The Long Walk Home

Her name was Odessa Cotter.

I called her Dessie.

As best as anyone knows, she was

the first woman to rock me to sleep.

There wasn't anything

extraordinary about her, but,

I guess there's

always somethin'...

extraordinary about

someone who changes...

and then changes

those around her.

That's me.

- Morning, Mary Catherine.

- I was only seven years old.

Excuse me, Odessa.

I didn't mean to run you down.

- Is that a car or a boat?

- It's a piece of sausage.

- You tell her, sweetness. - Odessa,

we're having a cocktail party tonight,

so I'm sending you to Oak Park

with Mary Catherine...

- just as soon as Claudia gets here.

- Yes, ma'am.

Honey.

- Look what you did. Boop. Gotcha.

- Has anyone seen my racket?

- Oh, I know where it is.

- Bye-bye.

- Bye.

- Oh, my clubs.

- I wanna cut something.

- Not today, young lady.

Ah, your hands are sticky.

- Oh, she's been beside herself for weeks.

- That's 'cause you never discipline her.

- Where are you going?

- One guess, Sherlock.

- Trey and I are playing at the club.

- Oh, well.

- I wanna see Trey's car.

- Here are my clubs, honey.

- If you can get 'em to the pro shop.

- I'm givin' a party tonight.

Catch Sara.

She's on her way to the club.

I can't play with the grips like that.

Thank you, sweetie.

- I'll see you at 6:00, huh?

- See you at 6:
00.

Odessa, just have 'em

waitin' out here at 3:00.

- I should be back from the beauty parlor

and Junior League by then. - Yes, ma'am.

- You be good, Mary Catherine.

- I will.

Bye!

Feel a tickle comin'.

Go on.

Y'all come on now.

It's time to eat.

Hey!

Hey!

What you doin' here?

Can't you hear me, n*gger?

What are you doin' in this park?

Just takin' care of

Mrs. Thompson's...

Don't give me any of

that mealy-mouthed crap!

Now, this park

is whites only,

and that means n*ggers like you best

answer with "yes, sir" when spoken to.

I don't care who

you're takin' care of!

You don't understand

nothin', do you?

Go on. Get your stuff together

and get on out of here!

Come on, Mary Catherine.

Get your friends. We got to go.

I never heard such

nonsense in all my life.

Let me just see about this.

Hello. Could I speak to

Commissioner Sellers, please?

Mrs. Norman Thompson.

Well, would you tell

Clyde Sellers...

that one of his policemen threw my

nine-year-old daughter out of Oak Park?

He knows who I am.

- I really appreciate you coming by

this afternoon. - Oh, not at all, ma'am.

- I'm just sorry about the

misunderstanding. - Thank you.

Mrs. Cotter, I would like to apologize

on behalf of myself,

the police department,

and the city of Montgomery for

what happened today in Oak Park.

Hope y'all come back to

the park someday soon.

I hope I didn't cause you too

much trouble, Mrs. Thompson.

I'm sorry if I embarrassed your

maid in front of the children.

Thank you.

- Thank you very much.

- You're welcome, ma'am.

I regret that this happened

in the first place.

- Well, send the commissioner my best.

- I will, ma'am.

Shh.

Y'all come on inside.

Alabama's got a small line,

but they're agile.

Oh, my God.

How's my little Boo-Boo?

Tunker's here.

Tunker.

Tunker, welcome.

- Hello, Norman.

- I'm glad you could make it.

Yeah.

It's a nice-lookin' party here.

- Yeah. We try. We do.

- Hello, Miriam.

- That a bartender?

- Yeah.

- Does I has to tip him?

- Well, being you're my baby brother,

why don't we just say that the

drinks are two bucks, all inclusive.

Thanks. Thanks. Hey, y'all lucky

to get a bartender at all.

The n*ggers are all

movin' to Philadelphia.

- Why's that? - 'Cause they hear

there ain't no work in Philadelphia.

- I don't get it.

- Honey, you never get jokes.

What?

Tunker, don't be so loud

this close to the bar.

- Oh, he didn't hear me.

- You better be careful.

She'll have you out there

apologizin' to him.

What's this?

- Nothin'. It was just somethin' stupid,

that's all. - I'd like to know.

Go on.

Tell him.

Some young policeman

threw our maid out of Oak Park.

Mary Catherine and her friends were

right there, and he was extremely rude.

So I called up Clyde Sellers,

and he had him come out and apologize.

Well, what were you doing sending

your maid into that park anyway?

Tunker, she was takin'

care of the children.

But you shouldn't have the poor fellow come

out and apologize to a n*gger, Miriam.

That's plain old wrong.

Tunker, it's not like she was parading

her own children around the park,

for heaven's sakes.

And you know,

I did grow up with a maid,

and I've had them all my life, and I know

what's right and I know what's wrong.

And I will not have my judgment impugned

by some wet-behind-the-ears patrolman...

or by you.

Excuse me.

Oh, hi, Liz.

How are you?

She's a hellcat, Norman.

I always thought so.

Mr. Sandman

Bring me a dream

Make him the cutest

that I've ever seen

My world was a bubble

when I was seven.

Wars could have been going on

outside our front door,

and I would have been

all the happier.

Thank you, darling.

- In a way, a war was about

to start in Montgomery. - Hey!

- A war of wills...

- Give that back!

in the cradle of

the Confederacy.

- It began on a crisp December day.

- Hey!

Give it back!

Give it back.

Give it back!

Mama!

Where you at?

What you comin' in here

screamin' like a banshee about?

A lady gave these out

to everybody after school.

I'll read it to you.

"This is for...

Monday the"...

Boy, you can't read. We're gonna

die of consumption waitin' for you.

- Can so! Give it back! - Franklin, give

him the paper and let him read it.

Watch it.

"Another Negro woman has

been arrested and thrown in jail

because she refused to get up

out of her seat on the bus...

for a white person

to sit down.

It is the second time

since the Colvin case...

that a Negro woman has been

arrested for the same thing.

This has to be stopped. "

"We're therefore asking

every Negro...

to stay off the buses Monday

in protest of the arrest and trial.

Don't ride the buses to work,

to town, to school...

or anywhere on Monday.

You can afford to stay

out of school for one day,

if you have no other

way to go except by bus.

You can also afford to stay

out of town for one day.

If you work,

take a cab or walk.

- Please, children"...

- I heard about that last night.

- That woman was Miss Parks.

- Rosa Parks?

Yep. They had to bail her out

of jail for sittin' in the bus.

- See, the problem is...

- I'll tell you what the problem is.

I ain't never seen people get so

worked up over a piece of paper.

- I think it's dumb.

- I think you're dumb!

- Shut up, Franklin.

- I bet nobody rides the bus.

- Franklin, sit up.

- Well, if that don't get all.

Here we are without a car,

and somebody tellin' us not to ride the bus?

Theodore and Franklin ready

to follow along like lap dogs.

If that ain't cuttin' your

nose off to spite your face.

She's mad 'cause she ride the bus

out to Newtown on Saturday,

- to see that boy she think like her.

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