In Treatment (2008–2010): Season 2, Episode 6 - Mia: Week Two - full transcript
In her first session, Mia admits to wanting to impress Paul by flaunting her job and relationship with a married co-worker.
- You being sued for $20 million.
- Fucking hell.
We aren't in a battle here.
It's not like therapy.
I just don't think we should work together.
Haven't we been here before.
I was 22 and you just disappeared
- You need help now.
- How dare you tell me what to do?
You formulate your little
theory as soon as I walked in?
"Young girl, cancer...
This is an easy one."
- I have to go.
- April.
Come in, please.
I know 7:00 is early, but it's
the only time that I could come.
No, it's okay.
You know, it's funny... 20 years ago
I was in brooklyn, you were in the city,
and now it's the other way around.
Oh, that's... that's true.
I know you've spoken with ellis
about your case
and he is on top of it, but if you're
not pleased, {\I hope you'll }let me know.
Thank you,
and I really appreciate the referral.
You have more light in here than you
had in your old office on 10th street.
Yeah, that was...
that was a long time ago.
It's strange to be back.
This couch is better.
The old one was blue
with black pillows.
You have a good memory.
I just thought it was funny
that you had a black and blue couch.
I'm sorry about last week.
Oh, it was fine.
No, it was unprofessional
and it shouldn't have happened.
Well, as you said,
these things happen.
Well, it was embarrassing
and that's why I called...
I wanted to apologize
and just talk about it.
Good.
And I understand your saying no
to having a drink. That's too personal.
Anyway, I'm happy to come in,
have a session
and just try to clean up
the mess I made.
I should've brought a mop.
So your feelings kind of
caught you by surprise?
But that was back on last monday
and you called me on friday.
Did it take you that long to decide?
I didn't know if I wanted to.
Sometimes it's better
just to let things go...
don't go ferreting around
for more problems.
I just really didn't think
I would lose it like that.
And you were right
about how I set it up.
I'm not so sure
that I said you set it up.
Oh, but I did.
Ellis couldn't be there, I saw
your name on the file and I grabbed it.
I actually thought it would be fun
just to needle you a little
and impress you.
Oh, I was impressed.
Till Bennett walked in.
- Can I smoke?
- Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't.
Oh, really?
God, everyone is so healthy.
Why is that?
Even Bennett hates that.
If you can't smoke after sex,
what's the point?
You're telling me
that you and bennett are involved?
I figured you had figured that out.
I did notice your manner changed
after he came into the room, yeah.
He knew you were my old therapist,
had to mark the room
like the dog he is.
Oh, so you think it was territorial?
- And kind of funny, considering.
- How so?
- I'm sure you noticed he wears a ring.
- I Did.
It's bad enough
to sleep with a married man,
but when he's your boss,
it's really pathetic, right?
I'm sure you had your reasons.
Yeah, I had been seeing
this other guy... Andre...
and that was fading fast,
so I just thought "well,
"I'll have a little fling with Bennett
and it'll be easier to let andre go
"if they overlap a little."
Is there...
I think there's a term for that.
It's called shingling.
Right, well,
who wants to have a leaky roof?
I never thought it would last,
you know, past a month with Bennett.
But it has lasted.
Yeah, over a year now.
Nobody knows.
That's a long time to keep a secret.
He said he was gonna leave his wife,
he wanted to be with me,
and I believed him.
I mean, it does happen.
People do leave their wives,
even for older women.
They do.
Well, he didn't.
So what happened?
It doesn't matter.
So now I need to meet someone else.
Do you know anybody?
So now you want me
to introduce you to somebody?
Sure. I don't need a therapist,
I need a matchmaker.
You think I would be
a good judge of character?
Oh, you don't have to be.
Just figure out
who I'm attracted to and then...
pick someone else.
You do owe me.
What do you mean I owe you?
I don't get what you mean.
What if I stood by the window
and smoked?
You can stand wherever
you like, Mia,
but I would still rather
you didn't smoke.
Okay.
Don't set me up.
I'm sure Bennett will call.
His wife never has sex with him.
I don't understand how people
can stay married like that. I...
you're divorced, right?
I mean, I know I'm not supposed to ask
but since I'm not really a patient...
did you have an affair?
When you say that you don't
really think that you're a patient,
- I think that what you're saying is...
- You did, didn't you?
Your wife found out,
she left you and now you're alone.
