Now, let me run this by you one more time real slow
so you can understand it. If you rent a piece of equipment,
you are liable for it if you bust it.
I don't think I'm responsible for faulty equipment. The thing just flew apart.
I didn't rent it to you to bust up a building.
It's none of your business what I rented it for.
I paid good money. I'm the customer, and I'm not being treated like one.
It damn well is my business. I own this place,
and every piece of equipment in it.
And you ain't gonna cost me any money, by God. Yes, ma'am.
Where'd you say you were from again? Wisconsin.
Wisconsin? There's your trouble, Junior.
I've never seen a damn yankee yet could operate more than a wheelbarrow.
I paid the rental, and that's all I'm paying.
Earl, it's aunt Ruby on the phone. Tell her I'll call her back.
It's about granny. She's fixing to...
it's almost time.
Oh. Come on, daddy. Let's go to the house.
Lock up, Sonny. Where you going? Let's get this settled.
We're closing up. I got things to take care of
- besides hoohahing with you. - Well, I'm not leaving until we get it settled.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
You better sign something saying I'm not responsible.
You comin'? I'm locking this door. I'm not leaving till you sign something.
Very funny.
Hey.
Hey! Unlock this door!
Hear me?
Hey!
Hey! Get back here!
She's been talking out of her head, Earl.
She's been calling for you.
All right.
Mama.
Why don't you make some coffee or something?
That crying ain't helping any.
Carrie, how you feeling?
Tolerable, I reckon.
How you all doin'?
I'm kind of down in my back,
but I reckon I'll do. You want me to get you
something or other to eat?
Naw. I don't feel much like eatin' nothin'.
I seen your daddy today, Sonny.
Daddy's dead, granny. No, he ain't no such a thing.
He's out there in the back,
building me a little ol' shed
to keep things in.
Carrie, I'm gonna get me some coffee.
You want some?
No. I don't believe I do.
I been kinda thinking
about going to church sunday.
You want to?
All right.
Good. Well, we'll do that.
Reckon why your daddy's playing I'm all right?
You are all right, mama. Doctor says you're liable
to live to be 100. Said you're too ornery to die yet.
You're having a spell, that's all.
You never was too good at storyin', Junior.
I'm 85 years old.
That's plenty of stayin' alive to do.
You take care of things, Earl.
You do things right. Yes, ma'am.
I don't want you laying here some of these days like me
wishing you'd done different. You done real good, mama.
Real good.
You take care of your family, Earl.
Yes, ma'am. Use my memory to help you do that.
I always do. That's the first thing. I always take care.
That's what you taught me.
I had a dream.
I was hanging a load of wash
on a tree limb down by the river.
Ain't that the silliest thing?
Earl. Sheriff just called.
He said some man called him from the store,
hollering you'd locked him up inside of it.
Hey, daddy. What's going on? I bought you a new cap today.
It says "Hunters do it with both barrels. "
Well, she's gone. Mama's gone.
Gone to heaven.
So you better call whoever you're supposed to call, Ruby,
to take care of it.
When's that coffee gonna be ready?
And when Jesus came to the place
where Lazarus was buried,
Martha said unto him,
"Lord, if you had been here,
"my brother would not have died.
"But even now I know
God will give you whatever you ask him. "
Jesus said unto her,
"Your brother will rise again. "
How about you, reverend? What are you doin' over this way?
Earl, how you doing? Fine.
Come on in. What can I do for you?
Listen, I got this letter your mama gave me before she passed.
She wanted me to wait a few days
and then give it to you. What is it?
Well, I hadn't looked at it, and she didn't tell me.
She just told me to give it to you
and not anybody else.
"It's private," she said. Thank you.
Well, I better go. I got rounds to make.
Roy Bailey's in the hospital with his gall bladder,
and I got to see him. I'll see you later on, then.
Sunday. I'll see you sunday.
Well, we'll see. See ya.
Daddy?
Daddy, turn that thing off.
It's gonna be a hot one, Junior.
Brother Conners just brought me this letter
that mama wrote to me before she passed.
A letter? From your mama?
Yes, sir. I'm gonna read it to you.
It says, "Dear Earl... "when you read this letter,
"I pray I'll be in heaven with our dear Lord
"if he's willing to have me there.
"I done it this way because I could not face you
"to tell you this thing I need to tell you.
"I guess I could've not told you at all,
"but I could not take this to my grave.
"Before I write this thing to you, "I want you to know
"that I've loved and always loved you, "and your daddy loves you, too.
"You always heard you was born in Alabama
"because I went there to stay with my sick cousin.
"It hurts me to tell you this, "but that is not the truth of things.
"We had a colored woman named Willa Mae "that worked for us.
"She was a real nice woman.
"She used to sit and talk with me a lot.
"I couldn't really have a colored friend in town,
"but in the house, nobody knew about it. "She was real smart
"and believed in the good Lord.
"She cried one day and told me
"that your daddy had been with her a while back,
"but she didn't want to.
"She said she was scared of him and scared not to.
"I was mad at her for a while and mad at your daddy,
"but he said he didn't do it, "and I believed him against her
"until she come up pregnant.
"He had to come up with the truth because...
she had a white baby. "
"Now... "
Hmm... sheesh.
"Willa Mae is your real mama by blood, Earl.
"You come up looking white, so nobody knew the difference. "
Isn't that cute?
"But I always loved you as my own, Earl.
"Please forgive me.
"If you do, I have a wish for you to do for me.
"Willa Mae had another boy before you named Raymond.
"Raymond Lee Murdock. "They called him point
"'cause when he was little, he had a pointy head.
Willa Mae was my friend, and Raymond was your brother. "
"That whole family was good people to us,
"and they are your family,
"and if you don't ever have another thought about me
"or look at my picture or anything,
"I wish the one thing you would do for me
"is to find your brother and know him as your family. "
Hmm.
"Willa Mae died having you. I was right there. "
Oh, Lord.
"She told me that after you come into this world
"that you was beautiful "and that she loved you...
"and that she loved you. "The last I heard,
"Raymond was in Chicago and was a policeman.
"That's all I ever heard. "I will always, for eternity,
"love you as my son. Mama. "
Now, daddy, mama's mind was going at the end, wasn't it?
I mean, this is all just a bunch of crazy stuff
she dreamed up. I mean, did you...
Did you lie in bed with a nigger woman?
