[gentle music playing]
[coughs]
[birds chirping and calling]
[footsteps walking]
[keys jangling]
[Margaret] Clarke.
[whispers] Clarke.
Hey!
Excuse me.
[Clarke] Margaret?
[dramatic music playing]
[keys jangling]
-Hey! -[door opens]
-[Clarke] Hello? -Hey!
-[door closes] -Wait.
Uh, come back.
Hey!
-Open the door! -[pounding]
Open the--
-[grunts] -Margaret.
[Margaret] Um...
Open up. Hey!
What is-- [huffs]
Uh, hello?
Hello?
-[David snoring] -[vehicles rumbling and beeping outside]
[snoring continues]
-[cup thumps] -[David groans]
You want coffee?
[groans]
[pained grunt]
[grunts]
Ugh.
[exhales] That's nasty.
[groans]
[Hilary] Puri, could you take
the bag of clothes out there to be donated, please, and put these away?
Don't forget to wrap the cashmere.
I don't want to lose another chest of sweaters to moths like last year.
Oh, and when you go to the store, could you get some fresh mango?
Ripe, so it's good for my mom when she arrives tomorrow.
Okay, ma'am, but Sam says his ETA is five minutes.
Oh, why is he arriving so early? I don't need him until this afternoon.
But, ma'am, your mother's on her way.
He's just picking her up from the airport.
No, Puri, that's tomorrow.
No, ma'am. She is in the car.
She loses a day because L.A.'s behind us, so if she left our time yesterday,
then that means that...
Oh, shit! Oh, shit!
[grunts]
[humming tune]
[Clarke] Hello?
[panting]
[groans softly, mutters]
[Margaret] Hello?
-[Clarke] Hey. -[Margaret] Hey.
[Clarke] Hi.
[sighs]
[Margaret] We were told to come here.
-We were told to come here... -[speaking Mandarin]
...uh, by Detective Chang.
The police. We came from Hong Kong.
[speaking Mandarin]
-No, sorry, sorry. -Wh-Whoa. N-No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait.
[stammers] Detective Chang wanted us to-to--
Can-can you help us?
-Wh-Where do we go? -Please.
-Please.
Thank you.
[quietly] See? Sometimes you have to push people.
[panting]
[dramatic music playing]
Margaret.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
[lock clicks]
Did she just...
[grunting]
She just locked us in here.
She locked the door.
Hey! Hey!
-Hey! Come back! -Margaret.
-Come back! -[pounding continues]
-Hey! Hey! -Margaret.
[muffled] Let us out!
[muffled shouting continues faintly]
[David] I actually make a pretty mean cappuccino usually,
but I don't have my machine with me, so you're gonna have to take my word for it.
This, however, is called Indian homestyle coffee.
We used to make it at boarding school.
[sighs] Fuck, I miss that machine.
It's always the small things.
It gets the temperature perfect, the foam just right.
It's not like I can go and pick it up.
Well, not today, anyway.
My mother-in-law has probably arrived by now.
She and my wife are probably in the throes of some heated argument.
You're so old.
You have a mother-in-law and hair in your ears.
Since when did you take such an interest in my ears?
Just something I noticed.
-Deal-breaker? -Maybe.
Shit.
Okay.
-[whistles] -[Mercy] Seriously?
What are you doing?
You want the ear hair gone, we're gonna get rid of it.
[chuckles] With vodka?
With vodka.
[pours drink]
Watch and learn.
[chuckles]
You're gonna set yourself on fire.
No, you are.
Are you still drunk?
Is that why you think I'm still here?
[chuckles]
You trust me?
Singe me, babe.
Don't ever call me "babe."
[whispers] Singe me.
[both chuckling]
[inhales sharply]
Ta-da.
-It worked. -Yeah?
Oh, my God, it worked.
Mm.
What other older gentlemanly tricks do you have?
I'm only asking because you look so much more wrinkly in the day than at night.
-[sighs] -And one can only imagine
what's hidden behind those ancient eye folds.
Just cobwebs.
Like the ones all over your shitty little apartment.
[gasps softly]
Well, maybe I'd have a nice place, too,
if I grew up in an upper-middle-class white family with a house in London
and a cottage in the Cotswolds and parents who could buy their way
into any fucking university in the whole goddamn world
just so I could sell my soul to become yet another rich asshole lawyer.
I'd use some of that money on personal training, though.