And here we are,
together again.
I've been wondering this past week
what would've happened if you and I
had just run into one another
in Soho or something like that.
And what do you think
would've happened?
Oh, probably nothing.
I mean, look at you.
I'm sure you don't have any trouble
finding women with the accent
and the eyes.
You probably already have
a girlfriend.
See, it's different for me.
How is it different for you?
It just is.
Do you feel
that you're not attractive?
No, I think I look fine.
I'm not talking about having sex.
I can find that.
Are you talking about having
a relationship?
Do you have any idea
what it's like to meet a smart,
interesting, available man
who's over 40?
No, what's it like?
Well, the pool is exceedingly small.
They're either married
or there's a very good reason
why they're not married.
And if they're divorced,
they want them young.
I bet the last woman
you fell for was... what?... 30.
Are you asking me if somebody like me
would be attracted to somebody like you?
Answering a question
with a question?
You sound like Bennett.
Lawyers should never be
with other lawyers.
I wonder if his wife
is sleeping with him again.
I taught him what to do,
she gets the benefits.
And what did you teach him to do?
God, the first time...
It was like...
it was like doing it with a salmon.
Do you ever watch
those nature documentaries?
Where the male salmon
frantically kind of jerks around
for about 15 seconds with its...
mouth gaping open
and then it just stops.
Not to mention
there's no hands, tongue...
never really touches the female.
So you turned Bennett from a...
from a fish into a man.
That sounds mythic.
A real fairy tale, you know, the one
where the princess fucks the frog
and turns him into a prince and then
he goes back to his
frigid frog wife.
What? What are you thinking?
I'm thinking it's a good thing
you don't write children's books.
Do I look like I don't understand
children?
Because I don't have any children
and you do?
No, I was just... no.
Sorry, it was a bad joke.
That's fine.
I'm not at my most jovial.
- I think I hurt your feelings.
- No, no, it's just...
Oh, never mind.
What is it?
I don't have any children.
And now, it looks like I won't.
My FSH level is higher
than it should be.
And I'm 43 and I'm a little young
for that and my doctor said
that if I wanted to get pregnant
I should have done it yesterday or
maybe five years ago.
I mean it's still
theoretically possible.
It must have been hard to hear.
It wasn't a complete surprise.
I'd stop taking the pill with Bennett
over the summer and nothing happened,
so...
But yeah, I went to see my doctor
on monday.
The same day that you and I met.
Yeah, that afternoon.
You're implying there's
a connection?
Am I?
Well, do you think
there's a connection?
Okay...
Yes.
Seeing you
just made me think
about my life.
- When did you get the results?
- On friday.
Did you tell Bennett?
And what did he said?
- He told me to get out.
- Get out?
- Where were you?
- I drove to his house
in Larchmont.
I told his wife it was a work emergency.
He wasn't even there.
I had to sit there and wait
with Gwen and the kids.
- and the tacky antiques.
- Did he show up?
Yeah, eventually.
We went to his study and I told him
that I wanted to see a specialist,
and I needed to get pregnant
right away.
He just said "get out"?
That and...
That he didn't want
to see me anymore.
And that's when you called me,
after you had seen Bennett.
Well, it's a hell of a week you had.
You get these test results
from your doctor,
you get rejected by Bennett,
and it kind of all begins
with meeting me on monday.
In a way...
It really all started 20 years ago.
You mean
when I was your therapist?
I was wondering
all these years later,
now that you know how it turned out,
what do you think
about that pregnancy?
What... what do you think?
No. No, Paul,
what do you think?
Seeing me last week, did it
make you question
that decision?
No, seeing you only made it worse.
So you've been struggling
with this for some time?
You know, it's ironic.
When I was looking at
your case file, I did the math
your wife
was pregnant at the same time I was,
but you thought that I should get
an abortion.
You think I wanted you to get
an abortion?
It was a mutual decision.
We made it together?
How did we do that, Mia?
Um, I was 22,
you were my therapist.
I was getting ready to go
to law school, I got pregnant
and you didn't think
I should have it.
- And what told you that?
- Oh, come on.
Maybe you can remind me.
Why don't you look over
your old session notes?
Or have you not even kept those?
You sound...
you sound kind of angry.
You know, you appear to have forgotten
the whole thing,
the gift that I gave you,
and the decision that we made.
- I don't...
- Forget it.
What is the point?