Go ahead and cry your damn eyes out
'cause I wanna know who my real mama is.
Is she colored, or is she white? It's a mess, daddy.
Now, you lied to me for many years.
You're a sorry son of a bitch.
I love you, but you're sorry.
And this is a mess. I...
I mean to tell you this is a mess.
So I hardly walk in the door,
and I find out David has called a big meeting.
And you know how in love David is with meetings. So, the deal is,
they put in a new computer system without telling anybody,
and then they expect us to learn it in five minutes.
I swear, I'm just about fed up with that place.
Better not quit that job. Jobs don't grow on trees around here.
Who said anything about quitting, daddy? I was just...
complaining. That's about all you do.
Where's papaw at? He went to bed already.
Said he was feeling all wore out, poor thing.
I wasn't complaining, daddy. I was just talking about my day.
What's the matter with you, anyways? Nothing.
Just trying to eat my supper in peace.
That's all. Ha.
You blue-eyed nigger.
Where... Where are my blue britches?
In front of your nose.
Earl, what on earth are you doing?
I told you, I'm taking a couple days off.
I ain't had a vacation or been anywhere
since that cousin of yours married that chiropractor
over there in Shreveport. Here.
Gimme these. You're gonna wrinkle 'em.
Where are you going?
Well, I don't know exactly.
I'm gonna take my fishing pole with me,
and maybe I'll do some fishing somewhere.
What about the shop?
Sonny will take care.
Earl...
This is about your mama, isn't it?
Yeah, Ruby, I guess it is.
It's about mama, yeah.
Sorry.
Chicago, yeah.
Do you have a listing for a Raymond Murdock?
It might be listed under Raymond Lee.
No, ma'am, I don't have a street.
Well, how many Raymonds are there?
Hell, shit, give me all of them.
Well, I'm sorry to bother you. Thank you, sir.
Uh, yes, sir, is this Raymond Murdock?
Well, now, are you the Raymond Murdock
on the police force? You're not.
How you doin' today?
Doin' all right. Can I help you?
Where's the main police station at around here?
There's a bunch of main police stations. Which one you looking for?
I'm not real sure.
You the guy looking for Raymond Murdock?
Yes, sir. I understand he's a policeman or used to be.
He works downtown at the mayor's office.
Pardon me. You know where I can find the mayor's office?
Do you have an appointment? I don't wanna see the mayor.
I'm looking for a policeman named Raymond Lee Murdock. Ray Murdock?
He's right over there in that snack bar.
He just went in there with three other old men
to tell lies and drink coffee.
He's already been out here lying to me this morning.
Thank you. Mm-hmm.
Can we do something for you, sir?
Are you Raymond Murdock?
Does he owe you money or know your wife?
No, sir, he don't.
Well, then I'm R- R- Ray Murdock.
Could I talk to you for a minute?
Go ahead. I mean somewhere else besides here?
I'm on my break now. What's it got to do with?
Well, it's a personal thing.
It's a family thing.
Be right back. Ok, now.
I don't really know where to start telling you this.
Just start moving your mouth and see what comes out. Yeah, well...
You're the Ray Murdock from Arkansas, ain't ya?
That's right.
My name's Earl Pilcher.
I know who you are.
What do you want from me?
How'd you know who I was? I just know.
what do you want from me?
My mother wanted me to look you up.
Are you trying to be funny?
No, no, not at all. No, sir. See, my mother just passed on
four or five days ago, and she left me a letter...
Crazy story about you and me and your mama and my daddy
and some stuff.
Now, I don't know why she wanted me
to look you up, but she did.
So I did. I know the story.
I know all about it.
I know all about your sorry-ass daddy.
Why'd you think I'd want to see you?
Like I said, I did it for my mama.
And if I was you, I wouldn't talk about my daddy that way.
If you were me, I think you would.
I see, I see.
I'd like some questions answered.
Look, I'm working now. I get off for lunch at 1:00.
If you wanna talk for a minute,
Then meet me at the luncheonette.
It's r-r-right around the corner
to the right as you go out the door.
1:00.
Then you can go back to Arkansas.
That's what I plan on doing.
So, what do you need to know?
Looks like your mama
did a pretty good job of telling it.
Guess I just had to see for myself,
or needed to see for myself.
See what, your nigger brother?
Seems like your mama was a...
pretty good woman.
She was.
Sweetheart?
You know...
I learned to live my life
and pretty much put this in the back of my mind,
and I lived pretty happy, I gotta say.
Now you come along
and bring it back to the front of my mind.
You feel better, Mr. Pilcher?
It's all true, every word of it.
Now you can go back to Arkansas knowing.
Hope I've helped you out. that gonna be it, Ray?
Yeah, Jackie, thank you.
One thing I learned out of all this
is that blood don't mean shit.
I'm not your brother, Mr. Pilcher.
What happened to our family was wrong.
You were born out of wrong.
You have to live with that.
At least my conscience is clear.
I used to hope your daddy would burn in hell.
Now I don't waste my time and energy
giving him a thought.
Coffee's on me.
When I look at you, I see him,
and I can't look at you anymore.
What's so damn funny?
How's it feel, Mr. Pilcher?
How does what feel?
Being colored.
Hey, man, you look like your truck, boy?
Yeah.
Where'd you get that redneck truck from? Arkansas, down in God's country.
God's country, huh? You in God's country right now, boy.
# Yodel-lay-hee-o Yodel-lodel- layee-doo
What? # Yodel-layee-o, yodel-layee-o
# I laid your ol' lady, too I laid your ol' lady, too #
Hey, homes, you know where you're at, man? Had your mama.
That supposed to be funny? Had your mama, you hear?
Hey, bag it! What you wanna do, huh?
Huh? Pull over!
Whoa!
What's going on, fellas, can't drive?
Need a seeing-eye dog? Whazzup?
You got your keys in this truck?
None of your damn business where I got the keys. You got insurance?
Who's gonna pay for this? Kiss my ass. I need your wallet.
Give me the goddamn wallet. You heard what he said.
Shoot him. I'll fix your ass. I'm gonna shoot your ass.
Shoot him! Come on!
Gimme your wallet!
Come on! Get up now!
Come on! Let's go! Let's go, man!
He was pretty out of it when they brought him in.
He didn't have any I.D. on him,
but we found this in his pocket. That's you... Raymond Murdock?
