ugh. caden! that's weird. the phone stops ringing.
honey, i have to get this. you're going to be fine.
hey.
you're kidding! holy fuck! caden exits with his coffee, annoyed about the phone call.
all right, baby. see you then. adele clicks off her cellphone.
i have your oatmeal, honey.
here. now you better eat this.
jesus! caden! what the fuck -- ?! olive, in a nightgown, stands quietly in the doorway, her curled toes clenched. she holds a large stuffed owl.
honey, don't look. olive turns around.
put pressure. press. press!
i don't know! just.  both! caden sits on the toilet, presses a towel to his head. adele squats, goes into a spasmodic coughing fit, finishes, opens the cabinet under the sink, pushes her arm through bottles of cleaning products, old sponges, old toothbrushes, toilet paper rolls and other junk to the shut-off valves.
i can't turn it! it's gonna flood! olive hugs the owl tightly and it speaks.
no, it's friday, honey.
so what exactly did he say?
constricting.
caden.
not for a long time, honey. caden pulls out a cell phone and dials.
what's wrong, baby?
capillaries.
what are you doing? jesus.
well, stop it. it's okay, honey.
you don't have to worry, baby. you don't have blood.
caden, stop it! olive cries. adele coughs. caden stares out the window. it's dark, but his pupils are pinpricks.
that stool in your office?
when i was pregnant with olive.
um.  i don't know. hopeful or something. like something was going to change.
maybe not as much as i had hoped. that's a terrible thing to say.
i feel alone sometimes. i feel exhausted. can i say something awful?
i've fantasized about caden dying and being able to start again. guilt free. i know it's terrible.
um, yeah, i guess. caden pisses in the sink in the corner of the studio. his urine is amber. he finishes and peeks over adele's shoulder, through the magnifying glass at the painting. it's an amazingly detailed and angrily colored painting of a woman in a state of profound despair, screaming to the heavens, while standing in a field of flames.
thanks. how was rehearsal?
it's what you do.
caden, listen, i'm really sorry. i just can't go tonight. i'm sorry. i've got to get two canvases ready to ship. by tomorrow. i know it sucks.
maria came over to keep me company and we lost track. i'm sorry i missed the play. but i got everything done here. how'd it go?
i'll see it tomorrow. tonight! adele and maria laugh.
a little. i don't know. y'know? i mean, are you happy with it?
it doesn't matter what i think.
do you really believe that tripe?
is that your entire frame of reference for relationship problems?
oh, you're fine.
no, i know. exactly. caden picks up the newspaper. it's dated may 25th, 2006. he flips through, finds the obituaries and starts to read.
ok. all right. yeah. ok, bye. adele hangs up the phone, looks at the paper.
maria.
caden, i think i want to go to berlin with just olive. caden looks up.
i think it would be good for us. silence. caden's father appears in the doorway.
caden. i don't know. y'know? i don't know what i'm doing. it's just a little time apart.
hello? hello? who is this?
ellen?
what? who is this? oh, i have to go. there's a party. i'm famous!