Obviously, we can't bring
the baby back,
but we might both learn
something if we...
we talk about it.
It seems to me that we may have
different perspectives.
There are facts.
- And what would they be?
- You challenged me
constantly.
Did I want to give up law school?
Was I ready to become a parent?
- Did I want to get married?
- And what were the answers?
You thought it would ruin my life.
Is that really what I said?
I do remember talking to you
about your anxiety
in relation to beginning law school
and separating from your family.
And I think you had doubts
about your boyfriend
at the time.
He was a musician, right?
- A drummer.
- Yeah.
You would think his timing
would've been better.
- It was a joke, Paul.
I... I get it.
- What was his name again?
- Stevie.
He fixed cars during the week
and did gigs on the weekend.
I'd follow him around
to all these dives.
He had this beautiful long hair
that would go flying everywhere.
But you know everyone said
- "He's a musician mechanic. He's not
or Mia." - What did you think?
I think I loved him
and I...
I let him go.
Do you know what that's like?
He was right there
next to me.
What were we thinking that somebody
better was gonna come along,
somebody my family liked?
And now...
Now I'm here
and this is what I have.
And I wish I could go back.
To what?
To that moment
right before I lost him.
You were there, Paul.
Maybe this is why you wanted
to see me, Mia,
to go back.
To go back to that moment
and try to understand it.
Yeah, what happened?
I missed it.
I don't remember how Stevie felt
about all this.
Oh, he didn't even know
I was pregnant.
Yeah, the person I told
was my father.
He was great about it.
He was completely supportive.
In what way?
Well, I mean he was upset
about it at first, of course,
but then he said whatever
I wanted to do,
he'd be there for me.
We even made a list
of the pros and cons
together.
He did everything
he found the doctor, he paid for it,
he took me to the appointment.
You remember him as being
so perfectly there
for you, so present,
and I was the one who let you down.
He even arranged for the abortion.
Yeah, of course he did,
so I wouldn't have to.
You know, I don't think
you told me that 20 years ago.
Do you know why not?
I didn't come here to talk
about my father.
We're fine.
How many fathers and daughters
have as good of a relationship?
And you're still very close.
In fact, he called you twice
when I was in the office.
Yeah. I mean, is there something
wrong with that?
It's better than fighting
all the time.
I bet you wish you were
as close to your daughter.
You haven't mentioned your mom.
Oh, she didn't know about it.
- You didn't tell your mother
that you were pregnant? - No.
That's kind of striking.
And your father didn't tell her?
No.
So it was a kind of a...
what? A secret
just between the two of you?
Well, the three of us,
because you knew.
Were there any other secrets?
All girls have secrets with their dads.
That's normal.
Like what, for example?
Well, my dad left the apartment
before I woke up every day,
to go and open the store.
So I never got to see him
in the mornings.
But I would leave early
to walk to school
You know it was Greenpoint, Brooklyn,
everbody, did that then.
- And where was you mum?
- Oh, I don't know.
Probably sleeping.
And I would stop by,
It was a candy store with magazines
and he would give me this big smile
and then he would make coffee
for both of us.
I mean mine was probably mostly milk
but it felt very grown-up.
And we would sit and
read the papers together
and he always told me
that I was smart.
My mother never knew.
That was a secret.
Just the two of you.
One day,
I was in the back room,
and this man came in
to rob the store
and I watched as he pointed a gun
at my father.
And my father
told him to get out
that he had earned that money and that
he wasn't give him a penny of it
and that he had pressed the alarm button
and the police were on their way,
which, you know, was a lie.
How old were you?
I was on 2nd grade,
so probably 7 or 8.
You must have been terrified.
Yeah, I was, but I was so...
I was so proud of him, he...
but I, you know,
I didn't know what to do
when I tried to catch his eye
and he looked at me and...
the robber saw him
and he just aimed his gun
straight at me
What happened?
He yelled:
"Do you want to lose you girl?
Is that what you want?"
And my father,
he just emptied the register.
And, you know, I remember that
it was a friday, so the till was full
and... the guy ran.
My father, he just...
he grabbed me and he started
to cry and
I hadn't ever really seen him
do that, you know.
And he was shaking and I told him,
I said "I'm okay.
I'm sorry because, if it wasn't for me,
you'll still have your money."
He was holding me so tight.
