Make Way for Tomorrow Page #4

you can have the night off. All right?

All right with me. But she ain't sleepy.

Oh, you're all ready to go.

My, you both look awful nice!

- Thank you, Mother C. You'll be all right?

- Of course.

- Well, good night, Mother.

- Good night.

Sure you'll be all right?

Rhoda's going out too.

This isn't the first time you've left me

alone. Go ahead. Don't worry about me.

But you'll be busy with your rug, won't you?

Well, no, my head started to ache

a little while ago...

...and I think I'll stop.

I'll find something to do.

There's always the radio.

Oh, no, it isn't working, is it?

Well, I'd forgotten. No matter.

You go ahead and enjoy yourselves.

Don't you even think about me.

- Well, good night, Mother.

- Good night, dear.

There's bicarbonate in the house,

isn't there?

I feel just a mite as though

I'd have a little dyspepsia tonight.

I know how you feel.

Yes, dear, there's bicarbonate

in the medicine chest.

- Well, just so I know, in case it gets bad.

- Well, maybe we'd better stay.

Oh, no!

You go right ahead and enjoy yourselves.

We will.

- Good night, dear.

- Good night.

Maybe if you take a little walk, huh?

Can't, on account of my arches.

Oh. Good night, Mother.

Good night.

Mamie!

- Yes, ma'am?

- You can have the night off.

Oh, thank you very much.

Good night.

Oh, hi.

I hope the boy you're going out with

tonight will get you home earlier, Rhoda.

He's not a boy. He's 35.

Thirty what?

Well, that's a dangerous companion

for a young girl.

Oh, you think so, huh?

I guess you haven't been out

with any collegians lately.

But at least among the boys your own age,

you'll find the one you'll fall in love with

and want to marry.

I'm going to look around a bit

before I get married.

But a man doesn't want a girl

that runs around with everybody.

I've seen plenty of swell fellows

walk down the aisles

with girls that had done

everything but murder.

Why, men get together and talk about girls.

Yeah, and then they all make a dash for

the one that's been mentioned the most.

Next lecture at half past Tuesday.

Well, I won't be pickin' on you much longer.

You'll soon have your room

to yourself again, Rhoda.

Have you got some kind of a plan,

Grandma?

Well, I haven't, but your grandpa has.

His letter says that he's, uh...

negotiating a piece of business

with some lawyer,

and if it works out satisfactory,

then everything is gonna be all right.

Oh.

What's the matter?

Why kid yourself, Grandma?

You know he can't get a job.

He's... he's much too old.

Well, I still have faith

in your grandpa's ability.

That's just fooling yourself.

Why don't you face facts, Grandma?

Oh, Rhoda.

When you're 17 and the world's beautiful

facing facts is just as slick fun

as dancing or going to parties.

But when you're 70...

well, you don't care about dancing,

and you don't think about parties any more.

And about the only fun you have left is

pretending that there

ain't any facts to face.

So would you mind

if I just kind of went on pretending?

Grandma?

I... I didn't mean to...

Oh, I... I know, honey.

Why don't you try to relax?

You'll wear yourself to a frazzle.

But she could telephone or something.

Don't you see?

Something terrible must have happened.

I know Rhoda so well. I know

she wouldn't do a thing like this willingly.

She must have met with an accident.

I'll finish dressing in case

George wants me for anything.

Hello. Yes?

This is Mrs Cooper.

What? Don't talk so fast.

You don't want me? Uh... hello?

It was for you.

Well, why didn't you let me talk?

She hung up. She called about Rhoda.

- What did she say? How is she?

- Oh, uh...

I'll tell you.

Oh, dear.

Oh, my, oh, my.

You don't know

how awful I feel about this, Anita.

Let's not talk about it, if you don't mind,

at least not until we know more.

Well, I just got to talk about it.

I feel a little guilty.

I feel that I'm to blame a little bit.

You see, I could have told you,

and maybe I should have told you.

Told me what?

Well, that Rhoda isn't always

just absolutely honest.

One night when she and I went to the

movies, she met a boy. You didn't know.

- Why didn't you tell me then?

- Well, I promised Rhoda.

You promised Rhoda? What right had you

to assume that responsibility?

- Rhoda promised that she'd never...

- What Rhoda promised is beside the point.

What right have you to keep

Rhoda's actions a secret from me?

- She's my child, not yours.

- Well, you were so busy with your...

Oh, I'm so busy with my bridge and things.

I thought we'd get to that sooner or later.

So, this is all my fault because

I try to make a few extra dollars.

If it's anybody's fault, I know who to blame.

Why do you suppose Rhoda stopped

inviting her friends here to the house?

Why do you suppose she started meeting

them on the outside? I'm going to tell you!

You like to entertain them! They were

her friends, and you did all the talking!

Why, Anita, I didn't know

I was doing anything wrong.

You must have known

you were doing something wrong

when you deliberately concealed

Rhoda's actions from me.

You must have known you were doing

something that you had no right to do.

You raised five children of your own.

You might let me raise one.

- But you've got to butt in. You've got to...

- Anita!

I'm sorry.

I know how you feel.

You're worried about Rhoda,

so there won't be any hard feelings.

I'll be glad when you go back to work.

I wish your mother was here.

She'd get me on my feet so quick,

it'd make your head swim.

You've only got a little cold.

What's the good of worrying Mother?

- Oh...

- Who on earth's that?

- Well, it must be the doctor.

- Good heavens! He got here quick enough.

No, but... Wait a minute.

- Come on.

- Huh?

- Come on.

- All right.

- Good morning, Doctor.

- Good morning, Mr Payne. Who's ill?

This way, Doctor.

Here he is.

Hm. So this is the patient.

He's shivering.

You would, too, if you'd run through

the house in your nightshirt with bare feet.

- I, uh... I wouldn't let him do that.

- No.

Your mother knows more about medicine

than all these young doctors put together.

Ha-ha.

Ha-ha. Well, we'll, uh...

We'll have a look at him.

When a man's sick, he don't want a...

How long have you been practisin'?

Oh, for several, uh...

That is, for some time now.

How did you come to take it up?

Why, my father's one of the biggest doctors

in this city.

Why didn't you get his father?

I'm sick.

Put that thermometer back in your mouth!

Cora!

Excuse me, Doctor.

I wanted to talk to you

when your old man wasn't around.

You think we ought to send for

your mother? I'm kind of sorry for him.

So am I, but we haven't got room.

Once we got 'em both, we've got 'em.

George would try and talk us into

keeping 'em. Nellie's run out on her.

I burn when I think of her.

And Addie's doing nothing to help.

Yeah. What about Addie?

Hm.

What about her?

It's only a little over a hundred.

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