The Poker House

Fuck.

I race the sun home in the morning...

and the moon up at night.

There's just today,

and then there's tonight.

Anything can happen,

then anything does.

Get through it.

You've got 10 minutes to get out of my house before my sisters get up for school.

I-I-It's some Jewish people holiday.

Ain't no school. Then you got five minutes.

Yeah?

All right.

I ain't seen this one before.

He probably won't kill me. It ain't happened yet.

But it's like when people tell you that their dog doesn't bite.

How do they know?

Oh, and nobody's coming to save my ass.

It took me a minute to get that.

The man in the white hat, the man on the white horse--

yeah, he ain't coming.

I remember when I was 10 somebody gave me a diary for a present,

and I felt like it was too late...

so I didn't write in it.

Too much had already happened.

So it wouldn't be the whole story.

I feel that way again,

and I'm 14.

But nobody'd believe it.

Ain't nobody to tell.

If a girl falls in the city and nobody sees it,

did it happen?

Get up.

Shit.

Get up.

Is it cold?

Not really. Wash your face, stinky.

Where's your little sister?

Sheila's.

What?

That's where she's at. Who?

Cammie.

I asked you that, like, an hour ago.

Yeah, well, she's at Sheila's.

Even though Sheila's mom says she can't stay there no more...

'cause she can't afford to feed seven kids, only six.

Like, what's the big whoop?

But Cammie keeps going over there every day after school,

and by the time Sheila's mom gets home from her second job at the dog track--

lame--

she doesn't have enough energy to wake Cammie up and kick her out in the street.

Cammie's fuckin' little. She don't take up that much room.

Yeah, but she eats up all their food.

Good for her. Maybe she'll grow.

What are you gonna do today?

Nothin'.

Well, deliver these papers.

Go bum food at Kelly's mom's.

Oh, and I got this book report on a book I probably read in utero.

And play my sax.

How 'bout take a bath?

Mom here? Yeah.

Then no.

Hey, Bee! Wait up!

You coming back?

You making breakfast?

I could make macaroni and cheese,

although we don't make any milk or any butter.

Orange-water macaroni?

I found some nacho cheese Doritos from last night.

I can smash 'em up in the bowl with water and--

Nah. That doesn't work.

- It kinda does. - Not!

- Does. - I'd rather eat dirt.

One hour.

One hour, queer bait.

Bee poured out all the liquor in the house once.

That went over real well.

He kissed me...

about a week ago.

Are you breaking into people's houses now?

Fuck you.

I was rollin' bones behind Ju-Ju's.

Them niggers don't know how to act.

Well, you tell 'em.

You win, at least?

I rolled hard eights for an hour straight, little girl.

You didn't answer my question.

I'm tryin' to told you.

You just didn't heard me.

You count it.

And I kissed him back.

Here, my girl. Supposed to start shootin' folks now?

If you want to. Who would you shoot first?

You.

What's the matter? Don't like McDonald's no more?

I'm gonna eat it.

Don't worry about it wit' your black ass.

You got jokes.

Three hundred and-- Eighty-two dollars.

Man, them niggers shouldn't mess with the kid. Think they slick.

What day is today?

Well, it used to be called Monday,

but after the rebirth of the cool tonight--

Uh, no.

after the rain falls down like a mighty river--

Calm down, reverend. I got it. You got a game tonight.

A game?

Baby, don't you read the papers?

This is the ladies' conference championship...

in the guise of an ass-whippin' of biblical proportions.

Calm your narrow ass down.

I read about you in the papers, girl.

What did it say?

That you love me.

And?

And that you was fixin' to open a can of whup-ass on the basketball court tonight.

So you can read.

Do you still love me?

Of course I do.

What's goin' on with the freaks?

I kicked some big-headed nigger out of here a little while ago.

Alfred.

I didn't ask him his name.

Tommy.

I don't know. I never saw him before. What?

You deaf too? I said, I never saw him before.

Oh, hell, no.

This double-trick bitch owes somebody some money.

Sarah!

Hey, baby. Get your ugly ass up, bitch.

I was waiting for you. You got my fuckin' money?

I don't wanna hear shit, bitch. What, you drink supper?

And open a fuckin' window!

Smells like somebody's ass!

What the fuck you think this is? You know I don't play games.

Oh, come on!

Bitch!

I don't want no part of what goes on in there.

Yeah, that's right, ho.

Shut the fuck up.

But I sure do like being kissed.

$442.

You ain't gon' eat it?

I don't give a fuck about no Egg McMuffin.

Suit yourself, little girl.

Cammie. Cammie?

Mama says you gotta go.

Fuck.

What time is it? Don't matter.

Mama says you gotta go.

Go, go, go! Do it! Do it! Ray!

Home! Home! Home!

I got it!

Ray!

Jesus! What's going on?

Hey, y'all better stop playin'!

Mama! Mike hit me!

Goddamn it, what the hell's going on?

Who touched my towel?

This red towel is my towel, and it's got wet on it. Who touched it?

Mama! What?

Cammie, you've gotta go home. Okay.

Earl! Burl!

Bye, Cammie. Bye, Sheila.

Bye, Mrs. Hightower. Bye, little girl.

Okay. Thank you.

Bye, hon. Sweetheart.

Bye.

Mama, Burl's bleeding again.

They know where the Band-Aids are. Sit down. Eat.

Earl!

Well, Cammie, it looks like you and I are working the same shift today.

Sure does. What do you say we get some breakfast.

Sounds good to me. All right.

Wait a minute. What?

Looks like you grew about an inch in your sleep.

Yeah?

I don't know if I should feed you just yet.

What-- I wanna grow!

Oh, you do? Yeah.

Oh, okay. Well, let's get a move on.

Okay.

I wish you was my daddy.

I couldn't be your daddy.

Yeah, I know. And you couldn't be my kid.

Yeah, I know.