Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 8, Episode 11 - A Winter Carol - full transcript
A man who died on 9-11-2001 in the twin towers was a music teacher. His death affects one of his students and his family. The student is depressed, his older brother wants to join the army, and their mayor mother has to help the town.
♪♪
Is this the car, Andrew?
Yeah.
It looks so lonely.
Who does it belong to?
Wait. Here they come.
Benny, if you don't stop that,
I'm gonna throw those sticks
out the window
and tell your brother
to back over them.
Look.
It's still there.
I know it is, honey.
Maybe tomorrow.
Hmm.
That's them.
The Lewis family.
Well, then who does
the car belong to?
The car belongs
to Mr. Bill Harper.
He was the piano
teacher in this town.
And the band leader,
and the choir director,
and he directed the
Fourth of July parade,
and the high school
football rallies.
He even taught a little
boy to play the drums.
And every December,
he directed the
Christmas pageant
for the community church.
But he doesn't anymore?
Gloria, do you see
those train tracks?
All right, if you follow them
that way, you end up in Albany.
And if you take
the train that way,
you end up in Manhattan.
Mr. Harper has been missing
since he took the 6:15 train
to New York City...
the morning of
September the 11th.
♪ When you walk ♪
♪ Down the road ♪
♪ Heavy burden ♪
♪ Heavy load ♪
♪ I will rise ♪
♪ And I will walk with you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Every time, I tell you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
Your Honor?
Uh, Your Honor?
Oh, Charlie, don't give
me that. What do you want?
We got to do
something about that car.
Look, if there's no
family handling this,
then it's up to us
to finally decide...
No.
It's been three months, Vicky.
No, I said no.
Not yet, all right?
I've got a meeting.
You're late.
Too late, if you ask me.
Something has to
be done, Victoria.
Doesn't anybody say
"good morning" anymore?
Morning.
When are you gonna see
a doctor about that throat?
I Will, I Will.
I'm sorry, I don't know you.
Hello.
My name is Monica.
I've rented the old copy
store down on Main Street.
We're opening a Christmas shop.
I hope you'll drop by.
"Christmas House."
Now, there's a sure bet.
Carl.
Excuse him, Monica.
Christmas sales are down,
and Carl can't
handle the pressure.
Pressure I can handle.
It's the poverty
that's got me worried.
Well, it's the local merchants.
They're not advertising as
much as they did last year.
I'm the only store on the
block that's even put up
Christmas decorations.
We're still pretty
numb from September.
I understand.
So, anyway,
Victoria, it occurred
to some of us that a good,
old-fashioned Christmas pageant
at the community
church... Nothing fancy,
just the basics...
Might be just the ticket
to get people back in the spirit
before all the
shopping days are over.
But I can't make the
church put on a pageant.
Why not? You're on the board.
Well, I know Bill Harper used
to spend months
getting it ready.
You can't just throw
something together like that.
I mean, especially now.
It would be an
insult to his memory.
Besides, nobody really
has the heart for it right now.
I noticed his car
is still at the station.
Yes, it is.
What is the sheriff waiting for?
He's waiting for me.
Now, is there any
other business?
Actually, yes. I
was still thinking
about the-the Christmas pageant;
and perhaps we can't
match the extravaganzas
of past years, but
wouldn't it be better
to give the community
something simple
to rejoice in instead
of nothing at all?
Couldn't have
said it better myself.
I volunteer to plan
something for this weekend.
Well, I'll-I'll give it
some thought, Monica.
Great.
I look forward to
hearing from you.
Bye-bye.
Now, see, these are adverbs.
They're always gonna
be talking about an action.
You know, he-he ran
happily, slowly, weirdly.
- Dorkily?
- Yes.
Did I just hear
the word "dorkily"?
You're not going
running, are you?
Yeah, I thought I
would. Why not?
Well, how's your throat?
It's not so bad.
What are you doing home anyway?
Got laid off.
No one's going
out to eat anymore.
Oh, that must be him.
Who?
Hi. Come on in.
Hi. Thanks.
Benny... Benny, this is Andrew.
Benny.
Andrew's a drum teacher
like Mr. Harper was...
Uh, just like Mr. Harper.
Remember I said I thought
it would be a good idea
for you to keep up
your drum lessons?
You haven't had
any since September.
Mr. Harper is my teacher.
Well, yes, uh... But,
you know, a musician
can't afford to get rusty,
'cause you never know
when you're gonna have
to sit in on a session.
Nice set.
Yeah, well, okay.
But it's only temporary.
That's fine.
Come on.
My mom thinks
maybe Mr. Harper went
to the World Trade Center.
Yeah, yeah, I heard that.
But his answering
machine still works,
and he said he
had a big surprise
for the Christmas pageant
that he was working on.
I think it's just taking longer
than he thought,
but got to be ready,
just in case he
needs some drums.
Tell you what.
What if I stop by here
every afternoon
for a little while?
Okay.
Cool.
He always kept the keyboard
in excellent condition,
and the pipes, as you can see.
Oh, Victoria.
Hello.
This is Tess.
She's volunteered
to play the organ
for our Christmas services.
Victoria's our mayor.
Very nice to meet you.
I'm happy to meet you, too.
Reverend, I'm getting some
pressure from the merchants.
They want me to convince you
to put on a Christmas pageant.
Now?
Bill Harper always spent
months planning for those things.
Well, that's what I said.
Oh, but think of
the tribute to him
to carry on in the tradition,
even in a small way.
What do you think?
I feel it's too late,
uh, and it's strange.
It also feels too soon.
Uh, Benny, my son...
He's just not ready to do
a Christmas pageant
without Bill Harper.
Well, how's Benny doing?
Well, he's fine.
Uh, he's just fine.
