EUGENE: I pour a big drink, down it, and quickly pour another. Now I understand why people drink–

ALMA: Eugene drives Odelia and me home. As soon as Gene drives off she yells, (ODELIA) “WHO YA THINK YA IS–DAT BOY GA LEAVE YA AN GIT HIM A PURTY LIGHT-SKINNED GIRL–YA UGLY FAT FILTHY BLACK BITCH!” (ALMA) She goes to the cabinet and pours a very large gin into the jelly/glass jar and downs it. She can barely stand. She can barely stand but goes to hit me. I grab her arm–I grab her arm bringing her to her knees–I bring her all the way down to her knees and say, “You’re right. I am ugly big, dark but if you want me to take care of you–if you ever want to, as you say, ‘live good,’ don’t you EVER put your hands on me again, or I’ll make sure you never come near me and Gene and that you live here for the rest of your UGLY BLACK life.”

EUGENE: I go to Alma’s house the next day. “You didn’t say anything about New York to me”–

ALMA: “I talk about it constantly. Eugene let’s leave here–New York seems so great.”

EUGENE: “You just mentioned New York–you didn’t seem serious–I always thought we’d stay here, together.”

ALMA: “We’ve got nothing really keeping us here”–

EUGENE: “You’re just a little restless. You’ll settle down and it will be fine and we’ll make a life here. We’ll get a house and live in St. Stephen”–

ALMA: “I want to see Manhattan–I hear it’s huge”–

EUGENE: “What is the big deal about New York?”

ALMA: “I’m not going to slop hogs and rake chicken shit. I have to make something of myself Gene–I HAVE TO BE SOMEBODY”–

EUGENE: “You are somebody”–

ALMA: “I am nobody–nothing–I am nothing”–

EUGENE: “You’re being silly Alma”–

ALMA: “I am not being silly”–

EUGENE: “You start reading about New York and dreaming all this crazy stuff. Wanting to live so high and mighty and no matter what, you’ll still be a country girl from South Carolina”–

ALMA: (incensed) “Yeah says the rich boy–easy for you to say. You try getting up early to slop the hogs, feed the chickens, rake the yard, before school”–

EUGENE: (apologetic) “Alma–I didn’t mean”–

ALMA: “Try having to get up earlier to do all that as well as clean the house and then make breakfast and supper”–

EUGENE: “Alma–I’m sorry”–