Nothing But a Man Page #3

DUFF:

Anyway, they can't get to you if you keep movin'!

Josie laughs.

FRONT YARD, DAWSON HOUSE

It is raining. Duff and Josie dash up the path to the front door.

DAWSON PARLOR:

Duff and Josie barge in out of the rain and find themselves face to face with

Reverend Dawson and a middle-aged white man - Superintendent Johnson.

JOSIE:

Oh, I'm sorry.

JOHNSON:

Come on in, Josie. We're all through.

JOSIE:

Daddy - this is Duff Anderson.

REVEREND DAWSON:

Hello.

DUFF:

How are you?

REVEREND DAWSON:

All right, son.

JOSIE:

This is Mr. Johnson, our school superintendent.

JOHNSON:

(with a friendly smile)

How are you?

JOSIE:

I'll be right back.

She leaves.

JOHNSON:

So you're courtin' the preacher's girl. Well,

just watch your step, boy, or he'll preach you

right into hell.

(to Reverend Dawson)

I'm counting on you, Reverend.

REVEREND DAWSON:

I understand.

JOHNSON:

Wouldn't do for one of your people to sue at a

time like this.

REVEREND DAWSON:

I know.

JOHNSON:

(on his way out)

I'll talk to the Mayor.

REVEREND DAWSON:

That'll make the folks very happy.

Johnson leaves.

Reverend Dawson sits down in a rocker.

REVEREND DAWSON:

It's hard to know how to talk to the white folks

these days.

DUFF:

Guess it's never been easy.

REVEREND DAWSON:

It's a changing time. Sit down, son.

DUFF:

Thank you.

He sits down opposite Reverend Dawson.

REVEREND DAWSON:

Well, it looks like we'll be getting our new

school.

DUFF:

How come you all ain't sendin' them to the same

school?

REVEREND DAWSON:

Well, you've got to go easy. We haven't had any

trouble in town for eight years, and we're not

going to have any now.

DUFF:

Can't live without trouble, can you?

(he sees he is on

the wrong track)

Nice place you got here. Real nice.

REVEREND DAWSON:

Yes, the Lord's been pretty good to us. I

guess you're a church man, aren't you?

DUFF:

I guess I ain't.

REVEREND DAWSON:

Why? Don't you believe in the Lord?

DUFF:

Aw, I do. But 'seems to me us colored folks do

a whole lot of church-goin'. It's the whites

that need it real bad.

REVEREND DAWSON:

I think if you tried livin' in a town like this,

instead of running free and easy, you'd soon

change your tune.

DUFF:

I doubt it.

REVEREND DAWSON:

I see.

(rising)

Well, I guess we don't have much to say to each

other.

DUFF:

I guess not.

REVEREND DAWSON:

And since we're talking, my wife and I don't

want you hanging around our daughter.

DUFF:

Well, that figures.

(he too stands up)

Kind of fits in with everything else, don't it!

DAWSON PORCH:

Duff comes out. Josie joins him a moment later.

JOSIE:

I'm sorry.

DUFF:

Ain't your fault.

JOSIE:

That's the way he is.

DUFF:

Yeah. It's just like I figured.

JOSIE:

What d'you mean?

DUFF:

Hell, I don't belong here. I don't know what I'

been thinkin'.

JOSIE:

Look, Duff - if you're free, I'm not working

tomorrow.

DUFF:

Sorry, baby. I'm goin' to Birmingham.

JOSIE:

Just for the day?

DUFF:

Goin' to see my kid.

JOSIE:

I didn't know you had one.

DUFF:

Yeah. Well, I do.

JOSIE:

Are you married?

DUFF:

No, I ain't married.

(leaving)

Well, good-bye.

COURTHOUSE SQUARE (Morning sunshine)

A bus has pulled in.

INT. BUS

Duff is making his way down the aisle. To his surprise, he comes upon Josie,

who is sitting at a window with an empty seat next to her.

DUFF:

(with a grin)

Well, what-do-you-know?

JOSIE:

Surprised?

DUFF:

No. Women're always followin' me 'round.

JOSIE:

I'm just going in to do my shopping.