Nice to meet you, Tess.
And you, too.
Thank you, Reverend.
Do you have any idea
why Bill Harper went
to New York that day?
No.
Not a clue.
♪♪
Hey, uh, I was
wondering about the...
You're hired.
And if you can find
either one of the ends,
we'll give you a raise.
I think you got two separate
strands of lights here.
Oh, oh, that's good.
I'm Monica; this is Gloria.
It's my first Christmas.
We open tomorrow.
But nobody around here
seems to be very much
in the Christmas spirit.
Yeah, I know.
And I'm getting tired
of it, so let's get to work.
That's good, but keep
the beat with your left foot.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Excellent.
That's great work, good work.
Bravo.
I think I'm getting
into the groove.
Oh, yeah.
I'm home.
- Hey.
- Hey, Andrew.
Mom, guess what.
I give up.
I got a job at the
new Christmas store,
and my boss says she knows you.
Monica, welcome.
Hello.
I gave your card to a
woman this morning.
She said she wanted to
help out with that project
- that we discussed.
- The pageant?
Great. Are you sure
you're really interested?
I...
Can you just give me
a moment, Monica?
Uh, please, sit.
Benny... how would you feel
if we did the Christmas pageant
this year without Mr. Harper?
No. He's the only one
who knows how to do it.
- No, honey...
- He'll be back in time.
He'd never miss Christmas.
I'll get it.
Charlie?
I just got a call from NYPD.
They found a wallet
at Ground Zero.
Whose wallet?
Hey, buddy, hey, why don't
you come with me, huh?
Uh, do some homework.
Was it Mr. Harper's wallet?
Yes, Benny.
So it's official?
Yeah.
Benny, you want
to talk about this?
All right, well, if
you want to talk,
tomorrow, whenever, you
just let me know, all right?
All right, night, buddy.
I love you.
You're a good brother, Patrick.
Hey, Charlie.
Hey, Scott.
Monica, how are you?
Good.
Hey, Scott, why don't you, uh...
Hi. Come in, come in.
I keep coming back here,
like a criminal returning
to the scene of the crime.
You haven't done anything wrong.
Well, no, I haven't done
anything; that's the problem.
I just feel sort of
numb, can't focus.
Mr. Harper must've
been a really good friend.
No, you know what?
I didn't really know
him all that well.
I mean, nobody did.
I don't know where he
grew up, if he had any family.
I don't know why he bought
that ticket to New York City,
why he was there the
day the towers went down.
He used to come to our house
every Thursday to
give Benny a lesson.
He drank tea with milk.
I'd hand him a
check once a month,
and we'd chat for
about five minutes,
but I didn't really know him.
He was a neighbor, he
lived right down the street,
and I didn't know him.
But he certainly worked
miracles with Benny.
Miracles?
Mm-hmm.
You know, after
the boys' father left,
Benny sort of shutdown.
He didn't talk to anybody,
he wouldn't play with anybody.
Bill Harper had an idea.
He got Benny to take out
his anger on the drums,
and after a while, his
anger turned into music.
I don't know what
I would've done
if he hadn't come
along when he did.
Mr. Harper helped Benny
get over his last heartbreak,
but who's gonna help
him get over Mr. Harper?
So how's your shop?
I've been meaning
to come in, just...
I haven't been feeling
very "ho, ho, ho" these days.
I couldn't be less
ready for Christmas.
That's when you need it.
So you really gonna do
this Christmas pageant?
Yes, but if I don't
get my posters up,
no one will know
about it but us.
See you.
Oh, hey.
- Hey. This seat taken?
- Hi.
How you doing?
I'm fine.
So what's up?
I just can't help thinking
the last time someone
drove that car,
it was just another normal day.
It's official,
there'll never be
another normal day.
No.
When are you gonna finally
start getting mad about all this?
Well, I can't.
Why not?
Because I have responsibilities.
Victoria, we all
have responsibilities.
Doesn't mean we're
not allowed to be human.
I mean, I haven't seen you
cry once in three months.
You just do your job,
Charlie, and let me do mine.
See you later.
Benny?
Benny!
Benny, what-what... what
are you doing? Hey, what...
- Leave me alone!
- Stop.
Benny?
Go away.
What happened to your drums?
I killed them.
I guess... guess you're
pretty angry, huh?
It hurts to miss somebody.
Makes you want to cry.
I can't.
I got to be strong like my mom.
All you have to do is be Benny.
Come here.
It's okay.
It's okay.
Monica says she's
gonna give me a part
in the Christmas pageant.
I wanted to be an angel,
but it was already taken.
Wow!
What an amazing use
of convection air current.
I can't believe you've never
seen one of these things before.
They've been around forever.
Oh, well, I haven't.
These things are tradition.
We used to have them all
over my house at Christmas.
We even had a little
village like that one,
with this little toy
train that would...
Well, that's a pretty one.
Yeah.
Feel like smashing
it against the wall.
Why?
"Peace on Earth,
good will towards men."
Those words will never mean
the same thing to me again.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
There's nothing
you can do about it.
Maybe there's something I can.
You mind if I leave
a little early tonight?
Sure, o-okay.
Thanks.
Tess and I found
most of the costumes
in the church basement
and some scripts
from past years,
and I've put posters
up all over town.
Oh, that sounds wonderful.
Where on earth have you been?
Took the train to Manhattan.
What?!
I'm 18.
I can go into the
city when I want.
Look, I'm sorry.
It's just, there was
something I had to do,
and I knew if I talked to you
first, you'd talk me out of it.
Oh, no, what did you buy?
I didn't buy anything.
I enlisted.
No, I don't understand.
Enlisted in what?
I enlisted in the army.
I leave the day after Christmas.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
But you can't enlist.
