Meet the Browns Page #4

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Who are you to be

giving me advice?

Mike, this is Harry Belton...

high-school all-American,

college standout.

And a pretty good professional player

until he retired.

- I ain't never heard of him.

- You ain't never heard of him?

Where you been? All you know is that

young boy "Lebanon" James, ain't it?

Gimme the basketball,

I'm gonna show you... whoa!

- That's nice, Uncle Brown.

- You done scratched my suit.

Harry's a high-school coach

here now and college recruiter

and does camps and develops

talent over the summer, right?

- Yep.

- Oh, the coach of Hillbilly High, huh?

Oooh, you're so "disrespected."

And arrogant.

We've got some

talented kids like you.

But they listen, so that would

make 'em better than you.

Please.

Oooh, you arrogant.

- Still got it.

- "Squish"!

- "Squish."

- One on one.

- Do it.

- All right.

You got some money?

I don't gamble.

Me neither. I'm safe.

I'ma... I got knicks.

I'm gonna change into my good clothes.

You don't know nothing about basketball.

Check it out.

Come on.

Whoo, I'm just coming in here

to keep y'all company.

Don't ask me to cook nothing.

Last time I was in the kitchen

I burned myself

and cut myself.

Child, slow down.

Dinner gonna be in a while.

Vera, don't start.

- Your mama don't feed you?

- Sometimes we don't have enough to eat.

- Really?

- Well, you just eat all you want here.

You hear?

We got plenty.

That's right.

Miss Sarah's a great cook.

Look like you been

eating here for years.

Oh look, you don't know me.

- You gonna make me go in my purse.

- Do it.

- Don't hurt me, baby.

- You want some more, baby?

I'd love to, but I gotta save

some for my sister and brother.

Well, it look like you ate it all.

Oooh, wow.

Something sure smells good.

- Uh, Mom?

- Yeah, baby?

I didn't mean to eat it all.

It was just so good.

I'm sorry.

Oh, honey, don't be upset.

Old mean Vera here

was just kidding.

We got plenty.

Tosha, sweetheart,

do me a favor,

go check on your sister.

- So sweet.

- Yeah.

I'm sorry. We've just been

having it...

- kinda rough lately.

- Mm-hmm.

Well, get up there.

Have a seat. Sit down, honey.

- Take a load off.

- Come on.

- Thank you.

- Here.

Oh, thanks.

I lost my job lately, but even

before then, it was... it was...

it was kinda tough.

- God will make a way. Won't He, Sarah?

- Mm-hmm.

Sure wanna believe that.

You must believe it, baby,

and don't you be ashamed to speak out.

We got your back.

'Cause I remember when my

husband died, if it wasn't for family,

I don't know how me and my two girls

would have made it.

I don't have much family.

- Where these kids' daddy at?

- They're not in our lives.

- They?!

- Vera.

- Yeah, they.

- As in...

more than one?

- Three.

- Vera.

Stay out of her business.

Well...

I wasn't trying to get in her business.

I'm gonna help her out.

Here, this should help

you get a little bit.

- Uh, no no no. I can't take that.

- It's the South, baby.

You can take it.

It'll help out a little bit.

No no no, thank you.

I'm gonna go

check on my kids.

Vera! $10, Vera? $10!

What is she gonna do

with $10, Vera?

First of all, she gonna buy

that kid a box of perm.

- You see that child's head?!

- She has dreads.

Dreads.

Let me spell that for you:

N-A-P-P-Y.

Pshh!

Uh-oh, watch the tree.

All right, this game's points.

- Be nice to him. Don't be...

- Whoa whoa whoa.

- Oh!

- Oooh!

What happened?

- Oh, I see what happened.

- Hey!

- Did you win?

- You know it, Mama.

Aw, that's my baby.

You said you want some of this?

I got on my clothes,

my basketball clothes. You ready?

Come on.

Gimme the ball.

You... don't stand there

looking like you ain't never seen this.

Come on.

You wanna play?

Hey.

Hey.

Harry, Brenda;

Brenda, Harry.

Harry's a friend of the family.

- We met already.

- Oh yeah?

In Chicago. She kicked me

out of her house...

when I told her her son had

potential to play pro ball.

And what, you didn't

believe him?

If Harry says it's true,

then it's the truth.

So, what, you decided

to stalk us?

No.

- This is where I live.

- What?

Harry, you see him foul me?

You fouled me. Didn't...

you seen him, Harry?

He fouled me.

You hit me on the leg.

Excuse me.

Let me go ref this game.

Game point!

I'd still like to take

you out to lunch.

Dinner's ready, you guys.

That's my cue.

I'm coming, Cora!

Ooh.

Michael, come on. It's time

for dinner. I need you to wash up.

- All right.

- It was really good seeing you again.

Harry.

- Huh?

- Harry.

Harry.

Sly dog. Ha ha ha!

- I'll talk to you after dinner.

- Whoa whoa whoa!

Man, hey hey.

You didn't hear that?

What, is that your way of asking

to stay for dinner?

- Why, thank you.

- Whoa whoa whoa.

If you trying to holler at her, man, you

need to come out of that sweaty shirt.

Right.

- I'll be right back.

- All right.

Hey, I'll save you a seat.

- Hey, right next to her.

- All right.

And that was when we all

cried like babies.

You don't know how

to tell no stories.

L.B., Vera, y'all remember when

Daddy tried to teach us

how to swim?

- No, I don't remember that.

- Oh, I remember.

I remember it because it was

like it was yesterday.

I remember it was

Christmas Eve, 19...

1940-something,

whatever.

I remember.

Daddy said he couldn't get us

nothing for Christmas.

So he come in and he said,

"I'm gonna get the truck ready."

- He loaded up horse on the truck.

- Uh-huh.

You know, we ain't have

no engine in the truck.

We just had a, you know,

old one-horsepower truck.

- That was the horse.

- Giddy-up.

Yeah, giddy-up, giddy-up.

We went down to that river.

I didn't want to jump in right off.

That water was 50-below zero!

- Whoo!

- Sho'nuff.

Daddy got out there and he said,

"Get in the water!"

And I said, "I ain't

getting in that water!"

And he looked at me, he had

an extension cord in his hand.

I didn't want to be no disobedient.

So I got to that water

and I looked at it,

and I teenched up there

and then I teeter-tottered.

- Whoo.

- I teeter-tottered.

Teeter-totter, next thing

you know...

bang!

I never learned to swim.

I couldn't get the rhythm

of the stroke.

Why is it that I felt

that I might choke?

Mr. Brown is crazy.

Harry, how is your mother?

- She's good.

- Uh-huh.

I'm glad she's good 'cause I know

she almost had a heart attack

when she heard about all that trouble

you were in with all that illegal...

Mama! Want some cake?

Gimme the part

where they got that rum

sopped up in there. Gimme that piece.

Gimme just that rum piece.

I'm just glad to see you all right

'cause I was praying for you.

That prayer didn't get

no higher than the ceiling.

- Mom.

- What, baby?

- I got a tummy ache.

- Oh, honey,

that's probably

because you ate too much.

- Let me get you something.

- Don't worry about it, Ma.

- I'll take care of her.

- Thank you.

Young man, you know

where you going?

Oh, yes, sir.

Excuse me a minute.

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