[growls playfully]
Poor, sad little Mercy. All alone.
Nobody wants to come and visit her, not even her own mother.
[panting]
You're a pig.
I guess that must make you a chick who likes bacon, then. [snorts]
When you go down on me, it feels like I'm sitting in a wet puddle.
-Just... [moans] -[laughs]
And then when you're feeling really overconfident,
sometimes you go full Hannibal Lecter and just suck on me like a vacuum.
-Just... [sucks air] -Yeah, it doesn't stop you from coming, though, does it?
-There's just so much teeth. -[chuckles]
Why all the teeth?
Oh, when you do come, it sounds like a bleating goat.
[bleats]
Your ass sags like my grandfather's, and he's 85.
He's had two strokes and a heart attack.
Your breath smells like a dying animal.
You're a drunk, and you cheat on your wife.
Oh, yeah? Well, you lost someone's kid. You ruined an entire family.
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.
You spoke the truth. That's what we're doing, isn't it?
No, that wasn't fair. I went too far.
[stammers]
It's just a game, and you won fair and square.
-Hey. -[door slams]
[Brinder] God, is that Harpreet?
Eight years of ballet lessons, and look at her, she still walks like the Hulk.
[speaks Punjabi]
-Hello, Harpreet. -Hi, Mom.
-Did you just wake up? -No, Mom.
Uh, Sam, can you take the bags up?
-Yes, ma'am. -Thank you.
You brushed your teeth?
Yes, Mom.
Doesn't smell like it.
[Hilary] I use an organic toothpaste.
It's probably just missing that toxic chemical smell.
-[Brinder] I don't like it. -Okay.
[speaks Punjabi] Where are your shoes?
[Brinder] You're wearing slippers to meet me?
There's no arch support, and you already have flat feet.
Do you want to walk like a monkey?
Nice to see you, too, Mom.
I used to make fun of your grandmother for wearing FitFlops, but she knew better.
They're so ugly, but they're so comfortable.
I brought you a pair.
Thanks, Mom.
[chuckles softly]
This man is wearing a beautiful red lipstick.
Ma! She can tell you're talking about her.
She thinks that if she dresses like a man they might treat her like one.
-[elevator stops] -[Brinder gasps]
-[Hilary] You got to be kidding me. -[Tilda] Oh, for fuck's sake.
-Come on, come on, come on, come on. -[buttons clicking]
Okay, you know what? Can I just...
-[alarm ringing] -[sighs]
[Margaret sighs heavily]
I miss pizza.
How can you be thinking about food at a time like this?
If we'd left when we were supposed to,
we'd all be eating great pizza in New York right now.
It was a mutual decision.
-You wanted to stay as much as I did. -No.
I accepted it. I didn't want it.
Come on, Margaret.
If we really want to place blame,
we should talk about where you found that girl.
Where I found-- You were there.
No, I don't remember being a part of the decision to hire her.
-I didn't hire her. -You left our children with her.
Because you bailed on me.
I was working! You could've just brought Essie!
All you had to do was keep track of the kids!
[sighs] Fuck.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry. We shouldn't be talking about any of this here.
No, I want to.
I mean, I keep going over it in my mind.
You remember that holiday when Gus fell out of our bed,
and I woke up out of that deep sleep,
and I caught Gus midair before he hit the ground?
[breathes deeply]
And...
And we were laughing, remember?
We were laughing because it was proof that I don't sleep.
All that just turns off, and...
[sighs heavily]
...you're just watching them every second, even when your eyes are closed.
[sighs]
But I didn't catch Gus that night.
I was the one that let him fall.
And I have no idea how it happened.
I'll never understand how that happened.
[sighs]
I mean, what kind of mother...
...loses her child?
You didn't lose him.
No.
They took him.
They took him because he looked like me.
White kid's too much trouble on the black market, but Gus...
Gus looked like me.
He could slip into a crowd, across borders.
So they took him.
You didn't lose him.
He looks like you. I love he looks like you.
[Margaret chuckles softly]
Pizza was the last meal I had with Gus.
It was the weird Chinese kind.
Pineapple and crayfish.
I tried telling him how wrong that was.
[chuckles softly]
I couldn't wait to take him to New York so we can have real pizza.
You never told me that.
I think about it every time I see pizza.
Well, I suppose that means we have to stop pizza Fridays.
[both laugh]
[sniffles]
We can't do that to Daisy and Philip.
