Black or White Page #9

Have you ever seen him intoxicated

in front of his granddaughter?

He is currently learning French

as an alternative activity...

Mr. Araga, have you ever

seen Mr. Anderson intoxicated

in front of Eloise?

Yes or no?

- Yes.

- More than once?

- Yes.

- Thank you, Mr. Araga.

Your Honor, no further questions.

All right, now Jeremiah's

gonna come after you.

He's gonna do his best to try

to pick you apart, piece by piece, so...

Really?

Just, please, when you're on the stand,

your number one job

is just to not lose your cool.

Just stop, all right? Don't talk to me

like I'm a two-year-old, OK?

You know...

...I talked to my brother-in-law

about your drinking.

He asked me how long

you've been drinking like this.

I was like,

"I don't know, last couple years or so."

You know, kind of since

your daughter, uh...

And you know, how it got more serious

once Carol passed.

- And you know what he said to me?

- No, what'd he say?

He said,

"Maybe this guy's not an alcoholic.

This guy, maybe he's just

one seriously angry motherf***er.

Maybe he's just hopped up on anger."

Well, if you are? If that is your drug

of choice, Elliott, I'm telling you,

today is not the day

to go off on a bender.

OK?

And when was the first time

you met Reginald Davis Jr.?

A couple of years

after Eloise was born.

After we lost Jill, he came over

one day, wanted to talk to me alone.

- What did he want?

- He wanted some money.

That's what it usually is with Reggie.

And for what purpose did he think

you were going to give him the money?

I assume he wanted it in exchange

for not contesting custody of the baby.

- Your Honor, that's wildly speculative.

- I agree.

- Did he meet Eloise that day?

- No, I wouldn't let him in.

He was a mess. I told him to come back

after he'd cleaned himself up.

- Did he come back?

- A few weeks later, yeah.

And had he cleaned up?

More or less. He showed up...

He showed up with Rowena.

- His mother.

- Yes.

She basically dragged him there with

his ear in between two of her fingers.

And how much time did they spend

with Eloise that day?

Hour or so.

Just long enough for Reggie

to steal a watch.

How do you know he stole a watch?

Isn't that "wildly speculative"?

No, his mother brought him back

with it the next day.

Made him return it to me.

When was the next time

you saw him?

Six months or so later, he came over

in the middle of the night.

About three a.m., wanted to take

the baby, said she was his.

Wanted her right then and there.

How would you describe

his condition that night?

He was agitated.

High. Stoned on something.

And of course, you wouldn't

give him your granddaughter.

- No, of course not.

- How did he handle that?

He attacked me.

Pulled a knife on me.

How did that end up?

I managed to cool him down.

Carol called the police. He ran.

She called the police.

So there's a police report?

Yes.

- Did you press charges?

- No.

Were there any more instances

like that again?

Yeah, a couple.

He has a tendency to get violent

for no reason when he's on drugs.

How often did you see his mother?

We'd see her a bit.

She and Carol worked out

some form of a relationship.

We were fine with her.

Why is it you didn't meet Mr. Davis

until the baby was two years old,

if your daughter had been dating him?

I don't think he actually dated her.

The term I'd use is... abused.

Mr. Anderson, don't confuse

your answer with an opinion. It's not...

She was only 17 years old, Your Honor.

He was 23.

We could very easily be using

a whole different term

to describe that relationship, but we

didn't press charges there either.

She was a goddamn baby.

Mr. Anderson, how often have you been

to work since your wife passed away?

Not a lot.

I'm taking some time off.

You've taken an emotional leave?

Needed time to heal?

If you did, that would make sense.

The reason I haven't

been working is Eloise.

So you think

it's better for you to be at home,

help her with her studies.

I do.

And luckily,

you're in a financial position

to be able to maintain the lifestyle

that you and Eloise enjoy?

Yes.

You're also in a financial position

that if need be,

you can do this permanently?

No?

So eventually,

you'll be back to work full-time.

Yeah.

Your Honor, will you please instruct

the witness to answer these questions

with yes's and no's?

We do have a transcript.

Is that a yes or a no, Mr. Anderson?

Yes, eventually,

I will have to go back to work. Yes.

So all of this, all of the tutoring,

all of the full-time parenting,

as good as it is, someday soon...

...things will be a lot different

for Eloise, right?

You won't be able to devote to her

the energy that you have been,

is that right?

Please answer the question,

Mr. Anderson.

I'd love to, Your Honor, but if he's

gonna continue to do it for me,

- I might as well just sit down.

- OK, OK, OK. OK.

This does not need to be that difficult.

Counsel, you may want

to rephrase the question,

and Mr. Anderson, you need to try not

to be so sensitive. All right?

- Can he go on?

- Yes, he can go on.

OK.

Mr. Anderson, I'd like to submit

to you and the court

that Reggie isn't gonna win the

Father of the Year Award anytime soon.

- I don't think so, either.

- But he is Eloise's father.

I've read the reports from her sessions

she had, and I know you did as well.

This is a girl who hungers

for a relationship with her father.

- Do you agree?

- I do. Especially now,

since she's lost her grandmother.

One of her grandmothers.

Yes. One of her grandmothers.

Mr. Anderson, how different would

you feel about Reggie's failings...

...if he were white?

OK, here we go.

Not one damn bit.

All right? This isn't about

anything even close to that.

I think you'd know better.

Elliott, did you refer to Reggie...

as a "street n*gger"?

Yes, I did, once.

I was heated, but... yes, I did.

It was a mistake.

I wish I hadn't done that, said that.

You were heated,

but you did use the term.

I just said I did.

It's an ugly word,

and I'm ashamed that I used it.

I know it's hurtful

and I shouldn't have, but...

...it's the word he used.

It's how he referred to himself in all

his texts on her phone that I found,

my daughter's phone.

"Your street n*gger's here, baby.

Come on out."

"Your street n*gger,"

that kind of thing, Your Honor.

I know it doesn't make it right,

but it was just in there,

lodged up here and it came out.

In reality, though,

isn't that how you see him?

A little drugged-out street n*gger?

Isn't that exactly to a tee

how you see Reggie?

Mr. Anderson...

...do you dislike black people?

Not all of them.

Do you have a problem

with racial prejudice?

Is that what you want to

make this about, Jeremiah? Really?

Well, let's do it then.

You've wanted to ever since

Rowena first dragged you into this.

So yes, we're different, you and I.

You want to submit that? Submit it.

We have different skin color.

Is that the first thing I notice when I

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