ELEANOR: Roderick, are you busy?
RODERICK: No, come on in. You want something?
ELEANOR: Nothing important, but if you're not doing anything, I thought we could go into town. It's been so crazy around here, I haven't really had time for you. We can get some lunch, do some early Christmas shopping - you know, if there's anyone you want to give a gift to.
RODERICK: Okay, I guess that would be good.
ELEANOR: Great. It would give us a chance to talk-
RODERICK: Mom, you don't...I'm sorry I said those things, I didn't mean to hurt-
ELEANOR: Roderick, you don't need to-
RODERICK: You don't need to do anything. I shouldn't have said anything.
ELEANOR: Well, maybe I should have. Roderick...I shouldn't have tried keeping secrets. After all this time, I should have known you'd find out, and it would have been better for both of us if I had been honest with you a long time ago.
RODERICK: You don't have to explain anything to me.
ELEANOR: Well, I want to. Is that okay?
RODERICK: Go ahead.
ELEANOR: Thank you. You know that my life...sometimes, it's been far from easy. When I found out that I was pregnant, I was worried that I couldn't...I didn't want you to have to struggle too. There was a family friend who put me in touch with these lawyers who said they could arrange for a good family to take care of you. But when I got the letter back...I guess I was scared. So I never got back to them.
RODERICK: What changed your mind?
ELEANOR: Nothing, I just...I tried to imagine what it would be like to hand you over to someone and watch you leave my life. I couldn't do it. And I kept that letter because I keep going back to that time and wondering if I made the right choice. What would my life had been like? Maybe easier, maybe more lonely...but really, I wonder what your life would have been like. I wonder if you would have had more opportunities, or just an easier time.
RODERICK: Mom, you did everything you could. Nothing that happened to me is your fault.
ELEANOR: Well, we can't rerun the past to know for sure. All I can do is try to make sure that everything goes well for you now.
RODERICK: You didn't do anything wrong.
ELEANOR: That's sweet of you. How did you even find that? I mean, I know how, but why were you looking through those old things?
RODERICK: ...I was trying to find out about my father. I knew you had some old letters, I thought there would be something in there I could use.
ELEANOR: Oh sweetheart, why didn't you come to me?
RODERICK: It's not easy to talk about. And I didn't think you wanted me doing that.
ELEANOR: It's not that I don't want you looking for your Dad, I just don't want you to be disappointed.
RODERICK: Well, I still want to try. I just wanted to know more about him.
ELEANOR: I can tell you lots of things, I don't know if they'll help. Did you know he had another son?
RODERICK: That's who Darren is? I have a brother?
ELEANOR: He'd be, oh...around 30 years old now. There's a lot I can tell you, why don't we talk about it over lunch?
RODERICK: Okay. I'll be out in a minute.
ELEANOR: I love you, Roderick.
RODERICK: I love you, Mom.