[sniffles, sighs]
-They love that garbage. -[laughs]
[chuckles]
Who puts seafood on a pizza and thinks it tastes good?
-So gross. -[laughing]
[soft knocking on door]
Hi.
You're still here?
Yeah.
So you want to hear something really fucked-up?
[clears throat]
So, I have a twin brother.
We're identical.
At least we used to be until I paralyzed him.
We were kids, and we were fighting.
Of course, we did that a lot.
There was one afternoon after school, uh,
I threw him off my back like I always did.
Eh...
I remember being mad at him like I wanted to hurt him,
but obviously not like...
Anyway, he, um...
he hit his head on the coffee table.
And then it turns out it wasn't his head. It was his neck, and...
Yeah, that was all it took.
Yeah, one inch to the left, he would've been fine.
What's his name?
Danny.
Yeah.
First and only time I saw my father cry.
You were just a kid. It was an accident.
No one yelled. No one screamed.
Kind of wish they did. They...
I used to see them, but I stopped over the years.
And what about Danny?
[chuckles] Danny's fine.
I mean, not fine. He's a paraplegic, but, you know,
he's-he's come to terms with it.
No, I'm the one...
I'm the one with the problem.
And I just can't face him.
Every time I look at him, all I see is his fucking disability.
And that awful fucking reminder I'm the one who caused it.
So I guess I win.
What?
I win.
Paralyzing your brother. You're way worse.
[chuckling]
[softly] Yeah.
Yeah, I'm bad, too, Bunny.
Very, very, very bad.
You want to hit me?
[David breathes deeply]
[Hilary] Is there anybody out there
who can tell us how long we'll be stuck in here?
[man speaking Cantonese over intercom]
[speaking Cantonese]
[speaking Punjabi] Look.
The lipstick man speaks their language fluently.
You've been here so long...
how come you don't know a single word?
[sighs] They're working on it.
Oh, my-- I can't believe that I flew over 7,000 miles
to get trapped into your tiny elevator.
If you had just come home,
we could've been at the Jonathan Club enjoying ourselves.
-You know I have to work. -Well, everybody has to work.
Well, you and David have been working nonstop for the last 15 years.
Surely you can stand to take a break once in a while.
Where was this mom growing up? You never let me take a break.
Well, I told you to study hard so you'd get into a top school
where you can land a smart husband who earns good money,
and then you can spend the rest of your life in peace.
I am in peace.
So why are you too busy to visit your family?
-Or start your own? -What do you think David is?
[laughs] A husband is not a family.
Children make a family.
Blood makes family.
I thought love made a family.
Unbelievable.
You are 40 years old, Harpreet.
It's time to stop living in la-la land.
You don't have much time left.
One day, you're gonna look in the mirror and you will not recognize yourself.
Oh, you'll feel like the same 16-year-old girl, 25, 30,
but an old woman will be staring back at you.
Your metabolism starts to go.
Then you'll know.
You know, I never imagined I would look like this.
And you can't blame me for saying this.
I didn't make the rules.
But I know them. [scoffs]
-You got your period when you were nine years old. -Mom.
-God. -Well, who knows
when your fertility window is gonna close?
I never should've given you all that American whole milk.
Filled with all those growth hormones.
We're trying, okay?
OK. Try harder.
Has David been to the doctor?
Well, have they tried to find out if there's anything wrong with him?
[sighs, inhales deeply]
Oh, you seem so tense, beta.
Why don't you come home for a few weeks, relax?
Maybe then you won't have so much trouble getting pregnant.
[scoffs] Right.
[chuckles] I got you some pinnis.
Nanima made them specially for you.
Not right now.
I brought you two Tupperwares of them.
Hmm? Don't you go giving them all to your friends.
No one ever wants my Indian balls, Mom.
Nonsense.
Pinni?
You just bite it.
You need to bite into it. It's not just about the flavor.
It's the texture, consistency.
You're not gonna know what it is until you commit to a bite.
Oh. That's fantastic.
-Who knew she likes balls? -[Hilary] Ma.
-Stop. -Are they some kind of Indian protein ball?
Not really. No.
[chuckling]
Mmm.
Listen to me.
You need to come home.
See your father.
You're relentless.
He's sick.
Dad wouldn't admit he was sick even if he was.
I'm being serious, Harpreet.
He has tumors in his lungs.
It's time to stop with this nonsense.
You have to come now.
I can't.
