Prior Section | Section One | Section Two | Home
 
INT. GRANNY'S HOUSE - ELLA'S ROOM - DAY
 
It is dim. The curtains are drawn closed.
 
Ella is in bed under a heap of blankets. She coughs.
 
The door opens and Richard enters with a plate of
indistinguishable food held in both hands. A composition
book is under his arm. He walks to his mother's bed.
 
RICHARD
Mama, I got your dinner here.
 
Ella rises from the blankets and rests her back against the
wall behind her head. She sounds weak.
 
ELLA
Hello, son.
 
RICHARD
Evening, Mama.
 
He clears a spot beside her and places the plate on the bed.
 
ELLA
How did you do with job hunting?
 
RICHARD
Not so good.
 
She takes a bite of what looks like beans and grimaces.
 
ELLA
Why is that?
 
RICHARD
I had this white woman work me for
an hour, then ask me if I stole.
 
Ella stares for a moment.
 
ELLA
To your face she asked you if you
were a thief, as if you might say
yes?
 
RICHARD
That's right.
 
ELLA
What did you say?
 
RICHARD
I laughed.
(pause)
I couldn't help it.
 
Ella stares.
 
ELLA
(shakes her head)
Heavens. What did we do to
deserve to live among such
ignorant white people.
 
RICHARD
(smiles)
We were born in the South, Mama.
 
ELLA
Well, son, someday the Lord will
provide for their comeuppance.
 
RICHARD
(pause)
Mama, I'd rather not wait around
for Him to get around to it.
 
Ella gives her son a look and gestures to his notebook.
 
ELLA
That your homework?
 
RICHARD
No... well not for school, anyway.
 
ELLA
For what, then?
 
RICHARD
Just some writing I'm doing.
 
Ella gives Richard a mildly worried look.
 
ELLA
Son, it's all well and good to
play at writing, but...
 
RICHARD
Mama, it ain't playing, I work at
writing.
 
ELLA
(pause)
Son, you got to be thinking of
what you gonna do for work when
you done ninth grade.
 
Richard lets it go.
 
RICHARD
Yes, ma'am.
 
Ella takes another bite of her food, coughs and swallows hard.
 
ELLA
What is this I'm eating?
 
Richard looks disdainfully at the brown glop.
 
RICHARD
It's that peanut meat loaf Granny
makes.
 
ELLA
Lordy. That's about the worst
thing I ever tasted.
 
RICHARD
Yes.
 
Ella seems about to take another bite, then she drops the
fork and holds the plate out to Richard.
 
ELLA
Richard, will you throw this out
the window for me?
 
RICHARD
But, Mama, you've got to eat to
get your strength back.
 
ELLA
Son, if I eat this, I'm gonna have
me another stroke.
 
Richard is about to argue, then relents. He places his book
on the bed, takes the plate to the window, pulls the curtain
back and scrapes the stuff off to the outside.
 
ELLA
(continuing)
We ain't heard nothin' from Leon
for a while.
 
RICHARD
I'm sure him and Aunt Maggie are
making out okay.
 
Richard returns, picks up his book and starts from the room.
 
RICHARD
(continuing)
I'll get you a glass of milk.
 
Ella moves back under the covers.
 
ELLA
Thank you, boy.
 
Richard is almost to the door when his mother calls out from
under the blankets.
 
ELLA
(continuing)
Richard.
 
RICHARD
Yes, Mama?
 
ELLA
Please get us out of this place.
 
This stops him. He stands for a moment.
 
RICHARD
I'll try, Mama.
 
He leaves and quietly shuts the door.
 
 
 
INT. GRANNY'S KITCHEN
 
Addie and UNCLE ROY, a mean-looking man nearing forty, are
sitting at the table eating.
 
Richard enters still holding his notebook. He gets a glass
and goes to an old ice box.
 
UNCLE ROY
What ya' doin', boy?
 
Richard doesn't look at the man.
 
RICHARD
Gettin' Mama a glass of milk.
 
UNCLE ROY
You give your grandmother money
this week?
 
Richard fills the glass before answering.
 
RICHARD
Yes.
 
There is silence as Addie looks at her brother as if for a
cue. He meets her eyes briefly.
 
Richard replaces the milk bottle and picks up his composition
book and the full glass. Addie looks at the notebook.
 
