Radio Page #6

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- See you, Johnny.

- What's up, coach?

It's one of those days I wish I wasn't

a teacher so I could lay into you.

What you talking about?

What's gotten into you?

I thought you'd learned something

the past few months. I was wrong.

- What are you talking about?

- Don't speak unless I tell you to.

You might think you're clear because

Honeycutt was gone, but this is my call.

There's no way you're suiting up

tomorrow night.

Right.

- What did you say?

- Coach Jones. Mr. Clay.

- What seems to be the problem?

- You hear the problem.

Young man, students do not tell me

what I do and do not hear.

He said I can't play tomorrow.

- Is that what you're thinking, coach?

- That's what I'm saying.

Well, then, seeing that Coach Jones

is the athletic director...

...I say you are not playing.

Ma'am, this is Westside.

If we win, we're in first place.

That's all the more reason for you

to cheer on your teammates, isn't it?

Anything else?

Yeah, tell your boy that I said thanks.

Radio didn't sell you out, son.

There are plenty of other people

willing to do that.

Yes, sir.

Well, I appreciate

your understanding.

We'll talk soon. Thank you.

That's the last of them.

You talk to Mary Helen yet?

Yeah, she's fine. She knows

it wasn't Radio's idea.

Oh, Harold.

Harold, you are too close

to this.

It's not that Johnny talked Radio into

doing it, it's that he did it.

What if it's something worse

next time?

- He'll know.

- Are you sure?

Hell, I'm already

under a microscope anyway.

I got a school to run, a thousand kids

I'm responsible for.

I need to know

where all this is going.

I don't know, Lou.

That may not be

good enough anymore.

I'm sorry. I've been trying to call, and

I haven't gotten ahold of either of them.

I tried several different places.

Here he comes right now.

I'll tell him.

- What's the matter?

- It's Radio's mama, Daddy.

- What happened?

- She had a heart attack.

Oh, no. Is she all right?

No, she's gone.

I was trying to call you or Mom,

but I couldn't reach anybody.

And they're telling me

that he won't come out of his room.

I don't know what to do, Daddy.

All right. Put your coat on.

He's just sitting there in his room.

You got it?

Irv.

Coach, thanks for coming.

Walter will be here in a few minutes.

- How's Radio?

- He's pretty upset.

Tore the place up pretty good too.

Radio?

It's just me. It's Coach Jones.

It's just coach.

Coach.

Coach. That's Radio.

Yeah.

- That's you.

- Radio right there.

There's Mama there. Mama said

we got good football this year.

Yes. Yeah.

That's what Mama said.

We got good...

Radio, ain't nothing I can say is

gonna make you feel any better.

Mama.

Your mama was a fine,

beautiful woman.

She loved you with all her heart,

didn't she?

Oh, boy, did she love you.

- She still does.

- She love the Radio.

She said she's always gonna

be there for Radio.

James...

...look at me.

Look at me.

She will always be there for you.

All right? She will.

You understand that?

Always be with you inside,

right in your heart. All right?

We're gonna be all right.

All right, boy. Come here. Come here.

Where's my mama?

Hold on just a second.

I want to tell you something.

Something I never told anybody.

When I was about 12,

I had a paper route.

Crack of dawn every day.

Wasn't many houses

around here then...

...so I had to cover quite a lot

of territory...

...and I used to cut through

the woods on this little dirt road.

And one morning, I was riding

through there...

...and I heard this noise.

Sounded like a rabbit or something,

you know, caught in a trap.

And then I realized it was coming from

one of the houses set back in there.

I kind of walked over there...

...and didn't seem like anybody

was home, so I walked on up.

It had, you know, chicken wire and

barbed wire around the bottom of it.

I figure to keep the critters out,

you know?

And then all of the sudden, I saw

these fingers coming through the wire.

And I put my bike down...

...and got down

on my hands and knees...

...and I looked under there,

and there was this boy about my age.

I don't know what was wrong

with him. Something was.

They used to keep him under there.

And I looked right at him.

He looked back at me.

We just sat there staring

at each other for a while.

I ran that route for two years,

Mary Helen.

And I never did a thing.

I just wanted you to know that.

Thanks, Daddy.

- How long before he comes back?

- I'm hoping tomorrow.

His brother Walter's moved in

with him.

Honeycutt says he let loose

on that house pretty good.

Says he's not the only one

that knows about it either.

The man had just lost his

mother, Lou.

I didn't ask why he took a swing at his

wall. I asked you if you knew about it.

Why are you asking me that?

Our friend from the board is back.

He wants to see you.

With his mama gone, it's all different.

Every bit of it.

Good luck.

In the last month, how much time

has Mr. Kennedy spent alone?

During the day at least.

Mr. Jones.

Past few weeks? Everybody's been

keeping a pretty steady eye on him.

So we talking an hour a day?

Or two?

An hour, maybe.

Well, it could be a half-hour.

Well, as you may have guessed...

...the board has received reports of

Mr. Kennedy's inconsistent behavior.

What kind of reports? From who?

Reports of resisting arrest...

...tearing up his home,

barging into the girls' locker room.

Oh, barging?

- Who's been feeding you this crap?

- I'm not here to argue with you.

I'm not arguing. It's a simple question.

Who's been feeding you this crap?

I ask because those were all instances

in which he wasn't being supervised.

Says who?

Says who?

Bottom line, with Ms. Kennedy gone,

James faces some rough times ahead.

- To keep him in a school setting...

- Let me tell you something.

This school is the reason he's doing

as well as he is.

But to keep him in a school setting...

You take him out of this school,

you may as well take his life.

- I've compiled a list of care agencies.

- Oh, I'll bet you have.

Yes, ma'am, I will take care of it

personally.

Yes, I will.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Is that a fact?

That's some serious money.

Well, all right. Yes, I will.

All right, now, you too.

- Harold.

- Hello, Frank.

- It's been ages since you were here.

- Yeah, it sure has been.

So...

...what can I do for you?

- What are you trying to do?

I'm afraid I don't understand.

Yeah, you do. Calling the school board,

making complaints about Radio.

This is you getting back at me

for cracking down on your boy.

Now, let's not go off making this

all personal.

- It is personal.

- It's not. Besides which, if it was...

...most of the guys at Del and Don's

wouldn't feel the way I do.

Yeah, what way is that?

You're one of the finest coaches

in the upstate.

And with Johnny and the boys

we got coming back next year...

...it's just better if we do things

the way we used to.

You just want to be the one

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