To Leslie 2022

Leslie, a troubled and manipulative alcoholic from West Texas, hit the jackpot when she won $190,000 in a local lottery. Unfortunately, her poor choices soon led her to squander this fortune on liquor and drugs. Fast forward six years, and Leslie has found herself destitute, drifting through motels and living on the streets.

After being kicked out of a residential motel, she attempts to reconnect with her estranged twenty-year-old son, James, who reluctantly offers her shelter under the condition that she refrains from drinking. However, old habits die hard, and Leslie quickly falls into her old ways, stealing money from James’s roommate, Darren. Her deceitful behavior is soon uncovered when James discovers bottles of liquor hidden under her bed, prompting him to reach out to his grandmother, Nancy, for help.

Nancy and her boyfriend, Dutch, begrudgingly allow Leslie to stay with them, only to lock her out one night when they learn she had been spotted at a local bar. With nowhere to go, Leslie ends up sleeping outdoors and is discovered by Sweeney, one of the motel’s proprietors. Despite initially kicking her out, Sweeney decides to give Leslie a lifeline by offering her a job cleaning rooms, along with a small wage and a place to stay.

The road to redemption is not easy for Leslie, as she continues to struggle with punctuality and spends her earnings on alcohol while frequently visiting bars. In a moment of desperation, Leslie drunkenly stumbles to her old family home, startling the new residents. This leads to a call to Sweeney, who once again rescues her.

As Sweeney becomes a source of support, a friendship blossoms between them, rooted in their shared understanding of addiction. They bond further at a local fair, where Leslie faces the harsh truths of her past, especially during a confrontation with Nancy, who criticizes her for leaving James when he was a child.

In a moment that showcases her struggle, Leslie calls James from a laundromat, leaving a heartfelt message of love, only to later visit a bar, tempted by a young man but ultimately deciding against drinking. Leslie eventually squats in an abandoned ice cream shop, where she shares her desire to renovate the place with Sweeney.

Fast forward ten months, and Leslie, with the help of Sweeney and Royal, has transformed the ice cream shop into a diner. However, opening day proves to be slow, with no customers showing up. A surprise visit from Nancy sheds light on their tumultuous relationship, as Leslie accuses her mother of sabotaging the diner’s success. Yet, Nancy takes a step forward by apologizing for her emotional absence throughout Leslie’s life and brings James along, leading to a poignant reunion where the family can finally start to mend their broken ties.