ADDIE
What you got in that?
 
Richard now turns to face his young aunt.
 
RICHARD
None of your business.
 
ADDIE
Boy! You smart mouth me, I'll
strap your butt.
 
RICHARD
You'll what?
 
Addie stares at Richard a moment. Uncle Roy is silent,
watching.
 
ADDIE
Who are you?
 
RICHARD
What?
 
ADDIE
Who are you, you and your mama?
Comin' here, livin' here, livin'
off Granny.
 
RICHARD
I ain't living off Granny. I do
the heavy chores and I give her
money for me and Mama.
 
ADDIE
Hah! You deliverin' that stupid
paper--what is that, that's jes
pennies.
 
Richard is growing more angry.
 
RICHARD
I'm getting another job for the
mornings. I'd work weekends, but
Granny won't let me.
 
ADDIE
She just won't let you work
Saturday, cause that's Sabbath day.
 
Roy now seems to ignore the exchange, shoveling food in his
mouth.
 
RICHARD
Well when the hell else am I
supposed to work?!
 
Addie jumps to her feet.
 
ADDIE
Don't you profane in this house,
you nigger sinner!
 
Richard seems to take stock of the situation, maybe realizing
there is nothing to gain.
 
RICHARD
Well, when am I supposed to work?
 
ADDIE
(sits again)
Durin' the week, like other folks.
 
Richard is genuinely puzzled.
 
RICHARD
I do work during the week, every
day after school.
 
ADDIE
School! Boy, you ain't goin' to
be no preacher or teacher. What
do you want with schoolin'?
 
Richard stares, incredulous.
 
RICHARD
You tellin' me you think I should
leave school?
 
ADDIE
Your daddy done run off, your mama
sick most the time, you ought to
be workin', making money doin'
labor. You ain't gonna do nothin'
with no schoolin'.
 
For a moment, Richard is speechless.
 
RICHARD
I'm staying in school.
 
ADDIE
For what?
 
RICHARD
I'm going to be a writer.
 
Instantly, Richard's face shows he is sorry he said it.
Addie and Roy, his spoon halted short of his mouth, just
stare. Then they burst into derisive laughter.
 
ADDIE
You're crazy!
 
Roy shoves the spoon in his mouth, still laughing, his mouth
open and full. Richard turns to leave the room. Addie
forces a howling laugh.
 
ADDIE
(continuing)
You're crazy. You are a crazy
nigger.
 
Richard enters the next room and starts for the stairs. At
his back he hears Addie call.
 
ADDIE
(continuing)
You ain't never gonna be no writer!
 
 
 
EXT. FARMHOUSE - EARLY MORNING
 
Richard, dressed in school clothes, is exiting a barn. He
carries what could be a pail of milk towards a big house.
 
 
 
INT. WHITE FAMILY'S KITCHEN - SAME TIME
 
An older black woman is cooking breakfast in this large, well-
equipped, clean kitchen. Richard enters with the bucket.
 
RICHARD
Jessie, where should I put the
milk?
 
The cook, JESSIE, glances back and gestures to the table.
 
JESSIE
Jes' put it on the table, I'll
pour it off.
 
She turns from her cooking to ladle great heaps of scrambled
eggs into a serving dish.
 
JESSIE
(continuing)
Now take these here eggs out and
serve 'em up, then you can get on
to school.
 
Richard gives her a wary look.
 
RICHARD
You want me to serve the Falley's?
 
JESSIE
Yeah, boy. You hired to work
weren't you?
 
Richard thinks a moment, then reaches for the dish and spoon.
 
 
 
INT. FALLEY'S DINING ROOM
 
Richard enters with the eggs just as MRS. FALLEY, mid-
forties, and a pale young man, JUNIOR, are sitting down.
 
Richard tentatively begins to spoon eggs onto Junior's plate.
Junior rants to no one in particular.
 
JUNIOR
What the Hell! Every morning it's
these damn eggs for breakfast!
 
MRS. FALLEY
Listen, you stupid little bastard,
you don't have to eat 'em!
 
JUNIOR
(reaching for bacon)
You might try serving some dirt,
for a change.
 
Richard is bolt upright now, frozen. Mrs. Falley studies him
a moment as Junior starts shoveling food.
 
MRS. FALLEY
Well, boy, give me some eggs.
 
