Wives with Knives

DID YOU MISS ME?

DON'T PUT YOUR HANDS ON ME.

AN AMBITIOUS YOUNG WOMAN...

SCHOOL WAS THE ONLY THING

THAT WAS GONNA GET ME UP OUT THE 'HOOD.

HEY, SHORTY.

...FALLS FOR A MAN FROM THE VERY STREETS SHE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE.

AT THAT TIME, I WAS SELLING DRUGS.

I GUESS SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS IN LOVE.

GET OUT OF THE CAR!

WHEN HE ENDS UP IN PRISON,

SHE WAITS 10 YEARS FOR HIM TO COME HOME.

I LOVED THAT MAN

FROM THE TOP OF HIS HEAD TO THE SOLES OF HIS FEET.

BUT WHEN THEY'RE FINALLY REUNITED,

THEIR RELATIONSHIP SHATTERS.

WHEN THAT MAN CAME BACK TO ME,

THAT MAN WAS TORN AND THAT MAN WAS BROKEN.

JAMEELAH IS VERY VERBALLY ABUSIVE.

YOU AIN'T NOTHING BUT A BROKE-ASS FOOL!

WELL, I'M HIS WIFE.

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE,

THIS WIFE REFUSES TO PLAY THE VICTIM.

I GOT TOTAL CONTROL OF THIS WHOLE SITUATION.

NO MORE! AAH!

NOT ALL FAIRY TALES HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS.

WHEN LOVE GOES WRONG, A WOMAN CAN DO THE UNTHINKABLE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

MAY 1993, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FOR 14-YEAR-OLD JAMEELAH JONES,

DANGER LURKS AROUND EVERY CORNER OF HER NEIGHBORHOOD.

DID YOU MISS ME? HUH? WHAT'S HAPPENING?

DON'T PUT YOUR HANDS ON ME.

SHE LIVES IN A ROUGH PART OF TOWN

RIDDLED WITH CRIME AND VIOLENCE.

JAMEELAH IS ONLY A TEENAGER,

BUT SHE'S ALREADY LEARNING A TOUGH GROWN-UP LESSON.

LIFE FOR ME AIN'T BEEN NO CRYSTAL STAIR, HONEY.

BELIEVE THAT.

I GREW UP IN A CRACK ERA.

I GREW UP IN A VIOLENT ERA.

IT WAS A DEVASTATING TIME.

HEY!

INSIDE JAMEELAH'S HOME,

THINGS AREN'T ANY BETTER.

WHERE YOUR MAMA?

I DON'T KNOW.

HEY, WOMAN!

HER FATHER ISN'T IN THE PICTURE,

AND HER MOTHER IS A BAD JUDGE OF CHARACTER.

DO EVERYTHING I GOT TO DO.

I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU, GIRL!

YOU DON'T EVEN - I'M SORRY!

I WITNESSED A LOT OF ABUSE, A LOT OF PHYSICAL ABUSE.

MY MAMA USED TO GET HER ASS WHIPPED, BABY.

DON'T MAKE ME SMACK YOU, GIRL!

AAH!

SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?!

SEE, MY MAMA WAS THE KIND OF WOMAN

THAT COULDN'T SPEND TWO MONTHS WITHOUT A MAN IN HER BED.

SO, GROWING UP IN ALL THAT CHAOS AND THEN BEING REARED BY A MAMA

WHO, HER MAN IS GONNA COME BEFORE HER KIDS...

HE AIN'T NO GOOD.

BUT HE LOVES ME.

...IT HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON ME.

BUT FOR THIS SMART AND AMBITIOUS YOUNG GIRL,

HER TROUBLES ONLY SERVE TO IGNITE A SPARK WITHIN.

MY OLDEST SISTER ENDED UP DOING

THE SAME DAMN THING MY MAMA DID -

MARRIED YOUNG, HAVING THESE BABIES.

DR. CASEY JORDAN STUDIES CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.

