Black or White Page #3

As sure as

I'm a victim of desire

Right up here by this tree.

- Margaret.

- Elliott.

What's up, Elliott, man?

Give me some love, man.

I'm sorry again about Carol.

Thanks, thanks. Where's your aunt?

She in the garage.

Who's this?

Uh... This is Duvan. He's, uh...

- He's my bodyguard.

- No sh*t.

- You got you a bodyguard?

- Wow.

Is it just me or has the whole world

gotten real gullible?

Hey, Uncle Victor.

- Hey there, Elliott. How's it going?

- Good.

I would get up,

but this back's been killing me.

No worries. I know the feeling.

- Look who's here.

- Hey, Elliott.

- Hey, Elliott.

- Hey, come here. Give me some love.

- Come here. How are you?

- I'm real good, thanks.

- All right.

- This is, uh... Duv... Duv-something.

Um... Elliott got him a bodyguard.

Ooh! Really? You're a bodyguard?

No, that is just some humor

that Elliott had implied earlier.

Come here. Give me some love anyway,

Mr. Bodyguard. Come here.

Oh, wow, I feel safer already.

You OK, Mr. Bodyguard?

Oh, hey, uh... when we come back in,

maybe you can speak to them as a group

about watching too much television.

Well, well, look who came to visit.

This is quite a setup, Rowena.

Quite a setup.

Always impressive.

We aim to impress.

Do our best.

You're welcome to have one.

I just bought out the men's department

of a Sears going down.

Got some beautiful suits

for some lucky men in the neighborhood.

Can only help, right?

- Who do we have here?

- Oh, this is Duvan, our math tutor.

That's good. Math is good.

Math is my middle name, babe.

Rowena, you're not gonna really

take me to court, are you?

Eloise is happy where she is.

Eloise needs more love than just

what her grandfather can give her.

Now Carol... God rest her soul...

...Carol was a mom.

She and I, we had us a bond.

Therefore, I had no reason

to worry about my grandbaby.

And now you do?

Well, there are certain things a man

can do, certain things a woman can do.

I don't wanna have to be the one

to spell that out to you, Elliott.

Especially a man your age.

I already told her that

you're all welcome to come visit.

I'm thinking with things

the way they are,

life dealing us all the hands

we've been dealt, she's been dealt,

we need to start talking

about a shared custody.

Not gonna happen.

- No?

- No.

Like I say, you're all welcome

to come visit.

But you don't want her down here,

do you, Elliott?

- Down here with the black folks.

- Don't... Don't start with that.

Got her a little black math tutor.

Is that gonna do it? Hm?

Take care of that whole half

of her soul?

What is it with you?

Why do you always have to go there?

What is it with you that you don't wanna

admit that there's a "there" there?

And you. You're a math tutor.

Is that it?

He gets $25 an hour?

Damn, that's a good business.

- Is this Elliott's ride here?

- Yup.

He's in the garage with your mom

and his bodyguard.

Elliott has a bodyguard?

He got himself some

fancy foreign bodyguard.

The goofiest thing you've ever seen.

Come on, Rowena, don't be stubborn.

She's in one of the best schools

in the entire country.

One of the safest neighborhoods

in Los Angeles.

You and I know a different version

of the word "safe."

That girl belongs down here

with her family, Elliott.

You just want her away from me.

You just want her...

That's all you want.

You just want her away from us.

The black people.

Now why... Why do you always

have to checkmate me with that sh*t?

You always do this.

You always say something like that.

How am I supposed to respond?

After all your son put us through?

The hell he unleashed on Carol

and my daughter, I think you'd...

...I think you'd have

the common sense to understand

he can never be anywhere near her.

Don't be coming down here lecturing me,

all liquored up,

about common sense, Elliott.

I'm this girl's grandmother

whether you like it or not, OK?

- I'm just looking out for my babies.

- Yeah.

My baby boy and my baby granddaughter.

Ahh...

- Bye, Elliott.

- See ya, Elliott.

- Send Eloise our love, hear?

- Oh, no.

No!

Elliott, no.

Elliott, that's not your car!

- That's not your hooptie!

- Elliott.

That way!

Look at that.

Yay! Bravo! Bravo!

Make it home safe!

I'd like to introduce you all

to my sister, Rowena.

As you've all been briefed,

my sister has retained us...

...for a family custody matter.

In front of you, you all have iPads

full of all the filing information

we will have access to

in processing this case.

Now this is, to us, obviously much more

than just a child custody hearing.

It's much bigger than that.

This will be argued as a breach

of a minor's rights to her family.

To her people.

Taken away by a man who,

for some reason,

don't too much care for black folks.

Wait a minute, Jeremiah.

I didn't exactly say that.

I'm sorry.

I mean, he lost his wife,

he lost his daughter,

and he isn't sure he feels safe

with her down with us.

Oh, he's got a problem

with black people.

If he didn't,

we wouldn't be here, right?

You'd be at home making

some kind of dinner for the child,

helping her with her homework.

Let's just say there was a nice

little white family, just like yours,

but white, living in

a nice little white neighborhood,

willing to pick up the responsibilities,

take care of the child.

You mean to tell me that little girl

wouldn't have come to that funeral

with her suitcases packed,

ready to go home with them?

Now I give him credit for what he's

doing, taking care of the child and all,

but he's only doing it because

he feels like he has no other option.

- Do you want what's best for the child?

- Yes.

Then he has a problem with black people.

Now it's our job to make sure

that he and the court

understand that very clearly.

Elliott. So good to see you.

It's good to see you too, Rita.

I hope this means you'll be back.

I'll be back. Not...

Not sure when just yet.

The intel we have says

they're gonna come guns blazing.

We think they even had something to do

with the seating of the judge,

but that's just speculation.

Either way, it's Cummins.

Judge Cummins.

They got themselves a black lady judge.

In family court,

you might as well close up shop now.

A lady judge is always

gonna go with the mother.

If there's no mother,

the state or the grandmother.

And a black lady judge

is never gonna give a little black girl

to a white grandfather.

All right, let's talk about Rowena.

She was born and raised in LA.

One of six.

Never went to college.

She's a self-made woman.

She has a real estate license.

Owns about six businesses, three homes.

She's raising three nephews, a niece.

She has a daughter who lives across

the street, a gay woman and her wife.

And then she's got the son,

Reggie Jr.

He's been convicted three times

on felony drug charges.

Pretty much is the bad apple

of the family.

Oh, we'll find her weak spots.

Get a couple of private investigators

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