EUGENE: When I get home, Daddy signals to me. We sit at opposite ends of the bar. He pours me a drink and pours one for himself. He takes a long pull off of his. A long, deep pull. Frowns. Swallows. (ROBERT) “Your grandfather left everything to you.” (EUGENE) I take a drink. “What did you say?” (ROBERT) “You heard me right.” (EUGENE) I pour another. “Why did he do that?” Daddy looks at me/then past me/way past me. (ROBERT) “I work hard all my life/I SWEAT all my life and you get everything handed to you–just HANDED to you. Nobody and I mean nobody ever gave me anything–

NOBODY–and you wanna know why? Cause I was too black and ugly that’s why and you wanna know the first person that told me that? My father. He said that to me for as long as I can remember. (ROBERT’S FATHER) ‘Boy why you so black–why you born ta me?’ or ‘Why you can’t be like da res’ o’ da niggas? You go off doing all dat book learnin’ like da white man–jes sit yo black ass down!’ (ROBERT) I was some-thin’ like you Eugene but then I saw what the world was–IS. I saw. (Beat) The world doesn’t like black black boys at all. I learned through salt/sweat and splinters in my ass. (Pauses) Why do YOU get to have it so easy? Why YOU? Look at your hands–my God they’re soft like a girl’s. You got to have strong hands in this world Eugene. Strong hands, but then again, maybe you don’t have to cause as soon as people see you comin’–high yella people like you, the world stops and moves around you.” (EUGENE) Daddy leans against the bar, says in one of the strongest Geechie accents I’ve ever heard, (ROBERT) “You a big-time yella nigga now, huh?”

ALMA: I go into Odelia’s house and see more of the same. Clothing thrown all over the place, dishes piled high, empty food cans, gin bottles, and more gin bottles. I change clothes and start cleaning. Odelia looks at me smiling. (ODELIA) “Seem like old times you being home and cleaning. Wit Eugene Sr. dyin’ dat mean you an Gene REALLY gon be livin’ good.”