JAMEELAH GROWS UP IN A HOUSEHOLD

WHERE SHE SEES HER MOTHER BEING ABUSED,

AND SO SHE REALIZES FROM AN EARLY AGE

THAT SHE IS DESTINED TO REPEAT HER MOTHER'S MISTAKES

LIKE HER SISTER HAS,

OR SHE CAN CHOOSE TO BREAK THE PATTERN.

AND THIS WILL DETERMINE HOW SHE TURNS OUT.

I KNEW I WAS SMART.

I DIDN'T WANT TO FALL VICTIM TO THAT.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU

THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO ESCAPE THAT DESTINY?

I THINK IT IS SCHOOL, BECAUSE SCHOOL WAS MY ONLY ESCAPE.

SCHOOL WAS THE ONLY THING THAT I HAD

THAT I KNEW IF I DID WELL HERE IN THIS ARENA,

THIS WAS WHAT WAS GONNA GET ME UP OUT THE 'HOOD.

THIS IS WHAT WAS GONNA MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE.

MAMA, DID YOU GET THE MAIL?

YES.

JAMEELAH'S HARD WORK PAYS OFF

WHEN SHE'S ACCEPTED INTO A MAGNET PROGRAM FOR GIFTED TEENS.

CONGRATULATIONS! AAH!

OH!

AND AT THE AGE OF 15,

JAMEELAH TRANSFERS TO A NEW SCHOOL ACROSS TOWN.

IN WAS AN ARRAY OF OPPORTUNITY.

IT WAS A MAGNET PROGRAM FOR LAW.

AND SO I ROCKED THAT, DID IT HARD, DID IT WELL.

JAMEELAH CONTINUES TO EXCEL AT SCHOOL.

SHE DREAMS OF GOING TO COLLEGE AND BECOMING A LAWYER.

BUT SUCCESS ISN'T THE ONLY THING ON JAMEELAH'S MIND.

HEY, TYLER. THIS IS JAMEELAH.

JAMEELAH, TYLER.

HI. NICE TO MEET YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU.

SO, YOU GUYS GOING TO THE DANCE?

MAYBE.

SHE BADLY WANTS A BOYFRIEND,

SOMEONE WHO'S SWEET AND CARING,

UNLIKE THE MEN HER MOTHER KEEPS BRINGING HOME.

HE TOTALLY LIKES YOU. TRUST ME.

HIS MAMA IS NOT GONNA LET HIM DATE SOMEBODY

FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD. OH, COME ON.

JAMEELAH KNOWS THAT SHE WANTS TO GET AWAY

FROM THE GUYS ON THE STREET,

AND YET SHE DOESN'T FEEL GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE BOYS

IN HER PRIVILEGED HIGH SCHOOL.

SHE STILL WANTS A BOYFRIEND,

BUT THIS DILEMMA LEAVES HER VERY VULNERABLE TO POOR CHOICES.

ONE DAY, A HANDSOME YOUNG STRANGER

MAKES HER CONSIDER BENDING THE RULES.

TALK TO ME ABOUT MEETING JAMES.

GIRL, I WAS - HE WAS ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLDER THAN ME.

I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I SEEN THAT BOY.

AT THAT TIME, I WAS SELLING DRUGS.

SO, I HAD EVERYTHING.

I HAD THE DRUG DEALER'S STARTER KIT.

I HAD THE NICE CLOTHES.

HEY, SHORTY.

WHAT'S UP, BABY?

SHE USED TO COME RIGHT ON THE AVENUE WHERE I FREQUENTED.

JAMES LIKES WHAT HE SEES.

I'M GOING HOME.

SHE HAD THE NICE LONG HAIR, PRETTY SKIN.

SHE'S VERY BEAUTIFUL.

YOU GOT A LOT GOING ON WITH ALL THESE EXPENSIVE CLOTHES.

OH, YEAH. YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?

HE WAS TALL. HE HAD THIS T-SHIRT ON.

