A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Page #4

shades pulled down to keep out the sun

and the windows shut

to keep out the noise.

It's fun. You don't

live like nobody else.

No, you sure don't.

Easy on the whip, kid. Wait till

you meet my Bill. You and him will...

Wouldn't you marry nobody if

they wasn't named Bill, Aunt Sis?

She might not remember

them if they wasn't.

Bill's got some other name.

Steve, I think it is.

But I always liked Bill.

A good man's name with

no stuck-up about it.

You'll be crazy about him, Katie. Yeah?

But the question is how

will him and you get along?

It's wrong, Sissy.

I mean, the others...

The others was wrong.

What's right about

keeping on with a guy

when you don't love

each other anymore?

But it ain't as easy as that.

I think Aunt Sissy's right

about when love is dead.

Now, look

what you started.

It ain't nothing to talk

about in front of them.

Every time you come here,

you fill their heads with...

Go on downstairs

for a while, kids.

Your mama's got a spanking up her sleeve

and she ain't gonna feel

right until somebody gets it.

Might as well

get it over with.

You don't wanna frown

like that, snuggle pup.

The fellas don't go

for that at all.

All right, kid. Let's

have it, the works.

I'm a disgrace. You don't know

what you're gonna do with me.

You can hardly

face the neighbors

with what they

must be saying.

I'm old enough

to know better.

Go on. Get it all

off your chest,

then we can make up

and forget about it.

That's right. Talk your way out

of it. You probably will, too.

What'd Mama have to say?

You know Mama.

She don't say much.

Sure. I know Mama.

"Sissy is bad only where

the men are concerned,

"but she's good

in her heart."

But that ain't it, Sissy.

People got a right to talk.

And the kids are bound to hear,

and it ain't right for them.

And you can get in trouble. You

ain't real sure what happened,

and there's laws about...

Katie, so help me,

this time it's for keeps.

I ain't even gonna

look at another guy.

And as for the last one,

he can't be alive

or I would have

heard from him.

I've been pretty good.

Seven years is a long time to

wait around not being married.

They said all you had to wait

was seven years and I waited.

For the life of me,

I don't know what you're

trying to talk yourself into,

but I got a feeling

it ain't right.

All I know is

it can't be wrong,

or I wouldn't feel

like I do about it.

I'm dumb, sure,

but I know this much,

if I feel bad about

something, it's wrong.

If I feel good,

it's right.

You wouldn't get it, Katie. You

got all the breaks I never had.

You got the kids

and you got a guy

you're clear overboard

about. You're lucky.

Yeah, and where does

crazy over somebody get you?

It don't put

no pennies in the bank.

It don't buy no clothes for

the kids to go to school in.

Maybe you got it better

not sticking to one guy.

I wish, sometimes,

I wasn't so crazy over him.

Hey, Katie.

I won't have the kids

taking after him, either.

Him and those dreamy ways of

his I used to think were so fine.

Not if I gotta cut it

right out of their hearts!

Katie,

what are you saying?

I don't know.

Yes, you do.

You're saying plenty.

What's happened

between you and Johnny?

I don't know

what I'm saying.

I don't know

what's come over me.

Look, hon,

it's time we found out.

Sure we got something to

talk about now. I don't wanna.

Uh-uh. You're the kid

sister. You listen now.

You was awful

crazy about Johnny.

Don't tell me.

I seen you.

It was like every woman

wants to be with a guy.

Yeah.

All right,

maybe Johnny didn't turn

out just like you figured.

Sure, he drinks and all, and you're the

one who's had to make most of the living,

but everybody's

got something.

And you wasn't

crazy about Johnny

because he was

gonna be a banker.

It was on

account of...

Well, on account of

how he laughed

and how you felt walking down

the street holding on to him

and having other

women look at you.

And the way he could

talk about things

and the way he had of

saying hello to everybody

like he was giving

away something.

That's what you was crazy

about, and that ain't changed.

I don't know. Them things

couldn't change in Johnny,

not even if he tried.

He's just different,

kinda. He always was.

But he ain't changed.

If there's been any

changing, hon, maybe it's you.

You still got all you

was crazy over, ain't you?

Yeah.

Then thank your lucky stars

for what you got, Katie Nolan,

and take the rest

along with it!

And you got a lot, you can take it

from me. Don't think you haven't.

I might have known, starting

out to take you apart,

I'd wind up with you

making me over.

Nice going.

Don't stir yourself, pal.

Thank you.

Better go inside,

Alfred.

How'd you come out,

Aunt Sis?

No decision. It was a draw. Your

mom's bark is worse than her bite.

Look, tell me something.

When Papa's home, I bet...

I bet him and Mama

laugh aplenty, don't they?

You know,

like they always did?

Sure. Pop can make anybody

laugh when he wants to,

except when he's drunk.

"Sick," Neeley,

Mama said to call it!

Okay. "Sick," then.

Look, hon. Tell you

what you can do for me.

Do all the laughing you can.

You know,

keeps everybody healthy.

Okay.

Laughter is the singing

of the angels.

You're a funny kid, head

full of all them things,

kinda like your pop.

She tells lies

like Pop, too.

He does not tell lies!

Well, I don't know

what you call 'em.

Time out!

I've had enough battling to last me

for today. Where did you get the skates?

They aren't ours. Papa said

he'd get us some, though.

He didn't mean it.

He just said that.

He did, too, mean it,

Neeley Nolan, and...

Easy now!

Kinda like your pop,

don't you, hon?

He does mean it, doesn't he, Aunt Sissy?

Sure, he means it. He

means it, every word.

But, well, you know,

sometimes things happen.

But it kinda

ain't his fault. He...

I tell you what.

Let's make out like Johnny gave you them

skates like he said and they're yours.

Ain't gonna hurt nobody.

Aunt Sissy!

No sense in them things standin'

around and nobody usin' them.

Come on.

Here we go. Easy now.

Isn't that fun? Huh?

Can I put them on next,

Aunt Sissy?

Sure, you can.

Mama! Mama! Mama!

Hey! You come back

here with my skates!

She's not gonna hurt 'em.

Bring back

my daughter's skates!

You was the one that

put them kids up to it!

Easy now! Nobody's hurt.

We only borrowed them.

She's not going

off with them, Effie!

Don't you dare take up

with that woman like that!

You poor little guy. Do you

put up with that all the time?

Hey, Officer!

Come on over here!

Now this woman here,

she tried to...

Break it up.

Take it easy.

I'm sure glad you come along, handsome.

You look like you could whip

a bunch of women into line.

Well, that's fine, but now

I suppose somebody tells me

what all the

excitement's about.

She tried to steal

my little girl's skates!

She tried to nab her.

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