Life of a King Page #4

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I mean, was there

an interview process?

Let me see your resume.

Please. Come on.

Yo, if he don't want to go,

man, just let him stay.

No, he's coming.

Let's go.

I just told you he stays.

Now, if you want to throw

your life away, so be it.

But he's with me.

What's up, son?

Hey, hey, hey. It's cool, it's cool.

You don't want this. You don't want it.

It's cool.

Please.

I'm here for you, son.

Hear me?

Flash your lights.

Think they're still...

All right.

Now, T, you come with me.

Peanut, stay with the car.

Alone?

Alone?

Little PB don't want to stay alone?

All right, T,

you stay with the car.

Peanut, you bring

your simple self with me.

Yo, Cliff, I don't think

that's such a good...

Shut up.

Stay focused, man, all right?

Let's go. Peanut.

You have to envision the end game.

Anytime you find yourself behind,

your mind got you there.

When we get up there you

know I do the talking, right?

Don't trip.

I got you.

Yo, what's up?

What y'all got?

No.

This is the king.

The king is your life.

One mistake...

I-I don't got the cash, bro.

And it can be taken.

Get up, man.

Get up.

Peanut, man.

There's that thinking.

Ooh.

I can see if you're

cheating me from over here.

Big Chair Chess Club.

You stay right there.

I'm on my way.

Tahime.

Hey.

What's up?

What's going on, man?

Where's Peanut?

Oh, man.

What did you do?

Huh?

Hey, hey.

What did you do, man?

What's going on?

Talk to me.

Talk to me, man.

What's going on?

I got you.

I got you, son.

Girls left the door unlocked.

Hi.

Tahime.

How are you doing?

I'm going to miss him, too.

He was always really sweet.

I don't know about all that.

Ooh.

Yo, T.

Yo. let's ride. man.

We're going down to Spiders.

I'm good.

Look, man, I miss

the little guy, too.

But that's how life is

on these streets, man.

I'm going to make

the run myself this time.

I hope we can put this behind us.

For your sake.

What's up, Michelle?

Stop.

Are you okay?

A young man is dead because of me.

I should have never let him go.

It's not true and you know it.

You know what?

For the first time in my life,

I am actually very proud of you.

You started something here.

They don't listen, Trini.

They don't listen.

I didn't.

Your brother doesn't.

They see that easy money as the

only way out, and you know what?

Sometimes I don't blame them

for thinking that way.

So you're just going to give up?

They think I'm nuts, okay?

Trini, they think I'm looney.

And you know what?

I'm starting to believe them.

I'm starting to believe them.

You ain't nuts.

Clifton, he's nuts.

But you...

You're all right.

Where did you get this?

Peanut had that in his hand

before the police came.

Let's clean this place up, man.

Yeah.

This is a key.

See that?

This is how it works.

Any questions?

Man, what the hell you

doing waking me up, man?

Don't you walk away from me.

I ain't your mama.

Oh, you want to fight.

You want to...

Hey.

What's wrong?

Tahime, talk to me.

I'm going to kill

my mom's boyfriend.

What?

I'm going to get a gun

and I'm going to shoot him.

I don't care what happens to me.

I don't care.

But he ain't going

to touch nobody no more,

not me, not her not nobody.

I swear on God he ain't

going to touch nobody.

What do you think

that's going to prove?

I was locked up for 17 years...

in prison.

I just got out.

I spent almost

two decades in the joint.

I blamed everything

on everybody else but me.

I was just touching the pieces,

moving them whenever I could

without thought.

That's why none of y'all

can get nothing over on me.

Because I've done all the dumb

stuff that y'all have done twice.

Some of it three times.

What did you do?

Whatever I wanted to do.

I stole.

I even ran a crew.

And they gave you

17 years for that?

No.

I got my 17 years

for armed robbery.

I robbed a bank.

Cops came and we all scattered.

And I took the fall.

And then I learned.

What did you learn?

I learned the board.

Your move.

Good.

Checkmate.

Even better.

Thank you.

This chess house, it's...

it's amazing.

You know, eight years I've

been at Maud Alton and...

I've just been trying to make do

with what little money they give us.

We're all doing the best we can,

most of us high ups,

teachers, parents, kids.

In all my years I have seen very

few people make a real difference.

These kids...

they need you.

And your life before...

and who you have become now...

you inspire me, Mr. Brown.

You really do.

It's really coming together.

This Tahime Sanders is a beast.

I talked to Marco last week.

Really?

He's coming home early.

Wow.

Wow, that's good news.

Can I drive you to pick him up?

I don't know.

Oh, no, no.

Trini, you got to...

you got to do this for me.

It would mean a lot to me.

I got to be there for him

when he gets out.

Show him how much I changed.

Please.

Sunday.

That's what I'm talking about.

That's nice.

He in a better place now, anyways.

Yeah.

You all right?

You know you got a ticket

out of this place, Tahime.

You could be a special

player, a real pro.

Just need the discipline.

Check this out.

This could be you.

Maurice Ashley did it.

Who's to say you couldn't be next?

Maurice who?

Ah.

Maurice Ashley from Harlem

was the first

African-American grandmaster.

So, what? You're telling me

your brother's a grandmaster?

Who's to say

there could only be one?

Why ain't you one?

If I had your natural

talent, I would be.

Come on, man.

I ain't about to be

embarrassing myself

in some white man's competition.

You going to think that

way your entire life?

Every time you get an opportunity,

you're going to run away

just because you're scared?

I ain't scared.

T, you have a real talent.

And that'll take you further

than any money, race, class

any day of the week.

You could play

with these kids, man.

And if I can't?

It ain't about whether

you can or you can't,

it's about whether

you will or you won't.

Believe that.

Where the hell you been, Tahime?

I was out...

with Mr. Brown.

I want you to do

something for me, okay?

I want you to sign

this consent form

so I can play in a chess tournament.

Chess tournament?

What the hell you talking about?

I told you, I've been

getting real good at chess.

Give me a damn break, Tahime.

You out there playing

some dumb ass game

while the rest of us sitting

in here trying to survive.

It ain't a dumb game.

Is it a job?

You getting paid?

Because if you ain't getting paid,

I don't want to hear

nothing about it.

Silly.

If I'm good...

Boy, you ain't good at nothing

but being a pain in my ass.

Get-get out my face.

Go on.

Go on.

Get out of my face.

How the hell you think you can afford

to be in somebody chess contest?

You think they let fools

like you in for free?

Mr. Brown said he'd pay.

Oh. hell no. he ain't.

And you ain't going to be

in no chess contest, either.

No chess contest.

Mr. Brown.

Come on.

Mr. Brown, I presume.

Yes, sir.

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