Well, yes, ma'am, yes, it is. Are you his responsible party?
For his bills, I mean. Mo, ma'am. Listen...
what kind of credit card do you have, sir?
So he's not too bad off, then? He's ok to leave?
There's no reason to admit him,
but he's in no shape to travel for a day or two,
certainly not to Arkansas. Couldn't you keep him here
until he's r- r-ready to travel?
U mean, for observation or whatever. Isn't that what you do?
Or until his family comes to get him?
We can't keep him here. This place is full.
Like i said, he'll be fine. He shouldn't go to sleep for10 or 12 hours
because of the concussion.
By the way, he refused to let his family know where he is. Is that right?
Listen, doctor, I got to go back to work. They'll release him in few minutes.
Just keep an eye on him for tonight,
and don't let him go to sleep.
This is where you live? Yeah.
Around here.
Y'all got the same thing in your town.
You know... niggertown.
Hey, you can lend me $20
if it ain't too much trouble. What for?
For a motel room. There's no sense in putting you out.
Shit. You can't get
a motel room in chicago for $20
unless you talking about one of them hooker places.
That'll do.
No, someone's gotta make sure you don't fall asleep.
I can take care of myself.
Yeah, you look like it.
You don't have to hold onto me. I'm not crippled.
Ok, you fall down and bust your head again.
Ray, who there with you?
Aunt T., I brought somebody from work home.
He fell down and hurt his head.
He'll be staying here for a little while.
What's your name, son? It's Earl.
I won't be staying with you just for a little bit.
Then I'm leaving, so I won't put you out.
You ain't puttin' me out none.
Ray! Put him in there in my bed.
I'm sitting in here anyhow. No, ma'am. He has got to stay awake.
We'll just stay out here in the front room.
You go on about your business.
You sit on the couch over there.
Raymond, you not getting any of them loud pictures again
to worry me, are you? Well, I figure if I play something on the TV,
he'll stay up better. Hey, everybody stay up better
with them shootin'- and-cussin' pictures you look at.
If you going to play that mess,
I'm going in my room and put my earphones on.
I'd rather listen to that old crazy talk-show republican
than that old nasty-talking, blowing-up kind of show.
Cook me something or other to eat.
She's a wildcat, Aunt T.. She'll be back here in a minute,
wanting to know if you want something to eat.
Well, take my advice, tell her you ain't hungry.
Ever since she went blind,
ain't no telling what she's liable to put in something to eat.
She'll pepper some greens lightly with salt
till your eyeballs pop out. One time,
she brushed her teeth with preparation h.
Of course, I guess being 88, she's lucky to have
any of her own teeth to brush.
You boys want me to fix y'all something to eat?
Uh, no, ma'am. Thank you. I ate not too long ago.
I appreciate it, though. Don't worry about us, Aunt T.
Just go on and listen to your r-r-radio.
Rocky!
Wolverines!
I'm feelin' a lot better, so I'll call my wife
and get her to wire me some money
so I can buy a plane ticket.
The doctor said you wasn't fit for traveling for another day or two.
I'll go first thing in the mornin'.
Suit yourself. I'll leave in the morning, I said.
You don't have to worry about it. I ain't worried about it.
Daddy. Daddy!
What? What are you doing?
Who is that white man on the couch?
Virgil... What are you doing waking me up?
I said, who in the hell is that white man on the couch?
Oh. He's supposed to be there. He came home with me.
Now, I'll tell you about it tomorrow.
He'll be gone tomorrow. Now let me sleep.
Well, where am I supposed to sleep? That's my couch.
Oh. Get in here with me.
Uh-uh. No. no, no.
Then let me sleep, Virgil.
Just, he'll be gone tomorrow.
All right. Now, who's that guy out there?
He's an old friend of mine.
Shit. You ain't got any old friends like that.
What do you know? You don't know everything about me.
So, where do you know him from?
Korea. We were in the marines together. Oh, come on.
Don't tell me he saved your life.
No. As a matter of fact, I saved his.
So, what's he doing here?
Well, he's from down south, and he's up here visiting,
and he got carjacked and hit in the head. He was carjacked?
Yeah. Some guys stole his truck.
You know how those good ol' boys are about their trucks.
He's real tore up about it. Oh, yeah? Well, my neck is real tore up
from sleeping in that damn bathtub.
He got to be out of here today.
Virgil, this is my house, and I'll have people stay here
if i want to. You stay here.
Yeah, but I'm family. Aunt T., you not eating enough.
Want some bacon?
Well, Ray, you know I don't eat your old burnt-up bacon.
Just crispy.
Daddy, your bacon is always a step past crispy.
Want to sit over there? Yeah.
How you feelin' this morning? Feel pretty good.
You up to traveling? I'm up to it, yeah.
But I'm going to call my wife
and have her wire me up some money so I can buy me a plane ticket.
Now, you won't get me in no airplane. No, lordy.
Mornin'.
You a security guard or something?
I'm a bus driver. School bus?
For the city.
What are you doing dressed up to go to work?
I thought you were working nights.
They got me flip, flopping all around
so I don't know night from day.
This city has no respect for its employees. No respect.
Virgil is big on that, r- r-respect.
You better be glad somebody in this family is.
Well, maybe you can give me some r-r-respect lessons
after breakfast. Now, don't y'all start fussin' again.
Let me eat my watery eggs
and burnt-up toast in peace.
So, daddy says you all were in the marines together
and he saved your life in Korea.
Well, I was in Korea,
but I wasn't in the marines. I was in the navy.
Well, so how'd you save his life?
Well, it's what you call a...
A long story.
Well, I'd like to kind of hear it again myself.
Well...
Virgil, would you get that?
Hello.
Hi, Ann. how ya doin'? Uh-huh.
Well, I thought I'd take them to grant park,
have a picnic or something.
Well, yeah. We can meet there.
Ok. Bye.
Is Ann bringing the girls over tomorrow? Yeah.
Virgil has got the most beautiful children.
Daughters, huh?
I got a daughter. Oh, boy.
It's a real responsibility, isn't it, having kids?
Yeah, it is.
All right, now, don't start that shit again. I mean it.
What shit? What are you talking about?
I'm going to work.
What are you going to do? It's like talking to a wall.
Well, I know what I'm going to do.
I'm going to get in that kitchen
and cook me up some oatmeal.
