Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire Page #3

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so l came here to stay out of trouble.

So you came here to Harlem

to stay out of trouble? ls that right?

Yeah.

-Consuelo?

-This is bul lshit.

You think so?

Claireece?

Can l skip, too?

Joann?

Okay. l'm Joann . Hey.

My favorite color is fluorescent beige

and my ambition is to have

my own record layer.

What's a record layer?

Tell us where you come from

and why you come to this school.

l was born i n Kings Cou nty Hospital,

but my mother moved us to Harlem

when l was nine.

l'm here to get my G ED, and then . . .

Well, l'm already into the music industry.

l'm just trying to take oare of

this little education thing so l can move up.

Let's beg in . This is ABE.

Can l go?

l wish I could sit

in the back of the class again.

My name Claireece ''Precious'' Jones.

l go by Precious.

l live in Harlem . l like yellow.

And l had problems at my other school,

so l come here.

Something you do well?

Nothing.

Everybody's good at something.

Come on.

Well , l oan cook. And. . .

l never really talked in class before.

How does that make you feel?

Here.

lt makes me feel here.

Everybody open their journal.

Write the date at the top of the page,

and write.

l don't care if you spell everything wrong.

l don't care if it's grammatically incorrect.

But just write.

Write anything that you're feeling.

This class will be a revolving door.

Some of you will make it

and some of you won't.

Fifteen min utes. Go.

Before, l got a A-minus at English,

and l didn 't have to say nothing.

Ms. Rain saId we gonna read

and write in our notebooks every day.

How we supposed to do that?

But then she see the worry on my face

and she say,

''The longest journey

begin with a singIe step. ''

Whatever the f*** that's supposed to mean.

Come on , come on , do the work.

You love it, love it, learn it.

Consuelo?

''C'' for Consuelo.

''C'' for kiok your ass.

lt's ''K'' for kick your ass, stupid.

l got the ''D,'' Ms. Rain.

''D'' for dick.

Ms. Rai n , tell this little-ass b*tch

that she don't know me.

Which you wish you had.

-Help her.

-''E.''

''E.''

''E.''

''F'' for fat.

What?

Good.

Hey! Hey! Hey! Q u it it! Hey!

-What?

-Hey, you stop it right now!

-You f***ing. . .

-Q uit it!

-She just hit me!

-Drop it!

Shut the f*** up!

She just slapped me!

Get out.

We don't fight i n my class. Sit down.

''C'' for cold.

Do you live with anybody?

My mother.

What does she do?

She don't do nothing.

l want you to read a page from this book.

Try.

All l need you to do is sound out

these words for me.

You don't have to know every word.

You just have to. . . lt doesn't matter

if you stumble or. . . Try for me. . .

. . .or trip up on it.

You just need to say what you know.

Come on . You can do this.

Try. Take it word by word .

-Are you listening to me?

-Precious!

l just wanna know where you are

in your readi ng skills.

'Cause l'm looking at your test scores. . .

Some higher f***ing learning.

You're a dumb b*tch!

Try to read, okay?

Just help me and then I can help you.

We'll start from scratch. Word for word.

l want you better than you r mother.

-l'm gonna call the nurse.

-No.

lt all look the same to me.

What's this?

l can't do that, Ms. Rain.

push yourself.

A.

What's this word?

Do you know the letters? Come on.

''D .''

''A.''

''Y.''

Do you know that word?

''Day.''

What word is that?

Ate. Ate.

Good . Almost. The word is ''At.''

''At.''

''The.''

Sound it out.

''Beach.''

The word is ''Shore.''

lt's almost like ''Beaoh.''

Very good.

Now, read the whole thing for me.

''A

''Day

''At The

''Shore.''

Get your big ass in here.

Where was you at this morning?

You hear me talking to you?

Where was you at this morning?

School. l was at school.

You a lying whore.

-l'm not lying.

-You is.

The welfare done called here saying

they gonna remove you from my budget

'cause you ain't been

attending school regularly.

l told you l got kicked out.

l been home nearly every day

for two weeks now.

You ai n't told me nothing

about no damn school today.

l told you l was going

to school this morning.

You plan on putting some food

in that frying pan?

Precious, you got something

you wanna say?

-No.

-Then don't be slamming sh*t down in here.

You u nderstand?

Yes, ma'am.

You need to forget about that school sh*t

and take your ass down to the welfare.

l'm getti ng a stipend from school.

Fool, what the f*** is a stipend?

What is that?

F*** a sti pend .

l said take your ass down to the welfare.

Right now?

Why in the f*** would you go right now?

It's at n ighttime. Sh*t is closed.

You gotta be there by 7:00 a. m.

in the morning

if you wanna talk to somebody.

F***ing stupid.

You thi n k you're too good now?

ls that what it is?

You think you is too good for the welfare?

There's more wh ite folk getting assistance

than it is n*ggers, Ms. Onassis.

l think l said therapy. . .

Hurry your ass up.

l am i n here f***ing starving.

Now what you gonna do

if l die of starvation?

Where you gonna go after that?

l forgot. School.

Eaoh. . . What that b*tch say?

Each one do what?

Each one teach one?

Well, they don't know

who the f*** they teaching,

'cause you can't learn sh*t.

Keep on listening to them white people.

That's what's gonna get you f***ed up.

Precious, l'm hungry.

You ain't cooked no col lard g reens

with the f***ing pigs' feet?

Like, how am l supposed to eat pigs' feet

with no collard greens?

And why in the f*** does that pigs' feet

have so much hair in it?

You eat it. You come eat this sh*t.

-l'm not hungry, though.

-Yes, you is.

Precious, if you don't get

this goddamn plate. . .

You just fix mine when you get done.

Since you f***ed it u p, you gonna eat it up.

Hurry up and eat, Precious.

l'm f***ing hu ng ry, too.

And don't let it get cold ,

'cause cold-ass pigs' feet is nasty as sh*t.

So, tell me about. . .

Tel l me about your home life.

Ain't nothi ng to really talk about.

You're in a safe place. Just talk.

What's going on?

What's the first thing

that comes to your mind

when you think about home?

l just wish l had my own TV,

so l could watch it in my room.

lf l had my own TV,

l wouldn't have to watch it with my mother.

And what's it like,

watching TV with your mother?

You enjoy watching TV with your mother?

l need to know about your home life.

l need to know what it's like where you live.

My mother's like a whale on the couch.

She say I eat al l the time,

but she always making me eat.

Then she call me a fat mess.

She say the apartment

is little 'cause of me.

Only time she ever leaves

is to play her numbers.

l feel like l cou ld just sit in the house

with her every day,

the shades drawn,

watch TV, eat, watch TV, eat again.

Can you help out with that?

Can we talk about something else now?

How about your firstborn?

Mongo?

Mongo is her. . . ls that. . .

Mongo. That's short for ''mongoloid.''

ls that what you call her? Or that's. . .

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