To All My Friends on Shore (1972) - full transcript
An airport redcap works hard to get his family out of the ghetto, only to discover that his son has sickle-cell anemia.
ANNOUNCER: Attention, please.
Flight number 10 has arrived
at gate number three.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[HORN HONKING]
-Hey!
You kids get out of there!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-Oh, no.
Mmm.
Finish up.
-I don't got no more room.
-You sure your
stomach ain't hurting?
-No, I'm just a little full.
How come we have
to eat so early?
-'Cause I've gotta go to work,
and Dad's got to go to work.
If he don't get home sooner,
we're both gonna be late.
-I bet he's hanging around
that old house again.
-Or scavenging?
-What's scavenging?
-Never mind.
Hey, you stay around
here, you hear?
-OK.
-Got your chicken?
-Yeah.
And if you get to
feeling feverish,
you come right on back in here.
You hear?
-OK.
-That hurt?
-[INAUDIBLE].
-Oh.
I've had enough of
those growing pains.
You're gonna be just
like my brothers.
Start off little and skinny,
then you grow up in a spurt.
You'll see.
-I'm not skinny.
I'm wiry.
-Wiry.
[DOOR SLAMS]
-Mom?
-What?
-Something I forgot.
-What?
-They having a last
stretch picnic tomorrow.
Can I go?
It only costs $5.
-Well, ask your daddy.
-No, you ask him.
-Why can't you?
-He always says no to me.
-That's not so.
-It seems like ever since he
got that idea of that old house.
-Vandy, that's
your daddy's dream.
-Dreams are for sleeping.
-Yo.
Blue.
-Yeah, how you doing, Tempo?
-Hey, man, how's it going?
-Everything's fine.
-Listen, you got my teeth?
-No.
Thank you.
-Hey, Blue.
I've got an idea, man.
-Yeah.
-I'd like to sit down
and rap on you, man,
when you've got some time.
-But I don't have time
right now, thank you.
-Listen, man, I can
put you [INAUDIBLE].
-No thank you.
-What'd you say, Blue?
-No thank you.
-OK, man.
-Ha!
I'm here.
-Hey.
Dinner's ready.
I think it's a little dried out.
Sorry.
-Sorry I was late,
too late coming in.
-You better learn to phone.
-It cost $0.35.
People tip a quarter.
-What was it this time,
cinder block or brick?
-I found a rubber tire
on the side of the road.
-Come on, the least you
could do is [INAUDIBLE].
-Where's Vandy?
-Outside.
-I thought told
you not to let him
go running around with
that gang outside.
-Well, yes, you told me--
-Well, then--
-If you want to keep
him home, one of us
has got to stay home nights.
Otherwise you can put
the locks on the outside
and keep him in, Blue.
How long's it
gonna be like this?
-Till we get
something of our own.
And this is one day's
tip closer [INAUDIBLE].
And we're getting there.
-Yeah, but Vandy
needs likes now.
He needs his winter
clothes, and--
-Vandy's gonna get his.
-I think we better be going
before we both lose our jobs.
I think one thing, Blue.
You keep putting every crumb you
make into that house envelope,
leaving us nothing
for right now,
I just as soon quit
at the hospital
where I make no
money anyhow and go
back to working for my ladies.
-No, you ain't either.
No.
If you're gonna clean a house,
you clean your own house.
You get that nursing degree
just like you always wanted.
You ain't gonna be
Serena the cleaning lady,
cleaning up white
ladies' houses.
You gonna be Mrs.
Blue in your own home.
Now you understand that?
Huh?
Mrs. Blue in her own home.
-One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
-Hey!
Come on out, Vandy.
Vandy, come on.
Come on out.
-Let me go!
Let me go!
-How you doing?
-You made me lose.
-Come on, do something else now.
Go on in the house
so you can read.
-I want to stay out.
-I said go on in
the house and read.
-Why don't you stay?
How come you got
to go all the time?
-I've got to go all
the time so we don't
have to live in a
place like this.
-I want to stay out.
-And I said go in
the house, now you
want one upside
the head or what?
-One half hour, OK?
-OK.
-You be in that
house in a half hour!
-Honey, I had to, Blue.
-You had to tell him to
stay when I told him to go?
Serena, we've got
to pull together.
-I know when you're
getting so tight on the boy
he's pulling away from you.
-Says who?
-You can't see your own son
coming close to hating you?
-The boy don't hate me.
-You know, Blue, ever since
you got this house bug,
you're different.
And you're pinching, and
scrounging, and working,
and-- You think that's made you
an easier daddy to your son?
-I did it all for him.
And it's all for you.
-You think it's made you
an easier man for me?
-Eh, then, what would
rather have me do?
Do you want me out there
on a hustle with Tempo
so you won't know
if I'm coming home
or if I be in jail all night?
You want me to be some
kind of rum dumb drunk
so you can go out and do all
the work and pay all the bills?
That make it easier on you?
-I'm not saying you're
not a good man, Blue.
-What you saying and
what you afraid of?
-You, letting the young
years of Vandy's life
slip away without you
being in any part of them.
And me, losing the man I
want to a rotten old house
I'll never get.
Now that's what I'm afraid.
And if you can't see
it, you're blind.
And you expect me to
teach him [INAUDIBLE]?
-I'm going to work.
The sooner I start,
the sooner I finish.
I don't know what
you talking about.
-[INAUDIBLE].
-Hm?
-Go on.
-You want to go to work with me?
-Where?
-We're gonna unload
Esmeralda, then
I'm going out on
the side of the road
and see what I can pick up.
You could be my helper,
help me whatever I miss.
You see it, I'll
give you a half.
I mean like you get a cement
brick or something like, you
know, maybe five $0.05
or something like,
I give you half of it.
Or you could work
according to time.
How do you want to do it?
-No thanks.
I'd rather [INAUDIBLE].
-What was that for?
See, you asked me to do things
with him, and then that.
-He wants to be your son, Blue.
You ain't hiring no helper.
He's your child.
-Say, Vandy.
Now listen, sometimes
a man says one thing
and he means something else.
Now, I'm gonna have a lonely
time in that car by myself.
And, what I'm trying
to say is that I
need some company and help.
-That's all right.
I can help you too.
-All right, good.
Then we get Esmeralda emptied
out and get her rolling.
-What's scavengers?
-Scavengers?
Why you ask that?
-Momma says you're the
world's greatest scavenger.
-Oh yeah.
Well, a scavenger is
when you find value
in things that other
people throw away.
Scavenging is like-- like
looking for a used transmission
to buy, you see, instead
of brand new one that's
gonna cost us $18 zillion and
that just maybe the difference
that's gonna get
us ahead, you see?
You, me, and your
momma-- scavenging.
-Thank you, son.
Man, you got enough stuff
here to fix up 10 houses.
-I've gotta get the
first one first.
-Hey, you go to the
bank like I said?
-No, sir.
-Why not?
They've always been nice to me.
-Oh, yeah, sure, 'cause
you got a collateral.
You got this place.
All I got for collateral
is these, hands,
and they don't give money
at the bank for hands.
-Look, how much would it
cost you to fix it up?
-About $500, $600, but
that's one step forward
and two steps back, man.
-Yeah, but, I think you're going
about it the wrong way, man.
-Well, that's the only
way I know, working.
-And if I was you, I'd
see the numbers man.
I tell you, he's a runner.
-I ain't looking
for no numbers man.
-Look, man, you're at
the airport every day.
You're at the station
at night, and all the
cruising that you
do around here.
I think you're perfect.
-I'm not looking
for no hustling.
