"Carnival"

Written by Luke Dornbush

4241 Kling St W #22 Burbank, CA 91505 (651) 233-062 1.

ACT ONE

MITCHELL & CAMERON INTERVIEW CAMERON (singing) Tradition! They’re not even asking permission... (back to normal) I was in my high school’s ninth grade production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. MITCHELL You were in the chorus. CAMERON Um, excuse me? I was the understudy for all of the male roles... (off Mitchell’s look) Well not officially but it never hurts to be prepared. It was all political anyway... (singing) From the Papa--

JAY INTERVIEW JAY You want a tradition? Every year I get together with a bunch of guys from my old unit and we reminisce about the good old days... Well, ya know, the times when we weren’t being shot at. We’ve been doing it every year for thirty years. I’ve never missed one. Some traditions are like that, they never die.

EXT. DUNPHY HOUSE - BACK YARD - AFTERNOON Jay drinks a beer while Phil tries to light his new barbecue. JAY You want a hand with that Phil? PHIL No Jay, I got this. JAY You’re sure? 2.

PHIL Yes Jay. You go ahead, enjoy this beautiful day. You don’t need to waste your time watching me try to light these stubborn coals. JAY Ok. Jay takes a swig of his beer as he walks away. JAY (CONT’D) It’s a gas grill Phil.

MITCHELL & CAMERON INTERVIEW CAMERON (belting) Tradition!

JAY & GLORIA INTERVIEW GLORIA In Colombia we have a culture rich with tradition. I love Jay but he has always been resistant to our traditions. JAY Almost all of her traditions growing up involved guns, fireworks, or slaughtering animals. GLORIA Sometimes all three! JAY But with the laws in this country, our options are limited.

EXT. DUNPHY HOUSE - BACK YARD - AFTERNOON Phil enters the backyard with take out bags. Claire, Jay, Gloria and the kids all sit around a table. PHIL Food’s here everyone! Phil hands out the food then sits down across from Jay. 3.

PHIL (CONT’D) So how have you been Jay? JAY We really gonna do this? PHIL Come on Jay. Open up. JAY You want me to open up? CLAIRE Dad, be nice. He considers a beat. JAY Ok, you want open? Well it’s been a rough couple of days actually. The wife’s been giving me hell. You know how that is. PHIL I most certainly d-- He chokes on the last word as Claire catches his eye. CLAIRE What was that Phil? PHIL Whoa. I was choking for a minute there but I saved it. I’m good everyone. CLAIRE Don’t be so sure. PHIL I’m good. JAY And I got a colonoscopy on Monday so you know what that’s like. PHIL I most certainly do not. Phil is extremely uncomfortable with the subject. JAY Oh jeez Phil. You’re over forty now. (MORE) 4. JAY (CONT'D) You have to get that taken care of. Good prostate health is important for a man your age. Hell, Claire’s grandfather wasn’t much older than you when they found his cancer. Phil is distressed. Jay discreetly winks at the camera and goes back to his food.

PHIL INTERVIEW PHIL What Jay said really hit me hard. I’m over forty. Do you know how embarrassing that is for me?

INT. DUNPHY HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING Claire prepares a meal. Phil follows her around the kitchen. CLAIRE You do realize that you turned forty months ago Phil. PHIL So? CLAIRE So you didn’t make a big fuss about it then. PHIL But that’s when I turned the forty where I’m not too old to party and be cool, not the forty where I have to get checked regularly to see if I’m dying yet. CLAIRE (shouts) Kids! Dinner! Haley enters, but doesn’t look up from her phone. PHIL Hey sweet pea! What’s cookin? HALEY So lame. Alex enters. Phil gets flustered. 5.

PHIL Hey there... muffin. How’s it baking? ALEX When are you guys going to sign me up for driver’s ed? PHIL You’re not even old enough yet. ALEX I will be soon and the best schools fill up quickly. Or is this going to be another one of those things I have to do for myself? Phil tries to hide how much this bothers him. Luke enters. PHIL Yo, yo. What’s the word... typewriter? LUKE What’s a typewriter? CLAIRE It’s like an old-- Phil reacts to the word “old”. CLAIRE (CONT’D) It’s how they used to type before computers. LUKE Oh. I’ll ask grandpa about it sometime. Phil can’t take it anymore. PHIL Oh, that reminds me. I have to go... get some... things. Phil hustles out. CLAIRE (calls after him) Phil!? Dinner! 6.

