Mississippi Masala Page #3

---

or talk about him?

- Is Harry Patel a good dancer? - Yeah.

Like him?

No.

lt doesn't happen in a day, you know.

Happened with Pa and you.

With this attitude

you'll never find anyone.

You say that Indian was ripe for

plucking and you ain't do nothing?

She did look pretty good, though.

T-Bone, what you think?

All a man got on his mind is

just getting in a woman's pants?

- That ain't all he's got on his

mind. - You got a leash on your mind.

She don't want you no more.

She got a geri-curl head,

wigwam boy from Jackson.

Sylvester Artiste ill,

record producer.

You need a geri-curl, boy.

- You gonna make me late again?

- Pa, she ain't going nowhere.

- Good morning, Tyrone.

- Pop, how you doing?

Oh, Lord

grant peace to every

living creature under the sun.

Hey, fellows.

l want you to try something special.

Relax. Sit down.

Your people are very

good at sports, no?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Freddy Brown from downtown.

- Hector Macho Man Camacho. -

Macho ain't black. He's Mexican?

- He's Puerto Rican. - Puerto Rican.

Black, brown, yellow, Mexican,

Puerto Rican, all the same.

As long as you're not white,

it means you are colored.

- Isn't that so? - Yeah.

Yeah, l guess.

A girl had an accident with

your van yesterday. Correct?

But no damage was done to your

person or to your van. Correct?

- That's right. - Thank God.

The person whose car she was

driving is my very good friend.

- Also Indian. You get me? - No.

He is worried

because in this country,

people are suing all the time.

Yeah, l got you now.

Yeah, this is good tea.

l didn't mean to laugh.

You tell your friend he ain't

got nothing to worry about.

l told him. l told him not to worry.

You are a good man.

All us people of color

must stick together.

That's right.

Because you and your brothers,

you all done all right by us.

And me and my brothers, we

gonna do all right by y'all.

United we stand. Divided we fall.

That's right. Right on,

brother. Power to the people.

What a brother.

Power to the people.

Anil.

l spoke to him. It's all okay.

All right.

- Hello. - Is that Demetrius?

- Yes, ma'am. Who's this? - Mina.

Oh, Mina, hey. What's up?

l just wanted to say thanks.

You know, the other night?

Thanks for dropping me home.

- Yeah, okay. Bye. - Wait a

minute, hold on, now. Relax.

Relax. Wait a minute.

l ain't gonna sue.

- What? - Hello?

Yeah, l'm here.

Look, what you doing

Sunday afternoon?

Sunday Nothing much.

Would you come to my house and

have dinner with me and my family?

l'd love to.

Mina.

My father always used to say:

They can take everything from you

but they can't take away your education.

Papa, please.

Mina

you are too intelligent to

waste your life cleaning bathrooms.

lt makes me feel l failed you as a father.

Look, Pa, there's nothing

wrong with cleaning bathrooms.

When you win your case

and you get your money

l'll think about college.

Okay?

Sure is hot today, man.

Give me that. Give me that wrench.

- Sh*t, look at this carburetor. - Hi.

- What's up, Jay? - Hey, Skillet.

How's the lawsuit?

Those n*ggers paid up yet?

Oh, yeah.

So as long as l can see those

dimples today, l'm doing just fine.

Go on, now. Go drink your beer.

See you, Skillet.

All right.

Jaymini.

Anil phoned me again.

Same old complaint.

We must talk to Mina.

She's so rude to him all the time,

and l owe him so much money still.

What?

Where did this come from?

lt's always been here.

How long you been in Mississippi?

Three years.

- And before that? India? - No,

before that l was in England.

- And before that l was in Africa. - Yeah?

- l've never been to India.

- Never been to India?

- No. - You kidding.

No, l'm not.

l'm a mix Masala.

Mix Masala, huh?

What's that? One of them kind

of, religious thing or?

- What? - No.

lt's a bunch of hot spices.

You hot and spicy, huh?

Yeah, mix Masala.

That's what l'm gonna call you.

l told you. It's the Mexican

l mean, that Indian girl.

Damn.

Everybody, this is Mina.

She's from England

and India and Africa.

Anywhere else you're from?

- l'm his father. Williben.

- Nice to meet you.

Pleased to meet you.

- Meet the family. - Go on.

- Dexter, you turned that

chicken over? - Yeah, Money.

- This is my sister Rose. - Mina.

- Hello. - Hello.

- She tough, watch out for

her. - Don't pay him any mind.

- This is Dexter, my youngest son. - Hi.

- You're from Africa? - l

was born there and then

Tyrone.

- You remember me.

- What's going on?

- Bring the food.

- It's coming, Granddaddy.

- Bring the food.

- Coming!

We waiting on Alicia.

lf l say l'm going to dinner

for someone's birthday

l'll be sure to be on time.

Alicia's busy, Aunt Rose.

She's moving up in the world.

l never did like that girl. Anybody

change their name to LeShay

- You got a mean old mouth. -

l say the truth like l see it.

Where's the food? Where's the food?

While they blew money up their noses,

Eddie had his head on his shoulders.

- Eddie Murphy. - That's why

l ain't going back to L.A.

l'm biding my time here in Greenwood

until l learn how to handle

success. You understand?

l'm hanging around here too. You

know, until l get myself situated.

l'll go see if they need help in the kitchen.

You need any help with that help?

Because l'm right here. Yeah.

Man, just looking at her

make me break into a sweat.

Don't sweat all over the chicken.

l can't wait to see Alicia's

face when she see her.

When Alicia comes back to

you, you can pass Mina to me.

Like she a bag of

groceries or something?

You so righteous,

you should've been a preacher.

l tell you what,

you should go out with Alicia.

l tell you something,

l already been out with her.

He's about the nicest man

a girl could ever ask for.

- We're just friends.

- Did l say any different?

He was all set to go to Jackson State.

When his mama died, he didn't

wanna leave his daddy alone

because that's the kind of boy he is.

Now, l made a vow to Grace that

l would look after her boy.

And l've been like a

mother to him ever since.

Doing so well now,

with his own business

makes me right proud of him.

lt's not easy, you know?

Sometimes,

no matter how hard you work

things have a way of going wrong.

That's when you gotta know how to

make them right. Know what l mean?

Lord

bless this gathering

and remember our

dear departed Grace.

Amen. Let's eat.

- Granddaddy. - Did you say

you were from Indianola?

- No. India. - You have to

yell. He don't hear good.

- India. - Indiana?

lndia.

Where're the biscuits?

What's Africa like? It's

not like Shaka Zulu is it?

Some places.

You know, they got cities too.

- We used to live in Kampala. -

Isn't that where Idi Amin is from?

Y'all hush with all the questions.

Let the girl eat her food.

l'm going to Africa one

day to see Nelson Mandela.

Then l can say l saw

somebody for sure!

Who gonna pay for the ticket?

Welfare?

Young lady, tell me.

How come they got Indians in Africa?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes