" Ma'Dere?" " Morning, Joe." "You know, Christmas is almost here." "Here's your clothes, all packed." "Just put them in the garage." "How long do you think we're gonna keep this up?" "As long as the good Lord allows." " Want me to get your bathroom stuff?" " I'll get it." "All right, guys." "Let's go." "Your dad's gonna be here in a minute." " You said you were outside." " I just had a few more things to do." " That's not what you said." " I need to turn off..." "But it's okay." "Let's hit the freeway before traffic gets bad." " Let's go." "All right." " Yes, Malcolm." "All right, guys." "Let's rock and roll." "Tonight?" "Thank you." " T, let me get my drink, please, baby." " You got it, Q." "Christmas in Chicago is always slow, ain't it?" "Oh, yeah, man, you know, everybody out shopping." "Here you go." "Come on, let's go!" "Damn!" "Fool." "Baby, what is that?" "This a early Christmas present from Joe." "It's called a Nikon." "It's the Rolls-Royce of cameras." "Joe!" "Tell me you didn't get this boy that camera." " Don't start." " We talked about that." " It's Christmas, baby." " It's too expensive." "Let it go." "Let it go." "Matter of fact, snap this." "Here." " Merry Christmas." "Now..." " Guess he told you." "Boy, take this grocery list and go to the store." "Before that lip gets you into trouble." " This everything?" "You sure?" " Yeah." "I wrote it down." "Sometimes you forget stuff." "I gotta come back." "You forget stuff and have to go back." "Hurry up." "I have to change clothes." "Get ready to cook." "Ma'Dere want me to go to the store." "You want something?" "No, I'm good." "I wanted to thank you too for the camera." " You know, I love it." " When I was your age I wanted a watch about as bad as you wanted that camera." "Nobody could afford it." "You take some nice pictures with that thing." " Come here, boy." " Oh, man." "You gonna do all this lovey-dove stuff." " I'm almost grown." " Go on, get out of here." "She gonna start cooking any minute." "Don't hurt nobody on that bike." "Merry Christmas, Lisa." "Oh, baby, please." "You're gonna drive me crazy with that camera." "Come on, where your Christmas spirit at?" "Come on." " Ma, you told them 6:00, right?" " They know." " They should be here." " Stop." "They been eating dinner at 6 ever since they could eat." "They know." " Look." " Baby, get out with that." "You're making me nervous." "Go." "Come and taste some of this." " I want your stamp of approval." " Okay." "Should have told them 4, then they'd be here on time." "It's frustrating being the only person in this family that understands a clock." "You know your brothers and sisters are always late." "That don't make it right." "Why don't you come late, so that way you on time?" " You know what?" "See, you..." " Mama, get her." "This is like hitting the lottery." " Especially if we finance it ourselves." " Oh, yeah." "Absolutely." "I'd be a millionaire before I'm 40." "I should be able to get a couple hundred thousand while I'm in New York." "But you're gonna have to match that, at least." "I'm pretty sure I can get a chunk of it here." " Well, that would be a happy holiday." " Yes, it would." " Now, that's a car right there." " Come on, Joe." "I'll call you when I get a chance." " Nice." " Hey." "Nice." "Got that new-car smell and everything." "Damn, you got your name on the car?" "Can't nobody steal it." "Hey, Joe, you need to get some of these for your funeral home." "Hey, how much this set you back?" "My old man's got a dealership in San Francisco so I got a deal, but they run for about 60." "It's a smart investment." "Kelli's got herself a new car too." "Merry Christmas." " Guess she's smart like you, Malcolm." " Hey, girl." " Joe, how you doing?" " Good." " Good to see you." " You too." "You look like your mama more and more every day." "Get over here and hug me, girl." " And if you wasn't my cousin..." " Oh, yeah." "You're all talk." "Maybe, but when you gonna put me in a commercial?" " Malcolm." " Kelli." "Let's get inside." "Mama can't wait to see you." " Get the rest of those bags." " Okay." " What you got in these bags, girl?" " Lots of goodies." " Yeah?" "You bring anything for me?" " Of course." "If I get any free time, I'm gonna call you later." "Lisa, you regifted me last year." "I don't like that." "You know you wanted that frame, and that's..." " All right?" " You think I didn't notice." "I noticed it." "All right, baby." "Bye." "You could've bought me something." "Did you see the frame, Rosie?" " Merry Christmas, everybody." " Hey, merry Christmas." "Damn, Baby, look at you, getting taller by the minute." "You guys better stop calling him Baby, because he's almost a grown man." "He's my youngest, no matter how tall or old he gets." "He'll always be my baby." "Ain't that right." "She's just a hater." "You just treat him special because he's your favourite." "My favourite is whoever I'm talking to at that second." "The one that needs Mother's love the most." "You should've called us." "Malcolm would have picked you up." " Maybe you'd have been on time." " I got a car." "See our new Escalade outside?" " You know, I rented a BMW convertible." " Sexy." " Hey, can I try that?" " Like that's gonna happen." "Can't blame a brother for trying." "So I guess that means things are going well on the job?" "I can't complain." "I just completed a perfume spot." "You need to let me come to New York so I can get my photography on." "What you need to do is get a college degree, just like your big sister." "So, Ma'Dere, is there anything else we need to do around here?" " Y'all want me to make something?" " No." "What?" "I can cook." "Girl, you can't make reservations." "She orders up a mean Chinese." "Ten-hut." "Merry Christmas, Claude!" " Oh, my child." " Hi, Mama." " You look so good in your uniform." " You look like a formal peanut." "Claude's got all them girls going berserk." "They take one look at a fine specimen like myself and can we say "Denzel"?" "Yeah, when are you gonna settle down?" "Well, I know, whoever she is, just make sure she's taking care of you and she can cook like your big sis." " Some of us were busy going to college while others chose to stay home and learn how to cook." "And those who stayed home helped with the cleaners while the rest of us, who shall remain nameless jetted off to college the first chance they got." "Are you two listening to yourself?" "A stranger wouldn't know you were sisters." " She started it." " I don't care." "I'm finishing it." "Kelli, fix some Kool-Aid for the kids." "Are you sure you don't want me to make something?" " No." " Damn." "Don't hurt yourself." "Kool-Aid, simple." "Play to your strengths." "Stop it." "Claude, let the men know we'll be eating as soon as Mel gets here." "I'm gonna get out of this uniform." " Okay, so I just need..." " Water, sugar." "Help her out, please." "Where'd you get those pants?" "I look good, huh?" "Gentlemen." "Ma'Dere said the food is ready." "We'll eat when Mel gets here." " So, what's up with you, Malcolm?" " Nothing much, man." "Good things." "Good things." "Except for the storm on its way." "Who said it don't rain in California?" "Rains, fires, mudslides." "I think God don't like California." " Hey, everybody." "Merry Christmas." " Hey!" "Oh, my God." "Look at my..." "Hey!" " Hey, Fred." "How you doing?" " Hey." "Now we can eat." "Welcome home, Mel." "Ma'Dere didn't tell me you got leave." "Hi." "I couldn't miss Mama's cooking." "I missed you." "Where's