DUFF:

Yeah, it's just a coincidence.

JOSIE:

That's right.

DUFF:

(moving on)

I'll see you later.

JOSIE:

Come here, Duff. No point running away from

coincidence.

He sits down next to her.

DUFF:

Baby, you must be crazy.

The bus starts up.

JOSIE:

How old is your boy?

DUFF:

Four.

JOSIE:

What's he like?

DUFF:

I ain't seen him in a couple of years.

ALLEYWAY, BIRMINGHAM

Duff is walking past crowded back-porches in a black section of town. Gospel

music.

He steps up onto one of the porches and knocks at the screen door.

EFFIE'S PARLOR

Through the screen door we see EFFIE SIMMS, a woman in her twenties. She is

sitting on a chair and cradles a sleeping child.

DUFF:

'You Effie Simms?

EFFIE:

(suspiciously)

What d'you want?

DUFF:

Guess you must be lookin' after my boy. I'm

Duff Anderson.

EFFIE:

'Bout time you showed. Door's open.

Duff enters.

EFFIE:

(calling)

James Lee, you come in here and meet your daddy.

DUFF:

Where's Wilma?

EFFIE:

She done moved to Detroit.

DUFF:

Ain't she goin' to take the boy?

EFFIE:

She got herself a husband now. They don' want

him 'round. And I tell you, man, I got no use

for him neither.

DUFF:

I been sendin' her money.

EFFIE:

Well, she never gave me none. Look, you better

find him a place pretty quick.

DUFF:

Like where?

EFFIE:

I don't know. He's your boy.

DUFF:

I ain't so sure of that. If I was, maybe I'd

feel different.

Effie gives him a scornful look, puts down the child, and opens the curtain

that leads into the bedroom.

EFFIE:

(sharply)

James Lee - I said for you to come in here.

BEDROOM:

Two children are playing on the floor. James Lee is up on a Castro

convertible.

Duff appears beside Effie in the doorway.

DUFF:

How 'you been, boy?

James Lee looks at him, scared and silent.

EFFIE:

Go on. Tell him.

She returns to the parlor.

DUFF:

I got you something.

He crouches down and holds out a toy. James Lee approaches, takes the toy,

and withdraws.

EFFIE'S PARLOR

Effie is folding diapers. Duff comes out of the bedroom.

EFFIE:

'Doctor says he could use some shots.

DUFF:

Yeah. Look, I'll be sendin' you the money from

now on.

EFFIE:

Okay.

DUFF:

Make sure he gets those shots.

He looks back at the boy in the bedroom.

EFFIE:

They say your dad's 'round town.

DUFF:

'That right? I thought he was up North.

EFFIE:

People seen him 'round.

DUFF:

Where's he at?

EFFIE:

I don't know.

STREET:

Duff is walking through a black section of town.

EXT. TENEMENT STAIRS

Duff climbs to the top of the rickety wooden steps.

WILL ANDERSON'S ROOM

Duff's father, a big man in his fifties, is reclining on the bed.

Duff appears in the open doorway.

DUFF:

'You Will Anderson?

WILL:

Who're you?

DUFF:

I'm Duff.

WILL:

(sitting up, with

a faint grin)

Wouldn't have known you.

DUFF:

Wouldn't have known you.

WILL:

What's on your mind?

DUFF:

Nothing. Heard you were in town.

WILL:

Wanted a look at your old man, huh?

DUFF:

Yeah. That's right.

Will gets up and crosses the room.

WILL:

How about a drink?

DUFF:

Okay.

Will pours whiskey into two glasses. Duff sees that Will's left sleeve hangs

empty.

DUFF:

What happened?

WILL:

Workin' a saw mill.

(raising his glass)

Here's to.

A woman in her late thirties (LEE) comes in with a shopping bag.

WILL:

Baby - want you to meet Duff.

LEE:

(flatly)

Hi.

WILL:

He's my son!

She turns and looks at Duff with a glimmer of interest.

LEE:

Come and have some coffee.

(sitting down)

I'm Lee. Sit down.

He joins her.

LEE:

Come on, Will.

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