Ballast Page #3

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He's better at math.

Things like that.

So how'd it happen?

Talking about twins?

Uh-huh.

You know about the eggs

in a woman's ovaries?

Yeah, they teach us that in school.

They come from one egg

that splits in two.

They form two people that are

genetic copies of each other.

Did you ask the court to make it illegal

for my dad to see me?

You no good motherf***er,

you never stop, do you?

How the f*** you gonna tell James

I had Darrius barred from seeing him?

'Cause it's the truth.

He left us first. Why the hell

you didn't tell him that truth?

How you gonna fill his head with some

f***ed-up bullshit about his father loving him...

making him out like some goddamn hero

and me some crazy woman?

He left us like a f***ing coward.

Look...

Are we gonna start this again?

Hell, yeah. If you gonna

poison my child against me...

like the only other person I loved

against me...

You never loved Darrius.

You only wanted what he could offer you.

Why you don't know sh*t

about your own twin?

It took our dad a whole lifetime to

save up enough to buy this property...

and you just think you can walk in our lives

in one day and piss that all away?

That's a pretty f***ed-up kind of love,

don't you think?

A f***ed-up kind of love?

Let me tell you

what's a f***ed-up kind of love...

Being so terrified of your brother wanting...

You were an addict, Marlee.

- Where was that money really going to?

- F*** you!

You were so terrified of him having something

out of life, wanting something different...

you was willing to destroy

his whole damn family! Huh?

Weren't you?

For what?

To be caught in some

sick little prison of yours?

That's a truly f***ed-up kind of love!

You will never comprehend

my love for him.

You call that sh*t love?

That bullshit you whispered in his ear

about me was love?

Look what your love did to him!

I don't think selling the store

is a good idea.

Like you said, it's a good solid business.

It's making money.

I can't help you.

That's okay.

So, I don't know how that would work.

I can do it myself.

I can get James to help me.

I can do it. I can.

I'm a hard worker.

And when I feel passion about something,

I work hard at it.

I can make it happen.

So you feel passion for that store now?

I can't help you.

Then I'm going to do it, okay?

I need a salary or something.

Lawrence, please.

Your cash sales will be about 2,000 a week.

Take it out of that.

- Well, how much?

- However much you want.

- You all open again?

- Yes.

- Pumps too?

- Yes.

Is Lawrence back?

No.

- All right, I'll just go ahead on and...

- Hey, how you all do it?

Do you pump first then pay,

or do you pay first then pump?

Well, I usually pump then come in and

get my coffee and pay for it at the end.

Excuse me? Excuse me.

I only can take cash today.

Okay.

Twenty-seven new messages.

Tuesday, 1:
59 P.M.

Hi. This is Jumbo calling

from Delta Wholesale Beverage.

We been trying to get in touch

with you over the last couple days.

Haven't heard back from you yet.

We wanted to make sure that you

still needed deliveries at your store.

We sent two trucks by and...

Jorgenson's Dairy calling

for Lawrence Batiste or Darrius Batiste.

Apparently, no one has been

available at your store...

to accept deliveries

in our last three attempts...

What about the cancelled accounts?

I can call and have them...

and set them up for you

if you want me to.

I don't want to deal

with that place any more.

You have to.

Why do I have to?

Right.

Everything with an expiration date on it.

We're running low on beverages too.

So what do you supply to us?

So do I call you with that or fax it?

No. "Sykes."

S-Y-K-E-S.

No, he's not.

What up, player?

What's up, little man?

Hi, Uncle Lawrence.

Hi, James.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Delta delivered again?

Yeah, I worked it out with them.

I can go over those things with you now,

if you want.

Want to start

with the credit card machine?

I figured it out.

You did?

I called the number on the machine,

and they walked me through it.

You know about running the batch

at the end of the day?

Uh-huh.

Okay.

This is the paperwork for the store.

This is the rest.

It's not safe to keep anything

in the register overnight...

so we deposit each day.

We should make you a co-signee now...

so you can start writing checks

and making deposits.

Okay.

You should probably start checking the mail

every day for supplier invoices now.

Okay.

Did you figure out the gas machine too?

Okay, will this be all for you?

- That's all, thank you.

- Okay.

- And 22 cents is your change.

- Okay, thank you.

Here's a bag for you.

Thank you.

- Okay, have a good one.

- You too.

- Hello. How you doing?

- How are you, ma'am? Fine.

- Have a good day.

- You do the same.

So, we're good?

Uh-huh. Tomorrow then?

Bookkeeping?

- Around the same time?

- Okay.

So what about school?

What happens when his break ends?

I don't know. He ain't going back

to that sh*t school.

You're transferring him?

No. All the schools around here

ain't sh*t.

He has to go to school.

Why? They ain't teaching him nothing.

The only thing he learning up there

is how to take drugs and get beat up on.

You could home school him.

I could help you.

Why?

See you tomorrow

about the same time.

Okay. Could I call you

if I have any questions?

- All right.

- I need your number.

Hold on.

- Okay.

- All right, see you.

All right, see you later.

Kitty.

Hello, kitty.

Kitty.

Hi, Lawrence. It's me, Marlee.

No, it's fine. Actually, I was calling

about the homeschooling thing.

I wanted to know

if you had time to talk about it.

That's it?

"File a certificate of enrolment...

with the admissions office

in the county of residence"?

What if they reject it?

They can't.

There's requirements

for what he has to study, right?

No. It's whatever you think

he should learn.

Does he have to pass a test

or something to keep qualifying?

We could sign up for those youth leagues.

Basketball, football, soccer.

I bet...

I bet we'll have enough now.

He could do some of the teaching.

Can't be no worse than the teachers

you already have.

But only if you want to.

If you don't want to, we don't have to.

You think it could work?

So this alternating days thing,

is that gonna be okay with you?

What if I worked some of the hours

at the store on the days you teach?

So you can just teach in the day.

How would the salary work?

Just take what you're taking now,

full-time.

For half the hours?

That's the way it worked

with Darrius and me.

But you both worked full-time.

We were both there full-time,

but it only takes one person.

So we basically just double-paid.

But you were the owners.

It's your money anyway.

You're an owner now.

So why didn't you alternate days

and pay yourself the same?

You could've had

all that time for yourself.

For what?

I don't know.

You could've travelled

somewhere or something.

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