,
I will never understand this hostility
towards people of faith.
How am I supposed to be good a Christian
if I don't make judgments
about what is right and what is wrong?
Depends on if you're being a horse's ass
about it or not.
Phyllis.
Can I have a minute?
Okay.
Okay, Phyllis,
I would like to... apologize.
For being a...
Well, for being a horse's ass.
Now, I'm not normally like this.
I, um...
Well, maybe I am.
Which is why my family is all riled up
and, well, truth be told,
I'm a bit of a mess...
right now.
Good Lord, Can I have a...?
Could you hand me my purse real quick?
Excuse me.
- Oh. Here, I'll get it.
- Oh, no, let me.
Isn't that...?
Yes, it is.
I can't explain it. I have these... these,
uh, impulse control issues...
and sometimes I just...
I just take things.
What you must think of me.
Oh, Lord.
We're family.
It'll be our secret.
I wasn't gonna keep it.
- I know.
- Truly.
Yeah. I know.
- Yeah, 'cause I'm still a Christian.
- I know.
- Mm-hmm.
- You know, I'm just, um...
Well, just a flawed one.
I know.
Hey, this...
We held supper.
Praise the Lord.
You're home.
I'm sorry. I mean that.
I'm so sorry.
Okay, now,
why don't you come and sit down?
Take a break.
I, uh...
I got some things that need saying.
How about over some, uh, cold chicken
and birthday cake?
Suits me.
Uh, I...
You were right to bring us together,
Ellie.
Y'all sure are a fine, fine looking bunch,
I'll tell you that, now.
And I don't deserve any...
I'm just so grateful.
Dad.
Happy birthday.
Shoot.
Y'all let me get cleaned up a little bit,
and we'll get something to eat, all right?
I'm so sorry, Ellie.
You came back and that's all that matters.
I love you more than you know.
Um...
My boy.
Found him out hitchhiking.
I started to take him to jail, but, uh...
we got to talking.
What was that?
- Tom?
- Daddy?
Oh, okay.
- Honey?
- Oh, my God.
- Come on.
- 911.
Tom? Come on, honey, don't quit.
Come on, wake up.
I wish I could be more hopeful,
but there's been no change
since yesterday.
This is a devastating injury.
We're doing everything we can
to control the brain swelling
with the available treatments,
but it's really a day-to-day situation.
I'll check back later in the day.
And I love you more
than you could ever imagine.
- Excuse me, ma'am.
- Ma'am, we need you to step outside.
- Get a crash tray.
- Okay, Ellie. Let's go. Let's go.
- Is he gonna be okay?
- Clay. Phyllis.
He's not responding.
They're gonna take him
into surgery in an hour.
Doctor Davis. Doctor...
Good afternoon.
We know it's been touch-and-go,
buthe has a brain herniation.
We just weren't able to control
the swelling.
All of our exams and tests this past hour
indicate that there is no longer
any brain activity.
So, clinically, he has passed,
but we still need to exctubate him
and remove life support.
So, if you'd like to be present
with him at the end,
we can make those arrangements.
Yes.
We did everything we could.
I'm so very sorry.
I'm so sorry.
May you rest in the arms of the Lord,
our God, Daddy.
I am so glad I got to meet you, Daddy.
Know that it's okay...
just to go.
We're gonna be just fine.
I love you, Pop.
Tom.
I love you.
He's yours now, Lord.
I sure don't understand your ways,
but I'm truly thankful
for all the time we had together.
You take care of him, you hear?
♪ If I had wings ♪
♪ If I had wings ♪
Be at peace, Tom Freeman.
Be at peace.
Come on, Bo.
Good boy.
Over here, Bo.
Letter from Nancy.
Whoo! New snapshots, I hope.
She never fails.
First, it's addressed to me. Okay.
Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna need another scrapbook.
Look at all this.
Save room for the baby photos.
Oh, don't worry.
Little Tom's gonna have a scrapbook
all his own.
Ooh!
These boys are getting handsomer
every day.
Oh!
What?
She and Jimmy Ray are driving over
for Thanksgiving.
Says Clay's coming over
with his boys, too.
- She must've told him we have Wi-Fi.
- Oh, be nice.
- Let me see the photos.
- Now, hold your horses.
I can't remember when I've had
a real family Thanksgiving.
Oh, I wish...
I know.
Me too.
Yeah. Thanks.
♪ Oh, I've had my share of sorrow ♪
♪ Walked along a lonesome road ♪
♪ And I could use a new tomorrow ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd make it so ♪
♪ If I had wings, I'd up and go ♪