I don't have the energy to lie like you do.
It causes wrinkles, you know.
That's what Botox is for.
I don't know why you don't just confront him.
It's very easy to be critical.
-So much harder to stay and do the work. -The work?
What work? Living a lie?
Pretending that he didn't just slip and fall on another woman?
Where do you think those other kids came from-- the stork?
-That's enough. -Clearly not enough because you're still putting up with it.
Well, things are not so black and white, Harpreet.
What should I do? At my age?
You want me to go get another husband?
Oh, I'm sure there are a lot of men chasing after women in their 60s.
[Tilda] You'd be surprised.
At least then you wouldn't be settling for half a man.
Bet you wish you would've run off with Laguna Carl when you had the chance.
[sighs]
We really had it all, didn't we?
[sighs]
Made good money. Good weather.
We were waited on hand and foot.
Sometimes I wonder if we're being punished for wanting too much,
for-for being greedy.
Punished?
Who would be punishing us?
No one. I'm just talking.
So you believe in God now?
I know you've been going to church.
[sighs]
I don't know what I believe.
I just needed someplace to go.
Okay? To... to think or...
to hope.
I feel like I don't even know you anymore.
I mean, you never...
You've been telling the stories.
-You've been telling the stories to Philip about God and Jesus. -No. No.
And that's why he's drawing pictures.
I never mentioned religion to the kids. Why would I do that?
I would never do that.
Then where are they getting it from?
I don't know.
Maybe he read about it online.
He... he keeps asking where Gus is.
Right?
The-the kids are also looking for answers.
-How long can we all keep saying "soon"? -[door opens] -[woman speaks Mandarin]
For as long as it takes.
[speaks Mandarin]
-Uh, we can't, we can't read this. -Is there anyone--
[speaks Mandarin]
I know in my bones that he is still alive.
I feel like...
I feel like you don't believe that anymore.
Hey. Excuse me. Sorry.
-Is there anyone who can translate? -[woman speaking Mandarin]
[tense music playing]
[Clarke] We need a translator. Someone who speaks English.
[indistinct announcement over P.A.]
[woman speaks Mandarin]
[huffs]
[Margaret sighing]
[door closes]
[Margaret] Come on.
[stammers]
[sighs] It's all right.
We can't go on like this.
I don't think we have a choice.
I mean, the translator has to be on her way.
-No, that's not what I mean. -[sighs]
If that's really Gus in there--
Shh! Don't say that.
If that's him, we have to be prepared.
What?
I think we need to think about taking the kids home, getting out of here.
How can you be making plans?
'Cause we're drowning and you don't see it.
You don't even want to talk about it.
Daisy's having all kinds of issues,
but I'm the one who has to deal with it when the school calls or when they...
What?
When what?
The kids aren't coping, Mamie.
They want to go back to their friends and our families,
but they can't say that to you because they feel like
they're betraying you, betraying Gus.
Did Daisy say that to you?
They both have.
Countless times.
Daisy and Philip need a sense of normalcy.
[sighs] Normalcy?
Come on. What does normalcy look like?
Doesn't look like this.
Hey.
-Hey, we need help. -We have help.
We have Essie, wonderful Essie.
All the help money can buy in Hong Kong.
We need... we need family. The kids need family.
You keep putting off the inevitable, but at some point,
you're gonna have to admit that we can't stay here forever.
The minute our feet leave Hong Kong soil,
we are abandoning our son in a foreign place,
and I won't do it.
I will never, ever do it.
[sighing]
I need your phone.
-What? -I need your phone.
I have to call my daughter.
[door closes]
This was, um, interesting.
[chuckles] I'll, um...
Yeah.
[Mercy] Uh-huh.
[suppressed gagging]
[retching]
[coughing]
[David] Uh, hello?
Sorry, I-I heard strange noises.
Like a large man being mauled by a bear.
Nope, just me. [breathing heavily]
-You sick? -I'm fine.
-[retching resumes] -Oh, shit.
It's just a little indigestion.
[sighs] I puke when I'm anxious.
It's been happening a lot lately.
If I wasn't shooting blanks, I'd say you were pregnant.
[turns on faucet]
What? No, no, that-that… That's impossible. I...
W-When-when was your last period?
[turns off faucet]
Ha-Have you s-slept with anyone else recently?
Hon-Honestly, you can tell me the truth. [stammers, sighs]
We were never exclusive.
