Long Walk Home Page #3

Let me get these bags

to Sara's room,

and then I want to take

you all out for a surprise.

- You mean after dinner.

- No, I mean now.

- Honey!

- It'll be a lot of fun, honey.

I know Sara's hungry, and I just made

her favorite, chicken tetrazzini.

- Ew!

- Mother!

I stopped eating chicken tetrazzini

when I was nine years old.

Besides, I had my heart set

on eating at The Elite.

- She made me promise at the airport.

- Honey, I've been cooking all day long.

I promise, I will eat cold

chicken tetrazzini all week.

This is the...

the new subdivision.

It's... 41 lots.

I wasn't gonna bring you

out here till Christmas, but,

they put up these, uh...

these street markers,

and I was just sure that somehow

you were gonna find out. Look.

- Is that named after me?

- It sure is.

And, honey, look.

Over there, that's Mary Lane.

And it runs into Catherine Court,

so you have two streets named after you.

- Really? Two streets?

- Yes, indeed.

And way back there,

you can't see it, but...

that's Miriam Street.

So now all the women in my life

have somethin' named after 'em.

And years and years

from now,

you can look back and know that

people lived their lives on your street,

and whenever they said

where they lived,

they used your names.

Merry Christmas.

The air force has spotted an

unidentified object on radar

coming south over Alaska.

Fighters were launched from bases

in Alaska to confirm the sighting.

They say it appears to be

a small sleigh flying in the air.

Could it be Saint Nick?

They've run the same Christmas

Eve story for centuries.

You'd think this entire city

would die of boredom.

- What's wrong with it? - I mean,

who do they think they're kidding?

Nobody who really believes

in Santa Claus is listening.

You don't still believe

in Santa Claus, do you?

- No.

- Good.

If there was a Santa Claus,

he would have surely swooped down

and replaced that old thing.

Well, I wouldn't hold my breath

waiting for that to happen.

I know.

I'm back in Montgomery again.

Harness the mule.

It's time to go down to the

well and draw some water.

- Miriam.

- Shh. I'm right here.

Shh.

Honey, you're gonna have to

tell me which pile to put these in.

Relax, honey.

It'll be fine.

- I like the layout.

- Well, let's see. Mary Catherine.

Honey. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, honey.

Now, wave.

Wave to the camera.

Good.

- Okay. Sara?

- Come on.

Merry Christmas, honey.

Sweetness?

Mary Catherine.

Whoo!

- Hold on. Hold on.

- Look at the presents.

Come on, Mary Catherine.

Merry Christmas, Odessa.

Miriam, the Eighth Army

has arrived.

Good morning, Odessa.

The turkey and the ham are in the fridge.

They're thawed, and the turkey is

ready to be stuffed and cooked.

Now, the casseroles

still need to be cooked.

375, but not until 1:00.

We can't have cold casserole.

You could get started on

the deviled eggs though.

And when Claudia gets here,

one of you will have to vacuum.

Now, don't forget to

put out the milk punch.

Last year, we were

halfway through the day,

and nobody thought to

put out the milk punch.

Oh, I know I must be

forgettin' somethin'.

Oh!

Merry Christmas, Odessa.

- Merry Christmas, Mrs. Thompson. - Mother!

Do I have to wear this stupid dress?

Sara, I ordered these dresses specially

for all of us. Now, they're cute.

Mother!

Dessie, look what I got.

Isn't she pretty?

She's got three whole outfits,

with shoes and socks and everything!

- Three whole outfits!

- Look at her bonnet and her dress

- and the ribbons and the shoes!

- Oh, she's beautiful!

Oh!

Wait until you see

what else I got.

He come runnin' down the stairs,

be so excited,

he'd fly right on right on

and hit his grand keister.

Land on the road.

Does he still do that?

Now let's see if Tunker wants

some of these limas.

Hey, did you see that thing

in the paper this morning?

- I think Grover Hall has lost his mind.

- What are you talking about? What thing?

Didn't you read the paper

this morning, Norman?

He's talking about the ad that Grover

let the coloreds put in the paper,

demanding that we

give in to them.

Well, it's stupid.

It's about one of the stupidest things

that ever happened to this city,

because who really cares

about the buses?

Ah, you don't understand.

This is just a test.

In the paper this morning, they said

they want all the bus drivers' jobs.

- Wouldn't that be great.

- No. It seems to me...

that the way to handle this

thing is to play it down.

Supreme court's just itching

to force this whole issue.

Let 'em sit where they want.

It just won't work that way.

I, for one, won't stand for the n*ggers

in Montgomery running around

yappin' about how they won.

And don't you think it's

gonna have consequences.

Norman, don't you understand?

If they get by with this bus thing now,

in a few years you won't even be

able to have this Christmas dinner...

'cause you'll have to have the

maids sittin' right beside you.

It's Communism is what it is. Just a

bunch of Communists. All of 'em.

None of 'em are from

Montgomery either.

That Martin Luther King...

He hasn't even lived here a year.

These n*ggers just want too much,

and they're not willing to work for it.

- Rolls, Mrs. Thompson?

- No, thank you.

Well, that's the way I feel.

I don't care who hears me.

- Thank you, Odessa.

- Thanks, Dessie.

Thank you.

Claudia. Claudia, Odessa.

That was a magnificent meal. It was.

- Here's a little something for you.

Merry Christmas. - Thank you.

Merry Christmas, Odessa.

We, uh...

We were just talkin'

about the bus boycott.

- Claudia, I know, I know you get a

ride with your husband. - Yes, sir.

But, Odessa, you're here

five days a week.

How do you get to work?

- Today I walked.

- I mean, on a normal day.

Well, I can't take the bus,

Mr. Thompson, so I... I just...

will find me a ride

where I can.

But if it were safe

to ride the bus...

you'd still rather walk

than sit in the back?

Yes, sir, I would

have to say I would.

That's a long walk.

Yes, sir.

Mighty long.

That was...

It was a delicious meal.

- It really was. Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas, Mr. Thompson.

Well?

Well...

I see your point...

- but I can't blame her because I don't

think she's a problem. - The hell she's not.

Why don't you get a new maid,

get a white maid?

- Mother, she's been with us for

nine years. - She's a problem.

She's not uppity like some.

Not to your face.

But slowly, they all start

asking for more, doing less.

Norm?

You got a good family,

good community here.

When was the last time you

locked your door at night?

Never.

If you give in...

what do you think is gonna

happen to this city?

What do you think is gonna

happen to your family?

No, you gotta hold the line.

We all do.

And if she'd rather walk...

bleed out the soles of her feet

till she begs to ride that bus.

Ooh, Mr. Thompson had a look in his eyes

when he asked you 'bout gettin' to work.

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