"Previously on Being Mary Jane..." "You extorted me for a book store?" "You have to believe in something." "I want to come home with you." "Well, you ruined it." "We'll see." "I wanna be a better mother to our boys, John." "And I really, I just think this is the way to do it." "Now that I'm playing nice," "SNC is paying for a stylist." "Or cars now." "All of the perks." "What about your voice?" "Are you copping out on me now?" "Mommy!" "I told you, daddy, she wasn't gonna miss my practice." "Patrick, you have got to stay on schedule." "No, I'm getting better." "If you wanna work at KO Cola, you have to perform." "Patrick couldn't focus." "Look at the man now." "One of our top sellers in the company." "I don't know." "It's missing something." "It's not quite there yet." " Give me the oil." " Okay." "Mm." "Let me try it." "Mm!" "Either we bottle it up and sell it or we eat it." "I think we should eat it." "Hold up." "If y'all don't stop running through this house..." "You're still running." "I'm not playing." "You, sit down." "Pop a squat right there." "Thank you." "Hey, D'Asia, baby, why don't you do me a favor and go ask your dad when the burgers are gonna be done?" "So, it's 12 cases of the wrong product." "The customer's upset with me, ready to call my Boss to complain." " Daddy?" " Wait." "One second, baby." "But I convince him that this product is actually better for his customers." "How'd you do that?" "I just broke down his consumers from A to Z." "He's not from here." "He don't know." "So, I gave him more of an insider's perspective." " Daddy?" " By the time I was finished, he put in orders for both products." "That's fantastic." "That's fantastic." "Yeah, yeah, that was a good day." " Daddy?" " Yes, baby, what, what, what?" "We're hungry." "When are we eating?" "Oh, give me some sugar!" " Okay, food's just about ready." " Okay." "Oh..." "Everybody's hungry." "Patrick, you really put your foot in those burgers." "I think he put his knee in there." "Do we have to talk about knees and feet?" "I'm eating here." "Oh, goodness." "Oh, Helen..." "I'm joking." "Patrick, you put your knees, feet in everything else and this food is wonderful." " Thank you, Mama." " Oh!" "What is this?" "My mother is participating in merriment?" "Oh, Dear Diary, the day has finally come." "Now, child, you'd better be quiet or I'll send you to your room." "Niecy, no iPads at the table." "Eat." "Auntie, I'm looking for a car." " What?" " Oh, we're shopping for cars now." "Yeah, how else am I supposed to get to work?" "Okay, honey, I get that you are still feeling the rush of being a working woman, but you really need to start to think about saving." "You've barely been at work but a minute." "Yeah, Pauletta is right." "You really should start thinking about saving." " Okay." " I'll buy the car." "What?" "No." "No." "No." "No, no..." "Nobody's buying anybody anything." "Look, Dad, if you're handing out cars, I'll take one." "You wish." "Dad, you..." "You should not offer to buy her a car." "You're on a fixed income." "It's just one more expense you don't need." "Says the woman who just bought the $100,000 whip." " What?" " Oh..." "Oh..." "Okay, well, first of all," "I look good in it." "Yeah, you do." "You've all seen me." " I look good in it." " You look all right." "Second of all, I can afford it." "Oh..." "Uh, no, no, no, no, oohs and ahs?" "Okay." "Now if you guys handled your finances a little bit better, you too could afford the finer things in life." "Oh, listen to Suze Orman." "And all of a sudden, too." "I'm not Suze Orman, but I did read her book and she's got a lot of great ideas." " And I'm sure we're about to hear them." " Yes, you are." "Since now you and Niecy both have jobs, we can finally start applying some of Suze's principles." "Hmm." "She's rich and White, so you know it works." "Oh, ho, ho." "So, in her book," "Suze talks about this woman who built her family's wealth, right?" "So, using our family as an example, let's say Niecy needed to borrow money, right?" "But she didn't pay it back." "So, the next person who needs to borrow money, like say, Patrick, let's keep it realistic," " has to go to Niecy to ask for the money." " Oh!" "What?" "Borrow money from Niecy?" " Um..." " Yeah, yeah." "You see how that's sort of promoting communal accountability?" " Hmm." "Hmm." " Right, right?" "Whatever." "I just want a car." "That's it." "No, no, no, no, Niecy." "See, that's a short-term goal." "That's just a short-term goal." "See?" "Okay." "As a matter of fact, I say we have a family homework assignment." "Okay, right, where we come up with a mission statement as a family and we brainstorm ideas of financial security and..." "And then