The Human Stain Page #5

that men should fear

seeing that death,

a necessary end,

will come when it will come.

Clarence Silk knew well

these words from Julius Caesar.

He was a man of great intellect,

unflinching courage,

and an uncompromising honor.

But above all else,

he was devoted to his family.

His wife, Dorothy,

his sons, Walter and Coleman,

and his pride and joy,

young Ernestine.

Clarence Silk was

the finest man I've ever met.

Coleman?

You're on duty?

Tonight?

It's better this way.

For me, anyway.

I never knew him, Mom.

Not really.

I didn't have any idea

what he went through

day after day after day.

I don't believe

he wanted you to know, dear.

He couldn't see the point.

The point is

if you're colored

it doesn't matter how much you know.

You work in the dining car.

He did that

so you wouldn't have to.

Coleman, you don't have to worry.

Your father's insurance

and your academic record

will see to it that

you get into Howard.

I heard all about

Howard from Walt.

He said they're always talking

about the Negro people

about "we, the Negro people."

I'm not a political person, Mom.

I don't understand who this "we" is.

Who do you think you are?

- I know who I am.

- You need to be proud of your race.

What about me?

What about just being

proud of being me?

It's my life. Or don't I get

any say in the matter?

Coleman, I'm not clever

enough to argue with you.

Then don't.

Don't let's argue.

I love you, Mom.

But don't ask me to go there.

Coleman, you're barely

eighteen years old.

What are you going to do?

Have a seat.

You have a registration card?

Yes.

Welcome to the Navy, young man.

So what did the lawyer say?

He was more worried

about Lester Farley?

Yeah. I don't want to

talk about Lester Farley.

Anyway, I can handle him.

Coleman, you yourself told me

that Lester Farley is a psychotic

who's been locked up in the mental

ward at the VA hospital. Twice!

Let me ask you something.

What do you think would

have happened last night

if the police hadn't

shown up when they had?

Lester Farley is not going to just

disappear off the face of the earth.

This kind of thing

is going to happen again,

and when it does, next time

uh, you might not be so lucky.

So... I just throw her to the wolves.

It's just like that, huh?

I'm not thinking about her.

I'm thinking about you.

Nathan. She's waiting for that.

To her, sex and betrayal are synonymous.

Coleman, every mistake a man can

make usually has a sexual accelerator.

The things that restore you

can also destroy you.

Yeah, I know that.

And I'll tell you something.

I don't give a damn.

These things don't come without a cost.

Look-Look what's happening here.

People are saying that

you got her pregnant

and she had an abortion

and tried to kill herself.

Uh-huh. And what else

are they saying, Nathan?

Hm? What else

are they saying, Nathan?

Don't you look at me like that.

I know this is bullshit.

I'm your friend, remember?

Then act like a friend!

Stop judging me,

and stop judging her!

Jesus Christ!

So what do you want me to say?

I just want you to acknowledge that

something important is taking place

between me and this woman.

Something that's worthy of respect.

I guess you were right.

This really is about great sex.

Oh, f*** you, too.

Coleman! Coleman.

Okay.

Granted, she's not my first love.

Granted, she's not my great love.

But she sure as hell

is my last love.

Doesn't that count for something?

Enough to risk

getting killed for?

I'm not afraid of dying, Nathan.

I'm not the one who ran off to

a cabin in the woods to hide.

Dance for me.

One dance, for me.

Sure. Why not?

Why not?

Don't fall in love

with me, Coleman.

We're just a man and a woman, in a room,

alone, right here, right now.

Nothing else matters.

Don't f*** it up.

This is more than sex.

No, it's not.

You just forgot what sex is.

Did I?

Dance for me. Come on.

You're way too young for me.

I need a man much older than you.

Someone at least a hundred.

You know anyone

in a wheelchair?

I will do

whatever you want.

How many times

have you heard a woman say

that and really mean it?

I see you, Coleman.

You want to know what I see?

I see anger.

And I see shame.

- I see everything.

- Is that a fact?

- You imagine you kept secrets from me?

- You never know.

Thank you.

- Mr. Wilson, can you watch the register?

- Yeah.

Can I help you?

Yes. Um...

I was looking for Rachmaninoff's

Third Piano Concerto, the, uh...

- The Horowitz recording?

- Yes, that's right.

Right this way.

Did you go to

East Orange High School?

Yes. Yes, I did.

I thought you looked familiar.

Charley Hamilton's my cousin.

I haven't seen him in a while.

How's he been?

He's good. He's good. Actually,

I think he's getting married.

Good for him.

Now the Rachmaninoff please.

Is that your girlfriend?

Yes. Yes it is.

Look,

maybe I should

come back some other time

- and then we can talk, okay?

- Fine. Here.

That'll do the trick

a lot better than Rachmaninoff.

Dance for me.

That has got to be

the single most sexy dance

ever danced by a girl

from Fergus Falls

in the history of the world.

I love you.

I love you. I love you.

I love you. I love you.

I love you. I love you.

I want to spend my life with you.

What are you doing Sunday?

Nothing. Why?

On Sunday

we're taking the train

to New Jersey

to have dinner with

my mother.

Okay.

Okay?

I'd like that.

Oh, I hope she likes me.

I hope the chocolates are okay.

Chocolates'll be fine.

Maybe I should have gotten flowers.

There was a place back

at the station I could get

Chocolates will be fine.

And you'll be fine.

Okay.

You know, this is

my old paper route.

That's where I crashed my bike

into Mr. Harris' front porch.

Which one?

Right over there.

My father made me pay for the damage.

To the bike and the porch.

Uh... I'm scared.

I love you.

You know that, don't you?

I love you, too.

Hi.

Sorry we're late.

Mother, this is

Steena Paulsson.

Steena, this is my mother.

How lovely. Please come in.

It's quite a beautiful city,

Fergus Falls.

It's quite unusual,

because we have the Otter Tail Lake

and the Otter Tail River

very close to each other.

My father owns a small hardware

supply store, a lumberyard there.

He's the disorganized one.

He cuts himself and

doesn't even bother to wash it.

They're tough,

those Icelanders.

I actually didn't even know they

were called Icelanders, growing up.

My mother, she's a Rasmussen.

She's the opposite.

Sets the table for Saturday dinner

at five the night before.

I guess I was sort of caught

between the two extremes and so

I decided to get away for

collegeout of their reach, so to speak.

And that's how I came to New York.

I've never been to the Midwest,

but I'm sure I'd like it.

Coleman, wouldn't you

like to see the Midwest?

New York City. Final destination

Penn Station, Neew York City.

Steena?

Honey, we're almost there.

Honey.

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