" Morning, Allen." " Morning." "What's up, Paul?" "I know." "I'll have the check waiting for you here tomorrow." "Exactly." "Bye." " Coffee, please." " Egg white." " Joleen, how's it going out here?" " Pretty good, a little slow." " Side work all done?" " Yes." " Because you know, if you're leaning..." " I could be cleaning." "I got you." " Ira, may I speak with you for a minute?" " What's up, Arthur?" " Hey, Howard." "How's it going?" " Good, thanks." "Do me a favor and take that around back." " You got it." " Thanks, Howard." "What were you saying?" "I had a chance to think things over last night, Ira." "And?" "To be frank, I wish you had consulted me when you were considering this deal." " I might've had some other way to go with it." " There is no other way to go with it, Arthur." " We're selling the place, period." " But, Ira..." "You see the register totals, right?" "You count the dinners." "If it wasn't for breakfast, it wouldn't even have lasted this long." " This isn't a big surprise." " Unfortunately, it was to me." "If there was something I could have done to stave this off, I would have by now." "I'm not happy about it, either, but it's a done deal." "I'm sorry." "When are you telling the wait staff?" "I called a meeting for this morning." "Good." "I'll check in with you later." " What's up, Samel?" " All right." "Benita, don't play." "I'm trying to read over here." " So read, I'm not stopping you." " Just eat your breakfast." "It's dry." "It's too many raisins." "Then push the raisins to the side." "Add some more milk." "You want me to bust you on your head?" " Eat the food." "I'm not playing." " You're not my boss." "You wanna tell Mom that when she comes back from the bathroom?" " No." " Then shut up and eat." " You guys ready?" " Hi, Mommy." " Nita, is that all you're gonna eat?" " I'm not hungry." "I have to get to work." "Will you make sure Benita catches a bus before your shift?" "Yeah." "Samel, you gonna make that phone call today?" " Yeah, whatever." " Don't whatever me." "You hear me, Samel?" "I hear you, Shirley." "I'm sorry." "All right." "I'll see you guys later on at home." "Love you." " You better make that phone call." " Shut up." " What's up, Joleen?" " Hi, Ali, how you doing?" "Life is sweet, baby, you know." "Erin's working the counter." "Yeah?" "How you know I came to see her?" "Stop it." " Lf you want me to, I'll see you around." " All right." "What up, E?" " I hit you." " I never got it." "That must have 'cause I was in the studio." "You know, insulation and shit." "I was wondering why you ain't hit me back." "Come here." "Come here." "What's up?" "You eat?" "I had some toast when I got here." "Toast." "Tell you about that skinny-white-girl shit." "Better get up off it, get some eggs in your system..." "Ali, I got a mom, all right?" "I do not need another one, believe me." "Yeah, the trains is mad tangled up out there." "Took me forever to get up over here." "I got to find somebody to help me move my shit over your place next week." "Somebody with a van or something." "Next week?" "I thought you said, like, in like a month." "I said that a month ago, Ali." "Right, yeah." "Okay." "What's going on?" "Tell me." "Don't play me, Ali." "I can tell something is going on." "I don't know, E. I'm tired, I'm feeling a little way." "I mean, I'm feeling a little way." "I'm feeling like..." "I don't know if I'm ready to be shacking up and shit, you know?" " I knew it." " Come on." " I knew it." " I'm saying." "I'm not saying it all can't happen." "It can still happen, I'm just saying." "Can we talk about this later?" "Come on." "Fine." "I get off at 5:00." "Pick me up then and we can talk." "I got to go to a floor meeting." "That's some rotten shit." "Why isn't he here?" "Why isn't his ass sitting up in here?" "Because I hired everyone and we felt that I should talk to you all." "Now, in terms of the particulars." " He's thinking that perhaps..." " You don't have to give me no particulars." "I don't have a job!" "How much more particular does it need to get?" " I can't believe this." " Are we getting anything?" " Is he giving us something?" " Now, just..." "He's gonna give us a subway token and a handshake." "He's gonna give us a subway token and a handshake." " Hasta la vista, baby." " What's going on?" "There will be references for everyone who's been here a certain period of time." "What do I need a reference from him for?" "Talk about money." "Excuse me, Arthur." "But when is this gonna happen?" "Is this immediate?" " Three to four weeks." " Three weeks?" "That's cold, man." " The place is closing?" " I'm putting three kids through school." "I'm in just about the same boat as you." " Please." "You think we're stupid?" " What'd you say to Ira?" "When he was telling you all this, what'd you say to him?" "I asked the same questions you all are asking." "I tried to find a way out." "I pressed him about the possibility of getting set up... with some other restaurants and such, but for now this is all I know." "Wait, setting us up where?" "Work for some other Jew bastard?" "I don't think so." "You don't got to get all anti" " Semitic up in here." "Come on." "The man is trying his best to handle this in a respectful manner." "I don't think it's appropriate for you..." "Arthur, you are always speaking up for him and his father before him." "Always!" "He must be getting a nice package." "Come on, guys, it's not Arthur's fault." "The bottom line is, that's all I know for now." "Now I expect you all... to pitch in and keep the morale up as we go through this." "Pitch in?" "I bet that kid is gonna get a bundle." "Are you gonna retire with him, Arthur?" "Come on, tell us." "Are you going off to Florida with him?" "To wipe his ass?" "That's it." "I'm finished here." "I'll tell you more when I know more." "Shit." "That was low about the ass-wiping thing." "Was funny, but low." "What do you know about low, young blood?" "Nothing." "I know I got work to do." " What's her deal?" " She don't care, that's her deal." "Little rich kid." "Mommy and Daddy will take care of her." "Old