You're going to
college next fall.
How can you just turn around
and pull a stunt like this?
Mom, I've thought
about this a lot.
All right, ever
since September 11,
I knew I had to do something.
No, what you have to do
is what we all have to do.
We have to carry on with
the lives we were living before.
How can you tell me to
do that when you can't?
I have done
nothing but carry on,
for this family
and for this town.
You've had a doctor's
appointment for three months
in New York about your
sore throat, and you won't go.
No, I am not afraid to
go into New York City,
and I'm not gonna
let you turn this
into a conversation about me.
You always taught
us to do the right thing.
What, you think that
sneaking behind my back,
abandoning your
brother at a time like this
- is the right thing?
- I'm just saying...
No, Benny lost his father,
then his favorite teacher.
Now he's losing his brother.
He's not gonna lose me.
All right? And neither are you.
No, you don't know that.
Well, maybe not, but I do know
that my little brother's
heart is broken,
that my mom hasn't
laughed in three months,
and that I can't walk
into a Christmas store
and hang holly and tinsel
and talk about peace on Earth
when I know there isn't any.
I got to do this.
All right? I'm sorry.
I love you, but I got to do it.
Otherwise, I'll never be
able to live with myself.
♪ In the heart of
the darkest winter ♪
♪ Cries a voice to
the listening ear ♪
♪ Though your back
and your arms are weary ♪
♪ Be of good cheer ♪
♪ When the sky is
all rain and thunder ♪
♪ And your mind
is a maze of fear ♪
♪ Let your heart hear
these words of comfort ♪
♪ Be of good cheer ♪
♪ Though the story is ages old ♪
♪ Still the story is told ♪
♪ How a child is born ♪
♪ In the dead of night ♪
♪ Born of love ♪
♪ Born of light ♪
♪ May the miracle of the baby ♪
♪ See you strong
through the coming year ♪
♪ For the world has
no greater power... ♪
I got to run out for a second.
Uh, some kind of fight
at Louie's Laundry.
It's probably nothing.
I'll be right back.
No, Charlie, wait!
Look for a relative's
address or something.
♪ Be of good cheer ♪
♪ Be of good cheer. ♪
"For Benny.
Christmas pageant."
Oh.
Um...
Hi.
If you're trying to
reach Bill Harper,
you've got the right
place but the wrong time,
so leave a message,
and I'll get back to you.
Mr. Harper, it's Benny.
Um, I'm not gonna call anymore.
I know what happened
now, and I'm really sorry.
- Oh, Benny.
- I bet you were really scared.
I'm gonna miss you, Mr. Harper.
They're gonna do
the Christmas pageant
without you now,
and that's not fair
because I really wanted
to play the drums for you.
Well, you probably
won't even get this,
but I just wanted to
say good-bye, so bye.
Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.
Saturday, December 8, 3:33 pm.
Mr. Harper, are you there?
Tuesday, November 20, 3:42 pm.
Mr. Harper, when
are you coming back?
My mom wants me to
get another drum teacher,
but I think we ought
to wait till you get back.
What do you think?
Call me, okay?
Bye.
This is Miss Claypool
at Dryden Security Bank.
Uh, we're sorry
that we missed...
Tuesday, September 11, 5:17 pm.
Hi, it's Benny.
Something terrible happened
today down in New York,
and I just wanted to
make sure you're okay.
I'll see you tomorrow at 4:00.
That's all. See you.
Victoria?
What are you doing here?
I came to help.
Oh, um...
well, I was just gonna
look around for some tea.
I've got a bit of a sore throat.
I know why it hurts.
It's the lump in your throat
that has been there
since September 11.
It's your body
trying to tell you
that it wants to cry,
but you won't let it.
Well, I don't think we know
each other well enough
to have this conversation.
Who knows you then?
Have you cried
with your friends,
with your neighbors,
with your sons?
There is someone
here now, Victoria,
who knows that
your heart is broken.
It is God.
And He sent me to tell you
that He loves you very much.
I am an angel.
Don't be afraid.
"Don't be afraid"?
"Fear not, I bring you
tidings of great joy"?
Yes.
God loves you so much,
and He wants to
take away your fear.
Well, you tell Him
that I'm not afraid
to go to New York because
of what could happen to me.
I am afraid...
Afraid of what you might feel.
He knows.
You have to get the pain out...
All of it... If you're
going to heal.
But what do I have to heal from?
I mean, there are thousands
of people in this country
who have suffered real loss.
I'm just another sad,
confused American
just trying to carry on.
You have been wounded, too,
whether you admit it or
not, and you need to heal.
Well, I'm not so sure I want to.
And that is how you
feel about the world now?
Mm-hmm.
When I was a kid... uh, 1962...
I remember hearing bells,
crawling under desks
for duck and cover,
and wondering, is this it?
Is this the end of the world?
And when that crisis was over,
we had to find
some way to go on.
We had to find
some way to forget
that there was always
a bomb somewhere
in the world pointed at us.
We taught ourselves
how to forget that.
We convinced each other
to believe in the future,
to look forward to growing
up, having dreams, goals.
Uh, you can ask any
kid who lived through that.
They'll understand what I mean.
And how did we finally
go back to sleep at night?
I'll tell you how.
We told ourselves that
it just couldn't happen.
We read Anne Frank,
convinced each other
that deep down inside,
people were really good
and that nobody would
ever really want to hurt us.
And it worked, Monica.
It worked.
For 39 years, it worked.
And then three months ago,
19 men got on four airplanes,
and that lie was
stripped away from us.
And all I want to do now...
all I want to do...
Oh, God! Oh, God.
Oh, my God.
What did they do to us?
They got our
country, our country.
I don't even know
what to start crying for.
