The Sweetest Gift (1998) - full transcript
Two neighboring families in Florida, one black (headed by Diahann Carroll) and one white (headed by Helen Shaver), struggle with the problems of race, poverty, prejudice, and absent fathers, as their children become friends over the course of one summer and fall.
(gentle guitar music)
- [Chip] Come on, Good Boy.
(dog barking)
(dramatic music)
Good Boy.
Good Boy.
(sudden screaming) (kids giggling)
- Run, run, run, run!
(dog barking)
Run, run, run, he's right behind you!
Oh, you should have seen your face.
You thought that big old gator had you.
- Good Boy would kill it.
- Ha, Good Boy would be no more than one bite
for the big old gator. I got, ow!
- Come on, you.
- Ow, ow, you're gonna break my belly, ow!
- You should just go away.
- Maybe I will, brat.
Some day you'll look around and I'll be gone.
- Where would you go?
- Anywhere I please.
- Mama won't let you. Would she, Kate?
- No. - She wouldn't even miss me.
- She would!
You know what she says about families sticking together.
- Yeah.
Like her and dad?
(cows mooing)
(ducks quacking)
(cow mooing)
(dog barking)
- Kate, Kate!
- Justin!
- Your mother home?
- No, sir.
She's at the dairy.
- I thought she got off at noon.
- Well, she goes back at four for the evening milking.
- [Man] What's the day off?
- Cow's got to be milked every day, twice.
- You mean she works every day?
- Even birthdays.
- I'm Mr. Tate.
Tell her I stopped by.
That the property line?
(dog barking)
(car horn honking)
- He's from the bank.
- I know.
(dog snarling)
Remember the Johnsons who used to go to our church?
They lost their farm.
The bank took everything.
- Even the animals?
- Even the kids. (car horn honking)
(dog snarling)
- Mom's home!
- Careful.
(dishes clattering)
- Hey kids. - [Kids] Hi mom.
- Mom's on the left, Chip.
- Daddy used to hunt gators, didn't he?
- Hunting gators is against the law.
Now you kids, you stay away from that big canal.
You hear me? - [Kids] Oh yeah, sure mom.
- Chip, are you gonna just play with your food,
or are you going to eat?
- A man came today.
- Mr. Tate.
- From the bank.
What'd he want?
- I'm making my payments again, so.
That was a fine dinner. I thank you.
I'm gonna have my bath.
(slow music)
(knocking on door)
Um hum?
- [Kate] Can I come in? - Um, sure.
So do you wanna take your bath next?
- Okay.
Hey mom?
How come families don't stick together?
- I'm not sure.
- Think someone leaves home just 'cause
they get mad at somebody?
- Well I expect it's more complicated than that.
- Are we gonna lose the farm?
- No.
I don't go to work everyday, miss being with you
so we can lose the farm.
No.
(sighing)
(dog barking)
- [Kate] I know where some huckleberries are
on the other side of the canal.
- That's too far.
- I can cross the old pipeline.
- Justin, you know mom don't want us walking
on that old pipe.
(birds chirping)
- You aren't chicken, are you?
- No!
Just following you in case you fall.
- Yeah, fat chance.
- Oh, hush up!
(suspenseful music)
- Chip, you better go back. I'm not kidding.
You ain't big enough to cross the pipe.
- Chip, what do you think you're doing?
(dog barking)
- Chip, watch what you're doing!
Go on back, just crawl back!
- No Chip, just come here, just come on.
(dog barking)
Mom will kill us if she finds out.
- Stay, Good Boy!
- Oh no!
No more, go on back, come on!
No!
Chip, go back!
- Go back, Good Boy!
Go back!
Go back!
- [Kate] Oh be careful, Chip!
- [Justin] Hey, don't look down.
- Chip, just come on, come on!
Come on, quick, quick!
Chip, come on, come on.
Be careful, be careful.
Come on, it's okay.
It's okay, come here buddy, come on.
It's okay, come here.
- Good Boy!
Good Boy!
Good Boy! Good Boy!
- [Kids] Chip! (water splashing)
- [Chip] No, no, no!
Good Boy, Good Boy.
(slow music)
- What? What is it?
Oh honey, what is it?
What is it, baby, talk to me.
Where's Good Boy?
- Good Boy got in the canal, and...
- Aligator got him.
- Oh honey, oh honey, oh baby.
It's okay.
And I thought I could trust you.
Oh my baby, it's okay.
Mommy's right here.
- Sugar!
Come here girl.
Sugar!
Come here.
Where could she be.
Have you seen Sugar? Where is she?
- I give up. Where's Sugar?
- Justin, I'm not fooling!
Chip!
Chip! - What do you want?
- [Kate] Where have you been?
And where's Sugar?
- How do I know?
She your goat.
- [Justin] See her anywhere?
- No.
- [Kate] Well then she's run away.
- You looked in the barn?
- Not in there.
- Well you better not tell mom you went in there.
- You better not either. - Fine!
- Hey, don't cry. We'll help you look.
- Maybe she went towards the canal.
- Chip! - What?
- Would you think! - Okay, okay.
- Kate!
(gentle music)
Sugar?
Here Sugar.
Yep, she's been here for sure.
- You gonna ask the Wilson's?
- Yeah, we might as well.
- How come we never come here?
- No kids.
Anyway, black people have their own friends.
- Really? - Uh huh.
Hey, look!
Sugar! - [Chip] Hey, Sugar!
Hi Sugar! (goat bleating)
- [Kate] Morning.
- Is it still morning?
Seems to me it's getting on into afternoon.
- We lost our goat.
- Luther, run around the house
and tell your grandpa the Martin kids have come
for their goat.
- I never saw little bitsy braids
with beads all mixed in like that.
Sure is pretty.
- Up in New York where Ruby's been living,
lots of people wear their hair like that.
I certainly don't know where they find the time.
- They're called kasammis.
- [Grandpa] Well hello there.
So that's your nanny goat, is it?
- Yes sir.
I reckon she was looking for grass.
- Reckon she was looking for a husband.
Not just any old husband at that.
My billy won first prize at county fair
three years in a row.
- Oh well, I'm sorry if she caused any trouble.
- No trouble at all.
But you know it ain't free,
her keeping company with a pedigree goat like Billy?
- Oh.
We don't have any money.
We could bring you some milk though.
(girl snickering)
- Or duck eggs.
- Duck eggs.
I suppose we could use some duck eggs now and then.
That is, if you remember to bring us some.
- You got a rope to take your nanny back?
- Oh, no sir.
- Well, maybe I got a piece around here somewhere.
(door creaking)
Got some rope right here.
- Daddy, you ought to be ashamed of yourself
taking eggs off such raggedy ass kids.
- You mind your language, Ruby.
Now more than eggs,
I reckon we need some children around here
to get that boy of yours out of the house.
- Is your mother still working out at the dairy?
- Yes ma'am.
- That's good.
- She usually comes home around noon,
but today they're vetting some calves.
She won't be back til supper.
- I bet you'd like some cool lemonade
before you start back.
Do you want some lunch?
- Lunch?
- You like ham?
- Ham!
- Ham.
(door creaking)
(upbeat music)
- Did you ask those kids to eat with us?
- Do you mind sharing?
- I don't want Luther hanging out with white trash, mama.
- Being poor doesn't make them trash, Ruby.
Mrs. Martin's husband left her.
It's not easy.
You ought to know.
(jazzy music)
- I used to have a dog.
But old gator ate him.
- All of him?
- Every bite.
- Well, what do we have here?
- We've got plenty of sandwiches here.
Here, daddy.
- Thank you, ma'am.
(door slamming)
- Boy howdy, that's looking good.
Yes, check it out.
Chip, get your face out of the mirror
and give it to your brother.
Okay honey, can you get me the broom.
Clean this mess up.
Oh, ah, ah.
- Hey mom? - Uh huh?
- When we go shopping tomorrow
can I get a mini skirt?
- Ain't going shopping tomorrow on a mini skirt,
it ain't practical.
- We're not. - But mom, school starts Monday.
- Mom!
- I know what day school starts, hon.
It's just...
We don't have no money.
Not even enough for one pair of sneakers
and I'm sorry.
Justin, Chip.
Honey, don't leave.
- Mom, maybe I could get an after school job or something.
- Ah, honey.
Oh, you're such a good girl.
No, I don't want you to go to work.
Not yet, besides I need you here to look after Chip,
don't I?
Maybe when you're older.
We're going to be all right.
(slow music)
(knocking on door)
- I have a xylophone!
You wanna see it?
- Sure!
(knocking on door)
(door creaking)
- I'll tell papa you brought them.
(door slamming)
- Kate, well as long as you're here
why don't you help me bring in the laundry?
- Oh, yes ma'am.
- Come on.
(gentle music)
It has been a long time since I had this much laundry.
- Are Ruby and Luther gonna stay?
- Well...
Guess that depends.
Ruby is so restless.
- Justin's getting like that.
Reckon no one likes living at our house anymore.
Even Brown Sugar tried to run away.
- You mean coming here? - Um hum.
- I don't think Brown Sugar was running away.
Just coming for a visit.
Making new friends.
- You think so? - Yeah.
That's how I got to know you.
- What's you building?
- Oh, just providing a little mobility for Luther.
- Mobility.
- That's right.
(upbeat music)
- I like that music.
Is that New York music?
- Girl, you never heard of reggae before?
Doesn't come from New York.
Didn't even start in New York.
Comes from the Caribbean, Jamaica,
places like that.
All the best reggae bands come from there.
- They do that kind of dancing in Jamaica?
- Oh, I don't know.
I never been there before,
but someday I'm going.
- It's far, huh?
- It's not that far.
Yeah, see we're here,
and next is Cuba,
and there's Jamaica.
I bet it wouldn't take more than a day's drive from here.
Except all that blue is ocean.
So you can't drive.
Gotta take a boat or a plane or something.
- I've never been on a plane.
Have you?
- Sure.
Me and Luther flew down from New York a few weeks ago.
- New York.
- Yeah well...
- Wish I could type.
- [Ruby] What for?
- I like knowing how to do things.
Makes me feel like I'm smarter
than folks think I am.
- [Chip] Race ya!
- [Luther] Wait up, Chip!
- Come on, Chip, we gotta go.
Chip!
(slow jazzy music)
- Can I come back tomorrow?
- I suppose.
- Yes! Yes!
- [Luther] Let's go see Billy.
- Ruby.
- [Ruby] Daddy! - Care to sit a spell, Justin?
- No, I'd reckon I'd better be getting home.
Wow.
Booker Wilson.
Booker Wilson.
Booker Wilson.
He must be quite the ball player.
- That's my boy.
We figured he'd go into the majors,
but it was the Army that got him.
He's coaching in Atlanta now.
Always comes home for Thanksgiving though.
You want to meet him?
Just come on over.
- I might just do that.
- Stop it!
You're going, you're going to school
whether you like it or not.
You are going.
Come on now.
- [Boy] Amy, how you doing?
(gasping) - What happened, Kate?
- Look! - Oh.
Hey Luther! - You will make friends.
Just...you don't... - Chip!
Hey Chip, I have something to show you!
- Cool, what?
(indistinct chatter)
- What happened to Kate?
- Her pants tore!
(kids laughing)
- Kate?
You missed the bus.
- My pants ripped.
- Maybe I could fix them.
Does this ever take me back.
The year I started popping buttons off of everything.
Booker was teasing me about being fat,
and all the boys were making jokes.
I would've rather gone to jail than to school that year.
- Well, no point in sewing them.
They'll just bust again.
- Yeah, well.
Why don't you come on up to my house,
and I think I have a pair or two that might fit you.
Come on, put your shorts on.
I don't want your mom catching you ditching.
(slow gentle music)
- But nothing's gonna fit.
I mean, you're so...
I'm sorry. - So what?
(chuckling)
You think it's breathing that's ripping those pants?
You're growing, girl.
In all the right places, too.
- [Kate] My Sugar's gonna have a baby.
- What makes you think so?
- Mr. Wilson said.
- Who?
- Mr. Wilson.
You know, he has the big wet billy down the road.
Billy's a real good goat, mom.
He takes first prize at the county fair every year.