hip-hop, motherfucking rapity rip-rop shit." "I can't stand these young kids today." "No respect, none of them." "He always talks about this being a family restaurant." " His ass should be here right now." " You know something?" "His ass can cover my station, because I'm out of here." "Shit, 13 years I put in this place, and he's gonna give me three weeks?" "Shit, I'm a find me a real goddamn job." " You met with the floor staff?" " Yes." " How'd it go?" " Not well." "You got some angry people on your hands." "What?" "What did they say?" "A few things that I won't repeat." "Jesus." " About me?" " People are worried, Ira." "They're losing their jobs." "How did you think they were gonna react?" "Right, I understand." "What do you think I should do?" "You the boss, boss." "Maybe you ought to show your face out there on the floor a little bit." " Talk to some of these people." " Right." "I have to go to the bank, run a few errands, but I hear you." "Thanks." "Thank you." "Have a nice day." "Thank you." "Have a nice day." "Hello, sir." "How was your meal today?" "Just a coffee, regular, sweet." "Tommy, let me get a regular sweet to go." "That'll be $1.08, please." "Tommy, when you get a chance, can you get me... some more of the small bags?" "I'm almost out." "Here's your change, sir." "Coffee will be right up." "Have a nice day." "Hi, how was your meal today?" "You owe me $10." "Excuse me?" "I gave you a $20 bill." "You gave me change for $10." "It's simple mathematics." "You owe me $10." "I'm pretty sure that you gave me $10." " Hold on a second, I'm sorry." " You're pretty sure." "I'm definitely sure." "Okay." "Let me just check the register." "What is there to check?" "Do I look like a rich man that's just throwing money around... like I don't know what it means?" "Please, young lady." "I didn't say that." "If you were doing your job, paying attention, this wouldn't have happened." "I was paying attention." "No, you were talking to Tommy over there and not watching what you were doing." "Okay, just give me a second." "You know, I may be black, but I'm not stupid." " What?" " Come on, this is an outrage!" "Sir, I'm checking the register." "Can you please not yell at me?" " What is there to check?" " Sir, can you just..." "Come on, let's get the manager." "Do it now!" "Okay, here." "Here it is, I'm sorry." "Thank you, young man." "I'm sorry about that, ma'am." "I didn't see what he gave you, sugar... but I know he didn't have to speak to you like that." "Thank you." "Tommy?" "Can you take the register?" "I'm gonna get those bags." "Maybe I should be ducking for cover over here." " You okay?" " Yeah." "This old guy just paid with $10 and then said he gave me $20." "A little flim-flam?" " I don't even know." " It's a bummer, man." "You get off at 5:00, right?" "Okay, so when you cash out, we'll see who's right." "Come on now, it can't be that bad." " Sol, where you at?" " I'm over here, Evans." "Calm yourself." "I need glasses, man, come on." "Don't worry about it, Jo." "Life is too short." "Take a deep breath and count to 10." " Mom." " Hey." " I wasn't sure if you'd be working." " What are you doing here?" "I have a business meeting here at 11:30... and I thought I'd come by a little early to see if we could talk." " You wanna talk?" " Yeah." "About the school thing." "Mom, you wanna talk about that now?" "I mean, here?" "Yeah, I don't think it's something that can wait, Erin." " I've got about..." " Come on." "Let's sit down." "Black ribbon." "Black ribbon Friday." "All right now, brother." "Want to support our youth center?" "I know it's hard." "That's all right, my brother." "A vision of loveliness." "My Nubian queen." "Please take one of these and have a lovely day, all right?" "Come on over here, home to the folks, brother." "Come on now, Kunta." "That's all right, I understand, brother." "Working man, right?" " My goodness." " What did you just call me?" "Kunta." "Kunta Kinte." "I recognize you." "You might have on that Brooks Brothers, but I recognize those Ebo features." "Get you one of these black ribbons." "Only $1." "Okay, fine, let me hear this." "I'm reeling you in, Kunta." "I'm reeling you in." "These black ribbons represent the death of the spirit of the black man." "Our young brothers are facing a world of despair and we got to help them out." "By wearing one of these black ribbons every Friday, you will tell the world..." "By wearing one of these black ribbons every Friday, you will tell the world... that you want to change the future of our endangered young black men." "I think what needs to change... is these kids thinking they're more special than anybody else... that's got to sit in a classroom and pay attention for eight hours a day." "Horatio Alger, I see." "Shelby Steele." ""We losing the race."" "Sir, how can you ask a child... to sit in a classroom that's falling apart?" "No books, no pencils, no paper, no hope." "The playing field is not level." "If you're waiting for a level playing field... then you're gonna be on the sidewalk for a long time, my friend." "Long as it takes, my brother." "As long as it takes." " Knock yourself out, okay?" " You, too." "Support the Emmett Till Center." "$1 gets you a black ribbon for black ribbon Friday." " Your contribution is gonna..." " Let me ask you something." "How come you don't have a blue ribbon Wednesday... for doing well in math class?" "Or a green ribbon Monday for great SAT scores?" "Why don't you celebrate the good things young black people are doing?" "A blue ribbon Monday." "That's beautiful." "I'm gonna have to write that down." "Writing it down is not the point." "The point is all this negativity, man." "It becomes reality." "Excuse me, my brother." "I think I misplaced my rose-colored glasses." "Look." "I'm not your brother." "My name is not Kunta Kinte." "And I'm not gonna give you $1 for one of your ribbons." "Okay?" "Okay." "Let me just say this." "When you came over here, you were stolen away from your family." "You were bought, sold, traded, humiliated." "The family disintegrated." "Now we need to get that back." "That's