PHIL (O.S.) I’ll be right back!

PHIL INTERVIEW PHIL When the kids were little we used to take them to the carnival all the time. Pretty much every one we found. And they loved it. They couldn’t get enough.

EXT. ROAD - EVENING Phil sits at a stoplight in the family minivan. He notices two men putting up a sign for a carnival. PHIL (V.O.) So when I saw that sign, I knew it was a sign.

PHIL INTERVIEW PHIL Well, it was a sign but- like it was a sign- It was destiny.

EXT. ROAD - CONTINUOUS The light changes and Phil drives off. Once he is gone, the two men finish putting up the last part of the sign. The word “Kiddie”.

MANNY INTERVIEW MANNY I’m an old fashioned kind of guy. Tradition is very important to me. Plus my teacher said it was worth ten percent of my grade.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON Jay is on the phone. Manny walks up to Jay. JAY (on the phone) Heya Rotso! How’s it goin? (MORE) 7. JAY (CONT'D) Nope, she hasn’t divorced me yet. Hey how’s Sarge doin? I haven’t heard from him in- You’re kidding. How? When? MANNY Jay, my teacher has given us the assignment of starting a new family tradition. JAY Uh, Rotso can I call you back? Yea my kid’s got some school assignment to take care of... Yea. (to Manny) Isn’t it summer? MANNY It’s extra credit. I thought I’d get a head start for the fall. JAY (to Manny) Of course you did. (to phone) It’s extra credit. Yea I know. Look, I gotta take care of this and I’ll call you back. Yep. Bye. Jay hangs up. JAY (CONT’D) Ok, let’s hear what you got. MANNY I’ve compiled a short list of data concerning the importance of family traditions. He pulls out several sheets of paper. JAY Oh boy. MANNY Number one. Studies have shown--

INT. MITCHELL & CAMERON’S DUPLEX - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON Cameron feeds Lily on the couch. Mitchell enters. CAMERON Welcome home daddy! 8.

MITCHELL (flatly) Hey Lily. CAMERON What was that? This is Lily’s favorite time of the day. You can’t muster more energy than that? Lily is focused intently on her food. MITCHELL Hi Lily! She burps. MITCHELL (CONT’D) Lovely. It’s just... It was a rough day at work. It’s been a rough week Cam. CAMERON It’s only Monday. MITCHELL It was a really rough day. CAMERON Uh oh. Well in that case I have some great news for you. MITCHELL Oh yea? CAMERON Lily and I decided that we’re going to the carnival on Friday. Mitchell waits expectantly. MITCHELL Oh, that was it. CAMERON No. Because the good news is that you are taking the day off and coming with us. MITCHELL What could possibly make you think that is good news for me? 9.

INTERVIEW CAMERON & MITCHELL CAMERON Lots of people have weak stomachs. Mitchell’s stomach... MITCHELL When Claire and I were kids my mother took us to all kinds of carnivals. She and Claire loved to go on all the craziest rides. And I’d throw up on the Ferris wheel. CAMERON One time he threw up sitting on a bench just watching the Ferris wheel. MITCHELL I told you, that was food poisoning. CAMERON Of course. Cameron discreetly shakes his head “no”.

INT. MITCHELL & CAMERON’S DUPLEX - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON CAMERON It’s just little kids stuff, I’m sure you can handle it. MITCHELL No. No, you know what. I’ve got important meetings on Friday that I can’t get out of. You two will just have to go by yourselves. CAMERON Now that is something that just is not going to happen. MITCHELL Well I can’t miss those meetings Cam. CAMERON Don’t think I’m buying that for a second. You’ll call in sick. People do it all the time. Your secretary will take copious notes, it’ll be like you weren’t even gone. 10.

Cameron exits towards the bedroom. MITCHELL But... CAMERON (O.S.) This is happening Mitchell! Mitchell is not convinced.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON Jay has grown anxious. MANNY Number forty one-- JAY Stop! Ok, stop. You know what, yes, you’re right. I think that’s a great idea Manny. MANNY Really? JAY If it gets you to stop, sure. What did you have in mind? MANNY Well, Friday is Boyaca Day in Colombia so I was thinking-- JAY That sounds great. Friday it is. Manny is excited and gives Jay a big hug. Jay is slightly startled by his enthusiasm.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - LATER Jay walks in. Gloria gets a drink from the fridge. GLORIA I love seeing my two men bonding. JAY Ya know he’s right though. We’ve all been a little busy lately. It will be good to get the whole family together for a night. 11.

