I'll be waving as you drive away.
All S1
S1 E15Unfinished Business
[in tears] Oh, dear God, Charles, I keep thinking this is all a dream, and I'm gonna wake up, and Alice is gonna be here.
Well, if she was here, what do you think she'd say to you? What do you think she'd say to you?
I don't know!
She'd say, "Jonathan Garvey, what in God's sake is wrong with you?" That's what she'd say. She'd say, "What in God's sake is wrong with you, man I love? What is wrong with you?" That's what she'd say, isn't it, friend?
[to Jonathan] Why don't you come to Church with us on Sunday? It helps, believe me.
Thank God for letting my wife die? That's what He did, ain't it? That's what He did for me. He let her die. And you want me to praise Him?
Jonathan.
No. If you want to believe, that's fine for you, but not for me.
As some of you may know, I was back East last week in New York. I spent some time with my father and told him about the tragedy we have had. You'd all have to know the way my father was in the past to realize what a miracle it is when I tell you that he has asked to be able to finance the rebuilding of the blind school. Believe me, I will never again look at any man on the face of the Earth and say that he'll never change. My father did make one request, that he be allowed to name the new school. He sent this plaque back with me. Mary? Jonathan? [Mary, Jonathan and Andy step forward] We dedicate this school in memory of Alice Garvey and Adam Charles Holbrook Kendall. [unveils the plaque] May we make them proud.
[about Almanzo] I can't lose him.
What makes you so sure you're gonna lose him?
Well, he said that he just can't wait two years.
I see. So if he doesn't get his own way, his love for you just goes away?
PPercival
Mrs. Oleson, you are not paying me enough to be insulted. Now, my advice to you is...
Don't you advise me, young man! You come in here and...
PPercival
WILL YOU BE QUIET?! Now, my advice to you is to forget about Nellie's Place. If Caroline's willing to stay and run the place, fine. Otherwise, forget it. Your daughter has no intention of making a go of it.
[to Charles about Almanzo] He left?
Yeah.
He wouldn't just leave. What did you say to him?
I told him you two would have to wait.
I'm not gonna lose him, Pa. If waiting means that I'm going to lose him, then I'm not gonna wait. I mean it, Pa!
I'm too tall!
Well, don't blame me! It's your father's fault. Everybody's tall on his side of the family.
OMr. Oleson
Your mother's right. Her side is just fat.
How dare you!
[to Percival] I have something to tell you. I love you. I love you.
PPercival
I don't know what to say.
Well...do you?
PPercival
Yes. I love you, too. But what about....I'm not going to get any taller.
And I'm not gonna get any shorter!
PPercival
Will you marry me?
Yes. Oh, yes!
[to Laura] I didn't want you to feel like you had to be nice to me because of the money.
Be nice to you? I love you, you silly man! Nobody could ever love you as much as I do.
[to Adam] When would you go to take the test?
Well, I've only got four weeks to study for it, and I'm not going to be able to do any teaching during that time. I know it's going to be a real burden on you and Hester Sue.
We can manage. Besides, summer break's coming up in three weeks.
And I promised you a trip to Walnut Grove. I'll make it up to you. When I'm a lawyer, I'll have enough money to go anywhere in the world you want to go. Paris or Rome! Oh, Mary, I can do this! I got this feeling, like God came down, gave me my sight back and said, "Okay, let's see what you can do with it."
[about the world] I just can't believe it. I can't believe the colors! It's so much more vivid than I remember. The greens and the blue in the sky, and the most vivid of all, the blue in your eyes.
Adam!
Well, it's true. I've never seen eyes as blue as yours. You are so beautiful!
What if I hadn't been?
What?
What if I hadn't been beautiful? I mean, suppose you looked at me for the first time and thought, "Yuck, she's a toadface!"
Well, I'd never think that. You'd be beautiful to me no matter what you look like. I love you, but I must admit, I am happy that you're beautiful.
I don't even know where to begin. When this first happened, when I regained my sight, it had a great effect on me. The way I feel and think about things. I used to love teaching. I found it challenging and exciting, and and I really thought it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But it just isn't. The more I talk to Mr. Davis and the more I study those law books, the more I realize I want to be a lawyer. I have to be a lawyer. I talked to Mr. Davis tonight, and he's arranged for me to go to Minneapolis and take the exam. If I get a good enough grade, I have a chance at a scholarship. I know that's a big "if," but I just have to try. Mary, I want this more than I've wanted anything in my whole life. I can do it. I just know I can do it.
Mary, is something wrong?
No. Why do you ask?
Well, when a mother and daughter have been as close as we have, we tend to notice things about each other that other people wouldn't.
Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just going to take a little getting used to, Adam's sight, I mean. It's like meeting someone again for the first itme.. He can see me and I can't see him. It's a very strange feeling.
For both of you. Remember, Adam's going to have a lot of adjusting to do, too.
Oh, I know. I told you, it's nothing.
Well, if you two are through reading each other's minds, I'd like to get some sleep.
[to Professor Mayfield] My husband is Adam Kendall.
MProfessor Mayfield
Adam. The name is familiar.
Yes. He was taking the exam this past week.
MProfessor Mayfield
Oh, yes, yes. He was unable to complete it.
That really wasn't his fault.
MProfessor Mayfield
Yes, I understand that. It was most unfortunate.
I wanted to know if there's any way he could complete the test. It means so much to him.
MProfessor Mayfield
I'm sorry, Mrs. Kendall, I wish there was a way, but we can't alter the rules no matter what the circumstances.
Why not?
MProfessor Mayfield
Pardon me?
Why can't they be altered? I mean, this is a school of law, isn't it? If you have a bad law, the court changes it, doesn't it?
MProfessor Mayfield
Yes, the court does have that power.
Then if you have a bad rule, I think it should be changed.
MProfessor Mayfield
I don't believe it is a bad rule. It is a necessary one.
It's a bad rule when it has no compassion or concern for the individual.
MProfessor Mayfield
Mrs. Kendall--
My husband's gone through a lot in his lifetime. He was blinded in an accident when he was a boy. He lost his child in a fire. With all that, he's devoted his life to helping others, to teaching. Now, when it seems like something wonderful's going to happen, you turn against him with some rule! Now, you might think it's necessary, but I happen to think it's cruel!
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Little House on the Prairie pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.