-I-I have no expectations of fidelity or-- -Fidelity?
Have you ever been tested for infertility?
Or are you just assuming because your wife never got pregnant?
Uh, don't fuck with me, Mercy.
This isn't a game.
[scoffs softly]
[panting]
[Brinder] You can't ignore me in here.
I know you're hungry.
I can hear it.
[sighs]
[Hilary] You know, women like you are the reason men like Dad pull that crap.
When are you gonna get it?
He does what he wants, when he wants, with whoever he wants. He always has.
Well, maybe if you had been born a boy, then, you know,
he might not have run off and done those things.
Yeah, here we go again. It's all my fault. What else is new?
[elevator repairman speaking Cantonese over speaker]
-[button clicks] -[Tilda speaks Cantonese]
He's saying they're working on getting us out of here
and just to please wait.
[sighs, clicks tongue]
Honestly, the world is so fucked.
No one does the right thing.
They just see what they want to see,
they do what they want to do, and then they say sorry later.
Why would I want to put another soul through that?
When did you get so rotten?
I never realized you were this spoiled.
[Hilary] This isn't news, Ma.
I've been saying this for years.
Society puts so much pressure on women to-to have children
in order to be seen as whole.
What about what I want?
I like my life, and I worked hard to get here.
What if David dies?
What if you die?
I'm not gonna have kids just because one of us might die.
Why not? You think you know what motherhood is,
but you'll never really know until you try it.
It's like this gora . I mean, she was so scared to try the pinni.
And once she did, she fell in love.
Not everybody loves pinnis.
-[Brinder] Everybody loves pinnis. -Not me.
I had the same thoughts that you're having about not wanting to be a mother,
not wanting to be responsible for another human being.
Yeah, I know. You didn't want me because you didn't want a girl.
I didn't want any child... [speaks Punjabi]
But I grew up. I got over myself.
I understood the importance of family,
and then I wanted to give it to your father.
To your grandparents, to-to myself.
And then, you know, I just fought it because I thought it was expected of me.
You know, my responsibility, my main duty in life.
But in the end, they were right.
If I hadn't tried the pinni, then you, my dear--
you would not be here.
-[knocking] -[David] I'm coming in, okay?
-Go home to your wife, David. -[door opens, closes]
Look, I'm not going anywhere till we figure this out, okay?
Three? Really?
Yeah, to be safe.
You didn't even think I could be pregnant a few minutes ago.
And now it's all I can think about.
Well, I don't have to pee.
That's easy enough to fix.
[faucet turns on]
[faucet turns off]
Drink it.
Get away from me.
Fuck you.
[sighs]
[exhales]
-[rubbing hands together] -[grunts softly]
Please.
[line ringing]
-[Essie] Hello? -Essie.
Hi. Um, can you put Daisy on?
-Yes, ma'am. Daisy! -[sighs]
-[Daisy] What? -[Essie] Your mama is on the phone.
[Philip] Essie, she drank my Yakult!
-[Daisy] It didn't have your name on it. -[Philip] It was mine.
[Essie] We can go buy more.
Daisy, pick up the phone. It's your mom.
-[Daisy] Hello? -Hi, honey.
Uh, can you hear me? The reception's not good here.
Where are you?
W… Your dad and I are, um...
We're taking care of something.
But I was just calling 'cause I wanted to say, uh, I'm sorry.
I'm really sorry about last night.
And I know... I know things have been tough for you,
and I want you to know that I'm always here for you
and-and you can always talk to me.
All right? About anything.
Anything you want.
Okay.
Good.
Okay, well, um, we're gonna be home soon,
so just let your brother know.
Okay, Mom. Bye.
-Okay-- -[hangs up]
[sighs]
[footsteps approaching]
[Brinder humming ABBA's "Dancing Queen"]
[humming continues]
[Brinder] ♪ Anybody could be that guy ♪
♪ Night is young and the music's high ♪
♪ Where there's a bit of rock music ♪
♪ Everything is fine ♪
-♪ You're in the mood for a dance ♪ -Ma.
-♪ And when you get the chance ♪ -[Hilary] Ma.
♪ You are the dancing queen ♪♪
Come on, it's not helping. Seriously.
[speaks Punjabi] Okay... God!
[Hilary sighs]
Why are you wearing such cheapy earrings?
David got them for me for my birthday.
Did he get them out of a vending machine?
You're a married woman.
He should be adorning you.
