Ellen Foster Page #5

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Aw, yeah, girl.

You'll be fine.

Yes, you are.

You're going to be fine.

Absolutely,

my little honey bun.

You'll be having your dinner

in here on Sundays.

The other days, you'll eat

in the kitchen with the help.

You hear me?

Uh-huh.

"Uh-huh"?

That's trash talk.

Say, "yes, ma'am. "

Yes, ma'am.

And in case

you have it in your mind

that you'll be lazing

around here

like the Queen of Sheba,

get it right out.

Idle hands do

the devil's mischief.

Don't you break that.

Why aren't you eating?

I'm not awful hungry

just at present.

Oh.

I hate picky eaters.

We'll need

to work you up an appetite.

Am I going to be working?

Oh, you bet.

Am I going to get paid?

"Paid"?!

You're getting

your room and board.

Huh!

You're a greedy one, aren't you?

What will I be working at?

She didn't pay me a cent

but I kept figuring up

how much I was worth

by the hour.

You being

real careful, child.

She hasn't broken a thing yet

in these couple of weeks.

Don't bear thinking

about it if she did.

Can I make

a telephone call?

You're not to be

calling far.

I don't know

anybody far.

Who you calling,

sweetheart?

Just a friend

of mine.

I'd say you better

be doing it

while your grandmama's

not home.

I'd say

that's the way.

Hello?

It's me... Ellen.

Oh, it's so good

to hear your voice.

How you doing, sweetie?

I was wondering

if you want to visit my mama.

What do you mean, hon?

Well, it would have

to be Thursday

this one coming.

It'll be the first year

since she's passed.

Thursday is when her mama

gets her hair fixed

so she won't know.

I don't think

your grandmother would mind

you going to visit

your mother, hon.

Don't count on it.

There ain't much

she doesn't mind.

Isn't much.

Isn't much.

Can we get some flowers

to put down?

There it is, over there.

I would have loved

to have known your mom.

She would have been

real fond of you.

I'm going to take

a little walk.

Why don't you hang out here

for a while?

I think the two of you

would have gotten along

real good.

Maybe you're looking down on me

and feeling fairly okay

about me being her friend

but she ain't anything like you.

She could never be

my mama like you.

But Julia, she'd be my...

first second choice

if you know what I mean.

But don't you worry

about me being with your mama.

I'm going to manage it

one way or another.

And like you used to say,

"Nothing's forever"

Though it does seem like it

sometimes.

I'm doing okay in school.

Don't worry, okay?

He's been put

away for a long time

your trash of a father.

Beat a man to death

fighting in a tavern.

They threw the book at him.

As long as

they threw away the key

after they threw the book.

Pass.

One, no trump.

Pass.

That's 700 points

for our side.

You want to

play another?

Excuse me, ma'am.

There's somebody

here to see you.

Who?

Mr. Rudolph, ma'am.

Excuse me, ladies.

Hannah?

Oh...

Oh, thank you.

Mm-hmm.

What the devil

do you want?

Our business

is concluded.

Yes, ma'am.

I understand.

I just come by

to drop something off.

What?

Uh, something

for Ellen.

What?!

Her... Bill's medal.

What are you

talking about?

The medal he

got in 'Nam...

Vietnam.

Bill was a veteran, you know.

And should have

come back in a box.

Not walking to torment

my daughter some more

till the day she died.

Well, with the house

up for sale

I've been over there

cleaning up some

and that's how I come

across it... the medal.

I thought

it'd be nice

for Ellen

to have it...

Her daddy's Purple Heart.

Get out of my house.

Get out!

Y-Yes, ma'am.

I'll just leave that

right there.

That's for you, Ellen.

Well, we need to make up.

Have another one here.

Thank you, honey.

I hope nobody's peeked

a look at my cards.

What in the dickens

is that woman doing?

She didn't have

to do that.

# O perfect love #

# All human thought

transcending #

# Lowly, we kneel #

# In prayer before thy throne #

# That theirs may be #

# The love

which knows no ending #

# Whom thou

for-er-more doth join #

# In one. #

Please be seated.

Please listen

as I read

Chapter four,

Verse five...

Who's that lady?

What lady?

That one there

with all the kids.

What do you care?

I was just wondering.

She looked

like a real special mama.

I bet she was the perfect one

for all those kids.

She was like someone

having a nice dream

and they turn out to be real.

Ma'am?

Ma'am?

Mavis!

Mavis!

Don't know what happened, ma'am,

but we got her into bed though.

Mavis is seeing

to her right now.

Well, did you call a doctor?

Sure did... same doctor was here

when she had the flu

last winter.

Says he's on his way over.

She still alive?

What's happened?

Your mama

has suffered a stroke.

Shouldn't she be

in the hospital?

Certainly.

Have you made arrangements?

She wouldn't let me.

Wouldn't let you

put her in a hospital?

Adamant refusal

was her response

to my repeated suggestion.

Says hospitals

are where you die.

How bad off is she?

It was a relatively

mild incident.

Can we see her?

I've given her

a sedative.

I'll leave a couple

of prescriptions.

Fill them

as soon as possible.

Give them to me.

I'll go get them

at the drugstore.

I'll be back

in the morning.

Prevail on her

to be hospitalized

if you can.

What a bummer.

Well, isn't this a mess?

It could have been

worse, I guess.

I-It didn't kill her.

I've heard of people

with strokes...

they'd rather be dead.

Not to mention the people

who have to take

care of them.

The timing's rotten.

My trip... New Orleans...

I'm leaving Monday.

Do you think you

might want to think

about canceling

that, Betsy?

Let's see how it goes.

He said it was mild.

Probably one of us should

move in here for a while.

Who did you

have in mind?

What about you?

Uh-uh.

Well, I'm

not doing it.

A nurse, then...

around the clock.

Fine. There's no refund

on the airfare.

I wonder if she

made a will.

She'd better have.

Maybe you should call

the lawyer.

You helped him, didn't you?

Helped who? What?

Your daddy, that lowlife.

Helped him how?

To kill my Charlotte.

I never did.

There. You best take

better care of me

than you did your mama.

Can I ask you

a question?

Like what?

Well, I know you hated my daddy.

But what about me?

Can't you see I'm not like him?

All I know is, when I look

at your face, I see that trash

and everything

he did to my Charlotte.

But I didn't do anything.

You set up there in that house

like the world owed you a living

and you left her to die.

Then someone comes

to my house

and tells me

that they found you

all laid up next to her

like a little idiot.

That lowlife never got

what was coming to him

but I swear...

you will never stop paying

for your part.

Heigh-ho.

I've got you now.

Sometimes I was scared

that she was right

about me not taking

better care of my mama.

So I tried the best I could

to take of her

figuring maybe Jesus

would give me a break

when it came my time to pass.

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