-It pays a yard and a
half to $200 a week,
man, to have right in
the palm of your hand,
plus a bite every time
somebody's got hit.
You want me to talk
to him for you?
-No, sir.
All I want you to
do is see if you
can find a transmission
that'll fit Esmeralda.
You got anything
else you want me
to pick up or deliver anywhere?
-No, not today.
Hey, speaking of
picking up, Tempo
might want to run
down to New York.
-No, I don't want to have
nothing to do with Tempo.
I don't want to pick up nothing.
I don't want to deliver nothing.
You see, I don't want to spend
time in that grey [INAUDIBLE]
college up there
with no hustler.
Vandy!
Vandy, come on!
Hey, come on.
Hurry up.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's a nickel you missed.
-Never gonna get
that crazy house.
-Now why you say that?
-Just think it's impossible.
How come you got that
whole envelope of money?
We can't have things.
-Things like what?
-Color on the TV.
-So you can watch all the
things that you can't have
in color instead
of black and white?
And what else?
-You got two jobs.
Momma's got a job.
Saturdays and Sundays,
you do hauling,
and we still got
nothing but Esmeralda.
Tuti's daddy, he just got one
job, but he's got a Cadillac.
-Tuti's daddy's got to hustle.
-What's a hustle?
Hustle is like when the big
boys took the little boys
lunch money on
the way to school.
That's the hustle.
Hustle is like when, uh,
you want to do something,
and you want some money, and you
don't care how much money you
get or what you do
or how you get it.
I mean, that's a hustle.
There ain't no reason for it.
-You really want this old house?
-Vandy, this ain't
no rattle old house.
See, this is one step
forward and no steps
backwards for you,
me, and your mom.
Now today, it may look like
some ratting old house.
But you see, I look ahead, see.
No looking now.
See I say that this place one
day will be ours to live here,
place you can grow up in, quiet,
peaceful, like people, sure,
like people.
Now what do you
say to that, Vandy?
-Don't know.
-All right, Vandy, what is it
that you want besides Cadillacs
and color TV, which I'm
not handing out today?
-Well, there's a
study trip coming up
for school, five
days in Washington.
Get to ride a n
train and everything.
-All right, now what--
what's that cost?
-$75.
-Vandy, $75.
$75, son, that's-- that's
a whole lot of money.
$75 is the new wallpaper
for your momma.
Vandy, $75 is, uh, a
new john and toilets.
$75 could give you your own
room with a little hiding
hole for you to read in.
$75 is a lot of money, Vandy.
-There's a picnic this
afternoon at the church.
That's only $5.
Can I go in that at least?
-Well, we'll see how today goes.
-We'll see.
I know what that means.
-It's mostly for you,
because I'm used to it.
My daddy used to say,
even the best seed
have trouble growing
up in poor soil.
The projects are, you know,
and that's the poor soil.
You're trying to grow
up and live right.
That's all there
is to it, Vandy.
So don't get mad with me.
Cadillacs and color TV ain't
never got nobody up and out
of no place, just keeping
there forever, paying the bill.
But this house will.
All right, I'm gonna
sell these two tires,
see if I can get
some hauling work.
You want to help?
-Only if I have to.
-Well, how you gonna
pay for my window?
-It's not your window.
It's not your house.
-Well, it will be one day, dime
by dime and dollar by dollar.
No, neither one of
them grow on trees.
You have to dig.
That was a lucky hunch,
got me a run to Hartford.
-Can I come?
-Nope.
All right, you
helped me good today.
Now, you earned this $5.
Go on the picnic.
And don't overdo!
-All filled up.
You're supposed to
sign up ahead anyway.
-Vandy, I gotta drop
you off at hope.
-That's OK.
I know where I live.
-[INAUDIBLE].
They for the church.
You can lick the
spoon afterwards.
Where's your daddy?
-Had to run to Hartford.
-You been fighting?
-No.
-He say anything
about coming home
on time for the church supper?
-No.
-Stop scratching all the time.
First scratch you
get [INAUDIBLE].
You keep picking at them
and they'll never heal.
Come on in here.
-You're picking on me
just like Daddy now.
-No, well, don't you go
bad mouthing your daddy.
Lift up.
You could have lots worse.
-You don't like Daddy
any more than me,
Daddy working all the time.
That's hard for us.
-Now listen, what I say to your
daddy when we get to fussing
and you've got to right to
say is two different things.
Working full time,
taking home full
pay since he wasn't
much older than you.
If you come up to half the man
he is, then you're on your way.
Stop picking and scratching!
-I can't help it.
It just don't heal.
-See that's what your
daddy wants to get away
from-- dirty garbage, you
getting sick all the time.
As fast as you clean
up, it's dirty again.
Where's that form
you brought home
from school about the physical?
-Up there or somewhere else.
What you gonna do?
-See if I can get
one of the doctors
at the hospital
to look you over.
Want the lickee spoon?
-No.
-Want to walk over to
the church with me,
help the ladies set
up for the supper?
-I want to help no ladies.
-I'll be back.
-When you think
Dad will be back?
-I don't know.
I suppose it depends on whether
he picks up a lot of run
or not.
-We never do know
for sure, do we?
-No.
But it's all for
better things some day.
-How come everything
has to be some day?
How come there's never
anything good right now?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-You all right?
-Mm?
-Is your daddy home?
-No.
-Get dressed.
We're going to the supper.
-Maybe he's messing
around at that old house.
-I said get dressed.
-Will we go look and see
if he's at that house?
-No.
Yes.
Do that.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-Good morning.
-Vandy, go change out
of your church clothes.
What happened last night?
-I [INAUDIBLE].
To Hartford and then
wait for them to reload,
take something up to
Boston, and then I
found three high
rows on [INAUDIBLE].
We're getting lucky.
-We are?
-Now, I figure.
I was looking at
our property again.
See, we could make
a garden right here
that grows from green
beans, cabbage, and turnips.
Now [INAUDIBLE] of the year
we're growing all this.
What we don't eat, we can sell
on the side of the road here.
And what we don't
sell, then we can can.
[DOOR BUZZING]
-Hey.
-Hi, Vandy, how you doing?
-Pretty good.
-Hi, I'm Tim.
-Hi.
-Hi, Serene.
-Hi, Daniel.
-Hi, Blue.
Nice to see you.
Uh, we're sending
the kids to playland,
so we stopped by and thought
maybe we could take Vandy out.
-Can I?
-Ask your daddy?
-It'll be no bother, Blue.
Be glad to have him.
-Going in the Cadillac?
-Sure, man, all the
way and back again.
What do you say, Blue?
-I've got some work to
do around the house.
-Aw, listen, you can't
be working all the time.
Matter of fact, why don't
you come and go along?
And we can set down and rap.
-Ah, I've got some work
to do around the house,
and I was including Vandy in it.
-Sure, man.
Sure.
Well, Vandy, catch you
around the next time, kid.
OK, let's go, fellas.
-I hate you.
-Now stop that!
Go on.
Catch them.
-What did you do that for?
You know it's just a waste of
money going on that trip when
that boy gets sick every time.
-Fun for a kid is no waste.
You know, there's
something you left out
of your system of living
out of envelopes, Blue.
You and your whole
life, all wrapped
up inside of an envelope.
-Yeah, I've got all my
dreams in an envelope.
-And no room in it
for Vandy and me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-Turn off all that noise!
You all right?
-[INAUDIBLE].
-I'm still [INAUDIBLE].
-It was nothing but $7.50 in pop
and all that other junk he ate.
He's hurting, and
groaning, [INAUDIBLE].
