Losing Isaiah Page #5

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And that's what made you stop?

Yes.

I wanted to hear my baby.

I didn't want no drugs

taking me out of my head.

I wanted to fe...

feel that pain.

I didn't want nothing

to ease that for me.

Do you have a higher power,

Miss Richards?

Objection!

Relevance?

I'll allow it.

Please answer

the question.

Yes, ma'am, I do.

It's because of Him

that I'm here today.

Could you explain

what you mean, please?

Because...

it's because of Him...

that I have this second chance

to make it up to Isaiah.

- Oh, sh*t!

- Mama, I'm thirsty!

- Watch it.

- Wait-wait-wait, oh, okay.

There's broken glass everywhere.

I want apple juice.

I don't have apple,

I just have orange.

- I told him that this morning.

- Can I have apple juice?

- I can get you some lemonade.

- I want apple juice.

Sit down, Isaiah,

you're going to fall.

- I want apple juice!

- I don't have apple.

I want apple juice!

- Sit down!

- I want apple...

Sit down! Sit down! Sit down!

I'm going for apple juice.

Hannah, don't go near this.

I'll be right back.

Sweetie, it's okay.

She's a crack addict

who left her newborn baby

in a garbage heap

in the dead of winter,

and that damn lawyer

makes her look

like Mother Teresa.

Shh.

Higher powers!

Tell me he was

calling her name.

He was screaming from all

the crack she pumped into him!

Charlie, how can they think

about giving him back to her?

They're not going to.

I mean, she's

not a mother.

She doesn't even know how

to take care of him.

I mean, what,

what if he got sick?

What if he got hurt

or something?

She wouldn't know

what to do.

I'm just so afraid we're

going to lose him.

- What if we lose him?

- We're not going to lose him.

- I couldn't bear to lose him.

- We're not going to lose him.

No, but what if we do?

Margaret, we're not,

we're not going to lose him.

Charlie, did you see

how beautiful she was?

She was so beautiful.

I was never no prostitute.

You never took money for sex?

That was for drugs.

Well, that makes it okay, then.

Objection.

Sustained.

Who's Isaiah's father?

I don't know.

So I assume that he won't be

helping you with child care.

Who will you turn to, Khaila?

Is there any kind

of support system

that you can depend on

to help you with Isaiah?

My counselor, Gussie Chestnut,

my sponsor,

my friends.

These people

you've just mentioned,

aren't they all reformed

drug addicts themselves?

They all been clean

for at least five years.

Just answer the question,

please, yes or no?

Yes.

Couldn't they relapse

at any time?

I mean, there's no

real assurance

that you yourself

won't relapse,

is there?

That's not going to happen.

"That's not going to happen."

The pledge

of a drug-addicted prostitute.

Seizures, inter-cranial bleeds,

malformed kidneys.

And all these can be

the result of drug use

while the child is in utero?

Yes, and they're almost always

low-birth-weight babies,

frequently premature,

higher incidence of crib death.

And later?

They're usually

highly irritable.

Some have severe

learning disabilities,

moodiness, poor coordination.

Stress usually aggravates

these symptoms.

Can anything be done

to alleviate these problems?

We don't know for sure,

but calm, steady,

dependable parenting

is certainly in the

child's best interest.

The kind he's receiving

from the Lewins.

I would say so.

Amir?

You going to let me in?

Hey.

Why are you here?

Came to see you.

That ain't no reason.

Yes, it is.

And I brought you something.

That's his.

Yeah...

but I brought it for you.

Hey, boy,

who you talking to?

Well, well, well, if it ain't

Miss High-and-Mighty.

The rent gone way up,

all right?

Now, wait, wait,

hold on, wait up.

What, what, what, what you think

I should charge her?

What you think

I should charge her, huh?

Something high, right?

$200?

- $250!

- Mm-hmm.

- $250.

- Make it $300.

You staying?

No, baby, I can't stay,

but I know you want me to,

but I can't.

Hey, hey! You holding up

the program, now, boy.

Come on, now,

and show your Uncle Tyrone

that dance you done for me

last week.

Come on, now.

Amir...

I know things

right now seem like

it don't make sense to you,

and you don't understand,

but I've been just where you are

and it ain't gonna be easy,

but it don't mean

you can't make it.

Come on, boy, I'm waiting now.

Come on, boy, do it.

That's my boy.

Who combs his hair?

What?

Who combs his hair?

Margaret.

Uh... we all do.

Who taught you how?

Or did you read that in a book?

Our black pediatrician.

So you know

an African-American.

One with a professional degree.

Have you ever had

your black pediatrician

over to dinner, Mr. Lewin?

Do you have your pediatrician

over to dinner?

Answer my question, yes or no?

No.

When's the last time

you and your wife had dinner

with anyone of color, Mr. Lewin?

Please answer

the question, Mr. Lewin.

I'm sorry, I can't remember

the last time.

You love your wife, Mr. Lewin?

Oh, yes, very much.

How long you been married?

And you love your daughter?

- Of course.

- So this is a nice,

stable environment to bring

Isaiah into, wouldn't you say?

Yes, I would say.

Yes.

Who's Suzanna Polaski,

Mr. Lewin?

Uh, she's an architect

who works in my office.

You having an affair

with Suzanna Polaski?

No.

No?

Be careful, Mr. Lewin,

you're under oath.

I'm not having an affair.

Have you ever had an affair

with Suzanna Polaski?

Yes or no?

Yes.

I spent one evening with her.

I'm sorry.

What exactly are you sorry for?

That you threw your baby

in the trash?

That you dragged my family

through hell?

No, I just want my son back.

Your son?

What makes him your son?

That you f***ed some junkie

in an alley

three years ago to get high?

Well, if you were

all of that,

your husband wouldn't have

f***ed somebody else,

and maybe you'd have

a baby of your own,

and you wouldn't be trying

to take mine.

Look in the mirror.

Look at my face.

I'm his mother.

God says so.

Take yours?

I didn't have to take him.

You threw him away, remember?

Any animal can give birth.

That doesn't make it a mother.

Oh, so you calling me an animal?

If you think

you just gonna walk

up in this court

and take my baby

like you take some

puppy from a pound,

you got another

thing coming, lady,

'cause you ain't gonna

take my baby from me.

He's not a baby.

You don't even know him.

You don't know

anything about him.

Wait!

Don't do this.

Don't do this to Isaiah.

Don't do what?

Tell him the truth...

that his real mama is as black

as he is?

Black?

All you people

think about is color.

You people?

You people?

Well, me and Isaiah...

we the same kind of people...

or didn't you notice?

Margaret?

I'm not going to talk

about this right now.

Hi, honey.

Hi, Mom.

Mom?

Hmm?

Are they going to take Isaiah?

Are you going to be okay?

Oh, honey.

I love you, Mommy.

Oh, Hannah, Hannah,

Hannah, Hannah.

There's never been

anybody like you.

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