- I know, but we can't afford it.
- We already paid, with duck eggs.
Mrs. Wilson says they're better than regular for baking.
And Ruby thinks that--
- Ruby?
- Mrs. Wilson's daughter.
Used to live in New York.
- I know. - Well she's come home now.
- How do you know these people?
- Well,
we just go there sometimes.
- When?
- Well, Chip usually walks in with Luther,
but me and Justin got our homework to do, so we--
- What about Chip's homework?
- But him and Luther's in the same grade, mom.
I mean they got Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and Ruby
all helping them.
When I have to help Chip sometimes it takes so long.
I don't even get my own homework done.
- Now you hold on.
It is your responsibility, young lady,
to help your little brother with his homework.
- But mom-- - Yours and Justin's.
I don't want you going down there every day, you hear?
(slow music)
- [Reporter] We interrupt our regular broadcast
for this late breaking news.
Hurricane Lila, which was headed out to sea,
has changed course.
The storm is now moving inland at 10 to 15 miles per hour.
Repeat, Hurricane Lila with winds in excess
of 110 miles per hour is expected...
- Betty!
(wind whooshing)
(indistinct shouting)
- Just do what you can, run!
- Chip, be careful!
Come on, girl, come on.
- Come on, come on!
(cow mooing)
- That hurricane's heading our way.
Best get on home. I'll finish up here.
- They say when it's coming?
- They said it'd be here in about three hours.
Now you all will be okay? - Yeah.
- 'Cause I can come by later and--
- Oh no, no.
By the time you finish up here it's gonna be nine o'clock.
- Oh easy, it's okay.
(calf mooing)
- So don't you dare come driving over
in the middle of the storm trying to check on us.
- I swear, Betty, you've been working around these
bossy old cattle so long you're starting to act just like them.
- Line's down. - I gotta get the barn.
(wind whooshing)
(duck quacking)
- [Justin] Get back here! Don't be scared.
Good girl, good girl.
- You're safe!
(calf mooing)
And the animals.
You all saved every last one of them.
Baby.
- We were too tired to make supper,
but I saved you some hot chocolate.
- There's not one in a million
could do what you kids done tonight.
You always remember that.
(chuckling)
(jazzy music)
- Uncle Booker's coming!
- What are you staring at, boy?
- You don't have any...
- Legs? That what you mean to say?
I don't have any legs?
You best be minding what people do have, boy,
not what they don't.
- [Ruby] Come on.
- Hey Luther, I got a bicycle in the back
if y'all wanna help me carry it out.
How are you daddy?
How's everything?
- It's got no pedals.
- No chain either.
- You gonna fix it?
Frame's pretty bent.
- The wheels are good. Practically new.
- By golly boy, I bet you're a quick study.
No point in whining about what we don't have.
We're gonna do something with what we got.
Now, how about carrying this thing
around to Papa's work bench?
- [Kids] Yeah!
(indistinct shouting)
- Good to see you, mama.
(knocking on door)
- Why, Mrs. Martin.
Ruby, it's the children's mother.
Won't you come in? - No, thank you.
I'm just one my way to work.
I know you all are having a family get together,
and I told them children not to stay here more than one hour.
But children, they can't tell one hour from six.
- You remember my daughter, Ruby, don't you?
- Hey. - I do, yeah.
Not that I would have recognized her.
It must be 10 years since last I say you, Ruby.
- Your children are around back with my son, Booker.
He came in today, as you know.
He's helping them fix up a couple of--
- I'll just go get them, Mrs. Wilson.
I wanted to bring you that. It's butter.
I get as much butter as I need from the dairy
and I thought, well maybe you might be able
to use a little extra.
- That was very, very thoughtful.
- Yeah, well I just recently found out
how much time my kids have been spending here,
and you're bound to have fed them more than once.
(laughing) - Once or twice, yes.
And that little one, Chip.
Oh what an appetite!
- Now I may work seven days a week,
but I never miss sitting and having supper with my kids.
- If you will excuse me, Mrs. Martin.
I have something in the oven.
Ruby, will you please take Mrs. Martin back
so she can pick up her children?
(cheerful music)
- [Luther] Hang on!
- That's a good goat.
- Don't let, 'em get those horns behind you, daddy.
(Kate laughing)
- Oh, hey mom.
- Hey.
You're late.
- Sorry.
- Booker, you remember Mrs. Martin?
Lives over there on the highway?
- Yeah, used to walk right by to catch the bus.
- That isn't the way I remember it.
I can count the times
I saw that old school bus coming down the highway,
and you up the road.
When you start off running,
I swear you got there first every time.
Steve used to say you was there only young one in Florida
who could outrun a school bus.
I beg your pardon, Booker, I... I ought to know.
- Just because I can't run anymore
you think I want folks to forget I ever could?
- No, I guess not.
- I don't forget things, either, Mrs. Martin.
Like Atlanta and what you did for us.
- [Wilson] Afternoon, Mrs. Martin.
- Mr. Wilson.
- What do you think of my almost trained Billy goat here?
- Well I think he's as smart as he is good looking,
and the kids tell me our Sugar's probably gonna
bring us one just like him.
- One or more.
You see Billy here has got a history of siring twins.
- Twins?
Well, sure can't complain about that.
Come on, Chip.
- Oh mom, do I have to go now?
- Well yes you do.
Booker come here to visit with his family,
and all y'all kids been taking up his time. Come on now.
Justin, come on. - Ah, that's no problem.
Of course I should get something to eat pretty soon
or I'll be too weak for the big game tomorrow.
- Game?
- Y'all be back for the big game, won't you?
- What game?
- Why our family traditional before Thanksgiving dinner
break a window baseball work up. (chuckling)
- Booker!
- Of course we could play without you,
but won't be much of a game with just Ruby and Luther
by ourselves.
- Ruby plays baseball?
- Does Ruby play?
Why she could have played pro.
If it wasn't for one thing.
- What? - What?
- Fingernails.
- Fingernails? - Fingernails.
- Lethal weapons.
Same as carrying a switchblade.
- Oh Booker!
- [Booker] Fingernails and a bad temper.
- Come on, kids, come on, get.
Come on you, go, go, go.
- See you later, Booker. - [Kids] Bye.
- Mom. - Um hum?
- What Booker mean that time in Atlanta?
- Yeah.
- Oh your daddy and I was down in Atlanta one time
when Booker was in college,
and we went to see him play. - You take us?
- Well no.
You and Kate weren't born yet,
and Justin, I bet you don't even remember.
You was barely walking.
- Ice cream - Ice cream.
So, when the game was done,
we went down to the field to say hey to Booker,
and you had to pee.
Your daddy went and found you a bathroom.
Booker and me...
- What, mom?
- Well, Booker said he and some of his teammates
had been invited back here to play an exhibition game
to help raise money for a scholarship fund,
and they needed a couple of hotel rooms,
and everybody knows Mrs. Tutweiller.
No matter when they said they was coming,
she said she was all filled up.
So he asked me to book him the rooms.
That's all.
So I did.
- Well, what did you tell Ms. Tutweiller?
- I told her I had some friends coming.
Booker sent me the money.
I paid in advance.
When they came, she saw some of them was black.
Well, she wasn't too happy,
but there weren't nothing she could do about it.
- Ooh wee!
I bet Ms. Tutweiller was mad.
Told everybody.
- She sure did.
Yeah, she did. - Strawberry.
- Uh huh.
Cherries Jubilee.
- Cherries jubilee.
- Okay, y'all clean up now.
- Hey Justin.
- Yep?
- You think that's why mom doesn't have many friends?
- What do you mean?
- Well, Chip, used to be that if
somebody tried to help black people,
they lost a lot of their white friends.
- That's silly. - Yep.
- Tomorrow we're gonna play ball with Booker.
- [Booker] Here we go.
Come on, baby girl.
- Hey! - That's two on you, girl.
(indistinct chatter)
- Booker, would you put the ball in the sweet spot, please.
- Come on, Booker, strike her out.
- Come on Booker, right down the pipe.
- You're out.
- I'll be doggone, Ruby.
- Could at least have given me a decent ball, Booker.
- You're blaming me?
It's the fingernails!
(chuckling)
- Ahh!
- Make me say can't do nothing.
Always winning.
- Come on, Booker, come on!
(indistinct chatter)
- All right, little man, this one's got your name on it.
- Come on, Booker. Right down the pipe.
(indistinct shouting)
- Come on, come on.
Keep going round.
Come on baby, come on!
(goat bleating)
Move out in front of that goat now, baby girl.
- Don't mess with me.
Don't mess with me.
- Ooh wee.
Here's a natural talent for you.
I expect you'll be going out for the team, eh Justin?
- No sir.
Coach said unless you have a glove, don't bother.
- You jiving me?
Daddy, do you believe that?
- I reckon it's a bit frustrated, Booker.
- Now I've known some dumb coaches in my day,
but never one that dumb.
- Have a heart, Justin.
I took it into, there.
I broke my nail.
- [Chip] Let's go, Booker!
- Got lucky once.
- No, you ain't doing that again.
- Come on, Booker.
(indistinct chatter)
- I got it, I got it!
- Oh I get it.
You're so good, you can be in or out,
whichever you please.
- Mama, I still got it, ha!
- Are you thirsty?
I've got some iced tea waiting on the porch.
- Thanks mama.
Just let me strike this gal out one more time.
- [Ruby] I finally beat you at your own game, brother.
- One battle did not win the war, little sister.
(Ruby chuckling)
- What happened to your legs, Booker?
- Chip!
- Oh, they got shot off.
- Who shot them?
- Well I don't know exactly.
- Were you a marine?
- Paratrooper.
- You jumped out of an airplane?
What happened?
- My chute opened,
and I was floating down in the dark.
Looking at the lights of the town,
which was real pretty.
Must have been right around Christmastime.
Then all of a sudden, kaboom!
- Kabloom?
- Next thing I remember was
waking up in a hospital with Christmas carols
playing on the intercom.
And no feet.
You boys want some more tea? - Uh uh.
Hey Billy!
- Can't believe it's Thanksgiving and it's this hot.
- You stay too long in that Yankee climate, sis,
you're blood's gone thick.
- Could be.
- How long has it you been back?
Six months?
- Five.
- Long time. For a vacation.
- Don't start with me, Booker.
- Start what?
- You making it doesn't mean that everybody else can.
'Sides, it's not the same when you have a child.
- Well, I wouldn't know.
I've never had a child to use as an excuse
for not getting on with my life.
- And I guess you not having any feet
gives you an excuse to go stomping on people's feelings.
(door slamming)
(gentle music)
- Time we headed home.
I'll go get Chip.
- Thanks for letting us play.
- Pleasure.
I sure hate to see a player of your caliber
not put up a fight to get what he wants.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
See you, Booker.
- Bye, Booker. - Bye, Booker.
- [Booker] See you later, gang.
- Thank you, Almighty, for the Earth
and the good food it gives us.
And for the hands that fix it.
Amen.
- Amen.
Boy it has been a long time
since I sat down a meal like this.
Don't get food like this in New York, do you, Ruby?
- There's more to life than stuffing your belly, Booker.
- We had some good food when we were up in New York.
Didn't we, Sam?
What was the name of that Italian thing
that I really liked?
- Calamari, mama.
- Yeah, sure. Person needs culture, too.
Like calamari.
- Dammit, Booker. Get off my case.
- Girl!
Watch your language.
- What is it with you anyway?
- I'm just a little disappointed, that's all.
Remember how you had all these great ideas
and was never scared to try some thing.
I figured my sister was somebody special,
that she was just naturally going places.
- I did.
- Don't you want to do anything with your life?
- Yeah, take it back to New York.
- Well, pretty hard to get somewhere sitting on your butt,
isn't it? - Son!
- That is enough, Booker.
- Sorry, mom.
I thought something was missing.
Pass me some of that cranberry relish
you worked so hard on this morning, sis,
will you please?
- Ruby!
- Luther, can you keep a secret?
Your mama makes the best cranberry relish in the world,
but she got terrible table manners.
(chuckling)
(gentle music)
- Hey. - What you doing, mama?
- What are you doing up, boy?