I think about those people,
those poor people in
the planes and the towers,
the firemen,
children whose mothers and
fathers never came back home.
I just... I just
can't process it all.
Everything has changed.
Nothing is the same
anymore, nothing.
I-I can't even look
at a Christmas card
in the mail without
being afraid.
And you know what scares
me the most, Monica?
What frightens me to the
deepest part of my soul is that
I don't think we
were ever really safe.
Now that dream is gone forever.
For the rest of my life,
I'll wake up every morning
and have no idea
what might happen.
You never knew that
before either, Victoria.
Now you just know
that you don't know
what can happen.
But now, when you wake up,
you might just start your
day by turning it over to God,
because no matter
what happens to you,
God will never leave
you to face it alone.
And even if you try to put
Christmas out of your mind,
God won't let you,
because that's
what Christmas is:
Emmanuel, God with us.
And I know that
it won't be easy,
but you have to sit
down with your children...
They need you so much now...
And talk to them,
and listen to them,
and-and hold them close.
Or if you have to, let them go.
Oh, Patrick.
Yes.
Whatever he decides,
entrust his life to God.
Live in faith.
God cannot work in your life
if you've given it over to fear.
And, Victoria, there's something
that God needs you to do.
What?
Something for Patrick, for
Benny, for your community.
But you have to go back
to before September
11 to accomplish it.
Well, no, I don't understand.
Listen.
Monday, September 10, 8:43 pm.
Hey, Bill, it's Jim.
I've got good news on your
idea for your Christmas pageant.
I spoke to my buddy
John Clydesman
up at Rockefeller Center,
and he thinks he can, uh,
help you make this happen.
So come on down to
the World Trade Center
tomorrow morning, and
we can grab some coffee,
and I'll show you my new office.
Then we, uh, can
take the, uh, subway
up to Rockefeller
Center and meet John.
He's expecting us for lunch.
He'll be waiting for us.
See you tomorrow.
John Clydesman is
still waiting for them.
Mr. Harper and Jim didn't
make it to the meeting.
They never left Jim's
office in the North Tower.
John Clydesman knows why
Mr. Harper was in
New York that day.
Hey, Bill, it's Jim.
I've got good news on your
idea for your Christmas pageant.
I spoke to my buddy
John Clydesman
up at Rockefeller Center,
and he thinks he can,
uh, help you make...
Hudson Express to Penn Station
will be departing in 30 minutes.
Hudson Express to Penn Station
will be departing in 30 minutes.
One for Penn Station, please.
I don't know, buddy.
You did some pretty
serious damage here.
You could fix it, like
you fixed my PlayStation.
Hey, I'm good, but,
uh, not that good.
Maybe Mom could fix it.
Doubtful.
Hello.
Uh, where were you?
H was starting to get worried.
Hi.
I went to New York,
believe it or not.
Finally went to the doctor?
No, it wasn't a
doctor that I needed.
Do you remember Mr. Harper
said he had a big surprise planned
for the Christmas
pageant this year?
I found out what it was.
I went to New York to
finish what he started.
He had something
special in mind for you, too.
Come on, look.
Wow!
You wanted to
play for him, right?
Are you sure you're okay?
Yes!
Oh, better than I've ever been.
♪ Glor... ♪
♪ ...Or... I ♪ ...oria ♪
♪ In excelsis Deo ♪
♪ Glor... ♪
♪ ...Or... I ♪ ...oria ♪
♪ In excelsis Deo. ♪
Oh, my.
Thank you so much.
What a beautiful
ending to our pageant.
Mr. Harper would've
been so proud.
And I'm told we have
more surprises in store.
Mayor Lewis?
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas.
Oh, this is harder
than I expected.
Uh...
My son, my wonderful
son, Patrick, is heading off
for the army the
day after Christmas.
I couldn't be more proud of him.
He reminded me that we
each have to take responsibility
for making the
world a better place,
and I support his decision.
I can't say that I'm
happy to see him go,
but I know that
he won't be alone.
Um...
There's a tradition...
I'm sorry, um...
Monica?
I understand that there's
a tradition in this town
that when a young man or
woman enters military service,
they are given the opportunity
to choose the hymn that
will be sung in their honor
the last Sunday
before they leave.
Patrick Lewis has
chosen his song.
Uh, it is not the
traditional Christmas carol
that Mr. Harper planned
for his special guests
to perform today,
but it is perhaps the song
that we especially need to hear.
We've all heard it before,
but today let us listen
with hearts that seek peace,
not by our own might,
but by trusting every battle,
every struggle, every fear
to Almighty God who
conquered evil with love
Christmas Day 2,000 years ago,
and who has done
it every day since.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Harper's gift to you.
♪ Mine eyes have
seen the glory ♪
Please welcome the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
♪ Of the coming of the Lord ♪
♪ He is trampling
out the vintage ♪
♪ Where the grapes
of wrath are stored ♪
♪ He hath loosed
the fateful lightning ♪
♪ Of His terrible swift sword ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ Gloria ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Gloria I ♪ Glory,
glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Gloria I ♪ Glory,
glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Gloria I ♪ His
truth is marching on ♪
♪ I have seen Him
in the watch-fires ♪
♪ Of a hundred circling camps ♪
♪ They have
builded Him an altar ♪
♪ In the evening
dews and damps ♪
♪ I can read His
righteous sentence ♪
♪ In the dim and flaring lamps ♪
♪ His day is marching on ♪
♪ Truth is marching,
truth is marching ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ In the beauty ♪
♪ Of the lilies ♪
♪ Christ was born
across the sea ♪
♪ With a glory in His bosom ♪
♪ That transfigures
you and me... ♪
♪ As He died to make men holy ♪
♪ Let us live to make men free ♪
♪ While God is marching on ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ Amen ♪
♪ Amen... ♪
Is this the car, Andrew?
Yeah.
It looks so lonely.
Who does it belong to?
Wait. Here they come.
Benny, if you don't stop that,
I'm gonna throw those sticks
out the window
and tell your brother
to back over them.
Look.
It's still there.
I know it is, honey.
Maybe tomorrow.
Hmm.
That's them.
The Lewis family.
Well, then who does
the car belong to?
The car belongs
to Mr. Bill Harper.
He was the piano
teacher in this town.
And the band leader,
and the choir director,
and he directed the
Fourth of July parade,
and the high school
football rallies.
He even taught a little
boy to play the drums.
And every December,
he directed the
Christmas pageant
for the community church.
But he doesn't anymore?
Gloria, do you see
those train tracks?
All right, if you follow them
that way, you end up in Albany.
And if you take
the train that way,
you end up in Manhattan.
Mr. Harper has been missing
since he took the 6:15 train
to New York City...
the morning of
September the 11th.
♪ When you walk ♪
♪ Down the road ♪
♪ Heavy burden ♪
♪ Heavy load ♪
♪ I will rise ♪
♪ And I will walk with you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Every time, I tell you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
Your Honor?
Uh, Your Honor?
Oh, Charlie, don't give
me that. What do you want?
We got to do
something about that car.
Look, if there's no
family handling this,
then it's up to us
to finally decide...
No.
It's been three months, Vicky.
No, I said no.
Not yet, all right?
I've got a meeting.
You're late.
Too late, if you ask me.
Something has to
be done, Victoria.
Doesn't anybody say
"good morning" anymore?
Morning.
When are you gonna see
a doctor about that throat?
I Will, I Will.
I'm sorry, I don't know you.
Hello.
My name is Monica.
I've rented the old copy
store down on Main Street.
We're opening a Christmas shop.
I hope you'll drop by.
"Christmas House."
Now, there's a sure bet.
Carl.
Excuse him, Monica.
Christmas sales are down,
and Carl can't
handle the pressure.
Pressure I can handle.
It's the poverty
that's got me worried.
Well, it's the local merchants.
They're not advertising as
much as they did last year.
I'm the only store on the
block that's even put up
Christmas decorations.
We're still pretty
numb from September.
I understand.
So, anyway,
Victoria, it occurred
to some of us that a good,
old-fashioned Christmas pageant
at the community
church... Nothing fancy,
just the basics...
Might be just the ticket
to get people back in the spirit
before all the
shopping days are over.
But I can't make the
church put on a pageant.
Why not? You're on the board.
Well, I know Bill Harper used
to spend months
getting it ready.
You can't just throw
something together like that.
I mean, especially now.
It would be an
insult to his memory.
Besides, nobody really
has the heart for it right now.
I noticed his car
is still at the station.
Yes, it is.
What is the sheriff waiting for?
He's waiting for me.
Now, is there any
other business?
Actually, yes. I
was still thinking
about the-the Christmas pageant;
and perhaps we can't
match the extravaganzas
of past years, but
wouldn't it be better
to give the community
something simple
to rejoice in instead
of nothing at all?
Couldn't have
said it better myself.
I volunteer to plan
something for this weekend.
Well, I'll-I'll give it
some thought, Monica.
Great.
I look forward to
hearing from you.
Bye-bye.
Now, see, these are adverbs.
They're always gonna
be talking about an action.
You know, he-he ran
happily, slowly, weirdly.
- Dorkily?
- Yes.
Did I just hear
the word "dorkily"?
You're not going
running, are you?
Yeah, I thought I
would. Why not?
Well, how's your throat?
It's not so bad.
What are you doing home anyway?
Got laid off.
No one's going
out to eat anymore.
Oh, that must be him.
Who?
Hi. Come on in.
Hi. Thanks.
Benny... Benny, this is Andrew.
Benny.
Andrew's a drum teacher
like Mr. Harper was...
Uh, just like Mr. Harper.
Remember I said I thought
it would be a good idea
for you to keep up
your drum lessons?
You haven't had
any since September.
Mr. Harper is my teacher.
Well, yes, uh... But,
you know, a musician
can't afford to get rusty,
'cause you never know
when you're gonna have
to sit in on a session.
Nice set.
Yeah, well, okay.
But it's only temporary.
That's fine.
Come on.
My mom thinks
maybe Mr. Harper went
to the World Trade Center.
Yeah, yeah, I heard that.
But his answering
machine still works,
and he said he
had a big surprise
for the Christmas pageant
that he was working on.
I think it's just taking longer
than he thought,
but got to be ready,
just in case he
needs some drums.
Tell you what.
What if I stop by here
every afternoon
for a little while?
Okay.
Cool.
He always kept the keyboard
in excellent condition,
and the pipes, as you can see.
Oh, Victoria.
Hello.
This is Tess.
She's volunteered
to play the organ
for our Christmas services.
Victoria's our mayor.
Very nice to meet you.
I'm happy to meet you, too.
Reverend, I'm getting some
pressure from the merchants.
They want me to convince you
to put on a Christmas pageant.
Now?
Bill Harper always spent
months planning for those things.
Well, that's what I said.
Oh, but think of
the tribute to him
to carry on in the tradition,
even in a small way.
What do you think?
I feel it's too late,
uh, and it's strange.
It also feels too soon.
Uh, Benny, my son...
He's just not ready to do
a Christmas pageant
without Bill Harper.
Well, how's Benny doing?
Well, he's fine.
Uh, he's just fine.
Nice to meet you, Tess.
And you, too.
Thank you, Reverend.
Do you have any idea
why Bill Harper went
to New York that day?