Feed this stuff to the cat...
If I had me a cat.
You think the police will find my truck?
They may find it. May not be much left of it.
Shoot. Damn.
Well... Have a good trip.
Yeah. Thanks. And, uh...
Thanks for saving my life in Korea.
Well...
Virgil just wouldn't understand about you.
I can understand that.
Were you really in Korea?
Oh, hell, yeah. I was on the Philippine Sea.
That's an aircraft carrier.
When were you there?
Oh, '51, '52.
That's when I was there.
Ain't that some shit? Yeah.
Good luck.
Tip your hat to Dixie for me.
Yeah. I'll do that.
Hello. It's Earl here.
Oh, Earl. I was looking for you.
I want you to go to the store with me.
What for? 'Cause I'm blind as a bat.
That's what for. Need somebody to help me.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, how you doin' today, Aunt T.?
Well, I guess I'm doing all right. How about yourself, Tommy?
Well, ain't no need complaining. Won't do no good, anyway.
Son, grab one of them plastic baskets there
by the end of the counter. Let's get to gettin'.
Get a sack of cornmeal, and get the yellow meal, now,
and right under it, get gold medal flour.
All-purpose, not self-rising.
Get two bags of cheetos.
Get the red bags, not that puffed-up kind.
Tommy, you can slice me up a pound of bologna
and half a pound of liverwurst.
Son, get two loaves of white bread
and a jar of mayonnaise.
Two loaves.
One...
Mayonnaise.
Get two sticks of butter. Make sure it's salted.
I don't know why anybody would want to eat unsalted butter.
Might as well eat vaseline. Don't have no flavor to it.
That's about all I can think of. You want anything, son?
No, ma'am. I don't need anything. I'm leaving. Well, bring it on up there,
put it on the counter, now. Tommy, you go ahead and ring this up.
Two loaves of bread...
one mayonnaise. Cheetos...
and salted butter, two sticks.
And, Tommy, I want you to meet my nephew Earl.
He's up here visiting from Arkansas.
He's Ray's brother.
Visiting from Arkansas? Ray?
How ya doin', Earl?
Pretty good.
You're... Ray's brother?
Ma'am, how in the world did you ever come up with something like that?
It's the craziest thing I ever heard of. You must have been joking around
with your friend or something. You might as well quit bullshitting me,
Earl Pilcher. I know all about your half-black ass.
Well, ma'am, I'm not trying to be funny or nothin', but can't you see,
it don't take no eyes to see. Now, Ray ain't got
no old white war buddy from Korea I ever heard about before.
Besides, I heard y'all in there
talking last night. I ain't deaf. Talkin' about my cooking
and everything else, hushin' up one another.
And you might as well stop calling me ma'am
and start calling me Aunt T. 'Cause I'm your Aunt T.
Son, I knew both your mamas, and they was both good women.
Your mama Carrie had to be to stay with that man
and put up with his stuff all them years.
My sister was the sunrise and the sunset for me.
Now, you can't help how you was born,
and you can't help how you was raised.
That's just the way it is,
but I loved my sister, and you her boy,
and so I love you, too, and there ain't nothing
you can do about it.
Well, I'd better get back and call my wife
and get ready to get out of here.
Appreciate y'all's hospitality.
Ooh, I could tell you stories
about your mama that would-hee hee...
I just wish I could see you
so I could see her in you, and I know I could.
Well, this has me all messed up, miss T.
I don't know what to think of it.
I mean, you don't know what it's like to, you know,
you're right about that. I don't know what it's like for you.
Nobody ever knows what it's like for somebody else.
That's always the problem. Might do you some good
to stay around here for a while longer.
I'd sure like for you to. I'd like to know Willa Mae's boy.
See, you ain't fooling me. I know why you come up here.
I know it probably better than you.
You need to know your history, son.
Now, let's get on back before the butter melts
and I get mad, and you don't want to see me get mad.
Second door to the right.
Bet you never figured you'd lay eyes on me again.
No, I didn't. You get robbed again?
No, nothing like that. I just went down to Western Union,
get some money my wife sent to me.
Just kind of in the neighborhood, that's all.
What time your plane leave? Well, that's the deal.
I got to thinkin' about my truck. Yeah? What about it?
I got that truck paid off and all, and I got a lot of
personal stuff in there. I mean, I got, like,
a damn good rod and reel in there, so I thought
I'd just stick around another day or two,
see what the police come up with. See, if they want me to come in
and identify any suspects or anything.
I mean, if I'm down there in Arkansas, I just got to turn around
and come right on back up here. Yeah?
So, you don't think it's a bad idea
for me to stick around another day or two?
I mean, I don't intend to put y'all out anymore. I got my own money.
I'll find me a motel room somewhere.
Maybe you know of a good one.
What do you say?
I thought you were leaving town this morning.
I thought I was, too.
Virgil, where are those motels
over on that stripper street?
You're gonna stay in a motel? Yeah.
Stoney Island Boulevard.
They got a whole bunch of them over there. Real cheap, too.
No. That's not a good neighborhood. It's fine. He'll be fine.
Ray, get in here. I need to talk to you. You, too, Virgil.
I'm going to take a shower. Want to get out of these clothes.
I said, get in here.
God, what is that?
Ray Murdock, you not letting that boy go out
to any of them old hooker motels. He's staying right here like he been doing.
And sleep where, on the ceiling?
The grandkids are coming over tomorrow. They'll be here the whole weekend.
It don't matter who's coming. He can't stay here. I'm tired of him.
Shut up about it. It ain't none of your business.
Well, I guess it is if he's sleeping, he's a grown man.
He can take care of himself. It's not my r- r-responsibility.
It's your responsibility to treat your own people good. Your own people?
That's your brother in there, Ray, and you going to treat him like it.
Aunt T., what are you talking about?
Don't bullshit me, Ray. I know all about Earl Pilcher
sitting in there on that couch. That's my sister's boy in there
and your brother and your uncle,
and you're not puttin' him in the street
with them whoremongers and head-knockers. How did you know?
That son of a bitch tell you? Hold on. Wait a minute. Back up here a minute.
What the hell is going on here? Now, daddy ain't got a brother.
And he's white, Aunt T. What's wrong with you? Did he tell you?
He ain't told me nothin'. I'm not an old fool.
Now, tell what? Now, god damn it,
somebody tell me what's going on.