HE ALWAYS WORE THESE COOL-ASS T-SHIRTS.

I WAS SO CAUGHT UP AND INFATUATED,

AND I WANTED THAT MAN.

I NEED A QUEEN FOR THIS BLING, YOU KNOW?

SHE WAS SMITTEN BY ME.

YOU KNOW, I WAS LIKE HER PRINCE CHARMING.

WE LOCKED ON EACH OTHER.

I WANT TO GET YOUR NUMBER. I WANT TO CALL YOU LATER.

JAMEELAH KNOWS THAT JAMES IS BAD NEWS.

MAYBE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, I'LL SAY HELLO.

OHH, IT'S LIKE THAT?

AT THE MOMENT.

ALL RIGHT, SHORTY.

BUT THE ATTRACTION IS UNDENIABLE.

BEFORE LONG, JAMEELAH AND JAMES ARE INSEPARABLE.

WE BEGAN TO KNOW EACH OTHER ON A DEEPER LEVEL.

SHE THOUGHT I WAS AN IDIOT AT THE TIME

'CAUSE I PLAYED THAT ROLE IN THE STREET 'CAUSE I HAD TO.

YOU GOT TO BE MORE BRUTISH,

SO PEOPLE REALLY DON'T KNOW YOU'RE INTELLIGENT.

AND THEN SHE USED TO TELL ME,

"COME TO FIND OUT, YOU'RE REALLY NOT LIKE THAT.

I KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE."

THAT WAS OUR FOUNDATION, AND WE BUILT OFF THAT.

SHE FOUND OUT SHE HAD CANCER.

JAMES HAD A HARD-KNOCK LIFE. HE REALLY DID.

JAMES' MAMA PASSED AWAY WHEN HE WAS YOUNG.

HIS FATHER WAS DEFINITELY A STREET DUDE.

JAMES WAS FOLLOWING THE SAME PATH AS HIS FATHER,

BUT JAMES WAS SMART.

HE DIDN'T HAVE TO.

SHE WAS VERY SMART. SHE WAS OUT OF PLACE.

BUT AS I SAID, SHE WAS INFLUENCED BY THE SAME THINGS.

YOU KNOW, THE STREETS, BASICALLY, IT GOT US.

JAMEELAH IS SO IN LOVE,

SHE DECIDES TO GIVE ALL OF HERSELF TO JAMES.

BUT HIS REACTION SURPRISES HER.

I THINK I'M READY, JAMES.

YOU EMOTIONALLY BOND WITH HIM.

GIRL, I WANTED TO GIVE JAMES MY VIRGINITY.

I CAN'T.

HAD THAT BOY COME UP TO THE HOUSE AND EVERYTHING.

WELL, HE SAID TO ME, "YOU'RE TOO YOUNG."

ONE DAY, WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA DO THAT.

BUT JUST NOT RIGHT NOW.

DID THAT SIGN OF RESPECT MAKE YOU FALL FOR HIM EVEN HARDER?

IT DID. IT DID.

BECAUSE COMING FROM MY BACKGROUND

WITH A HOUSEHOLD OF WOMEN CONSTANTLY BEING DISRESPECTED,

THOSE FEW WORDS, YEAH, THAT STUCK WITH ME.

I LOVE YOU.

1996.

AFTER TWO YEARS TOGETHER,

JAMEELAH AND JAMES ARE TOTALLY DEVOTED TO EACH OTHER -

THE ASPIRING YOUNG WOMAN AND THE COMMITTED CRIMINAL.

BUT NOT EVERYONE IN JAMEELAH'S LIFE APPROVES.

YES, I KNOW WHO HE IS.

NOW, SEE, AUNT CORA,

SHE'S THE MOTHER THAT I NEVER REALLY HAD.

YOU MIGHT HAVE HER FOOLED, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE ME FOOLED.

I'M SORRY, BABY.

HEY, THAT'S OKAY.

SHE SORT OF KEPT IT A SECRET.