Original subtitles

Here it is. I found it. William's stupid new pen.

It's a limited edition Mont Blanc Andrew Carnegie pen.

Oh, my God.

This thing costs $5 ,000.

How much is the firm paying him?

Hell, I want to know, too, because they rolled up in a new 7 -series BMW last

week. Hmm.

Is it just me or is William looking more and more like my second husband?

Why don't you marry the first one first?

What? A girl can't have a five -year plan?

Being diagnosed with AIDS five years ago.

definitely enhanced my perspective on living.

A lot of people are alive, but they're not living.

They're existing.

They're just here.

Living is taking one tiny moment and making it into an

eternity so that you never lose it.

It means...

Putting a value on every breath you take so you might take another one.

And I didn't view it that way before I was diagnosed.

Being told that I have AIDS had to be, no,

it was the most terrifying moment in my life.

It's not a moment that I asked for.

And I'm not happy about it, and I'm not supposed to be.

But I have to deal with it.

And at times, it's not the easiest thing to do.

Here you go, Tony.

Okay, Lynn, what's up?

You never buy the drink.

I mean water.

I need you to fly to Virginia with me.

Sandy's been avoiding me again, and I'm going to go down there and drag her butt

back here. Why, to help you with your little documentary?

My presentation to the Phillips Foundation is next week, and they're

need to see some footage if we're going to get this grant.

Ask Joan. She's a supportive one.

I'm the cute one, and as you can see, I'm doing my job.

Joan can't go. She swam to work.

What about Sinbad?

His name is Savad, and he's at a poetry slam in Oakland.

Tony, I really need your support.

Sandy already rejected me once. Actually, twice. Remember, she did give

at birth.

What? She didn't?

Tony.

All right, all right, I'll go.

But I'm not going to hold your hand.

Seeing how this hand will be in first class and that one will be in coach.

Hell no.

What's his assistant making?

Hello?

Oh, you like it.

It's my new Cartier steel roadster.

I was going to go with the gold tank Francaise, but a little too bling bling.

Way too much ching ching.

Hey, Maya, have you seen... Yeah, yeah, I heard bling bling ching ching.

Look, William, I don't like to deal with Daddy, okay?

I want to be your new assistant. You need one. I need a raise. You know I'm

good. What do you say?

Maya, you know it's frowned upon for lawyers to steal assistants from other

lawyers. Not to mention Joan's going to kick your ass.

Joan is my friend. She will understand.

No, she won't.

But on the odd chance she does give you her blessing, you're hired.

Provided you survive the ass -kicking.

I just saw William's new office. Can you believe he has a $40 ,000 decorating

budget? I can't even get a new stapler. Maybe William will buy you one.

Find out how much you make.

Oh, my God.

This is twice what I make.

They've given him everything but the senior partner title. Oh, God. Yeah.

Uh, listen, Joan, there's, uh, something I need to talk to you about. Aw, damn.

You got the title?

No. Oh, phew.

All right, look, it's just that, you know, this past year has been really

for me. Girl.

For me, too. Please tell me that this includes his year -end bonus. Joan,

please. I'm sorry. Thank you.

What?

It's just, well, you know, when Darnell and I split, I was lost.

But with your support, I was able to move on.

And we'll see, that's just the thing, Joan.

There comes a time when you...

gonna go upstairs and demand a new stapler.

Hey, Joan. Oh, my God.

William, you would think with what they're paying you, you could afford to

knock. Actually, with the free reign they give me around here, I don't have

Look, here's a novel idea.

Defunct before you come to work.

I have to pull an all -nighter.

Some of us still have to work for a paycheck.

I've seen your paycheck.

You're working too hard.

Did Maya talk to you last night?

She did, and, you know, I'm really proud of her.

I mean, she has gone through a lot in this past year, and sometimes it's

hard to embrace change and move on. But she is doing what she's got to do.

Wow, Joan, I'm amazed you're taking this so well.

Taking what so well? The fact that Maya wants to be my assistant.

She never told you, did she?

This is why I try not to travel south of the Mason -Dixon line. Always giving me

root flashbacks.