why I call you brother." "Because I need you." "I need you." "And if you don't think you need me, ask yourself this:" "If the Ku Klux Klan comes around that corner saying:" ""Let's kill us them two niggers," are you gonna say:" ""Excuse me, Mr. Klan, but I'm not a nigger"?" "Or are you gonna turn to me and say, "My brother..." ""let's run together"?" "I'm gonna get you, Kunta." "I'm gonna get you." "Yes, I am." "Support the Emmett Till Memorial Youth Center." "Help teach the kids." "If the ship won't come in, you got to swim out to it." "Ain't that right, brother?" "I know you know that's right, my brother." "College isn't for everybody, Mom, and I've realized that it's not for me." "I'm a different person than you are, all right?" "I'm not trying to go work in the corporate world." "Why don't you tell me what it is that you're trying to do?" "I'm a poet." "All right." "You wanna be a poet." "No, Mom, not "wanna be a poet." I am a poet." " No, I am talking about your future, Erin." " So am I." "No, that's not a future." "Poetry will have you sitting in the projects somewhere hungry and broke." "Mom, you have no idea what's going on out here, all right?" "Poets are getting paid." "It's Def Poetry Jam, it's slam tours." "I'm good, Mom." "I'm gonna sell my books and..." "Erin, please, will you listen to yourself?" "You are so simple-minded." "You're gonna sell books." "What kind of business sense do you have?" "I have enough sense to be an entrepreneur, Mom... instead of working 12 years for some multinational corporation..." " that'll never give me a fucking promotion." " Watch your mouth." "You better watch your mouth or I will slap the shit out of you up in here." "You have got a lot of nerve judging me." "You have had a roof over your head, three meals a day, private schools." "The reason you even know how to write... is because of this abhorrent corporate job that I have." "I am not about to apologize to you for who I am." "Do you understand me?" "You don't understand me." "I found something I'm passionate about, Ma." "And I'm not going back to school, period." "All right?" "I don't like it, I don't fit in there, it just ain't happening." "You don't fit in." "I get it." "Are we have a little black-girl pity party?" "Is that what this is?" "I don't fit in at NYU because I'm little Miss Street Gangster?" "Is that what this is?" "No, let me tell you something, homeslice." "You are a bourgeois nigger from Montclair, New Jersey, just like your mama." " What did you say?" " You heard me." " I'm a nigger?" " That's right." "I can't believe this." "You're tripping." "So what are you, Mom?" "Are you a nigger?" "You're damn skippy I'm a nigger." " Which one, a house nigger?" " No." "I'm a field nigger, 'cause I go to work." " For real?" " Yes." "And I am out in the field right now." "And you gonna shuffle?" "I'm gonna pick some cotton right here." "That's right." "That's right." "I can't believe you." "Shit." "Shit." "Okay, the ball's in your court now." "Your foster mom's not gonna beg you to do this." "You know that." "But it would make her very happy." "You can't deny her that because you're afraid to pick up the phone..." " and call this guy..." " I ain't afraid of nothing." "You don't know nothing about me." " I'm trying to help you, Samel." " I don't remember asking for your help." "I got to go." "So, Arianna couldn't make it?" "She had a little fire she had to put out back at the office... but she sends her regrets." " Have you worked for her long?" " No, actually she took over about a year ago." " Great lady." " Yeah, smart lady." "This place is so funny." "Pickles." "I used to come here with my mother when I was a kid." "I had my first egg cream here." "We're signing the deal on this place today." " You're kidding." " No." "And by the time you guys move in across the street... you'll have a high-rise full of potential customers right here." "That's fantastic, Ron." "It is." "We've got a Hard Rock Cafe coming in." "And you know the Brooklyn Diner in midtown Manhattan?" "They're gonna open a place here." "Authentic diner food." "This neighborhood is about to explode." "You will certainly be able to get a milkshake without any difficulty around here." "Seriously, though, I think this is gonna be great for our people." "Stores of quality in our neighborhood for a change." "Right." "I mean, it can definitely be a challenge, too." "I work with the Harlem Store and it's a similar situation." "I mean, Banana Republic is an upscale store... but it is a store for everybody." "I mean, us black folks make money, too, right?" "I mean, us black folks make money, too, right?" "We don't discriminate." "We want everybody's money." "Absolutely." "Exactly." "And it is a big change, I mean, given what's here now." "That's part of what's so exciting about it." "Out with the old and in with the new, right?" " Your drinks." " Thank you." " So, Morgan Ventura has this whole area." " Three square blocks, for now." "What is the residential part of the project like?" "It's all condos." "Yeah, we didn't have to do the affordable housing thing." " Really?" " Yeah, I think the politicians understand... that you can't make the thing work if you're forced... to stick some project smack down in the middle of it." "The people from the PJ's... ain't gonna be spending their benjamins at Banana Republic, right?" "I'm being crude, but seriously." "I think in general people are happy that we're coming in here." "The longtime neighborhood residents... are tired of hearing gunshots and seeing graffiti everywhere they look." " They welcome change." " True." "That is true." " Hi, guys." " Arianna." "Arianna, it's great to see you." "I thought you couldn't make it." " No, I wanted to but..." " Here, have a seat." "Thank you." "Hi, darling." "I was just gonna call in, but my 12:00 cancelled... so I thought I'd just come join you guys." "I'm glad you did." "I have a few questions now that you're here." " How far have you gotten?" " We just..." "We haven't even started, really." "What I wanted to ask you about was the renegotiation on the