we come up with like a family pot that we can use in times of trouble or crisis so it, you know, doesn't fall on me, right?" "Again, it's..." "It's like, um, really just preaching communal accountability, right, as a family." "That's why y'all don't have nice things." "I'm making good money now, so," "I've been looking at some places." "Really?" "What are you thinking, uh, a house?" "Nah, nah, nah, I'm not ready for all that yet." "But, hey, you never know." "With Letta putting us on those budgets... a house could be around the corner." "Yeah." "Yeah." "You're gonna have all of this back." "You're on your way, son." "Man, it feels good." "Hey!" "A show of hands." "How many of you read the newspapers?" "Uh, I think that online sites are just way more convenient." "I mean, it goes straight to your phone." "But what about television?" "Any of you still have time to watch TV?" "Okay." "Okay." "So, who do you trust more, broadcast or cable news outlets?" "Gosh, you know, the majority of TV reporters, they're just a part of the establishment, you know, more concerned with being personalities than journalists, right?" "Okay, that's fair." "So, where do the rest of you fall?" "Do you see them as serious journalists or..." "No?" "No?" "Kinda?" "Sorta?" "Okay, yeah, no offense, but they even got you." "Checking more for you than for the stories that matter." "♪ Some will try to shake you" "♪ And some will try to break you" "♪ Just know that I'll be waitin'" "♪ While you quit chasing' new faces" "♪ Everywhere you go" "♪ Just know that you're a star" "♪ Know that you're a star ♪" "In today's industry, establishing your brand is key." "Oh, by the way, I'm selling t-shirts with my face on it after class." "But, no..." "Everybody, no." "Seriously, though, how many of you guys were paying attention to Don Lemon before he started injecting himself into the news?" "Hold on." "That's not news." "That's sensationalism." "You do realize that we're in a TMZ era, right?" "Oh, come on." "I don't watch that garbage." "Okay, maybe you don't." "But millions and millions of people do." "That's..." "That's the facts." "That's what we're dealing with." "People say they want, you know, in-depth, well-researched reports, but all they really look at are headlines, sound bites." "That's..." "That's..." "That's what..." "That's what we're up against." "That's what the news is up against." "Yeah, so you willingly sold out." "I didn't sell out." "I bought in." "Mmm-hmm." "Okay, how many of you guys were familiar with my story before I got to SNC?" "Wow, that many." "Thanks." "Ego crushing." "Were you familiar with my story before SNC?" "Okay..." "Actually, I was." "You know, the first time I heard about you was when you got fired from CNN." "Oh!" "Ouch!" "Thank you for reminding me of that painful memory." "Uh, okay." "So, you're saying you weren't aware of me until I got fired." "Does it matter?" "Actually, it does, because it proves my point." "Without bad news, I don't exist." "Drama sells." "People's mistakes, and indiscretions and..." "And..." "And rumors, gossip, that's way more important than real issues and the truth." "That's why everyone in this classroom is obsessed with blogs and tabloids," "because that's what we've been conditioned to think is important." "That's the current climate of this industry." "Wait, so how'd you get around that?" "Branding." "You've gotta figure out what appeals to the viewer, right?" "This is precisely why Kim Kardashian has a voice." "That's why North West has a bigger voice than the President." "No, the Kim K. Analogy" " doesn't apply to you." " Why not?" "Because when you gave up talkback for" "Prime Time to brand yourself, you lost your voice." "I mean, seeing your Black face up there validates these bandwagon stories and contributes to a culture of fear-based news and, honestly, it makes the problem even worse." "You sold out." "That's why we don't trust you." "♪ You're broken down" "♪ And you're tired" "♪ Of living life" "♪ On a merry-go-round" "♪ And you can't find the fighter" "♪ But I see it in you" "♪ So we're gonna... ♪" " Dr. Madhubuti?" " Yes?" "Thank you." "Thank you for being you, for the work that you do, for caring about us." "Wow, where do I begin?" "Um, I read your book." "I see what you're saying, that society just turns on our sons." "I mean, one minute, he's this cute little boy and everybody..." "I mean White, stopped me just to tell me how cute and adorable my son is." "But, now..." "Now it's like, you know, they're not quite grabbing their purses yet, but they just don't smile at him anymore." "They look at him like he's going to do something." "You know, you can literally see them turning on