The Grace Card Page #4

I feel so much better.

The issue here is who to blame.

Blame?

- Oh, Dad's got the blame game down.

- And why do you think that is?

So he doesn't have to

blame himself.

He's drowning, Blake.

- Someone's gotta throw him a line.

- What does that mean?

Something small.

Say one nice thing tonight.

See what happens.

- I know what happens.

- When was the last time you tried?

How much do you have to hate

someone to let them die in hurt

when one kind word

can make all the difference?

It doesn't take a man

to fight, Blake.

It takes a man

to reach out his hand.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Spurgeon, that's good stuff.

- Oh, yeah?

- Mm-hm.

How long did it take

to collect these books?

Oh, boy. Fifty years.

And each and every one of these,

I'm gonna turn over to you.

I was gonna give them to my...

My son, your daddy, but I don't

think he'd have much use for them.

- Have you heard from him?

- No. You?

No.

Now, you see that Bible over there?

On the fourth shelf.

No, no, no, not that one, the old one.

The old one. There you go.

Oh.

That's the one.

See this?

This was a...

This was my grandfather's.

We was gonna bury him with it,

but Bibles shouldn't be buried

or left up on a shelf.

They should be read. Here.

Read this.

"Presented to Wendall P. Wright

on his 8th birthday

from his friend John Escue.

May 31 st, 1884."

- 1884.

- Who was John Escue?

He was a cotton farmer.

Two thousand acres, 100 slaves.

He released all the slaves

before the war was over.

Almost all of them stayed.

- They wanted to remain slaves?

- No, they just loved him.

They loved him for what he did.

He got them jobs.

He got them more pay

than they would get outside.

Then he gave them 10 acres of land

to build a house.

You gotta be kidding me.

Why would he do that?

Ah, he didn't have to,

I'll tell you that.

But sit down,

let me tell you something.

The day he freed those slaves,

he lined them all up in front of him.

He had his hat in his hand.

And he was one of the richest men

in the state.

He had his hat in his hand

and he asked them all

to forgive him

for what he'd done.

He'd done something wrong.

He asked them to forgive all the

people that had done something wrong.

All slave owners, whether they

asked for forgiveness or not.

- How'd that go over?

- Kind of like your last sermon, huh?

Okay.

Well, Mr. Escue,

he taught your

great-great-grandfather how to read.

Gave him this Bible, and he decided

to be a preacher right then and there.

That one act of grace

changed history, Sam.

And that's the point.

This is what

your 8-year-old great-grandfather

wrote in return.

"I promise to pray for you

every day,

ask your forgiveness,

grant you the same

and be your friend always.

Wendall P. Wright."

That's nice.

Nice? That becomes his life's work.

God put him on this earth to do this.

Probably changed some hearts

and some lives,

probably kept away

from some lynchings,

some billy clubs.

That's what I'm talking about.

That's my point. That is grace.

Reconciling starts with forgiveness.

That's the only thing

that makes a difference, eh?

You can never underestimate

the power of grace, boy.

That's powerful.

Thanks.

Good day, Mac?

You're actually eating

with us tonight?

It's Monday night. All the

good restaurants are closed.

A comedian. Very funny.

Dad?

When did you know

you wanted to be a cop?

Why?

I've just always wondered.

You know, is it something you

dreamed about when you were a kid

or did it just fall in your lap,

or what?

When your brother died.

Thought I could make a difference,

maybe stop it from happening

to somebody else.

I was wrong.

But it puts bread on the table.

Pass the potatoes.

You're not thinking

of becoming a cop.

No.

I just really respect it, Dad.

That's all.

- Right.

- No, I do. I do.

Well, thank you.

How's school?

It's fine.

What?

Nothing.

You got in trouble again,

didn't you?

- Dad, I'm...

- We'll talk about this later.

No, we'll talk about it now.

Somebody tell me what's going on.

Dad, I'm not gonna graduate.

Come again?

I'm flunking English

and Spanish again, and I...

- Again?

- I have an incomplete in Trig.

- I'm not gonna be able to make it up.

- So we have another year of this.

I'll have to finish up at Oakdale.

I can make it up by Christmas...

Oakdale? That cesspool of lowlifes?

You cannot get into a decent college

coming out of a public school.

I'll sell this house if I have to.

I'll take a second job.

You will most definitely get a job

and finish up at Ridgelake.

Dad, they kicked me out.

You knew this, didn't you?

It's not her fault. It's mine.

Oh, this just in.

Just kill me, all right?

Just get it over with

and kill me fast.

Where does it end?

Is this your mission in life,

to finish me off once and for all?

- Dad, I'm sorry.

- "I really respect it."

- Did you expect me to buy that load...?

- I meant it.

I wanted to have a conversation

with you instead of another fight.

Why do you think

I go somewhere else every night?

- I don't need this.

- Strike three. Sit down.

- I don't wanna.

- I don't care what you want.

Oh, really? This just in.

- Stop it, both of you.

- Tyler never would've acted like this.

Blake.

Mac.

Oh, man.

Oh, it doesn't hurt that bad.

- I really gotta do this every week?

- Doctor's orders.

And your wife's.

I guess you lie

about other things too, huh?

Come on.

Go ahead, check it out.

You dropped three points

in one week.

See? We'll get there.

What is LDL, anyway?

In your case, Mr. Wright,

too darn high is what that is.

That's what Davis said.

He was gonna blow that punk away.

He was straight-up crazy.

He's a walking Paxil lab, man.

I'm glad the rev's riding with him

and it's not me.

Yeah, he can

pray over him or something.

Heh. Pray over him.

That's funny. You got jokes.

I'm in a comedy show this weekend.

Okay, Mr. Gerardo,

I need a signature here.

This is not an admission of guilt,

just that I have issued you

this citation.

Court date's November 10th,

or you can enroll in traffic school.

It won't show up on your record.

Have a nice day.

You wanna drive?

I need to make a couple calls.

Just wondering if Blake called.

I can't get through to him.

Call me.

You think I'm a racist,

don't you?

I don't know. Are you?

That car was speeding.

- Five miles over.

- Law's the law.

I'd have pulled a thumping lowrider

full of white guys over too.

Lord, please don't let me

kill my partner.

Oh, why don't you, man?

Just put us both out of our misery.

How you doing, Mac?

Just great. Couldn't be better.

- Something going on at home?

- Don't go preacher on me, man.

I'm not going preacher.

- I'm your friend.

- Right.

Come on, man,

or I'm gonna sing, loud.

My son walked out last night.

- How old's your son?

- Seventeen.

Ever try to reason

with a 17-year-old?

Mine are 5 and 7.

Your day's coming, pal.

So you had a fight.

That's all we have, is fights.

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