Don't you ever take the name of the lord in vain
in this house.
Yeah, that's your own flesh and blood sitting in there,
both of you. Now, don't shame this family and my sister's sweet soul,
putting her little boy out in the street. Ray, I think you need to get a backbone
and set your son down and tell him the truth.
That's your daddy's half brother in there, and if he looks white,
it's 'cause his daddy's white. I don't know how he look.
I can't see him like you can and don't need to.
I don't have the blessing of being able to separate people
by looking at them anymore.
Daddy, you straighten this mess out fast.
I'm going to take a shower, and when I come out, I want that man gone,
and I want you to tell me what this is all about.
You don't tell me, boy. You don't tell me what I'm going to do.
And it's true what she's saying, like it or not.
I don't want to hear it, ok? Y'all are both cracking up.
Now, just straighten it out. I'm going to take a shower.
I already drove over by Stoney Island, and I didn't see you.
I know you didn't have time to get far,
so I figured you were going the wrong way.
I know I'm goin' the right way. You hear me?
You're walking right into the bad part. Keep going the way you're going,
going to get knocked in the head again, maybe worse.
Listen, my son's talking out of his ass.
It's my house, and I say who stays and who goes.
Between you and him, and I ain't deaf, I heard how much I'm welcome.
We want you to stay. Now we got to talk, you and me.
I don't really give a shit to talk to you. I might as well be on Mars
as to be up here with y'all people. What do you mean, "Y'all people"?
Don't give me that "Black me" shit.
Get out of my way before I knock you on your butt.
Don't threaten me, you old fool. Get in the car. Kiss my ass!
You get in your damn car.
You know, I'm trying to be nice to you.
You're not making it easy. I don't aim to make it easy.
I don't give a shit. And your boy don't want me around,
he can kiss my ass. He can kiss mine, too.
I make the rules in my house.
Yeah, well, you don't enforce 'em too good. Aw, fuck you!
Fuck you! You want me to call the police?
No, ma'am. We're just, uh,
we're just talkin'.
You don't ever think anything's funny, do you? No. Not anymore.
I don't have a lot to laugh about.
Yeah, poor, pitiful black you, huh?
You got a smart mouth, don't you?
I ought to knock you on your butt again. Yeah, sure.
You didn't do it the first time. Where are you now? Look at you.
To hell with you.
Ho on, then, if you so rough.
I was just trying to help you. I don't know why.
'Cause you're scared of your blind aunt, I guess.
Yeah, well, go on. Be a big man.
I will. I'm not afraid of you
or any other nigger on the street.
I didn't mean it like that.
There's only one way to mean it.
If you need help, don't call me.
I'm through helping you.
Fine with me.
Yeah. Don't need his help.
He's somebody, somebody big. Well, he can kiss my ass.
Shit.
Yeah, Pop is here. Pop, say hello.
Aunt Frances, guess who else is here.
Uncle Russell's here. Yeah, here he is.
Hello.
No, there's no gene here.
Ok. That's ok.
Hey, aunt Frances. Yeah. Uh-huh.
Yeah, uh-huh. Oh, cousin Betty was...
Aunt T., quit staring at me.
Now, how am I gonna stare at you?
Uh... uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Ah, yeah, uh-huh.
Ray, why don't you leave your pride on that couch
and go find him? I ain't studyin' that fool.
Damned old bastard,
messing up my friday night.
The son of a bitch.
How you doing?
Hey! Hey!
Are you the birthday girl?
How old are you? She's 50 today.
Oh, stop telling the world about it.
I'm sure glad to find some people more my age. I was starting to think
that nobody but kids went to bars around here.
Now, are you the husband? Yes, I am.
I'm sure you're a proud man. Yeah. Yeah.
Do you care if I, uh...
take her for a spin on the dance floor,
you know, kind of a birthday dance?
Uh... look, sir, we're just trying to celebrate.
James, it's ok.
I'll dance with him. Just once.
It's your birthday.
Yeah, Frank, hi. This is Ray Murdock.
How you doing?
Listen, I wonder if you can do me a favor.
I'm looking for somebody.
Maybe you can just kind of put the word out.
Yeah. White male. Earl Pilcher. White male.
Um, about 6'. Last seen on foot
in the vicinity of 39th and Grand
wearing, uh, blue jeans, plaid shirt,
and a baseball cap.
Oh, yeah, yeah. He walks kind of bowlegged.
All I'm saying is that they got all these quotas.
You got to hire blacks and women, so it discriminates,
if I want a job as a white man,
I can't get it even if I'm more qualified.
Supposin' I was, that is.
But with me it's even worse,
because I'm black as a coal miner's drawers,
and I still can't get on the quota wagon
'cause I look like a white man. Anyhow, forget all that.
I want to buy a round for the house
to celebrate.
miss, i want to buy a round for the house.
where's she at?
Is everything all right over here? Everything's fine, thank you.
Now where'd that gal go?
I want to buy a round for everybody.
Do you have the money, my friend?
Yes, of course I got the money.
I had the money. All right. It's time to leave, my friend.
Let's go. Get your goddamn hand off of me.
It is time to leave, my friend.
Kiss my ass.
Move it!
Get out of the way, you son of a bitch!
Hey, yo, man. What's up?
Well, all right.
Hey, old man, you hear me talking to you?
You deaf or something? I'm talking to you.
All right. Listen, what do you want?
You want this? Yeah? Ok, hold on.
You want this?
Show me what you got, baby.
Hold on. You want this? Hey, yo, man. Fuck you.
Fuck you, too.
Hello.
Who is it, Virgil? Hold on.
It's a security guard from the railroad.
I think he's found Earl.
You look like something the cat drug in.
Yeah, well...
I... I had a long night.
Well, I want to apologize for something for yesterday.
I was out of line. Damn right you were out of line.
Well, I said I was, didn't I?
Anyway, I apologize.
Well, I guess every man's entitled
to make a complete and total fool of himself
every now and then.
Yeah.
What the hell you laughing about?
You're not going nuts, are you? No, no.
I'm all right now,
but last night I believe I was going out of my gourd.
I think I was hoping I wouldn't wake up this morning,
but I did. I did,
and that, I think, means that the good Lord
wants me to stay up here and do what I been doing.
You mean looking for your truck.
Yeah, yeah. Whatever.