him, making him a criminal, like they're so scared of him, but I'm the one who's scared." "You see, my son is only ten and, to them, he's already becoming public enemy number one." "Help!" "What do I do?" "Like if there's one thing I can master that can help him, what is it?" "How do I protect my son?" "Part of the answer is how do we protect him?" "We have to understand that we live in a highly White supremacist society." "White people do not have to think about being White." "Being White is accepted, privileged." "But being Black is not the opposite of White." "Being Black, we have our own definition." "And we did not come here first class on American Airlines." "There's a whole history there." "So, what your son needs, and what you need, and what we all need, is an understanding of that relationship." "And then within the context of that, build a culture, a positive culture that will allow us to continue to grow and to develop." "So, it requires in many cases, changes from all of us, men and women." "But the key point is, that now, we're on a mission to make sure that he's loved and secure and he's on a learning path toward tomorrow." "You know, Dr. Madhubuti, I've been chewing on a thought." "I think that we, as a Black community, need to start using the word "boy" for our boys." "Because of our history as slaves in this country," "I know that a lot of people do not like to address their boys as "boys."" "They, instead, want to say little man, but they're not little men." "I mean, they're children..." "See?" "Even I can't say it." "They're boys and girls and we should at least see them as such." "It's like we need a marketing campaign to give them back their childhood." "That's true and the marketing campaign starts with us." "It starts with you." "It starts with your extended family, your biological family also." "The boy, himself, must understand that he's not only a boy, but whatever his name is, it must be his name, too." "And we all have to address him by his name." "But because he's so young, he does not understand the larger picture." "And, so, the larger picture starts in the home." "What do you have in your home?" "What kind of images do you have on your wall?" "What kind of books are you reading?" "What kind of music are you listening to?" "What's on the walls in his room, you see?" "So we have to kind of bring the culture to him and make sure there are very few contradictions in that culture, which requires us to study, study, study." "So, you've never even heard of his work?" "No, of course, I was familiar with his work." "I just hadn't read all of his books yet." "That's because of all that White schooling you've been getting." "Oh, here we go." "You know, when the White man wants to control you, he's not gonna give you the tools to control yourself." "If you want any of his books, you should get that one," "Obsolete, Single, and Dangerous." "It might help you raise your nephew." "You know I'm only here to give you your last payment, right?" "You don't seem too happy about it." " Do you think I'm a sell out?" " Oh!" "One thing at a time." "I was sitting in a class, a journalism class at Clark, right, and come to find out most of the students think I'm more concerned with being famous than reporting the news." "Yeah." "They're right." "You prefer things and not value, especially not doing anything for anybody besides yourself." "No, but I do the news, and I try to cover stories that actually make a difference, especially to our community, and you see what happens." " Well, I thought it worked." " No, they don't." "Black episodes, those are my lowest rated." "Not to mention the constant battles and the fights." "At some point, you just get tired." "So, when they offered me a promotion, it felt good." "Well, if it's so good, then why are you so defensive?" "Mary Jane, what do you want?" "Financial freedom." "You got that, so stop whining." "No, I don't, actually." "So, what are you doing with your money?" "Bills and family, extortion." "Look, don't start pointing fingers because I'm trying to help you out." "This is my life?" "I mean, seriously, is this gonna be my life?" "One obstacle after another?" "Just..." "My life." "Mary Jane, I think you're just missing the freedom you had when you were doing talkback and just don't know how to get back there." "In a weird way, I think maybe you're right." "Well, what's weird about that?" "Because it's less money and it's less billboards." "I'm sure you want your money." "There you go." "Oh, the last payment." "It feels thinner than the last time." " It's all there." " Okay." "Well, well, now..." "Should we hug it out?" " It's over." " No." "Okay." "No." "I'll take