terms." "Okay, right now they're set at 10, 20, and 30 years." "Ron, I don't know if we feel comfortable renegotiating after 10 years." "It's probably gonna be three to five years before this place turns over... so it's something we could think about." "That's what I was thinking." "Also, in terms of the plans for the facade..." "We've already had a sidebar with the architects about that." "Excellent, okay, I'll catch up with my office on that later on." "You know, I'm really glad this thing is happening." "Excuse me, folks." "I have got some work back at the office that I need to get done." "It looks like everything is cool here so I am gonna take off." "No, wait a minute." "No, I'm gonna step away now so I don't distract you." " You're not a distraction." " It's okay with me." "Okay." "Are you sure?" "Is there any way I can get a copy of a mockup... of what you discussed with your architects?" "...and remember to always smile." "It won't mess up your hair." "Rain" "It's gonna rain, yeah it's gonna rain, well" "You better get ready Gonna bear this in mind" "God showed Noah the rainbow sign" "Said it won't be water but fire next time" "Well way back in the Bible days" "God told Noah that it's gonna rain" "You probably know so keep this in mind" " He said it won't be water" " You know that it won't" " Said it won't be water" " It surely won't" "Said it won't be water but" "Fire next time" "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen." "Have a great day." "God bless." "Yo, man." "All right." "Now here in this flesh-colored world" "I am dreaming' about the impossible" "'Cause I know impossible things" "Happen every day" "And the difference between us" "Is fading away" "Like all of the small things" "That make up my day" "This world is my town" "I don't care what they say" "Ira?" "Dad." " Thought you were going out of town." " No, I put it off." "I'm going over to Arnie's." "You wanna come with?" "I'm working." "I don't know whether I should order through the month... or just start pulling stuff off the menu or what." "Remember that?" "This room was filled with Knicks." "What was I like?" "Five, six?" "No basketball stars coming in here these days." "These days you wouldn't want them in here." "Guys today don't even know how to pass a ball around." "There's no rules anymore." " Ron coming in at 6:00?" " Yeah." "He sent Josh a draft of the contracts yesterday." "I looked them over." "Everything looks good to me." "You sure we're doing the right thing here, Dad?" " What do you mean?" " I don't know." "I wish we could hold on a little longer." "This restaurant means a lot to a lot of people." " Ira, please, don't be so damn sentimental." " I'm not being sentimental." " I just care, okay?" " Ira, don't be stupid." "You think a deal like this is gonna last forever?" "We do this now... and we can take care of a lot of people." "We draw this out and everyone's gonna end up screwed." " Yeah, but..." " But nothing." "Don't be such a worrywart." "Lighten up." "See you worry, you eat." "That's what happens." "And I can tell you've been worrying a lot lately... because you got a little jellyroll happening here." " Dad, no matter what I do, you got to..." " What?" "Forget it." "I'm going over to Arnie's." "You wanna come with or not?" "I'll buy you a new tie." " Come on." " I got work to do." "All right." "I'll talk to you later." "No, I didn't." "How many times do I have to say it?" "He said I'd be taken care of." "I don't need to know an exact number." "I trust the man." "Why don't you call him?" "No, you call him." "Say, "Ira, I don't trust you." ""I don't care about the relationship..." ""you and your father have had with my husband all these years." ""I think you're trying to rip us off."" "That is what you're saying!" "Are you finished?" "No, are you finished?" "I did listen, and now I'm..." "Don't wait up." "Goodbye." "Happy birthday to you" "Happy birthday, dear Kiesha" "Happy birthday to you" "I hate that fucking song." " Ira." " Yeah?" "I've been thinking about this whole situation... and I need to know where I fall in all this." "What do you mean, where you fall?" "I mean, what do I leave here with?" "Arthur, I haven't even thought about that yet." "I mean, I thought about it, but..." "Arthur, I got a million things going on here." "Arthur, I got a million things going on here." "I understand that, but this is important, too." "I'm concerned about my future all of a sudden... and we have no contract that says what the deal is." "No contract." "We're friends here, Arthur." "I grew up in this place with you." "What's so funny?" "You're a businessman, and you're talking to me about friendship." "That's how you see me, as a businessman." "That's fucked up." "Listen." "This is a business situation, and so I'm talking to you as a businessman." "What's going on here, Arthur?" "Where's all this coming from all of a sudden?" "I'm trying to do the right thing here, and I got it coming at me from all sides." "I'm just asking." "Okay, listen." "You want something in writing... fine, I'll give you something in writing." "Whatever you want." "I would appreciate that, Ira." "I really would." "I saw you outside before." "Is everything okay?" "My caseworker." "Family shit." "I like your mom." "Foster mom." "She seems pretty cool." "Yeah, she is." "It's nothing about her." "You cool with your baby daddy, right?" "Yeah." "Tyrell's gonna spend a month with him in Ohio this summer." "That's good." "Pretty messed up, this thing about them selling the restaurant?" "Yeah." "You know what you're gonna do for work?" "I'm leaving for school right after I graduate, so I might just kick back." "Take advantage." "What about you?" "I'm so fucked." "I was just..." "What's up?" "Shit stinks." "It's clove." "It's like incense." "James Baldwin?" "I read that in high school." "That's some revolutionary shit right there." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "You ever read that, Joleen?" "It's a classic." "Mister's using mass symbolism up in there." "Metaphors and shit." "True." "He lived in Paris for a while because he couldn't deal with shit over here." "I feel that." "I'm thinking about going to France." "Maybe Spain." "I'll see you guys out there." "You going to France with Ali, the mad rapper?" "Maybe." "You speak French?" "Don't need to." "They all speak English over there." "Plus they loves them some American black folk." "They wanna hear all about the ghetto and shit." "I'm gonna go over there on a slam tour." "Check it out." "You were right, I was in error." " Excuse me?" " This is your $10 back." "Now, you were very rude, but I recounted and I was wrong." "I was very rude." "Is this a joke?" "You are a very rude young lady." "Your whole generation has no respect for their elders." "I can't believe you're doing this." "Your minds are clouded by all the MTV and rap music you listen to." "Look, don't condescend me, okay?" "How the hell do you know what I listen to?" "Please, come now." "I wasn't just born this age." "I was young once." "You shouldn't make assumptions about people." "I'm not making any assumptions." "I'm trying to teach you something." "Someone needs to teach you some dignity." "You think I watch MTV all day." "You know what I do when I'm not working here taking abuse from customers?" "What?" "Think up new ways to desecrate the English language?" "Very funny." "I play cello in the orchestra at the New York City Ballet." "Okay?" "Second seat." "You almost had me going there for a second." "That's very clever." "Don't believe me." "I don't care." "See, now, there's your problem." "You don't care." "You know what?" "I'm a mother." "I have a beautiful little boy." "And you are exactly the kind of man I'm gonna raise my son not to be." "I'm sure your son will not get treated by a white salesperson... in the same rude way that I was treated." "So there's no comparison." "Asshole." "There you go." " Yo." " What?" "That was nice, very nice." " You heard all that?" " Yeah." "Should have jacked that guy's ass." "I thought you was about to come over the counter on his ass." "I am a Scorpio." "Really?" "That's right." " Better watch out." " Okay." "I'll check you later, J." "Jo, you really play cello?" " How are you, Benjamin?" " Doing great, Arthur." "Good to see you." " How's tricks?" " Things are getting trickier all the time." "Okay." "This is Miss Meyer, Miss Martin... and you know this troublemaker over here." "Pleasure to meet you ladies." "Mr. Califano, how are you?" "Can't complain." " Your regular spot?" " Sounds good." "Ben, here, knows all about our guarantee, so I'll tell you ladies." "If you eat here every day, you'll live to be 149." "And, of course, if something happens and you don't... we'll give you all your money back." "This tastes good." "Stay away from this, ain't enough here for you." "Sorry." "Go crazy." "I don't eat anything that crawls on the bottom of the ocean." "These are some of them farm-raised shrimps." "Tasty, too." "Don't know why that guy sent them back." "You know why they call them jumbo shrimp?" "Wait a second." "I forgot the joke." "Guys, what did I miss?" "Frantz, you got jokes?" "Let me hear one, come on." "I could use a good laugh." "Sorry, man, I can't think of any right now." " How's everything going over here, Sol?" " Yeah, under control, boss." "Good." "Let me know if you need anything." "What's up, Victor?" "What I need is a fucking raise." "How about that?" "Cheap shit." " You pulling a double today, Victor?" " Yeah." "I'll be here all night." "Me, too." "I tell you, I don't need this shit." "I won't stick around here much longer." "None of us are." "Didn't you hear?" "They're closing the place." "What?" "Yeah, he's selling it." "We got three weeks." "No fucking way." "When was he gonna tell us, that glom hondeling fuck?" " When did you hear this?" " Arthur told us this morning." "Holy shit." "See that takes the fucking cake." "I used to wash bodies for surgery, not motherfucking dishes in some dump." "I was a doctor." "Did you know that, Victor?" "I know, Sol, you've told me." "Okay, you know then." "So what are you gonna do?" "I mean, you got the kids and everything." "I don't know, Sol." "I'm in big trouble." "At least you've got your education." "At least you've got that." "At least you've got your education." "At least you've got that." "Un-fucking-believable." "I don't get off for another hour." "What am I supposed to do with him?" "I don't know, figure it out." "I got a job interview and I can't flake on it." "Fuck." "What's it for?" "Remember that girl Spencer that came through that time?" " She runs Scratch Publicity?" " Is it daytime?" "Both, I guess." "I'm not sure." " I lost my fucking job today." " Get the fuck out of here." "I told you you need to go by and see Ruby so she could set you up." "Mad money up in there." "You make more money working three nights a week there... than working six days a week here." " It's true." " Can you just take him over to Rhonda's?" " I'll call her and tell her that you're coming." " I guess." "And go by Burger King and get him something to eat." "I got to go back inside." "Baby, Mama's got to go to work, okay?" "I love you." " I want Mama." " It's okay." "Bye, Jo." "All right, baby, we're just gonna go to Rhonda's." "You'll see Mommy later." "Erin." "Check it out, a little trick." "See, here you got three glasses on one hand... and you just..." " Like that." " Very impressive." "You learn that in butler school or something?" "No." "Harvard cafeteria, actually." "That'll come in handy." "Even after your waitressing days are over... and you're a big famous writer throwing dinner parties in your crib." "From what I hear, my waitressing days are about to be over real soon." "Business is horrible." "You've seen it in your tips." "I'm gonna try to help everyone out." "You'll get some severance and then you can go on unemployment." "That sounds like a good plan." "Get paid to write." "It's the only artist grant the government gives out anymore." "Theodore, how are you?" "Your lunch break, Sol?" "It would appear that way." "Listen, we got to talk." "Take an extra 10 or 15 if you want." "Things are pretty