everybody?" "Where's Lisa?" " In the kitchen." " Let me go say hi to her." "You go do that." "Get in there." "You got a name, homes?" "Devean." "Brooks." "Well, you know, she did always like them articulate." "I'm about to go change." "I'll show you your room." " Come on, get your bags." " It's okay." "Y'all are punks, man." " Devean Brooks." " Brooks." "Can we join hands?" "Bless, O Lord, almighty God the Whitfield family and home." "May health, purity goodness, meekness, and every virtue, Father reign on this Christmas holiday." "May all who visit here be blessed with faithfulness to thy law and thankfulness to God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit." "May this blessing remain on this family, Father this home and all who dwell here, Father through Christ, our Lord." " Amen." " Okay." "Dig in, everybody." " Yes, sir." "Pass that corn bread down here." "Macaroni and cheese." " What...?" "Don't put that on your plate." " I got peas." "No, that's turkey." "Everybody's good?" "Okay, okay, everybody." "Let's do the family business first." "Here are the shares of the profit from the cleaners." "Okay?" "Each one of you has your own." "There you are." " Merry Christmas." " Thank you, Mama." "You know you didn't have to do that." "We didn't expect anything." " I do." "Thank you, Mama." " Oh, you're welcome, baby." " Can you warm this up?" " Sure." " It came out of the oven." " He likes his food hot." "I'll put it in the microwave." "That thing's going off like a drug dealer." "Well, if you must know, it's my ladies." "It's Christmastime, and they wanna spend time with a brother." "I know Baby better not be bringing any babies in here." "It's time for me to have that special conversation." "Too late." "Me and Joe already had it." "Yeah, I learned more than I needed to." "Trust me." "I'm gonna take this in the other room." "Excuse me." "Thank you, baby." "You mind?" " Thank you." " Oh, you're welcome." "When you're finished pass the plate over here and I'll chew it for him too." " Shut up, Kelli." " So, Joe what do you got planned for the holiday?" "Well, after breakfast, Baby's gonna take the family photo." "We're gonna go buy the tree." "Then Christmas morning we're going to church." "I didn't know your father was a minister." "No, he's not." "He's a deacon." "And he's not my father." "My bad." "Yeah, our father moved on." "I'm sorry to hear that." "No, he didn't die." "He just moved on." "So, Devean you and Mel go to the same school, huh?" "She goes to Spelman." "It's an all-girls school." "I knew that." " No, you didn't." " Yes, I did." "I knew that." " I go to Morehouse." " So how do you like attending an all-black college?" " Don't start with that nonsense." " I went to Princeton..." "I went to Harvard." "What's your point?" "Can you let the man speak for himself?" "Go on." "I just wanna know what your experience is like attending an all-black college." " Ignore him." "I wanna answer." "Morehouse has certain foundational principles by which its existence stands." "It includes an appreciation for the ideas of justice, equality, democracy humane treatment of all people development of spiritual self and community." "Sounds like you got it from the mission statement." "I did." "But that's also why I go there." "Not because it's all-black but because it embodies beliefs and traditions I value." "The fact that all the students look just like me is a bonus." " I like that, young man." " Well said." "Well, Mel, your boyfriend has a good head on his shoulders." "I hope some of his smarts rubs off on my little professional student." "Stop, now." "Mel's smart." "She's just, you know, slow." " Getting her four-year degree in what?" " Seven years." "I've changed my major a few times." "Nothing wrong with that." "First a doctor, then a journalist." "Now what?" " Pre-law." " Pre-law." "Mel's major is always determined by whomever she's dating at the time." "Devean, what's your major?" " Pre-law." " Damn." "Come on." "That is wrong on so many different levels." "That was so good, Ma'Dere." "We have some sock-it-to-me cake." "You want some?" "As tempting as that sounds, Ma'Dere, I do have to make a couple more stops." "Let me see you out." "Hold up." " Bye, family." " Bye." "Bye, Fred." " That boy, he need to slow down." " He does." "I know." "How many kids he have now?" " Six?" " Seven." " Seven?" " Seven." "I'm gonna hurt him real bad when we find him." "Not till we get that 25 G's he owes Luther." "Or Luther will hurt you." "Don't let your temper get you dead, man." "What happens if he can't cover the bet?" "It's on Luther, man." "I wouldn't wanna be Quentin Whitfield, though." " We about to run a Boston on you." " Believe that if you want to." "I think now is a good time for us to discuss the dry-cleaner situation." "We have a dry-cleaner situation?" "Ma'Dere's been running the cleaners for 20 years." "What little money she makes goes to maintaining this house." "Whatever's left over after that, she gives us in these yearly cheques that amount to, what, lunch money?" "You spending way too much money on lunch." "Look, we each own a percentage of the cleaners." "I think it's a good idea if we sold it." "You trying to sell the cleaners?" " She wanna sell her portion, let her." " Hey, I'll buy it." "You can't sell a percentage." "We have to sell all of it." "I guess you're shit out of luck because we don't have to do anything." "Well, we haven't been doing anything." "And I'm the one that's keeping the books." "How is Ma'Dere gonna maintain this place if we sell?" "Mel, she doesn't need a place this big." "You trying to sell the house too?" "Well, especially since Baby is gonna be graduating soon." "I mean, he's gonna wanna move out eventually." "Says who?" "I ain't going nowhere." "Please." "All these little girls chasing after you you are gonna wanna get your own place." "All I know is everybody here but me came home for the holidays." "You sell this house and you ain't gonna have a home to come back to." "It's that simple." "I mean, do what y'all want." "I got a date." "I'm gonna holler at y'all." "Well, despite what Baby says, he is gonna wanna move out eventually." "This place is just too big for Joe and Ma'Dere." "I mean, they can get a smaller place." "Maybe a condo." "What makes you think Ma'Dere wants to live with Joe?" "Hello." "He's been living with her since you left for school." " Joe's been living here?" " Where have you been?" "Think you the only one getting her freak on?" "Okay, stop." "My God." "That is too much information." "I can't hear about Ma'Dere getting her freak on." "I don't wanna intrude in family business..." "Then don't." "This was probably your idea, anyway." "You know, Kelli I'm not gonna dignify that with a response." "You don't have to." "You put her up to this." " Oh, come on." " So you think I'm not smart enough to come up with this?" "No, you're weak-willed and easily influenced." " So you're saying my wife is stupid." " I think she said "weak-willed."" "I said, you sometimes allow other people to think for you." " So now I can't think for myself?" " You know what?" "Why don't you concentrate on the paprika?" "Kelli, I know exactly where I wanna put the paprika." "Kelli." "Everybody just bring it down a notch." "It's not that deep." "The thing to do is just to put in a family vote." "Well, we can't have a family vote without the whole family." "Quentin isn't here, so there." "Dessert, anyone?" "Go