The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Page #4

MAN 2:
Go on, hit him.

[WILLIAM GRUNTING]

MAN 1:
You gotta stay out of it.

PORTIA:
Leave him.

Stop it.

[ALL GRUNTING]

You ain't got the message, boy.

[MAN 2 SCREAMS]

No! Willie! Stop it!

COPELAND:
Did he kill him?

PORTIA:
No.

But he cut him up real bad.

They got him down to the hospital now.

Somebody said

they're gonna have to take 30 stitches.

And Willie? What about William?

- Where is he?

PORTIA:
They got him down to the jail.

They're gonna sentence him

in the morning.

No. No, they can't do that.

Not without a trial.

Sheriff says that'll just be a formality.

He said there'd been

too many fights...

...and he means

to make an example out of this one.

- We gotta get him a lawyer.

- That won't do no good.

You gotta help him, Father.

You're the only one who can.

If you would tell the sheriff

that you was with us...

...and how it was the white man

that pulled the knife first.

That Willie was only defending himself,

they'd have to believe you.

COPELAND:
You're being hysterical.

Everyone would know I was lying.

No. We all look alike to white folks.

The blacks will say anything

you tell them.

Portia, that is perjury.

- I couldn't do that.

PORTIA:
Why not?

- That's what happened.

- But that's not the point.

Father.

You're always talking

about helping people.

Who is "people"?

Willie is "people. " And so am I.

And I'm asking you to help us.

Us.

And you won't do it?

Because I wouldn't do what you wanted.

Because I stayed here

and married Willie instead.

Because we don't see eye to eye

on anything.

I cannot perjure myself.

Not even for you.

[CHILDREN LAUGHING]

[DOG BARKING]

BOY:
Lucky, you get home.

Lucky, go home now, boy.

BUBBER:
Hey, look.

- Oh, how sweet.

- I bet you I picked every weed in town.

MR. KELLY:
Ha.

They're not weeds.

They're wildflowers.

It don't seem fair

that I picked all them weeds...

...and now I can't come to the party.

I bet she invited Mr. Singer.

Well, if he just happens to drop in.

[SING-SONG]

Mick's got a crush on Mr. Singer.

Mick's got a crush on Mr. Singer.

Okay, Bubber.

That's just too silly.

Whoever heard of anybody

having a crush on a deaf-mute person.

Careful, Mick.

Deny it too loud,

we're liable to think it's true.

Anybody wants to use the bathroom,

better go now.

Because I'm gonna take a one-hour bath

before I get dressed.

Your fingers are all gonna get wrinkly.

I have already taken that

into consideration, smarty.

That's why I'm taking it now

so they'll have a chance to unwrinkle.

What have you done to this room?

Why, it looks positively elegant.

Really, Mama? You're not just saying it?

Oh, no. No, I mean it, really.

It never looked so pretty.

I think it stinks.

[MR. KELLY LAUGHING]

Jealous, jealous, jealous.

You're just pea-green with jealousy

because you can't come to the party.

BLOUNT:

I'm gonna get drunk.

And then I'm gonna

get out of this lousy town.

Six months, they gave him.

Six months, hard labor.

Poor n*gger.

Them white guys, the ones

that started it.

Well, they got off scot-free.

And you know,

they wouldn't even let me testify.

They said I was irrelevant

and immaterial.

Irrelevant and immaterial,

that's me, all right.

No, no, I told you,

I never stay long in any one place.

I'm sorry we never had that chess game.

But I'll think about you, Singer.

I could talk to you.

And you listened.

You old dummy, you really listened.

Sometimes I think

you're the only one that ever did.

COPELAND:

What a pleasant surprise.

Glad to see you.

An old friend of mine.

My very first patient.

Treated him for tuberculosis

when he was still in school.

Cured him too.

Well, at least so I thought.

But now I'm afraid

there might be a recurrence.

Over here.

You see here.

Now, these are the healed lesions

from the first incidence.

Now, here.

No. No trace of TB. Lot of cancer.

No, I can manage.

Strange how life works itself out.

Here I am.

A man who has hated all whites

for as long as I can remember.

Now, in the last year of my life,

a secret...

...shared only by us, links me

closer to you than to anyone else.

A superb joke...

...if you have a sense of humor.

Please don't tell anyone.

My work has been my life.

I'd like them to go on together

as long as possible.

My patients might not take to the idea

of my being sick.

[MUSIC PLAYING

& PEOPLE CHATTERING]

BOY 1:

I thought they had a pretty good team.

BOY 2:

Oh, they don't have a chance, I tell you.

- Thank you, Mick.

- What did you say?

So I said, " If you're so good, how come

you let Jack get 40 homers off of you? "

[DOORBELL RINGS]

That's the way to tell him.

Would you excuse me

while I answer the door?

BOY 3:

Oh, no, he got so excited-

The skirt is blue

with the prettiest applique.

I bet she bought it in Atlanta.

She always buys her clothes in Atlanta.

She's so stupid.

GIRL:
Oh, I know it.

- Come on there, boys.

How about dancing

with these pretty girls?

[ALL BOYS MOAN]

Come on.

- Boy, I'd about given you up.

- You remember my brother, Harry.

- Sure. Hi.

- How do you do?

Harry.

It was nice of you to let me come.

Oh, I was flattered you wanted to.

I mean, we're so much younger than you.

Two years behind in school.

Oh, well,

I didn't have anything better to do.

That's a sweet little dress, Mick.

Thanks.

Same one I had for graduation.

I would have worn mine too...

...but I've filled out so much since then

that it's practically indecent.

Um, will y'all come on in?

Excuse me.

Mr. Singer.

Hi, Mr. Singer.

Wanna come look at my party?

[MOUTHS]

Pretty.

Really?

Nice, isn't it?

All the other girls wearing ten-cent

store perfume. I think it smells cheap.

Besides, it costs too much.

So I just swiped some vanilla extract

from the kitchen.

I figure if I don't smell sexy,

at least I'll be appetizing.

- What they doing now?

- Dancing.

Well, what do we do?

- Well, we could eat again.

- Yeah.

Okay, I'll go get some more food.

You know, you're not much

like the other girls Delores knows.

- Oh? Is that good or bad?

- Oh, that's good.

I mean, a guy can talk to you

and you'll give him a straight answer.

And besides,

you smell different than they do.

Bubber, what are you doing?

We need some more sandwiches.

Now, you have all had supper.

And some of the party food.

That's enough.

After all, Mick did pay for it.

Now you stay outside and play.

- Where's the sandwiches?

- Them pigs is gonna eat up everything.

- Let's fix them.

- How?

Well, we get some of our fireworks,

see?

And we light them

and we throw them in there.

And then steal the food.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- I'll throw them.

- Why you?

Because it's my house

and my sister's party we're wrecking.

Can I light the match?

Honestly, Sucker,

you are the biggest baby in this town.

Well, I'm only 5.

Let's go.

[FIRECRACKERS POPPING]

[PEOPLE SCREAMING]

BOY 1:

It's just a few firecrackers.

Hey, they've got Roman candles too.

BOY 2:
Let's go, boys.

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