STRAW

- -

Aria.

Aria.

Aria. Come on, baby.

You gotta get up. Let's go.

Come on.

- - Look, Mom, I coded it.

I know, baby. That's very good.

But I'm gonna move it

because I spent my last on those batteries and wires.

And if your science fair project gets wet, it's not gonna work.

I'm old enough to bathe myself.

I don't want you to fall

and hurt yourself again, okay?

Do we have to go to school today?

We go through this every day.

Aria, you have to go to school, okay?

That's why you're so smart.

Can you give her the money today so she can stop making fun of me?

Who?

The teacher said I need $40 to pay for lunch

so I can stop eating the special lunch.

- Did she say that in front of the class? - Yeah.

- - Come on, baby. Let's go. Come on.

Come on.

Please pick that up. Don't drag it.

I want the clear one.

Oh, come on. I don't have time for this today, all right?

Oh, Benny, I'm sorry. I don't have nothing for you today.

Where are your teeth?

Get in the car.

Go ahead and put your seatbelt on.

This is all I have, okay?

God gonna bless you, baby.

- Don't you go buy no liquor. - No.

I don't drink no more.

- Okay. - Yeah.

Oh, so you can give him money but you can't pay me my rent?

I'm getting real tired of your shit. I done already filed the eviction.

I get paid today, and I get a break at 10:00.

- I'm gonna bring the money. I promise. - You better!

Or all your little shit gonna be right out there on the street!

Think you can get them to turn the music down so my baby can sleep at night?

Hell no! He pay his rent!

What the hell she talking about?

Put your seatbelt on.

["I Say a Little Prayer" by Aretha Franklin playing on radio]

All right.

We made it.

All right, baby. I get paid today, okay?

So I will be here to give you that money for lunch

so you can eat with everybody else, all right?

You promise?

I promise.

Come on, let's go. Can't be late.

All right, love you.

- Love you too. - Have a good day.

I'm coming.

All right-- You gonna help us?

Just gotta clock in.

All right, well,

if she come over there, y'all can tell her to call me.

I've been trying to reach her ass all day.

Yeah.

There's always a damn zoo up there the first of the month.

Angela called in sick.

Yeah, so I got two registers open, so hurry up and get up there.

I said hurry up. Why you walking?

- Shit. -

- -

She gonna walk her ass up here all slow.

I can take the next person over here.

Um...

I'm sorry, ma'am. You can't buy some of these items with a WIC card.

Bitch, I do this all the time.

I don't know who did it for you, but we not allowed to do that.

What, you the damn WIC police or something?

I'm gonna need $38.28, miss--

$38? Fuck you! Give me my card. Come on.

- -

- - What the...

Clean this up.

They're just waiting for a slip and fall.

- Hurry up! Hurry up! - Aww!

She'll be right back, y'all.

- She'll be right back. - Oh really?

Did that bitch cut you?

No, it's okay.

How is she?

My baby's fine.

- Oh-- - Here, take it.

No, I can't take that from you.

You barely making it yourself.

I can spare it. It'll help out with her medicine.

No, I can't take that from you. We get paid today.

I'mma be okay.

Janiyah, you can't keep going this hard.

I'm worried about you.

It's okay.

The doctor said she's gonna outgrow some of this stuff, okay?

And then I'll have more time, and then I can go back to nursing school.

We'll be okay.

Just gotta get through this. That's all.

Okay.

Shit. Let us get out of here before this motherfucker come back with his bullshit.

Wait, I'm coming.

- - Hello.

Oh yeah. Um, Aria told me about the... the money.

Look, I'll bring the lunch money up there.

But why did y'all do that? It's embarrassing to them kids.

She fell in the tub. No!

Please don't do this. She fell! Ask her. She'll tell you.

I told you how sick she is.

Please don't do this. I can't leave my job.

Do you want this damn job or not?

It's my daughter's school.

I don't give a damn if it's the president. You see that line out there!

Okay.

- - And you're on the damn phone.

You know that's against company policy, don't you?

Richard, wait! Richard, please.

There's something going on at my daughter's school.

I have to go. I'm sorry.

I know you're not trying to leave here, Janiyah.

It's out of my hands. They said I have to come.

Janiyah, it's always something with you. Some bullshit.

Come on, Richard, please.

It's just me and my daughter. I don't have anybody else.

You better have your ass back here in 30 minutes. Hear me?

- I can't make it happen in-- - Do you wanna go or not?

Okay. Can I get my check?

Oh shit, you done lost your damn mind, girl.

Huh? You know, I got to tend your register, do your job.

And now you want me to do you a favor? Get on out of here.

- Thirty damn minutes! -

Excuse me.

Hi, my name's Janiyah Wiltkinson. I work across the street.

Yes, I know who you are.

Yeah. I was just trying to get $40 out of my account,

and the machine keeps saying "insufficient funds,"

and I know I got $47 in the bank.

Well, you're getting that message

because it will close your account if you have less than the minimum

required to keep it open.

- Okay, well, can I close it? - I'm sorry, but you have to wait in line.

- I know, but my daughter-- - I'm sorry.

- Sorry. I got here as fast as I could. - I'm sorry, Miss Wiltkinson.

- Mama! Mama! - What? Wait!

I'm Dianne Hutchinson from Children and Family Services.

- Let me just talk to her, please. - Mama! Mama!

You don't understand!

She has seizures, okay? She needs her medicine.

- She doesn't like to be without me. - Listen to me.

I wanna go to my mama!

No, no, no, we can't upset her like this.

- Listen to me. - No, no, no.

- No! -

She has asthma really bad. Don't scream! Don't scream, Aria!

Wait a minute.

You're taking my baby?

She'll be in good hands.

- She's in good hands with me. - Mama!

That's what we have to determine.

- No! My daughter is safe with me! - Mama!

The teacher and the principal said she comes to school very hungry.

You...

I work two jobs, okay?

I work two jobs to make sure we have what we can to eat, okay?

She-- she can't even eat everything. You know this!

I give her exactly what the doctor tells me to give her!

The teacher also says she's usually not very clean.

Oh my God, that's a lie! That's a lie!

Listen, okay, sometimes I don't have gas.

All right? I don't have gas, and so I don't have hot water.

But I bathe her. I bathe her.

She is just... She gets... She gets very cold.

Okay? And I'm telling you the truth.

I swear to you, I'm telling the truth!

- We need to do a home visit. - Please.

Why are you doing this?

Please, don't take my baby.

It's already done. -

Please, no!

- Here's my card. -

We have your information. We'll be in touch.

What about her medicine?