He didn't let me go to school that day,
he wouldn't let go
and he let me eat
my favorite chocolates
and he made me promise
never to tell my mother.
Why?
Well, because
she would have blamed him for...
losing all that money
and for not having a gun
and not having an alarm, you know,
for letting me visit him
in the mornings.
You, obviously
had a really close bond.
Did that make you feel
- important? - You know my poor dad,
in that awful store every day,
he paid for law school
There's something else
in that memory that
the way that he held on to you
the way he cried
You had to stay with him all day?
I mean, it was
a life-or-death situation.
Did you feel that
maybe there was a part of you
that couldn't leave him?
- Maybe that it felt...
- You know, no, that's enough.
I didn't come in here for therapy.
- Which part is the therapy
- You know,
your mother, your father
and your chilhood
I don't want to talk about that.
What I want to talk...
I want a partner
in my life.
I want a family and a home
before it's too late,
which it may already be.
- I understand.
- Can you help me with that?
You're telling me you don't want
therapy, Mia,
but you've come to me for help
and you know
therapy is all I have to offer.
I think what we have to do
is to look at the kind of choices
that you've been making up until now
- and why you haven't found...
- OK, I...
How long does that take?
- How old I'm going to be then?
- I think you came here for a reason.
Not just to talk about last week
or last month.
- I think what we need to do is...
- You're not listening to me
I don't have time for that.
Doesn'it feel like we are
in a similar position to 20 years ago,
when the clock is ticking
and you need to take action?
I know you feel I failed you back then,
I know that.
But if I offer you some kind of
quick fix that you know I can't deliver,
it's going to end the same way, Mia.
You'll feel angry,
you'll feel let down.
Like you did before
and like you did with Bennett.
Bennett?
It doesn't sound like Bennett was ever
going to give you what you wanted.
What happened was painful but
not really surprising.
It was almost set up to fail, Mia.
If I were to go along
with your request
- to find you a man, that will be
a set-up too - I have to go.
What do I owe you?
Well, I can send you the bill.
Whatever you want, I probably make
more than you do an hour.
I have to deal with
doctors and lawyers all day, so...
Your office's nicer than mine.
It's homey.
- Well, thanks.
- Would you like to come back next week?
Why?
Because, like you said, I
I owe you.
That's not what I meant.
What did you mean?
I meant you owe me a child, Paul.
That's what you owe me.
- Fucking hell.
We aren't in a battle here.
It's not like therapy.
I just don't think we should work together.
Haven't we been here before.
I was 22 and you just disappeared
- You need help now.
- How dare you tell me what to do?
You formulate your little
theory as soon as I walked in?
"Young girl, cancer...
This is an easy one."
- I have to go.
- April.
Come in, please.
I know 7:00 is early, but it's
the only time that I could come.
No, it's okay.
You know, it's funny... 20 years ago
I was in brooklyn, you were in the city,
and now it's the other way around.
Oh, that's... that's true.
I know you've spoken with ellis
about your case
and he is on top of it, but if you're
not pleased, {\I hope you'll }let me know.
Thank you,
and I really appreciate the referral.
You have more light in here than you
had in your old office on 10th street.
Yeah, that was...
that was a long time ago.
It's strange to be back.
This couch is better.
The old one was blue
with black pillows.
You have a good memory.
I just thought it was funny
that you had a black and blue couch.
I'm sorry about last week.
Oh, it was fine.
No, it was unprofessional
and it shouldn't have happened.
Well, as you said,
these things happen.
Well, it was embarrassing
and that's why I called...
I wanted to apologize
and just talk about it.
Good.
And I understand your saying no
to having a drink. That's too personal.
Anyway, I'm happy to come in,
have a session
and just try to clean up
the mess I made.
I should've brought a mop.
So your feelings kind of
caught you by surprise?
But that was back on last monday
and you called me on friday.
Did it take you that long to decide?
I didn't know if I wanted to.
Sometimes it's better
just to let things go...
don't go ferreting around
for more problems.
I just really didn't think
I would lose it like that.
And you were right
about how I set it up.
I'm not so sure
that I said you set it up.
Oh, but I did.
Ellis couldn't be there, I saw
your name on the file and I grabbed it.
I actually thought it would be fun
just to needle you a little
and impress you.
Oh, I was impressed.
Till Bennett walked in.
- Can I smoke?
- Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't.
Oh, really?
God, everyone is so healthy.
Why is that?
Even Bennett hates that.