They're cognac diamonds, Mom. I like them.
They're subtle.
Looks like chicken pox in the ears.
Fine. They wouldn't have been my first choice,
but he knows I'm a little bit minimalist chic.
He was probably just trying to get me something in that style.
I think.
Well, you bring him with you when you come home,
I'll take him to the proper jewelers, teach him how to shop.
And what does David think about you not having kids?
He never wanted them, either.
Well, that is an interesting piece of information
you left out for the last ten years.
Well, he changed his mind.
He never wanted them, and now he does.
He left me.
Oh, he's probably just blowing off steam.
No, Mom.
This time it's different.
[speaks Punjabi]
What did you expect?
If you have no baby, you have no glue.
Why you make these problems for yourself, Harpreet?
If David wants a family, don't deprive him.
-[Hilary] Whose side are you on? -[speaks Punjabi] You know what? Just do what you want.
Look at the way you act.
I can see why you couldn't hold on to your husband.
[translator] Name here, date here, passport number, address.
The relationship to deceased.
It can be either mother or father.
[Clarke] I got it.
Is this telephone?
Address.
Sign the bottom, and the date.
[receptionist and translator speaking Mandarin]
Hold on.
Date.
Sign.
Okay. Follow me.
[door opens]
[David] You know, me and my wife, we've been, um,
uh, trying for a baby for years, but, um, we were never successful,
and, I mean, she's been tested a bunch of times
and, I mean, there's nothing wrong with her, so obviously it's, uh...
so obviously it's me. I'm-I'm...
[sighs] And they-they think I have low fertility with the sperm and...
I...
It's why I never took any precautions when we were...
You know, 'cause... [scoffing]
Anyway, what I'm saying is it-it's clearly not possible.
Clearly.
Okay, remember that it-it can't be the beginning of the pee stream--
it should be the middle--
and that you have to aim and hit the applicator
for at least five continuous seconds.
Otherwise, the results won't be accurate.
-Can I do anything? -I'm fine.
[sighs] Shit.
I kind of need to pee.
[urine trickling]
[trickling stops]
[test clatters]
[Hilary] Nobody cares what happens to us.
Nobody's coming for us.
[grunts]
Please! I'm an old woman.
I can't be left in here much longer.
You tell them.
[speaking Cantonese] Help me!
Get me out of here!
[elevator repairman speaks Cantonese over speaker] Sorry, we're still fixing it.
[Tilda] I'm meant to be somewhere.
-My husband's waiting. -[speaking Punjabi] Husband?
I thought she was the husband.
You're cruel. You know that?
You just pick and pick and pick.
Should've sent you to drama school.
At least then you could have learned how to make money off your theatrics.
Did you know that red cancels out blue?
It's more of a burnt red
verging on orange, really, but it works.
It was always hard to find makeup for brown skin when I was growing up.
It was mostly designed for white people.
Back then, it was 50 shades of fair,
with a mocha tossed in for Black people.
It was as though they thought we could just mix the two
to find the perfect shade for any of us who were in between.
I mean, for a long time, that's what we did.
'Cause that's all we had.
Sometimes an auntie would visit from India
with a bottle of Lakmé foundation in her suitcase.
Sometimes we would just fly to Canada to visit the MAC store
'cause that was the only brand that carried shades of brown,
but that was really more of a late-'90s discovery.
No, the '80s...
they were different.
Most kids used their paintbrushes to make refrigerator paintings.
I used mine to explore color theory.
You want to know why I needed to know so much about makeup?
[speaking Punjabi] What are you doing?
[Hilary] Why does anyone need to learn about makeup?
[speaking Punjabi] Enough.
Because they're trying to cover things up.
[speaking Punjabi] That's enough, Harpreet.
Want to hear a story?
Okay.
When I was four,
my parents had a fight that lasted for hours.
And when my dad finally left their bedroom,
I walked in and saw my mom crumpled on her armchair,
-hysterically crying. -[Brinder speaking Punjabi] In front of her...
-you want to dishonor your mother? -I was so scared, I didn't know what to do.
So I just stood there.
And when she dropped her hands from her face,
I could see that it was black and blue.
Her arms and neck, too, yeah?
She just looked up at me, her eyes begging for help,
but I didn't know how to help.
I was four.
I didn't want my dad to get mad at me.
[sighs] But after what felt like forever, I got an idea.
I ran to her vanity and I just grabbed a bottle.