Hey, batter, batter, batter, batter!
Hey. Wake up, Aunt T. I ain't asleep.
Well, I see you're working up an appetite.
Bring any wings? Oh, yeah.
You know, I only like wings. I got the wings.
I don't know how come you spending good money on store-bought chicken anyhow.
There they are, an hour late. Now don't you start with her, Virgil.
You just mind your business. Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
Hey. Come here.
Oh! Damn, Danielle,
You've gotten bigger since last week. Me, too! Me, too!
I'm too big, too. You, too, you, too.
That hurts. Hi, Ann.
Hello.
No, it didn't. I'm just kidding. Hey!
Sorry we're late, Ray. You're going to sit here
and eat with us, aren't you? Oh, no.
This is Virgil's day with the girls.
Come on. Let's act like a family for a change.
What do you say, Virgil?
Come on over here and give me a great big hug.
- I don't mind. - That's settled. Let's put the feedbags on.
I'm Ann.
Earl. Pleased to meet you. Danielle,
I really like those pictures you drew me.
I put them up on the refrigerator. Thank you.
Yeah. Danielle Murdock- famous painter.
Maybe you'll get the world
to sit up and take notice of you someday.
The main thing is being happy. You don't have to go out
and conquer the world.
Conquering the world kind of makes you happy.
I know. I been there. Virgil used to play football.
In high school, he was first team on the parade all-america team.
Is that right? What position?
Eide receiver.
Oh. I used to play a little ball. I mean, I was small,
but I made up for it by being slow.
You play college ball?
Ohio State.
Buckeyes. Damn, that's big time.
How'd you do there?
His freshman year, he injured his knee.
No, no, no. I didn't just injure my knee. I destroyed it.
Doctor said, if I was lucky,
I might be able to walk without a limp someday.
So... I guess I'm lucky.
Girl, you better get out of that window
in your pajamas. People can see you.
I don't care. Lay down.
Well, you better start caring. Come on. Get in.
Where's my other pillow? Here's your other pillow.
Can't we watch TV? No, you can't watch TV.
I'm turning the lights out.
Those poor children. Yeah.
Trouble between parents is always tough on the kids.
You know, I don't want to say this,
but I believe your boy's got a chip on his shoulder.
Yup.
Well, that ought to do you. In the marines,
I spent many a night on a cot like that.
Of course, that was on good nights.
Here you go. Thanks.
Yes, sir.
Fine.
You see any action over there in Korea?
Yeah. I saw action.
How about yourself? Nah.
I was never really under fire.
I was always kind of sorry about that.
You didn't miss out on nothing.
You have to kill anybody?
Hmm? I did.
I'm not proud of it.
You ever wounded?
No. Aunt T. Gave me a rabbit's foot
to take away with me. Guess it worked.
I never been hurt
in 40 years as a cop either.
Guess the good Lord has seen fit
to keep me out of harm's way.
I've been blessed.
Really blessed.
You know, they say that...
that nobody can save another person.
That's bullshit. You can save another person
if they want to be saved,
and I've been saved by three people in my life.
When my mother died,
Aunt T., she took r- r-responsibility for me.
And when we moved up here to Chicago,
she worked 16 hours a day-
cleaning houses, working in the laundry, whatever.
She made sure that I was never hungry and I always had shoes.
And she whupped me when I was bad.
Sh-sh-she saved me.
And then when I got to be a teenager,
I was too big to be whupped,
so I started getting into trouble. I stole a car.
I was a car thief. The cops caught me
and took me before this judge,
and the judge gave me a choice-
prison or the military.
So, I joined the marines,
and the marines made a man out of me.
Yeah. I was saved by the judge.
Then when I got out of the marines
and came here to Chicago, I brought the war with me.
Started drinking, you know, heavy,
and didn't care what happened to me.
Then I met my wife,
and it was like opening the curtain on a dark room.
The sunlight just poured in.
I was saved again by her.
Is she dead?
Yeah. Eight years.
Didn't mean to go on like that.
I saw you wiping your old chicken-greasy fingers
on my shirt this afternoon.
Yeah, well, I ran out of napkins.
Ray, come over here.
I want to show you something. Come on.
You want to show me what? Now come over here.
I ain't gonna bite you. I ain't gonna bite you, either.
What do you want? Come on.
Now, look a-there.
I was never under fire, but I got wounded.
When I was a fireman on that flattop,
a fire broke out in the engine room
when I was fighting it down there one day, and the engine blew up.
I got this. Yeah.
Ain't that some shit? You bet it is.
I still got more metal in that leg
than they make new cars with. What happened there?
You get that in the explosion, too? This? Hell, no.
I... no, no. I... I got this when I was a kid.
It's actually about my first...
my first memory. I was about 3 years old,
and this little ol' colored kid threw something at me.
It's coming back, people of color and all that.
Yeah. This kid...
hit me with a rock right there.
You were coming out of Burk's grocery store
on Apple street with your daddy.
How'd you know that?
Now, wait a minute now. Hold on.
You see? You never knew who I was,
but I knew exactly who you were,
and I hated your half-white guts.
So when I saw you coming out that store
with that old daddy of yours, I grabbed that rock, and I just...
did what come natural.
Only bad thing is that Aunt T. found out.
She like to skin me alive.
What do you mean, "The only bad thing"?
You could have put my damn eye out or killed me.
Shit.
Good night.
Give me a kiss, huh? Yes!
I'll call you next week, ok? Ok.
All right. Give me a kiss.
Bye-bye.
Bye. Bye now.
Girls, get on in the car.
I'll open the door.
Bye, Ray.
Nice to meet you, Mr. Pilcher.
Luck. Yeah, but I've been lucky all night long.
Uh-uh.
You messed up now.
You are at my mercy,
and I have... no mercy.
Watch my bottle.
Hey, Virg, this dude be starin' at you, man.
Virgil, I want to talk to you.
Well, we're gonna have to talk later. I'm in the middle of a conversation.
No. It's better now.
I might not feel in the mood later on.
Come on, let's go. Get up.
Whoa, nigger, look out.
All right. I'm here.
What do you want to talk about?
When I was driving up here from Arkansas,
I did a lot of thinking. I thought about things
I'd never really thought about. I thought about some things
I seen in my lifetime-
Is this going to be some kind of...
"Walking through the snow to school and eating what you killed"
hillbilly lecture or something? You goddamn right it is.
