Streetwise Page #6

Shellie (voice over)

Shadow asked me if he found a place for me to stay, a permanent place,

would I stay there. I said, 'Yeah, probably.' He said, 'Well, Patti and

Munchkin say you can stay with them.' They needed the money for rent.

Shadow (voice over)

I grew up with Munchkin. For a long time I ran around with him. And

Patti, I met her down here about three years ago beatin' the heck out

of some old dude 'cause he said somethin' wrong to her.

Patti and Munchkin kissing on Pike Street.

Shadow (voice over)

Patti and Munchkin are very ... they were, in my eyes, made for each

other. They argue, but doesn't all love affairs argue? Patti and

Munchkin are a team. That's the way they work the best. A street couple

that are struggling to survive.

Rat and Jack shower at the Lutheran Compass Center.

Rat (voice over)

Every person, no matter how big or tough they are, should always have a

partner. You never want to go on the streets alone. It's a mistake.

It's just you'll get lonely, you'll get upset, you'll get beat up.

Because, you never can tell if someone's gonna come up from the front

of you and start to get your attention, and this other dude is gonna

walk up behind you and bust your f***in' head. Partners are always

better.

Shadow takes a motel room for the night to dye his hair. He kneels on

the bathroom floor reading the instructions on the package.

Shadow Mix all mixture and thoroughly saturate hair. Loosely pile hair

on top of head. Leaves your hair silky, shiny, and free of tangles.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Shadow massages the dye into his

hair.

Shadow (voice over)

I consider myself a playboy. As a boyfriend, you're obligated to one

girl. I considered myself dependent upon a couple of girls supporting

me. But as far as being a pimp, I never pushed them out onto the

streets. You can't be a boyfriend and have three girlfriends. But you

can be a playboy. A playboy is what I consider myself.

Tiny and Shellie in a video arcade.

Shellie Now she's married again. That's why I'm not at home. 'Cause I

can't stand my step-dad.

Tiny Nobody can stand their step-dads.

Shellie Some people get along fine with them. My first stepdad was OK.

Dewayne visits his father in prison. Lee is behind a glass partition.

They speak using telephones.

Lee I got an idea that's fantastic. We'll make some money and we'll put

it in 'Lee &;Sons Thrift Shop.' We're gonna open up our own store, like

that thrift store I had. When I get out, as soon as I'm out a little

while, I want you to come with me 'cause I've already talked to some

people about a building in maybe Redland. Look around out there. See if

there's any good thrift shops out there.

Dewayne Alright.

Lee I was supposed to get out this Friday, but I won't because I've got

to wait for the damn parole board. If it'd just been that burglary it'd

be alright, but it was that stupid arson thing. So the board wants to

talk to me. And like everybody says, I've done thirty years--what the

hell good is it going to do to make me do a couple more years. I've

only got three years left on my 'max.'

Dewayne Are you in a cell by yourself?

Lee No, I'm in the 'mean tank.' That's for guys who've done time and

everything before.

Dewayne For a felony and stuff?

Lee Yeah.

Dewayne Is a bunch of The Jokers in there?

Lee Two of 'em are, yeah.

Dewayne Is one Stubbs?

Lee Yeah.

Dewayne Tell him I said 'hi.'

Lee Yeah, yeah. What's this? You're gonna have to take your tonsils

out?

Dewayne They say it's always infected and stuff, so I don't know. They

think that's why I'm so small and stuff.

Lee You know that's funny. I was that way, too.

Dewayne Were you small like this?

Lee Yeah. They took them out and about a year after that I got almost

as big as I am now.

Dewayne I eat all the time but I don't gain no weight. So you think

it's just ... whadaya call it?

Lee Tonsils and adenoids.

Dewayne Yeah, but ...

Lee Hed ... heditary ... hereditary.

Dewayne Yeah.

Lee How much are you smoking?

Dewayne I'm cutting down to maybe four cigarettes a day. Four or five.

Lee That's good. (He lights a cigarette.) Don't smoke too much 'cause

that's bad too. Still messin' with that weed?

Dewayne A little.

Lee How 'bout anything else?

Dewayne Nope.

Lee Let me see your arms.

Dewayne My arms? Why?

Lee Undo your sleeve.

Dewayne Naw, I haven't been doing none of that. Here I'll even show

you. See. Nothin'.

Lee What are you messin' with?

Dewayne Nothin'.

Lee You're a smart kid. You're a good-looking kid. You've got

intelligence. You've got my brain. (Laughs.) But you're like me. You're

a con man, Dewayne. Whadaya wanna be? A little punk on the street? A

little smart-ass little punk. That's all you think you are. You're

going to wind up just like I am. Look at me when I talk at you. That's

the dang trouble, you haven't paid any attention to me. There's a guy

in our tank, twenty-four years old. They just gave him four life

sentences. Twenty-four years old. It won't be too many damn years

they'll be doing that to you. They're not going to slap your little

hand and send you off to Echo Glen or some damn place. Is that what you

want?

Dewayne No.

Lee You say that now 'cause you're sittin' here talking to me. Get your

hands out of your mouth! Let me see your fingers. Still biting your

damn nails, ain't you? When are you gonna stop doin' that? Huh? You're

out there, tough guy on the street. Bigtime tough little punk is all

you are. Can't even quit biting your fingernails. You're too goddamn

little to be tough, kid ... I'm serious. I love you very, very much,

even though I get mad and want to kill you. I love you. You're all I

got. And unfortunately, I'm all you've got. I'm gonna make it up to you

... for all the stuff we didn't do. I know I have to talk rough to you

sometimes, Dewayne, but you know that I love you a whole big, big

bunch. If I get out this time, I'll keep you straight and you keep me

straight. Is that a deal? Just remember, you and I is all we got.

Together ain't nobody can whip us, ain't nobody can do anything to us.

I love you.

Dewayne Bye-bye.

Dewayne leaves. His father waves goodbye through the glass partition.

Patrice runs into his mother and her friend by accident in a parking

lot near Pike Street.

Mother Look at you. All beat up and cut up and scarred up and drugged

up. I haven't seen you in two months. You didn't even call me. I can't

get over that. After I sent for you all the way from California, down

there stranded. And you didn't even thank me. You ought to thank me

now.

Patrice Thank you, mom. (They kiss.)

Mother's friend Call her up. You can call her up. Nikita and them calls

me and Todd calls me. Do you love your mother?

Patrice Yes.

Mother When are you gonna show me? When are you gonna make me proud?

Mother's friend So that's what you should do, you should stop and see

mom, you know what I mean. 'Cause she is the only one gotta guide map

to your life. 'Cause you can't go nowhere unless you ask your mother

advices and things, you know that?

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