GLORIA You’re really going to help Manny with this? What about your big reuniting? JAY That’s not until the seventh. GLORIA Friday is the seventh Jay. JAY Oh crap, you’re right. Well I’ll just go tell Manny and we can reschedule. GLORIA But you promised him. You can’t go back on your word now. JAY You don’t understand Gloria, I’ve been doing this thing for thirty years. In all that time I haven’t missed one. Those guys are counting on me to be there. GLORIA Well Manny’s counting on you to be here. Gloria leaves. Jay considers.

END OF ACT ONE 12.

ACT TWO

JAY INTERVIEW JAY There was no way I was missing that reunion. So I figured out a way to have my Boyaca Day and eat it too.

INT. RUN DOWN RESTAURANT - MORNING Jay leads Manny into the mostly deserted restaurant. Once a colorful children’s restaurant, it has fallen on hard times. JAY Well? What do you think? MANNY I think that this place has seen better days. What are we doing here? JAY This is where we’re gonna have your Boyaca Day party. MANNY You’re kidding right? JAY What? This is a great place. We had Mitchell’s eighth birthday party here. MANNY And I think I see a stain from that party on the wall over there. I thought we were doing it at the house. JAY Alright kid, I’m gonna level with you. The truth is that for thirty years I’ve had this annual reunion with some of my old army buddies. And it’s always on the same day every year. And that’s also tonight. We’re meeting at the bar next door. So I figured, we have the party here, I make an appearance, and I can duck out when it’s time for the reunion to start. 13.

MANNY We can’t have it here. JAY Really? And why’s that? MANNY Boyaca Day is the biggest day of the year in Colombia outside of Christmas and New Years. It’s our independence day. We can’t celebrate it in a place like this. JAY Well then I guess you’ll just have to do it without me because there is no way I’m missing that reunion. MANNY That’s not fair. JAY Life’s not fair Manny. If we can’t do it here, that’s fine, we’ll do it at the house. But I can’t come.

INT. DUNPHY HOUSE - KITCHEN - MORNING Claire and the kids are in the kitchen. Luke is engrossed in his GAMEBOY. Phil enters PHIL I have exciting news everyone! The Dunphy’s are going to the carnival! Everyone reacts flatly. PHIL (CONT’D) Come on, I thought you’d all be excited. We haven’t been to a carnival in years. HALEY Yea. And that was on purpose. CLAIRE Well that sounds like... fun Phil. When did you have in mind? PHIL We’re going today! 14.

HALEY No way! My are going to the beach today. ALEX And I... can’t come up with something better to do right now but I don’t want to go either. Claire sees that Phil needs this. CLAIRE Well you are just going to have to reschedule Haley because we’re going to the carnival today. HALEY This is so unfair. Haley storms out. Alex follows. PHIL This is going to be so much fun! Phil leaves. LUKE Does Haley have PMS? Claire is stunned. Luke looks up from his game. LUKE (CONT’D) What?

LUKE INTERVIEW LUKE I don’t know what it means. Dad says mom has it so I thought maybe it was contagious. (suddenly realizes) Uh oh! I was sitting between them at breakfast! Luke dashes out of the room.

INT. MITCHELL & CAMERON’S DUPLEX - LIVING ROOM - MORNING Mitchell and Cameron prepare for a day out. 15.

MITCHELL I can’t believe you talked me into this. CAMERON Will you relax? It’s going to be amazing.

MITCHELL & CAMERON INTERVIEW CAMERON We’re taking Lily to her first carnival. I couldn’t be more excited. We’re taking the day off and making a big deal of it. Mitchell checks his phone for emails. MITCHELL Well, I’m taking the day off. This isn’t really anything out of the ordinary for you. Cameron loudly clears his throat. Mitchell stashes his phone. CAMERON Going to the carnival was a huge part of my childhood. I can’t wait to share that with my daughter.

