Mudbound Page #6

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Ronsel... is that you?

Yes, ma'am, it is, last time I checked.

Oh, I declare, aren't you grown up!

How are ya?

I am mighty fine. How've you been?

Oh, I'm getting' along fine.

I'm getting along fine.

You seen your folks yet?

No, I just wanted to stop by and get 'em

a couple of things before I went home.

Hello, Ronsel. I'm Mrs. McAllan.

Your parents work on our farm.

How you do, ma'am?

Your mother talks about you

all the time. [chuckles]

I know they'll be mighty glad to see you.

Is that everything?

Oh, no. Uh, I just needed to get

some sugar and some candy.

Sugar and candy?

Yes. The sugar's for my mama,

and the candy's for Marlon and Lilly May.

-Figured I'd spoil 'em a little bit.

-[chuckles]

-Sergeant's pay.

-I'm sure they'll appreciate that.

Yes, ma'am.

You have a great day. Mrs. McAllan.

Look what we got here. A jig in a uniform.

Where do you think you're goin', boy?

I beg your pardon, sir. I'm just tryin'

to get home to see my folks.

-Not that way you ain't.

-[Laura] Pappy, this is Ronsel.

Hap and Florence's son.

Just returned from overseas.

Oh, oh!

Well, that explains why you're tryin'

to leave by the front door.

You must be confused

as to your whereabouts.

-No, sir, I'm not confused at all.

-Oh, I think you are, boy.

I don't know

what they let you do over there,

but you're in Mississippi now, n*gger.

You use the back door.

Go on, son.

Son, we don't want no trouble here. Go on.

Go on.

You know what? You're absolutely right.

When we was overseas,

they didn't make us use the back door.

General Patton put us on the front line.

Yes, sir. You know what we did?

We kicked the hell out of Hitler

and them Jerries.

While y'all at home safe and sound.

[Laura] Henry, I'm almost done here.

[Ronsel] Home again, home again.

[Hap] Bless us, O Lord, and these

thy gifts which we are about to receive

from thy bounty through Christ,

our Lord and savior.

And, Lord,

thank you for the sun you've been sending

to make the cotton grow,

and for the health of all here present.

And, Lord Jesus,

please watch over my boy Ronsel,

wherever in creation he may be.

[Ronsel] Amen.

[Lilly gasps] Ronsel!

[Ronsel chuckles] Hey, hey, hey.

Oh, my baby! [laughing]

Oh, look at you. You're so grown.

-[Lilly May] Handsome, too.

-Lilly May! Hey.

Oh, Marlon, look at you.

You about my size. You shot up, huh?

-What'd you get them medals for?

-How was the trip home?

[Marlon] For killing Germans?

-Why you ain't tell us you was coming?

-[Hap] Quit fussing over him now...

and let him come say hello to his father.

[both crying]

I knew you'd come. I prayed for it.

Thank you, God. [breathes deeply]

Look at you.

Look at you.

[both laughing]

[breathing heavily]

What in the devil happened to you?

[grunts]

Mom, I brought you some groceries.

Oh, thank you, baby.

[laughing]

[Florence] Come on, sit down.

Providence. [laughing]

-Want some rice?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-[Hap] Thank you, God.

-[Marlon] Amen.

[Hap] I ain't never known you

to smoke, son.

Well, a lot's changed, Pop.

[Florence] You sure you get enough to eat?

[Ronsel] Yes.

I'm stuffed. I used to be dreamin'

about them biscuits, too. [chuckles]

Yeah, I dreamt about you, too.

What'd you see?

You back with us now, safe and sound.

[Hap] Be nice to have

another pair of hands.

With you home, we might can make up

what we lost after my accident.

Pay off the lien, get a new contract,

go back to being tenants next year.

Maybe he got plans of his own.

Let him follow his own mind, Hap.

No, no, Mama.

Yes, of course, I'll stay.

Of course.

Give me time to figure things out

and put this war behind me.

[truck approaching]

[Florence] What's he want now?

[truck door slams]

Evening, Mr. McAllan.

Evening, Hap. Florence.

This our son Ronsel I told you about.

[Henry] Yeah, we already met.

-Hap, I'd better speak to you alone.

-Huh.

I'm not a child, sir.

Anything you can say to my daddy,

you can say in front of me.

[Henry] All right, then. You're asking for

a whole heap of trouble...

acting the way you did

at Tricklebank's earlier.

Now, I know

you don't want that kinda trouble.

Not for yourself, or for your family.

Boy, what'd you do?

He couldn't have done anything.

-I just tried to walk out the door is all.

-The front door.

When my father and another man

corrected him, he gave a fine speech.

Put us all in our places, didn't you?

Is that true?

Then I reckon you best apologize.

I'm sorry, sir.

All right.

My father's gonna want an apology, too.

Ronsel will pay him a visit

after church tomorrow, sir.

Won't you, son?

Yes, sir.

-Welcome home.

-Thank you, sir.

[Henry] You have a good night.

No point in fightin'.

They just gonna win every time.

[truck door slams]

Just not used to walking away

from a fight, Daddy, that's all.

Not no more.

[Mrs. Tricklebank] How long you been back?

Oh, just couple of weeks.

Mm-hmm. And how are you liking Marietta?

Oh, it's a lovely little town.

Just lovely.

Oh, I got that one right there.

Put that there.

Much obliged, Miss Tricklebank.

You have yourself a wonderful day.

-Take care.

-Yeah.

-[car backfires]

-[Jamie grunts]

[man 1] Look at that.

-[man 2] What's that about?

-[man 1] What's wrong with him?

[Jamie panting]

[man 1]

He must've just come back from the war.

[Ronsel] It's all right.

It's just a car. It must've backfired.

Stuck intake valve.

They say it stops eventually.

You're Ronsel. Hap's son.

Jamie McAllan. Henry's Brother.

Pleasure to meet you.

You walk here?

Yes.

Let me give you a lift.

Come on.

[men muttering]

[engine starting]

[music playing on radio]

[on radio] This is Bob Dunning

with the highlights

for the 15th Annual All-Star Game.

-Come on up front!

-I'm fine right where I am.

Get in, soldier. That's an order.

[commentator]

In the National League, heavy artillery.

John Mize, Walker Cooper,

Ralph Kiner and Stan Musial.

The American League pioneers,

Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio,

George Kell and Lou Boudreau.

-How'd you know you outrank me?

-I was a captain.

They got Negro captains.

I served under plenty of 'em.

Well, you obeyed my order.

I bet you was a sergeant.

761st Tank Battalion.

"Come Out Fighting."

We spearheaded for General Patton.

You?

I flew B-25s.

So, Sergeant, how do you like

being back here in the delta?

Yeah, me, too.

-Heard you and my pappy had some words.

-I apologized for that.

He's a disagreeable son of a b*tch.

I'm sure he had it coming.

-Here's to you.

-I'm fine, thank you.

Boy, you always this stubborn,

or just around white people

tryin' to be nice?

Go on.

Now, what kind of NCO are you?

[grunts]

[chuckles] Now, don't waste it, now.

That's my medicine.

I need every drop.

You tanker boys ever piss in your helmets?

[Ronsel coughs]

-Plenty of times.

-We had a relief tube up in the cockpit.

Sometimes it was easier just to go

in our flak helmets.

But at 20,000 feet,

that piss freezes solid

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