No.
Not a clue.
♪♪
Hey, uh, I was
wondering about the...
You're hired.
And if you can find
either one of the ends,
we'll give you a raise.
I think you got two separate
strands of lights here.
Oh, oh, that's good.
I'm Monica; this is Gloria.
It's my first Christmas.
We open tomorrow.
But nobody around here
seems to be very much
in the Christmas spirit.
Yeah, I know.
And I'm getting tired
of it, so let's get to work.
That's good, but keep
the beat with your left foot.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Excellent.
That's great work, good work.
Bravo.
I think I'm getting
into the groove.
Oh, yeah.
I'm home.
- Hey.
- Hey, Andrew.
Mom, guess what.
I give up.
I got a job at the
new Christmas store,
and my boss says she knows you.
Monica, welcome.
Hello.
I gave your card to a
woman this morning.
She said she wanted to
help out with that project
- that we discussed.
- The pageant?
Great. Are you sure
you're really interested?
I...
Can you just give me
a moment, Monica?
Uh, please, sit.
Benny... how would you feel
if we did the Christmas pageant
this year without Mr. Harper?
No. He's the only one
who knows how to do it.
- No, honey...
- He'll be back in time.
He'd never miss Christmas.
I'll get it.
Charlie?
I just got a call from NYPD.
They found a wallet
at Ground Zero.
Whose wallet?
Hey, buddy, hey, why don't
you come with me, huh?
Uh, do some homework.
Was it Mr. Harper's wallet?
Yes, Benny.
So it's official?
Yeah.
Benny, you want
to talk about this?
All right, well, if
you want to talk,
tomorrow, whenever, you
just let me know, all right?
All right, night, buddy.
I love you.
You're a good brother, Patrick.
Hey, Charlie.
Hey, Scott.
Monica, how are you?
Good.
Hey, Scott, why don't you, uh...
Hi. Come in, come in.
I keep coming back here,
like a criminal returning
to the scene of the crime.
You haven't done anything wrong.
Well, no, I haven't done
anything; that's the problem.
I just feel sort of
numb, can't focus.
Mr. Harper must've
been a really good friend.
No, you know what?
I didn't really know
him all that well.
I mean, nobody did.
I don't know where he
grew up, if he had any family.
I don't know why he bought
that ticket to New York City,
why he was there the
day the towers went down.
He used to come to our house
every Thursday to
give Benny a lesson.
He drank tea with milk.
I'd hand him a
check once a month,
and we'd chat for
about five minutes,
but I didn't really know him.
He was a neighbor, he
lived right down the street,
and I didn't know him.
But he certainly worked
miracles with Benny.
Miracles?
Mm-hmm.
You know, after
the boys' father left,
Benny sort of shutdown.
He didn't talk to anybody,
he wouldn't play with anybody.
Bill Harper had an idea.
He got Benny to take out
his anger on the drums,
and after a while, his
anger turned into music.
I don't know what
I would've done
if he hadn't come
along when he did.
Mr. Harper helped Benny
get over his last heartbreak,
but who's gonna help
him get over Mr. Harper?
So how's your shop?
I've been meaning
to come in, just...
I haven't been feeling
very "ho, ho, ho" these days.
I couldn't be less
ready for Christmas.
That's when you need it.
So you really gonna do
this Christmas pageant?
Yes, but if I don't
get my posters up,
no one will know
about it but us.
See you.
Oh, hey.
- Hey. This seat taken?
- Hi.
How you doing?
I'm fine.
So what's up?
I just can't help thinking
the last time someone
drove that car,
it was just another normal day.
It's official,
there'll never be
another normal day.
No.
When are you gonna finally
start getting mad about all this?
Well, I can't.
Why not?
Because I have responsibilities.
Victoria, we all
have responsibilities.
Doesn't mean we're
not allowed to be human.
I mean, I haven't seen you
cry once in three months.
You just do your job,
Charlie, and let me do mine.
See you later.
Benny?
Benny!
Benny, what-what... what
are you doing? Hey, what...
- Leave me alone!
- Stop.
Benny?
Go away.
What happened to your drums?
I killed them.
I guess... guess you're
pretty angry, huh?
It hurts to miss somebody.
Makes you want to cry.
I can't.
I got to be strong like my mom.
All you have to do is be Benny.
Come here.
It's okay.
It's okay.
Monica says she's
gonna give me a part
in the Christmas pageant.
I wanted to be an angel,
but it was already taken.
Wow!
What an amazing use
of convection air current.
I can't believe you've never
seen one of these things before.
They've been around forever.
Oh, well, I haven't.
These things are tradition.
We used to have them all
over my house at Christmas.
We even had a little
village like that one,
with this little toy
train that would...
Well, that's a pretty one.
Yeah.
Feel like smashing
it against the wall.
Why?
"Peace on Earth,
good will towards men."
Those words will never mean
the same thing to me again.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
There's nothing
you can do about it.
Maybe there's something I can.
You mind if I leave
a little early tonight?
Sure, o-okay.
Thanks.
Tess and I found
most of the costumes
in the church basement
and some scripts
from past years,
and I've put posters
up all over town.
Oh, that sounds wonderful.
Where on earth have you been?
Took the train to Manhattan.
What?!
I'm 18.
I can go into the
city when I want.
Look, I'm sorry.
It's just, there was
something I had to do,
and I knew if I talked to you
first, you'd talk me out of it.
Oh, no, what did you buy?
I didn't buy anything.
I enlisted.
No, I don't understand.
Enlisted in what?
I enlisted in the army.
I leave the day after Christmas.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
But you can't enlist.
You're going to
college next fall.
How can you just turn around
and pull a stunt like this?
Mom, I've thought
about this a lot.
