[Fred is in John's apartment, trying to get his son to talk to him and going about it as if it were a sales pitch]
John Becker: [annoyed] Cut the crap, will you!? I'm not a customer; I'm your son! I don't wanna joke, I don't want a pen! Every few years, you show up and we do this ridiculous little dance! You wanna talk to me, talk to me!
Fred Becker: What do you want to talk about?
John Becker: No, no, no, no! This time, we're really gonna talk!...I was eleven years old. Why'd you leave?
Fred Becker: [solemn] Ok, Johnny. Here it is; your mother and I were completely wrong for each other. All we ever did was argue. It got to the place where I took any kind of a job, just to get out of town. Your mother finally got fed up and...told me to keep going.
John Becker: I didn't ask you to leave! I didn't argue with you, why didn't you at least come back and see me!?
Fred Becker: Because your mother asked me not to. [John looks stunned] You didn't know that, did you? And yes, I could've insisted I have a bigger part in your life, but I didn't. I took the easy way out and I regret it.
John Becker: [shocked] She asked you to---?
Fred Becker: Don't blame her; she was afraid I'd be a bad influence on you. [chuckles] Back in those days, she wasn't entirely wrong. I was...[pause] I took time to look in on you now and again; I saw one of your high school basketball games and...I was there when you graduated from med school.
John Becker: I know. I saw you. What was with the lime-green leisure suit?
Fred Becker: It was the 70's! Give me a break!

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