slow." "Mr. Personality." " They tell you about this closing thing?" " Yeah, this morning." "That little prick." " Language, Sol." " Yeah, right." "My bad." "What's up, Benita?" "You waiting for Samel?" "Okay, a little smoke, back to the gulag." "Take an extra 10 or 15." "What the hell is that?" "Excuse me, miss, can I get a menu, please?" "I don't know what I'm doing, man." "I feel like some kind of loser over here, you know." "I mean, I show up." "I show up for life, that's what they say to do and I do it." "But everything I do seems to be wrong." "First I got a crappy job." "Next thing you know, I got no job at all." "Something's messed up with this story." "It's twisted up." "You finished with that?" " She's a beauty." " Thanks, man." " You ride?" " Yeah, I used to." "A long time ago." " Nothing like it, right?" " It's the closest thing to flying." "Absolutely." "Take it easy, right?" "Yeah, take it slow." " You got a hot date?" " Hardly." "Me, Tyrell, and Friends on the WB." "That's cool." "That show is funny." "Actually you remind me of one of the girls on there." "Who's the one always saying the funny shit?" "Phoebe." "My God." "Please, that's insulting." "No." "She cute." "Makes me laugh." "Whenever you wanna come over and watch it with us, you're invited." "Yeah?" "I could play some cello for you." "All right." "You know my song?" "I got to hold up." "Sorry." "Yeah." "This isn't a good idea." "Right." "Why?" "I mean..." "I'm not really..." "This isn't the right thing for me." "Cool?" "Because?" "I'm really not trying to get nothing started right before I leave for school and all." "That's right." "College boy." "I forgot." "You got better things to do." "I got to go." " Jo, you're out of here?" " Yep." "How'd your register total out?" "You right with that guy..." " that pulled the little flim-flam?" " Yeah, actually." "There you go." "What did I tell you?" "You're from Ohio, right?" "You ever been out West?" "You know, New Mexico, the Dakotas?" "A lot of those places don't have any helmet laws... so I'm thinking of taking a ride out there..." "That's great, Sol." "I got to run." "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" "Yeah." "Okay." "See you later." "Ali, it's me." "It's after 5:00." "I thought you said you were gonna come by here." "Guess you're still feeling a little way." "Listen..." "Joleen." "Come over here a second." "I'm gonna write down Ali's number for you." "You can have him because I'm done with him." "It is not like that." "Yeah, all right." "I'm serious, Erin." "He's not even my type." "What's the matter?" "He not black enough for you?" "No." "I usually like to be the bigger half of a couple, actually." "Okay." "You like them skinny-ass boys." "I ain't having luck with nobody these days." "No matter what size their ass is." "I'll see you tomorrow." "Let's go, Benita." "Time to go home." "Finally." "I brought you a piece of pie." "Come on." " What song is he playing?" " I don't know, come on." "I was thinking, when you talk to him... are you gonna call him Charlie or are you gonna call him Dad?" "Benita, don't ask me questions right now." "Let's just get home, okay?" "Let's cross the street." "What's up, Samel?" "What's up, Beadie?" "What's up, Raymond?" "Big brother." "Little sister." "My brothers." "It's my Zulu nation." "Y'all have a good evening." "Keep on keeping on." "Bum." "Excuse me?" "Where you get them kicks from, black power?" "When you was marching on Alabama and shit?" " Actually, I didn't..." " You's a bum, what?" "Raymond, I didn't see you sitting up there." "How is your mother doing?" "She fine." "Give her my regards." "Tell her the bum said hello." "Melanie, you're up!" "What you doing, papa?" "That shit's giving me a headache, man." "Damn." "Turn that off, Devon." "I can't think over here." "Victor, I got entrees for Table 12." "Come and get them." "Hope those aren't for Table 6, Frantz... because their entrees are up in three seconds." "I'll keep them warm." "Move your ass." "Go." "Melanie." "There you go." "Victor, what's up with this ticket?" "What do you mean?" "Don't fuck around with me here, Victor." "You got four plates on your tray and two entrees on your ticket." "My God." "Russell, can you please take this to Table 12?" "Who's your partner in the kitchen, Victor?" " How long you been stealing from me?" " Never." "I've never done that before." "I swear!" "This is the first fucking time?" "I just happened to see it?" "No, I swear to God, I've never done that before." "I mean, I was scared." "I just..." "Look, I'm sorry, sir." "I didn't know what to do." "And all I was thinking was..." "Jesus." "Here, Victor." "Come over here." "Let's get some water, okay?" "I don't believe this." "I'm so embarrassed." "I don't know what I'm gonna do now." "I'm 58 years old." "Who's gonna hire me now?" "I don't have any retirement." "I got three kids." "What am I gonna tell my wife?" " Victor, listen." " My God." "Take a minute, catch your breath... and then go back to work and we'll both figure this out." "Okay?" "I'm so sorry." "It's okay." "Here, take these back to the laundry room." "Take your time, okay?" "Everything's okay." " Walter?" " Mr. Ira, good afternoon." "Hi, Walter." " Aren't you off at 5:00?" " Yeah." "I just have few more to go." "I wanted to make sure everything is ready for the weekend." "Nice and quiet here, isn't it?" "Like I said, we'll deal with the long form later on... but all the overriding points are addressed here." " Everything we talked about in terms of..." " Listen..." "I changed my mind." "I can't do this." "What do you mean, you can't do this?" "I changed my mind." "But you asked me to come here today with the contract." "I know, and I'm sorry." "There's nothing I can do about that." "I changed my mind." "I understand you probably have a lot of feelings about this place." "It's a family business." "I understand that." "It's a Brooklyn institution." "And it's important to respect that... in our community." "I hear that." "But then there's the reality of what's going on here... and there's the future." "The future