You might want to listen 'cause you obviously
ain't been listening to anybody so far. I don't need this.
Oh, I think you do. Why don't you just sit down
and listen to me for one minute? I ain't gonna bite you.
Sit down. Ok.
When I was coming up back home, there was a guy
about four or five years older than me named Bill Watley,
and Bill's folks both got killed by lightning
at the same time, the same stroke, while they were clearing,
and he was their only kid.
So he started working- he was only about 15 then-
right after they died. And he was pretty much on his own.
No other people to speak of, really,
so he started hauling hay and worked at a sawmill.
And bill-hell, he was a big ol' boy,
kind of ugly in the face, not too popular around town,
and he was real quiet, well, he worked his ass off
until he finally saved up a little bit
and opened up a little sort of a fix-it shop...
appliances and small engines and whatnot.
And when he got to be in his 30s,
he finally married this gal, and, you know, she...
Hell, she made him look like Elvis Presley.
Butt-ugly.
But he loved that gal like you wouldn't believe.
I guess not having any family and all
just made him kind of worship her.
And he worked all the time
and once a month, he took their spare money,
and he took her to Little Rock, and he bought her something.
One time it would be a dress,
and maybe next time a little doodad or earrings or something.
Then me and daddy used to go round to his shop
every now and then 'cause daddy always liked people
who didn't talk much, you know, and Bill, he didn't say much.
And so... but every time I was over there
when it was getting time to take her to Little Rock,
he talked a little more,
and he had this spark in his eyes.
That's what he lived for, see?
And I thought that was pathetic. I thought, why,
that simple-minded son of a bitch.
I mean, I felt sad for him
'cause that's all he had.
And after being married 10 or so years,
she died from something, some kind of cancer or leukemia or something,
and he quit talking altogether for a while
till he got approved to adopt a boy.
And the same thing started over. Every fourth saturday,
him and that boy went to Little Rock.
And when he was little, he bought him a toy or two.
And when he got older, it would be a suit and tie
or a book on baseball or whatever else, you know.
But he spent every bit of himself-
body, mind, soul, and money, on that boy.
And I was over there a few years ago,
and somehow I got around to asking the poor son of a bitch
about the bad luck he'd had. And he said one thing,
and went back to sharpening an ax blade.
He said, "Being happy ain't nothing more
"than having something to look forward to and helping your people
"have something to look forward to. "I reckon that's what
gets me through till tomorrow. "
Now, you and me... Let me tell you...
have something in common besides-you know what I mean.
I mean, we both find out one day later on in life
that life wasn't going to be what we thought it was.
Now, your knee's busted all to pieces.
Now, you ain't never going to be a football star.
And me, I'm not all Scots-Irish.
I'm going to have to go face my family
and tell them they're going to have to get used to it.
Now, two things, Virgil.
You better get something to look forward to
instead of backwards at,
and you got a woman and some children
that you owe them something to look forward to.
And it ain't all about you.
Now...
Heh. Your daddy's a good man.
What can I say? I mean, I'm, uh...
Hell, I'm...
I'm proud to call myself his brother.
Don't tell him I said that,
or I'll kick your ass.
Don't think I can't do it.
Yes, sir, I'll tell him. Ok.
Thank you.
Earl, that you? Yes, ma'am.
That was the police. They found your truck.
It was just sitting on the street over there in Rosedale.
They found it? Was it all right?
Say it was fine except for the bullet holes.
Bullet holes?
They say you can pick it up tomorrow.
They just checking it out right now for fingerprints and such.
Hold on a minute there. What happened?
Them fools that took it robbed a bank,
shot it out with the security guard.
Well, ain't that some shit.
Huh. Collect call from Earl.
Ruby? Yeah. Heh...
I'm fine.
I'm still in Chicago.
Uh, I'm coming home tomorrow, Ruby.
I didn't find my wallet, but I found my truck.
Yeah. I'm fixin' to tell you about it.
Whoa. I'm fixin' to tell you, hold on a sec.
You know, just because you found your truck,
you shouldn't feel like you got to r-r-rush off
if you want to hang around a couple days.
No, I need to get back. That nephew of mine
has probably run my business into the ground by now.
All right, I got to get something off my chest.
If i don't, it's going to come out sometime,
and I'd just as soon be done with it.
What do you want to tell me?
It's your daddy, the way I feel about him.
Haven't we already been through this? Damn.
I just want to make you understand.
I've lived my life with a hatred of that man...
and no way to get it out. Since there's not much chance
of me having it out with him,
I guess you are the closest thing to it.
You saying you want to have it out with me?
I mean, we already wrestled all over this neighborhood once.
Now, that wasn't good enough for you?
I've always wanted to kill your daddy
because I always felt that he killed my mama.
That's it.
Just had to say it to you that way.
I know it's not right, or so they say,
but I just don't think I can ever forgive him.
I'm gonna get me something to eat. Virgil?
Yes, ma'am? There's a big envelope
on top of the chest of drawers in there in my room.
Get it and bring it in here to me.
Here you go, Aunt T.
Come on over here. I want to show y'all something.
Come on, now, both of you.
Pull that footstool over aside me.
Sit down...
Raymond, that you looking at the picture?
Yes, ma'am. Well, when you get through looking at it,
I want you to hand it to your brother.
You were a pretty woman, all right.
Fool, there ain't nothin' wrong with
the way I look now.
That ain't me, anyhow. That's your mama...
That is, if Virgil brought me the right envelope.
It's the right one, Aunt T.
Earl, put that picture in your pocket.
Don't bend it and don't lose it.
That's your mother.
You don't have to give me this.
I ain't got to do nothin'.
Now, you take good care of that picture.
You was born may 4, 1933.
It was somewhere around about 10:30 at night
in the old house on section line road
by the tracks.
I was always told I was born on november 23rd.
You always been told a lot of things.
And there wasn't any real doctors down there in that part of town.
Old man collins down the road knew some doctoring,
but he has a stroke,
so Maotis Jones come down to the house.
When I come in the house,
Maotis was lookin' for peppers to put in the bed.
She told me the pepper would ward off evil things.
Heh.
Most time, Maotis was lit up like a christmas tree,
but she'd been a midwife a long time
and could sober up right off when there was a baby comin'.
Willa Mae was breaking out in a sweat
and gettin' worse and worse.
