that sounds miraculous to me.Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made · 2021 — Chapter 14 of 18 · 4'00" · B1
Norman and Rita Consider Adoption, Explained: beaten the odds
A newlywed couple talks about a baby who might need a home. One says he would say yes if it came to that, then undercuts it with a doubt: "But wouldn't it be a mistake to twist the timing?" The scene turns on the reply - "What if we're hers?"
What happens
This is the scene where Norman and Rita, just married, imagine adopting a baby who may need a family. One of them says that if the baby ever needed a home, and they felt in their soul they were meant to be the parents, they would say yes. But they also ask whether twisting the timing would be a mistake, and wonder, "What if we're hers?"
Listen for
beaten the oddsRain checkin the mood forhead start
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Phrase of the scene
beaten the odds
to succeed when success seemed unlikely
Owen's mother says he has beaten the odds so far, though it's getting harder.
The tiny hospital beat the odds and kept running for fifty years.
Also in this scene
- Rain check
a polite way to postpone an invitation
- in the mood for
feeling like doing or having something
- head start
an early beginning that gives an advantage
Everything marked in this scene
31 notes across 77 lines
Funny, I think about that tree from time to time.holding on to that rock, just trying to survive.liaison
holding on to that rock, just trying to survive.feeling like doing or having something
After Oliver drifts off, Shane asks if he's still in the mood for clams.
So are you still in the mood for clams?liaison
So are you still in the mood for clams?She's known me longer than any other woman in my life.comparison with than
She's known me longer than any other woman in my life.I'd forgotten just how much she'd tried to teach me.Oh, when to hold on.When to let go.I thought I'd get a head start on the..."Not intended for the system."Things that end up here when they're supposed to be...Our treat.I'd love to, but I need to use my lunch hours to start looking for a new job.It looks like USPS is cutting back on temps.a polite way to postpone an invitation
Charley declines the lunch invite politely because she needs the time to job-hunt.
Rain check, maybe?Well, I don't want to say it if it's going to make you unhappy.We can say anything to each other.and I knew in my soul that we were supposed to be her parents, then...that clause
and I knew in my soul that we were supposed to be her parents, then...well, I believe that would be a miracle that we would have to say yes to.But wouldn't it be a mistake to twist the timing?negative rhetorical question
But wouldn't it be a mistake to twist the timing?elision
But wouldn't it be a mistake to twist the timing?Someone should still remember him.We're looking for the officer on duty.to succeed when success seemed unlikely
Owen's mother says he has beaten the odds so far, though it's getting harder.
He's beaten the odds so far.How on earth did you track him down?He was on my husband's crew.Norman and Rita Consider Adoption, explained
What's really going on
The marriage matters to the argument. Norman hesitates to speak because he does not want to upset Rita, and she cuts that off at once: "We can say anything to each other." From there the scene becomes a test of two ideas about faith and timing. Norman's version is generous - "I believe that would be a miracle that we would have to say yes to" - while the harder question is whether reaching for that miracle means forcing it: "But wouldn't it be a mistake to twist the timing?" The scene refuses to settle the debate, ending instead on a reframing that flips the whole search around: "What if we're hers?" It is less about whether they will adopt a baby than about being the kind of people who would say yes.
Theme
ParenthoodA couple weighs adopting a baby who needs a home, treating the decision as a miracle they must be ready to accept.
FaithThe talk of miracles and "trust the timing" frames the choice as something to be received, not forced.
Listen for
- holding on to — liaison
- mood for — liaison
- twist the timing — elision
well, I believe that would be a miracle that we would have to say yes to.The commitment behind the wish: if such a child ever came to them, accepting would not be a choice but an answer to a miracle.
holding on to that rock, just trying to survive.From the earlier image of a tree clinging to stone: the quiet stubbornness of simply staying alive.
But wouldn't it be a mistake to twist the timing?The doubt that answers "trust the timing": forcing a miracle might be the wrong way to receive it.
I'd forgotten just how much she'd tried to teach me.Oliver, thinking of his Sunday school teacher, realizing how much she once tried to pass on.
Questions about this scene
Why does Norman hesitate to say what he is thinking?
He does not want to upset Rita, but she reminds him that they are married and can say anything to each other.
What do Norman and Rita decide about adopting a baby?
They do not settle it. They agree they would say yes if a child needed a family, then question whether twisting the timing would be a mistake.
What does "What if we're hers?" mean?
It flips the search: instead of the child being their miracle, they wonder whether they are the family she needs - the answer she has been looking for.
Who is Mrs. Genzinger?
Oliver's old Sunday school teacher, the woman who taught him when to hold on and when to let go.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made · 18 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 15love at first sightShane's Mom Interrogates Oliver
Chapter 1lose faith inInterviewing for the Dead Letter Office
Chapter 2trust the timingThe Best Man's Wedding Checklist
Chapter 3not everyone's cup of teaOliver's Mother Stays Four Days
Chapter 4track him downThe Team Reads a Dead Letter
Chapter 5skedaddleNorman Meets the Pregnant Temp
Chapter 6is in my bloodShane's Mother Visits the Office
Chapter 7a handfulOliver Agrees With His Mother
Chapter 8made for each otherThe Fire Station on the Envelope
Chapter 9put her up for adoptionTracing Fred Back to Owen
Chapter 10any means necessaryFinding Fred and the Wedding Canopy
Chapter 11mean the world toOliver Finds Fred the Stuffed Toy
Chapter 12never looked backOliver Leaves the Bear at the Altar
Chapter 13hard to come byShane's Mother Visits the Office
Watching · Chapter 14beaten the oddsNorman and Rita Consider Adoption
Chapter 15love at first sightShane's Mom Interrogates Oliver
Chapter 16get your act togetherCharley Gets a Job and a Family
Chapter 17get it out of my headOliver Faces His Fear of Forever
Chapter 18have a way ofOliver Gives Shane a Wedding WatchChapter 14 of 18 · about 17 min to go