[During an intake, the stepmother and the daughters are bickering over the decedent's request to be buried beside his first wife.]
D1Daughter #1
It's what our father wanted.
SStepmother
No, it's what you want, because you never liked me!
D1Daughter #1
Well, you got that right.
SStepmother
You hate that you couldn't control your father when he was alive, and now you're trying to do it when he's dead.
D2Daughter #2
It was his decision!
There is a significant unpaid balance on the account.
D1Daughter #1
We'll pay for it!
SStepmother
If you take one cent from him, you'll be hearing from my attorney!
I really don't think that's necessary.
SStepmother
Oh, no? I gave the last six years of my life to that man; and contrary to what these stupid bitches think, I really did love him and I will not be humiliated like this!
D2Daughter #2
Yeah, well, if you do not follow our father's instructions exactly, you'll be hearing from our attorney, who used to work for Disney.
SStepmother
Oh, bring it on, ferret face!
D2Daughter #2
Oh, fuck you, you gold-digging slut!
SStepmother
How dare you!
D2Daughter #2
There are naked pictures of you on the Internet! My son showed them to me!
NateShut up! All of you, shut the fuck up! Jesus Christ, a man died. Your husband, your father lived a life, and now he's dead. Show some respect.
Clearly there's something wrong with me that you hide something like this from me, your brother and sister knew for months.
Nate
I wanted to protect you …
You're not supposed to protect me. I'm supposed to protect you. That's what a mother does. She tries. Most of the time she fails, but how are you ever going to feel loved if you don't ever let me try?
Nate
I do. I do feel loved.
[crying] There's just so many months I could have loved you better.
Nate
You loved me fine.
You're everything … you're everything to me, and you don't even know it.
Nate
[crying] Oh, God, I don't wanna go. Oh, I can't do this. I can't!
I won't let you go. I'll never let you go.
Nate
It's hard sometimes, relationships aren't easy. You just have to work at it everyday. Can't expect everything to be perfect all the time, and can't get shaken when it isn't. If there's a moment when i feel like i'm in prison, I just have to think about all those moments when it feels safe, and remind myself that those moments outweigh the prison moments.
Being alone is the prison, just thinking about yourself, just trapped in this fucking vortex, always watching yourself. Which, i suppose, is okay if you're interesting. The truth is: nobody is that interesting.
Nate
[yelling] Lisa! Lisa! Where are you?
LLisa
I'm right here. Where are you?
Nate
I don't know. None of this turned out the way I wanted it to, Lise. You know that, right? I wanted to love you, I did love you! I just felt like we were beginning- [chokes up] I know we were, I know it, I know it in my heart, and I just feel like I had this once in a lifetime chance and I fucked it up!
LLisa
Nate, I'm not a chance. I'm a person.
Nate
I just feel like all I do, all day long, is just manage myself, try to fuckin' connect with people. But it's like, no matter how much energy you pour into getting to the station on time, or getting on the right train, there's still no fuckin' guarantee that anybody's gonna be there for you to pick you up when you get there.
MMaggie
Well, I know that if you think life is a vending machine, where you put in virtue and you get out happiness, then you're probably gonna be disappointed. I know that.
[Nate is looking through a photo album on his 40th birthday.]
The day I turned 40, you were in Europe. I spent the whole day wondering if you'd call.
Nate
Sorry.
Oh, don't apologize. You did what you had to do, you little fucker.
Nate
You know, so much crazy shit has happened since these pictures were taken. So much. The idea of 40 more years—
The next 40 fly by much faster. It'll be over before you know it.
Nate
Time flies when you're having fun, huh?
No, time flies when you're pretending to have fun. Time flies when you're pretending to love Brenda and that baby she wants so much. Time flies when you're pretending to know what people mean when they say "love". Face it, buddy boy, there's two kinds of people in the world: there's you, and there's everybody else, and never the twain shall meet.
Why did you have to die? It really sucks. Everything's unraveling since you're gone.
Nate
That's not true.
It feels that way. I miss you. I miss you so fucking much!
Nate
I miss you, too.
You know how I always used to tell you you weren't Dad, after Dad died? It was such a waste of time thinking that way.
Nate
No, it's just part of how you dealt with it. It kept you from missing Dad so much.
No, it kept me from ever knowing you as much as I really could have, and now you are so completely fucking gone! It's just …
Nate
Claire –
Nate
Stop listening to the static.
What the fuck does that mean?
Nate
Nothing. It just means that everything in the world is like this transmission, making its way across the dark. But everything – death, life, everything – it's all completely suffused with static. [makes static sounds] You know? But if you listen to the static too much, it fucks you up.
Nate
I am actually, yeah, quite high.
MMan
Claire? Hi, this is Gavin at New Image. And I hate to be the one to tell you this, but New Image has been bought by stock options and they're consolidating their operations, and … well, they're in Chicago, so I hope you haven't headed out here yet. Sorry.
Nate
Aw, who cares? Go anyway.
What, are you crazy? I'm gonna move to New York City without a job?
Nate
Mom gave you the money. You're gonna land somewhere. You'll be fine. You're talented, you're smart. You're ready.
Nate
Claire, you want to know a secret? I spent my whole life being scared. Scared of not being ready, of not being right of not being who I should be. And where did it get me?
What should I tell everyone tonight?
Nate
Nothing! You can't stay here!
What, do you mean seriously?
Six Feet Under · 225 quotes