If you can't smoke after sex,
what's the point?
You're telling me
that you and bennett are involved?
I figured you had figured that out.
I did notice your manner changed
after he came into the room, yeah.
He knew you were my old therapist,
had to mark the room
like the dog he is.
Oh, so you think it was territorial?
- And kind of funny, considering.
- How so?
- I'm sure you noticed he wears a ring.
- I Did.
It's bad enough
to sleep with a married man,
but when he's your boss,
it's really pathetic, right?
I'm sure you had your reasons.
Yeah, I had been seeing
this other guy... Andre...
and that was fading fast,
so I just thought "well,
"I'll have a little fling with Bennett
and it'll be easier to let andre go
"if they overlap a little."
Is there...
I think there's a term for that.
It's called shingling.
Right, well,
who wants to have a leaky roof?
I never thought it would last,
you know, past a month with Bennett.
But it has lasted.
Yeah, over a year now.
Nobody knows.
That's a long time to keep a secret.
He said he was gonna leave his wife,
he wanted to be with me,
and I believed him.
I mean, it does happen.
People do leave their wives,
even for older women.
They do.
Well, he didn't.
So what happened?
It doesn't matter.
So now I need to meet someone else.
Do you know anybody?
So now you want me
to introduce you to somebody?
Sure. I don't need a therapist,
I need a matchmaker.
You think I would be
a good judge of character?
Oh, you don't have to be.
Just figure out
who I'm attracted to and then...
pick someone else.
You do owe me.
What do you mean I owe you?
I don't get what you mean.
What if I stood by the window
and smoked?
You can stand wherever
you like, Mia,
but I would still rather
you didn't smoke.
Okay.
Don't set me up.
I'm sure Bennett will call.
His wife never has sex with him.
I don't understand how people
can stay married like that. I...
you're divorced, right?
I mean, I know I'm not supposed to ask
but since I'm not really a patient...
did you have an affair?
When you say that you don't
really think that you're a patient,
- I think that what you're saying is...
- You did, didn't you?
Your wife found out,
she left you and now you're alone.
And here we are,
together again.
I've been wondering this past week
what would've happened if you and I
had just run into one another
in Soho or something like that.
And what do you think
would've happened?
Oh, probably nothing.
I mean, look at you.
I'm sure you don't have any trouble
finding women with the accent
and the eyes.
You probably already have
a girlfriend.
See, it's different for me.
How is it different for you?
It just is.
Do you feel
that you're not attractive?
No, I think I look fine.
I'm not talking about having sex.
I can find that.
Are you talking about having
a relationship?
Do you have any idea
what it's like to meet a smart,
interesting, available man
who's over 40?
No, what's it like?
Well, the pool is exceedingly small.
They're either married
or there's a very good reason
why they're not married.
And if they're divorced,
they want them young.
I bet the last woman
you fell for was... what?... 30.
Are you asking me if somebody like me
would be attracted to somebody like you?
Answering a question
with a question?
You sound like Bennett.
Lawyers should never be
with other lawyers.
I wonder if his wife
is sleeping with him again.
I taught him what to do,
she gets the benefits.
And what did you teach him to do?
God, the first time...
It was like...
it was like doing it with a salmon.
Do you ever watch
those nature documentaries?
Where the male salmon
frantically kind of jerks around
for about 15 seconds with its...
mouth gaping open
and then it just stops.
Not to mention
there's no hands, tongue...
never really touches the female.
So you turned Bennett from a...
from a fish into a man.
That sounds mythic.
A real fairy tale, you know, the one
where the princess fucks the frog
and turns him into a prince and then
he goes back to his
frigid frog wife.
What? What are you thinking?
I'm thinking it's a good thing
you don't write children's books.
Do I look like I don't understand
children?
Because I don't have any children
and you do?
No, I was just... no.
Sorry, it was a bad joke.
That's fine.
I'm not at my most jovial.
- I think I hurt your feelings.
- No, no, it's just...
Oh, never mind.
What is it?
I don't have any children.
And now, it looks like I won't.
My FSH level is higher
than it should be.
And I'm 43 and I'm a little young
for that and my doctor said
that if I wanted to get pregnant
I should have done it yesterday or
maybe five years ago.
I mean it's still
theoretically possible.
It must have been hard to hear.
It wasn't a complete surprise.
I'd stop taking the pill with Bennett
over the summer and nothing happened,
so...