INT. MITCHELL & CAMERON’S DUPLEX - LIVING ROOM - MORNING Mitchell checks his phone. MITCHELL They still haven’t called. I’m gonna make sure everything is ok. CAMERON No you don’t Mitchell. You pick up that phone and I’m gonna hog tie you and throw you in the trunk. You promised me this. They can survive a day without you. MITCHELL Why couldn’t we just do this tomorrow? 16.

CAMERON (aghast) Everybody knows that the first day of a carnival is the best day. MITCHELL Oh of course, you’re right. What was I thinking? Mitchell’s stress shows as he continues to pack. CAMERON It will be fine Mitchell. Really. Be a little dangerous. I’ve always loved it when you walk on the wild side. MITCHELL Oh yea? CAMERON Yes I have. MITCHELL Well, then get a load of this. Mitchell picks a pillow off the couch and casually tosses it on the ground. CAMERON Oooh, there he is. Rawr. MITCHELL Yea. And there’s more where that came from. A beat. MITCHELL (CONT’D) I’ll pick it up. CAMERON Please do.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON Jay sits on the couch and reads the paper. Manny shuffles by, crestfallen. JAY Why so down? Aren’t you excited for your party tonight? 17.

MANNY There will be no party. I called it off. JAY Why not? I said you could still do it here without me. MANNY I don’t want to do it without you. JAY Well that’s stupid. MANNY It’s supposed to be a family celebration. I can’t celebrate with part of my family missing. Manny walks out. Jay is speechless.

INT. MITCHELL & CAMERON’S CAR - AFTERNOON Mitchell drives with Cameron in the passenger seat and Lily in back. MITCHELL Oh, I think she dropped her little bear Cam. Can you get it for her? CAMERON Sure thing. Cameron reaches back to get Lily’s bear. Mitchell quickly checks his phone while Cameron’s back is turned.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - AFTERNOON Phil and the family walk through the ride area. There are little kids with their parents everywhere. PHIL See isn’t this great? It’s exactly how I remember it when you were little. CLAIRE Yea. It’s exactly how it was when they were little. 18.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - FOOD AREA - AFTERNOON Mitchell and Cameron buy food at a stand. Lily is in a stroller. MITCHELL Are they kidding with this place? CAMERON Don’t listen to him Lily. Your daddy had his inner child taken out back and shot when he was nine. MITCHELL He said to our daughter. Cameron walks off with Lily. CAMERON (calling back) You Old Yeller-ed him Mitchell. The YOUNG MAN in the food stand serves up a plate full of a medley of fatty foods. It is unrecognizable. MITCHELL What the hell is that?

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - AFTERNOON Claire and the girls sit on a picnic table bench. Luke measures himself next to a “must be this tall” sign. Phil approaches with a dozen balloons. PHIL You’ll never guess who I ran into. HALEY If there is someone we know here, I’m going back to the car. CLAIRE Uh... PHIL Steve! The balloon guy. CLAIRE Who? 19.

PHIL Come on you remember Steve. He only had one arm and we always asked him how he tied the balloons. CLAIRE Oh God. PHIL He still wouldn’t tell me. Just glared at me with that one good eye of his. Ok, so who wants what? Haley, you always liked green didn’t you? Haley is dumbfounded. Phil hands the balloons around. Luke is excited until a glare from Haley kills his mood. PHIL (CONT’D) So what do you want to do first? CLAIRE Phil. PHIL Haley? Pick your poison. HALEY Oh my God Dad. You can’t be serious with this. PHIL Why what’s wrong? HALEY What’s wrong!? ALEX This carnival is for little kids Dad. HALEY Yea! And it’s lame! And it’s old! And there are no boys here! PHIL It’s not old and lame! It’s fun and cool and my kids love it! CAMERON (O.S.) Claire? Phil? Cameron, Mitchell walk up with Lily. 20.

CAMERON (CONT’D) What are you guys doing here? Haley and Alex storm off. Luke follows reluctantly. CLAIRE Honey. Look, I see what you’re trying to do here but this really isn’t for the kids. PHIL No Claire. We have to do this.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON Gloria reads a book on the couch. Jay enters. JAY Can you talk some sense into him? GLORIA I gave up talking sense into you two burros a long time ago. JAY He is canceling his party just because I can’t be there. GLORIA Well you promised you would help him. JAY But I forgot I already had plans. It’s a simple mistake. I never meant for him to cancel it. GLORIA Well you have to do what you have to do Jay. But I won’t tell Manny how to feel about it.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - AFTERNOON Mitchell’s phone rings. Cameron gives him a look but he answers it anyway. MITCHELL (to the phone) This is Mitchell. 21.

