Imperial Dreams Page #2

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Yeah, positivity and all.

Well, that's all good, but...

you need a job...

that pays.

[wind howls]

[PA] Bring in the prisoners.

[guard] Fifteen minutes.

Do not pick up the phones

until the phones are turned on.

I will advise you when they are turned on.

Do not touch the phones.

Phones are on.

- [woman] Hey, baby.

- [Day] Hi, Mom.

[woman laughs]

- [woman] How you been?

- [Day] Fine.

- [woman] Yeah?

- [Day] Yep.

[woman] Can you make me a drawing

to put on my wall?

[Day] Yeah.

- [woman] I miss you.

- [Day] I miss you, too.

What you been doing?

I've been working.

Working? You got... Working?

- [Bambi] No.

- Oh, OK.

[laughs]

Your daddy being good to you?

- Yes.

- He better be, or I'm gonna get him.

I have a picture of you

in your kiddie pool.

Remember our kiddie pool?

Yeah.

- I love you.

- I love you, too.

- You look fat.

- We'll see how you look when you get out.

OK.

How you holding up?

I can see the roof of Shrimp's house

from my cell.

If they gave me my stamps on time,

I wouldn't be in here.

- Stop.

- I had to put food...

Stop. It's recording.

What's wrong with you? Stop.

I'm just trying to help us.

It's cool.

- How's your mom?

- Same, I guess.

Some county facility,

hooked up to machines,

breathing for her, feeding her.

It's good that Unc came through

and let Day stay there.

- You know, since you've been in here.

- Watching him for three weeks ain't sh*t.

You know, now I'm back...

he wants me to help him.

Bambi, you just got out of jail.

Be strong.

As smart as you are,

you could find something else.

You got a son to think of.

[guard] Up!

- You hear me?

- Yeah.

- Take care of Day.

- I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna handle it.

- You...

- [line cuts out]

I got you. I will.

[slams phone receiver]

[mouths]

Day, say "I love you" to your mom.

Bye, Mommy.

[rap music blares]

You wanna go to Shrimp's?

[sighs] Shrimp, man.

You know he offered me a job?

Four grand to drive a car to Portland

and not look in the trunk.

Sh*t.

I need three grand for school

and I'm good, bro.

I've still got a couple of weeks

to get it, so I'm not tripping... yet.

I've been turning in my applications

everywhere, man.

- It's dry as hell.

- [siren burst]

[Bambi] Sh*t, man.

F***ing Hernandez.

[siren burst]

[Hernandez] Welcome home, Bambi.

Been a long time.

[chuckles] Your kid recognize you

when you got out?

Know anything about that kid

who got killed on south side of Imperial?

- I've been out 27 hours.

- How about your cousin, Gideon?

Are you covering for him

like you covered for your uncle?

I don't know sh*t.

What about you?

Are you affiliated?

[Wayne] Look at me, man.

Do I look like I'm in a gang?

You look like a bright,

intelligent young man.

Why the f*** are you with this guy?

He's my brother, man.

Why don't you do something

like join the army? Get out of here.

This bright kid's on his way to college.

Well, come on, college boy. You can go.

- What about my brother?

- I said go.

- Just stay chill. Be cool.

- Yeah.

[female officer]

Get a booster seat for that kid.

Don't let me catch you f***ing up again.

[stammers]

I... I didn't know.

Ma?

- You got any rock?

- What are you doing, Ma?

- [fridge door slams]

- Come on.

[laughs]

[mutters] God damn.

- What did Mom say?

- She didn't say nothing.

Man, I told you.

[footsteps shuffling]

So when you wanna go to Portland?

I need somebody I can trust.

Can't do it.

You know what? I know writing, you know,

makes you feel cultured and all, man.

But, I mean, what good is it if you don't,

you know, help out your family?

You know what I'm saying?

I'm more than happy

to clean up around here.

I'm trying to find a job

so I can pitch in on the rent.

[cutlery clatters]

It's not that.

I need some real help around here.

No, nigga. Get your ass back over here.

You're a grown-ass man.

You wanna live here?

You're gonna follow some f***ing rules.

- It's too rich for my blood, man.

- I don't give a f***ing sh*t, Nephew.

It's either go to Portland...

or f*** off.

- I'm not running no non-profit here.

- Come on, man.

Hey, you know we don't have

nowhere else to stay.

I'm telling you.

When I wake up in the morning...

if you ain't ready to contribute,

I don't wanna see you...

I don't wanna see that f***ing kid...

and I don't wanna see

that piece of sh*t-ass car

you got parked on side of my house!

Niggas gotta earn around here!

Now, you write that sh*t down.

Wake up.

- You can stand up, OK?

- All right.

Are you awake?

Go grab your pool.

OK.

I'll be gone

I'll be gone

I'll be gone

I'll be gone

Days pass

For now I remain

But one day the time will come

When I will see, no longer stay

Can no longer refrain

Days pass

For now I remain

But one day the time will come

When I will see, no longer stay

Are you all right?

- Yes.

- You good?

- Yes.

- All right.

You're gonna get sick of me reading to you

all the time, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

- All right?

- OK.

OK.

[glove compartment opening]

"He was on the way from church,

five years old,

that he saw his first dead man."

"A loud deacon."

"He knew everything about Jesus

and nothing about blackjack."

"Then, suddenly...

he was Sunday quiet."

"'See how easy it is to change things?'

my uncle said to him."

"'This is power, my boy.'"

"He knew then

that no daddy was Superman..."

"and no baby mama was Wonder Woman."

"That sh*t was bullshit."

All right.

Lay down.

It's time to sleep.

All right. You comfortable?

- Yes.

- I love you, OK?

OK.

Good night.

Different meaning to power.

Different meaning to power.

Fish and baloney and sausage.

And then... an egg.

And I like hamburgers.

Onion, tomato...

[Bambi] What are the odds

of a single father getting a job?

[woman] Let's get a copy

of your driver's license.

I'm still in the process of getting that.

Without you being able to drive,

it's gonna be real hard to find you a job.

- I can work here.

- [laughs]

I can clean the windows. I'd do anything.

We don't have any positions.

You gotta start with the license.

But you should come back,

use the computers.

Things do open up.

All right, thanks.

Dad, horses!

Cool!

Come on, we gotta go to Gideons.

OK.

How do they expect me to get rehabilitated

when they won't rehabilitate me

in the first place?

Man, you need to be writing.

That's what you need to be doing.

Use that to get Day up out of here.

All I need is eight bucks an hour,

some food, a place to stay.

Then I can think about getting a computer

and all of that.

I got you, man.

When you write about this,

you make sure you keep it 100.

Cos f*** all this.

Running, hiding.

I'm tired of it.

Day, go find yourself five rocks.

You all right?

Them Brandy Heights niggas is after me.

Nigga, everybody out there chilling,

right?

And out of nowhere, these niggas

pull out heat, get to bustin'.

I'm heated.

What the f*** do you think I'm gonna do?

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