But yeah, I went to see my doctor
on monday.
The same day that you and I met.
Yeah, that afternoon.
You're implying there's
a connection?
Am I?
Well, do you think
there's a connection?
Okay...
Yes.
Seeing you
just made me think
about my life.
- When did you get the results?
- On friday.
Did you tell Bennett?
And what did he said?
- He told me to get out.
- Get out?
- Where were you?
- I drove to his house
in Larchmont.
I told his wife it was a work emergency.
He wasn't even there.
I had to sit there and wait
with Gwen and the kids.
- and the tacky antiques.
- Did he show up?
Yeah, eventually.
We went to his study and I told him
that I wanted to see a specialist,
and I needed to get pregnant
right away.
He just said "get out"?
That and...
That he didn't want
to see me anymore.
And that's when you called me,
after you had seen Bennett.
Well, it's a hell of a week you had.
You get these test results
from your doctor,
you get rejected by Bennett,
and it kind of all begins
with meeting me on monday.
In a way...
It really all started 20 years ago.
You mean
when I was your therapist?
I was wondering
all these years later,
now that you know how it turned out,
what do you think
about that pregnancy?
What... what do you think?
No. No, Paul,
what do you think?
Seeing me last week, did it
make you question
that decision?
No, seeing you only made it worse.
So you've been struggling
with this for some time?
You know, it's ironic.
When I was looking at
your case file, I did the math
your wife
was pregnant at the same time I was,
but you thought that I should get
an abortion.
You think I wanted you to get
an abortion?
It was a mutual decision.
We made it together?
How did we do that, Mia?
Um, I was 22,
you were my therapist.
I was getting ready to go
to law school, I got pregnant
and you didn't think
I should have it.
- And what told you that?
- Oh, come on.
Maybe you can remind me.
Why don't you look over
your old session notes?
Or have you not even kept those?
You sound...
you sound kind of angry.
You know, you appear to have forgotten
the whole thing,
the gift that I gave you,
and the decision that we made.
- I don't...
- Forget it.
What is the point?
Obviously, we can't bring
the baby back,
but we might both learn
something if we...
we talk about it.
It seems to me that we may have
different perspectives.
There are facts.
- And what would they be?
- You challenged me
constantly.
Did I want to give up law school?
Was I ready to become a parent?
- Did I want to get married?
- And what were the answers?
You thought it would ruin my life.
Is that really what I said?
I do remember talking to you
about your anxiety
in relation to beginning law school
and separating from your family.
And I think you had doubts
about your boyfriend
at the time.
He was a musician, right?
- A drummer.
- Yeah.
You would think his timing
would've been better.
- It was a joke, Paul.
I... I get it.
- What was his name again?
- Stevie.
He fixed cars during the week
and did gigs on the weekend.
I'd follow him around
to all these dives.
He had this beautiful long hair
that would go flying everywhere.
But you know everyone said
- "He's a musician mechanic. He's not
or Mia." - What did you think?
I think I loved him
and I...
I let him go.
Do you know what that's like?
He was right there
next to me.
What were we thinking that somebody
better was gonna come along,
somebody my family liked?
And now...
Now I'm here
and this is what I have.
And I wish I could go back.
To what?
To that moment
right before I lost him.
You were there, Paul.
Maybe this is why you wanted
to see me, Mia,
to go back.
To go back to that moment
and try to understand it.
Yeah, what happened?
I missed it.
I don't remember how Stevie felt
about all this.
Oh, he didn't even know
I was pregnant.
Yeah, the person I told
was my father.
He was great about it.
He was completely supportive.
In what way?
Well, I mean he was upset
about it at first, of course,
but then he said whatever
I wanted to do,
he'd be there for me.
We even made a list
of the pros and cons
together.
He did everything
he found the doctor, he paid for it,
he took me to the appointment.
You remember him as being
so perfectly there
for you, so present,
and I was the one who let you down.
He even arranged for the abortion.
Yeah, of course he did,
so I wouldn't have to.
You know, I don't think
you told me that 20 years ago.
Do you know why not?
I didn't come here to talk
about my father.
We're fine.
How many fathers and daughters
have as good of a relationship?
And you're still very close.
In fact, he called you twice
when I was in the office.
Yeah. I mean, is there something
wrong with that?
It's better than fighting
all the time.
I bet you wish you were
as close to your daughter.