CAMERON You hang up that phone. MITCHELL Yea, I can talk. CAMERON Mitchell. MITCHELL (to Cameron) This is important Cam. CAMERON More important than spending time with your family? MITCHELL No. I never said that. (to phone) I never said that. CAMERON Are you going to put that away or am I going to have to get the rope out of the trunk? MITCHELL (to phone) Yea, I’m still here. Cameron marches off toward the food area with Lily. MITCHELL (CONT’D) (to the phone) I’m gonna have to call you back. CLAIRE Aren’t you going to go after him? MITCHELL I don’t think he really wants to talk to me right now. PHIL Oh wow Claire! Look! They have a merry-go-round! CLAIRE Fine I’ll go. You see what you can do with... this.

END OF ACT TWO 22.

ACT THREE

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - FOOD AREA - AFTERNOON Cameron and Claire stand in line at a food stand with Lily. He sees a clown nearby making balloon animals. CAMERON Psh. Amateur. CLAIRE Cam. What’s wrong? CAMERON Oh nothing, just that it looks like his makeup was put on in the dark... by a blind man. CLAIRE I mean what’s wrong with you and Mitchell. CAMERON All I asked for was one day for him to just leave his work at the office and be here with me and our daughter.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - CONTINUOUS Mitchell and Phil sit next to each other on a picnic table. Mitchell checks his emails on his phone. MITCHELL You know that your kids are way too old for a place like this right? PHIL You don’t look too happy. You want a snow cone? There used to be this great place called Mr. Fuji’s... He cranes his neck to look around for it. He looks like a kid in a candy store. MITCHELL You’re too old for a place like this too Phil. PHIL Don’t be ridiculous. You’re never too old to have fun. 23.

Phil does something kind of childish and sees a five year old kid do the same thing a few feet away. PHIL (CONT’D) What am I doing?

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - FOOD AREA - CONTINUOUS CLAIRE Mitchell has always been a huge goody-goody. CAMERON Well that’s true. CLAIRE The one time he skipped class in high school he ended up in the nurses office because he had a nervous breakdown. CAMERON Seriously? CLAIRE They found him on the roof screaming something about how there was nothing but darkness ahead. CAMERON Oh that is precious. CLAIRE It’s sweet that you think so.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - CONTINUOUS PHIL It’s just something your dad said the other day really got to me. MITCHELL You too. Huh, I kind of thought that was our thing.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - FOOD AREA - CONTINUOUS Cameron and Claire get their food and head back towards the ride area. 24.

CAMERON I just worry about him. He takes this time for granted and then before you know it Lily will be driving and then going to college. Stanford. Harvard is so pretentious. Then just like that, we’re empty nesters. Claire has a revelation.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - CONTINUOUS PHIL My kids are outgrowing me. MITCHELL Oh don’t be ridiculous Phil. They may be a little crazy sometimes because that’s their age... and their heritage. But they’ll never outgrow you. PHIL Maybe you’re right.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - PARKING LOT - AFTERNOON The kids walk towards the family minivan. HALEY Can you believe them? ALEX This is such a joke. LUKE I don’t know. That one ride looked pretty fun. And they always have the best hot dogs. Haley and Alex are taken aback by this. LUKE (CONT’D) We used to have so much fun here. Now you guys won’t even give it a chance. ALEX They do have pretty good hot dogs... 25.

They stand in silence for a moment. HALEY Hey Alex, remember when you were eight and you went on that ride over there with mom? ALEX And she thought she dropped her grandma’s bracelet? HALEY She freaked out for like four hours and it turned out she had left it in the car. They all laugh at the memory. ALEX Or that one time Luke got sick from eating too much cotton candy? LUKE I puked blue. It was awesome! They laugh again.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - LATER Cameron and Claire arrive with the food. PHIL I’m sorry honey. I don’t know what came over me back there. CLAIRE Haley is almost out of high school. Alex will be driving in a few years. I get it. I get scared sometimes too. And I’ll need you to be there for me when that happens. PHIL Where else would I be? They kiss. MITCHELL Cam. I’m so sorry. CAMERON It’s ok Mitchell. 26.