these, you know, for the low, low price of $25,000." "But congratulations on your bookstore." "Good luck." "It's much needed." "All right." "You know something?" "I think you're gonna miss me." "I'm looking forward to finding out." "Yeah." "With your bad self." "And while the local shelter has not yet said whether the animal will be put up for adoption, there is already a Facebook account set up for interested families." "The dog worked its way into many American hearts after we first reported the story of this unlikely hero." "Something tells me that with credits like that, he won't have any trouble finding a loving home now." "Thank you for watching." "I hope to see you tomorrow." "For SNC, I'm Mary Jane Paul." "Goodnight." "This is a ten-minute guided meditation to take you into a transcendent state." "Breathe in... and out." "I invite you, at this moment, to take slow breaths in, deep breaths out." "Breathe in all that is positive and light." "Breathe out all that is not." "Well, hello, there." "Hi." "Come on in." "Make yourself at home." " This is for you." " Oh." "Thank you." "You can make a right." "So, hang on, you ran a police report on me." "Well, yeah." "I can't just have any and everybody in my house." "Or is this a casualty of dating a journalist?" "I was actually an investigative journalist, so I guess, old habits die hard." "What happened?" "Monica Lewinsky happened and Bill Clinton's cigar sort of just shifted the focus of what made front page news." "Are you hungry?" "Sure." "Nice place you have." "Thanks." "Those are rapid home tests." "Um..." "One requires urine and a few are just, you know, swabs, and a couple are just pricks." " That's extreme, no?" " I think what we're doing is extreme, don't you think?" "Do you do this with..." "Every guy?" "Absolutely." "Especially now that the home tests are available." "In college, this was fun." "We would go to the Planned Parenthood." "Very romantic." "You know, I..." "I use condoms." "What's the point of putting a clean condom on a dirty..." "I know." "Okay." "I get it." "I get it." "Okay." "Uh..." "Why not?" "I mean, I'm taking the tests, too, so, you know, as we both wait to pass with flying colors, we can nibble on those." "They're the appetizer before the main feast." "The citrus is for you." "♪ This ain't love until we say it's done" "♪ It's your life, go ahead" "♪ Do what you choose" "♪ Put me in your" "♪ Your favorite mood" "♪ Oh baby" "♪ Don't kill the vibe" "♪ Turn it down, we gotta let it ride" "♪ I found you" "♪ Crowned you, I turned you on" "♪ So you know, I got what you want" "♪ 'Cause anyone can take it with you when you go" "♪ It's only right to make it beautiful" "♪ Let's be undeniable" "♪ If you wanna live it better, live it" "♪ Make tonight unforgettable" "♪ And we won't stop rockin' till they call the Cops" "♪ Don't kill the fun" "♪ I can't" "♪ Don't kill the fun" "♪ I won't" "♪ Let's be undeniable" "♪ And we won't stop rockin' till they call the Cops" "♪ Oh baby" "♪ Don't kill the fun" "♪ We can only chase it if we run" "♪ Body to body" "♪ It's all for free" "♪ Now come get this I-o-v-e" "♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh" "♪ 'Cause anyone can take it with you when you go" "♪ It's only right to make it beautiful" "♪ Yeah" "♪ Let's be undeniable" "♪ If you wanna live it better, live it" "♪ Make tonight unforgettable" "♪ Oh yeah oh yeah" "♪ And we won't stop rockin' till they call the Cops" "♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh" "♪ Don't kill the fun" "♪ I can't" "♪ Don't kill the fun" "♪ I won't" "♪ Let's be undeniable" "♪ And we won't stop rockin' till they call the Cops" "♪ Lay down" "♪ No over thinking" "♪ Get it though" "♪ This picture we paintin'" "♪ Till 3:00 in the mornin'" "♪ 3:00 in the mornin'" "♪ All night we on ♪" "Stop!" "Wait a minute." "No." "You..." "You are lying." "I only have a few minutes before my training and I've gotta hear this." "You are telling me that you have never ever, ever, ever, been with a White boy?" " Never." "Ever." " Seriously?" " Oh, my God." " Uh-uh." "Wow." "Okay, all right, all right." "Well..." "Well, what did you think?" "It was pink." " Really?" " Mmm-hm." "Unusually pink." "I guess I haven't been with that many of them, but okay." "Well, have you ever seen like a picture of one or a movie or something?" "Yes, like, you know, pictures." "Like National Geographic." "But, no, not like live-action White penis movement, no." "I don't even watch White porn." "Mmm-hmm, so Black porn is bigger and better, huh?" "Lexington Steele, that's all I'm gonna say." "Google him." " You are so racist." " I'm not racist." "I just discriminate based on my personal preference, not