ahead, now." "Go, bougie." "Go, bougie." "Go, bougie." "That's my baby right there!" "Come on, Devean." "Let's see what you got." "Come on, Mama." "He's here." "Quentin!" "Oh, my goodness." " Hey, Mama." " Oh, baby." "You're home." " Oh, look at you." " Whitfield!" "So I've been doing a lot of travelling, you know, touring." "I went to Japan." "I recorded an album out there." "It's been four years." "You haven't changed a bit." "You still look great." " Don't blow his head up." " Thank you, baby." " You look good too." " Thank you." "You didn't bring no luggage, man?" "No, no." "I just, you know..." "I got another tour, so I sent my stuff ahead." "So you're not gonna be staying past Christmas?" "Ma, I might make it back before New Year's." "I'm just not sure yet." "Well, I guess I'll go up and finish your room." "I wasn't expecting you to be home." "Lisa, take care of him, now, till I get back." "Oh, my gosh." "You have got to see Baby." " He's almost as tall as you." " Get out of here." " He really is." " He's not short like you?" "Oh, be quiet." "You won't believe the stuff Joe has planned." " Joe?" " Yes." "We have a big breakfast in the morning." "And then the mens are gonna go get the Christmas tree." "On Christmas morning, we'll be going to church." "Church?" "You know I don't do church." "Come on, man." "So, what's that mean, man?" "You don't do church." "Church ain't something you do." "It's a place you go to commune in God's house." "I don't believe in God." " Not in the traditional sense." " Not in the traditional sense?" "I mean, I'm a spiritual person, you know." "I believe in a higher source." "But..." " But you don't believe in God." " I don't believe in your God, Joe." "Okay." "I'm gonna go let Ma'Dere know I'm leaving." " I'll see y'all." " Okay." "All right." "You do that." " Good night, Joe." " Good night." "Drive safe." " Why you gotta be like that?" " Whatever." "Whatever." " "You do that, Joe."" " He ain't my daddy." "How he come in?" "We having a meeting." " Come on, now." "You know it's Joe." " I don't care." "Quentin is the problem." "If Quentin says no, Ma'Dere's not going for it." "The guy doesn't even live here." "Ever since Senior left, he's got this weird hold on Ma'Dere." "Okay, well, Lisa, you're his sister, right?" "Talk some sense into the man." "I'm telling you, Malcolm." "We've been through this over and over again." "I..." "I don't know what it is, but it's like..." "I don't know." "Same damn reason Joe and Ma'Dere put on these charades like Joe doesn't live here." "Oh, come on." "You telling me that Quentin doesn't know?" "No." "Quentin doesn't know." "Trust me." "He can't stand Joe." "He's been that way ever since he was a kid." "Like he thinks one day Senior's gonna come back." "Hey." "Hey, Lisa." "Lisa?" "What?" "Never mind." "You said your dad moved on." "What does that mean?" "A little after Baby was born Senior decided to go off and, as Ma'Dere puts it chase his dream of playing jazz." "He upped and left and moved to Europe." "She wouldn't let Quentin Jr." "take up the saxophone." "She was afraid he'd leave too, but she couldn't stop him." " And did he?" " What?" "Up and leave her?" "First time he's been home in four years." "A lot of phone calls and postcards, but he's a wanderer too." "Senior's piano is in the garage." "She thinks that music is the root of the evil that's taken her men away." "Hell, the rest of us are afraid to even hum." "Look at that smile, girl." "I love to see you happy." "Well, it's because you are such a good man, Joe Black." "You're a real good woman, Shirley Ann Whitfield." "And beautiful too." "Okay." " Tomorrow morning?" " First thing." "I'm gonna pick up a few things." "I'm gonna take off, but I'll be back." "Okay." "Merry Christmas, baby." "Malcolm." "Malcolm." "Malcolm." "Hey, baby." "I thought you had gone." "I was checking something for your mother." "Oh, yeah?" "What's that, Joe?" "Christmas lights, brother." "We might pick some up when we're out tomorrow." "Okay." " You know what?" " What?" "I'm gonna tell you something as a courtesy to Ma'Dere." "Now, I'm only here a few days." "You might wanna steer clear until I'm gone." "And I'm gonna say this as a courtesy to you." "I'm here because your mother wants me here." "If you got a problem with that, you take it up with her." "I'll do that." "If I was here, Senior I'd look after your old piano, man." "Yes, I would." "Hey, Kelli, girl." "What you doing?" "Just unpacking, Mama." "When you gonna settle down, child, like your sister?" "Where is this coming from?" "I just love you." "I want you to be happy." "Well, I don't have a problem settling down, Mama." "I have a problem settling for less." "I'm just focused on my career right now." "Long as you remember your career is not gonna keep you warm at night." "All right." "Night-night." "Night." "Need some batteries?" "No, no." "I'm not whispering." "No." "No, everybody's cool." "Did you eat?" "Okay, yeah, just meet me at the..." "There's a club called the El Rey." "It's off Wilshire." "Yeah." "Just take a cab there." "I'll meet you there in a little bit." "Yeah." "Okay." " Bad girl?" " Come here." "What are you doing?" "In your mother's house?" "Yeah." "You're gonna get tore down." " Hey." "I thought you were asleep." " No, I was in the garage." "I don't have my sax, so I thought I'd play Senior's piano." " That thing's still out there?" " Yeah." "It needs to get tuned, but it still works." " What you doing up?" " I can never sleep in a strange place." "This ain't a strange place." "It's your home." "Pass a napkin." "You hear that?" "Hey, you know, Lisa wants to sell the dry cleaners." " Yeah." " Really?" " You agree with her?" " Oh, I'm only hearing it now." "I don't have an opinion on it." "Well, that's just like you." "Nothing matters." "Whatever." "Right." "Nothing matters because this is the first time anybody asking me my opinion about it." "Well, you're never around long enough for anybody to ask you anything." " Do you hear that?" " What?" "I don't hear anything." "What are you talking about?" "Don't nobody sleep around here?" " Where you going?" " Out." "Oh, no." "Don't get stealthy on us." "Out where?" "I just thought I'd, you know, go check up on the old traps." "Oh, cool." "I'm coming with." " I'm good by myself, thanks." " Hold up." "I wanna go too." " Oh, we should ask everybody." " Yeah, it's not a group thing." "Well, you know, Quentin, if Lisa's going, I'm out." " I've had enough of her." " No discussion." " There's no reason to talk." " No Lisa, no Malcolm." "We gotta ask Mel and what's-his-name." " How about no Q, no Kelli." " It's like Donny or Darryl." " Something with a D." " It's like Darryl or Donny." "Devean." "We wanna go." " Babe, go get that table right there." " Okay, okay." "I'll quarterback this thing." "What y'all wanna drink?" " A beer." " Two." " I'm good." " See if they got any hot wings." "Okay." "Am I tripping or is brother man checking me out?" " Where?" " Over there." " He is peeping you out." " Yo, I know that cat, man." "We used to go to high school together." "Gerald." "That's who he is." "That might be true, but he's not checking for you." " You're from Oceanside?" " Excuse me." " Oh, we're talking here, cousin." " But I'm with him." " Oh, it's like that." " No pressure." "No pressure, man." " You do your thing." " Yeah." "Stay black." " Who are they?" " They were just keeping me company while I was waiting for you." " Oh, okay." "Okay." "Can I get four beers