You haven't mentioned your mom.
Oh, she didn't know about it.
- You didn't tell your mother
that you were pregnant? - No.
That's kind of striking.
And your father didn't tell her?
No.
So it was a kind of a...
what? A secret
just between the two of you?
Well, the three of us,
because you knew.
Were there any other secrets?
All girls have secrets with their dads.
That's normal.
Like what, for example?
Well, my dad left the apartment
before I woke up every day,
to go and open the store.
So I never got to see him
in the mornings.
But I would leave early
to walk to school
You know it was Greenpoint, Brooklyn,
everbody, did that then.
- And where was you mum?
- Oh, I don't know.
Probably sleeping.
And I would stop by,
It was a candy store with magazines
and he would give me this big smile
and then he would make coffee
for both of us.
I mean mine was probably mostly milk
but it felt very grown-up.
And we would sit and
read the papers together
and he always told me
that I was smart.
My mother never knew.
That was a secret.
Just the two of you.
One day,
I was in the back room,
and this man came in
to rob the store
and I watched as he pointed a gun
at my father.
And my father
told him to get out
that he had earned that money and that
he wasn't give him a penny of it
and that he had pressed the alarm button
and the police were on their way,
which, you know, was a lie.
How old were you?
I was on 2nd grade,
so probably 7 or 8.
You must have been terrified.
Yeah, I was, but I was so...
I was so proud of him, he...
but I, you know,
I didn't know what to do
when I tried to catch his eye
and he looked at me and...
the robber saw him
and he just aimed his gun
straight at me
What happened?
He yelled:
"Do you want to lose you girl?
Is that what you want?"
And my father,
he just emptied the register.
And, you know, I remember that
it was a friday, so the till was full
and... the guy ran.
My father, he just...
he grabbed me and he started
to cry and
I hadn't ever really seen him
do that, you know.
And he was shaking and I told him,
I said "I'm okay.
I'm sorry because, if it wasn't for me,
you'll still have your money."
He was holding me so tight.
He didn't let me go to school that day,
he wouldn't let go
and he let me eat
my favorite chocolates
and he made me promise
never to tell my mother.
Why?
Well, because
she would have blamed him for...
losing all that money
and for not having a gun
and not having an alarm, you know,
for letting me visit him
in the mornings.
You, obviously
had a really close bond.
Did that make you feel
- important? - You know my poor dad,
in that awful store every day,
he paid for law school
There's something else
in that memory that
the way that he held on to you
the way he cried
You had to stay with him all day?
I mean, it was
a life-or-death situation.
Did you feel that
maybe there was a part of you
that couldn't leave him?
- Maybe that it felt...
- You know, no, that's enough.
I didn't come in here for therapy.
- Which part is the therapy
- You know,
your mother, your father
and your chilhood
I don't want to talk about that.
What I want to talk...
I want a partner
in my life.
I want a family and a home
before it's too late,
which it may already be.
- I understand.
- Can you help me with that?
You're telling me you don't want
therapy, Mia,
but you've come to me for help
and you know
therapy is all I have to offer.
I think what we have to do
is to look at the kind of choices
that you've been making up until now
- and why you haven't found...
- OK, I...
How long does that take?
- How old I'm going to be then?
- I think you came here for a reason.
Not just to talk about last week
or last month.
- I think what we need to do is...
- You're not listening to me
I don't have time for that.
Doesn'it feel like we are
in a similar position to 20 years ago,
when the clock is ticking
and you need to take action?
I know you feel I failed you back then,
I know that.
But if I offer you some kind of
quick fix that you know I can't deliver,
it's going to end the same way, Mia.
You'll feel angry,
you'll feel let down.
Like you did before
and like you did with Bennett.
Bennett?
It doesn't sound like Bennett was ever
going to give you what you wanted.
What happened was painful but
not really surprising.
It was almost set up to fail, Mia.
If I were to go along
with your request
- to find you a man, that will be
a set-up too - I have to go.
What do I owe you?
Well, I can send you the bill.
Whatever you want, I probably make
more than you do an hour.
I have to deal with
doctors and lawyers all day, so...
Your office's nicer than mine.
It's homey.
- Well, thanks.
- Would you like to come back next week?
Why?
Because, like you said, I
I owe you.
That's not what I meant.
What did you mean?
I meant you owe me a child, Paul.
That's what you owe me.