is what I'm talking about." "There are four square blocks of commercial property surrounding Raskin's." " We own almost all of it." " Right." "You should understand." "Starting in two months... you're gonna have construction crews out here working 12 hours a day." "Making noise, stopping traffic." "Seriously impeding customers from finding your front door." "This is happening, Ira." "It's a reality, my man." "I'm not your fucking man." "And I don't care about your reality, okay?" "I care about these people." "And this place." "This place, Ira, is history." "We got a Hard Rock Brooklyn going up across the street... that's gonna sell more T-shirts in a week than you take in in pickles in a year." "These places are gonna put you out of business." "Period." "Fuck you." "You sure about this, Ira?" "You've got a business that's going down the tubes... and a chance to sell it at the height of the seller's market." "You really wanna throw that away?" "Okay." "Our price starts going down now." "Every 12 hours, our offer goes down." "And a year from now, when you're ready to shutter the place... and you come to us?" "We're not gonna pay you a fraction of what we were gonna pay you today." "Not a fraction." " Sol, you seen Arthur?" " He's not back here." "Tough day?" "Don't play with me right now." "I'm not in the mood." "I'm not playing with you, I'm feeling for you." "Go feel for the cleanliness of the dishes, and let me do my work." "Speaking about work... when were you thinking of telling me I'm out of a job?" "Next week some time?" "You have no idea what's going on, Sol." " So..." " You little shit." "What's up, Sol?" "Why are you talking to me like this?" "Because you're hondeling me." "What the fuck is that?" "Hondeling?" "We're supposed to stick together." "Help each other out." "Now I'm out on the street." "This is a Jewish thing?" "You know when I was in prison?" "You know who reached out to me?" "The black guys, the Muslims... even the KKKers." "You think a rabbi ever came to see me?" " Not once." " Sol, what are you talking about?" "What happened to you in prison has nothing..." "I was a medical doctor." "Okay, fine." "I made some mistakes." "So now I'm dirt?" "That's how you see me, an ex- con, an ex-junkie." " That's bullshit, Sol, and you know it." " No, that's the way I feel." "You fucking schoolboys think people are disposable." "Survival of the richest." " You little pischer." " Okay, that's enough." "I don't care about before, I care about now." "Now, you're a dishwasher." "Jew, gentile, doctor, lawyer, I don't give a shit." "You are a dishwasher." "Now get back to work or you won't even be that." "What goes around, comes around." "That's in the Torah... the Bible, and the Koran." "That's in all of them." "Where have you been?" "I've been looking all over the restaurant for you." "I was right here in my booth." "Same place I am every Friday at this time." " You know that." " I don't know anything right now." "I don't know what the hell I'm doing." "Marc, could you please, just for a minute here?" "Thank you." "I think I fucked up." "I called off the deal." " You what?" " I told him forget it." "That it's not right." "What are you doing, Ira?" "I don't know." "I think I fucked up." "This place is an institution, Arthur." "You said so yourself." "Arthur, come on." "I don't know whether I'm coming or going with you, Ira." "I have to get back to work." "Go!" "Fire!" "Okay?" "What's up?" "Here." "Break a leg." "I love you, baby." "Excuse me." "You wanna drink one now or wait till they refreeze?" "I'll wait, thank you." "I talked to Mr. Brown." "He said we could use their van to move your stuff." "Cool." "We might have to get a U-Haul, too... depending on how much you decide to take with you." "I wouldn't want you to be without your girlie posters." "You're gonna need them to help you study." "You could bring some stuff down with you on the train... when you come to visit." "That could work." "You don't have to call him if you don't want to, Samel." "I'd understand that." "I'd respect that." "He's a grown man... and he hasn't made the effort to reach out to you." "No matter what you do, this is your home." "This is your family." "You just do what feels right for you, okay?" "What's up?" " Busy night." " Guy here?" "He's over here." "Come on." "V!" " What's up, Ruby?" " This is my friend I told you about, Joleen." "Hello, Joleen, how are you?" " Hi." " Do me a favor." "Hang out here, get her a drink." "And I'll be right with you." "I'm gonna go back to work." "Good luck." "I had this fight with my mom today." "She thinks I'm gonna end up on the street or something." "She said some really fucked up shit." "That's your prerogative to end up on the street." " So you think I'm gonna fail, too?" " I didn't say that." "I'm just saying that what happens to you isn't the point." "It's her job to love you no matter what." "So you still think it's an okay idea." "You know I do, we've discussed it." " But I might end up on the street." " Yeah, you might." "So what?" "Most of the great poets in the world have ended up on the street at some point." "That's old school." "You know, I'm gonna succeed." "All right?" "I'm gonna make great work and get paid." " Okay." " I am." "Erin, we've talked about this in class." "Come on." "Don't count on it, okay?" "That's all I'm saying." "Jump off the cliff, yes." "But jump off the cliff because you love to write." "Period." "I understand what you're saying." "I don't wanna talk about this anymore." "Okay." "But you brought it up." "I was thinking today about what I want... because I feel for the last seven years..." "I've really been focusing on what I don't want." "You know what I mean." "I said no to the bottle, no to the pills... but I really haven't said yes to anything." "I feel stuck here." "I'm just as stuck now as when I was in prison." "It's the same old shit." "So I don't know." "I think I'm ready to try something new." "I don't know." "I'm scared, man." "I'm up against it." "Yeah, hi." "I'm calling for Ira, please." "It's Ron from Morgan Ventura." "He knows