Life of a King Page #3

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You damn straight it's not as much.

Sales are down.

Sales are down?

What, you an economist now, negro?

You know Eugene Brown?

Yeah.

Yeah, I know Eugene Brown.

He's my man.

Well, your man

is stealing your business.

'Cause I'm just saying.

And he runs detention

over at Maud Alton now.

He telling the kids not

to buy from me anymore.

Hold up.

Eugene Brown runs detention?

That's hilarious.

Man, get the hell out of here.

Hey.

You better start turning

over more product.

Or I'm not even going to

think about coming up

with that big job I've

been telling you about.

Understand me?

Go.

Darius.

Who do you know over at Maud Alton

that can do Uncle Perry

a little favor?

Hold on. Hold on.

Next time...

I'm going to get two pieces.

Shut the door up.

Get out.

What the hell?

Tahime, baby.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Wait. Wait.

Damon's just my friend.

I'm going to make some dinner.

I got some spaghetti.

Oh, baby.

I don't want to be here.

Barging in like that.

What's wrong with you?

You don't talk to him.

Get out!

What's wrong with you?

Don't go. Where are you going?

Come back at 9:
00, okay?

Got to go to school in the morning.

In here, you're either teaching

lessons or you're learning them.

You must think before you move.

Hey, Peanut.

What are you doing?

What did I just say?

Think before you make

your next move.

And you didn't.

Y'all got to start

paying attention, man.

In here and in life.

'Cause out in the streets,

it's not checkmate.

It's incarceration.

It's wheelchair.

Man, I can't take

much more of this.

Peanut, get up, bro.

I got you.

You want to start over?

I got him beat.

No.

Go.

This is all I need.

Check.

Checkmate.

Hey.

Where did you learn how to do that?

Told you, it's just

a simple stupid game, man.

Got something I want to talk

to you about, all right, man?

What's up?

Can't tell nobody, all right?

I won't.

I'm serious.

I won't.

Me and Cliff we got some

real things going on.

Real easy money.

And I want you in on it with me.

What you want me to do?

Try it.

Just in case, you know?

All I got to do is roll?

Yeah, man.

You trust me?

I trust you.

I want you in on this with me.

For real.

All right.

My man.

Okay, so, that-that's...

I got it put away this time.

It's a whole body throw.

Nothing, 'cause you

about to airball it.

Oh, I did it. I'm a beast.

Uh-oh.

Oh, man.

I'm a beast. I told you.

You're right on the ball.

Ms. King, you said

you wanted to see me?

Oh, yes, I-I-I did. Come on in.

Have a seat.

Okay.

This isn't easy for me.

Who gave you this?

Someone dropped it in my

mailbox yesterday afternoon.

Listen, I'm not the same

man I was back then.

You lied to me, Mr. Brown.

I have to let you go.

You should see these kids, man.

They're learning.

I'm against the wall here, though,

and I don't have a choice.

I'm sorry.

Chess is no different than life.

These suburban kids, they

know they get good grades,

they go off to college.

They know they're going to own

their own business someday.

They envision the end game.

But poor kids

don't think like that.

Mr. Brown, I...

I wasn't taught like that.

I didn't... I didn't

see the end game

and it cost me, man.

It cost me big.

I know.

I am still here for you

and the chess program.

Just not in the school.

Not anymore.

Hey, Mr. Brown.

Get back to class, Peanut.

You mad at me?

No.

But chess club is cancelled.

What? Why?

Politics.

Politics?

Man, that's an excuse.

What about fighting

our way out of a corner?

What was I thinking, man?

Chess.

I don't think you guys

want to buy in.

Take all that money.

I'm going to raise you again.

All right, put some

more money down.

Oh. that's not bad.

Give me my three already.

No.

Oh, snap.

Mean Gene Brown.

The one with the frown.

So, what's up, man?

Guess I just had to

see this place again.

Word on the street

is you lost your job.

Look, it's hard out

there for an ex-con.

And the system's not even set up

to support going straight.

That's just the world, baby,

trying to keep another

beautiful black man down.

That's all right, though, because

I'm going to help you out.

I owe you at least that.

Why are you looking at

me like that, Mean Gene?

Huh?

All right.

All right.

There you go.

Oh, oh, you don't have

to do nothing for this.

It's on the house.

You just don't get it, brother.

I'm one of the pillars

in this community now.

Look, I help these folks out.

The way that the government don't

have the time or the means to.

I'm going to help you out

a little bit, too.

Come on, baby.

Come on home.

It's always good

chatting with you, Perry.

See you soon, Gene.

See you real soon.

Hey, yo.

Anybody want to come to the park

and play some chess with me?

Hey, janitor, that was detention.

We had to be there.

You don't even work here no more.

Hey, T, you want

to waste your potential, too?

Huh?

Come on, man.

Yo, Peanut.

Let's go get a game at the park, man.

Come on.

No, man.

I don't like the politics.

Oh, it's like that?

Nicely done.

What's up with Tahime?

Why is he so attached to Clifton?

Well, you know, Clifton was always

the biggest kid in the class.

It's been like that

since we was babies.

And T, man, he's just as scared

to be on the streets as me,

but he's not going to say nothing.

You're a good man, Peanut.

And this is for you.

It's official.

You're president of the chess club.

Chess club?

It's just you and me.

We don't even have a homeroom, man.

Everybody has that.

Well, it is what it is.

It's beautiful.

It's where it's all

going to happen.

What's going to happen?

A bonfire?

You got to have

a little vision, Peanut.

Sure, it needs some work.

But when I look at this place,

I see a mansion of possibilities.

Hello?

Katrina, it's your father.

I can't talk right now.

Oh, I understand.

Maybe later.

Is everything all right?

Oh no, yeah, everything's fine.

I just...

you know, I want...

I wanted to tell you

that I was...

I'm thinking about opening up

a community chess house.

There's some pretty good

little players at that school.

A chess house? How are you going

to be able to afford that?

Well, I've been...

I've been

looking around a little bit.

A lot of these houses

have been foreclosed on.

I can probably rent one

for next to nothing.

You know, Billy

lent me some money already.

Katrina, I know things aren't

exactly right between us.

But maybe they can be

for those kids.

Since when do you care

so much about kids, Eugene?

Since I lost you.

To refresh, ladies, pawns

can move two spots

Or one...

How goes it, gentlemen?

Nice place you got here, chess man.

Did it come with asbestos?

Hey, if you're not

here to help, Clifton,

you're more than welcome to leave.

Oh, that's cool,

we just came for Peanut.

Peanut?

Peanut is...

He ain't going nowhere.

He's working.

Working for who?

For you?

Peanut, he paying you?

Come on, Cliff.

No, you got W2s?

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