Steel Magnolias Page #6

'cause I always know you're

worrying enough for both of us.

Jackson and I have given this

a lot of thought.

Has he really?

There's a first time

for everything.

Don't start on Jackson,

Mama.

Your poor body has

been through so much.

Why deliberately

do this to yourself?

Diabetics have healthy

babies all the time.

You are special, Shelby.

There are limits

to what you can do.

I'm going to be...

very, very careful.

Nobody's going to be hurt

or disappointed

or even inconvenienced.

Least of all Jackson, I'm sure.

You're jealous...

because you no longer

have a say-so in what I do,

and that drives you up the wall.

You're ready to spit nails

because you can't call the shots.

I did not raise my daughter

to talk to me like this.

Yes, you did.

Oh, no, I didn't.

Whenever any of us asked you

what you wanted for us

when we grew up, what did you say?

I'm not in the mood

to play games.

Just tell me what you said.

The only thing I have ever said to you

is that I want you to be happy.

Okay. The one thing that

would make me happy

is to have a baby.

If I could adopt one,

I would, but I can't.

I'm going to have a baby,

and I wish you'd be happy, too.

I'll tell you what I wish.

I don't know what I wish.

Mama, I don't know why you have to

make everything so difficult.

I look at having this baby

as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Sure, there may be risk involved,

but that's true for anybody.

But you get through it,

and life goes on.

When it's all said and done,

there'll be a little

piece of immortality

with Jackson's good looks

and my sense of style, I hope.

Please.

I need your support.

I would rather have

30 minutes of wonderful

than a lifetime

of nothing special.

Okay. All right.

I'm going to hand it to you.

I don't want to hit you

upside the head.

I got one hole left.

Right.

Put the cords

behind the pole.

If they show,

it'll look tacky.

You told me about 40 times.

Annelle, did you do all this?

Guilty.

Truvy just turned over

the decoration

responsibility to me.

Look.

I went to the fire sale

at the Baptist book store

in Shreveport last week.

They had mismatched manger scenes

at incredibly low prices.

I cleaned them out

of baby Jesuses,

which I made into ornaments.

She's ready to roll.

Would you do the honors?

Yeah. Here you are,

Mrs. Latcherie.

Thanks, Sammy.

Ready?

Down in Louisiana

We have a Cajun Christmas...

Annelle, it's wonderful.

It works!

How cute.

I think your elves

have gone berserk.

Well, Shelby,

I wasn't expecting to see you.

What can I do for you?

I'm running a special

called a Christmas quickie.

I'm beyond help.

Last week I discovered

the early stages of crow's feet.

Honey, time marches on.

Eventually you realize

it's marching

across your face.

Oh, no.

It's Miss Ouiser.

I'm supposed to give her

a pedicure today.

I hate working

on her feet.

It could have

been worse.

She could have wanted

a bikini waxing.

Let's not get graphic.

Why not?

Miss Ouiser, I met

an old friend of yours.

Oh?

Owen Jenkins.

Oh.

Owen. Now, there's

a blast from the past.

Do you remember him?

He remembers you.

He had

the longest nose hair

in the free world.

Now he hardly has

any hair anywhere.

Owen's been gone

from Chinquapin Parish

since God was a boy.

I'd forgotten he'd existed.

He lives in Monroe

and goes to

First Presbyterian.

He asked if I knew you.

He used to live

in Ohio somewhere.

His wife just died,

and he's moved back down here.

Does this story have a point?

No, not really.

He just remembers you

fondly, I think.

I can't imagine why.

He was not a bad fellow,

but I managed

to run him off

and marry the first

of two total deadbeats.

Maybe sometime

I could arrange

for us all

to get together.

Maybe not.

Why not?

Shelby, I managed

in a few decades

to marry the two

most worthless men

in the universe

and then proceeded to have

the three most ungrateful children

ever conceived.

The only reason

people are nice to me

is because I have

more money than God.

I'm not about to open

a new can of worms.

Ouiser.

What?

If this is how you feel,

it isn't healthy.

Maybe you should come

to the guidance center

and talk to someone.

We're there to help.

I'm not crazy, M'Lynn.

I've just been

in a very bad mood

for 40 years.

[Doorbell Rings]

Hi.

Merry Christmas.

Oh, look at you.

Is that new?

I made the dress

with my own two hands.

I just threw

the rest together.

The only thing

that separates us

from the animals

is our ability

to accessorize.

Oh.

Annelle,

why are you so late?

Did you and Sammy

get tangled up in the tinsel?

Truvy. You kill me.

Merry Christmas.

Oh! Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

Oh, darling.

I have to tell you

your nephew Marshall

is a little piece

of heaven on earth.

They're family,

and I love them,

but they do look carved

out of cream cheese.

Clairee,

I'm surprised at you

talking about

your kin that way.

Well, as somebody

always said,

if you can't say anything

nice about anybody,

come sit by me.

That's a good one.

Miss Ouiser.

What?

There's somebody

that wants

to see you.

Who?

I've opened the can

of worms for you.

What?

Hell.

Owen Jenkins.

Hello, Louisa.

Remember me?

My God, you look different.

Have you shrunk?

You look terrific.

You've hardly

changed at all.

I'm not as sweet

as I used to be.

Jesus Lord, at thy birth...

I cannot believe

Shelby did that.

Owen...

After all these years.

I'm not sure I can be

gracious under pressure.

Shelby does a lot of

things I can't believe.

M'Lynn, what's wrong

with you these days?

You got a reindeer

up your butt?

Everybody! Tommy,

get all these people outside.

Come on, everybody.

My dad's going

to say something.

I just want a moment

of your time, folks, now.

Today my daughter...

told me a big secret.

Daddy.

Don't worry.

I'm not going to tell them

you're pregnant.

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

I'm just going to tell them

I'm going to be a granddaddy.

Oh. That's wonderful.

Oh, Grandma!

Congratulations.

Well, ain't you excited?

Smile. It increases

your face value.

And the doctor said Shelby

couldn't have children.

Yeah. What do they know?

She showed them.

They said she shouldn't

have children.

There's a big difference.

This baby is not exactly great news.

Jackson and Shelby.

[Cheering]

Oh, M'Lynn, I really wish

I had some words of wisdom,

but I don't.

Why don't we focus on

the joy of the situation?

It'll be fine.

Absolutely.

You know what they say...

That which does not kill us

makes us stronger.

Nothing pleases Shelby more

than proving me wrong.

Oh, and to

my new grandbaby...

May he be as

good-looking as I am.

Born on the third of July

He's a Yankee Doodle sweetheart

He's a Yankee Doodle boy

Yankee Doodle went to London

Just to ride the ponies

He is a Yankee Doodle boy

Whoo!

Go ahead.

Blow it out, buddy.

This is boring as hell.

You only have your

first birthday once.

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