TODAY   |  December 27, 2009

Goldman: There was a great deal of pain

Dec. 28: New Jersey father David Goldman talks to TODAY’s Meredith Vieira about the chaotic reunion with his son, Sean, last week after a five-year custody battle in Brazil.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>> al, thank you. and now to the moment that david goldman had waited for for or more than five years, on christmas eve , the new jersey father was reunited with his son, sean, in brazil and they flew back to the united states . i visited with them exclusively over the weekend and talked in-depth with david goldman . we'll hear from him throughout the morning, beginning with the immediate moments after their chaotic reunion.

>> he didn't ever, ever once say i don't want to go with you, i don't want to be with you, anything whatsoever. he had no resistance at all. but at the same time, he was in a great deal of pain. i mean what he just had experienced is, is unfathomable. he was saying, can, i need to get boots. i need to get, there's a lot of snow? we need to get boots. i need a winter coat. you know, he was -- so he's been envisioning it. he's been imagining it. he, he was, his mind was all over the place, i'm sure. so i was just responding and reacting. as best i could. to keep him calm. and to keep reassuring him that i love him.

>> and just ahead, what happened on that plane ride home. and what does david goldman fear most for sean as he tries to adjust to