-Don't you think you
should be staying at home?
-Yes, I think I ought
to stay home today.
But I just shifted from the
night hours to day hours
so that I could be home nights,
and now this had to happen.
-I just hate to see him
with all aches and pains
and have to miss school again.
-I know.
I'm gonna [INAUDIBLE].
[INAUDIBLE] doctor's
giving him a good physical.
-Well, that's good.
Now you're talking, because
I think it's appendicitis,
and you tell him that.
I said all of them
hot dogs and junk.
-Now Blue, if you want
to say I told you so,
why don't you say it?
-Because if I did, then
you just said it never
would have happened if
I had been with him.
I'm sorry.
-I just got [INAUDIBLE].
-I'll call the people at the
taxi cab place and tell them
I ain't working on them.
-No, don't ever do what
you don't want to do.
-Well, sis, I got pictures
in my mind of how to live.
I just have trouble
telling them.
-They're dreams.
-Yeah.
But they're better
dreams than what's
at the bottom of a bottle.
They're better than
playing the numbers,
and better then taking
any amount of dope.
And they get us further
than any Cadillac.
And I know I'm gonna get
where them dreams is going.
Because I where we at is-- I
mean it's like-- you ever see
them like mice in a
cage, and all they do
is just running
their little legs,
just keep going round
and round on that wheel,
just keep running,
running, running,
don't ever go no place.
Well, I'm running,
but I'm running
to get off of that wheel.
And it's like living right
with some kind of show.
And all we get to do is watch.
[HORN HONKING]
Well, I'm raising the price
so I can get in on it.
[HORN HONKING]
Take care, baby.
-Mhm.
[HORN HONKING]
[PROTESTERS CHANTING]
-Who's striking?
-The engineers.
-Planes still coming in?
-I don't know.
I guess we got deaf
people doing their jobs.
-As long as the
planes coming in,
you've got something
to clean up,
and I've got luggage to hall.
-You gonna cross the line?
and I've got luggage to hall.
-You gonna cross the line?
-Ain't my strike, and
it ain't my fight.
-Ain't my strike, and
it ain't my fight.
and I don't get nothing
from those pensions.
-I don't know.
-Hey, man, look, if we
struck for $3.50 an hour,
you think they'd be out
here standing with us?
And besides, I don't see
no blood catcher out here.
-Wait, a minute, Blue.
-No, man, [INAUDIBLE]
finding out.
I need all the [INAUDIBLE]
I can carry home.
-They can put the
book on you, Blue.
You cross, and
they pass the word.
-Is that a fact?
-My cousin, it happened
to him in Newark.
The first thing
after the [INAUDIBLE]
settled, he was let out.
Face it, they've got the power.
And you know it.
-You a foreman?
-Yeah.
-I need some work.
-I can get you some work.
How's your back?
-It's fine.
-Good. $3 an hour,
go over and see John.
Hey, John!
-Blue?
-Vandy!
Vandy!
Got home early.
-Oh, yeah.
I was thinking this garden
ain't gonna make any money.
I think we could turn it into
some kind of nursery school
or something, you know, for
kids, for working ladies' kids.
-No, honey.
-Now look, I was thinking
we take that barn
and split it in half and
half of it be for my shop,
and the other half will be for
the kids in the wintertime,
you know, like on [INAUDIBLE].
-Blue.
-And then you get that degree
from that practical nursing
school so mothers
will be blocking
to bring their kids in here.
Because I figure like 25 kids,
$0.25 each kid for every hour,
that's $6 and--
-One half.
You get laid off?
-No, no, there was a
strike out at the airport.
-How long?
-Oh, I guess for a
day or so, but that
don't make no difference.
I got a construction work coming
through the week, maybe longer.
-I'm going back
to day work, Blue.
-No, you ain't.
-Yes, I am.
I mean, we both be better off.
Look, Blue, you don't realize
how the world is going.
You're always looking
ahead somewhere.
You don't look around you.
There's a depression going on.
I heard it at the
hospital, people
saying things don't get
worse before they get better.
Money's tight, Blue,
everybody knows it.
-Well, see, maybe that'll make
things work better for us.
They may even lower the price,
so we can get started sooner.
We may-- they may
even take $1,000 down.
-Blue, you've got your choice.
Now it's either me and Vandy
or it's that crazy, rotten,
never be nothing shack.
-Mrs. Blue, it's Vandy.
-What's the matter with Vandy?
-He passed out,
clutching on his stomach.
He's kind of like
fighting for breath.
-Where is he?
-A guy ran him over
to the hospital
and told him where
I'd probably find you.
-It's not the first
time, Mr. Blue.
Vandy's always fighting
for breath, it seems like.
-Feeling better?
-Mhm.
-Does that still hurt?
-Just a little.
-That's good.
Now look.
We're gonna let you go home.
The first thing I want
you to do is rest.
-What you gonna do with
all that blood you took?
-We drink it.
OK, Serena, you
can dress him up.
I could check him
in tonight, but I
don't want to move without a
thorough hematological work
up, less blood testing analysis
of a lot of different factors.
-You think it's his heart?
-Well, I'm reserving
diagnosis right now.
Look, he's just as well
off at home tonight
if you keep him quiet.
-Hm.
-I'll call you the
minute I can arrange
a consultation
with a specialist.
Ah.
Does it hurt here sometimes?
-Sort of.
-He's scrawny, ain't he?
-Vandy, will you, uh, wait
outside for a moment please?
-You gonna take [INAUDIBLE].
-That's right, now scoot.
-It don't hurt much.
-[LAUGHS]
-[INAUDIBLE]
-Yeah.
[PHONE RINGING]
-It's Blue residents.
Yes, doctor.
Oh, just-- just
one-- one second.
Get a pencil and paper.
My wife's getting
a pencil and paper.
Yes, sir.
St. Vincent Hospital.
Dr. Folkman.
Uh, pediatrics.
-Got it.
-Yeah.
8:45 AM.
Thank you.
He wants us to take Vandy over
there 8:45 in the morning,
says he's got an idea about
what may be wrong with him.
And this man will look at him.
Don't you [INAUDIBLE]
ever talk about what maybe
wrong with Vandy?
-I don't tell, Blue.
-Well, he took some
blood from my son.
There must be something wrong
with us or something we did.
-I don't know it.
I just give back
rubs and make beds.
Whatever it is, it sure
ain't growing pains.
-They'll find out.
-Well, he wants me to
get some clothes for him.
He says he's gonna
stay a little while.
Now don't worry.
'Cause what Vandy
needs, he's gonna get.
-Blue.
-Huh?
-What he needs is you.
-All right.
-You.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-You feeling all right?
-I guess so they don't
take no more blood.
-Well, whatever they
do, as long as they get
you straightened out so you
can make that Washington trip.
-Even if you're not working?
-Even if.
'Cause the strike
can't last forever.
Man can always find work with
his hands, 'cause he a man.
-Hey, look at that.
Look.
-I was supposed to have a--
-Take a number.
-We're supposed to
have an appoint--
-No, take a number.
The clinic don't open till 9:00.
-We're supposed to
have an appointment
with a doctor Folkman at 8:45.
The name is Vander Blue, Jr.
-Well, it's the first
I heard about it.
Now take a number.
-I'm Dr. Folkman.
-Blue.
-Let's go.
We'll be just fine.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Mr. Blue?
Mr. Blue, I want to
talk to you about Vandy.
-What you doing home?
-I heard, so I
wanted to be here.
Dr. Folkman, the consultant--
-Yeah.
-He called to tell Dr.
Price that he was right
and-- they're gonna
keep Vandy for a while.
I've got some coffee on.
-No.
What else did he tell you?
That he had sickle cell anemia.
-Yeah.
He had a whole lot of doctor
talk about sickle cell anemia.
Says that, uh, says that
you carry it and I carry it.
And that's called a trait.
And Vandy's got it, and
that's called congenital.
Says it's red blood cells
is what's-- what's going it.
They're fit moon shaped,
and that they carry oxygen
to the veins and that Vandy's
ain't moon shaped, all these
shaped like a sickle, you know,
the would cut the weeds with.
And they jammed up the
oxygen supply in the veins,
so he's got it in the
joints, and in the lungs,
and in the heart.
-How come only
black kids get it?
-Just because.
-Why?
-Don't ask me why.
Why don't you ask the preacher
why-- why there's tall,
why there's short, why there's
smart, why there's dumb, why
there's black,
why there's white.
And why is the sun?
It ain't our fault.
We ain't done nothing.
-Did they say what
they're gonna do?
-They say he's gonna
give us some medicine
and keep him quiet.
Give him some blood,
make him stronger
so he can hold out longer.
Now what all did they tell you?
-Oh, mostly what you said.
How, um, you get born with it
and how a bad infection can set
it off like the sores on
Vandy's feet, how he always
seems to keep a cold, how
only black children just
[INAUDIBLE].
-He's gonna die.
Didn't he tell you that, Serena?
We're gonna lose him, Serena.
And [INAUDIBLE] to the
sickness, and Vandy's sickness
is that he was born
black and poor.
-[CRIES]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[PHONE RINGING]
-Hello?
Oh, yes, doctor.
Yes.
Thank you very much.
-What?
-We can bring him home tomorrow.
-Well, I'm gonna go take a walk.
-Don't, Blue, stay here.
-No, I got to-- I
got to take a walk.
I've got to figure out how
to tell him about dying.
Honey, it just wouldn't
be fair for him to hear it
from somebody else or for it
to slip out from one of us.
And you know how his ears
are around this house.
So I'm gonna take a walk.
-Do you want me to?
-Naw.
It's my job.
-He's our child, Blue.
-Yeah, but he's my son.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It's all signed
out and paid for.
Here's Vandy's discharge paper.
Why don't you go ahead
and bail him out.
-Why don't you go
get him, Mrs. Blue.
Any questions about home
care, just call me, anytime.
-Can he, uh, should
he go to school?
-Sure, for a while, as long
as his strength is up to it.
-Thank you.
-Mr. Blue?
The sickle cell
research programs
have all they can handle.
-Is that so?
-But there's a new program
starting up in San Francisco.
I'd like to try to get Vandy in.
-Why's they got a cure?
-No.
-Well, what does it do?
-Research.
-Research?
Research.
If they a got no cure, it's
kind of, you know, I just work.
And all the work I
do is around here,
so-- I couldn't send
Vandy out there.
I mean, things ain't
going that well here.
-We'll keep in touch.
-Yeah.
-Any questions?
-Questions, um, I'm just
thinking about rich folks
when they-- when they find out
their son [INAUDIBLE] kids.
Well, they just drop
everything, and they
take them to Disneyland
all around the world,
something like that.
And I just-- well, you know--
poor folks want to do--
you know what they want to
give their kid something.
You know the furthest
Vandy's every been?
-Uh uh.
-Right here.
Listen, thank you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Now, just between
you and I, your ma's
got a coming home
things going, so we'll
give her some time, all right?
-Mhm.
-Vandy, I want to talk
to you about people.
You see there's-- there's
three kinds of people.
There's yesterday people.
There's tomorrow people.
And there's today people.
My father, he's
yesterday people.
Everything's yesterday.
Hell, well, I'm
telling you right now.
You could talk about all
the cars you want to,
but there ain't
nothing like riding
in the back of that
wooden wagon when
I was a kid, coming
home from work.
That was the way my
daddy talked, always
say everything was yesterday.
And when we moved up
east and started working,
Dad would still say,
yeah, well, you really
don't know the value of
a dollar until you chop
some cotton when the
sun is down on you.
That's your granddaddy,
my father, yesterday.
Now your daddy.
-That's you?
-Yeah, that's me.
You know what kind of
people your daddy is?
-I don't know.
-Tomorrow.
See, I'm a tomorrow people.
Everything is tomorrow, some day
my whole life in that envelope,
and all my dreams in
that house-- chickens,
a garden was even gonna
build a little nursery.
Dreaming and scheming.
Saving and craving.
But no more, Vandy, no more.
-No more what, Daddy?
-Ain't gonna be no more front
porch, no batty hens, no living
in the spirit of fear of today.
No more being afraid.
Living for today.
Me, and you, and your mom,
we're gonna do today people.
-Why?
-Because everything
that's important is what
you can put your hands on today.
-So all this talking,
'cause I got sick?
-Especially coming back to us.
-Daddy?
-Yeah.
Close it 'cause I'm gonna die?
-Why you say that?
-Am I gonna die?
-Yeah.
You-- [INAUDIBLE].
When is not important.
Everybody's got to
die sooner or later.
It's like traveling, see,
some people make a short trip.
Some people make a long trip.
What's important is how--
how you make the trip.
Daddy and child make into
as much together as can be.
-Not putting it
off tomorrow today.
-Got it.
Got it.
All right, son, now you know.
Now I want to know
what you want to do.
Even if I had enough
money in my pockets
so I could buy you all
the things in the world
and you couldn't
even see for looking,
I mean, things ain't
gonna change things.
Now I want to give you whatever
you want today, if I can.
Now what about that trip to
Washington for five days?
I mean, is that what you want?
-What do you want?
-Now, I want to
know what you want.
-I ain't gonna [INAUDIBLE].
-Well, now don't
worry about the money,
because I can scrape it up.
-It's not the money.
-Well, what is it?
-Well, if I was to
go away and get sick,
I would just want you now.
-Yeah, but it's important
to get the Washington.
You'd get to sight-seeing,
having a ball.
Now, wouldn't you want that?
-No, I'd only just want you.
Everything still
feels the same, Daddy.
I can't see nothing
different but you and me.
-Go on and wash your hands.
-They're clean.
-Go on wash your hands.
-Can I go out to play?
-[LAUGHS]
-No, you can't go out to play.
-Why?
-Because your momma baked
a special cake for you.
And later on when
we get finished,
I got some place special to
take you, me, and your momma.
We're gonna make a little trip.
-Where we going?
-Now don't you worry about.
You remember what I told you and
a trip and making it together,
Daddy and son?
Well, this is it,
just like that song
that you always listening to.
You with the one.
You went and loved
the one you're with.
-I'm sorry, Dad,
you're not too hip.
-Yeah, you don't get it.
Vandy, get in the boat.
-You're kidding?
-I'm not kidding.
Get in the boat.
All right, come on, Serena.
-You can't go messing
with other people's boats.
-This ain't other
people's boats.
I put $50 down,
$200 at the garage,
give me $150 for that stuff
in the back of my car,
now come on.
-No, you all go on.
He's your I
-No, he's our child.
Now, come on.
Say, come on.
Help your momma get in the boat.
Come on, now.
Easy.
Momma in the boat.
All right now.
Vandy, here you go.
You're the captain.
Put it on and say when.
-Let's go.
-Let's go.
All right.
You know what I was
thinking about this boat?
It works so fine, we can rent
this out for fishing parties.
And then we can smoke
the fish and sell it.
You know how [INAUDIBLE].
-Don't get started!
-Cast off there, captain!
Make a hard right,
anchor, starboard.
All right, Vandy, say goodbye
to all your friends on shore.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Flight number 10 has arrived
at gate number three.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[HORN HONKING]
-Hey!
You kids get out of there!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-Oh, no.
Mmm.
Finish up.
-I don't got no more room.
-You sure your
stomach ain't hurting?
-No, I'm just a little full.
How come we have
to eat so early?
-'Cause I've gotta go to work,
and Dad's got to go to work.
If he don't get home sooner,
we're both gonna be late.
-I bet he's hanging around
that old house again.
-Or scavenging?
-What's scavenging?
-Never mind.
Hey, you stay around
here, you hear?
-OK.
-Got your chicken?
-Yeah.
And if you get to
feeling feverish,
you come right on back in here.
You hear?
-OK.
-That hurt?
-[INAUDIBLE].
-Oh.
I've had enough of
those growing pains.
You're gonna be just
like my brothers.
Start off little and skinny,
then you grow up in a spurt.
You'll see.
-I'm not skinny.
I'm wiry.
-Wiry.
[DOOR SLAMS]
-Mom?
-What?
-Something I forgot.
-What?
-They having a last
stretch picnic tomorrow.
Can I go?
It only costs $5.
-Well, ask your daddy.
-No, you ask him.
-Why can't you?
-He always says no to me.
-That's not so.
-It seems like ever since he
got that idea of that old house.
-Vandy, that's
your daddy's dream.
-Dreams are for sleeping.
-Yo.
Blue.
-Yeah, how you doing, Tempo?
-Hey, man, how's it going?
-Everything's fine.
-Listen, you got my teeth?
-No.
Thank you.
-Hey, Blue.
I've got an idea, man.
-Yeah.
-I'd like to sit down
and rap on you, man,
when you've got some time.
-But I don't have time
right now, thank you.
-Listen, man, I can
put you [INAUDIBLE].
-No thank you.
-What'd you say, Blue?
-No thank you.
-OK, man.
-Ha!
I'm here.
-Hey.
Dinner's ready.
I think it's a little dried out.
Sorry.
-Sorry I was late,
too late coming in.
-You better learn to phone.
-It cost $0.35.
People tip a quarter.
-What was it this time,
cinder block or brick?
-I found a rubber tire
on the side of the road.
-Come on, the least you
could do is [INAUDIBLE].
-Where's Vandy?
-Outside.
-I thought told
you not to let him
go running around with
that gang outside.
-Well, yes, you told me--
-Well, then--
-If you want to keep
him home, one of us
has got to stay home nights.
Otherwise you can put
the locks on the outside
and keep him in, Blue.
How long's it
gonna be like this?
-Till we get
something of our own.
And this is one day's
tip closer [INAUDIBLE].
And we're getting there.
-Yeah, but Vandy
needs likes now.
He needs his winter
clothes, and--
-Vandy's gonna get his.
-I think we better be going
before we both lose our jobs.
I think one thing, Blue.
You keep putting every crumb you
make into that house envelope,
leaving us nothing
for right now,
I just as soon quit
at the hospital
where I make no
money anyhow and go
back to working for my ladies.
-No, you ain't either.
No.
If you're gonna clean a house,
you clean your own house.
You get that nursing degree
just like you always wanted.
You ain't gonna be
Serena the cleaning lady,
cleaning up white
ladies' houses.
You gonna be Mrs.
Blue in your own home.
Now you understand that?
Huh?
Mrs. Blue in her own home.
-One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
-Hey!
Come on out, Vandy.
Vandy, come on.
Come on out.
-Let me go!
Let me go!
-How you doing?
-You made me lose.
-Come on, do something else now.
Go on in the house
so you can read.
-I want to stay out.
-I said go on in
the house and read.
-Why don't you stay?
How come you got
to go all the time?
-I've got to go all
the time so we don't
have to live in a
place like this.
-I want to stay out.
-And I said go in
the house, now you
want one upside
the head or what?
-One half hour, OK?
-OK.
-You be in that
house in a half hour!
-Honey, I had to, Blue.
-You had to tell him to
stay when I told him to go?
Serena, we've got
to pull together.
-I know when you're
getting so tight on the boy
he's pulling away from you.
-Says who?
-You can't see your own son
coming close to hating you?
-The boy don't hate me.
-You know, Blue, ever since
you got this house bug,
you're different.
And you're pinching, and
scrounging, and working,
and-- You think that's made you
an easier daddy to your son?
-I did it all for him.
And it's all for you.
-You think it's made you
an easier man for me?
-Eh, then, what would
rather have me do?
Do you want me out there
on a hustle with Tempo
so you won't know
if I'm coming home
or if I be in jail all night?
You want me to be some
kind of rum dumb drunk
so you can go out and do all
the work and pay all the bills?
That make it easier on you?
-I'm not saying you're
not a good man, Blue.
-What you saying and
what you afraid of?
-You, letting the young
years of Vandy's life
slip away without you
being in any part of them.
And me, losing the man I
want to a rotten old house
I'll never get.
Now that's what I'm afraid.
And if you can't see
it, you're blind.
And you expect me to
teach him [INAUDIBLE]?
-I'm going to work.
The sooner I start,
the sooner I finish.
I don't know what
you talking about.
-[INAUDIBLE].
-Hm?
-Go on.
-You want to go to work with me?
-Where?
-We're gonna unload
Esmeralda, then
I'm going out on
the side of the road
and see what I can pick up.
You could be my helper,
help me whatever I miss.
You see it, I'll
give you a half.
I mean like you get a cement
brick or something like, you
know, maybe five $0.05
or something like,
I give you half of it.
Or you could work
according to time.
How do you want to do it?
-No thanks.
I'd rather [INAUDIBLE].
-What was that for?
See, you asked me to do things
with him, and then that.
-He wants to be your son, Blue.
You ain't hiring no helper.
He's your child.
-Say, Vandy.
Now listen, sometimes
a man says one thing
and he means something else.
Now, I'm gonna have a lonely
time in that car by myself.
And, what I'm trying
to say is that I
need some company and help.
-That's all right.
I can help you too.
-All right, good.
Then we get Esmeralda emptied
out and get her rolling.
-What's scavengers?
-Scavengers?
Why you ask that?
-Momma says you're the
world's greatest scavenger.
-Oh yeah.
Well, a scavenger is
when you find value
in things that other
people throw away.
Scavenging is like-- like
looking for a used transmission
to buy, you see, instead
of brand new one that's
gonna cost us $18 zillion and
that just maybe the difference
that's gonna get
us ahead, you see?
You, me, and your
momma-- scavenging.
-Thank you, son.
Man, you got enough stuff
here to fix up 10 houses.
-I've gotta get the
first one first.
-Hey, you go to the
bank like I said?
-No, sir.
-Why not?
They've always been nice to me.
-Oh, yeah, sure, 'cause
you got a collateral.
You got this place.
All I got for collateral
is these, hands,
and they don't give money
at the bank for hands.
-Look, how much would it
cost you to fix it up?
-About $500, $600, but
that's one step forward
and two steps back, man.
-Yeah, but, I think you're going
about it the wrong way, man.
-Well, that's the only
way I know, working.
-And if I was you, I'd
see the numbers man.
I tell you, he's a runner.
-I ain't looking
for no numbers man.
-Look, man, you're at
the airport every day.
You're at the station
at night, and all the
cruising that you
do around here.
I think you're perfect.
-I'm not looking
for no hustling.
-It pays a yard and a
half to $200 a week,
man, to have right in
the palm of your hand,
plus a bite every time
somebody's got hit.
You want me to talk
to him for you?
-No, sir.
All I want you to
do is see if you
can find a transmission
that'll fit Esmeralda.
You got anything
else you want me
to pick up or deliver anywhere?
-No, not today.
Hey, speaking of
picking up, Tempo
might want to run
down to New York.
-No, I don't want to have
nothing to do with Tempo.
I don't want to pick up nothing.
I don't want to deliver nothing.
You see, I don't want to spend
time in that grey [INAUDIBLE]
college up there
with no hustler.
Vandy!
Vandy, come on!
Hey, come on.
Hurry up.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's a nickel you missed.
-Never gonna get
that crazy house.
-Now why you say that?
-Just think it's impossible.
How come you got that
whole envelope of money?
We can't have things.
-Things like what?
-Color on the TV.
-So you can watch all the
things that you can't have
in color instead
of black and white?
And what else?
-You got two jobs.
Momma's got a job.
Saturdays and Sundays,
you do hauling,
and we still got
nothing but Esmeralda.
Tuti's daddy, he just got one
job, but he's got a Cadillac.
-Tuti's daddy's got to hustle.
-What's a hustle?
Hustle is like when the big
boys took the little boys
lunch money on
the way to school.
That's the hustle.
Hustle is like when, uh,
you want to do something,
and you want some money, and you
don't care how much money you
get or what you do
or how you get it.
I mean, that's a hustle.
There ain't no reason for it.
-You really want this old house?
-Vandy, this ain't
no rattle old house.
See, this is one step
forward and no steps
backwards for you,
me, and your mom.
Now today, it may look like
some ratting old house.
But you see, I look ahead, see.
No looking now.
See I say that this place one
day will be ours to live here,
place you can grow up in, quiet,
peaceful, like people, sure,
like people.
Now what do you
say to that, Vandy?
-Don't know.
-All right, Vandy, what is it
that you want besides Cadillacs
and color TV, which I'm
not handing out today?
-Well, there's a
study trip coming up
for school, five
days in Washington.
Get to ride a n
train and everything.
-All right, now what--
what's that cost?
-$75.
-Vandy, $75.
$75, son, that's-- that's
a whole lot of money.
$75 is the new wallpaper
for your momma.
Vandy, $75 is, uh, a
new john and toilets.
$75 could give you your own
room with a little hiding
hole for you to read in.
$75 is a lot of money, Vandy.
-There's a picnic this
afternoon at the church.
That's only $5.
Can I go in that at least?
-Well, we'll see how today goes.
-We'll see.
I know what that means.
-It's mostly for you,
because I'm used to it.
My daddy used to say,
even the best seed
have trouble growing
up in poor soil.
The projects are, you know,
and that's the poor soil.
You're trying to grow
up and live right.
That's all there
is to it, Vandy.
So don't get mad with me.
Cadillacs and color TV ain't
never got nobody up and out
of no place, just keeping
there forever, paying the bill.
But this house will.
All right, I'm gonna
sell these two tires,
see if I can get
some hauling work.
You want to help?
-Only if I have to.
-Well, how you gonna
pay for my window?
-It's not your window.
It's not your house.
-Well, it will be one day, dime
by dime and dollar by dollar.
No, neither one of
them grow on trees.
You have to dig.
That was a lucky hunch,
got me a run to Hartford.
-Can I come?
-Nope.
All right, you
helped me good today.
Now, you earned this $5.
Go on the picnic.
And don't overdo!
-All filled up.
You're supposed to
sign up ahead anyway.
-Vandy, I gotta drop
you off at hope.
-That's OK.
I know where I live.
-[INAUDIBLE].
They for the church.
You can lick the
spoon afterwards.
Where's your daddy?
-Had to run to Hartford.
-You been fighting?
-No.
-He say anything
about coming home
on time for the church supper?
-No.
-Stop scratching all the time.
First scratch you
get [INAUDIBLE].
You keep picking at them
and they'll never heal.
Come on in here.
-You're picking on me
just like Daddy now.
-No, well, don't you go
bad mouthing your daddy.
Lift up.
You could have lots worse.
-You don't like Daddy
any more than me,
Daddy working all the time.
That's hard for us.
-Now listen, what I say to your
daddy when we get to fussing
and you've got to right to
say is two different things.
Working full time,
taking home full
pay since he wasn't
much older than you.
If you come up to half the man
he is, then you're on your way.
Stop picking and scratching!
-I can't help it.
It just don't heal.
-See that's what your
daddy wants to get away
from-- dirty garbage, you
getting sick all the time.
As fast as you clean
up, it's dirty again.
Where's that form
you brought home
from school about the physical?
-Up there or somewhere else.
What you gonna do?
-See if I can get
one of the doctors
at the hospital
to look you over.
Want the lickee spoon?
-No.
-Want to walk over to
the church with me,
help the ladies set
up for the supper?
-I want to help no ladies.
-I'll be back.
-When you think
Dad will be back?
-I don't know.
I suppose it depends on whether
he picks up a lot of run
or not.
-We never do know
for sure, do we?
-No.
But it's all for
better things some day.
-How come everything
has to be some day?
How come there's never
anything good right now?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-You all right?
-Mm?
-Is your daddy home?
-No.
-Get dressed.
We're going to the supper.
-Maybe he's messing
around at that old house.
-I said get dressed.
-Will we go look and see
if he's at that house?
-No.
Yes.
Do that.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-Good morning.
-Vandy, go change out
of your church clothes.
What happened last night?
-I [INAUDIBLE].
To Hartford and then
wait for them to reload,
take something up to
Boston, and then I
found three high
rows on [INAUDIBLE].
We're getting lucky.
-We are?
-Now, I figure.
I was looking at
our property again.
See, we could make
a garden right here
that grows from green
beans, cabbage, and turnips.
Now [INAUDIBLE] of the year
we're growing all this.
What we don't eat, we can sell
on the side of the road here.
And what we don't
sell, then we can can.
[DOOR BUZZING]
-Hey.
-Hi, Vandy, how you doing?
-Pretty good.
-Hi, I'm Tim.
-Hi.
-Hi, Serene.
-Hi, Daniel.
-Hi, Blue.
Nice to see you.
Uh, we're sending
the kids to playland,
so we stopped by and thought
maybe we could take Vandy out.
-Can I?
-Ask your daddy?
-It'll be no bother, Blue.
Be glad to have him.
-Going in the Cadillac?
-Sure, man, all the
way and back again.
What do you say, Blue?
-I've got some work to
do around the house.
-Aw, listen, you can't
be working all the time.
Matter of fact, why don't
you come and go along?
And we can set down and rap.
-Ah, I've got some work
to do around the house,
and I was including Vandy in it.
-Sure, man.
Sure.
Well, Vandy, catch you
around the next time, kid.
OK, let's go, fellas.
-I hate you.
-Now stop that!
Go on.
Catch them.
-What did you do that for?
You know it's just a waste of
money going on that trip when
that boy gets sick every time.
-Fun for a kid is no waste.
You know, there's
something you left out
of your system of living
out of envelopes, Blue.
You and your whole
life, all wrapped
up inside of an envelope.
-Yeah, I've got all my
dreams in an envelope.
-And no room in it
for Vandy and me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-Turn off all that noise!
You all right?
-[INAUDIBLE].
-I'm still [INAUDIBLE].
-It was nothing but $7.50 in pop
and all that other junk he ate.
He's hurting, and
groaning, [INAUDIBLE].
-Don't you think you
should be staying at home?
-Yes, I think I ought
to stay home today.
