Mudbound Page #8

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You ever been with a white girl?

Sh*t, well... I'll be damned. Huh?

-Oh, yeah? Tell me.

-[sniffles]

Army gave us separate barracks,

separate blood supply, separate latrines.

[clicks tongue and chuckles]

But them European girls

didn't have a problem with us at all.

One day, we were up in Wimborne,

old English girl walked past

and slapped me right on my butt.

Never laid eyes on her.

Said the white GI's told her

that we was more monkey than human.

And she was checking for a tail.

-[Jamie laughing]

-[chuckles]

I'm sorry to laugh.

So every opportunity we got,

we showed 'em just how human we were.

-Yep.

-German girls, too, huh?

Mm-hmm.

Uh-oh.

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

I seen that look before.

-Huh?

-[sniffles]

She must have been somethin' special.

[chuckles softly]

[sniffles]

But that was then, this is now,

and I guess I'm right where I should be.

Yep. [sighs]

Right where I need to be.

Throwing my life away.

[sighs]

-I'll get you back safe, Rog.

-I'll hold you to that.

[Jamie] We got some coming on the left!

[Roger] They took out the tail gunner!

[Jamie] Roger, come on, talk to me!

Oh, sh*t.

[groans]

We'll get it hauled out tomorrow, Henry.

[sighs] I'm sorry.

[Hap] Check? All right.

It's half past nine.

You just now gettin' up?

So I guess you gonna lay around all day

while your brothers and sisters work?

Hmm?

What's wrong with you, son?

What's wrong with you, boy?

Letter came for you.

Says it's all the way from Germany.

[Hap scoffs] Germany.

Who's, uh, Resl? Ress...

[stammers] Is that a man or a woman?

How you... R-E-S-L. Ressil, Reecil...

How you pronounce that?

Somebody that I knew.

Where... Where you goin'?

-[Ronsel] I'll be back!

-[door opens]

-Ronsel!

-[door closes]

-[scoffs]

-[Jamie chuckling]

Oh, you think it's funny, do you?

Spilling good milk.

Well, you know what they say.

"No use crying over it."

Yeah, at least,

when it's somebody else's, that is.

What do I... what do I owe you here,

like, a buck fifty? Maybe two?

Let's just make it even.

-I'm not talkin' about money!

-What do you want from me?

What's the matter with you? Be a man!

Oh, yeah? One pail of spilled milk

and I ain't a man?

You sure as hell ain't actin' like it!

You come and go as you please,

you disappear for days on end,

and when you are here, you're drunk.

I don't answer to you.

When you're under my roof

and you work on my farm, you do.

Oh, I'm sorry there, Mr. Boss Man.

Ain't my fault your damn farmin' dreams

ain't working out.

Ain't my fault that

your damn cotton fields are flooded out!

You know your problem, Jamie?

You don't know your own worth, brother.

You don't know what a man needs to know.

A man ought to know.

-You better open your eyes, big brother.

-Open my eyes to what?

You're so busy walkin' around here

-like God Almighty...

-Huh?

...worryin' about yourself and your farm,

you can't even see

your own wife is miserable!

-Just watch your mouth.

-[grunts]

-Or what?

-Or what? Huh?

[chuckling]

[Jamie laughing]

-Yep. You know what, brother?

-Yeah?

Fine, Jamie, go.

Be whatever kind of man you want to be.

Just do it someplace else.

-That's fine. I'll go to town.

-I'm not talkin' about town.

I'm going to Greenville tomorrow

for a few days to see about livestock.

I'll expect you gone when I get back.

-[Jamie laughing]

-[jazz playing on radio]

What's wrong with you?

[Jamie continues laughing]

You should have seen the look

on your face.

It ain't funny.

Au contraire, my friend. It is indeed.

You about crazy as hell.

Well, I can't argue with that.

What you...

What you doin' walking in the rain?

[sighs]

It don't matter.

What's the matter with you?

What's the worst thing you ever did?

Something bad.

Real bad and you knew

it was gonna hurt someone...

but you did it anyway.

Leavin' this woman right here.

Well, I'll be.

Congratulations, you're a father.

His name's Franz.

Franz, that's a good name.

What you gonna do now?

-She wants me to come back to Germany.

-That's a long haul.

Yeah.

Long way.

So, what about you?

What's the worst thing you ever done?

Who, me? I'm a saint.

[scoffs] I bet. I bet.

[jazz continues playing]

[both]

Won't you come home, Bill Bailey?

Won't you come home?

She moans the whole day long

I'll do the cooking, honey

I'll pay the rent

I know I've done you wrong

Sh*t, put your head down.

You think they seen us?

I don't know.

Well, here we are.

[sighs]

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm leaving town soon.

I wanted to say good luck to you.

You've been a friend.

I want you to know that.

Yeah.

You've been a friend, too.

You might be one of the good ones.

Take care.

I hope you find your way to your boy.

To your family.

Take care of yourself, huh?

You, too.

[door opening]

Hey, Mama.

-You hungry?

-No, I'm good.

Where is everybody?

Gone up to church. Late service.

Hmm.

-Here.

-[piano playing]

-And there he is, drunk again.

-[Amanda] Uncle Jamie!

Hello there, dear family.

Who the hell was that with you

in the truck?

The one I seen you drivin'. Who was it?

Ronsel Jackson. What's it to you?

You wanna tell me why that n*gger

was ridin' upside you in the truck

like two peas in a pod?

He can ride wherever I say. Anything else?

You. You son of a b*tch.

[grunts]

[glass shatters]

-You ain't worth a damn, you know that?

-Yeah, I know that.

Mr. Big, Big War Hero, is ya?

You're nothin' but a damn drunk!

Give me them keys.

[Laura] Just go.

Oh, you want him all to yourself,

huh, gal?

Too bad he's all liquored up.

He can't do you any good.

-I beg your pardon?

-I seen you sniffin' after him.

-Pappy.

-Maybe Henry is too thick to notice,

but I ain't.

[door slams]

[engine turns over]

-You seen the letter, Mama?

-The one from Germany?

Oh, God, okay. All right. Hold on.

Don't fret. Just wait

till your father come back, okay?

Ronsel? Ronsel!

[Laura] Hi, there.

-You'll be here for supper tonight?

-Uh, no.

You goin' someplace?

Yeah. Might, uh, head out west.

Got a war buddy who lives in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles?

Jamie, what are you talking about?

-He didn't tell you?

-Who didn't tell me what?

Henry.

Told me to leave.

-Probably for the best.

-So just like that, you up and leave?

Were you even plannin' on sayin' goodbye?

'Course. First bus don't leave till 2:00.

What about the girls?

This will break their hearts.

Laura, I can't stay here.

I don't...

You don't need to go, Jamie.

[sighs]

[panting]

[horns honking]

-[man 1] Whoo! Come here!

-[man 2] Get him!

[men shouting indistinctly]

-[man 1] Come here, boy!

-[man 2] Get him! Get him!

-[man 1 whooping] Get him! Get him!

-[grunting]

[grunting]

[man 1] Hold him down, boys!

-[man 3] Yeah, punch that n*gger!

-[man 1] Hit that n*gger!

[coughing]

-Get him up.

-Come on.

[Ronsel panting]

Put your shoes on. Come with us.

-Good Lord. You turn him loose.

-[Pappy] Shut up!

Like hell, I will!

You turn him loose, damn it!

-You best listen, son.

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