hatred, thank you." "Mmm-hmm." "Well, did the boy have a little something goin' on down there or what?" "Like did he have like a package?" "He..." "He was cool, you know what I mean?" "He wasn't the biggest, but he..." "He definitely exceeded my stereotypical expectations." " Oh." "Nice." " Mmm-hmm." " Yeah." " Okay." "Okay." " One stereotype that was true..." " Mmm-hmm?" "They do love to chomp the box" " and you should have told me." " Yes, they do." "That's a good thing." "I know!" " I thought I was done with you." " You are." "But you were on my mind, so," "I needed to come and get some things off my chest." " I tried calling." " I changed my number." "I know that, which is why I'm here." "Look, I gave you some bad advice and I simply came to offer you a different, more reflective thought." "Okay, what's that, Cece?" "Don't tear down to build." "Look, I don't do riddles." "Come on, help me out." "Don't go back to talkback for less money for your people." "We don't need to tear down to build." "Keep Prime Time, do their news, but ask them for talkback and do that show in a way you want." "Ask for both." "We need you on Prime Time because that's progress, and our babies need to see winners in all walks of life, even if they are screwing' White boys." "How long have you been sitting outside my house?" "I just was trying to catch you before you went to work." "I'd hate to see you do something stupid on account of me." "Hey, that's all I wanted, a clear conscience." "Oh, I got some kids' authors coming by the store for story time, if you want to bring your little nephew and nieces." "Don't come back, Cece." "I'm serious." "I'll call the Cops." "You played a significant role in President Clinton's election, along with 83 percent of Black voters who voted for him." "Some people even touted him as the first Black President." " Yes." " Now, can we put this debate to bed once and for all?" "Donna Brazile, who was the first Black President?" "The novelist Toni Morrison, suggested that" "Bill Clinton was the first Black President because of the way he was being treated, being persecuted by his opponents." "But eight years later, the distinction went to Barack Obama." "He is America's first Black President." "I want the show back." "Okay, you know, you remind me of my wife and why I both want to divorce her and stay intrigued by her." "And I think it should be an entire hour of the interview format." "Kara revamped Mark's show." "It'll just look like SNC is revamping the whole three hour block." "You know, I only bring this up because, whether or not you agree, the fact is there are a lot of Black voters out there who believe Hillary and Bill threw Black people under the bus during her 2008 Primary battle against Obama," "and a significant moment in that campaign, and might I add, one that a lot of African-Americans have never forgiven her for, was when she referred to" "Obama's declining support among" ""hard working Americans, White Americans"" "and all of the insinuations that that statement implies." "So now here we are, eight years later, and she needs and wants our vote again." "So, what does she need to do to get it back?" "Well, first of all, Hillary Clinton cannot inherit this vote." "She has to earn the support of" "African-American voters and others." "The votes that Barak Obama achieved in 2008 and 2012, they're not transferrable." "Hillary Clinton will have to go out there and earn the support of every voter." "And let me just say this," "Hillary Clinton understands that it takes more than a village to win a campaign." "It takes a coalition and the coalition that" "Barak Obama assembled, that's the coalition she's gonna have to fight for." "Why?" "Because I'll do a better job." "Oh." "And given the current climate of America, we could use that time to explore the news through that prism." "I mean, not to mention the African-American audience's ratings gold, honey." "It's a demographic we could easily exploit, especially when we tackle the hot button, emotional stuff." "I got a bunch of empty boxes from work today." "So the packing party can begin." "Can we start tonight?" "No, I'll get us started." "You have school in the morning." "You're gonna start tonight?" "Yeah, may as well." "You're a ball of energy lately." "I have things to do." "I'm gonna have my own room." "That's nice." "Daddy said we can paint my room purple." "No, I said we'll see." "A purple room would be pretty cool." "Um..." "Um..." " Please?" "Please?" " Nah..." "Um..." " One wall, that's it." " Yay!" "What are you still doing here this late?" "Working on a little something-something." "Okay, what are you up to now?" "I asked Greg for talkback