But I just shifted from the
night hours to day hours
so that I could be home nights,
and now this had to happen.
-I just hate to see him
with all aches and pains
and have to miss school again.
-I know.
I'm gonna [INAUDIBLE].
[INAUDIBLE] doctor's
giving him a good physical.
-Well, that's good.
Now you're talking, because
I think it's appendicitis,
and you tell him that.
I said all of them
hot dogs and junk.
-Now Blue, if you want
to say I told you so,
why don't you say it?
-Because if I did, then
you just said it never
would have happened if
I had been with him.
I'm sorry.
-I just got [INAUDIBLE].
-I'll call the people at the
taxi cab place and tell them
I ain't working on them.
-No, don't ever do what
you don't want to do.
-Well, sis, I got pictures
in my mind of how to live.
I just have trouble
telling them.
-They're dreams.
-Yeah.
But they're better
dreams than what's
at the bottom of a bottle.
They're better than
playing the numbers,
and better then taking
any amount of dope.
And they get us further
than any Cadillac.
And I know I'm gonna get
where them dreams is going.
Because I where we at is-- I
mean it's like-- you ever see
them like mice in a
cage, and all they do
is just running
their little legs,
just keep going round
and round on that wheel,
just keep running,
running, running,
don't ever go no place.
Well, I'm running,
but I'm running
to get off of that wheel.
And it's like living right
with some kind of show.
And all we get to do is watch.
[HORN HONKING]
Well, I'm raising the price
so I can get in on it.
[HORN HONKING]
Take care, baby.
-Mhm.
[HORN HONKING]
[PROTESTERS CHANTING]
-Who's striking?
-The engineers.
-Planes still coming in?
-I don't know.
I guess we got deaf
people doing their jobs.
-As long as the
planes coming in,
you've got something
to clean up,
and I've got luggage to hall.
-You gonna cross the line?
and I've got luggage to hall.
-You gonna cross the line?
-Ain't my strike, and
it ain't my fight.
-Ain't my strike, and
it ain't my fight.
and I don't get nothing
from those pensions.
-I don't know.
-Hey, man, look, if we
struck for $3.50 an hour,
you think they'd be out
here standing with us?
And besides, I don't see
no blood catcher out here.
-Wait, a minute, Blue.
-No, man, [INAUDIBLE]
finding out.
I need all the [INAUDIBLE]
I can carry home.
-They can put the
book on you, Blue.
You cross, and
they pass the word.
-Is that a fact?
-My cousin, it happened
to him in Newark.
The first thing
after the [INAUDIBLE]
settled, he was let out.
Face it, they've got the power.
And you know it.
-You a foreman?
-Yeah.
-I need some work.
-I can get you some work.
How's your back?
-It's fine.
-Good. $3 an hour,
go over and see John.
Hey, John!
-Blue?
-Vandy!
Vandy!
Got home early.
-Oh, yeah.
I was thinking this garden
ain't gonna make any money.
I think we could turn it into
some kind of nursery school
or something, you know, for
kids, for working ladies' kids.
-No, honey.
-Now look, I was thinking
we take that barn
and split it in half and
half of it be for my shop,
and the other half will be for
the kids in the wintertime,
you know, like on [INAUDIBLE].
-Blue.
-And then you get that degree
from that practical nursing
school so mothers
will be blocking
to bring their kids in here.
Because I figure like 25 kids,
$0.25 each kid for every hour,
that's $6 and--
-One half.
You get laid off?
-No, no, there was a
strike out at the airport.
-How long?
-Oh, I guess for a
day or so, but that
don't make no difference.
I got a construction work coming
through the week, maybe longer.
-I'm going back
to day work, Blue.
-No, you ain't.
-Yes, I am.
I mean, we both be better off.
Look, Blue, you don't realize
how the world is going.
You're always looking
ahead somewhere.
You don't look around you.
There's a depression going on.
I heard it at the
hospital, people
saying things don't get
worse before they get better.
Money's tight, Blue,
everybody knows it.
-Well, see, maybe that'll make
things work better for us.
They may even lower the price,
so we can get started sooner.
We may-- they may
even take $1,000 down.
-Blue, you've got your choice.
Now it's either me and Vandy
or it's that crazy, rotten,
never be nothing shack.
-Mrs. Blue, it's Vandy.
-What's the matter with Vandy?
-He passed out,
clutching on his stomach.
He's kind of like
fighting for breath.
-Where is he?
-A guy ran him over
to the hospital
and told him where
I'd probably find you.
-It's not the first
time, Mr. Blue.
Vandy's always fighting
for breath, it seems like.
-Feeling better?
-Mhm.
-Does that still hurt?
-Just a little.
-That's good.
Now look.
We're gonna let you go home.
The first thing I want
you to do is rest.
-What you gonna do with
all that blood you took?
-We drink it.
OK, Serena, you
can dress him up.
I could check him
in tonight, but I
don't want to move without a
thorough hematological work
up, less blood testing analysis
of a lot of different factors.
-You think it's his heart?
-Well, I'm reserving
diagnosis right now.
Look, he's just as well
off at home tonight
if you keep him quiet.
-Hm.
-I'll call you the
minute I can arrange
a consultation
with a specialist.
Ah.
Does it hurt here sometimes?
-Sort of.
-He's scrawny, ain't he?
-Vandy, will you, uh, wait
outside for a moment please?
-You gonna take [INAUDIBLE].
-That's right, now scoot.
-It don't hurt much.
-[LAUGHS]
-[INAUDIBLE]
-Yeah.
[PHONE RINGING]
-It's Blue residents.
Yes, doctor.
Oh, just-- just
one-- one second.
Get a pencil and paper.
My wife's getting
a pencil and paper.
Yes, sir.
St. Vincent Hospital.
Dr. Folkman.
Uh, pediatrics.
-Got it.
-Yeah.
8:45 AM.
Thank you.
He wants us to take Vandy over
there 8:45 in the morning,
says he's got an idea about
what may be wrong with him.
And this man will look at him.
Don't you [INAUDIBLE]
ever talk about what maybe
wrong with Vandy?
-I don't tell, Blue.
-Well, he took some
blood from my son.
There must be something wrong
with us or something we did.
-I don't know it.
I just give back
rubs and make beds.
Whatever it is, it sure
ain't growing pains.
-They'll find out.
-Well, he wants me to
get some clothes for him.
He says he's gonna
stay a little while.
Now don't worry.
'Cause what Vandy
needs, he's gonna get.
-Blue.
-Huh?
-What he needs is you.
-All right.
-You.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
-You feeling all right?
-I guess so they don't
take no more blood.
-Well, whatever they
do, as long as they get
you straightened out so you
can make that Washington trip.
-Even if you're not working?
-Even if.
'Cause the strike
can't last forever.
Man can always find work with
his hands, 'cause he a man.
-Hey, look at that.
Look.
-I was supposed to have a--
-Take a number.
-We're supposed to
have an appoint--
-No, take a number.
The clinic don't open till 9:00.
-We're supposed to
have an appointment
with a doctor Folkman at 8:45.
The name is Vander Blue, Jr.
-Well, it's the first
I heard about it.
Now take a number.
-I'm Dr. Folkman.
-Blue.
-Let's go.
We'll be just fine.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Mr. Blue?
Mr. Blue, I want to
talk to you about Vandy.
-What you doing home?
-I heard, so I
wanted to be here.
Dr. Folkman, the consultant--
-Yeah.
-He called to tell Dr.
Price that he was right
and-- they're gonna
keep Vandy for a while.
I've got some coffee on.
-No.
What else did he tell you?
That he had sickle cell anemia.