and some hot wings?" "We're out of hot wings." "You're jealous." "Of them?" "Please." "Why?" "Something's wrong." "You ordered four beers." "That's what took me so long." "My sisters and brother decided to come, so I didn't..." " Where are they?" " Hang on." "You didn't tell them." "See, there's these things with my sisters." "And then my brother Quentin just shows up." "That's a no, right, Claude?" "I'm gonna tell them." "I can't do it right now." " You're ashamed of me." " That isn't true." "I have to tell Ma'Dere first." "In the morning." "All right?" " In the morning?" " In the morning." "I'm gonna hang out with the family." "I'll meet you at the hotel." " You promise?" " You have my word." " Love you." " I love you too." "Now, get out of here." "Y'all ready to get this show started?" "Make some noise." "This is open-mike night." "We do this every Sunday." " Every Sunday we got live..." " Oh, thank you." " and do they thing." " Gerald, this is my family." "My sister Mel." " Hi, nice to meet you." " Kelli right there." " Nice to meet you." " Pleasure's all mine." " This first singer confessed that this is his first time singing publicly." " This is my sister's boyfriend, De Von?" " Give it up for Michael Whitfield." " Make some noise for Michael Whitfield." " Whatever." " It's okay, baby." " Did he just say Michael Whitfield?" "Oh, my God, it's Baby." " This one of your peoples?" " My little brother." "What's he doing?" "Thanks, everybody." "I'm real nervous, but, I mean, I..." "I appreciate the opportunity for y'all let..." "Letting me be out here." "Just letting me be able to do my thing." "Okay, we need to help him." "Quentin, get him down." " He's struggling." " Man." "Yo." "Well, I'll be damned." "Damn, Mel." " Your brother got pipes." " Can you believe this shit?" "Where in the hell did he learn to sing like that?" "He's singing." "Yo." "Sweet." " Come on, baby, let's go dance." " All right, let's do this." " I love this song." "Yeah." " Yeah?" "You feeling it?" "It's sexy." " Wanna dance?" " No, I'm chilling." "Not you, fool." "Yeah, come on." "I'd love to." "You didn't tell me Baby could sing." " Like we knew." " Go ahead!" " Where'd everybody go?" " Dance floor." "Come on." "Let's go get some of these honeys." " I'm good." "I'm just chilling." " You sure?" "All right." "Yes!" "Love you!" "Y'all make some noise for Michael Whitfield." " Michael Whitfield!" " What's up?" "We just wanted to apologise, cousin." "We ain't know that off-brand chick..." " Off what?" " The white girl." "We didn't know she was with you." " Oh, it's cool." " I ain't mad at you, though." " Like I said, it's cool." " White girls ain't got junk in the trunk." "But I hear they got some strong knees." "Got a lot to say, huh?" " Come on." " Who's on their knees now?" " Say it again." "Say it again." " I'm sorry..." " What are you doing?" " I'm sorry, man." "Get out of here." "Come on." "We gotta go, let's go, let's go." " Hey." "Watch out." "Watch out." " What's wrong with you?" "You crazy?" "Wait, where's Kelli?" " With Gerald." " Oh, she's good." "Come on, let's get out of here." "Come on." "So you pull out a gun on him because he pissed you off." "You lost your mind?" "We are Whitfields." "We don't behave that way." " Listen." " You listen." "What are you thinking?" "I think you made your point." " I don't think I have." " He pissed me off." "Like you are now." "Now, drop it." "All right." "All right." "I'll drop it." "You always had that crazy temper, man." "You'd always just flip out." "For what?" "I mean, we're in a club." "We got our sisters with us." "What happened in there tonight?" "Baby, please leave it alone." "We have moved on from there." " You don't want Claude to shoot you." " We moved on, Q." "Yeah, all right." "All right." "You got some explaining to do." " About what?" " "About what?"" "How come none of us knew you can sing?" " Because of him." " Because of me?" "Before she hear you." "Who?" "What you think Ma'Dere'd say if she found out I wanna sing?" "Baby, come on." "That doesn't mean..." "Baby, nothing." "Y'all ain't have to hear it, live with it." "She's telling me how I'm the last Whitfield man who hasn't left her yet." "She's gonna find out." "But not until I'm ready to tell her, and certainly not now." "Mama's real happy for this Christmas, with everyone home." "And I don't wanna ruin it." "You have to promise that you're not gonna say nothing until I figure a way to say it myself." " Got you." "And, Mel, tell Kelli not to say anything in front of Ma'Dere." " I got you." " Man, this is too much drama for me." "I say we all get some sleep, pick this up in the morning." "All right?" "You know, Baby you can sing, man." "Good night." "Come on, D. Let's go." "I was proud of you, man." "I'm going to bed." "I've never been more surprised in my life." "Four years of "maybe this year," so this time I didn't even ask him." "Oh, he just walked through that door, and my heart almost stopped." "I swear, Rosie, sometimes I thought I'd never see him again." "He's so much like Senior." "Good morning, Kelli, girl." ""Good morning, Mama," would be nice." "Yeah." "Good morning, Mama." "Let everybody know breakfast is ready." "He knows it's fine." "No." "No, I..." "We're not gonna bend on that, all right?" "Please." "Give me a break." "Listen." "It's a non-issue, all right?" "I'll just fly out this afternoon take care of the paperwork, and then I'll fly back." "Of course the money's there." "Money's been there the whole time." "In escrow." "Look, I'll talk to you about it this afternoon, all right?" "Yeah." "Sure." "All right." "Oh, f..." "Can I help you?" "Yeah, I just came to tell you breakfast was ready." "Well, as soon as Lisa gets out the shower we'll be right down." "Going somewhere?" "As a matter of fact, I am." "Gotta fly back to San Francisco, sign some papers." "You know, business." "Good for you." "One, two, three." "So you really pulled a gun on him?" "Yo." "Don't tell Ma'Dere." "You hear me?" "Man, I know." "Where'd you get the gun?" "It's my service pistol." "You really was gonna shoot him?" "Hell, no." "I was just trying to make a point." "You may think you're grown now but Ma'Dere find out, she gonna bitch-slap you into the middle of next week." "And you don't wanna miss Christmas, do you?" "Man, go and pick a tree." "You guys decided yet?" " Let's take this one." " That's a good one." "That there's an ugly-ass tree, Mr. Black." " I'm cool with it if Joe cool with it." " Yeah, I'm with it." " Yeah, we'll get this one." " Right." " Go on, take the photo." " All right, let's take this picture." "Come on." "Come on." "Say "trees."" " Ready?" " Ready." "I don't know what Baby is doing, but he's killing the game." "Isn't that, like, the third gift for him today?" "The fifth." "Put it over there with the rest of them." "Oh, that's me." " Oh, my God, it's him." " Who?" " Gerald, from last night." " You spent the night with him and you're not gonna answer?" " No." "No, you didn't spend the night, or no, you're not gonna answer?" "Don't get your bra all in a knot." "We didn't sleep together." "You don't wanna waste a night of sleep with a man like that." " Was he good?" " You gave him some?" "It was a shared experience, but if you wanna get technical he was the one doing most of the giving." " It is the season to give." " I hope you used protection." " I'm not stupid." " Come on, where is it written that a woman can't meet a guy, get some and then be done with him?" " They have a word for women like that." " Smart." " Ho." " What?" "I'm just trying to school you." "You don't wanna end up pregnant and then next thing you know you got two kids." "Did that just come out of my mouth?" "Lisa, I'm ready." "What?" "Okay." "Lisa, can we go?" "I'll see you guys at dinner." " What's wrong with these two?" " Nothing." " It's fine." "You got everything?" " Yeah." "I'm all set." " Hi." "Excuse me." " Hi." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Do you have any messages for room 302?" " No, ma'am." "No messages." " Okay." "Thanks." "I can't believe Malcolm wants to sell the cleaners." "I know." "You gonna talk to Ma'Dere about it?" "No." "We're gonna handle this amongst ourselves." "And I'm counting on you for your support." " I got you." " Kelli?" " Yeah?" " Santa's here." " Santa?" " Santa?" "And he asked for you." "Merry Christmas." " And what is your name, little girl?" " Tori." "Tori." "Really?" "And what is your name, young man?" " Keshon." " Keshon." " Did you write Santa a letter?" " Even Santa calls you that when you sleep with him on the first night." "Have you been eating some Christmas cake or anything like that?" "Don't worry, I got something really good." "Been good this year?" "Because I'm making a list and I'm checking it twice." " So he's a friend of yours?" " He went to school with Quentin." "Well, you keep your eyes on those kids." "You have to be careful nowadays." "You never know." "You be careful, okay?" "I mean, it's nice and all, what he doing, but..." " Yeah." " A Santa suit." "Lord." "Merry Christmas." "See you, young man." "Come on over here and talk to Santa, little girl." "Okay." "So, pretty lady what can Santa bring you for Christmas?" " Well..." " How about peace on earth?" "Hell, peace in my family would do the trick." "Let me see what I can do." "Come on and sit on Santa's lap." " And then what?" " Depends whether you've been naughty or nice." "Well, you're Santa." "Aren't you supposed to know?" "I know you were pretty naughty last night." "But Santa can't say it wasn't nice." " What are you doing here?" " All right, all right." "Well, as you know, I'm a fireman." "We do this every year for the kids down at the mall." "Since your mama's house was on the way I figured I'd just come on by and spread some holiday cheer." "And being that it's Christmas I thought that Santa would bring you this." "Oh, I forgot that I left that there." "Thank you, Santa." " Now give Santa some sugar." " My mother is in the next room." "She can give Santa some sugar too." "Where's she at?" " Okay, that's it." "You gotta go." " All right." "Well, listen." "You gotta agree to have drinks with me tonight." " Okay." "I will." " All right?" "Nine o'clock." " I promise." "Sounds good." " I'm gonna hold you to that." " All right?" " Out you go." "All right." "Now, you be good, for goodness' sake." " Oh, my God." " You slept with Santa." "I did not know he was Santa at the time but technically, I guess I did." "I don't see why this couldn't wait until we got back." "Baby, for the hundredth time I'll be back in the morning." "But, Malcolm, it's Christmas Eve." "Bill collectors don't care." "The car we drive, the house we live in?" "They don't pay for themselves." "You wouldn't understand that, being I'm the one that's doing all the work." "Oh, and I don't work?" "I guess I just stay at home and sit on my behind and raise your kids." " I'm sorry." "But I'm just under so much pressure these days, Lisa." "I realise I'm not as sensitive as you need me to be, but we're partners." "Okay?" "Now, I need you to get your family to sell the dry-cleaning business and then we'll have the capital to get our life to the next level." "Do you really mean that?" "We're partners?" "Baby." "Baby, come here." "Now, you know we're soul mates." "All right?" "Everything I do, I do for you and the kids." "All right?" "Drive carefully." "Here are the keys." "Oh, and make sure you put it in the carport, all right?" "Just in case it rains." "I'll call you!" "Yeah?" ""I love you"?" "Back up, back up, back up." "Okay." "Claude!" "Come help us." "Let a Marine get in here, show you how it's done." " Turn it." " We're going the wrong way." "Yeah, frontways is the best." "There you go, in the back." "Ma'Dere, we have the tree!" "Cocktail, anyone?" "This one's from Bernice." "Remember?" "I thought Bernice was dead." "Oh, I'm telling her next time I see her." "Oh, my God, Sam done put all 15 of his kids on the card." " Yes." " His little boy grew up." " Look, look, look." " Nice." "Yeah, hey." "Oh, no." "We had the family photo  and pick ed up a Christmas tree and decorated that." "And my cousin Fred came by." "Oh, okay." "Oh, honey, take these." "Wait a minute, I'll be right back." " Oh, my goodness." " Check that out." "That's you?" "There's a lot going on." "Yeah, and..." "Claude." " Claude, you there?" " Yeah, yeah, I'm here." " What's wrong?" " Oh, nothing." "That's not a nothing look." "Christmas card from Senior." "Oh, where is he now?" " London." " That's a good place for him." "Rosie." "You need to be honest with the kids." "Tell them about the divorce and move on." "Now is not the time, Rosie." "I haven't seen Quentin in four years." "I am not doing anything to upset him." "It's never a good time for you." "Rosie, where are the grapes?" "In the freezer." "Good, the kids love those frozen grapes." " Hey, Quen." " What up?" "Look who I ran into." " What's up, Q?" " They were driving down the street looking for directions, and they happened to stop me." "That's crazy, huh?" "You have no idea." "You gotta love some California hospitality, right?" "Well, I'll let you boys talk." " I'm gonna go get me something to eat." " All right, now." " Look like that hurt." " For sure, dog." "So thought we wasn't gonna find you, huh?" "Well, man, I..." "I mean, I left my PalmPilot in my sax case so any idiot would have found me." "But I just didn't think that you would have found me, you know?" "Forty dollars?" "Train ticket." "Look like you ain't going nowhere, my man." "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put a hot one in you." "Well for one you wouldn't get your money." " Now, that's a good one." "And for two you got the police behind you right now." "All right." "What did he do?" "Aggravated assault, disturbing the peace." " Someone said he had a gun." " A gun?" "Don't worry, they're taking him for questioning." "I was there." "I'll go to the station and straighten it out, okay?" " All right." " We're driving." " I wanna go too." " Can you put the kids to bed?" " Okay." "Call us as soon as you hear something." "All right." "Come on, Mama." "He's going to jail for nothing?" "They said he had a gun, Quen." " Well, he did." " And that's nothing?" "He got into a thing last night with a guy." "He had his service revolver on him." "Why'd you let that happen?" "I didn't let anything happen." "He a grown man." "What?" "God, that is so classic of you." ""It's not my responsibility."" "Responsibility?" "What?" "I heard you wanna sell the cleaners." "We think it'll be a good idea to sell it." " Who's we?" " Malcolm and I." " But not your family." " The cleaners isn't making any money." " I don't mean to get in your business..." " Isn't that what people say before they get in your business?" " If there's money, Quentin could use it." "Well, if we sell, we can all come out okay." "Including you." "What about Ma'Dere?" "Joe and Ma'Dere keep the