Flesh and Blood Page #3

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Heh.

Politicians give you

this great song and dance

in front of the cameras.

When the cameras go off,

you're right back in the same reality.

In Pennsylvania, they

spent more money on prisons

than they did on schools.

In your short 86 years,

what would you say are some of the magic

to trying to exist in this war zone?

Well, to be alive is to be aware, they say.

[Man] Mmm hmm.

And...

So you don't think there's

a lot of aware people?

I think that's very true.

Mmm.

[Grey Haired Woman] Basic

to addiction is unawareness

of what life is all about.

[Cheri] So why...

I learned a lot about

recovery when I was in jail.

Because everybody in the jail

cell with me was an addict.

And they were always talking about

what they were gonna do as

soon as they got out of there.

And would start their

whole cycle over again,

which is going to bring them

right back where they were then.

You got to have a strong mind.

And I was set on getting

clean and staying clean.

I now have six years, nine

months and four days clean.

[Man] Congratulations.

God works in mysterious ways, you know?

It's a good feeling being here.

Who brought us all together?

[Group] God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

God's will, not ours be done.

- What's up, man? - What's

up my dude? - What's up, Hec?

- How you doing, man?

- Good, man, I'm doing good. How you doing?

- I'm good, man, good to see you.

- Good to see you, too, man.

- Yeah, man. - What do you

know? - Yeah, been a minute.

So how long you gonna be in town?

I'm here, man, I'm back now, yeah.

Assad!

This is my son, Mark.

Mark, I've heard so much about you.

Yeah, hey man, nice to meet you.

It's nice to meet you, too.

Yeah, thanks for having us.

He just came home from prison.

I know.

How's it been to be back in real life?

It feels good, man, feels really good.

The yard is just bigger.

Watch yourself, though.

Yeah, that's true.

I spent half my life there,

until I decided, you know what?

Nothing I do is worth that.

[Mark] Mmm hmm.

Nothing.

You know, people always use the excuse,

"Well, I have my family.

"Who's feeding them

while you're in the box?"

Yeah.

- [Man] And that's what you got to do.

Because the system wants you to go back.

Mmm hmm.

They've already got a bed waiting.

You know I don't know sh*t about cars.

But, I mean, I can clean up.

I can organize tools.

I can be your maid, anything.

[Woman In Yellow] So I

heard you was down with Mo.

Yeah.

Okay, how is everything?

He's doing all right, you know.

Keeping his head up.

Me and my mom threw

something on his commissary

before we took off.

You know how hard it is for him

to try to find work out

here with his record now.

And I know this must be

like, hard, knowing that,

you know, Mo's still

locked up and he's out.

And I know now too, with, you know,

the passing of your mom,

trying to keep it all together.

I don't know how you do it.

Well, you got to keep your

head above water, you know?

You got to keep surviving, you know?

That's all to it.

Life goes on, so you must continue.

[Cheri] Yeah.

Anything at all that you want us to

- do for you.

- Yeah, yeah.

I love you.

[Woman In Yellow] I love you, too.

Always care about you guys.

So, you know, I mean loaning helping hand

is always good, you know?

So, mmm.

I'll try to send him some more money.

It's okay.

You know?

We all try hard.

To look out for one another, you know?

That's what it is all about.

Looking out for one another.

What about if you come at seven a.m. sharp

and get started?

[Cheri] She don't play.

If you're not here at seven o'clock,

you ain't gonna keep the job.

Hey Mom, I'm gonna walk back.

Got to get a phone and

a couple other things.

You have more money?

Yeah.

From where?

Antoine.

It's cool, it's fine.

You got nothing to worry about.

Please don't be stupid.

I won't.

I'm not.

[Man On Phone] Who's this?

[Mark] Who do you think, man?

[Man On Phone] Holy sh*t, what up, bud?

(Mark laughs)

I can't believe they let you out.

[Mark] Yeah, save this number.

[Man On Phone] Okay, sick, man.

Welcome home, man.

How you feeling?

Freezing my ass off right now.

But other than that, man, I'm happy.

[Man On Phone] Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, so what's this f***ing thing tonight?

(sighs)

What is it?

It's your name, Little G.

My name's Guillermo, but close enough.

(laughs) Are you serious?

Dude, I just got your name tattooed on me.

Good job.

Anyway, check this out.

Now, I know you said how

much you want to make movies.

Mmm hmm.

So...

check it out.

Figured you could start right away.

Yeah, it's one of those new like HD ones.

You like it?

[Guillermo] What you doing?

For this freaking welcome home party

I'm trying to decide

between these three t-shirts.

I got pink one.

[Guillermo] Mmm hmm.

Wolf one.

[Guillermo] Mmm.

Or I'm 2 Blessed To Be Stressed.

[Guillermo] All right,

I think it's definitely

between the wolf and the pink.

Oh, and what about...

I'm wearing these bad boys.

What do you think?

[Guillermo] I think you're crazy,

but you should totally do it.

My man.

(sighs) F***.

This is like you're dropping

me off at f***ing prom,

except I never went to prom.

(group all talks at once)

[Man] Welcome home!

Thank you.

- [Long Haired Man] Welcome back. This is Mark.

- Nice to finally meet you.

- Yeah, right? - Nice

to meet you, too. - Yeah.

- Pleasure.

- Bro.

What's up, homey?

- Hey man.

- Good to see you, too.

(woman laughs)

Who got me the balloons?

Neighborhood's changing

like crazy, you know?

Condos all through the hood.

Construction every block.

[Elderly Man] Yeah, and it's all ugly.

[Man] The Soupery.

There's a Soupery under the El.

[Mark] What's Soupery?

It's a soup spot that's biting off

another soup spot that's a fish tank.

Going to the El is like fancy restaurants.

Across from the El Bar.

It's not a hooker bar anymore.

Life was like, it was

very, very, very hard.

That's why I joke around a lot.

'Cause my life has been,

that would be the title, hard.

[Guillermo] Not a good title.

Okay. (laughs)

I was raised by my mom.

And she had a relationship with

a man that was very violent.

And beat the crap out of her

on a daily basis for her whole life.

This bastard wouldn't

just beat my mom, right?

He beat the hell out of all of us.

All my ribs were broken.

Um, you know, other kids

have earliest memories

of birthday cakes.

Mine was the hospital.

- You?

- Yes, to Mark.

Welcome home, Mark.

This one's for you, buddy.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Roc, you got a cigarette?

You're really cute.

(sighs)

[Girl] Right back at you.

- Yo.

- Yo.

- What's up?

- What up, man?

You good?

Yeah, man, I'm all right.

Just f***ing bugging out a little bit.

It's just a lot at once, you know?

(laughs) I'll bet, man, I'll bet.

(sighs) F***.

I feel you.

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