back." " What?" " Yeah, I mean, I wanted to make sure it was you know, a hundred percent and I'd worked out all the kinks before, you know, presented it to you." "But..." "Greg, he sent me an email saying he loved the idea and he was gonna run it by all the mucky-mucks." "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute." "You're not talking about quitting Prime Time, right?" "No, no, hell, no." " Okay." " You don't tear down to build." "What?" "I just miss doing all my talkback stuff and with everything that's going on in our country," "I mean, imagine if we had an hour-long show, you know, in the vein of how I produced the Ugly Black Woman panel, but for Ferguson, or for Tamir Rice or for Eric Garner or for Walter Scott..." " Okay, I get it." "I got you." " For Buddy Ray..." " I got it." " We can change the game, baby." "Mary Jane, okay, wait a minute." "No, no, and I..." "I know where you're headed." "I want to include Latino issues, as well, and..." "And women's issues, especially since we're bound to have our first female President." "Okay, mama, stop, stop, stop." "Okay." "First of all," "I think it's great you want to do this." "I really do, okay?" "But..." "You keep saying "we," Mary Jane, and I..." "I can't do this show with you, honey, I can't." "I..." "I've got Prime Time." "I have to revamp Mark's show." "I cannot possibly take on another show and still be a mom to my kids." "You just drop Mark's show and come to us." "Mary Jane, they reduced the budget on talkback." "Even if I could, the producer fee is not enough to make me go back." "Besides," "I love where we are right now, I do, I love it." "I love our friendship." "It's great." "I'm so freaking tired of fighting on talkback." "You know what?" "You should produce this show." " I can't do this show without you." " Yes, you can." "No, I can't." "I don't like..." "I don't like anyone, okay?" "I only trust you, Kara." " That's it." " I know." "I know." "I know, baby, but listen to me." "It's time that you start to trust yourself, okay?" "Now you take the budget from talkback and you go and you find some new fresh idea people, you know?" "People with no life, no kids." "Somebody who can be with you 24/7." "I hear you." "Hear me out." "Don't you think that producing this kind of show will get you closer to your dreams?" "I mean, don't forget about you here." "You've got hopes." "You've got dreams." "I know, but listen, I..." "My dreams are on hold for right now because, you know, I just..." "My thing is I want to come to work, I want to make my money, and I wanna..." "I wanna do a good job here and get back in time so that I can help raise my sons." "Okay." "What about Marisol?" "What about Marisol?" "She doesn't have any kids." "I'm sure she doesn't have a life." "I could let her co-host every so often." "This'll be a great way to break her in." "She's already broken in." "Trust me." "Do I detect a little shade?" "No, no, I'm just saying that she is not a host or a co-host, okay?" "She is not Mary Jane Paul." "There's only one Mary Jane Paul, baby, and that's it." "Which is why I know I will succeed in getting you to come back." "Yeah." "Bye, Felicia!" "Hasta luego." "Buenas noches." " Come on back." " I love you and I'm outta here." " Come on back." " Adios." "You know you're comin' back." "Bye!" "So..." "I'm getting out of the half-way house." "Well, that's great." "I wanted to tell you first." "Yeah." "You said as soon as I was clean, we'd get back together again." "I had fun putting her to bed." "She was so happy with that family dinner." "Tracy..." "We'll co-parent, but..." "We're not getting back together." "You just want to co-parent?" "I got it." "You got yourself together." "Now you don't wanna help me." "It's not about that." "I'll help you get a job, give you money." "I want you to do well." "I just..." "Just not with you?" "After all I've done for you?" "I stuck by you when you didn't have a job." "I believed in you when everyone, including your uppity-ass family doubted you and I loved you even when you didn't love yourself." "This is..." "This is how you treat me?" "You know what?" "You need to stop." "I never promised you anything." "You told me you loved me." "Because I do." "You had my child." "Don't play me." "You keep lying to yourself." "We had sex and had a baby." "You mistook a nice guy who cares for you for happily-ever-after." "This ain't new." "I've told you this before, but you don't wanna hear me." "You want me to be that guy that left you, when I'm just hoping that we can just try and raise our daughter." "Can we do that?" "Can we just try and do right by her?" "Please, I'm just..." "I'm not gon' leave you hanging." "I'm..." "Tracy, I'll