This Christmas Page #6

In the freezer.

Good, the kids love

those frozen grapes.

- Hey, Quen.

- What up?

Look who I ran into.

- What's up, Q?

- They were driving down the street...

...looking for directions,

and they happened to stop me.

That's crazy, huh?

You have no idea.

You gotta love some

California hospitality, right?

Well, I'll let you boys talk.

- I'm gonna go get me something to eat.

- All right, now.

- Look like that hurt.

- For sure, dog.

So thought we wasn't

gonna find you, huh?

Well, man, I...

I mean, I left my PalmPilot

in my sax case...

...so any idiot would have found me.

But I just didn't think that you

would have found me, you know?

Forty dollars?

Train ticket.

Look like you ain't

going nowhere, my man.

Give me one good reason

why I shouldn't put a hot one in you.

Well...

...for one...

...you wouldn't get your money.

- Now, that's a good one.

And...

...for two...

...you got the police

behind you right now.

All right.

What did he do?

Aggravated assault,

disturbing the peace.

- Someone said he had a gun.

- A gun?

Don't worry, they're taking him

for questioning.

I was there. I'll go to the station...

...and straighten it out, okay?

- All right.

- We're driving.

- I wanna go too.

- Can you put the kids to bed?

- Okay.

Call us as soon

as you hear something.

All right.

Come on, Mama.

He's going to jail for nothing?

They said he had a gun, Quen.

- Well, he did.

- And that's nothing?

He got into a thing last night with a guy.

He had his service revolver on him.

Why'd you let that happen?

I didn't let anything happen.

He a grown man. What?

God, that is so classic of you.

"It's not my responsibility."

Responsibility? What?

I heard you wanna sell the cleaners.

We think it'll be a good idea to sell it.

- Who's we?

- Malcolm and I.

- But not your family.

- The cleaners isn't making any money.

- I don't mean to get in your business...

- Isn't that what people say...

...before they get in your business?

- If there's money, Quentin could use it.

Well, if we sell,

we can all come out okay.

Including you.

What about Ma'Dere?

Joe and Ma'Dere keep the house.

We can put Ma'Dere's profits

in a trust.

- They'll be fine.

- Joe?

What's he got to do with the house?

Joe and Ma'Dere

have been living together...

...since Mel went away to college.

What?

Just sit down. Relax.

Been in situations like this before.

Guy with a gun, crowded club.

Nobody remembers nothing.

Hey, this dry-cleaner situation...

...it's gonna make

a windfall of money, huh?

How long have you two

known Quentin?

- A while.

- And you're musicians.

No, we're in...

...money management.

Sis.

What'd they say?

The club manager's

gonna drop charges.

- Good, he can come home with us.

- Not exactly.

Then what, exactly?

- Claude is AWOL.

- AWOL?

They gonna let me talk to him now.

Okay? I got it.

So, what? While I'm sleeping...

...everybody was out

gallivanting last night?

Sit up when I'm talking to you!

- Get the kids ready for bed?

- They brushed their teeth.

- Now they're taking their baths.

- It's almost dinner. We need to cook.

- You already cooked for Christmas.

- Yes, that's for tomorrow.

If you want to eat tonight,

somebody's gotta cook.

And we gotta make cookies

for the kids to leave Santa.

Why?

He's already had Kelli's cookies.

Should we call a lawyer

or something?

- Don't even worry about it.

- Ma'Dere...

Quentin said he's gonna

take care of it.

- I'll call Joe and tell him.

- You go do that.

Kelli, cook dinner.

I'm going upstairs to rest. Okay?

When Quentin gets here,

somebody come up and get me.

Because...

You ain't telling me. I'm telling you.

I came home because Christmas

is tradition in our family.

- I promised her.

- She'd have understood.

No, you don't know her.

So you go AWOL so you don't

disappoint Ma'Dere?

- Not Ma'Dere. Sandi.

- Who the hell is Sandi?

Now, you got the two green peppers

chopped up there.

And you people think

that I can't cook.

- Watch out, now.

- That's all right.

Spicy.

Okay. Two green peppers, chopped.

- Got to broil the bacon.

- All right, we cooking now.

You're supposed

to add the sausage now.

Adding the sausage.

- Enough sausage?

- Yes.

Now pour gravy over the onions.

Slow, though.

That is not how it looks

in the picture.

- I am not eating that.

- All right.

Don't burn yourself. Watch out.

Y'all know what you're doing?

The drippings, it says here.

- Drippings, huh?

- Yeah.

- Okay. Doesn't look like Ma'Dere's.

- Supposed to cook like 10 minutes.

- Try stirring it up.

- Like that?

That didn't help either.

It looks good, huh?

Maybe you should bake it?

Yup. Oh, believe me,

I'm devastated right now.

- Is that Quentin calling about Claude?

- No, it's Malcolm.

Tell Lisa that my flight's been delayed

because of the bad weather.

His possession isn't here,

he should call her back later.

Tell Kelli I said,

"Have a very merry Christmas."

He said merry Christmas.

All right, dude.

All right, man.

Man, get off the phone. All right.

You missed Malcolm's call.

- What'd he say?

- He's running late.

- Where's Claude?

- They dropped the charges.

- Then where is he?

- AWOL.

- AWOL?

- Absent without leave.

They're shipping him to Pendleton.

- We need to call him a lawyer.

- No, it's a military thing.

- Is he all right?

- Ma, he's in jail.

Are we gonna see him

before they send him back?

MP said they'll call

when they get there.

They need him in uniform. Somebody

gotta take his clothes to him.

It just doesn't makes sense.

- Claude's never been in trouble before.

- Do I know you?

Ma'Dere, that's Sandi Whitfield,

your daughter-in-law.

Damn.

- Lisa, this is not funny.

- No, it's not.

But I'm gonna keep drinking

until it is.

Claude and I got married

two weeks ago.

We wanted to surprise you.

Congratulations, we're surprised.

Kelli, Claude had her

staying in a hotel.

A hotel?

He talks about you guys all the time.

- You're exactly like I imagined you.

- Can't exactly say the same.

Hush.

Welcome to the family, Sandi.

I'm Claude's mother, Ma'Dere.

- Can we get you something to eat?

- No, thank you.

They offer you food, you don't accept,

they get offended.

Well, in that case, I'm starving.

A sense of humour.

Mel, help her get settled upstairs.

Yeah, and I'll get you that plate.

- Come on.

- Well, this is wonderful.

- Can I get you a glass of water?

- I'm fine.

You don't want some water?

Get a glass of whatever

Miss Lisa is drinking.

And stop asking me crazy questions.

Are either of you married

to one of my children?

No, ma'am. No, ma'am.

We're friends of Quentin.

- Oh, well, thank God, merry Christmas.

- I'm Mo.

- I'm Dude.

- Duke. Yes, nice to meet both of you.

- The pleasure's all ours.

- Are you eating dinner with us?

- No, no, no. They...

- Cool.

- We're starving.

- They gotta go...

...before they lose their reservations.

Nonsense. You're friends of Quentin,

Rate this script:2.4 / 5 votes