-Yeah.
He had a whole lot of doctor
talk about sickle cell anemia.
Says that, uh, says that
you carry it and I carry it.
And that's called a trait.
And Vandy's got it, and
that's called congenital.
Says it's red blood cells
is what's-- what's going it.
They're fit moon shaped,
and that they carry oxygen
to the veins and that Vandy's
ain't moon shaped, all these
shaped like a sickle, you know,
the would cut the weeds with.
And they jammed up the
oxygen supply in the veins,
so he's got it in the
joints, and in the lungs,
and in the heart.
-How come only
black kids get it?
-Just because.
-Why?
-Don't ask me why.
Why don't you ask the preacher
why-- why there's tall,
why there's short, why there's
smart, why there's dumb, why
there's black,
why there's white.
And why is the sun?
It ain't our fault.
We ain't done nothing.
-Did they say what
they're gonna do?
-They say he's gonna
give us some medicine
and keep him quiet.
Give him some blood,
make him stronger
so he can hold out longer.
Now what all did they tell you?
-Oh, mostly what you said.
How, um, you get born with it
and how a bad infection can set
it off like the sores on
Vandy's feet, how he always
seems to keep a cold, how
only black children just
[INAUDIBLE].
-He's gonna die.
Didn't he tell you that, Serena?
We're gonna lose him, Serena.
And [INAUDIBLE] to the
sickness, and Vandy's sickness
is that he was born
black and poor.
-[CRIES]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[PHONE RINGING]
-Hello?
Oh, yes, doctor.
Yes.
Thank you very much.
-What?
-We can bring him home tomorrow.
-Well, I'm gonna go take a walk.
-Don't, Blue, stay here.
-No, I got to-- I
got to take a walk.
I've got to figure out how
to tell him about dying.
Honey, it just wouldn't
be fair for him to hear it
from somebody else or for it
to slip out from one of us.
And you know how his ears
are around this house.
So I'm gonna take a walk.
-Do you want me to?
-Naw.
It's my job.
-He's our child, Blue.
-Yeah, but he's my son.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
It's all signed
out and paid for.
Here's Vandy's discharge paper.
Why don't you go ahead
and bail him out.
-Why don't you go
get him, Mrs. Blue.
Any questions about home
care, just call me, anytime.
-Can he, uh, should
he go to school?
-Sure, for a while, as long
as his strength is up to it.
-Thank you.
-Mr. Blue?
The sickle cell
research programs
have all they can handle.
-Is that so?
-But there's a new program
starting up in San Francisco.
I'd like to try to get Vandy in.
-Why's they got a cure?
-No.
-Well, what does it do?
-Research.
-Research?
Research.
If they a got no cure, it's
kind of, you know, I just work.
And all the work I
do is around here,
so-- I couldn't send
Vandy out there.
I mean, things ain't
going that well here.
-We'll keep in touch.
-Yeah.
-Any questions?
-Questions, um, I'm just
thinking about rich folks
when they-- when they find out
their son [INAUDIBLE] kids.
Well, they just drop
everything, and they
take them to Disneyland
all around the world,
something like that.
And I just-- well, you know--
poor folks want to do--
you know what they want to
give their kid something.
You know the furthest
Vandy's every been?
-Uh uh.
-Right here.
Listen, thank you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Now, just between
you and I, your ma's
got a coming home
things going, so we'll
give her some time, all right?
-Mhm.
-Vandy, I want to talk
to you about people.
You see there's-- there's
three kinds of people.
There's yesterday people.
There's tomorrow people.
And there's today people.
My father, he's
yesterday people.
Everything's yesterday.
Hell, well, I'm
telling you right now.
You could talk about all
the cars you want to,
but there ain't
nothing like riding
in the back of that
wooden wagon when
I was a kid, coming
home from work.
That was the way my
daddy talked, always
say everything was yesterday.
And when we moved up
east and started working,
Dad would still say,
yeah, well, you really
don't know the value of
a dollar until you chop
some cotton when the
sun is down on you.
That's your granddaddy,
my father, yesterday.
Now your daddy.
-That's you?
-Yeah, that's me.
You know what kind of
people your daddy is?
-I don't know.
-Tomorrow.
See, I'm a tomorrow people.
Everything is tomorrow, some day
my whole life in that envelope,
and all my dreams in
that house-- chickens,
a garden was even gonna
build a little nursery.
Dreaming and scheming.
Saving and craving.
But no more, Vandy, no more.
-No more what, Daddy?
-Ain't gonna be no more front
porch, no batty hens, no living
in the spirit of fear of today.
No more being afraid.
Living for today.
Me, and you, and your mom,
we're gonna do today people.
-Why?
-Because everything
that's important is what
you can put your hands on today.
-So all this talking,
'cause I got sick?
-Especially coming back to us.
-Daddy?
-Yeah.
Close it 'cause I'm gonna die?
-Why you say that?
-Am I gonna die?
-Yeah.
You-- [INAUDIBLE].
When is not important.
Everybody's got to
die sooner or later.
It's like traveling, see,
some people make a short trip.
Some people make a long trip.
What's important is how--
how you make the trip.
Daddy and child make into
as much together as can be.
-Not putting it
off tomorrow today.
-Got it.
Got it.
All right, son, now you know.
Now I want to know
what you want to do.
Even if I had enough
money in my pockets
so I could buy you all
the things in the world
and you couldn't
even see for looking,
I mean, things ain't
gonna change things.
Now I want to give you whatever
you want today, if I can.
Now what about that trip to
Washington for five days?
I mean, is that what you want?
-What do you want?
-Now, I want to
know what you want.
-I ain't gonna [INAUDIBLE].
-Well, now don't
worry about the money,
because I can scrape it up.
-It's not the money.
-Well, what is it?
-Well, if I was to
go away and get sick,
I would just want you now.
-Yeah, but it's important
to get the Washington.
You'd get to sight-seeing,
having a ball.
Now, wouldn't you want that?
-No, I'd only just want you.
Everything still
feels the same, Daddy.
I can't see nothing
different but you and me.
-Go on and wash your hands.
-They're clean.
-Go on wash your hands.
-Can I go out to play?
-[LAUGHS]
-No, you can't go out to play.
-Why?
-Because your momma baked
a special cake for you.
And later on when
we get finished,
I got some place special to
take you, me, and your momma.
We're gonna make a little trip.
-Where we going?
-Now don't you worry about.
You remember what I told you and
a trip and making it together,
Daddy and son?
Well, this is it,
just like that song
that you always listening to.
You with the one.
You went and loved
the one you're with.
-I'm sorry, Dad,
you're not too hip.
-Yeah, you don't get it.
Vandy, get in the boat.
-You're kidding?
-I'm not kidding.
Get in the boat.
All right, come on, Serena.
-You can't go messing
with other people's boats.
-This ain't other
people's boats.
I put $50 down,
$200 at the garage,
give me $150 for that stuff
in the back of my car,
now come on.
-No, you all go on.
He's your I
-No, he's our child.
Now, come on.
Say, come on.
Help your momma get in the boat.
Come on, now.
Easy.
Momma in the boat.
All right now.
Vandy, here you go.
You're the captain.
Put it on and say when.
-Let's go.
-Let's go.
All right.
You know what I was
thinking about this boat?
It works so fine, we can rent
this out for fishing parties.
And then we can smoke
the fish and sell it.
You know how [INAUDIBLE].
-Don't get started!
-Cast off there, captain!
Make a hard right,
anchor, starboard.
All right, Vandy, say goodbye
to all your friends on shore.
[MUSIC PLAYING]