You need to get back to bed, son.
Give me a kiss.
You'll see in the morning, okay?
- Okay. - Gimme me Eskimo kiss.
Good night.
- [Luther] Good night.
Hi mama!
- Got room for this?
- Wow.
Not all for me, I hope.
- Could be. If you wanted to get your Christmas shopping
out of the way early.
- Is it possible somebody I know, say my own sister,
has started a candy shop?
- I used to work in a shop that made hand dipped chocolates.
See, the secret is you gotta use the very best ingredients.
I mean, this was made with ordinary grocery store cocoa.
But imagine if I got my hands on some real Dutch chocolate,
what are you grinning at?
- Sister, you an amazing woman.
- That's true. See, the idea I had was,
I call them Ruby's Exquisite Chocolates.
I go to all the shop owners.
Let 'em taste the samples,
and I'm a mogul.
- Um hum.
(giggling)
- Thank you.
- I love you, baby.
- Me too.
(upbeat rock music)
Work it, girl.
(giggling)
♪ Little girl ♪
♪ Come on back to me ♪
♪ If it's over ♪
♪ Then baby why can't you see ♪
(girls giggling)
- Walk, Walk get out here.
- My God.
- Whoo, look what's burning up the sidewalk.
Check it out, bubba.
- Oh yeah.
I reckon I'm gonna get me some of that action.
(chuckling)
- Bubble eight.
You come within three feet of that woman,
she hitting you with a flyswatter!
- Stop, will you?
- Funny like that not looking for no motorcycle man.
She be looking for a man with a job.
(laughing)
- Chums.
- When we get in here let me do all the talking.
Um hum, Linda Sue.
You still don't know how to say exquisite.
- Exquisite.... Hi!
- Well, that's at least two boxes.
- Yeah, but who ever heard of taking candy
off consignment?
- [Kate] Lynda Sue's kind of weird.
Hey, there's Ms. Tutweiller over at the hotel.
She goes to the same church as us.
I've seen her at the church socials
taking two or three desserts on her plate at one time.
You know how people who really love sweets can't help
but take another piece. Even when it's not polite.
I bet if we opened a box in front of her...
- All right, we'll give the old heifer a chance.
Come on.
(indistinct chatter)
- Good afternoon, Ms. Tutweiller.
- Good afternoon, Katie.
Where is your mama?
- Working. - Working.
- This is Ruby.
- Hello.
- Hand dipper chocolates?
- Oh, no thank you.
- Go on, have one.
- Well I guess maybe one.
Oh my.
- They're Swiss.
- Swiss?
- Swiss recipe.
They're just samples, but we're taking orders.
- Aren't they good?
- Well, they are quite tasty.
And I do like to see girls like you trying to get ahead.
How much is it?
Well you just leave them there and I'll think about it.
- Charity, sugar coated charity
from a gluttonous old bitty!
- If you wasn't babysitting, I'd give you a lift.
Seen you wearing out them pretty boots on the hard pavement.
- Get that thing outta my way.
- 30 minutes, we could be in Palm Beach.
(engine revving)
- [Kate] You wanna go to the hardware store?
It's right at the end of the street.
- Kate, no. We're going home.
We're going this way home.
- But Ruby, we still have a whole bag left.
- Kate, it's over.
Over, okay, over!
- So where you gals headed?
- Home.
- You sure you wouldn't rather take the spin out
to Palm Beach?
- Bet it'd be fun to go to Palm Beach on a motorcycle.
(chuckling)
- You get yourself growed up some, little sister,
I might think about it.
- Kate, you wanna ride home?
- I've never been on a motorcycle before.
- All right, come on, let's get on.
Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
That'll big.
(gentle music)
(girls squealing)
(tires screeching)
- I know God gave you better sense
than to put that child on the back of that motorcycle.
- Mama! We just went...
- What's going on around here?
- Daddy, Bubba just took us for a five minute ride.
- Five minutes, and you have destroyed the respect
your father and I took a lifetime building!
- [Luther] Mama, lady on the phone.
Wants more candy.
- Just take a message.
Come on Kate. We got work to do.
- Kate!
Get in this car, girl!
- I am awfully sorry, Mrs. Martin.
- Well, so am I, Mrs. Wilson.
Now if my girl don't have any good sense,
I figured your daughter would.
- Go ahead, mama.
Apologize to the nice white lady.
- Because of you, I have to apologize.
I am sorry that my daughter has no common sense.
I am sorry that you have no common courtesy.
How could you come into my yard
and insult me and my family?
- Well good grief!
If you people think it's fine for a 12 year old--
- Don't nobody come on our property
talking about some you people!
- Kate, you get in the car!
- [Kate] Mama, you're crazy! I am in the car.
- Son, I don't know what you think you're doing here.
But get that noisy thing out of here.
(engine revving)
Baby girl, what are you doing?
Ruby!
- Mama, mama, don't go!
(engine humming)
(dishes clattering)
- [Kate] May I be excused?
- Kate, I wanna talk to you about Ruby.
- Wasn't Ruby wanted to go on the motorcycle.
It was me, and you never told me I couldn't.
- I don't want you hanging around--
- You don't want me going down to the Wilson's,
fine! (glass shattering)
Candy business is over.
We wouldn't even fill the orders we got now.
- Young girl, you think you can stand in my kitchen--
- I hated that ugly old motorcycle anyway!
- Kate!
(door slamming)
- The dragon was stumbling and falling
and his breath was short.
Little flames were spreading,
and there was only smoke and sparks.
And then just smoke.
And then nothing.
Lily laughed and laughed
because she was now be queen of the dragons.
Grandma, why is Lily so mean?
- Well she is probably just scared.
She doesn't know any other way to be.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
(door slamming)
- Well, good evening.
- Evening.
Mrs. Wilson, I'm sorry.
I truly am.
I didn't mean to be blaming you all for
what happened,
and it wasn't all that much anyway.
My Kate growing up the way she is,
and me not there to keep my eye on her,
I just, it's hard.
- Yes.
I expect it is hard.
But it doesn't matter if you go out to work
or you stay at home.
There are no guarantees with children.
- Mrs. Martin.
I reckon you could use a glass of this lemonade.
I'm gonna get you one.
Here you go, Mrs. Martin.
Nice cool glass of lemonade, there you go.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- I don't know.
Maybe I ought to cut back to five days a week
except, can't bear the thought of losing my farm.
You know, if I could just pay it off,
I know I could manage.
Even working up at the dairy, minimum wage.
- The land will feed you with mine.
That's a fact.
Not sure when they come and they go.
The land's always there.
- I think it's a good idea.
Paying off the farm.
That way the children will always have some place
to come back to.
(slow music)
- Lord.
Seems like there ought to be some kind of way
that you can hold your family
and your home together.
- Maybe our children just need more family
than either one of us got.
- Having Chip around for Luther to run with
done them both a lot of good.
Before the girls got this candy notion.
Why, Ruby laid around so much,
you'd thought she was sick.
- I ain't never thought of it like that.
My kids, you know they miss their daddy.
Justin, he thinks the world of your Booker,
and maybe the best thing would be
if we made those girls finish up what they started.
(chuckling)
- The day Ruby finishes something she started,
I wouldn't be able to wipe this grin off my face.
No longer carries neither.
- Well, if you feel like sending Kate over in the morning
to finish up that order for Miss Tutweiller.
That'd be okay.
- Well, if you don't mind.
I think it might be the best thing.
(whimsical music)
- [Luther] You don't mean a real aligator, do you?
- Yeah, a real aligator!
- You don't mean a real aligator, stop kidding.
- Yeah, I'm not kidding.
- The one with the big sharp teeth
and the big tails and the big body?
- [Chip] Yep!
- He knows we're here.
- Yeah.
- Like to throw a rock at him? - Get him mad.
Might chase us.
- Could he catch us?
- They can move pretty fast.
- How fast?
- 40 miles and hour.
- We better be going home.
- Yeah, come on.
- 40 miles an hour?
- Maybe 35.
(knocking on door)
- Hi, honey.
Ruby is still sleeping.
Why don't you come on in and get started.
Ruby?
Ruby, get that pillow off your head.
(Ruby moaning)
I am talking to you!
- Mama, what is it?
- Get out of bed, go in there,
help Kate fill that order for Ms. Tutweiller.
- Don't owe Ms. Tutweiller nothing.
- Maybe you don't.
But Ruby, you do owe the children something.
- What?
- Luther.
And Kate.
You must set an example of someone
who keeps their word, Ruby.
- My life, my choice.
- You are right, you do have choices.
You can go out and get a job.
You can raise your son at home.
You can even work those pretty painted fingernails of yours
to the bone trying to start a business.
But you cannot stay out all night,
and come home and stay in bed all day.
Uh uh.
Not in my home, Ruby.
- Is the sermon over, mama?
- I don't intend to repeat myself.
- Good.
- Maybe if we separate them.
- [Ruby] It was a stupid idea, Kate.
- [Kate] No! - You just don't make something.
You gotta market it.
Plus the more you sell, the more you gotta carry,
and we can't be walking back and forth to town
two or three times for every order.
- Well, why don't we use the goat cart?
- Girl, are you outta your mind?
I'm not peddling the finest chocolates in Florida
on some rinky dink goat cart.
- Then I'll do it.
- Kate.
Nobody but daddy can make that stubborn old goat
go where he doesn't wanna go.
- Billy's no more stubborn than our calves.
We got them in out of the hurricane
when it was jumping every which way.
- [Sam] Let's go, Billy, let's go.
- I can do it. (goat bleating)
(whimsical music)
Come on, come on, good goat.
Come on, come on please.
Billy.
Come on, come on.
Come on.
Come on, Billy.
Come on, you can do it.
Billy, come on. Come on, come on.
We are not going back.
- You are so stubborn!
Can't you see it's gonna take us both?
Look at him! Come on, boy.
- Billy, Billy.
- Whoa!
- Take him to town a few times, he won't be so much trouble.
- No, Kate, I told you go, move it!
This once and no more, I swear.
Kate, I'm not peddling out of this tacky cart.
- Well we can fix it up of something.
I mean we could paint it.
- Old house paint, move Billy, come on!
Oh wait a minute, wait a minute.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Kate, I got an idea.
Turn it around, turn it around.
My mom, my mom has this old gold Christmas ornament paint.
We could paint this thing!
And we can't go looking like this.
I mean look at us.
Girl, look at you.
Oh don't worry about it, girl.
We gonna fix it. Come on.
Come on, Billy, let's go!
- Come on, Billy.
(kids giggling)
(gentle cheerful music)
- Oh hey, you guys!
- Daddy, it's not funny.
- Wait til you see the cart, mom.
It's beautiful.
- Ruby wanted to line it with satin, like a candy box.
- Yeah. - Mrs. Wilson didn't have
any scraps big enough though.
When we go to town Ruby and me is gonna--
- I thought we'd settled all that now.
- What?
- I told you.
You can help Ruby make her candy.
You're not going to town with her.
- But it's for our business, mom.
I mean you said--
- I said...
You're not going to town with her,
and that's that.
- Why, mom?
- Is it because Ruby's black, mom?
- Are you prejudiced, mom?
- No, honey, I'm not prejudiced.
Just, people talk.
Kate may not mind what they say, but I do.
- Say what? - What people, mom?
(slow music)
- Kate cares what people say.
When friends tease her about her raggedy tennis shoes.
She hides in the bathroom.
Once, she wouldn't even come out for class.
(softly sobbing)
- No Chip, not her friends.
Friends don't say things that make you feel bad.
Do they, mom?
- No honey, that's right.
Friends don't.
So now listen here.
You boys, you finish up your supper.
I'm just gonna go have a little talk with Kate.
Listen, I don't have anything against you
spending time with Ruby.
It's just,
there are people in this town--
- That don't like to see black and white being friends?
I guess you are one of them.
- That's not fair, Kate.
I've lived in this town my whole life.
I know-- - It's not how it used to be!
There's laws.
- Laws don't change how people feel.
Katie, Ruby is a grown woman.
- You don't even know Ruby.
You're prejudging her.
That's what prejudice is, mom.
Prejudging!
- Young lady.
You're gonna listen to me now.
I was fighting racism in this town
long before you was even born.
- Oh sure. You stuck up for Booker,
but you won't stick up for me!
- Oh Katie!
- No, no, no, come here.
Now honey, all right.
I got an idea. I'm gonna drive you to town.
You and Ruby. - No.
- And you deliver your candy and I'll wait for you.
- No, mom!
Don't you see?
It's our thing!
I had this idea about the goat cart,
and it worked out, and it's just excellent.
People would love us. We go to town. People buy our candy.
We'd be like a little one ring circus or something.
They'd laugh and buy our candy and...
And now you just ruin everything.
(Kate crying)
(slow music)
- Would you like to look in my trunk?
See if maybe there's a scrap big enough to line your cart?
- Oh!
- Oh my, look at that.
I'd forgotten all about this.
I bought it about, I don't know,
make myself a Christmas dress,
about two...
No, three years ago
when I thought your daddy was coming back rom California.
- Why didn't you make it?
- He never did notice me in nothing
unless I wore red.
He didn't come back.
- Why not?
- I don't know.
Said he couldn't afford to.
You know, he'd gone out there,
thinking he'd do better, and I guess he did.
He found himself a job.
Well, maybe he could only afford to support one.
Not all five of us.
- Do you think he misses us?
- Uh hum.
Now and then.
- Well, why don't you make it anyway?
- Oh boy howdy.
Them cows sure would love to see me all dressed up in red.
I figure...
Next time I pick out something for myself
it's gonna be a color I like.
It's yours.
(whimsical music)
(ducks quacking)
- Where's your mother?
- At work.
- You got a daddy?
- Used to have. - Me too.
But they killed him.
- Who?
- Don't know.
Mama's got a picture of him, though.
She keeps it in her dresser drawer.
- Mine too.
- What's that?
- Ever smelled a rotten egg before?
- Nope.
- They are so nasty.
(goat bleating)
- [Luther] I had to just today to get my dog.
I'm gonna stomp his butt.
- [Chip] Yeah, let's do it!
- He'll be the stinkiest aligator in America.
- Splat, splat, run!
- Splat, splat, splat.
You've been so bad!
- [Ruby] Good boy!
What a good boy he is.
- Oh my word!
Would you look at that?
- Are you selling candy?
- Yes ma'am, we are.
This is a client's but we're willing to take your order.
- Isn't he a darling old thing?
- Ah, hush.
Are you Ruby?
This Ruby?
- Yes ma'am, I am.
- You don't mind bragging on yourself, do you?
- Oh, no ma'am.
That's the candies that we're saying exqui...ex...
- You can't even pronounce the word.
You spelled it right, though.
You sold some chocolates up at the hotel there, yes?
- Those were only samples. I told her that--
- Please, save your breath.
Esther Mayline Tutweiller would not know the difference
between good chocolate and a stick of licorice.
Luckily, I do.
I'll take one.
Go on, write it down, write it down.
- Okay, okay.
- One pound for Claire Bainbridge.
- And your address please?
- Everyone knows my address.
- Okay, that's one pound for Mrs. Bainbridge
- Yes.
Every Saturday.
- Every Saturday?
- Is there some reason why I can't have
fresh chocolates every week?
- Nope, no ma'am, there is no reason.
- Chocolates are good for me.
They improve my disposition.
Ha!
(giggling)
- Well hello, Betty.
- Ms. Tutweiller.
- We missed you at church Sunday.
Were you sick?
- No, it's just one of them old cows decided
to calf Sunday morning. Ain't that always the way, huh?
A Sunday morning or the middle of the night.
- I saw Kate up and down the street today
with that older girl.
- Ruby Wilson.
My neighbor's daughter.
- Ah, yes.
The one that went to New York and had a baby.
- That's right.
And she is such a hard worker.
- Next.
- You can't do nothing but admire a person
with that kind of creativity.
Excuse me.
- That brings your payments right up to date, Mrs. Martin.
- Excuse me?
I believe that pays me up through March.
- Mr. Tate.
- Absolutely right, Ms. Martin.
All paid up three months in advance.
- Well, since y'all didn't wanna extend my loan
seemed like the best thing to do.
Afternoon.
- Ready.
Aim.
- [Boys] Fire!
(water splashing)
- Come on! - Fire!
Oh, missed him!
- Fire one!
I got him, I got him!
- [Chip] Fire!
(water splashing)
(goat bleating)
Oh no, Sugar!
(water splashing)
(goat bleating)
Sugar, Sugar!
Get out of the water!
There's gators in there!
Come on!
- Chip, gator's coming!
(goat bleating)
He's coming, come on!
He's coming!
Come on, Sugar, gator's coming!
Come on, come on!
- [Chip] Come on, Luther. Let's get her up.
Come on, Sugar! - Come on.
- [Chip] I think I missed it.
- No, yours landed in the front.
He slid right over him.
They smeared all over his belly.
Know what, Luther? - Yeah?
- The eggs won't stink.
That won't ever wash off.
(girls giggling)
- That knucklehead on two wheels, oh please.
I told him look,
thanks for the transportation
but don't come around here no more.
I got a son to raise and a life to live.
Disappear.
- You said that to him?
- Yes I did!
But man, you gotta speak up for yourself.
The times I didn't I got myself into a mess of trouble.
Anyway, there are too many good men around
for me to be spending 10 seconds on the likes of Bubba.
- [Girls] With Bubba!
(giggling)
- [Kate] So when you taking in the next order?
- [Ruby] Kate, there's something I forgot to tell you.
There isn't another order.
- There's not?
- Ms. Tutweiller said that people don't buy candy
after Christmas.
- Well what about Valentine's?
- That's two months from now, Kate.
This isn't gonna earn us regular money.
- We just need to find more customers, that's all.
Like, the big gift shops out on the freeway.
- And how are we supposed to get there?
- Mom could drive us.
- Honey, your mom is not gonna wanna be chauffeuring
around a black woman.
- Now how come you're thinking like that?
My mom is not prejudiced.
- How long have we been neighbors, Kate?
And how many times has your mother ever been over to visit?
Kate, that's just the way things are.
People have to have somebody to look down on.
- And they look down on poor, too.
Especially if you don't got good clothes.
- Girl, that's different.
- It feels the same.
If you was rich,
I bet you wouldn't even let Luther play with us.
- Well, I'm not rich.
And I refuse to stay around here being poor.
- You're going back to New York!
- Don't screech at me like that! - You are!
- Did ever say that I was gonna stay here forever?
- You said we was partners.
- Come on, Kate. You're a big girl.
If you wanna sell candy, sell it.
Me, I'm moving on.
- All that work,
just so you'd have the money to leave!
- Look, you got some spending money too, girl.
Here.
- Oh, go spend it yourself.
In New York!
(goat bleating)
- Oh, be quiet, you troublemaker.
You started all this mess.
Yeah!
- Oh, it's a bit nippy out here.
- Hadn't noticed.
- Do you know how much it means to me and your daddy
that you are here?
(slow piano music)
- Think I should stay?
- Well, that depends on what you think you can do here.
What you think you can do there.
- It just takes so long.
- Baby, deciding is what takes so long.
It took your father and me 10 years to make up our minds
that we wanted to buy this place.
And once we decided to buy it,
nothing could have stopped us.
We paid it off, Ruby.
It's ours, it's yours.
It's Luther's.
- Think I could do something like that?
- Of course you can do something like that.
You're our daughter.
- Sometimes I wonder, mama.
- If you would decide to do just one thing
and stick with it,
nothing in the world could stop you.
Except maybe standing out here on the porch
freezing to death.
(giggling)
- Come on in mama. I'll make you some hot cider.
- Okay.
- Oh Sugar.
(goat bleating)
Just spent all night sewing clothes.
I'm worried that Chip's gonna cry.
Justin won't say anything.
Nobody's going to get one single thing they want.
It's going to be the awfullest Christmas.
(machine humming)
(ball knocking) (toy squeaking)
(goat bleating)
(gasping)
Mom!
Brown Sugar, she's had her baby, come on!
- Oh!
- Twins!
(giggling)
Three baby goats!
- Oh my!
- Mom, whose are they?
- Well let's see, Sugar belongs to you.
So they're yours.
(giggling)
- Can I give one to Chip?
And one to Justin?
(goats bleating)
- Reindeer, there's a reindeer!
- Look what Santa brought you!
- Hello!
(giggling)
- Careful, real careful.
Well now, look who's here.
(goat bleating)
- [Kate] Go see your mommy.
- Hello lady.
Looking for your babies?
Come on in.
(goat bleating)
Yeah, look who's here. Your mommy.
What pretty babies you made, yes.
- Morning, Sugar.
(goats bleating)
(kids giggling)
- Oh mom, can we take the baby goats?
- Take them where?
- He means when we have to move.
- Well who said anything about moving?
- When the bank takes our place.
- Well now, what you all talking about?
- The mortgage, mom.
We know how the bank takes people's farms
when they don't have enough money.
The family has to move somewhere else,
and all the animals get sold off.
- Now you listen to me.
I know there's not much under that tree,
but we are all caught up on our mortgage.
In two years from now,
why we're gonna pay this place off,
and then we're gonna have some security.
And next year,
next year I promise things are not gonna be so tight.
That's my Christmas present to y'all.
- Then this place is all ours?
Just ours? - Yeah, it's gonna be ours.
And this morning, this farm is ours.
All ours.
Ours and a herd of goats.
(giggling)
(gentle music)
- Picked her a name yet?
- No. - How about Cookie?
I got one.
Here come on, you try these for me.
Hold on, it's hot.
- They're good. - And they're here!
(car horn honking)
Merry Christmas!
Come on!
- [Sam] Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas.
- We've been waiting on you. Merry Christmas.
Oh so glad you're here. - Merry Christmas.
I see Santa brought you a surprise.
- [Mrs. Martin] Oh yeah. - Hey Luther, come see!
- There you go!
- [Mrs. Martin] Merry Christmas, Ms. Wilson.
- Hey. Hey, hey.
Nice threads, girl.
Those a Christmas present?
- Um hum, mom made it.
- Oh, very talented woman, your mama.
Wouldn't mind having some of those myself.
- Oh look at that.
(giggling)
(goats bleating)
- I bet her mama told her how he ran off that old gator.
- Think so.
- Very first day.
- Yeah.
(slow piano music)
- I was thinking about asking your mom
to drive us down to the tourist shop on the freeway.
This candy nonsense isn't gonna
build you a business overnight,
and I just...
I don't know, I thought I'd give it a good...
Year.
- You'd stay that long?
- Kate, I've never stuck to anything for a whole year.
Not even high school.
- Sticking to something is my best thing.
- Reckon you could stick to this?
- Reckon you can?
- Reckon I can try.
(giggling)
- Well, looks like we still got us a candy king.
Now if they get in your way, you just chase them on down.
They can make them mess in my kitchen.
- Well if they get another big order
I just may have to do that.
There's a limit to how many times
a woman can be thrown out of her own kitchen.
(car horn honking) - Look, here come my boy.
It's Booker!
(chuckling)
- Booker! - Uncle Booker!
- Oh you rascal you.
You didn't tell us you were coming.
- Hi Booker.
- Merry Christmas, Booker.
- Merry Christmas, Mrs. Martin.
- I see you got here just in time for dinner.
- I sure hope so. I'm starving to death.
Who wants a ride up to the house?
- Well, if anyone rides up to the house
they'll have to do the cooking.
Mrs. Martin has invited us to have dinner here.
- Now I can't promise that my dinner
pretty near as good as your mama's,
but I can promise nobody is leaving my table hungry.
(chuckling)
- Well, now I take that as a challenge.
Let me just get myself disorganized here,
and I'll be right in. - All right.
- You know what? I think I can sell jackets
like the one you made Kate. - You can?
- I don't know a lot about candy,
but I do know a whole lot more about clothes.
If you really like to sew.
- Listen, I wanna wish the both of you the best of luck.
- Oh, thank you.
- It's all gonna work out. - Come on.
- How are things going Justin? You about ready for try outs?
- I sure am.
- In that case, maybe this will bring you some luck.
One I played with all through high school and Triple A.
- Wow!
Thanks, Booker.
- [Booker] Go on, man, do it.
(gentle music)
(goats bleating)
(cheerful jazzy music)
- [Chip] Come on, Good Boy.
(dog barking)
(dramatic music)
Good Boy.
Good Boy.
(sudden screaming) (kids giggling)
- Run, run, run, run!
(dog barking)
Run, run, run, he's right behind you!
Oh, you should have seen your face.
You thought that big old gator had you.
- Good Boy would kill it.
- Ha, Good Boy would be no more than one bite
for the big old gator. I got, ow!
- Come on, you.
- Ow, ow, you're gonna break my belly, ow!
- You should just go away.
- Maybe I will, brat.
Some day you'll look around and I'll be gone.
- Where would you go?
- Anywhere I please.
- Mama won't let you. Would she, Kate?
- No. - She wouldn't even miss me.
- She would!
You know what she says about families sticking together.
- Yeah.
Like her and dad?
(cows mooing)
(ducks quacking)
(cow mooing)
(dog barking)
- Kate, Kate!
- Justin!
- Your mother home?
- No, sir.
She's at the dairy.
- I thought she got off at noon.
- Well, she goes back at four for the evening milking.
- [Man] What's the day off?
- Cow's got to be milked every day, twice.
- You mean she works every day?
- Even birthdays.
- I'm Mr. Tate.
Tell her I stopped by.
That the property line?
(dog barking)
(car horn honking)
- He's from the bank.
- I know.
(dog snarling)
Remember the Johnsons who used to go to our church?
They lost their farm.
The bank took everything.
- Even the animals?
- Even the kids. (car horn honking)
(dog snarling)
- Mom's home!
- Careful.
(dishes clattering)
- Hey kids. - [Kids] Hi mom.
- Mom's on the left, Chip.
- Daddy used to hunt gators, didn't he?
- Hunting gators is against the law.
Now you kids, you stay away from that big canal.
You hear me? - [Kids] Oh yeah, sure mom.
- Chip, are you gonna just play with your food,
or are you going to eat?
- A man came today.
- Mr. Tate.
- From the bank.
What'd he want?
- I'm making my payments again, so.
That was a fine dinner. I thank you.
I'm gonna have my bath.
(slow music)
(knocking on door)
Um hum?
- [Kate] Can I come in? - Um, sure.
So do you wanna take your bath next?
- Okay.
Hey mom?
How come families don't stick together?
- I'm not sure.
- Think someone leaves home just 'cause
they get mad at somebody?
- Well I expect it's more complicated than that.
- Are we gonna lose the farm?
- No.
I don't go to work everyday, miss being with you
so we can lose the farm.
No.
(sighing)
(dog barking)
- [Kate] I know where some huckleberries are
on the other side of the canal.
- That's too far.
- I can cross the old pipeline.
- Justin, you know mom don't want us walking
on that old pipe.
(birds chirping)
- You aren't chicken, are you?
- No!
Just following you in case you fall.
- Yeah, fat chance.
- Oh, hush up!
(suspenseful music)
- Chip, you better go back. I'm not kidding.
You ain't big enough to cross the pipe.
- Chip, what do you think you're doing?
(dog barking)
- Chip, watch what you're doing!
Go on back, just crawl back!
- No Chip, just come here, just come on.
(dog barking)
Mom will kill us if she finds out.
- Stay, Good Boy!
- Oh no!
No more, go on back, come on!
No!
Chip, go back!
- Go back, Good Boy!
Go back!
Go back!
- [Kate] Oh be careful, Chip!
- [Justin] Hey, don't look down.
- Chip, just come on, come on!
Come on, quick, quick!
Chip, come on, come on.
Be careful, be careful.
Come on, it's okay.
It's okay, come here buddy, come on.
It's okay, come here.
- Good Boy!
Good Boy!
Good Boy! Good Boy!
- [Kids] Chip! (water splashing)
- [Chip] No, no, no!
Good Boy, Good Boy.
(slow music)
- What? What is it?
Oh honey, what is it?
What is it, baby, talk to me.
Where's Good Boy?
- Good Boy got in the canal, and...
- Aligator got him.
- Oh honey, oh honey, oh baby.
It's okay.
And I thought I could trust you.
Oh my baby, it's okay.
Mommy's right here.
- Sugar!
Come here girl.
Sugar!
Come here.
Where could she be.
Have you seen Sugar? Where is she?
- I give up. Where's Sugar?
- Justin, I'm not fooling!
Chip!
Chip! - What do you want?
- [Kate] Where have you been?
And where's Sugar?
- How do I know?
She your goat.
- [Justin] See her anywhere?
- No.
- [Kate] Well then she's run away.
- You looked in the barn?
- Not in there.
- Well you better not tell mom you went in there.
- You better not either. - Fine!
- Hey, don't cry. We'll help you look.
- Maybe she went towards the canal.
- Chip! - What?
- Would you think! - Okay, okay.
- Kate!
(gentle music)
Sugar?
Here Sugar.
Yep, she's been here for sure.
- You gonna ask the Wilson's?
- Yeah, we might as well.
- How come we never come here?
- No kids.
Anyway, black people have their own friends.
- Really? - Uh huh.
Hey, look!
Sugar! - [Chip] Hey, Sugar!
Hi Sugar! (goat bleating)
- [Kate] Morning.
- Is it still morning?
Seems to me it's getting on into afternoon.
- We lost our goat.
- Luther, run around the house
and tell your grandpa the Martin kids have come
for their goat.
- I never saw little bitsy braids
with beads all mixed in like that.
Sure is pretty.
- Up in New York where Ruby's been living,
lots of people wear their hair like that.
I certainly don't know where they find the time.
- They're called kasammis.
- [Grandpa] Well hello there.
So that's your nanny goat, is it?
- Yes sir.
I reckon she was looking for grass.
- Reckon she was looking for a husband.
Not just any old husband at that.
My billy won first prize at county fair
three years in a row.
- Oh well, I'm sorry if she caused any trouble.
- No trouble at all.
But you know it ain't free,
her keeping company with a pedigree goat like Billy?
- Oh.
We don't have any money.
We could bring you some milk though.
(girl snickering)
- Or duck eggs.
- Duck eggs.
I suppose we could use some duck eggs now and then.
That is, if you remember to bring us some.
- You got a rope to take your nanny back?
- Oh, no sir.
- Well, maybe I got a piece around here somewhere.
(door creaking)
Got some rope right here.
- Daddy, you ought to be ashamed of yourself
taking eggs off such raggedy ass kids.
- You mind your language, Ruby.
Now more than eggs,
I reckon we need some children around here
to get that boy of yours out of the house.
- Is your mother still working out at the dairy?
- Yes ma'am.
- That's good.
- She usually comes home around noon,
but today they're vetting some calves.
She won't be back til supper.
- I bet you'd like some cool lemonade
before you start back.
Do you want some lunch?
- Lunch?
- You like ham?
- Ham!
- Ham.
(door creaking)
(upbeat music)
- Did you ask those kids to eat with us?
- Do you mind sharing?
- I don't want Luther hanging out with white trash, mama.
- Being poor doesn't make them trash, Ruby.
Mrs. Martin's husband left her.
It's not easy.
You ought to know.
(jazzy music)
- I used to have a dog.
But old gator ate him.
- All of him?
- Every bite.
- Well, what do we have here?
- We've got plenty of sandwiches here.
Here, daddy.
- Thank you, ma'am.
(door slamming)
- Boy howdy, that's looking good.
Yes, check it out.
Chip, get your face out of the mirror
and give it to your brother.
Okay honey, can you get me the broom.
Clean this mess up.
Oh, ah, ah.
- Hey mom? - Uh huh?
- When we go shopping tomorrow
can I get a mini skirt?
- Ain't going shopping tomorrow on a mini skirt,
it ain't practical.
- We're not. - But mom, school starts Monday.
- Mom!
- I know what day school starts, hon.
It's just...
We don't have no money.
Not even enough for one pair of sneakers
and I'm sorry.
Justin, Chip.
Honey, don't leave.
- Mom, maybe I could get an after school job or something.
- Ah, honey.
Oh, you're such a good girl.
No, I don't want you to go to work.
Not yet, besides I need you here to look after Chip,
don't I?
Maybe when you're older.
We're going to be all right.
(slow music)
(knocking on door)
- I have a xylophone!
You wanna see it?
- Sure!
(knocking on door)
(door creaking)
- I'll tell papa you brought them.
(door slamming)
- Kate, well as long as you're here
why don't you help me bring in the laundry?
- Oh, yes ma'am.
- Come on.
(gentle music)
It has been a long time since I had this much laundry.
- Are Ruby and Luther gonna stay?
- Well...
Guess that depends.
Ruby is so restless.
- Justin's getting like that.
Reckon no one likes living at our house anymore.
Even Brown Sugar tried to run away.
- You mean coming here? - Um hum.
- I don't think Brown Sugar was running away.
Just coming for a visit.
Making new friends.
- You think so? - Yeah.
That's how I got to know you.
- What's you building?
- Oh, just providing a little mobility for Luther.
- Mobility.
- That's right.
(upbeat music)
- I like that music.
Is that New York music?
- Girl, you never heard of reggae before?
Doesn't come from New York.
Didn't even start in New York.
Comes from the Caribbean, Jamaica,
places like that.
All the best reggae bands come from there.
- They do that kind of dancing in Jamaica?
- Oh, I don't know.
I never been there before,
but someday I'm going.
- It's far, huh?
- It's not that far.
Yeah, see we're here,
and next is Cuba,
and there's Jamaica.
I bet it wouldn't take more than a day's drive from here.
Except all that blue is ocean.
So you can't drive.
Gotta take a boat or a plane or something.
- I've never been on a plane.
Have you?
- Sure.
Me and Luther flew down from New York a few weeks ago.
- New York.
- Yeah well...
- Wish I could type.
- [Ruby] What for?
- I like knowing how to do things.
Makes me feel like I'm smarter
than folks think I am.
- [Chip] Race ya!
- [Luther] Wait up, Chip!
- Come on, Chip, we gotta go.
Chip!
(slow jazzy music)
- Can I come back tomorrow?
- I suppose.
- Yes! Yes!
- [Luther] Let's go see Billy.
- Ruby.
- [Ruby] Daddy! - Care to sit a spell, Justin?
- No, I'd reckon I'd better be getting home.
Wow.
Booker Wilson.
Booker Wilson.
Booker Wilson.
He must be quite the ball player.
- That's my boy.
We figured he'd go into the majors,
but it was the Army that got him.
He's coaching in Atlanta now.
Always comes home for Thanksgiving though.
You want to meet him?
Just come on over.
- I might just do that.
- Stop it!
You're going, you're going to school
whether you like it or not.
You are going.
Come on now.
- [Boy] Amy, how you doing?
(gasping) - What happened, Kate?
- Look! - Oh.
Hey Luther! - You will make friends.
Just...you don't... - Chip!
Hey Chip, I have something to show you!
- Cool, what?
(indistinct chatter)
- What happened to Kate?
- Her pants tore!
(kids laughing)
- Kate?
You missed the bus.
- My pants ripped.
- Maybe I could fix them.
Does this ever take me back.
The year I started popping buttons off of everything.
Booker was teasing me about being fat,
and all the boys were making jokes.
I would've rather gone to jail than to school that year.
- Well, no point in sewing them.
They'll just bust again.
- Yeah, well.
Why don't you come on up to my house,
and I think I have a pair or two that might fit you.
Come on, put your shorts on.
I don't want your mom catching you ditching.
(slow gentle music)
- But nothing's gonna fit.
I mean, you're so...
I'm sorry. - So what?
(chuckling)
You think it's breathing that's ripping those pants?
You're growing, girl.
In all the right places, too.
- [Kate] My Sugar's gonna have a baby.
- What makes you think so?
- Mr. Wilson said.
- Who?
- Mr. Wilson.
You know, he has the big wet billy down the road.
Billy's a real good goat, mom.
He takes first prize at the county fair every year.
- I know, but we can't afford it.
- We already paid, with duck eggs.
Mrs. Wilson says they're better than regular for baking.
And Ruby thinks that--
- Ruby?
- Mrs. Wilson's daughter.
Used to live in New York.
- I know. - Well she's come home now.
- How do you know these people?
- Well,
we just go there sometimes.
- When?
- Well, Chip usually walks in with Luther,
but me and Justin got our homework to do, so we--
- What about Chip's homework?
- But him and Luther's in the same grade, mom.
I mean they got Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and Ruby
all helping them.
When I have to help Chip sometimes it takes so long.
I don't even get my own homework done.
- Now you hold on.
It is your responsibility, young lady,
to help your little brother with his homework.
- But mom-- - Yours and Justin's.
I don't want you going down there every day, you hear?
(slow music)
- [Reporter] We interrupt our regular broadcast
for this late breaking news.
Hurricane Lila, which was headed out to sea,
has changed course.
The storm is now moving inland at 10 to 15 miles per hour.
Repeat, Hurricane Lila with winds in excess
of 110 miles per hour is expected...
- Betty!
(wind whooshing)
(indistinct shouting)
- Just do what you can, run!
- Chip, be careful!
Come on, girl, come on.
- Come on, come on!
(cow mooing)
- That hurricane's heading our way.
Best get on home. I'll finish up here.
- They say when it's coming?
- They said it'd be here in about three hours.
Now you all will be okay? - Yeah.
- 'Cause I can come by later and--
- Oh no, no.
By the time you finish up here it's gonna be nine o'clock.
- Oh easy, it's okay.
(calf mooing)
- So don't you dare come driving over
in the middle of the storm trying to check on us.
- I swear, Betty, you've been working around these
bossy old cattle so long you're starting to act just like them.
- Line's down. - I gotta get the barn.
(wind whooshing)
(duck quacking)
- [Justin] Get back here! Don't be scared.
Good girl, good girl.
- You're safe!
(calf mooing)
And the animals.
You all saved every last one of them.
Baby.
- We were too tired to make supper,
but I saved you some hot chocolate.
- There's not one in a million
could do what you kids done tonight.
You always remember that.
(chuckling)
(jazzy music)
- Uncle Booker's coming!
- What are you staring at, boy?
- You don't have any...
- Legs? That what you mean to say?
I don't have any legs?
You best be minding what people do have, boy,
not what they don't.
- [Ruby] Come on.
- Hey Luther, I got a bicycle in the back
if y'all wanna help me carry it out.
How are you daddy?
How's everything?
- It's got no pedals.
- No chain either.
- You gonna fix it?
Frame's pretty bent.
- The wheels are good. Practically new.
- By golly boy, I bet you're a quick study.
No point in whining about what we don't have.
We're gonna do something with what we got.
Now, how about carrying this thing
around to Papa's work bench?
- [Kids] Yeah!
(indistinct shouting)
- Good to see you, mama.
(knocking on door)
- Why, Mrs. Martin.
Ruby, it's the children's mother.
Won't you come in? - No, thank you.
I'm just one my way to work.
I know you all are having a family get together,
and I told them children not to stay here more than one hour.
But children, they can't tell one hour from six.
- You remember my daughter, Ruby, don't you?
- Hey. - I do, yeah.
Not that I would have recognized her.
It must be 10 years since last I say you, Ruby.
- Your children are around back with my son, Booker.
He came in today, as you know.
He's helping them fix up a couple of--
- I'll just go get them, Mrs. Wilson.
I wanted to bring you that. It's butter.
I get as much butter as I need from the dairy
and I thought, well maybe you might be able
to use a little extra.
- That was very, very thoughtful.
- Yeah, well I just recently found out
how much time my kids have been spending here,
and you're bound to have fed them more than once.
(laughing) - Once or twice, yes.
And that little one, Chip.
Oh what an appetite!
- Now I may work seven days a week,
but I never miss sitting and having supper with my kids.
- If you will excuse me, Mrs. Martin.
I have something in the oven.
Ruby, will you please take Mrs. Martin back
so she can pick up her children?
(cheerful music)
- [Luther] Hang on!
- That's a good goat.
- Don't let, 'em get those horns behind you, daddy.
(Kate laughing)
- Oh, hey mom.
- Hey.
You're late.
- Sorry.
- Booker, you remember Mrs. Martin?
Lives over there on the highway?
- Yeah, used to walk right by to catch the bus.
- That isn't the way I remember it.
I can count the times
I saw that old school bus coming down the highway,
and you up the road.
When you start off running,
I swear you got there first every time.
Steve used to say you was there only young one in Florida
who could outrun a school bus.
I beg your pardon, Booker, I... I ought to know.
- Just because I can't run anymore
you think I want folks to forget I ever could?
- No, I guess not.
- I don't forget things, either, Mrs. Martin.
Like Atlanta and what you did for us.
- [Wilson] Afternoon, Mrs. Martin.
- Mr. Wilson.
- What do you think of my almost trained Billy goat here?
- Well I think he's as smart as he is good looking,
and the kids tell me our Sugar's probably gonna
bring us one just like him.
- One or more.
You see Billy here has got a history of siring twins.
- Twins?
Well, sure can't complain about that.
Come on, Chip.
- Oh mom, do I have to go now?
- Well yes you do.
Booker come here to visit with his family,
and all y'all kids been taking up his time. Come on now.
Justin, come on. - Ah, that's no problem.
Of course I should get something to eat pretty soon
or I'll be too weak for the big game tomorrow.
- Game?
- Y'all be back for the big game, won't you?
- What game?
- Why our family traditional before Thanksgiving dinner
break a window baseball work up. (chuckling)
- Booker!
- Of course we could play without you,
but won't be much of a game with just Ruby and Luther
by ourselves.
- Ruby plays baseball?
- Does Ruby play?
Why she could have played pro.
If it wasn't for one thing.
- What? - What?
- Fingernails.
- Fingernails? - Fingernails.
- Lethal weapons.
Same as carrying a switchblade.
- Oh Booker!
- [Booker] Fingernails and a bad temper.
- Come on, kids, come on, get.
Come on you, go, go, go.
- See you later, Booker. - [Kids] Bye.
- Mom. - Um hum?
- What Booker mean that time in Atlanta?
- Yeah.
- Oh your daddy and I was down in Atlanta one time
when Booker was in college,
and we went to see him play. - You take us?
- Well no.
You and Kate weren't born yet,
and Justin, I bet you don't even remember.
You was barely walking.
- Ice cream - Ice cream.
So, when the game was done,
we went down to the field to say hey to Booker,
and you had to pee.
Your daddy went and found you a bathroom.
Booker and me...
- What, mom?
- Well, Booker said he and some of his teammates
had been invited back here to play an exhibition game
to help raise money for a scholarship fund,
and they needed a couple of hotel rooms,
and everybody knows Mrs. Tutweiller.
No matter when they said they was coming,
she said she was all filled up.
So he asked me to book him the rooms.
That's all.
So I did.
- Well, what did you tell Ms. Tutweiller?
- I told her I had some friends coming.
Booker sent me the money.
I paid in advance.
When they came, she saw some of them was black.
Well, she wasn't too happy,
but there weren't nothing she could do about it.
- Ooh wee!
I bet Ms. Tutweiller was mad.
Told everybody.
- She sure did.
Yeah, she did. - Strawberry.
- Uh huh.
Cherries Jubilee.
- Cherries jubilee.
- Okay, y'all clean up now.
- Hey Justin.
- Yep?
- You think that's why mom doesn't have many friends?
- What do you mean?
- Well, Chip, used to be that if
somebody tried to help black people,
they lost a lot of their white friends.
- That's silly. - Yep.
- Tomorrow we're gonna play ball with Booker.
- [Booker] Here we go.
Come on, baby girl.
- Hey! - That's two on you, girl.
(indistinct chatter)
- Booker, would you put the ball in the sweet spot, please.
- Come on, Booker, strike her out.
- Come on Booker, right down the pipe.
- You're out.
- I'll be doggone, Ruby.
- Could at least have given me a decent ball, Booker.
- You're blaming me?
It's the fingernails!
(chuckling)
- Ahh!
- Make me say can't do nothing.
Always winning.
- Come on, Booker, come on!
(indistinct chatter)
- All right, little man, this one's got your name on it.
- Come on, Booker. Right down the pipe.
(indistinct shouting)
- Come on, come on.
Keep going round.
Come on baby, come on!
(goat bleating)
Move out in front of that goat now, baby girl.
- Don't mess with me.
Don't mess with me.
- Ooh wee.
Here's a natural talent for you.
I expect you'll be going out for the team, eh Justin?
- No sir.
Coach said unless you have a glove, don't bother.
- You jiving me?
Daddy, do you believe that?
- I reckon it's a bit frustrated, Booker.
- Now I've known some dumb coaches in my day,
but never one that dumb.
- Have a heart, Justin.
I took it into, there.
I broke my nail.
- [Chip] Let's go, Booker!
- Got lucky once.
- No, you ain't doing that again.
- Come on, Booker.
(indistinct chatter)
- I got it, I got it!
- Oh I get it.
You're so good, you can be in or out,
whichever you please.
- Mama, I still got it, ha!
- Are you thirsty?
I've got some iced tea waiting on the porch.
- Thanks mama.
Just let me strike this gal out one more time.
- [Ruby] I finally beat you at your own game, brother.
- One battle did not win the war, little sister.
(Ruby chuckling)
- What happened to your legs, Booker?
- Chip!
- Oh, they got shot off.
- Who shot them?
- Well I don't know exactly.
- Were you a marine?
- Paratrooper.
- You jumped out of an airplane?
What happened?
- My chute opened,
and I was floating down in the dark.
Looking at the lights of the town,
which was real pretty.
Must have been right around Christmastime.
Then all of a sudden, kaboom!
- Kabloom?
- Next thing I remember was
waking up in a hospital with Christmas carols
playing on the intercom.
And no feet.
You boys want some more tea? - Uh uh.
Hey Billy!
- Can't believe it's Thanksgiving and it's this hot.
- You stay too long in that Yankee climate, sis,
you're blood's gone thick.
- Could be.
- How long has it you been back?
Six months?
- Five.
- Long time. For a vacation.
- Don't start with me, Booker.
- Start what?
- You making it doesn't mean that everybody else can.
'Sides, it's not the same when you have a child.
- Well, I wouldn't know.
I've never had a child to use as an excuse
for not getting on with my life.
- And I guess you not having any feet
gives you an excuse to go stomping on people's feelings.
(door slamming)
(gentle music)
- Time we headed home.
I'll go get Chip.
- Thanks for letting us play.
- Pleasure.
I sure hate to see a player of your caliber
not put up a fight to get what he wants.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
See you, Booker.
- Bye, Booker. - Bye, Booker.
- [Booker] See you later, gang.
- Thank you, Almighty, for the Earth
and the good food it gives us.
And for the hands that fix it.
Amen.
- Amen.
Boy it has been a long time
since I sat down a meal like this.
Don't get food like this in New York, do you, Ruby?
- There's more to life than stuffing your belly, Booker.
- We had some good food when we were up in New York.
Didn't we, Sam?
What was the name of that Italian thing
that I really liked?
- Calamari, mama.
- Yeah, sure. Person needs culture, too.
Like calamari.
- Dammit, Booker. Get off my case.
- Girl!
Watch your language.
- What is it with you anyway?
- I'm just a little disappointed, that's all.
Remember how you had all these great ideas
and was never scared to try some thing.
I figured my sister was somebody special,
that she was just naturally going places.
- I did.
- Don't you want to do anything with your life?
- Yeah, take it back to New York.
- Well, pretty hard to get somewhere sitting on your butt,
isn't it? - Son!
- That is enough, Booker.
- Sorry, mom.
I thought something was missing.
Pass me some of that cranberry relish
you worked so hard on this morning, sis,
will you please?
- Ruby!
- Luther, can you keep a secret?
Your mama makes the best cranberry relish in the world,
but she got terrible table manners.
(chuckling)
(gentle music)
- Hey. - What you doing, mama?
- What are you doing up, boy?
You need to get back to bed, son.
Give me a kiss.
You'll see in the morning, okay?
- Okay. - Gimme me Eskimo kiss.
Good night.
- [Luther] Good night.
Hi mama!
- Got room for this?
- Wow.
Not all for me, I hope.
- Could be. If you wanted to get your Christmas shopping
out of the way early.
- Is it possible somebody I know, say my own sister,
has started a candy shop?
- I used to work in a shop that made hand dipped chocolates.
See, the secret is you gotta use the very best ingredients.
I mean, this was made with ordinary grocery store cocoa.
But imagine if I got my hands on some real Dutch chocolate,
what are you grinning at?
- Sister, you an amazing woman.
- That's true. See, the idea I had was,
I call them Ruby's Exquisite Chocolates.
I go to all the shop owners.
Let 'em taste the samples,
and I'm a mogul.
- Um hum.
(giggling)
- Thank you.
- I love you, baby.
- Me too.
(upbeat rock music)
Work it, girl.
(giggling)
♪ Little girl ♪
♪ Come on back to me ♪
♪ If it's over ♪
♪ Then baby why can't you see ♪
(girls giggling)
- Walk, Walk get out here.
- My God.
- Whoo, look what's burning up the sidewalk.
Check it out, bubba.
- Oh yeah.
I reckon I'm gonna get me some of that action.
(chuckling)
- Bubble eight.
You come within three feet of that woman,
she hitting you with a flyswatter!
- Stop, will you?
- Funny like that not looking for no motorcycle man.
She be looking for a man with a job.
(laughing)
- Chums.
- When we get in here let me do all the talking.
Um hum, Linda Sue.
You still don't know how to say exquisite.
- Exquisite.... Hi!
- Well, that's at least two boxes.
- Yeah, but who ever heard of taking candy
off consignment?
- [Kate] Lynda Sue's kind of weird.
Hey, there's Ms. Tutweiller over at the hotel.
She goes to the same church as us.
I've seen her at the church socials
taking two or three desserts on her plate at one time.
You know how people who really love sweets can't help
but take another piece. Even when it's not polite.
I bet if we opened a box in front of her...
- All right, we'll give the old heifer a chance.
Come on.
(indistinct chatter)
- Good afternoon, Ms. Tutweiller.
- Good afternoon, Katie.
Where is your mama?
- Working. - Working.
- This is Ruby.
- Hello.
- Hand dipper chocolates?
- Oh, no thank you.
- Go on, have one.
- Well I guess maybe one.
Oh my.
- They're Swiss.
- Swiss?
- Swiss recipe.
They're just samples, but we're taking orders.
- Aren't they good?
- Well, they are quite tasty.
And I do like to see girls like you trying to get ahead.
How much is it?
Well you just leave them there and I'll think about it.
- Charity, sugar coated charity
from a gluttonous old bitty!
- If you wasn't babysitting, I'd give you a lift.
Seen you wearing out them pretty boots on the hard pavement.
- Get that thing outta my way.
- 30 minutes, we could be in Palm Beach.
(engine revving)
- [Kate] You wanna go to the hardware store?
It's right at the end of the street.
- Kate, no. We're going home.
We're going this way home.
- But Ruby, we still have a whole bag left.
- Kate, it's over.
Over, okay, over!
- So where you gals headed?
- Home.
- You sure you wouldn't rather take the spin out
to Palm Beach?
- Bet it'd be fun to go to Palm Beach on a motorcycle.
(chuckling)
- You get yourself growed up some, little sister,
I might think about it.
- Kate, you wanna ride home?
- I've never been on a motorcycle before.
- All right, come on, let's get on.
Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
That'll big.
(gentle music)
(girls squealing)
(tires screeching)
- I know God gave you better sense
than to put that child on the back of that motorcycle.
- Mama! We just went...
- What's going on around here?
- Daddy, Bubba just took us for a five minute ride.
- Five minutes, and you have destroyed the respect
your father and I took a lifetime building!
- [Luther] Mama, lady on the phone.
Wants more candy.
- Just take a message.
Come on Kate. We got work to do.
- Kate!
Get in this car, girl!
- I am awfully sorry, Mrs. Martin.
- Well, so am I, Mrs. Wilson.
Now if my girl don't have any good sense,
I figured your daughter would.
- Go ahead, mama.
Apologize to the nice white lady.
- Because of you, I have to apologize.
I am sorry that my daughter has no common sense.
I am sorry that you have no common courtesy.
How could you come into my yard
and insult me and my family?
- Well good grief!
If you people think it's fine for a 12 year old--
- Don't nobody come on our property
talking about some you people!
- Kate, you get in the car!
- [Kate] Mama, you're crazy! I am in the car.
- Son, I don't know what you think you're doing here.
But get that noisy thing out of here.
(engine revving)
Baby girl, what are you doing?
Ruby!
- Mama, mama, don't go!
(engine humming)
(dishes clattering)
- [Kate] May I be excused?
- Kate, I wanna talk to you about Ruby.
- Wasn't Ruby wanted to go on the motorcycle.
It was me, and you never told me I couldn't.
- I don't want you hanging around--
- You don't want me going down to the Wilson's,
fine! (glass shattering)
Candy business is over.
We wouldn't even fill the orders we got now.
- Young girl, you think you can stand in my kitchen--
- I hated that ugly old motorcycle anyway!
- Kate!
(door slamming)
- The dragon was stumbling and falling
and his breath was short.
Little flames were spreading,
and there was only smoke and sparks.
And then just smoke.
And then nothing.
Lily laughed and laughed
because she was now be queen of the dragons.
Grandma, why is Lily so mean?
- Well she is probably just scared.
She doesn't know any other way to be.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
(door slamming)
- Well, good evening.
- Evening.
Mrs. Wilson, I'm sorry.
I truly am.
I didn't mean to be blaming you all for
what happened,
and it wasn't all that much anyway.
My Kate growing up the way she is,
and me not there to keep my eye on her,
I just, it's hard.
- Yes.
I expect it is hard.
But it doesn't matter if you go out to work
or you stay at home.
There are no guarantees with children.
- Mrs. Martin.
I reckon you could use a glass of this lemonade.
I'm gonna get you one.
Here you go, Mrs. Martin.
Nice cool glass of lemonade, there you go.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- I don't know.
Maybe I ought to cut back to five days a week
except, can't bear the thought of losing my farm.
You know, if I could just pay it off,
I know I could manage.
Even working up at the dairy, minimum wage.
- The land will feed you with mine.
That's a fact.
Not sure when they come and they go.
The land's always there.
- I think it's a good idea.
Paying off the farm.
That way the children will always have some place
to come back to.
(slow music)
- Lord.
Seems like there ought to be some kind of way
that you can hold your family
and your home together.
- Maybe our children just need more family
than either one of us got.
- Having Chip around for Luther to run with
done them both a lot of good.
Before the girls got this candy notion.
Why, Ruby laid around so much,
you'd thought she was sick.
- I ain't never thought of it like that.
My kids, you know they miss their daddy.
Justin, he thinks the world of your Booker,
and maybe the best thing would be
if we made those girls finish up what they started.
(chuckling)
- The day Ruby finishes something she started,
I wouldn't be able to wipe this grin off my face.
No longer carries neither.
- Well, if you feel like sending Kate over in the morning
to finish up that order for Miss Tutweiller.
That'd be okay.
- Well, if you don't mind.
I think it might be the best thing.
(whimsical music)
- [Luther] You don't mean a real aligator, do you?
- Yeah, a real aligator!
- You don't mean a real aligator, stop kidding.
- Yeah, I'm not kidding.
- The one with the big sharp teeth
and the big tails and the big body?
- [Chip] Yep!
- He knows we're here.
- Yeah.
- Like to throw a rock at him? - Get him mad.
Might chase us.
- Could he catch us?
- They can move pretty fast.
- How fast?
- 40 miles and hour.
- We better be going home.
- Yeah, come on.
- 40 miles an hour?
- Maybe 35.
(knocking on door)
- Hi, honey.
Ruby is still sleeping.
Why don't you come on in and get started.
Ruby?
Ruby, get that pillow off your head.
(Ruby moaning)
I am talking to you!
- Mama, what is it?
- Get out of bed, go in there,
help Kate fill that order for Ms. Tutweiller.
- Don't owe Ms. Tutweiller nothing.
- Maybe you don't.
But Ruby, you do owe the children something.
- What?
- Luther.
And Kate.
You must set an example of someone
who keeps their word, Ruby.
- My life, my choice.
- You are right, you do have choices.
You can go out and get a job.
You can raise your son at home.
You can even work those pretty painted fingernails of yours
to the bone trying to start a business.
But you cannot stay out all night,
and come home and stay in bed all day.
Uh uh.
Not in my home, Ruby.
- Is the sermon over, mama?
- I don't intend to repeat myself.
- Good.
- Maybe if we separate them.
- [Ruby] It was a stupid idea, Kate.
- [Kate] No! - You just don't make something.
You gotta market it.
Plus the more you sell, the more you gotta carry,
and we can't be walking back and forth to town
two or three times for every order.
- Well, why don't we use the goat cart?
- Girl, are you outta your mind?
I'm not peddling the finest chocolates in Florida
on some rinky dink goat cart.
- Then I'll do it.
- Kate.
Nobody but daddy can make that stubborn old goat
go where he doesn't wanna go.
- Billy's no more stubborn than our calves.
We got them in out of the hurricane
when it was jumping every which way.
- [Sam] Let's go, Billy, let's go.
- I can do it. (goat bleating)
(whimsical music)
Come on, come on, good goat.
Come on, come on please.
Billy.
Come on, come on.
Come on.
Come on, Billy.
Come on, you can do it.
Billy, come on. Come on, come on.
We are not going back.
- You are so stubborn!
Can't you see it's gonna take us both?
Look at him! Come on, boy.
- Billy, Billy.
- Whoa!
- Take him to town a few times, he won't be so much trouble.
- No, Kate, I told you go, move it!
This once and no more, I swear.
Kate, I'm not peddling out of this tacky cart.
- Well we can fix it up of something.
I mean we could paint it.
- Old house paint, move Billy, come on!
Oh wait a minute, wait a minute.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Kate, I got an idea.
Turn it around, turn it around.
My mom, my mom has this old gold Christmas ornament paint.
We could paint this thing!
And we can't go looking like this.
I mean look at us.
Girl, look at you.
Oh don't worry about it, girl.
We gonna fix it. Come on.
Come on, Billy, let's go!
- Come on, Billy.
(kids giggling)
(gentle cheerful music)
- Oh hey, you guys!
- Daddy, it's not funny.
- Wait til you see the cart, mom.
It's beautiful.
- Ruby wanted to line it with satin, like a candy box.
- Yeah. - Mrs. Wilson didn't have
any scraps big enough though.
When we go to town Ruby and me is gonna--
- I thought we'd settled all that now.
- What?
- I told you.
You can help Ruby make her candy.
You're not going to town with her.
- But it's for our business, mom.
I mean you said--
- I said...
You're not going to town with her,
and that's that.
- Why, mom?
- Is it because Ruby's black, mom?
- Are you prejudiced, mom?
- No, honey, I'm not prejudiced.
Just, people talk.
Kate may not mind what they say, but I do.
- Say what? - What people, mom?
(slow music)
- Kate cares what people say.
When friends tease her about her raggedy tennis shoes.
She hides in the bathroom.
Once, she wouldn't even come out for class.
(softly sobbing)
- No Chip, not her friends.
Friends don't say things that make you feel bad.
Do they, mom?
- No honey, that's right.
Friends don't.
So now listen here.
You boys, you finish up your supper.
I'm just gonna go have a little talk with Kate.
Listen, I don't have anything against you
spending time with Ruby.
It's just,
there are people in this town--
- That don't like to see black and white being friends?
I guess you are one of them.
- That's not fair, Kate.
I've lived in this town my whole life.
I know-- - It's not how it used to be!
There's laws.
- Laws don't change how people feel.
Katie, Ruby is a grown woman.
- You don't even know Ruby.
You're prejudging her.
That's what prejudice is, mom.
Prejudging!
- Young lady.
You're gonna listen to me now.
I was fighting racism in this town
long before you was even born.
- Oh sure. You stuck up for Booker,
but you won't stick up for me!
- Oh Katie!
