The Secret Life of Bees Page #2

Beginning of the end

- You gals be careful now.

- The life I hadn't chosen

[People Vocalizing]

[Fades]

Let me get this straight.

You got us goin' to Tiburon...

'cause your mama got a picture

with that town written on the back?

That's it?

T. Ray said my mother left me

way before she died.

Well, it's not true.

He only made it up to punish me.

I know he did.

Knowing your daddy,

he could do a thing like that.

And my mother could never do

what he said she did.

Huh.

I get it.

You ran off 'cause of

what he said, didn't you?

It ain't had nothin' to do

with me being in jail.

And here you got me worrying myself sick

about you getting in trouble 'cause of me.

So what you fixin' to do? Go door-to-door

askin' folks about your mama?

- That's your bright idea?

- I don't exactly have a plan, all right?

Well, you sure had one

back at the hospital.

Comin' in there and sayin',

"We gonna do this, and we gonna do that."

And I'm supposed to follow you

like some dumb n*gger like they said.

Well, you are dumb pouring your spit

on that man's shoe like that...

and dumber not to say you're sorry

if sayin' it will save your life.

That man was gonna come back

and kill you or worse.

And I go and I get you out of there,

and this is how you thank me?

Well, fine.

[Water Splashing]

Are you all right?

I feel like I've been beaten

with a stick.

You have been beaten, remember?

But not with a stick.

I know you can't understand.

Apologizing to those men

would've just been a different way of dyin'...

'cept I have to live with it.

If I can find someplace open,

I'll buy us some food.

What we gonna do for beds?

Find a motel, I guess.

Lily, there ain't gonna be a place

that'll take a colored woman.

Well, what about

the Civil Rights Act?

Ain't nothin' but a piece of paper.

[Horn Honking]

[Chattering]

Excuse me, sir.

Are you serving food today?

Oh, yes, ma'am. We have

a Sunday plate special: Barbecued pork.

Um, we'll take two of those,

please, and two Cokes.

I don't believe

I've seen you before.

I'm not from here.

I'm... I'm just visiting my grandmother.

[Woman]

Your daddy's gonna be so proud of you.

- Afternoon, Carol.

- Hi.

- Why, don't you two look smart.

- When we get home...

You come on in, and I'll wrap

those up for you to go.

[Bell Jingles]

- [Door Opens]

- [Bell Jingles]

Miss, you change your mind?

- Where did you get those?

- Oh, I know what you mean.

Virgin Mary's pictured

as a colored woman.

But, see, the woman that makes

the honey is colored herself.

Best honey in South Carolina.

What is her name?

August Boatwright.

- Do you know where she lives?

- [Chuckles]

Darnedest house you ever saw. Painted like

Pepto-Bismol. Your grandma's probably seen it.

[Chattering, Laughing]

[Lily]

What do you think's goin' on?

[Sighs]

Look like they dressed for church.

- Bye-bye!

- [Lily] You think one of them's August?

- [Horn Honks]

- Whoever she is, I hope she make honey...

better than she picks out paint.

I like it.

[Cello:
Classical]

Now, don't go gettin'

your hopes up, all right?

They got nowhere else to go.

[Stops]

[Footsteps Approaching]

Yes?

- Are you August Boatwright?

- No.

I'm June Boatwright.

August is my sister.

- You came to see her?

- Hi. I'm May Boatwright.

I'm August's sister too.

[Chuckles]

Is she expecting you?

Um, I just saw some honey at the store,

and the man said that...

You come for honey?

Why didn't you say so?

Come into the parlor. I'll go get her.

Then after that she gonna go get

September and October.

[Door Closes]

Who we got here?

I'm Lily and this is Rosaleen.

We need a place to stay.

You see, my mother died of tularemia when

I was little, and my daddy just got killed...

in a tractor accident on our farm in

Spartanburg County, so me and Rosaleen...

she's our housekeeper... we're on our way

to Virginia to stay with my Aunt Bernie.

'Cept I don't have money

for a train ticket or a motel...

and not that anyone

would take in a Negro woman...

even though it's a violation

of the Civil Rights Act.

- Looks like you've been beaten.

- She fell down some steps when we were leavin'.

Must've been a lot of steps.

[Humming, Whimpering]

[Crying]

May, honey, go on out to the wall

and finish your crying.

[Sobbing]

Is she all right?

I'm sorry.

We can't help you.

We can't have 'em living

on the side of the road.

Why don't you call your aunt,

see about her sending you some train fare?

I would, but she just had a real big operation

and she's still stayin' in the hospital.

So maybe Rosaleen and I could just work

for the money, and then just be on our way.

Well...

I guess Rosaleen can help

May in the kitchen...

and you can help me and Zach

with the bees.

August.

We have the cots in the honey house.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- I hope y'all like the smell of honey.

- [Door Opens]

It can be a bit overwhelming at first...

- but you'll get used to it.

- [Door Closes]

Zach and I sleep out here come in December

when we harvestin' honey round the clock.

It can get hot out here,

so you wanna keep that on.

You'll have to use

the bathroom in the house.

We never lock the door, so just come on in

whenever you need to.

- There you go.

- This ain't charity. I'll pay you back for it.

Oh, yeah, you can work it off.

I imagine y'all two wanna rest up.

If you get hungry, there's some sweet potato

biscuits on the stove. They're May's specialty.

Thank you again, Miss August.

[Door Closes]

I'm sure sorry to hear about T. Ray.

Aunt Bernie too.

I know it wasn't right to lie,

but I didn't have a choice.

How come you ain't say nothin'

about your mama or show that picture?

Ain't that why we're here

in the first place?

If they knew I ran away,

they'd have to call T. Ray to come get me.

Then they'd find out you a fugitive

and they'd have to call the police.

I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

I really do.

I just need some time to figure out why,

so don't say anything.

Your secret.

You do what you want with it.

They're so cultured.

I never met Negro women

like them before.

- Just us dumb ignorant ones.

- That's not what I'm sayin'.

Guess I never met Negro women

like them neither.

- How much land did she say they got?

- Twenty-eight acres.

It's like it's got its own spot in the world,

where the outside don't come in.

Well, that's a good thing.

We'll be safe here, right?

[May Humming]

[June]

This is bullshit.

You know she in

some kind of trouble.

Well, who's gonna

take 'em in if we don't?

- No one around here.

- [Continues]

So what if that trouble follow 'em?

I need to do this, all right?

[Woman]

I went down to the water

All night long

I put my feet in

All night long

And I went down

To the water

All night long

And I put my dreams in

All night long

And what you did to me

I:

I can't take no more

I'll take these bad things

And I'll

Lay them at the shore

[Vocalizing]

[Fades]

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote