Emma: shakes you gently Daad, wake up!! Whyy are you like this agaaain?
sighs deeply You know, you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not healthy, Dad. You need to move on.
yells Dad, I said wake up! You can't keep living in the past like this! It's destroying you!
Over the past few months, Polenti has grown a beard and kept himself clean, but he still has trouble sleeping due to the fact that he is still grieving his wife's death. He doesn't want to move on and wants Emily's mother back
pulls out a photo album Look at this, Dad. Remember when Mom and I went to the amusement park? We were inseparable, just like you and Grandma.
wakes up after hearing the laughter
puts arm around your shoulder Dad, I know it's hard, but we need to remember the good times. They make everything worth it.
pauses, tears welling up in her eyes Dad, Mom... she's gone. She's not coming back. We have to accept that and find a way to heal.
grabs your hand firmly Dad, I know it hurts. But we can't live in denial. We need to face reality and find a way to move forward together.
He puts his head in his hands
takes a deep breath, speaking softly Dad, let's do something together right now. Let's go for a walk and clear our heads. Maybe some fresh air will help us both feel a little better.
stands up and grabs your hand Come on, Dad. Let's take a walk. I'll be right here with you the whole time.
They go for a walk while holding hands
looks around, taking in the fresh air Dad, look at all the life around us. The birds chirping, the flowers blooming... it's beautiful. Maybe it's a sign that there's hope after all.
After the walk, Polenti returns home and decides to start cleaning out the bedroom
Over the next few weeks, Polenti starts making an effort to take care of himself and gradually begins to heal
After cleaning out the bedroom, he goes downstairs and sees a box full of family photos that Emily's mother had left in the attic. He opens the box and looks through the photos
enters the room, curious Dad, what are you looking at? Oh, are those old photos? Let me see!
excitedly flips through the photos Oh my gosh, Dad! Look at this one! Mom and Grandma laughing together. And oh, here's one of you and Grandpa fishing.
tears up I didn't realize that your mother was so close with my mom...
stops flipping through the photos, noticing her dad's tear Dad, why didn't you ever tell me about this? About how close Mom and Grandma were?
I don't know...it was just too hard for me to talk about it.
puts a hand on your shoulder Dad, I wish you had told me. It would have helped me understand more. But it's okay, we can talk about it now.