Beloved Page #23

She notices Mrs. Garner's light is on in her bedroom window.

Sethe, blind with rage, decides there's one thing she must do

before she takes her children to the meeting place.

INT. MRS. GARNER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT.

Mrs. Garner lies ailing through a sleepless night when her

bedroom door opens. Sethe enters - her appearance tells all.

MRS. GARNER

My God Sethe..what happened to you?

EXT. SWEET HOME - NIGHT.

Sethe carried her baby girl in one arm, her two boys by the

hand with the other...They move as fast as they can.

EXT. CORN FIELD - NIGHT.

They arrive at the meeting place where A WOMAN crouching in

the field is waiting.

WOMAN:

Hurry up. You're late.

SETHE:

(hands her the children)

Here!

HOWARD:

But ma'am...

SETHE:

Just go with her! Do what I tell ya!

Sethe carefully hands her baby girl to the woman.

SETHE:

Put sugar water on that cloth for her to

suck so she won't forget me til I come.

WOMAN:

Where you going?

SETHE:

Halle wasn't there. I gotta go back.

WOMAN:

You crazy..

SETHE:

Take em out. Now! I'll get there myself.

I got her milk...I'll get there...Don't

worry.

She kisses her baby girl, a little too hard perhaps, waking

her...along with the boys...

SETHE:

Go..Go! Now!

Sethe disappears back into the corn field leaving the Woman

holding the baby girl... as Bulgar cries out.

BULGAR:

Mama?

EXT. CORN FIELD CLOSER TO SWEET HOME HOUSE - NIGHT.

Sethe exits the corn field and heads for her living quarters

when suddenly;

THE FOUR BOYS appears from out of nowhere..two restraining

her, one holding a horsewhip....

BOY WITH HORSEWHIP

You n*gger bastard..

Sethe struggles and is about to scream out when she is

slapped and muffled and dragged into the corn field to be

beaten.....

END OF MEMORY;

INT. SETHE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT.

Sethe awakens, sweating from having fallen asleep and

reliving her past nightmare. She sits up and realizes where

she is. She looks beside her and sees Paul asleep. She lays

down, pressing her body against his so that there is no space

between - enfolding her arms around him.

EXT. PIG SLAUGHTERHOUSE - DAY.

Pigs are crying in the chute as Paul, Stamp Paid and twenty

other workers push and prod them towards the slaughterhouse.

Although steeped in pig sh*t on a wintry day - his hands numb

from the cold - Paul D. is in high spirits. HE SINGS as he

works much to the amusement of his fellow co-workers.

CO-WORKER 1

Hey - you like this work so much maybe

you best get in the chute with the

others. You ain't got much more sense

than they do.

The men laugh. Paul smiles and brushes it off.

PAUL:

Ain't just a job reason to sing. Other

things a man's got to look forward to

that a job just a way to spend your day

til the good times arrive.

CO-WORKER 2

Good times? Ain't no such day.

STAMP PAID:

Now, now...it's all a state a mind, right

Paul D. If you can think it, it can

happen.

PAUL:

More than that. When a man can make plans

then a man can make good times happen.

CO-WORKER 1

Oh the man's got plans! You saving up for

a gold mine, boy.

(more laughter)

PAUL:

Better then gold, my friend. Me and my

woman's planning on starting a family.

Stamp Paid's face registers sudden concern.

PAUL:

New life. Born free, hear! Now if that

don't define a good tine, I don't know

what does.

CO-WORKER 2

Nothing born free ever again.

PAUL:

What you talkin? Nobody owns us no more.

Nobody gonna own my children neither.

CO-WORKER 2

Children inherit what come before'em.

Just cause you can't see no chains, don't

mean they not there. We're not free men.

We're somewhere between freedom and

chains. And as long as the world is

white, that's where we're stayin.

The truth of this causes the men to be silent as they

continue working. Stamp Paid looks at Paul, confused by what

he should do.

EXT. PIG SLAUGHTERHOUSE - LATER THAT DAY.

The men are on break. Paul sits alone enjoying a lunch packed

by Sethe...Stamp Paid approaches and sits beside him.

STAMP PAID:

May I?

PAUL:

Free country. No matter what anybody says.

STAMP PAID:

I like the way you think, boy. Good. Good

to think that way. Friend of mine, Baby

Suggs was her name...sort of became a

preacher in these parts..that was her way

of thinking too. When she was at her

best, that is.

PAUL:

You knew Baby Suggs?

STAMP PAID:

Oh yes...You're not one of her Sweet Home

men, now are you?

PAUL:

Yes sir...Me and my brothers and her son.

STAMP PAID:

Oh, I see now.

PAUL:

Sethe told me she died soft as cream.

STAMP PAID:

Well...maybe on the outside.

PAUL:

Why is that?

Stamp Paid looks at him with sympathetic, sudden

understanding.

STAMP PAID:

You don't know, son, do you? See I had to

figure that out first.

PAUL:

Know what?

Stamp Paid pulls out AN OLD NEWSPAPER CLIPPING from a bag he

carries with him all the time. He hands it to Paul who looks

to see:

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