- No, no, no, come here.
Now honey, all right.
I got an idea. I'm gonna drive you to town.
You and Ruby. - No.
- And you deliver your candy and I'll wait for you.
- No, mom!
Don't you see?
It's our thing!
I had this idea about the goat cart,
and it worked out, and it's just excellent.
People would love us. We go to town. People buy our candy.
We'd be like a little one ring circus or something.
They'd laugh and buy our candy and...
And now you just ruin everything.
(Kate crying)
(slow music)
- Would you like to look in my trunk?
See if maybe there's a scrap big enough to line your cart?
- Oh!
- Oh my, look at that.
I'd forgotten all about this.
I bought it about, I don't know,
make myself a Christmas dress,
about two...
No, three years ago
when I thought your daddy was coming back rom California.
- Why didn't you make it?
- He never did notice me in nothing
unless I wore red.
He didn't come back.
- Why not?
- I don't know.
Said he couldn't afford to.
You know, he'd gone out there,
thinking he'd do better, and I guess he did.
He found himself a job.
Well, maybe he could only afford to support one.
Not all five of us.
- Do you think he misses us?
- Uh hum.
Now and then.
- Well, why don't you make it anyway?
- Oh boy howdy.
Them cows sure would love to see me all dressed up in red.
I figure...
Next time I pick out something for myself
it's gonna be a color I like.
It's yours.
(whimsical music)
(ducks quacking)
- Where's your mother?
- At work.
- You got a daddy?
- Used to have. - Me too.
But they killed him.
- Who?
- Don't know.
Mama's got a picture of him, though.
She keeps it in her dresser drawer.
- Mine too.
- What's that?
- Ever smelled a rotten egg before?
- Nope.
- They are so nasty.
(goat bleating)
- [Luther] I had to just today to get my dog.
I'm gonna stomp his butt.
- [Chip] Yeah, let's do it!
- He'll be the stinkiest aligator in America.
- Splat, splat, run!
- Splat, splat, splat.
You've been so bad!
- [Ruby] Good boy!
What a good boy he is.
- Oh my word!
Would you look at that?
- Are you selling candy?
- Yes ma'am, we are.
This is a client's but we're willing to take your order.
- Isn't he a darling old thing?
- Ah, hush.
Are you Ruby?
This Ruby?
- Yes ma'am, I am.
- You don't mind bragging on yourself, do you?
- Oh, no ma'am.
That's the candies that we're saying exqui...ex...
- You can't even pronounce the word.
You spelled it right, though.
You sold some chocolates up at the hotel there, yes?
- Those were only samples. I told her that--
- Please, save your breath.
Esther Mayline Tutweiller would not know the difference
between good chocolate and a stick of licorice.
Luckily, I do.
I'll take one.
Go on, write it down, write it down.
- Okay, okay.
- One pound for Claire Bainbridge.
- And your address please?
- Everyone knows my address.
- Okay, that's one pound for Mrs. Bainbridge
- Yes.
Every Saturday.
- Every Saturday?
- Is there some reason why I can't have
fresh chocolates every week?
- Nope, no ma'am, there is no reason.
- Chocolates are good for me.
They improve my disposition.
Ha!
(giggling)
- Well hello, Betty.
- Ms. Tutweiller.
- We missed you at church Sunday.
Were you sick?
- No, it's just one of them old cows decided
to calf Sunday morning. Ain't that always the way, huh?
A Sunday morning or the middle of the night.
- I saw Kate up and down the street today
with that older girl.
- Ruby Wilson.
My neighbor's daughter.
- Ah, yes.
The one that went to New York and had a baby.
- That's right.
And she is such a hard worker.
- Next.
- You can't do nothing but admire a person
with that kind of creativity.
Excuse me.
- That brings your payments right up to date, Mrs. Martin.
- Excuse me?
I believe that pays me up through March.
- Mr. Tate.
- Absolutely right, Ms. Martin.
All paid up three months in advance.
- Well, since y'all didn't wanna extend my loan
seemed like the best thing to do.
Afternoon.
- Ready.
Aim.
- [Boys] Fire!
(water splashing)
- Come on! - Fire!
Oh, missed him!
- Fire one!
I got him, I got him!
- [Chip] Fire!
(water splashing)
(goat bleating)
Oh no, Sugar!
(water splashing)
(goat bleating)
Sugar, Sugar!
Get out of the water!
There's gators in there!
Come on!
- Chip, gator's coming!
(goat bleating)
He's coming, come on!
He's coming!
Come on, Sugar, gator's coming!
Come on, come on!
- [Chip] Come on, Luther. Let's get her up.
Come on, Sugar! - Come on.
- [Chip] I think I missed it.
- No, yours landed in the front.
He slid right over him.
They smeared all over his belly.
Know what, Luther? - Yeah?
- The eggs won't stink.
That won't ever wash off.
(girls giggling)
- That knucklehead on two wheels, oh please.
I told him look,
thanks for the transportation
but don't come around here no more.
I got a son to raise and a life to live.
Disappear.
- You said that to him?
- Yes I did!
But man, you gotta speak up for yourself.
The times I didn't I got myself into a mess of trouble.
Anyway, there are too many good men around
for me to be spending 10 seconds on the likes of Bubba.
- [Girls] With Bubba!
(giggling)
- [Kate] So when you taking in the next order?
- [Ruby] Kate, there's something I forgot to tell you.
There isn't another order.
- There's not?
- Ms. Tutweiller said that people don't buy candy
after Christmas.
- Well what about Valentine's?
- That's two months from now, Kate.
This isn't gonna earn us regular money.
- We just need to find more customers, that's all.
Like, the big gift shops out on the freeway.
- And how are we supposed to get there?
- Mom could drive us.
- Honey, your mom is not gonna wanna be chauffeuring
around a black woman.
- Now how come you're thinking like that?
My mom is not prejudiced.
- How long have we been neighbors, Kate?
And how many times has your mother ever been over to visit?
Kate, that's just the way things are.
People have to have somebody to look down on.
- And they look down on poor, too.
Especially if you don't got good clothes.
- Girl, that's different.
- It feels the same.
If you was rich,
I bet you wouldn't even let Luther play with us.
- Well, I'm not rich.
And I refuse to stay around here being poor.
- You're going back to New York!
- Don't screech at me like that! - You are!
- Did ever say that I was gonna stay here forever?
- You said we was partners.
- Come on, Kate. You're a big girl.
If you wanna sell candy, sell it.
Me, I'm moving on.
- All that work,
just so you'd have the money to leave!
- Look, you got some spending money too, girl.
Here.
- Oh, go spend it yourself.
In New York!
(goat bleating)
- Oh, be quiet, you troublemaker.
You started all this mess.
Yeah!
- Oh, it's a bit nippy out here.
- Hadn't noticed.
- Do you know how much it means to me and your daddy
that you are here?
(slow piano music)
- Think I should stay?
- Well, that depends on what you think you can do here.
What you think you can do there.
- It just takes so long.
- Baby, deciding is what takes so long.
It took your father and me 10 years to make up our minds
that we wanted to buy this place.
And once we decided to buy it,
nothing could have stopped us.
We paid it off, Ruby.
It's ours, it's yours.
It's Luther's.
- Think I could do something like that?
- Of course you can do something like that.
You're our daughter.
- Sometimes I wonder, mama.
- If you would decide to do just one thing
and stick with it,
nothing in the world could stop you.
Except maybe standing out here on the porch
freezing to death.
(giggling)
- Come on in mama. I'll make you some hot cider.
- Okay.
- Oh Sugar.
(goat bleating)
Just spent all night sewing clothes.
I'm worried that Chip's gonna cry.
Justin won't say anything.
Nobody's going to get one single thing they want.
It's going to be the awfullest Christmas.
(machine humming)
(ball knocking) (toy squeaking)
(goat bleating)
(gasping)
Mom!
Brown Sugar, she's had her baby, come on!
- Oh!
- Twins!
(giggling)
Three baby goats!
- Oh my!
- Mom, whose are they?
- Well let's see, Sugar belongs to you.
So they're yours.
(giggling)
- Can I give one to Chip?
And one to Justin?
(goats bleating)
- Reindeer, there's a reindeer!
- Look what Santa brought you!
- Hello!
(giggling)
- Careful, real careful.
Well now, look who's here.
(goat bleating)
- [Kate] Go see your mommy.
- Hello lady.
Looking for your babies?
Come on in.
(goat bleating)
Yeah, look who's here. Your mommy.
What pretty babies you made, yes.
- Morning, Sugar.
(goats bleating)
(kids giggling)
- Oh mom, can we take the baby goats?
- Take them where?
- He means when we have to move.
- Well who said anything about moving?
- When the bank takes our place.
- Well now, what you all talking about?
- The mortgage, mom.
We know how the bank takes people's farms
when they don't have enough money.
The family has to move somewhere else,
and all the animals get sold off.
- Now you listen to me.
I know there's not much under that tree,
but we are all caught up on our mortgage.
In two years from now,
why we're gonna pay this place off,
and then we're gonna have some security.
And next year,
next year I promise things are not gonna be so tight.
That's my Christmas present to y'all.
- Then this place is all ours?
Just ours? - Yeah, it's gonna be ours.
And this morning, this farm is ours.
All ours.
Ours and a herd of goats.
(giggling)
(gentle music)
- Picked her a name yet?
- No. - How about Cookie?
I got one.
Here come on, you try these for me.
Hold on, it's hot.
- They're good. - And they're here!
(car horn honking)
Merry Christmas!
Come on!
- [Sam] Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas.
- We've been waiting on you. Merry Christmas.
Oh so glad you're here. - Merry Christmas.
I see Santa brought you a surprise.
- [Mrs. Martin] Oh yeah. - Hey Luther, come see!
- There you go!
- [Mrs. Martin] Merry Christmas, Ms. Wilson.
- Hey. Hey, hey.
Nice threads, girl.
Those a Christmas present?
- Um hum, mom made it.
- Oh, very talented woman, your mama.
Wouldn't mind having some of those myself.
- Oh look at that.
(giggling)
(goats bleating)
- I bet her mama told her how he ran off that old gator.
- Think so.
- Very first day.
- Yeah.
(slow piano music)
- I was thinking about asking your mom
to drive us down to the tourist shop on the freeway.
This candy nonsense isn't gonna
build you a business overnight,
and I just...
I don't know, I thought I'd give it a good...
Year.
- You'd stay that long?
- Kate, I've never stuck to anything for a whole year.
Not even high school.
- Sticking to something is my best thing.
- Reckon you could stick to this?
- Reckon you can?
- Reckon I can try.
(giggling)
- Well, looks like we still got us a candy king.
Now if they get in your way, you just chase them on down.
They can make them mess in my kitchen.
- Well if they get another big order
I just may have to do that.
There's a limit to how many times
a woman can be thrown out of her own kitchen.
(car horn honking) - Look, here come my boy.
It's Booker!
(chuckling)
- Booker! - Uncle Booker!
- Oh you rascal you.
You didn't tell us you were coming.
- Hi Booker.
- Merry Christmas, Booker.
- Merry Christmas, Mrs. Martin.
- I see you got here just in time for dinner.
- I sure hope so. I'm starving to death.
Who wants a ride up to the house?
- Well, if anyone rides up to the house
they'll have to do the cooking.
Mrs. Martin has invited us to have dinner here.
- Now I can't promise that my dinner
pretty near as good as your mama's,
but I can promise nobody is leaving my table hungry.
(chuckling)
- Well, now I take that as a challenge.
Let me just get myself disorganized here,
and I'll be right in. - All right.
- You know what? I think I can sell jackets
like the one you made Kate. - You can?
- I don't know a lot about candy,
but I do know a whole lot more about clothes.
If you really like to sew.
- Listen, I wanna wish the both of you the best of luck.
- Oh, thank you.
- It's all gonna work out. - Come on.
- How are things going Justin? You about ready for try outs?
- I sure am.
- In that case, maybe this will bring you some luck.
One I played with all through high school and Triple A.
- Wow!
Thanks, Booker.
- [Booker] Go on, man, do it.
(gentle music)
(goats bleating)
(cheerful jazzy music)