who I am." "Thank you." "No, you don't have to page him." "Just..." "Will he be in later tonight, do you know?" "Okay, thanks." "No, no message." "Thank you." " Lf they make it to the playoffs?" " Not even." "It's called a sweep." "Watch where you looking, nigger." "And to the birthday boy!" "New York Times." "Tough stuff." "My wife used to do the puzzle every day." "She'd always... shout out the things she thought I knew." "Sports questions mostly." "Tea, please?" "Can I get an English muffin, toasted well with jelly?" " Sure." " Burn the British, thank you." ""Burn the British," that's diner talk." "Friday's a tough one." "Saturday's the hardest, I think." "Looks like you're doing pretty good, though." "You stuck on any?" "Give me one." "Sometimes you get one, the rest of them fall into place." "What makes you think I need your help?" "It's a tough puzzle." "Come on." "Six, down." "I'm pretty good at it." "What's the matter, man?" "I'm just trying to talk here." " You want coffee?" " I don't want nothing from you." "All right?" " Thank you." " What's up, Samel?" "What you doing here?" "Had to get out the house, man." "Trying to find a little peace and quiet." "You know what I'm saying?" "Same with me." "Getting out of the house, I mean." "Samel, is it?" "My name is John." "What are you doing?" "What do you want?" "I'm just trying to make conversation." "It's an old-fashioned pastime." "You in school?" "I'm about to go to Howard University." "Very impressive." " What?" " I didn't say Harvard, I said Howard." "I heard you." "Howard University, Washington D.C. It's a very good school." "Come on." "There's got to be some sports questions in there." "My wife, she would always ask me..." "Why don't you go home to your wife and do your own crossword puzzle with her?" "I wish I could." "I buried her two weeks ago." "That's why I'm out wandering around..." "I'm trying to get it off my mind." "Come on." "Twelve, down." "Try me out." "Snowfall." "Nine letters, starts with "A."" " Sorry to hear about your wife." " Thank you." "I don't know." "Okay, you got me." "I'm staying with my sons for now... see what they need." "Good man." "Nice you're in their life." " Pardon me?" " I said it's nice you're in their life." "My father's dead." "Sorry to hear that." " That's hard." " Right." "I could've been a better father." "I wasn't there for the important times." "The teenage years." "When I finally figured things out and came home... she was already sick... and I realized how much I missed." "So you fucked up." "I had to leave." "We were fighting all the time." "I thought it would be worse if I stayed." "How could it be?" "You get in a beef with a woman and it makes you leave your kids?" "That's weak, man." "I mean, look... your wife is dead now and you're sobbing about her." "I feel that." "That's real." "When she was alive, your kids were sobbing about you." "Good point." "Avalanche." " What?" " Avalanche." "Nine letters for a snowfall." "See?" "I was bullshitting you." "What, you're not really going to Howard?" "No, hell, yeah, I'm going to Howard." "I meant about my father." "He ain't dead." "May as well have been the last 15 years, though... he damn sure wasn't around being my dad." "You haven't seen him in 15 years?" "I'm supposed to call him." "I don't have to, legally." "But my foster mom wants to adopt me." "She wants me to call him." "All right." " What are you gonna say to him?" " Nothing." "I ain't calling." "How do you know what happened?" "Do you know his story?" " Because you never know." " I don't care about his story." "I care about mine." "And if I ever have kids, I'm gonna be a better father than he was." "I will never leave my family." "We all wanna be better than our fathers." ""I was floating above it all" ""You looked at me, thinking I might fall" ""I watched you all" ""You've showed me so much love and care" ""Told me I could go anywhere do anything, be anyone" ""Tackle shit and get things done" ""Well, I'm up here still" ""And ready to jump, no fear" ""I'll go it all alone I'll make it happen on my own" ""I will rise" ""I will rise, I will rise" ""And you will see" ""Look up" ""Look up here at me"" "Glenmorangie, please." "Double, up." " Dewars okay?" " Dewars is fine." " Dewars will do the trick." " Right." "You going for the serious stuff, honey." "I've had a serious day." " Let your hair down." " I wish I had hair to let down." "So you can laugh." "I try." "Here's to trying." "Honey... you had a little trouble tonight?" "Yeah." "A little encounter with some of our endangered black youth." "If only I'd been wearing my ribbon." "What's that?" "Nothing, it's a bad joke." "Cheers." "Friday night." " This place is gonna close, you know." " Say what?" "This place." "It's gonna get torn down." "Become a high-rise." "This whole neighborhood, actually." "Where did you get this information from, honey?" "I'm the man responsible." "Ain't that something." "It is." "You're the man." "I am the man, yes." "This afternoon, I wasn't the man... but I'm gonna try and see if I can't fix that." "Okay." "A tree grows in Brooklyn." "Rock 'n' roll." "But you need to reconsider your job, honey." "Fuck." "I'm sorry to see a black man out here selling the property out from under us." "What do you mean "us"?" "The owners of this place aren't black." "They may as well be." "This is ours." "They welcome us here." " You wanna make everything the same?" " It's not gonna change that much." "It'll still have the same flavor... just cleaner." "Safer." "Honey, you can't wash out all the color and keep the flavor." "Jesus." "I didn't come in here to take on the world." "Here's to your success." "Maybe yours will be mine." "Thank you." "That would be nice." "Hit me." "You're the man all right." " Nice to know you." " Nice to know you, too." "So where you going from here?" "You mean tonight?" "I haven't thought that far." "You got time." "Think about it." "Okay." "The music is good." "Classic." "My world is changing." "What's happening?" "Nice night in Brooklyn." "Glad to be here with you." "Let's get lovely up in here."