Dean

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Next saved message.

Hey, Dean, it's mom.

I just wanted to tell you

your dad and I had

the best time with you

and Michelle last night.

It was so fun visiting

you guys in Brooklyn.

Anyway, I'll talk to you soon

and love you, bye.

Message saved.

Hi, it's your dad.

I'm, uh, hoping you're alive.

If so, call me because

I have some important news.

Message erased.

My father's always been

full of important news.

This week's important news?

He got a new pair of jeans.

Dad's an engineer, so, to him,

life is basically a series

of problems to be solved,

and his approach to grieving

has been no exception.

Thanks to his therapist, Tim,

dad is taking walks,

reading books, watching DVDs.

Everything is about taking

productive steps forward

even if he isn't totally ready.

And this dinosaur

no longer roams the earth.

- Really? Since when?

- About eight years ago.

I can set you up with basically

an updated version of that

which is this one right here.

- Do you watch TV?

- Yeah, I watch TV.

You can watch TV on the phone.

I'll just watch it on my TV.

I, on the other hand,

have been focusing less

on moving forward and more on

just sitting around,

thinking.

Work hasn't been going

too well, either.

I just missed the third official

final deadline for my book.

My first book

did pretty well, actually.

One critic said it was,

quote, "full of whimsy."

I'll take it.

I'm excited about the new book,

but, I don't know,

I guess I've just hit a wall.

It's not that I can't come up

with new drawings,

it's more that they all seem

to be about one subject.

On top of that,

an uninvited guest

has started to show up

in my work.

And he won't seem to leave.

Meanwhile, dad has now

entered what seems to be

some sort of cross-training

phase of grief.

I can't say I understand

what he's doing,

but we've never really

understood each other,

so why start now?

When are you gonna get

a haircut?

I have not seen

your forehead in 15 years.

- With the hair again?

- You're living in the '60s.

What is that?

Are those the '60s?

- Yeah.

- Oh.

- It's done.

- I'm in a conga line,

and I'm playing a slide whistle.

That wasn't a conga line.

I was doing

the hare Krishna thing.

- Looks like a conga line.

- I see.

Look, I'm...

I'm going to talk to you

about, uh, some news.

Mm-hmm?

I'm gonna sell the house.

- What are you talking about?

- I'm selling the house.

You're just out of the blue

gonna sell our house?

It's not out of the blue.

I've given it

some thought, okay?

I can't live there.

It's ridiculous.

It makes no sense for me

to stay there.

- It's too big.

- It's too big?

- Yeah.

- Could you just, like,

not use all the rooms

or something?

Maybe you could, like,

I don't know,

cover up the furniture in some

of the rooms with sheets.

- Just don't go in there.

- Wha... like I'm a countess?

I don't know.

I just think this is hasty.

You know,

we need to talk about this.

I grew up there.

I don't wanna just

sell our house.

- Dean, it...

Oh, my god, that's my phone.

That's my new phone.

Sorry.

Here we go.

Um, I can't talk now.

I'm with my son.

You see, I'm busy?

It can't see you.

It's more of a voice thing.

Oh, you think it can't see me?

Yeah, dream on.

They know what's going on

at the other end of this thing.

- There.

Oh! I just took a picture

of my sandwich.

Okay, hang on.

Hang on.

Come on.

Oh, good.

- Smooth.

- You know, speaking of Tim,

I really think you should

give him another chance.

- He's really helped me a lot.

- I appreciate it, dad,

but I'm more of, like,

a self-help kind of guy

- than the guidance and the exercises and...

- Yeah.

The books and all that stuff,

it's just...

That doesn't help me.

- Mm-hmm.

- You know...

And Michelle,

that's got nothing to do with

losing your mom?

It's more complicated than that.

I always liked Michelle.

You guys were good together.

Yeah, I know.

You should see us apart, though.

We're really great.

- I don't need it back.

I don't want it back.

It's yours.

- Tell me, what am I supposed to do with it?

- Do what you want with it.

You can put it on a bracelet

maybe like as a charm?

Oh, wow.

Why don't we think of it

as a keepsake?

Oh, yeah, that's a great idea.

"Oh, this?

This is just my former

engagement ring.

Oh, well, see,

when I got un-proposed to,

I decided to turn it

into a charm."

- Okay. - "So I could always remember

that time I didn't get married."

That's a really great idea.

I did not unpropose to you.

Our relationship...

Kind of eroded over time.

Like...

Like a coastline.

Or, like, some rocks.

So... I'm sand?

We both are,

if you think about it.

Never speak of a woman

in geological terms.

That was Brett's takeaway

from the whole relationship.

This was the kind of advice

that comes from a man

who had recently

walked into scaffolding

because he was Googling himself

on his new face gear.

Can you take those things off,

by the way?

- I just... I can't.

- These?

- Yeah.

- Why?

They're so comfortable.

It's the...

I feel like

you're flying something.

Just take them off.

Miraculously,

Brett is getting married,

and I'm gonna be his best man.

Well, one of them.

The other one is Kevin,

his new business partner

who I guess needs

a best friend or something

'cause he's moving in on mine.

Anyway, I'm really happy

for Brett.

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