God, look at this place.

Sandy must be loaded.

Hey, somebody needs to tell Chicken George and Fiddler they don't have to

this abuse.

They's free now.

Tony, don't start. This is my mother's house.

That's right.

One of those men could be your pappy.

I brought you along to be supportive, not to make an already awkward situation

even more... Shoot, you think?

Good afternoon, ladies.

If you're here about the kitchen position, it's already been filled.

Hold on! Do I look like I work in a kitchen?

I've never even been in my own kitchen.

We're looking for Sandy Bickle. I'm afraid my daughter's a little under the

weather. She's not quite up to company.

Oh, my God, your daughter?

You're my grandmother.

I'm Lynn Searcy, Sandy's daughter.

Honey, you must be mistaken.

My daughter doesn't have any children.

Listen here, lady.

Just because she was a mistake doesn't mean she's mistaken.

I think it's time for you and your friend to leave.

Look, I just traveled 2 ,000 miles. Coach, not first class.

To see Sandy, and all I need is five minutes of her time.

We're working on a documentary together, and look, I don't mean to seem

disrespectful, but I have come just too far to turn around and go back now.

She told you she made documentaries?

Why don't you come around back? I want to show you something.

Why, we got to go around back.

If she tries to put us to work, I'm going to go Nat Turner on her ass.

This is Sandra's room.

Oh, here are some chapters from her unfinished novel.

This is from her Van Gogh phase.

Now, last year, these cages were full of cats and rabbits. She was trying to

breed rabbits.

I thought my mom was crazy.

My dear, Sondra is bipolar.

She disappeared a couple of months ago during one of her manic highs, and I

assumed she was making candles again in colonial Williamsburg.

I guess that's when she was looking for you.

Well, I can't believe all that stuff about her documentary was just a lie.

She's a nutcase.

That's why she had to give you up.

Well, that and the fact that your daddy was some colored fella she met on a bus.

Okay, now you're just being hurtful.

A bus?

Bipolar? I never picked up on it.

She seemed a little eccentric, but... Mama, are you in my room again? Damn it,

can't I get any privacy?

Oh, my God.

Hey, Sandy.

Why'd you come here?

Well, I've been working on a documentary, and we're up for a grant

Phillips Foundation.

And I need your help.

Excuse me.

I am so sorry I'm late.

Maya? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I had an interesting conversation with William

morning.

Is there anything you want to tell me?

Yeah, just that William is a big, fat liar.

Why did you do this to me?

Joan, I'm sorry.

Doesn't loyalty mean anything to you?

Joan, my loyalty is to Jabari.

First, last, and always.

Look, we know how much William makes, all right? And I need the extra money

assistant will get.

Jabari's tuition goes up every year, plus you know I want to go back to

and get my degree.

Joan, please.

William won't do it without your approval.

You're right.

So how about I ask the firm to give you a raise?

How about you can't even get a new stapler?

How about I pay you the difference out of my pocket?

Well... What?

So it's not just about the money? No, no, no. No, it is. It is. It is. It's

there's the right now money, and then there's after William makes senior

money.

So you don't think I'm going to make senior partner? Of course you will.

Eventually.

John, come on, girl. Look, you said it yourself.

You know, they've given him everything already except the title.

You know, and it's in my best interest to attach myself to someone who's on the

fast track.

It's not personal, John. This is business.

Would you please tell William that you're okay with this?

I can't afford to lose my assistant right now.

Nothing personal.

Just business.

Come on.

I don't think they're coming back. Maybe we should just go.

I'm not going until I talk to Sandy.

Well, you can mope around here if you want to, but I'm taking my ass back to

cold side of town before it gets dark.

Look, Lynn, I'm sorry about Sandy, but the fact is, none of us can choose the

families we're born into.

And I should know that better than anybody. I grew up with an alcoholic

who even on her sober days dressed like she was drunk.

Sweetie, but I've had to learn to love her for who she is.

Just like you're going to have to learn to love your mother for who she is.

What?

Total fraud?

Got me involved in a stupid documentary and then left me hanging?