All right, ever
since September 11,
I knew I had to do something.
No, what you have to do
is what we all have to do.
We have to carry on with
the lives we were living before.
How can you tell me to
do that when you can't?
I have done
nothing but carry on,
for this family
and for this town.
You've had a doctor's
appointment for three months
in New York about your
sore throat, and you won't go.
No, I am not afraid to
go into New York City,
and I'm not gonna
let you turn this
into a conversation about me.
You always taught
us to do the right thing.
What, you think that
sneaking behind my back,
abandoning your
brother at a time like this
- is the right thing?
- I'm just saying...
No, Benny lost his father,
then his favorite teacher.
Now he's losing his brother.
He's not gonna lose me.
All right? And neither are you.
No, you don't know that.
Well, maybe not, but I do know
that my little brother's
heart is broken,
that my mom hasn't
laughed in three months,
and that I can't walk
into a Christmas store
and hang holly and tinsel
and talk about peace on Earth
when I know there isn't any.
I got to do this.
All right? I'm sorry.
I love you, but I got to do it.
Otherwise, I'll never be
able to live with myself.
♪ In the heart of
the darkest winter ♪
♪ Cries a voice to
the listening ear ♪
♪ Though your back
and your arms are weary ♪
♪ Be of good cheer ♪
♪ When the sky is
all rain and thunder ♪
♪ And your mind
is a maze of fear ♪
♪ Let your heart hear
these words of comfort ♪
♪ Be of good cheer ♪
♪ Though the story is ages old ♪
♪ Still the story is told ♪
♪ How a child is born ♪
♪ In the dead of night ♪
♪ Born of love ♪
♪ Born of light ♪
♪ May the miracle of the baby ♪
♪ See you strong
through the coming year ♪
♪ For the world has
no greater power... ♪
I got to run out for a second.
Uh, some kind of fight
at Louie's Laundry.
It's probably nothing.
I'll be right back.
No, Charlie, wait!
Look for a relative's
address or something.
♪ Be of good cheer ♪
♪ Be of good cheer. ♪
"For Benny.
Christmas pageant."
Oh.
Um...
Hi.
If you're trying to
reach Bill Harper,
you've got the right
place but the wrong time,
so leave a message,
and I'll get back to you.
Mr. Harper, it's Benny.
Um, I'm not gonna call anymore.
I know what happened
now, and I'm really sorry.
- Oh, Benny.
- I bet you were really scared.
I'm gonna miss you, Mr. Harper.
They're gonna do
the Christmas pageant
without you now,
and that's not fair
because I really wanted
to play the drums for you.
Well, you probably
won't even get this,
but I just wanted to
say good-bye, so bye.
Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.
Saturday, December 8, 3:33 pm.
Mr. Harper, are you there?
Tuesday, November 20, 3:42 pm.
Mr. Harper, when
are you coming back?
My mom wants me to
get another drum teacher,
but I think we ought
to wait till you get back.
What do you think?
Call me, okay?
Bye.
This is Miss Claypool
at Dryden Security Bank.
Uh, we're sorry
that we missed...
Tuesday, September 11, 5:17 pm.
Hi, it's Benny.
Something terrible happened
today down in New York,
and I just wanted to
make sure you're okay.
I'll see you tomorrow at 4:00.
That's all. See you.
Victoria?
What are you doing here?
I came to help.
Oh, um...
well, I was just gonna
look around for some tea.
I've got a bit of a sore throat.
I know why it hurts.
It's the lump in your throat
that has been there
since September 11.
It's your body
trying to tell you
that it wants to cry,
but you won't let it.
Well, I don't think we know
each other well enough
to have this conversation.
Who knows you then?
Have you cried
with your friends,
with your neighbors,
with your sons?
There is someone
here now, Victoria,
who knows that
your heart is broken.
It is God.
And He sent me to tell you
that He loves you very much.
I am an angel.
Don't be afraid.
"Don't be afraid"?
"Fear not, I bring you
tidings of great joy"?
Yes.
God loves you so much,
and He wants to
take away your fear.
Well, you tell Him
that I'm not afraid
to go to New York because
of what could happen to me.
I am afraid...
Afraid of what you might feel.
He knows.
You have to get the pain out...
All of it... If you're
going to heal.
But what do I have to heal from?
I mean, there are thousands
of people in this country
who have suffered real loss.
I'm just another sad,
confused American
just trying to carry on.
You have been wounded, too,
whether you admit it or
not, and you need to heal.
Well, I'm not so sure I want to.
And that is how you
feel about the world now?
Mm-hmm.
When I was a kid... uh, 1962...
I remember hearing bells,
crawling under desks
for duck and cover,
and wondering, is this it?
Is this the end of the world?
And when that crisis was over,
we had to find
some way to go on.
We had to find
some way to forget
that there was always
a bomb somewhere
in the world pointed at us.
We taught ourselves
how to forget that.
We convinced each other
to believe in the future,
to look forward to growing
up, having dreams, goals.
Uh, you can ask any
kid who lived through that.
They'll understand what I mean.
And how did we finally
go back to sleep at night?
I'll tell you how.
We told ourselves that
it just couldn't happen.
We read Anne Frank,
convinced each other
that deep down inside,
people were really good
and that nobody would
ever really want to hurt us.
And it worked, Monica.
It worked.
For 39 years, it worked.
And then three months ago,
19 men got on four airplanes,
and that lie was
stripped away from us.
And all I want to do now...
all I want to do...
Oh, God! Oh, God.
Oh, my God.
What did they do to us?
They got our
country, our country.
I don't even know
what to start crying for.
I think about those people,
those poor people in
the planes and the towers,
the firemen,
children whose mothers and
fathers never came back home.
I just... I just
can't process it all.