help you get back on your..." "Oh, are you beating me to work now?" "Well, somebody said I could produce my own show." "Well, okay, okay, girlfriend." "Excuse me." " Oh." " What?" "Oh, my goodness, Well, somebody is sprung." "Okay." "There's a woman here to see you." "She says she's your sister-in-law." "Okay." "Okay." "Bye." "Why are you here?" "It's important." "I need to talk to you about Patrick." "What about him?" "Your brother is on drugs again." "If you wasted your bus fare to come all the way up here" " to tell me that, you're stupid." " So, you don't believe me." "No, I don't believe you, Tracy." "You know, I actually see my brother and I..." " I see that he's doing great." " You don't think I can see the signs?" "We're both addicts." "I know all of his tricks." "I even taught him some." "I wouldn't brag about that." "I am not proud of my past, but I'm telling you he's using again." "His eyes are all glossy." "All of a sudden, he has extra energy to burn, and his mood is happy-go-lucky." "When is Patrick ever that?" "Have you talked to Patrick about this?" "He won't open up to me, not anymore." "I..." "I..." "I didn't want to come to you, but the truth is you're probably the only person he'll talk to." "It's a little peculiar, don't you think?" "I mean, why wouldn't he tell you?" "I mean, you..." "You guys have been through so much together." "I mean, you've seen him at his lowest." "Hell, you taught him all those valuable tricks." "This isn't about me." "This is about Patrick." "Don't you want to help him?" "Of course, I want to help him." "Do you have proof that he's using again?" "Have you..." "Have you actually seen him doing drugs?" "I don't need proof." "I know the signs." "And I know my brother!" "And the next time you bring your ass up to my job making wild accusation, I will have your ass arrested." "Get out." " You are such a bitch." " Thanks." "I can't believe she came to your job." "I'll talk to her." "No, you don't have to." "I was just trying to make sure you were okay." "She was saying some pretty crazy stuff." " Like what?" " You're on drugs." "She's just pissed that I don't wanna be with her." "That's a hell of a way to get back at you." "Yeah, that's just Tracy." "Well, I kicked her ass out of my office." " What?" " Yeah." "Oh, you cold, Letta." "No, I was just trying to have your back and she just kept insisting that she was right." "You're not on drugs, are you, Patrick?" "No, I'm not on drugs." "Okay." "I mean, you know, I'm taking a little something to help me focus, but..." "A little something, like a prescription drug?" "Yeah, it's prescription, but it's not my prescription." "Oh, Jesus, Patrick." "Now don't get all worked up." "I mean, it's far from coke." "I swear, I'll never do that again." "You also swore you'd never do any drug." "But you broke that promise." "You set me up." "No, Patrick, we just wanted to..." " I don't believe this." " No, we don't believe it." "When will you stop?" "You've come so far." "Why would you do this?" "It's not a street drug, Ma." "It's not..." "It's a drug, Patrick." "Like I said before, it helps me focus." "I'm excelling at work." "I don't give a damn about your job." "Oh, I'm so tired of this." "You're tired?" "No, no, no, we're the ones that are tired." "Tired of going around in circles with you, and you keep doing the same damn stuff!" "And your sick mother here is worried about you." "Are you going to stop?" "Sure." "How can we believe anything you say?" "The lies spill out of your mouth is just as easy as the truth." "So I'm a liar now?" "Until you get yourself together," " we're keeping D'Asia." " What?" "We're not gonna let you and Tracy ruin that little girl." "You're not takin' D'Asia!" "Ma, I'm not on coke!" "Okay, everybody just calm down." "Ain't nobody taking' my daughter." "Where is she?" " She's safe." " And she's gonna stay safe and you better get your ass back into rehab." " I'm not on drugs!" " Yes, you are!" "We've given you the last 15 years!" "And we've drained our bank account for you." "Patrick, your father put his neck out to get that job for you but we just can't do anything more to help you." "Mama..." "I love you." "But you're not taking my daughter." "I'll scorch the Earth before..." "Well, you're gonna have to scorch it with me." "I'm sick and tired of you grown-ass adults sucking up all the air when you should be keeping your eyes on these babies!" "Dad..." "No." "I've had it." " Get your ass out of here and get your life together." " Oh!" "I guess you'll always see me as a junkie, huh?" "No, that's on you." "No, that's on you!" "You love kickin' me, don't you?" "Patrick, wait a second!" "No, let him go!" "Let him go!" "Paul?"