Repentance

-Hey, boy. Hey. Hey, look. -Look what?

Hey.

Hey, you better chill.

Hey, hey. Shit, nigger.

Stop putting your hands up.

This is a bridge.

Hold on. Hold on.

Shit.

Tommy?

Tommy, come on, man. Wake up, bro.

Tommy, we hit somebody. Damn.

Come on. We gotta get the fuck out of here.

Every once in a proverbial blue moon we stumble across an author

who may verily change our lives.

Someone from we know not from where, perhaps even Dante's own paradise,

who assembles the words that we must read and hear.

None of your scribbler of syntax,

but a heavenly scribe of powerful ideas.

An absolute and true author.

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Thomas Carter.

We can do better than that for Thomas.

You're welcome.

May I ask you about your near death experience?

Did you see a white light?

No. Nothing like that.

What did happen?

Well, that's for the next book.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Could you make this out

to Angel, please?

-Sure. -Thank you.

You've read this a lot.

Yeah.

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

Why did you write that quote?

Well, it harkens back to a wise proverb.

"Self-doubt can be a demon."

I try to warn people to be mindful

of the difference between what's harmful and what's reflective.

Do you do one-on-one sessions?

No. Sorry, not anymore.

But I can refer you elsewhere.

If you change your mind,

I could pay your fee.

Thank you, Mr. Sanchez.

What issue exactly did the book help you overcome?

The death of my mom.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry.

I keep seeing her.

What do you mean by that?

I see her in all these different places. I know that's not possible.

I know it's not true.

But I keep seeing her in these different places.

Was she a good mother?

She was heaven.

Then she will be reborn.

And she's at peace.

It's her karma.

Thank you. Thank you.

...showers and thunderstorms expected to continue into tomorrow morning.

Rain tapering off tomorrow afternoon, followed by partial clearing and a high of...

What exactly is a praline?

It's good.

Your editor called.

I told him we can't do the on the road part of the tour until after Memorial Day.

It's just weird, you know?

I mean what am I supposed to do?

Sign my signature and take pictures?

Don't do that.

People love meeting authors.

You're like a literary rock star.

Maybe you'll have some cute groupies.

I already have a cute groupie.

Yes, you do.

I'll throw my panties at you.

You left the window open.

It's okay, baby, it's just getting a breeze.

-I think I heard something. -What?

You just heard the wind. It's okay.

-What's up, little brother? -What the fuck!

-Jesus Christ! -What up, punk!

What the fuck are you doing?

Man! What's up, man? Just rode in on the bike, man.

Just come home from the county, baby.

You know I had to come and see you. Getting that money now, baby.

You scared the hell out of me.

Don't I always?

What?

Where have you been?

Mom and Dad haven't talked to you in almost a year.

They ain't exactly talking to me right now, man, since I come home from the county.

You couldn't call nobody?

It's the middle of the night.

I got to call you? You're my brother.

Yeah.

Y'all are looking at me like I’m a ghost or something.

It's me, baby.

You got a beer or something in there?

In the fridge.

Really?

I’m sorry.

He can't stay here.

I know. Just, all right...

-He can't stay here. -Look. All right.

Let me talk to him.

Now meditation is very calming

if you stay quiet within yourself.

Close your eyes and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Look, she can't do it.

This is weird. Why do people do this?

Think about it like looking into a mirror.

Okay? Now close your eyes.

Take a deep breath in through your nose

and out through your mouth.

Do you see your reflection?

Do you see your hair? See your smile?

And if you look really, really close,

you can see much more.

Excellent metaphor.

All right, guys.

That was a great class. Thank you.

Good job!

Now who thinks she is the bestest teacher in the world?

Raise your hands.

Who thinks our guest today is a bit on the lame side?

Keep your hands up if you still think she's beautiful.

Do you and Miss Carter kiss?

Hey!

Everyone say a big thank you to Mr. Carter for speaking to us today.

Thank you.

And thank you guys for coming. Give yourselves a round of applause.

Good job.

See you all next week.

Hey, you did a good job today.

What's your name?

Francesca Sanchez.

I’m eight.

Who is coming to pick you up, your mom or your dad?

My mother and father aren't together anymore.

I’m sorry.

Guess what I do for a living?

I’m a life coach.

That means I help adults with their problems.

And a big part of my job is keeping secrets.

So if there is something you want to say,

I won't tell anybody.

Really?

Cross my heart and promise.

Francesca.

Let's go.

Hey, Dad.

-Hey. Did you have fun? -Yeah.

What are you looking for?

Where's the coins Granddaddy left for both of us?

Why?

Where's the fucking coins?

What happened?

I got beat the fuck up. What it look like happened?

By who?

Just, where's the fucking coins at, man?

How much?

I need 12G's.

$12,000!

I got jumped on, man.

I was hanging out with Crystal

and some niggers from the Ninth Ward jumped on me.

I’m gonna kill them bitches. They some dead motherfuckers, man.

People were after you.

Why didn't you tell me?

I’m a grown-ass man, man.

They got a bounty on my head for 12K, bro.

I’ve been sleeping on park benches.

I’ve been sleeping in the trunks of cars.

I’ve been trying to survive, man.

'Cause they gonna kill a nigger, man.

I don't got $12,000.

You got a book deal.

That was an advance. That was nothing.

You owe me, man.

-What is that supposed to mean? -You fucking owe me.

I read about your memoirs.

I read about your near death experiences.

And you left out one thing, Tommy baby.

I was there with you.

I was with you.

That story was meant to illuminate a changing point in my life.

That's bullshit, man. You lying.

You lying.

And the truth ain't in you.

But you ain't got to worry.

'Cause I ain't gonna tell your secret.

I’m gonna die with it, bro.

Got us a bottle of Barolo. It's some fancy stuff.

Have a good night with your wife, man.

What was that?

Nothing.

What?

Don't worry about it. Hey.

-Hello, Meyer. -Hello.