Maotis said the baby was turned around all wrong...
and maybe the cord was around its neck,
and if it was gonna make it, we was gonna have to hurry,
and she wasn't sure she could do it.
Willa Mae... your mama...
took my hand.
Told me she hurt bad
and she didn't want her baby to die.
She asked me if I thought the good Lord was punishing her
for how the baby come to be.
I told her to stop that talk
and that every little baby
that was supposed to be born is born...
the good Lord love all the little babies.
Then she say, "Tiara, go get Raymond. "
She wanted to see you
'fore she got any worse off and couldn't see you so good.
So I went in the kitchen
and got you and took you in to see your mama.
You were so scared to see your mama like that.
She held onto your little hand,
and just for a minute or two,
she held up and acted like there wasn't nothing wrong.
Then she pulled you in closer,
hugged you so hard,
I thought your little eyes was going to pop out.
I was certain of it-
your mama knew she wasn't going to never see you again.
Maotis said we was gonna have to get a white doctor
from up in town,
and I knew there wasn't much chance of that.
That's why I sent Junior up to town
for your daddy, Earl. It was his mess
that caused all this to start with.
But your daddy said he wouldn't come,
said he wasn't going down to niggertown in the middle of the night.
And besides, he didn't have nothing to do with all that.
That was that gal's problem.
Miss Carrie lit into Mr. Pilcher like a water moccasin,
told him to get over and get Dr. Parks
and get down there
and save that little child of his.
Well, he did go get Dr. Parks,
and they all showed up together-
Earl Pilcher, Dr. Parks, Carrie, and Junior.
But Earl wouldn't come in.
Just sat out front in that car.
I'd look out every now and then.
I could see his cigarette burning.
But Carrie, she come in.
She loved your birth mother.
They was friends,
real good friends.
Willa Mae asked to speak
to Carrie alone for a minute.
I don't know what they talked about in there
at the time, but I pretty much got it figured out
Over the years. Got my own ideas, anyhow.
Well, old Dr. Parks went to work,
and somehow or another,
he started getting you straightened out a little
and on your way out.
Your poor mama was in so much pain,
she just wore out so bad,
she couldn't make a sound.
And finally you came
in all your glory, heh heh...
face up, eyes wide open,
and white as bed linen.
I was standin' right there,
and I looked at you,
and your little eyes was looking at me.
Yes, son,
I was the first person you ever saw.
Well, the doctor cut you loose
and handed you to your mother.
And she looked at you like you was...
I don't even know how to say it...
like you was a angel.
And then the doctor started in working on her.
She was real bad off, and she was bleeding,
so he had me take you after a minute
and told me I better go in the other room
with you and Raymond and let him work.
so I bundled you up in a blanket,
took you two and Miss Carrie,
and went in the kitchen.
Heh heh...
and then, Ray,
I put that baby in your arms.
Ray, when you saw that baby,
you said, "That's my baby. "
"That's right. Yhat's your baby," I said.
"He's your brother. "
Then the doctor come in the room.
I took one look at his face,
and I knew Willa Mae was gone.
Carrie went in the bedroom with Dr. Parks
to help him clean up.
And the three of us
was left alone there in the kitchen.
Ray, you held this boy in your arms
right after he was born. Ain't that something?
Oh, God...
your mama wanted to stay.
She just didn't have the strength.
Sure do wish I could see you.
Bless your heart, boy.
You gonna go out the same way you come in.
Heh heh heh...
Well, hope that truck of yours will run
with all those bullet holes in it. Guess I'll go home
lookin' like I tangled with Al Capone. Heh heh heh. Yeah.
Well...
Virgil, tell your wife and kids I was glad to meet 'em.
I was glad to meet you, too.
Take care, Earl. You bet.
Ma'am,
I want to thank you for everything.
Now, don't you forget your old Aunt T.
I don't think I could hardly do that, now, could I?
You take care, now.
Bless your heart.
Going home to Poorville, huh?
Yep. Well, I haven't been back there
since I left it... 60 years ago.
Probably hasn't changed much.
Oh, it's grown up a little, I guess.
Always wanted to get down there someday
And visit mama's grave.
Well, you ought to come on down sometime and do it.
One of these days.
The police impound yard is right up there.
This it?
This is it.
Yeah, you ought to come on down sometime.
You sure this is it?
I'm sure.
Well, we'll see.
"Father... "
"Sarah... Sarah. "
Here it is.
Willa Mae...
Mother.
Kind of a nice morning.
Yeah, it is.
Willa Mae...
Want a snort? Go on.
Won't bite ya.
Hoo-hah.
I never could drink that scotch. Heh. Shoot.
Well, I tell ya...
I guess the folks are up and out, probably.
Yeah.
Now, listen, this is not going to be like a sunday picnic,
let me tell you that right now.
Tuby and my girl will be all right, I guess,
but that nephew of mine makes your boy look like Mahatma Gandhi.
Whoo... He might take a shot at you...
or even maybe both of us.
# Tell me, sister
# How do you feel?
# Tell me, my brother, brother, brother
# How do ya feel?
# If ya feel like dancin'
# Get up and let's start dancin'
# Start gettin' the spirit Start gettin' the spirit
# The spirit in the dark
# In the dark Doot-doot
# It's like sally walker Doo doo doot-doot
# Sittin' in a saucer Doo doo doot-doot
# That's how ya do it Doo doo doot-doot
# Now, get on out to it Doo doo doot-doot
# Ri-i-ide, Sally, ride #
# Put your hands on your hips Cover your eyes
# And move With the spirit
# Darlin', move Move with the spirit
# With the spirit Ah, move #
# Move with the spirit, now, now, now
# Move with the spirit
# Are you gettin' the spirit? Yeah
# Are ya gettin' it in the dark? Yeah
# I wonder how you're gettin' the spirit Yeah
# The spirit in the dark Yeah
# People movin'
# Yeah, everybody's groovin'
# Just gettin' the spirit
# Start gettin' the spirit
# Are ya gettin' it in the dark? In the dark
# I think I got it All of my brothers
# All my sisters Move
# With the spirit Keep on movin'
# Keep on groovin' Gotta move
# Keep on groovin' Gettin' out of hand
# Let's get on that movin' thing Gotta move your feet
# And stay on the beat Ah, move
# Move Ah, move
# Move... #
sync, fix: titler