house." "We can put Ma'Dere's profits in a trust." " They'll be fine." " Joe?" "What's he got to do with the house?" "Joe and Ma'Dere have been living together since Mel went away to college." "What?" "Just sit down." "Relax." "Been in situations like this before." "Guy with a gun, crowded club." "Nobody remembers nothing." "Hey, this dry-cleaner situation it's gonna make a windfall of money, huh?" "How long have you two known Quentin?" " A while." " And you're musicians." "No, we're in money management." "Sis." "What'd they say?" "The club manager's gonna drop charges." " Good, he can come home with us." " Not exactly." "Then what, exactly?" " Claude is AWOL." " AWOL?" "They gonna let me talk to him now." "Okay?" "I got it." "So, what?" "While I'm sleeping everybody was out gallivanting last night?" "Sit up when I'm talking to you!" " Get the kids ready for bed?" " They brushed their teeth." " Now they're taking their baths." " It's almost dinner." "We need to cook." " You already cooked for Christmas." " Yes, that's for tomorrow." "If you want to eat tonight, somebody's gotta cook." "And we gotta make cookies for the kids to leave Santa." "Why?" "He's already had Kelli's cookies." "Should we call a lawyer or something?" " Don't even worry about it." " Ma'Dere..." "Quentin said he's gonna take care of it." " I'll call Joe and tell him." " You go do that." "Kelli, cook dinner." "I'm going upstairs to rest." "Okay?" "When Quentin gets here, somebody come up and get me." "Because..." "You ain't telling me." "I'm telling you." "I came home because Christmas is tradition in our family." " I promised her." " She'd have understood." "No, you don't know her." "So you go AWOL so you don't disappoint Ma'Dere?" " Not Ma'Dere." "Sandi." " Who the hell is Sandi?" "Now, you got the two green peppers chopped up there." "And you people think that I can't cook." " Watch out, now." " That's all right." "Spicy." "Okay." "Two green peppers, chopped." " Got to broil the bacon." " All right, we cooking now." "You're supposed to add the sausage now." "Adding the sausage." " Enough sausage?" " Yes." "Now pour gravy over the onions." "Slow, though." "That is not how it looks in the picture." " I am not eating that." " All right." "Don't burn yourself." "Watch out." "Y'all know what you're doing?" "The drippings, it says here." " Drippings, huh?" " Yeah." " Okay." "Doesn't look like Ma'Dere's." " Supposed to cook like 10 minutes." " Try stirring it up." " Like that?" "That didn't help either." "It looks good, huh?" "Maybe you should bake it?" "Yup." "Oh, believe me, I'm devastated right now." " Is that Quentin calling about Claude?" " No, it's Malcolm." "Tell Lisa that my flight's been delayed because of the bad weather." "His possession isn't here, he should call her back later." "Tell Kelli I said, "Have a very merry Christmas."" "He said merry Christmas." "All right, dude." "All right, man." "Man, get off the phone." "All right." "You missed Malcolm's call." " What'd he say?" " He's running late." " Where's Claude?" " They dropped the charges." " Then where is he?" " AWOL." " AWOL?" " Absent without leave." "They're shipping him to Pendleton." " We need to call him a lawyer." " No, it's a military thing." " Is he all right?" " Ma, he's in jail." "Are we gonna see him before they send him back?" "MP said they'll call when they get there." "They need him in uniform." "Somebody gotta take his clothes to him." "It just doesn't makes sense." " Claude's never been in trouble before." " Do I know you?" "Ma'Dere, that's Sandi Whitfield, your daughter-in-law." "Damn." " Lisa, this is not funny." " No, it's not." "But I'm gonna keep drinking until it is." "Claude and I got married two weeks ago." "We wanted to surprise you." "Congratulations, we're surprised." "Kelli, Claude had her staying in a hotel." "A hotel?" "He talks about you guys all the time." " You're exactly like I imagined you." " Can't exactly say the same." "Hush." "Welcome to the family, Sandi." "I'm Claude's mother, Ma'Dere." " Can we get you something to eat?" " No, thank you." "They offer you food, you don't accept, they get offended." "Well, in that case, I'm starving." "A sense of humour." "Mel, help her get settled upstairs." "Yeah, and I'll get you that plate." " Come on." " Well, this is wonderful." " Can I get you a glass of water?" " I'm fine." "You don't want some water?" "Get a glass of whatever Miss Lisa is drinking." "And stop asking me crazy questions." "Are either of you married to one of my children?" "No, ma'am." "No, ma'am." "We're friends of Quentin." " Oh, well, thank God, merry Christmas." " I'm Mo." " I'm Dude." " Duke." "Yes, nice to meet both of you." " The pleasure's all ours." " Are you eating dinner with us?" " No, no, no." "They..." " Cool." " We're starving." " They gotta go before they lose their reservations." "Nonsense." "You're friends of Quentin, you're welcome to stay here." "We have plenty of room." "That's very kind of you, ma'am." "Thank you." "Make the two of these gentlemen a plate." " Appreciate it, ma'am." " Mama, you gonna eat too?" " I seem to have lost my appetite." " First time I cook you're not gonna eat?" " It's not the first time you've cooked." " Probably why she lost her appetite." " I lost my appetite." "How long did you guys think you were gonna be able to keep this a secret?" "It wasn't a secret." "It was a surprise." "Yeah, I think we kind of covered that." "Why is Claude AWOL?" "Because his leave was denied." "He didn't inform his superiors that he was getting married." "But Claude wasn't gonna change his mind." "He told me that he knew he was gonna marry me from the first moment he laid eyes on me." "He knew, just like that?" "He said some things you can't control." " Like marriage?" " And children." "You're pregnant too?" " Did I just say that?" " Do your parents know?" "They're not fans of Claude." " Because he's..." " Black." "Okay, let me get this straight." "You're a newlywed, pregnant your husband's AWOL and in jail and your parents don't like him because he's black?" " Damn, girl." " And all I want is a stiff drink." "But I can't because I'm pregnant." "Look, you with family now, it's okay." "It's okay." "I'll drop this stuff off with Claude and I'll be back." "I'll go with Joe and let Claude know that his wife's here." "Give him my love." "I know a first sergeant in the Corps who owes me a favour or two." "I'm gonna see if he can work it out for us to see Claude before they take him back, okay?" "I know the Lord will make it happen." "I put my money on Joe first." " Baby." " He'll be all right, Ma." "Mama, I think we need to talk." "I still can't believe it." "What, AWOL or married?" "Both." "I know, he's a decent kid." "Raised right." "I should know." "I practically raised him myself." " Why do you do that?" " What?" "Make everything about you." "Trust me, it's not about me." "I'm the last person it's about." "Then why are you constantly reminding everyone what you do for them?" "Because when I look down the list of everybody I take care of I'm not even on it." "You chose to work at the dry cleaners." "You chose to get married, you chose to have kids." "Like you chose to raise Claude." "Now you want us to feel guilty?" "Somebody had to stay here and help Ma'Dere when you left." "You think I wanted to stay here and work?" "You took away my choice when you left." "I'm selfish." "I'll own that." "But you deserve better, Lisa." "What are you really trying to