I guess you can say that the laws of nature aren't always predictable. Still, when it came to matters of cause and effect... I think we managed to learn a thing or two. Perhaps that day, despite all the chaos, there really were cosmic forces at work. Forces so powerful, so profound, they defied all our attempts of rational explanation. I mean, hey, it had taken only five-thousand years to understand the moon... So, maybe, we were making progress. Then again, when it came down to it, may be, we learned enough for one day.
By the spring of nineteen-seventy-three the women's liberation movement was in full force. Across America, a revolution was in progress, shedding old stereotypes... building new roles. It was a time of raised-consciousnesses and high expectations... a fight for equality and freedom. Women everywhere were facing difficult and complex choices. Take my mother for example. She was a woman of her time. A woman of accomplishments. A woman who was appreciated. Yep, you might say in everything she did, Mom commanded our utmost respect. And whether it was pouring our coffee, buttering our toast, or simply washing our socks... we Arnold men supported her, encouraged her... right up until that day, when...
I've decided to get a job.
By the way, congratulations on your SAT scores.
I mean, no sense being pigheaded. The way I saw it - the world was big enough for all of us. And besides, so what if women could influence government, take over big business, alter domestic policy, dominate education, make the world a better place. In one important respect, we had still a lot to teach them. Yep, when it came to being jerks, they still had a lot to learn.
Perfect. This is perfect.
And that just about did it.
Me? What's wrong with me?
It was time to tell him exactly how I felt. About him, about Mom, about the stupid gin games and the dumb boyfriends and the idiotic dog.
Yeah, that was it. In a nutshell.
(Jack chuckles)
You're starting to sound just like your mother.
Yeah, but Mom loves this place!
Yeah, for a day or two maybe. Trust me, 21 years ago she couldn't wait to get out.
Nah. Your mother wanted a lot more from life than a small town like this had to offer.
So why didn't she tell Grandma and Grandpa about it? She never says a word.
She used to. They couldn't hear her. Parents are like that sometimes.
And I guess right about then, a few things started to fall into place.
(returns from the dance) Hi!
It was… fine. But when the invitation comes for my 30th reunion…
Roger… Roger's the same old jerk he always was.
[regarding Kevin's road trip] Look, there's no sense discussing this any further. You're not going and that's final.
Jeez, what was this? A family or a firing squad?
Okay. [pause] See, I don't know why I asked you anyway. This is my life and it's my decision. Okay? And I'm gonna do what I have to do.
And so, three days later, I got up at dawn...
FFriend
Hey, thanks for letting us use your sleeping bag.
...to say goodbye to my friends.
(Final lines)
Once upon a time, there was a girl I knew, who lived across the street. Brown hair, brown eyes. When she smiled, I smiled. When she cried, I cried. Every single thing that ever happened to me that mattered, in some way had to do with her. That day, Winnie and I promised each other that no matter what, that we'd always be together. It was a promise full of passion and truth and wisdom. It was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young.
(Scene shifts to 4th of July parade, as Kevin and Winnie arrive)
The next day, Winnie and I came home, back to where we'd started. It was the 4th of July in that little suburban town. Somehow though, things were different. Our past was here, but our future was somewhere else. And we both knew, sooner or later, we had to go. It was the last July I ever spent in that town. The next year, after graduation, I was on my way.
(Kevin and Winnie walk over to Paul)
So was Paul. He went to Harvard, of course. Studied law. (Paul sneezes) He's still allergic to everything.
(buys a flag from a salesman) Thanks a lot.
Listen, I'll be right back. Hang on for one second. (walks over to Jack)
Norma! (Norma, Wayne and a pregnant Karen walk over to Jack and Kevin)
Hey, we were family. For better or worse.
One for all...and all for one.
(Touches Karen's stomach) Gosh.
WWayne
(points at Karen's stomach) Little Kevin.
Karen's son was born in that September. I gotta say, I think he looks like me. Poor kid. Mom, she did well: Business woman, board chairman, grandmother...cooker of mashed potatoes. Wayne stayed on in furniture. Wood seemed to suit him. In fact, he took over the factory two years later, when Dad passed away. Winnie left the next summer to study art history in Paris. Still, we never forgot our promise. We wrote to each other once a week for the next eight years. I was there to meet her, when she came home, with my wife and my first son, eight months old. Like I said, things never turn out exactly the way you planned.
(Scene shifts to Kevin and Jack sitting at the table, drinking)
It was good. It was a good Fourth.
Yeah. So you're gonna be a grandpa huh?
Grey hair and everything.
Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day, you're in diapers; next day, you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
(Scene shifts outside, to the street)
I remember a place...a town...a house...like a lot of other houses; a yard like a lot of other yards; on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is...after all these years, I still look back...with wonder.
(Fireworks in the background, fade to credits)
KSKevin's son
Hey Dad, wanna play catch?
