This Christmas Page #8

- All right, man, good night.

- Good night. I'll see you tomorrow.

Good night, Joe.

- Hey.

- Hey.

I'm sorry. I know we were

supposed to get together.

Time slipped away from me, and...

No, no, no, it's all good.

You all right?

You know, you just wouldn't believe

the kind of day I had today.

With my family and...

It's just not a good time right now.

No, I understand.

Okay. Good night, Gerald.

Clark High School.

Say what?

I remember this skinny ninth-grader.

With bony legs

and pigtails and braces.

She dropped all of her books

on the first day of school.

Now, I went down

and helped her pick them up.

But she was so late for class...

...that she never even

looked up at me.

And then I see you in the club...

...with your family...

...and I thought, "Wow, there she is."

Welcome to the stage!

- Superstar!

- Hey, what's up, man?

Yeah, just wrapping

these last Christmas presents.

Yeah.

Merry Christmas, big bro.

Yeah!

Wonder what it is.

Thanks, bro.

I wanna tell you, man, I'm...

I'm sorry, man.

For what?

Just the way I chose to live my life.

Choices I made.

Just makes you feel like, you know...

...you gotta stay

and look after Mama.

I gotta find the right way

and the time to tell her.

Right time to tell me what?

Sh*t.

What is it, Baby,

that you can't exactly tell me?

You know, Mama...

...this is not my conversation, so...

Well, I'm gonna let y'all talk.

Good night.

I've been meaning to tell you,

it's just that...

...it hasn't seemed to be

the right time.

Ever.

But I guess now that you know,

I'm kind of relieved.

- Know what?

- That I wanna sing, Ma.

And I can really sing too.

Like, I got Senior's ear for music.

- I can...

- Oh, God! No.

See, that's what I'm talking about!

It's not about you, Quentin or Senior.

- It's about me, Mama, me.

- I do not want to hear this.

You might not,

but you're damn sure gonna listen!

I'm damn sure gonna listen?

Ma, I love you with all my heart,

and you know I do.

But I'm gonna sing, and sing for me.

I can't be ashamed of wanting

to pursue my dream...

...just because

Quentin and Senior left.

They didn't leave because of you,

Ma. They left for them.

And I can't live my life

in fear of just disappointing you.

In the end I'll hate myself,

resent you like you resent Senior.

- You watch your mouth.

- But it's true, Ma!

- You watch how you talk to me.

- And I feel sorry for Joe.

Because he really loves you.

But I can't one day look back

and feel sorry for me.

- I just can't.

- Fine.

And you!

Somehow I think that you haven't

married Joe because of us.

But the sad truth is you haven't

married him because of you, Ma.

Good night, Mo.

Good night, Dude.

You know, I was just thinking.

It was cool the way Quentin

agreed to let us stay here.

That was really,

really nice of him, man.

He's a sweet guy.

Why do you suppose he did that?

Damn.

Ticket. Wallet.

Son of a b*tch!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the

final boarding call for number 27...

You must think we're stupid.

Honestly? Yeah, I do.

Yeah, we gonna show you

who's stupid.

Get his ass up. Get up.

Get off of me!

Get off me, man!

Get him, get him.

That's enough.

He learned his lesson.

- Leave him alone. Back up.

- He owes us money!

He owes you money.

Twenty-five grand, right?

That's 10 right there.

Take the money

and we'll just call it even.

You must be joking, old man.

Now, you take this,

or I start shooting.

That'll ruin everybody's Christmas.

Or I call the police.

They'll be real happy to know...

...both of y'all have warrants.

You ain't tough guys, man.

You bookies.

Now, take this.

You stay alive, you stay out of jail.

My gift to y'all.

Merry Christmas.

- Can we have our gun back?

- Not in this lifetime.

How'd you know

they had warrants, man?

Their kind always has warrants.

How'd you know what was going on?

Same way I knew about Darryl

and Benny waiting to beat you up...

...after school in the sixth grade.

Darryl and Benny?

- Darryl and Benny.

- Yeah, you could stop them.

But you couldn't stop

Mo and Dude, huh?

Is that your way

of giving me a spanking?

Quentin, let me tell you something.

What you really have left

at the end of the day...

...is family,

and we your family, boy.

That's my train.

I gotta get out of here.

Quentin.

- Morning, everybody.

- Daddy! Merry Christmas!

How's my little bumblebee?

Little knucklehead.

Merry Christmas!

- So we got company, Baby?

- Claude's wife.

- Claude's what?

- His wife.

You know, like:

- Malcolm, right? Lisa's husband?

- Yeah.

I recognise you from the pictures.

Right.

Claude's wife.

Claude's wife!

So...

This is it, huh?

Yeah, I guess it is.

I go back to New York tomorrow.

Well, how often

do you get back home?

I generally don't have time

to leave the city.

You know.

Usually just for Christmas...

Gerald!

Yeah?

You ever been to New York?

No, but I've always wanted to go.

Well, if I send you a plane ticket,

will you come?

I think I can buy my own plane ticket.

All I needed was an invitation.

Well, you just got one.

Hey, Kelli!

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Gerald.

Santa's coming to town.

Looks like I was missed, huh?

And you're gonna find out

just how much.

- Soon as you get out of those clothes.

- That's what I'm talking about.

Why don't you go wash

that flight off first?

Good idea.

- I'll take a shower real quick.

- Real quick.

- Baby, you been working out?

- Yeah.

That thing's paying off.

Looking good!

Just getting ready for you, baby!

That's what I like to hear.

You know I been missing you.

And I've missed you too.

Oh, baby.

When I get out this shower,

you know you gonna get it.

- So are you.

- That's right.

Hey, did you talk to Quentin

about the dry cleaners yet?

Everything is gonna be just fine,

if that's what you mean.

That's what I like to hear, baby.

That's what I like to hear.

Ma? You got any baby oil?

New bottle right in the cabinet.

Good, because I'm gonna need

the whole bottle.

Wha...?

Man.

It's about to be on

and popping up in here.

- How was your trip, Malcolm?

- Oh, baby! It was great.

- I got a lot of work done.

- Yeah, I bet you did.

Where's the car?

I didn't see it when we pulled up.

- The L.A. River.

- What?

The L.A. River.

What is this woman talking about?

What are you...?

- What's wrong with you?

- You're what's wrong, Malcolm.

- Baby...

- Why don't you step out the shower...

...so we can talk about it?

- It's always something with you.

Yeah, it's always something with me.

Now, you tell me...

What's wrong with you, woman?

Sh*t! Have you lost your mind?

Yeah, I lost my mind, but I found it

when you was in New York...

...playing House with that ho!

- If I get up off this floor...

- Come on, let me see you get up.

Sh*t! Listen, I can explain

about New York, okay?

No, you don't need to explain.

Just get your sh*t...

...and get out of my mama's house!

Sh*t! God!

Oh, sh*t.

Quentin left?

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