MITCHELL No it isn’t. This is a special day and I was ruining it. CAMERON We forgive you. MITCHELL You think Lily has any more rides left in her? CAMERON Well I don’t know. What do you think Lily? MITCHELL Lily, do you want to go on a ride with daddy? Lily stares blankly at Mitchell. MITCHELL (CONT’D) Good enough! Come on Lily! CAMERON I think I saw a tilt-a-whirl back there. MITCHELL Shut it. They head off to the rides. The kids return. PHIL Hey you guys. ALEX Look dad, we’re sorry about before. PHIL You don’t need to apologize. I know this isn’t really your idea of fun anymore. ALEX But we overreacted. HALEY Yea. It’s not so bad really. Phil sees something behind them and gets an idea. 27.

PHIL Well I’ll tell you what. This trip may not have lived up to our carnival days of old, but I know one tradition you guys haven’t outgrown yet. HALEY/ALEX/LUKE What? PHIL Let’s go get some Mr. Fuji’s snow cones! They all cheer their agreement.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - AFTERNOON Jay is on the phone. JAY You see I’m in a tight spot. My kid’s got this thing... Yea I know it’s late notice. Look I just want to know, is there any way we could reschedule? Maybe do it tomorrow? Oh that’s right. Nope, I wouldn’t want to miss that. No no, of course. Yea I’ll be there. Hey, have I ever let you guys down? Jay hangs up and notices a stack of INVITATIONS on the counter. He picks one up from the stack. At the top is the family portrait, with “Mi Familia” emblazoned underneath.

JAY INTERVIEW JAY Sometimes, as a parent, you just screw up. There’s no way around it, no way to sugar coat it. You’re human and you’re going to make mistakes. You just hope that when you really get things wrong you have a chance to make it right.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Manny sits sullenly on the couch. Jay enters. 28.

JAY Hey there slugger. MANNY Hey. JAY What are you moping around for? Shouldn’t you be getting ready? MANNY Ready for what? The doorbell rings. Jay opens the door. The entire family is outside, dressed to party. JAY Come on in everybody! MANNY What is this? CLAIRE It’s Boyaca Day! CAMERON Come on Mitchell. Cameron leads a woozy Mitchell to the couch. JAY Well come on Manny. This is your party. Do your thing. Manny springs into action. MANNY Welcome to Boyaca!

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS Gloria puts the finishing touches on the kitchen, now fully decked out for the party, as Manny leads his guests. MANNY Wow! Did you do this mom? GLORIA No. It was all Jay. 29.

JAY Well don’t just stand there, let’s eat. They all start to dish up food. JAY (V.O.) As parents, it’s really easy for us to lose sight of things.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - RIDE AREA - AFTERNOON Mitchell, Cameron and Lily enjoy a slow ride together. JAY (V.O.) We so often get caught up in our own problems and agendas. We forget what’s really important. Mitchell gags but it’s a false alarm.

EXT. KIDDIE CARNIVAL - FOOD AREA - AFTERNOON Phil buys his entire family snow cones. Phil sticks out his tongue, stained green by his snow cone. They all laugh. JAY (V.O.) But that’s what’s great about our kids. They make it so easy to remember again.

INTERVIEW JAY JAY Yes, sometimes that means making a sacrifice here or there.

INT. JAY AND GLORIA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT Everyone is having a great time. Jay’s cell phone rings. He sees it’s one of his army buddies and rejects the call. JAY (V.O.) But you know what? He pulls Gloria close and they watch Manny host the party. 30.

JAY (V.O.) It’s worth it. Every time.

INTERVIEW JAY Gloria sticks her head in the back. GLORIA Vaminos Jay, you’re missing the party!

END OF ACT THREE 31.

TAG

EXT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE - AFTERNOON Phil comes out of the doctor’s office and walks gingerly towards the car. Luke walks next to him. LUKE Why are you walking funny? PHIL I’m not. LUKE Yea you are. You’re walking all clenchy. PHIL No I’m not. LUKE Yes you are. PHIL Ok. Fine, you got me. It’s silly walk day and this is the silly walk I’m doing. LUKE Awesome! Can I do it too? PHIL Sure. Luke imitates the way that Phil is walking.

END OF SHOW