Richard comes out of it and moves to serve her as a pretty
young blond woman, MISSY, enters and plops hard into the seat
next to Junior, rocking the table.
 
JUNIOR
That's right, you bitch! Knock
the food right out of my goddamn
mouth!
 
Missy gives Junior a narrowed-eye look.
 
MISSY
You know what you can do.
 
Richard stands open-mouthed, holding the spoon, frozen.
 
A plump, middle-aged man enters, sits and calls to Richard.
 
MR. FALLEY
Give me some eggs, boy.
 
Richard hustles to him, spoons some eggs. He turns to Missy,
now very close, to offer service. She looks into his eyes,
nibbles at a piece of bacon and winks. Mr. Falley sees this.
 
MR. FALLEY
(continuing)
Goddamn it, Missy you little
whore, quit makin' eyes at the
nigger.
 
Richard has stepped back, again frozen, his jaw on the floor.
In shock, he stares. Junior watches him.
 
JUNIOR
Say, what in hell are your glaring
at, you black bastard? Set those
eggs down, get the goddamn
biscuits off the stove and put 'em
on the table.
 
Richard looks at Junior for a quick moment. He puts the dish
on the table and heads for the kitchen.
 
RICHARD
Yes, sir.
 
JUNIOR
(to Mr. Falley)
I told you she's a slut, she makes
eyes at every buck nigger in town.
 
MISSY
Shut-up, you nasty thing. At
least I don't lock the bathroom
door and make eyes with myself.
 
MRS. FALLEY
You two little brats both shut-up.
 
MR. FALLEY
Why don't you all shut up.
 
Richard eases backwards out the door.
 
 
 
INT. FALLEY'S KITCHEN
 
In the dining room the Falleys can still be heard going at it
as Richard walks, as if in a stupor, to the stove where a
huge plate of biscuits sit. The cook is pouring the milk
into another container.
 
RICHARD
Those people are crazy.
 
The cook doesn't even look up as Richard heads back to the
dining room.
 
JESSIE
Boy, you old enough to know by
now, they ain't crazy, they just
white people.
 
Richard, as if he were confused but thinking hard, pushes at
the door.
 
JUNIOR (O.S.)
You are a slut, a slut, a slut...
 
 
 
EXT. BLACK COMMERCIAL DISTRICT - DAY
 
Richard walks down the sidewalk, his notebook under his arm.
 
Nearing a particular storefront, he pauses, as if trying to
muster the courage to enter. Richard finally enters the
front door of the Southern Register.
 
 
 
INT. SMALL NEWSROOM
 
Of the six desks in the open room, two are occupied, one by
a young black man. He is reading and chopping away at an old
typewriter. In the center of the room, a black man, about
50, sits smoking a pipe and reading galleys. A sign is
nailed to the column above the man's head. It says: "EDITOR."
 
Richard walks to stand at the EDITOR's desk. The man looks
up, squinting wizened eyes. He draws at his pipe.
 
Richard takes an old, thin composition book from his notebook
and pushes it across the man's desk.
 
EDITOR
(not Southern)
What is that?
 
RICHARD
A story.
 
EDITOR
A news story?
 
RICHARD
No, just a story.
 
There's a pause as the Editor appraises Richard.
 
EDITOR
All right. I'll read it.
 
The Editor places the story to the side on a stack of papers.
He draws at his pipe and gives the still lingering Richard a
curious look.
 
RICHARD
I'd like you to read it now.
 
The Editor blinks, surprised.
 
EDITOR
I'll read it. Come back tomorrow.
 
Richard is clearly disappointed. He reaches for the book.
 
RICHARD
If you're not going to read the
story, I'll take it back now.
 
The Editor places a hand on the composition book and gives
Richard a look. Then, his eyes fixed on teenager, he pushes
back from the desk, puts his feet up and begins to read.
 
Richard stands while the man leafs quickly through about five
pages.
 
The Editor's eyes peak over the top of the book. He gives
Richard a different sort of look. Then he returns his feet to
the floor and sits up.
 
EDITOR
Come in tomorrow after school.
I'll have it finished then.
 
Richard seems to think it over, then reluctantly relents.
 
RICHARD
Alright. I'll be back then.
 
Richard slowly turns and heads for the door.
 

Home