say?" "Because I've heard it all before." "What?" "I'm bossy, my kids are spoiled..." " I shouldn't have married Malcolm..." " He's cheating on you, Lisa." "I know." "You know?" "I didn't have to go to college to know that, okay?" "What do you want me to say?" " I got two kids, no degree..." " So?" "So it doesn't make me particularly hot on the dating circuit." "Plus, I'm not trying to start all over." "Sharing your husband with another woman makes you pretty pathetic." "Pathetic?" "You know, you would say that." "Since you don't have responsibilities and don't care about anybody but yourself." " Yes, pathetic." "You know what?" "When it comes to this family you'll go 10 rounds just to satisfy some deep damn insecurity because you didn't go to college." "To prove to everybody how smart you are." "But when Malcolm says jump your Oprah alter ego runs for the nearest exit." "You let that fraction of a man run you because you're scared to start over?" "Women do it every day, so stop marking time." "Drop by a magazine rack, deal with the issues in your marriage and stop taking this shit out on the rest of us, sister." "Get out of my face, Kelli." "Come here!" " Let go!" " Hey!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "What are you doing?" "Get away from me, Mel!" "Forget you and the rest of this family." " Oh, my hair!" " What just happened?" "We just had a discussion." "So dumb!" "Senior was a good man." "But he was a terrible husband and father." "But did you love him?" "At one point, more than life itself." "Yeah, but he still left, didn't he?" "Quentin, he left for the same reason you left." "Senior had a calling with his music." "It broke my heart but it would have killed him if he'd stayed." "See, some men aren't fit to be married." "They're just too selfish." "Now, Joe, he came much later, and he has helped me." "He has respected me in ways that you cannot even imagine." "I got better things to do with my imagination than think about Joe." "Quen, I brought you into this world, and I will take you out if you ever use that tone against Joe again." " Now, you understand?" " It ain't gonna happen again." "By the time you wake up in the morning, I'll be gone." ""When you wake up in the morning, I'll be gone."" "You are truly your father's son." "You know what?" "Baby was right about you." " It's kind of sad, Mama." " What are you talking about?" "Your hatred for Senior, your resentment for me." "It makes it impossible for that boy to be honest." "Honest?" "Honest about what?" "That's something you're gonna have to talk to him about." "I'm just sorry that I was such a disappointment to you." "You know?" "Merry Christmas, Mama." "What does "discussion" mean?" "We got in an argument, one thing led to another, we started acting real stupid." "Where's your new sister-in-law?" " She's asleep." " It's early." "You sleep a lot when you're pregnant." " She's pregnant?" " Six weeks." "Jesus." "That's why Claude married her." "Nope." "Claude doesn't even know about the baby yet." "Poor thing, she must be so scared." "Okay, look, let's get out of these wet clothes." "Hey, man, look what I found." "Some sock-it-to-me cake, man." "Wack." " Appreciate you, man." " It's all good, man." "Y'all comfortable, man?" "Look, man, you talk to your moms yet?" "Man, you'll get your money." "You think you could hook me up with Lisa, man?" "Man, she may have low standards, but she ain't stupid." "Hey, man, her husband ain't here." "And if she don't holler, I definitely won't scream." "You don't get to disrespect my family." "Understand?" " I'll tell you right now." " You said, he heard." "Now, you owe us 25 G's, man." "We want it." "Tomorrow's Christmas, the banks are closed." "The day after that, you'll get your money." "Looks like we spend Christmas here with you and your sisters." "Hey, what's going on, y'all?" "Nothing, man." "It's good." "I haven't had the opportunity to formally meet you gentlemen." "Oh, that's Mo and Dude." "How you doing, sir?" "I'm Mo." "Good to meet you." "I'm Dude." "Nice to meet you." "Mo and Dude." "Ma'Dere's asleep, you know, so..." "Yeah, you go on up, man." "I'm gonna come say good night to you guys in a minute." "You gonna come upstairs and say good night to Joe and Mama?" "Yeah." "In your mother's room?" "Yeah, that's what I said." "Okay." "Well, then, let's shut it down." "We all get some sleep." "You know, we got a big day ahead of us tomorrow." " All right, man, good night." " Good night." "I'll see you tomorrow." "Good night, Joe." " Hey." " Hey." "I'm sorry." "I know we were supposed to get together." "Time slipped away from me, and..." "No, no, no, it's all good." "You all right?" "You know, you just wouldn't believe the kind of day I had today." "With my family and..." "It's just not a good time right now." "No, I understand." "Okay." "Good night, Gerald." "Clark High School." "Say what?" "1993." "I remember this skinny ninth-grader." "With bony legs and pigtails and braces." "She dropped all of her books on the first day of school." "Now, I went down and helped her pick them up." "But she was so late for class that she never even looked up at me." "And then I see you in the club with your family and I thought, "Wow, there she is."" "Welcome to the stage!" " Superstar!" " Hey, what's up, man?" "Yeah, just wrapping these last Christmas presents." "Yeah." "Merry Christmas, big bro." "Yeah!" "Wonder what it is." "Thanks, bro." "I wanna tell you, man, I'm..." "I'm sorry, man." "For what?" "Just the way I chose to live my life." "Choices I made." "Just makes you feel like, you know you gotta stay and look after Mama." "I gotta find the right way and the time to tell her." "Right time to tell me what?" "Shit." "What is it, Baby, that you can't exactly tell me?" "You know, Mama this is not my conversation, so..." "Well, I'm gonna let y'all talk." "Good night." "I've been meaning to tell you, it's just that it hasn't seemed to be the right time." "Ever." "But I guess now that you know, I'm kind of relieved." " Know what?" " That I wanna sing, Ma." "And I can really sing too." "Like, I got Senior's ear for music." " I can..." " Oh, God!" "No." "See, that's what I'm talking about!" "It's not about you, Quentin or Senior." " It's about me, Mama, me." " I do not want to hear this." "You might not, but you're damn sure gonna listen!" "I'm damn sure gonna listen?" "Ma, I love you with all my heart, and you know I do." "But I'm gonna sing, and sing for me." "I can't be ashamed of wanting to pursue my dream just because Quentin and Senior left." "They didn't leave because of you, Ma." "They left for them." "And I can't live my life in fear of just disappointing you." "In the end I'll hate myself, resent you like you resent Senior." " You watch your mouth." " But it's true, Ma!" " You watch how you talk to me." " And I feel sorry for Joe." "Because he really loves you." "But I can't one day look back and feel sorry for me." " I just can't." " Fine." "And you!" "Somehow I think that you haven't married Joe because of us." "But the sad truth is you haven't married him because of you, Ma." "Good night, Mo." "Good night, Dude." "You know, I was just thinking." "It was cool the way Quentin agreed to let us stay here." "That was really, really nice of him, man." "He's a sweet guy." "Why do you suppose he did that?" "Damn." "Ticket." "Wallet." "Son of a bitch!" "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final boarding call for number 27..." "You