The Least Among You Page #6

Weren't you and him visiting Mom

Iast Saturday?

No. I don't remember.

This is terrible.

But Mom's good, right?

Yeah, good.

Do you know who Richard Kelly really is?

Sorry about our argument.

I'm not too proud of that either.

You're the best friend I've got.

Thanks.

-This is the good stuff, man.

-Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I need to talk to you.

So, I'm on probation.

I'm here on probation.

Not to be a pastor.

Beckett saw me as his

in-house Martin Luther King.

So, I just played along

so I could get out and get that job back.

And I just got in deeper and deeper.

I'm a fraud.

Another fake working a scheme.

So, which one is it,

the fraud or the real man?

I march around here demanding justice.

I'm as much a hypocrite as all these people.

Two friends are dead.

I had an excuse not to talk

when Roscoe was alive,

but now I'm quitting.

No, you don't want the judge

to take you to the big house, do you?

And, hey, what's a guy like you

know about wickedness?

Look at me.

What do you see?

God's basement apostle.

A little bit more than 10 years ago,

I tried to drink myself to death.

They're just gonna let that little

dirty bird take me right on out of here.

My whole life was full of fighting

and stealing, lying.

I woke up in this dumpster, all in this trash,

and I heard this voice.

But it wasn't mine, but it wasn't a stranger.

It said,

"Samuel, rise up out of the trash

and live." You know?

So, I did.

Way before you step before him,

people are going to be happy

you rose out of that dumpster, too.

Rise up and do what?

Tell the cops about JoJo?

Quit this place? Or keep making speeches

so they flunk me out?

All of them lead to another

black man in prison.

No, look, look.

So, now you got these three choices, right?

Behind one of them is God,

so you're gonna have to pray hard

to find out which one it is.

And when you make that choice,

you follow it all the way to the end

and you never, ever look back.

Sorry for the interruption.

It's okay.

Richard, I wanted you to know how much

I appreciate all the work you're doing here.

And I do believe you deserve

an adjustment in your grades.

"I am the true vine

and my Father is the gardener.

"He cuts away from me every branch

that does not bear fruit."

Exactly.

And we need to do some

pruning around here.

That amendment for starters.

You challenged me to change this place.

I know I did, but not with violence, Richard.

The staff is demanding action,

people are calling.

I've tried my best,

but people are terrified of another Watts.

What happened to my best ally?

My $10 million expansion

is in jeopardy because of you.

-So, that's what this is about.

-That's part of it.

Look, I'm the one being crucified here.

And it was supposed to be me?

It wasn't supposed to be anyone.

This was to be a peaceful transition.

Look, you're young.

There's a real world out there to deal with.

And the real world wants its $10 million.

Dr. Beckett, I'm submitting that amendment.

You saw the photograph of my son.

Didn't you know that the point man

is always the first to get it?

But not in the back.

I know about your probation.

Tremaine's group did all the research

and they gave it to me.

-And?

-And?

And you lied to me.

You told me you came

here to be a minister,

a man of conviction.

I didn't know that then...

You didn't know that I was covering

for your fights,

overruling professors

who wanted to flunk you out.

You are right, I lied.

Yes, and you made speeches condemning

people that you knew nothing about.

This isn't about me.

This is about doing the right thing.

We are, Richard,

all of us attempting to do the right thing.

I will call that judge.

If your probation is in violation,

you could go to prison.

Richard,

drop this amendment.

And I will see that

you sail right through here.

Free to pursue your dreams.

How could the president of a seminary

stoop so low?

Leaders have to make tough decisions,

my friend.

You enter that board meeting,

I will pick up the phone.

Then it's out of my hands.

I am the gardener, Richard.

I do the pruning.

I thought I was safe up here.

Don't you have something to tell me?

You made an A on your exam.

Don't play with me.

Who's playing?

Beckett says Tremaine is pulling

his millions because of me, my petition.

Drop it or else...

I didn't set you up.

I only got half the signatures required.

If I am getting busted,

I'm going down for a good reason.

Why don't you just lay down for him

and get out?

I was praying

and it seemed like I got a message.

The last time I heard God's voice,

I was staring at three coffins.

I'm sorry.

For the coffins,

or what he said?

I didn't mean to interrupt.

Thanks.

What did the voice say?

"I love them, too."

"Come to the throne of grace

"with your pain,

"with your emptiness and receive my hope.

"Come with boldness and expectation.

"Look now,

"for I am about to do a new thing.

"Do you not perceive it?"

Now it doesn't sound like a place

that you want to be.

She wants Roscoe's drug money.

I talked to your brother.

He told me that place was a slaughterhouse.

I'll be smart about it.

What?

Punks with guns, they don't know smart.

Hey, man, Lisa Kreemack says

she saw you at the shooting.

Where she Iive?

Stay cIear of that.

Cops don't even go there, man.

What the heck's wrong with you?

I need to use your car.

What are you, high?

You been smoking or something?

Look, it's an emergency.

Look, I'll pay you $20.

Here's five. I'll pay you the rest later.

I just need to talk to this woman.

Look, nobody cares about you

or your little ghetto problem, okay?

Get out of here.

-Wait, Nick...

-All right, you want to go, tough guy?

Come on, bring it on, tough guy.

Let's go. Come on!

What the heck's wrong with you, man?

Look, it's like this.

I'm on probation,

and this girl is gonna finger me

for something I didn't do.

Wow, so now the truth comes out.

What is it about you brothers, huh?

What, you can't keep out of freaking jail?

Right. Us darkies just love

that prison food, okay?

What you do?

They said I assaulted a cop, but I didn't.

You? What, did you throw a protest sign

at him or something?

I knocked one out with a blackjack.

You?

Yeah, me.

Get in, Cassius.

Okay, pull up right here. Yeah, it's here.

-Right here?

-Yeah.

This is it?

It's about as close to the hood

I'm a take you.

What do you want me to do?

You want me to stick around?

No, no, you keep these wheels rolling

or I'll find you in a ditch somewhere.

I'll meet you here in about 10.

Good luck, Cassius.

Lisa Kreemack?

Got the money?

You gonna make me stand out here?

College boy, you better give me that $5,000

or your black butt is going to jail.

Listen, I came here to tell you

I had nothing to do with that shooting.

You liar! I seen you come out.

-No, no.

-Yes!

He was the only man

that ever treat me good

and a sorry coon like you got him killed.

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