Everything has changed.
Nothing is the same
anymore, nothing.
I-I can't even look
at a Christmas card
in the mail without
being afraid.
And you know what scares
me the most, Monica?
What frightens me to the
deepest part of my soul is that
I don't think we
were ever really safe.
Now that dream is gone forever.
For the rest of my life,
I'll wake up every morning
and have no idea
what might happen.
You never knew that
before either, Victoria.
Now you just know
that you don't know
what can happen.
But now, when you wake up,
you might just start your
day by turning it over to God,
because no matter
what happens to you,
God will never leave
you to face it alone.
And even if you try to put
Christmas out of your mind,
God won't let you,
because that's
what Christmas is:
Emmanuel, God with us.
And I know that
it won't be easy,
but you have to sit
down with your children...
They need you so much now...
And talk to them,
and listen to them,
and-and hold them close.
Or if you have to, let them go.
Oh, Patrick.
Yes.
Whatever he decides,
entrust his life to God.
Live in faith.
God cannot work in your life
if you've given it over to fear.
And, Victoria, there's something
that God needs you to do.
What?
Something for Patrick, for
Benny, for your community.
But you have to go back
to before September
11 to accomplish it.
Well, no, I don't understand.
Listen.
Monday, September 10, 8:43 pm.
Hey, Bill, it's Jim.
I've got good news on your
idea for your Christmas pageant.
I spoke to my buddy
John Clydesman
up at Rockefeller Center,
and he thinks he can, uh,
help you make this happen.
So come on down to
the World Trade Center
tomorrow morning, and
we can grab some coffee,
and I'll show you my new office.
Then we, uh, can
take the, uh, subway
up to Rockefeller
Center and meet John.
He's expecting us for lunch.
He'll be waiting for us.
See you tomorrow.
John Clydesman is
still waiting for them.
Mr. Harper and Jim didn't
make it to the meeting.
They never left Jim's
office in the North Tower.
John Clydesman knows why
Mr. Harper was in
New York that day.
Hey, Bill, it's Jim.
I've got good news on your
idea for your Christmas pageant.
I spoke to my buddy
John Clydesman
up at Rockefeller Center,
and he thinks he can,
uh, help you make...
Hudson Express to Penn Station
will be departing in 30 minutes.
Hudson Express to Penn Station
will be departing in 30 minutes.
One for Penn Station, please.
I don't know, buddy.
You did some pretty
serious damage here.
You could fix it, like
you fixed my PlayStation.
Hey, I'm good, but,
uh, not that good.
Maybe Mom could fix it.
Doubtful.
Hello.
Uh, where were you?
H was starting to get worried.
Hi.
I went to New York,
believe it or not.
Finally went to the doctor?
No, it wasn't a
doctor that I needed.
Do you remember Mr. Harper
said he had a big surprise planned
for the Christmas
pageant this year?
I found out what it was.
I went to New York to
finish what he started.
He had something
special in mind for you, too.
Come on, look.
Wow!
You wanted to
play for him, right?
Are you sure you're okay?
Yes!
Oh, better than I've ever been.
♪ Glor... ♪
♪ ...Or... I ♪ ...oria ♪
♪ In excelsis Deo ♪
♪ Glor... ♪
♪ ...Or... I ♪ ...oria ♪
♪ In excelsis Deo. ♪
Oh, my.
Thank you so much.
What a beautiful
ending to our pageant.
Mr. Harper would've
been so proud.
And I'm told we have
more surprises in store.
Mayor Lewis?
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas.
Oh, this is harder
than I expected.
Uh...
My son, my wonderful
son, Patrick, is heading off
for the army the
day after Christmas.
I couldn't be more proud of him.
He reminded me that we
each have to take responsibility
for making the
world a better place,
and I support his decision.
I can't say that I'm
happy to see him go,
but I know that
he won't be alone.
Um...
There's a tradition...
I'm sorry, um...
Monica?
I understand that there's
a tradition in this town
that when a young man or
woman enters military service,
they are given the opportunity
to choose the hymn that
will be sung in their honor
the last Sunday
before they leave.
Patrick Lewis has
chosen his song.
Uh, it is not the
traditional Christmas carol
that Mr. Harper planned
for his special guests
to perform today,
but it is perhaps the song
that we especially need to hear.
We've all heard it before,
but today let us listen
with hearts that seek peace,
not by our own might,
but by trusting every battle,
every struggle, every fear
to Almighty God who
conquered evil with love
Christmas Day 2,000 years ago,
and who has done
it every day since.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Harper's gift to you.
♪ Mine eyes have
seen the glory ♪
Please welcome the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
♪ Of the coming of the Lord ♪
♪ He is trampling
out the vintage ♪
♪ Where the grapes
of wrath are stored ♪
♪ He hath loosed
the fateful lightning ♪
♪ Of His terrible swift sword ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ Gloria ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Gloria I ♪ Glory,
glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Gloria I ♪ Glory,
glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Gloria I ♪ His
truth is marching on ♪
♪ I have seen Him
in the watch-fires ♪
♪ Of a hundred circling camps ♪
♪ They have
builded Him an altar ♪
♪ In the evening
dews and damps ♪
♪ I can read His
righteous sentence ♪
♪ In the dim and flaring lamps ♪
♪ His day is marching on ♪
♪ Truth is marching,
truth is marching ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ In the beauty ♪
♪ Of the lilies ♪
♪ Christ was born
across the sea ♪
♪ With a glory in His bosom ♪
♪ That transfigures
you and me... ♪
♪ As He died to make men holy ♪
♪ Let us live to make men free ♪
♪ While God is marching on ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ His truth is marching on ♪
♪ Amen ♪
♪ Amen... ♪