-[sighs] -And I poured that liquid foundation
onto my fingertips, and I tried to just pat it onto her face.
[Brinder sighing, whispering in Punjabi]
Didn't work. [laughs] Of course it didn't work.
But it made her smile.
And then that became our little ritual.
Right, Ma?
I helped her cover up and she taught me how to master it.
[speaks Punjabi] Are you happy now?
-[men shouting in Cantonese] Almost there! Pull harder! -[rapid banging]
-Is everyone okay? -Hey! Watch out! -[men shouting in Cantonese]
-It closed again. -[men sighing, speaking Cantonese]
[Tilda] What happened?
Where did they go?
-What time is it? -Too fucking late.
-Still no reception? -No.
Well, we live here now. We all might as well be roommates.
Which corner shall we dedicate for... [speaks Punjabi]
-[scoffs] It's not that dire, Mom. -Well, apparently, it is.
I mean, you felt the need to share so much with our new friend.
This poor woman, she asked for a pinni,
and she got a whole life story for her troubles.
It's okay.
-[chuckles] I'm used to playing referee-- -[elevator clanks]
[elevator whirring]
[elevator chimes]
Well, I guess you don't want me to stay with you.
-I didn't say that. -Well, that was fun.
You think that I'm the worst mother in the world.
You think you're so grown-up
you have no need for me or anything that I have to say.
Don't put words in my mouth.
Oh, I know I'm a burden to you, beta .
I-I'll go.
I-I'll just check into a hotel.
-If that's what you want. -Fine.
Fine.
-Fine. -Fine.
[sighs] I just need to go susu first.
[Margaret breathing heavily]
[door closes]
[Margaret] No, no, no. Wait, wait.
[sighs]
We're not ready. No.
[speaking Mandarin]
Oh, what if...
What if I don't know it's him? Hmm?
[giggling]
[laughing]
Hey, hey, hey. Stop.
[laughing] I don't want it to be him.
I don't...
Hey. Margaret. Hey.
-I don't want him to be here. -Okay. Margaret, stop.
-I don't want him-- -We have to do this.
-No, I can't-- -Hey.
I can't stop--
Margaret.
-I can't stop laughing. I don't-- -Margaret. Hey.
Okay.
[bag unzipping]
[sobbing]
[sobbing continues]
I can't. [sniffles]
Ca-- I can't. I can't.
It's not him.
[sobbing continues]
So, um, I'll...
I'll-I'll see you later.
Yeah. Oh, no, sorry, I-I can't tonight.
-I've got plans. -Oh.
No, no. I didn't mean later "later."
I-I just meant later, like "around."
Yeah, yeah, no, of course. I'm, uh... I'm around.
I'm around.
Be a good guy.
-Wh… What does that mean? -Just...
-just be a good guy. -Well, yeah.
Of course I'm gonna be a good guy. I mean...
Sorry, I'm... [exhales sharply]
It... This... Just, it's a... it's a...
it's a lot to process right now.
Yes. We both need time to process.
And like I said, no pressure.
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
You'll let me know what you decide?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
[door closes]
[thunder rumbling]
[quiet, atmospheric music plays]
[rain falling]
♪ ♪
[lively chatter over TV]
Mmm. Lavender.
Ma'am?
Lavender is as good as cedar, but, uh, it smells better.
It's apparently a new thing.
Maybe it's the old thing.
It'll get rid of the moths.
[tense, atmospheric music plays]
[Brinder speaking Punjabi] What are you doing?
Can't you see? It's raining so much!
Harpreet! Have you gone crazy?
Have you gone insane?
Water is coming in everywhere!
-Shut the windows! -[uplifting orchestral music plays]
[Brinder] Puri, close the window.
-Puri, close the window! Can't you see? -[thunder rumbling]
[Brinder continuing indistinctly]
-[thunder rumbling] -[rain pattering]
[Margaret] It's okay.
It's okay.
Everything's gonna be okay.
[gentle orchestral music plays]
-[music stops] -[thunder rumbles]
[rain pattering]
[helicopter flies past]
-[indistinct chatter] -[people laughing]
[siren wailing in distance]
-[rain continuing] -[chatter continuing]
[chatter continuing]
[thunder rumbles]
[rain continuing]
[people chanting]
-[indistinct radio chatter] -[chanting continues]
[people exclaiming]
[indistinct chatter]
-[people shouting] -[thunder rumbles]
[people chanting]