Pinky Page #3

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Don't be afraid, baby.

We ain't gonna hurt you.

- We just wanna have a little fun, baby.

- Take it easy.

- (Cries Out)

- Come here, honey.

No! No! Stop! Stop!

- Please! Don't! Don't!

- What a build on her.

Let's see your face, baby.

Hold up your face.

Oh, you're pretty.

You're pretty. You're real pretty.

- (Screams)

- What's the matter, baby?

You want a drink?

- Hey, Al, give me that bottle.

- (Grunts)

- (Pinky Shrieking)

- Come back here, gal!

Come on back here, gal!

Ah, let her go.

(Shrieks)

(Shrieks)

(Panting)

(Knocking, Doorknob Rattling)

- (Rattling Continues)

- (Aunt Dicey) Pinky? Pinky?

- (Rattling Continues)

- (Aunt Dicey) Pinky? Pinky?

- Pinky?

- Granny?

Yes.

- What you got the door locked for?

- Granny, what is it?

- What's wrong? Tell me, Granny.

- It's Miss Em. Miss Em, honey.

- What's the matter with her?

- Oh, DocJoe say it's her heart again.

Her heart give out. It happened while

I was puttin' the linen in the closet...

talkin' to her

when she took her spell.

So I run down to the corner fast

as I could, phoned DocJoe.

- He picked me up on the way back.

He come that fast.

- Her heart? How old is she?

Oh, a year or two older

than me maybe.

Course, she never

allow that to my face.

Lord, I kinda hoped you'd take me

before you took Miss Em.

I kinda hoped you would.

Thy will be done.

- Everyone has to die, Granny.

- You're right, baby...

but the least we can do

is ease their passin'.

I'm so glad you're here. Seems

like the Lord sent you here

out of pure goodness.

- Me?

- I say, "DocJoe..." I say,

"Never you mind."

And was I proud to say it.

I say, "Never you mind, sir.

My Pinky's here,

and she's a good nurse."

- So he's sittin' there

waitin' for you right now.

- You told him I'd nurse her?

Course, honey. DocJoe say

everything depend on good nursing.

He say she gotta have a trained

nurse, and he can't lay his hand

on one for love or money...

if Miss Em had the money,

which she ain't.

Then tell him to keep right

on looking. I'm not interested.

- But she'll die.

- Then let her die.

- Pinky!

- I didn't mean that, but, Granny,

try to understand my side.

I only came back here because

I hadn't anywhere else to go.

I'd forgotten what it was like.

I've been away a long time.

I've known another kind of life.

I've been treated like a human being.

Try to understand... like an equal.

Don't you see I can't go back

into that house? Haven't

I had enough without that?

Pinky.

I worked long

and hard to give you an education...

and if they done educated

the very heart out you...

everything I've worked

and slaved so hard for is wrong.

Now, hear me!

You're goin' up to Miss Em's!

You're gonna take good care of her,

like the nurse you is...

or I swear on the Holy Bible,

I'll rip the livin' daylights out you!

Yes. I'm going away.

I should never have come back here.

Here. Let me help you.

Kind of wrinkled. Reckon

I'd better run the smoothin' iron...

over it before you pack it.

Kind of pretty too. Must

take a heap of studying,

learning to be a nurse.

The course is three years,

as you know.

- Miss Em didn't have no training at all.

- Why should she?

Her kind never

learns anything useful.

Didn't stop her from nursing me,

though, when I was down sick

with pneumonia, fxin' to die.

Miss Em nursed you?

I'd like to see that.

Where you been living,

child? What sort of stuff

they teach you up yonder?

Have I put in all my work

on you for you to turn out to

be nothin' but low-down trash?

Yes, Pinky.

Miss Em did nurse me.

If you don't believe me,

ask DocJoe. Miss Em stay here,

sleep in your little room.

She cook for me, feed me with a spoon,

wash my poor, tired body.

Even emptied my slops

like she was my loving servant.

Now she's fxin' to die...

and my own grandchild

done hardened her heart agin her.

- Doctor.

- Oh, yes. Glad you could come.

She's at pretty low ebb.

Under the hypo right now.

No fear of disturbing her.

Oh, yes. Pinky, isn't it?

A nurse. Of course.

Your granny's talked a lot

about you, but I didn't realize that...

Uh, some things

I've jotted down here for you.

Really not very much

we can do right now.

She's reached the age where

the mechanism begins to slow down.

If she has another attack...

Have you ever given a hypo?

- I'm a graduate nurse.

- Yes, yes, of course.

Well, I'm very glad to leave

Miss Em with a graduate nurse.

No phone in this house,

and I'm pretty hard to get hold of...

so it'll be a matter

of using your own judgment.

- I understand, Doctor. Your hat.

- Oh, no. Here.

Yes. Thank you.

You know, of course, that Miss Em

can't afford to pay for a trained nurse.

- Or do you?

- I know, Doctor.

Might be some of her old pupils

could pay you something.

Most of them still live...

No, Doctor. It isn't a question of money.

I'm doing it for my grandmother.

- Well, I'll look in tomorrow afternoon.

- Good night, Doctor.

(Clock Chiming)

- Who are you?

- I'm your nurse.

Dicey's girl, Pinky, aren't you?

- Yes.

- Why didn't you say so?

Come over here

and let me see you.

You didn't call yourself Pinky

when you were off up yonder, did you?

- No.

- Speak up. What name did you go by?

Patricia.

Pinky's better.

- What are you doing there?

- Dr. McGill left some pills for you.

You didn't think I'm gonna take

any more ofJoe McGill's stupid dope?

They'll relieve the pain,

Miss Em. You are in pain?

Course I'm in pain. What do you think?

That you die in ease and ecstasy?

- What's this thing on my feet?

- Hot water bottle.

Take it away. I won't have it.

Brick's much better.

Over there on the hearth.

Put it in the embers.

Go to the wardrobe.

Open the door.

Look on the second shelf. You'll fnd

a bit of blanket to cover the brick.

Take your hands out of there.

I said the second shelf.

Miss Em, I'm not dishonest,

if that's what you're implying.

Furthermore, I don't have to...

Miss Em?

Miss Em!

Miss Em.

(Train Whistle Blowing, Distant)

(Aunt Dicey)

Now, make tracks, y'all. Don't

wanna see hide nor hair of ya...

till tomorrow.

- That you, Pinky honey?

- Yes, Granny.

Miss Em ain't...

No. She's better.

Praise the Lord.

Dr. Joe's with her now. He said for me

to come on down and get some rest.

You're supposed to sit with her

for the rest of the afternoon.

- Then you get some sleep, honey.

- I don't feel like sleeping.

What you doing

with my clothes?

With you being so busy

and all, I reckoned I'd unpack for you.

Put them back.

They can stay packed till I leave.

It's only a matter

of a few days, at the most.

DocJoe say that?

A few days?

I can see for myself.

Oh, for heaven's sake, Granny,

it's only a mean old woman.

She's been driving me

and nagging me ever since

she woke up this morning.

She do that?

That's good.

- What's good about it?

- Then she do feel better, sure enough.

Miss Em start feelin' better,

the more "coniferous" she act.

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