Pinky Page #4

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Pay no attention to her

worrisome ways, sugar. She

don't mean nothin' by it.

She means to put me

in my place and keep me there...

just as she's kept you

all these years.

Oh, Pinky child, when folks

is real friends, there ain't

no such thing as place.

(Man)

Hello? Anybody home?

Miss Johnson?

I beg your pardon.

You're Miss PinkyJohnson?

Yes, sir.

You're looking for me?

- I'm Dr. Canady from over in Leesburg.

- How do you do, Doctor?

My wife and I heard you

were here. We'd like you to come

over to the house to dinner.

- Well, that's...

- If you'll just set the date...

any night that's convenient.

I'm on a case now,

and after that, I'm going away.

When you come back then.

Your being here is the best news

we had in a long time.

We had some girls over in Leesburg,

high school graduates...

with no chance

for regular training.

- With your help, we can

set up a real nursing school.

- It's out of the question.

- You see.

- Excuse me. How are you

and your family these days?

- Fine, thank you, Aunt Dicey.

- You see, l...

I'm not planning

to come back.

I see. I have never been north.

I took my M.D. at Meharry.

I was tempted to go, of course,

but I felt my job was here.

These girls I was telling you about, it's

gonna be kind of hard to disappoint them.

I'm sorry, but my plans

are all made.

Well, good luck

to you, Miss Johnson.

(Miss Em)

Get the feet.

Mind that candlestick.

My great-grandfather bought that when

they sold Thomas Jefferson's things.

Things. Hmm.

They last longer than people.

This furniture was made

to present to Henry Clay...

if he was elected,

but the voters thought different...

and Grandfather bought it

at auction.

Look what you've done.

My best brooch.

Well, you've looked

at it long enough.

- What do you think of it?

- It's very nice, Miss Em.

Don't be evasive. I want the truth.

What do you think of it?

It's one of those rather clever

imitations one can buy in

the chain stores for a dollar.

Ninety-eight cents.

Any fool would know that.

Now, go dust that center table.

Bring me a pitcher of water.

Miss Em, I've already done

those things, and you know it.

- Don't be impudent.

- It isn't impudent to say what's true.

I'm a trained nurse,

and I won't be spoken to like that.

You don't like it here;

why did you come?

Because my grandmother said

she'd whip the living daylights

out of me if I didn't.

(Chuckles)

That Dicey. Nobody like her.

Did she really say that?

- That's the sort of answer

you want to hear, isn't it?

- No.

I prefer the truth.

You forgot that fre screen.

Don't be so upset.

I'll be dead soon...

and you'll be free

to go back north again.

Going to give up your nursing

when you get back up yonder?

Nursing's my profession. In certain

places, a nurse is treated with respect.

Nobody deserves respect as long as

she pretends to be something she isn't.

How I live my life

is my own business, Miss Em.

Course it is. It isn't your husband's

business or your children's.

You can go now, Pinky. I'll be all right

till your grandmother comes.

You can't dismiss me as you did

when I was a child and you drove

me out of your garden.

Oh, you remember.

Yes. Very clearly.

What do you want me to do,

stay here and live this sort

of life when I don't have to?

just prove you're addicted

to the truth, like you pretend.

Wherever you are, be yourself.

What am I then? You tell me.

You're the ones that set

the standards, you whites.

You're the ones that judge people

by the color of their skins.

By your own standards,

by the only ones that matter

to you, I'm as white as you are.

That's why you all hate me.

What should I do? Dye my face?

Grovel and shuffle?

Say "yes'm" and "no'm"?

Marry some man likeJake Waters?

Carry a razor in my stocking?

Nobody hates you, Pinky.

Don'tjust stand there.

When you leave the room, go quickly.

I hate dawdling.

Pat!

- Oh, darling.

- Oh, if you only knew what

I went through fnding you.

What's wrong? What got into you,

running off like that?

- How did you fnd me?

- I got your old address

from the nuns' school...

and then that crazy telegram

came, signed PinkyJohnson.

- Why "Pinky"?

- I didn't send you any wire.

Come on.

Come on up to the house.

What's it all about, Pat?

I can see you're working, but why here?

Why didn't you want me to know?

What are you doing, charity work?

No. I live here.

Is that it? Is it because

you were ashamed of telling me

you lived in a place like this?

I often wondered why you never

spoke about your home and family, but...

Don't you know who lives

in this kind of house?

Come on in.

Come here, Tom.

There's an old colored woman

who can't read or write...

a washerwoman

people around here call Aunt Dicey.

There's the basket she carries her

clothes in. There's the ironing board.

And those are the heavy irons

she heats on that old wood stove.

Year in and year out,

she's washed and ironed...

and carried her clean clothes

to people's back doors...

through rain and cold

and the heat of summer.

And she saved her money and lived

on scraps white people gave her.

Why? For me. So she could

send me off to school...

so I could learn to be a nurse.

So her granddaughter would be spared

the kind of life she's had to live.

- Her granddaughter?

- Yes. Her granddaughter.

Me.

Now you understand.

- Pat...

- My name is Pinky.

She's coming.

Tom, please... please go.

- I don't want her to fnd you here.

- I've got a car. We'll drive.

- No. No.

- Not until you tell me

the whole story. Come on, Pat.

And then, that day at the hospital,

I met you for the frst time.

At frst, I tried to keep you away,

even to the point of being rude.

That's true,

isn't it? Remember?

But you wouldn't give up.

I thought I could take the chance

of seeing you, being with you.

I'd never been in love. I never

dreamed it would ever be serious.

When I found it was, a kind of daring

came over me, with your love.

So I thought I could have everything.

For a few weeks I believed it...

until you wanted

to get married right away.

Remember? You said I'd have

to make up my mind sometime.

Then I realized what

my decision would have to be.

So I ran.

- Poor Pat...

- I'm not looking for pity, and

don't tell me it doesn't matter.

- I couldn't stand that.

- I won't lie to you.

Of course it matters.

It makes... makes problems,

important problems.

- But let's try and face them

like rational people.

- (Scoffs) Rational.

What's rational about prejudice?

I don't think I'm prejudiced.

I'm a doctor and I hope

enough of a scientist...

not to believe in the mythology

of superior and inferior races.

It is a tricky business, though.

You never know what exists

deep down inside yourself.

I want to be absolutely sure

nothing like that exists inside of me.

You'd be so easy to hurt, Pat.

In this case, too much kindness

could easily be misunderstood...

and hurt worse

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