Claudia Salinger quotes from Party of Five

Charlie

You think you're gonna sacrifice your whole education, blow off a whole year's tuition, to come back here and take care of these kids?

Claudia

Yeah, well, it's not like you're doing such a bang-up job without me.

Claudia

No, you don't understand. I don't want to hear what you were gonna do, okay? You were supposed to be more than this. You were supposed to be worth the fight.

What fight?

Claudia

The fight with Griffin, when he said you weren't good enough, when he said you were bascially the same kind of loser as him. 'Cause that's the thing, Cody. Griffin? He's not. He's this amazing person. No one sees how great he is. I wanted you to be that too.

Charlie

Everything Griffin's been saying about Ned, and this whole-- Maggie says it's true. Ned used to hit her.

Bailey

You're kidding.

Charlie

I can't believe it either. I can't believe how stupid I've been.

Bailey

So, Griffin's been--

Charlie

Right. The guy's got a problem.

Bailey

You damn right, he's got a problem, so let's go. Let's go down there.

Charlie

My thought exactly.

Claudia

I'm coming too.

Charlie

No, you're not. No, stay here with Diana. Wait, wait, wait. Someone's gotta pick up Owen.

Bailey

Call Sarah, she'll do it.

Claudia

[about Ned] What are you guys gonna do?

Charlie

We're gonna talk to him.

Bailey

We're gonna kill the guy.

Griffin

The only person that can help Julia now is Julia. That's it. That's the truth. She's gotta make up her own mind that this is gonna stop, or else...

Claudia

Or else what? He just keeps hitting her? Is that what you're saying?

Charlie

You've all said enough. I mean, yeah - I hated to give up all of that stuff - the designing, Seattle, a million different things. But I did it. I gave it up and I stayed in that house and I did the best that I could. And now, the first really good thing that comes along, the first thing for me, that I actually take - my little girl - and you wanna punish me for it. Why? Because I actually wanted a life for myself?

Claudia

Charlie, no one is saying...

Charlie

And you don't realize that you guys are all I've got now. Everything else I let go. So this - all of you turning on me like this - it's not just Owen you're taking away.

Claudia

Men, forget it - their species cannot be trusted.

Sarah

Oh, come on, girlfriend, sit down. We gotta talk.

Claudia

The entire ice-hockey team is crashing my party tonight.

Sarah

And that would be a bad thing?

Claudia

Sarah, they're like these cool guys with actual shoulders. These men on skates with sticks that they whack at eachother when they're not, like, throwing each other into walls.

Claudia

She likes you Charlie, but she thinks that you don't like her back. Now who's gonna stick around for that?

Charlie

Okay, if that's how she felt, which I'm sure it's not, why would she keep it a secret?

Claudia

I dunno. But if you felt that way about her, why would you keep it a secret?

Claudia

It must be hard to be mom. All those things you have to remember to tell your kids. Stuff that's hard to talk about, and they don't listen.

Sarah

You're welcome.

Claudia

I know that they were having problems, but to do it over the phone... It seems kind of cold.

Griffin

Hey, you mind if I grab one of these muffins? Everything in my refrigerator at home tastes like beer.

Julia Salinger

[to Griffin] Go for it. [to Claudia] I just don't know if we should judge her, Claud.

Griffin

Judge who?

Julia

Sarah's staying in New York.

Griffin

What, for how long? Couple more weeks?

Claudia

Indefinitely. I mean, she might not be coming home.

Griffin

So that's it, she's just gone?

Will

[Will enters the room] Hey, blueberry muffins. Anybody mind? My parents charge me for breakfast now. Somebody say somebody's gone? Who's gone?

Julia

Sarah's staying in New York. She's not coming back.

Will

What? You mean like permanently?

Julia

Could be.

Will

Oh, man. Is Bailey freaking?

Claudia

Hard to tell. He's been up in his room ever since he told us... Packing Sarah's stuff.

Claudia

Jule?

Julia

Yeah?

Claudia

Can I ask you something?

Julia

Of course.

Claudia

[inhales] After Ned... did it take you a long time before you felt like you could really trust someone?

Julia

Yeah, it did.

Claudia

That's the thing. I feel like... I don't really know anyone. You know? I think I do, but I can't really trust my feelings. You know what I mean?

Julia

I know. [inhales deeply] You want to tell me what happened?

Claudia

Yeah. There was this boy, this very friendly boy, like I thought Derek was. Anyway, the first day he showed me all the cool stuff that wasn't on the regular tour...