Beloved Page #28

Beloved lifts her head towards the fire at the same time she

leans back to rest on a propped-up pillow. In the flickering

of the firelight, Sethe can see:

A SMILE OF A SCAR BENEATH HER CHIN.

Sethe knows before she's aware of it consciously. And just as

it hits her, BELOVED BEGINS TO HUM A MELODY.

Sethe recognizes it as her own melody.

SETHE:

I made that song up. I made it up and

sang it to my children...

Denver lifts her head from her mother's lap to look at Sethe,

knowing what is happening....

SETHE:

...Nobody knows that song but me and my

children.

Beloved turns to Sethe;

BELOVED:

I know it.

A click. Sethe looks at her daughter, returned. "There is no

gasp of astonishment - no exclaim for the miraculous. For

what is truly miraculous is so, because the magic lies in the

fact that you knew it was there for you all along."

DISSOLVE TO:

MORNING;

INT. KITCHEN - MORNING.

It's snowy white outside. The girls are still asleep in front

of the stove. But Denver awakens upon hearing her mother load

the stove with dry wood and begin to cook breakfast. Sethe

hears her wake up and turns, as she beats eggs in a bowl;

SETHE:

Back stiff?

DENVER:

OOh, yeah...Don't know if it's the floor

or the skating.

SETHE:

Could be that fall you took.

DENVER:

That was fun.

Beloved snores lightly beside her;

DENVER:

Should I wake her?

SETHE:

No, let her rest.

DENVER:

She likes to see you off in the morning.

SETHE:

I'll make sure she does. But first I'm

going make up a nice, big breakfast

against that cold outside.

DENVER:

Won't you be late for work?

SETHE:

Don't matter. First time I'll be late in

nine years. No great trouble..Whatever

goes on out there goes on with or without

me showing up on time... don't matter...

(looks at the girls)

The world is in this room, baby. This is

all there is and all there needs to be.

Denver smiles - but it is a cautious smile. Something about

her mother's statement both elates and disturbs her.

EXT. BLUESTONE RD. - DAY.

A conflicted and contrite Stamp Paid walks through the snow

down Bluestone road towards 124.

As he does, he remembers his last conversation with Baby

Suggs;

MEMORY:

EXT. RICHMOND STREET - DAY.

A fall day. Leaves ankle high. Stamp Paid is walking when he

sees baby Suggs carrying a carpetbag full of repaired shoes.

He crosses over to her as he gets her attention;

STAMP PAID:

You missed the Clearing meeting three

Saturdays running.

Baby Suggs turns to her old friend - but there is no sign of

welcome or recognition. There is a noticeable change in her

demeanor. She continues walking. He follows;

STAMP PAID:

Folks came.

BABY SUGGS:

Folks come. Folks go.

STAMP PAID:

Here, let me carry that.

He reaches for the carpetbag but Baby Suggs pulls it away.

BABY SUGGS:

I got a delivery around here. Name of

Tucker.

STAMP PAID:

(points)

Yonder. Twin chestnuts in the yard.

They walk a bit, until;

STAMP PAID:

Well?

BABY SUGGS:

Well what?

STAMP PAID:

This Saturday - you coming to Call or

what?

BABY SUGGS:

If I call them, and they come what on

earth am I going to say to them.

STAMP PAID:

Say the Word!

Two whitemen raking leaves look up at the sound of Stamp

Paid's voice, which was too loud. So he whispers;

STAMP PAID:

The Word. What you was put here to speak.

BABY SUGGS:

That's the last thing they took from me.

STAMP PAID:

But you got to do it. You got to. Can't

nobody Call like you. You have to be

there.

BABY SUGGS:

What I have to do is get in my bed and

lay down. I want to fix on something

harmless in this world.

STAMP PAID:

What world are you talking about? Ain't

nothing harmless down here.

BABY SUGGS:

Blue. That doesn't hurt nobody. Yellow

neither.

STAMP PAID:

You getting into bed to think about

yellow?

BABY SUGGS:

I likes yellow.

STAMP PAID:

Then what? When you get through with blue

and yellow, then what?

BABY SUGGS:

Can't say. It's something can't be

planned.

STAMP PAID:

You blaming God. That what you're doing?

BABY SUGGS:

No, Stamp. I ain't.

STAMP PAID:

You saying whitefolks won. That what you

saying?

BABY SUGGS:

Those white things have taken all I had

or dreamed. I'm saying ain't no bad luck

in this world 'cept for white folks..They

just don't know when to stop.

STAMP PAID:

You saying nothing counts?

BABY SUGGS:

I'm saying they came into my yard.

STAMP PAID:

You saying God give up? Nothing left for

us but pour out our own blood?

BABY SUGGS:

I'm saying they came into my yard.

STAMP PAID:

You punishing Him, ain't you?

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