must think we're stupid." "Honestly?" "Yeah, I do." "Yeah, we gonna show you who's stupid." "Get his ass up." "Get up." "Get off of me!" "Get off me, man!" "Get him, get him." "That's enough." "He learned his lesson." " Leave him alone." "Back up." " He owes us money!" "He owes you money." "Twenty-five grand, right?" "That's 10 right there." "Take the money and we'll just call it even." "You must be joking, old man." "Now, you take this, or I start shooting." "That'll ruin everybody's Christmas." "Or I call the police." "They'll be real happy to know both of y'all have warrants." "You ain't tough guys, man." "You bookies." "Now, take this." "You stay alive, you stay out of jail." "My gift to y'all." "Merry Christmas." " Can we have our gun back?" " Not in this lifetime." "How'd you know they had warrants, man?" "Their kind always has warrants." "How'd you know what was going on?" "Same way I knew about Darryl and Benny waiting to beat you up after school in the sixth grade." "Darryl and Benny?" " Darryl and Benny." " Yeah, you could stop them." "But you couldn't stop Mo and Dude, huh?" "Is that your way of giving me a spanking?" "Quentin, let me tell you something." "What you really have left at the end of the day is family, and we your family, boy." "That's my train." "I gotta get out of here." "Quentin." " Morning, everybody." " Daddy!" "Merry Christmas!" "How's my little bumblebee?" "Little knucklehead." "Merry Christmas!" " So we got company, Baby?" " Claude's wife." " Claude's what?" " His wife." "You know, like:" " Malcolm, right?" "Lisa's husband?" " Yeah." "I recognise you from the pictures." "Right." "Claude's wife." "Claude's wife!" "So..." "This is it, huh?" "Yeah, I guess it is." "I go back to New York tomorrow." "Well, how often do you get back home?" "I generally don't have time to leave the city." "You know." "Usually just for Christmas..." "Gerald!" "Yeah?" "You ever been to New York?" "No, but I've always wanted to go." "Well, if I send you a plane ticket, will you come?" "I think I can buy my own plane ticket." "All I needed was an invitation." "Well, you just got one." "Hey, Kelli!" "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas, Gerald." "Santa's coming to town." "Looks like I was missed, huh?" "And you're gonna find out just how much." " Soon as you get out of those clothes." " That's what I'm talking about." "Why don't you go wash that flight off first?" "Good idea." " I'll take a shower real quick." " Real quick." " Baby, you been working out?" " Yeah." "That thing's paying off." "Looking good!" "Just getting ready for you, baby!" "That's what I like to hear." "You know I been missing you." "And I've missed you too." "Oh, baby." "When I get out this shower, you know you gonna get it." " So are you." " That's right." "Hey, did you talk to Quentin about the dry cleaners yet?" "Everything is gonna be just fine, if that's what you mean." "That's what I like to hear, baby." "That's what I like to hear." "Ma?" "You got any baby oil?" "New bottle right in the cabinet." "Good, because I'm gonna need the whole bottle." "Wha...?" "Man." "It's about to be on and popping up in here." " How was your trip, Malcolm?" " Oh, baby!" "It was great." " I got a lot of work done." " Yeah, I bet you did." "Where's the car?" "I didn't see it when we pulled up." " The L.A. River." " What?" "The L.A. River." "What is this woman talking about?" "What are you...?" " What's wrong with you?" " You're what's wrong, Malcolm." " Baby..." " Why don't you step out the shower so we can talk about it?" " It's always something with you." "Yeah, it's always something with me." "Now, you tell me..." "What's wrong with you, woman?" "Shit!" "Have you lost your mind?" "Yeah, I lost my mind, but I found it when you was in New York playing House with that ho!" " If I get up off this floor..." " Come on, let me see you get up." "Shit!" "Listen, I can explain about New York, okay?" "No, you don't need to explain." "Just get your shit and get out of my mama's house!" "Shit!" "God!" "Oh, shit." "Quentin left?" "Yep." "Some things never change." "I know you had high hopes of him staying, Ma'Dere." "Sometimes you gotta let them do what they gonna do." "They say if you wanna hear the Lord laugh just tell him what you've got planned." "Well, I better finish dressing for church." "The Lord has a lot on his plate this morning." "I heard Malcolm left." "Yep." "You know, Quentin left too." "I'd have been surprised if he stayed." "Seems like Whitfield men just can't stick around very long." "Which means we can't sell the dry cleaners..." "It doesn't matter." "You were right." "Is there any chance this is not a joke?" "No." "Malcolm, the dry cleaners, everything, you were right." "I'm filing for a divorce." "Good for you, Lisa." "Yeah, it is good for me." "So I just got one question for you." "What now?" "Baby oil?" "The whole damn bottle." "All over the floor, girl." " He was sliding." " Oh, that's great!" "Oh, God." "Thanks, Kelli." "It's gonna be all right." " I know." " It is." "I wanna thank everyone again for coming out on this fine Christmas morning." "To praise God and all his good works." " Amen." " Amen." "Before we close this morning's services Deacon Black would like to say a few words." " Merry Christmas, everybody." " Merry Christmas." "I'm glad y'all could make it." "And, Reverend Caldwell, I appreciate you allowing me a few moments to share with you all a very special surprise on this very special morning." "Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen please join me in welcoming Mr. Michael Whitfield." "Baby, you come up here and you sing for us." "Come on up here, Baby, sing for us." "And you all know his mother, Mrs. Shirley Ann Whitfield." "This is a very special Christmas gift to her." "Come on up here, Baby, and sing for us." "You know you my man, right?" "Take your time." "Let's go." "What?" "No, no." "I would like a piece." "Give me some of that hot ham." "That's the hot ham there." "Joe, you got everything you need?" "Somebody needs some macaroni and cheese." "Pass the rice." "Try the collared greens, Sandi." "I made them." "You might not wanna do that." "She only been in the family a second and you already trying to kill her." "What was that?" "I don't know." " Oh, my God." "Quentin." " Come on in." "Don't just stand there." "Come on, get something to eat." " All right." "All right, now." " Y'all, look at this." " Here, you can sit right there." " No, man, I want you to sit right here." "Come on, man." "What up, soldier?" "Ain't that nice." "Oh, this moment calls for a toast." "To my family." "I am just so proud of all of you and each Christmas brings something different." "This Christmas, Lisa I lost a son-in-law." "Hallelujah." "But I gained a wonderful daughter-in-law and my oldest son is home." "And as each one of you go into your individual lives I want you to take this with you:" "The Whitfields are a family we will always be a family and no one and nothing can change that." "You know what?" "I wanna add something." "Hold on." "I'm gonna get myself a drink." "Somebody fix me a plate, please." "I gotta make a toast to Joe Black." "And the rest of my family." "I love y'all." "Love you too." "You know since everybody's making toasts." "Come on in, kids." "Come here." "Come here." "I just wanna say that I hope that every future Whitfield Christmas is as wonderful as this Christmas." " This Christmas." "One." "Two." "Three." "Merry Christmas."