Master Harold ... And the Boys Page #3

The memories

are coming back now.

Walking home from

school and thinking:

"What can I do

this afternoon?"

And tried a few ideas,

but sooner or later

I'd end up back in

there with you fellows.

Like that time

I barged in

and caught you

and Myriam... at

it. Remember?

[Moaning]

Hell, Sam, couldn't you

have waited until it

was dark?

No...

And if you

don't believe me

wait until

your time comes.

No, thanks.

Now, where was I?

Oh, ja, a gray little

room with a cold

cement floor.

Your bed was

against that wall.

And I now know why

the mattress sagged

so much!

[Chuckling]

Sam, your things neat and

tidy in a trunk right

next to your bed

and on It Is a picture

of you and Myriam

In your ballroom clothes

your first silver cup

for third place

In a competition

and an old radio.

[Music]

Sam, do you want me

to teach you about

South Africa?

Sure, I'd like to learn

about South Africa.

right, repeat

after me, Sam.

Gold in the Transvaal.

Gold In the Transvaal.

Mealies in the Free State.

Mealies in the Free State.

Sugar In Natal.

Sugar in Natal.

Grapes In the Cape.

Grapes In the Cape.

Good. Okay, now once

more from the beginning.

Haai man, haai,

it's too late

for school.

What are you

doing in bed, Willie?

Hey, wena.

(Betty)

Williel

[gasps]

[Quick knocking]

(Betty)

Hally, are

you In there?

Sam, Willie... Is

he in here with

you boys?

Hally, will you come

out of there at once!

So much for

friendship, huh.

Hally, we couldn't lie

to her, she already knew.

Ha, it's more likely

your brain was

getting fried

and you wanted me

out of there

before I got

on to the rivers

and mountains.

No, Hally, I was happy

for the lesson.

But, come now, Hally,

it wasn't all so bad.

Ja, it was.

No, Hally.

Okay, maybe there

was one good day.

Only one?

Ja.

And?

Come on, Sam...

Tell us, Hally.

(Willie)

Please, Master Harold,

we want to hear.

[Sighs]

It started off

looking like another

of those useless

nothing to do afternoons.

[Distant train whistling]

I'd already been down

to Main Street looking

for adventure.

But nothing happened.

I didn't feel like

climbing trees

or pretending I was

a private eye and

following a stranger

so, as usual:

See what's cooking

in Sam's room.

[Whistllng]

this time It was

you on the floor.

You had two

thin pieces of wood

and you were smoothing

them down with a knife.

It didn't look

particularly Interesting

but when I asked you

what you were doing

you just said

"Walt and see, Hally.

Walt and see..."

In that secret way of yours

so I knew there was

a surprise coming.

You teased me, you bugger,

by being deliberately slow

not answering

my questions!

And whistling

while you worked away I

God, It was Infuriating!

I could have brained you!

It was only when you tied

the two pieces of wood

together Into a cross

and put that down

on the brown paper

that I realized

what you were doing.

Sam's making a kite.

I mean, the sheer audacity

of It took my breath away.

Seriously, what the hell

does a black man know

about flying a kite?

I'll be honest with you, Sam,

I had no hope for it,

none at all.

No, if you think I was

excited and happy

you got another

guess coming.

I n fact, I was sh*t-scared

we were going to make

fools of ourselves.

Ja, I could see that.

I made it

obvious, did I?

You refused

to carry it.

Do you blame me?

Can you remember what

the poor thing

looked like?

Tomato-box wood,

brown paper

Flour and water

for giuel

And then two of my mother's

old stockings for a tall

and all those bits and

pieces of string

you had me tie together

so that we could fly It I

Hell, no, that was only

asking for a miracle

to happen.

No, Sam, that kite

will never fly.

Not without a

tail it won't.

[Betty, laughing]

Harold!

Hally!

[Gasps]

So what happened?

Come on, Sam, you

remember it as well

as I do.

I want to hear

it from you.

[Birds chirping]

When I let the

kite go, you run.

No, do you want me to

be a laughingstock?

Of who?

Come on now,

let's try it.

This is it, I thought

like everything else

In my life

here comes another fiasco.

Then you shouted,

"Go, Hally, go!"

Ready... and go.

And I started to run.

Faster, Hally! Faster!

I don't know how

to describe it, Sam.

Jal Ja, the miracle happened.

I was running, waiting

for It to crash to the

ground behind me

but Instead I felt

something alive at

the end of the string

tugging at It as If

It wanted to be free.

You shouted to me

to let it have

more string

and I did, until there

was none left

and I was just holding

that one piece of wood

we'd tied to it.

And I looked back

and I still can't

believe my eyes.

It was flying!

Looping around

and trying to

climb up

even higher

Into the sky.

(Hally)

It works, Sam, It works!

We've done It I

And we had. I was

so proud of us.

It was the most

splendid thing

I'd ever seen.

And you came up and joined me.

You were laughing.

[Sam, laughing]

She's beautiful, Sam.

That she is.

The part that

scared me, though

was when you showed me

how to make it dive

to the ground

then just on

the point of crashing

swoop it up again.

You didn't

want to try it.

Of course not.

God, I'd have been suicidal

if anything had happened

to it

watching you do it

made me nervous enough.

I was quite happy

just to see it

up there

with its tail

fluttering behind it.

Who's laughing

at you now?

You left me after

that, didn't you?

You explained how

to get it down

we tied it to the bench

so that I could sit

and watch it

but then you went away.

I wanted you

to stay, you know.

I was a little scared

about having to look

after it by myself.

I had work to do.

[Thunder rolling]

Why'd you make

that kite, Sam?

I can't remember.

Truly?

Too long ago, Hally.

It's time for

another one, you know

wouldn't be

a good day to

fly it, though.

No, you can't fly

kites on rainy days.

Strange, isn't it?

What?

You and me

a little white boy

and a black man

flying a kite.

Not every day

you see that.

But why strange?

I don't know.

Would have been

just as strange,

I suppose

had it been

me and my dad.

A crippled man

and a white boy.

Nope!

No, there's no chance

of me flying a kite

without it being strange.

There's a nice little

story in that, you know.

"The Kite-Flyers."

But we'd have to

find a twist in

the ending.

Twist...?

Yes, something unexpected.

I mean, the way it

ended with us was far

too straightforward...

me on the bench

and you going

back to work.

There's no drama in that.

[Phone ringing]

(Sam)

St. George's Park

Tea Room.

Yes, Madam.

He's here.

Hally?

It's your mother.

Hello Mom?

Hally, I'm bringing

Daddy home.

[Thunder rolling]

Oh, God!

But how can

he get better

so suddenly?

He's not really better

it's just... he wants

to come home.

Well, well, then

very obviously you

must say no!

Be firm with him, Mom.

Say Dr. Colley wants

more X-rays of his stump.

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