The Secret Life of Bees

[Footsteps Shuffling]

[Objects Clattering]

[Humming]

[Man]

Deborah?

- Where you been?

- I'm sorry. I'm sorry, T.

- Are you cheating on me?

- No, no! I'm not cheating on you.

- What...

- Stop it! What are you doing?

- T! Stop it!

- You ain't leaving me!

- Who is it?

- Nobody! It's you! I hate you!

T. Ray, just let me go!

- [T. Ray, Indistinct]

- No!

T. Ray, damn it!

Get off me!

Lily!

[Gunshot]

[Lily Narrating]

I killed my mother when I was four years old.

That's what I knew about myself.

She was all I wanted,

and I took her away.

Nothin' else much mattered.

[Buzzing]

[Buzzing Continues]

[T. Ray Snoring]

- T. Ray!

- What?

There's bees in my room!

Hundreds of' em! You've gotta see!

- What is it? Jesus Christ, Lily.

- They're in my room! Come see.

What?

Goddamn it, Lily.

This ain't funny.

But they were here.

They were flyin' everywhere.

You wake me again,

I'm gonna get out the grits.

You hear me?

Goddamn it.

[Lily Narrating]

The bees came the summer of'64...

The summer I turned 14 and my whole life

went spinnin' off into a whole new orbit.

Lookin' back on it,

I wanna say they were sent to me.

I wanna say they showed up like

the Angel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary.

I know it's forward to compare

my small life to hers...

but I have good reason

to believe she wouldn't mind.

So, um, my birthday is tomorrow.

- [Utensils Clatter]

- Most girls want...

one of them little silver charm bracelets

they have down at the mercantile.

Think I'm the only girl in junior high

doesn't have one.

But I was just thinking you could tell me

about my mother instead.

All you ever said is she's from Virginia

and she's an only child like I am.

I don't even know what

her favorite food was...

and what she liked

to do and...nothin;

- You wanna know about your mama?

- Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

She used to spend hours

lurin' roaches and whatnot...

out of the house with graham crackers

and marshmallows.

[Chuckles]

Swear to God.

She was a lunatic about savin' bugs.

[Door Closes]

Here you go.

Hey, Lily! Nice ass!

[Laughing]

Oh!

Gotcha.

Rosaleen.

Look at this thing fight.

- What you doin' with that?

- Catching bees to show T. Ray.

He thinks I'm making it up.

Get yourself stung,

don't come cryin' to me.

- Come fix this.

- For the future... [Indistinct]

What'd they do?

Drop the atom bomb or somethin'?

Hush.

It does say that there are those

who are equal before God...

shall now also be equal

in the polling booths...

in the classrooms,

in the factories...

and in hotels and restaurants

and movie theaters...

Holy shit.

And other places that provide

service to the public.

[Man]

Today, July the 2nd, 1964...

President Johnson signed

the Civil Rights bill into law.

Fifteen, 16, 17, 18...

When's my hair gonna

look like yours?

I bet mine used to drive you crazy the way

it goes off in 11 wrong directions.

I bet you used to brush it a hundred times a day

just to get it to lay down.

I bet you did.

- [T. Ray] Lily!

- [Panting]

Lily!

Lily!

- Who you out here with?

- What?

- Who's out there?

- Nobody. There's no one here but me. It's just me.

Get up from there.

Get in here.

No! You think you're grown? Huh?

Out there doing God knows what.

You'll get yourself pregnant

and then what? Huh?

Huh?

[Panting]

[Bottle Cap Falls To Floor]

You can go.

Mornin'.

How long your dad

keep you on these grits?

Hour.

[Sighs]

Look at ya.

Happy birthday.

I didn't know you made me a cake.

Of course I did.

It's your birthday.

- How big a piece you want?

- Real big.

[Door Closes]

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