But at least she inspired you to start the documentary.

Everything after that has been all you.

You just have to see it through, and I know you can do it.

What if I'm just like her?

I mean, look at all this stuff she starts and doesn't see through. Come on.

That's me.

Lynn, we are not our mothers.

Do you see me down at Marshall's trying on a polyester pantsuit?

Or catching the Holy Ghost at a tent revival?

No, you don't.

And you never will.

And you, sweetie, I've never seen you more passionate and focused about

in your life.

Lynn, you found your calling.

Don't throw it away just because she isn't what you thought.

You know you're tripping.

She betrayed me.

Take it from someone who's fresh off the plantation.

Emancipate her. Let your people go.

But I would... It's no but, Joan.

Let the girl make some money. I know what you're paying. You should be

It's not me.

It's the firm. Oh, I see. So you're just the overseer speaking for Matthew.

Okay, Tony.

Enough of the slavery references, okay? I get it.

I'm going.

Nice pen, huh?

Why don't you see that? Stop.

See with your eyes, not with your hands.

Maya, can I talk to you?

Do I have a choice?

No, you don't.

Maya,

I just wanted to tell you that if you want to go and work for William, I'm not

going to stand in your way.

And about the things that I said... No, look, we both said some things that we

just didn't... Let me finish, okay?

Look, it hurt, but you were right.

William took some risks, and I paid off for him, so I'm not going to fault you

for wanting to go work for someone whose career is going somewhere.

Joan, you're 31 years old, and you're a junior partner at one of the most

prestigious law firms in L .A.

You have a career that you can be proud of.

You know, that's just it.

You know, you have a career.

Tony has a career.

Hell, even Lin's ass found herself a career.

And what do I have?

I have a job.

And that's just not good enough for me anymore.

You know, that's why I need the extra money, Joan.

To go back to school so that I can have a career of my own.

How can I help?

By just being there and being my friend.

And by watching Jabari three nights a week when I go back to school.

Can I have everyone's attention, please?

Someone once told me I'm dying.

Black women like me are dying.

And AIDS is our killer.

I took that as a challenge.

And this presentation is my answer to that challenge.

I've put together a portion of my first documentary titled Lives in the Balance,

African American Women and the AIDS Epidemic.

With funding from your foundation, hopefully we'll save a life.

I'd like to thank you all for coming out tonight.

And give a special thanks to the person who inspired me to become a filmmaker in

the first place.

Thank you, Sandy.

Now this speech is getting longer than my presentation, so I should roll it.

Hi,

my name is Carla Bailey.

I have HIV disease.

I was diagnosed in 1989.

All I could say was I didn't want to die.

HIV is now the leading cause of death for African American women between the

ages of 25 and 34.

So the first thing you do is you break down and you cry like a baby.

And they try to control you, but you don't hear nothing past you have.

Black women now account for 33 % of all new AIDS cases among African Americans.

One in three go to the football stadium or just sit and watch the Super Bowl.

And just imagine all those people, one in three.

Black women are leaving this planet faster than ever.

So I want to be in the battlefield.

You know, I'm not going to just die quietly or not fight this thing.

I want to help people know that they can prevent it. I want people to know that

they can live with HIV.

And I want people to...

not be prejudiced or get opinions about people with HIV.

So that's my story.

Epidemic.

She got the grant.

What? Your daughter. The grant from that foundation?

It's on their website if you want to take a look.

who I am.

I'm proud of my life.

I have a wonderful family that supports me. I have friends who encourage me

every day. I have two magnificent kids that say, they say,

Mommy, you're my bestest friend.

They say that.

Even when I'm mean to them, they find it in their hearts to say that to me.

That gives me strength.

You know?

And I'm going to be damned if I let something like AIDS break their hearts

spirit.

AIDS is a condition. It's not a verdict on who I am. And I'm not going to be

demonized for having it.

I won't do it.

So, I ain't going nowhere.

I'm too cute for that.

So, I have a wedding to attend in a couple of weeks. I have children to

And I have a full life to lead.

Man, I have moments to get.