Growing up, you always had that one house
where you and your buddies would meet after school
or on the weekends and just hang.
That house usually belonged to a friend whose parents
were okay with letting their house be the "hangout"...
or in our case, it belonged to Norman's divorced dad,
who just wanted Norman to like him more than his mom.
How many grenades do we have left, Norman?
Plenty.
Dang!
Guys, my dad should be here any minute.
Get the pillows.
Is it good?
Good enough for my dad.
And then, we'd do it all over again the next day.
Hey, Mom, Dad. I'm going to Norman's.
Not until you sweep up this kitchen.
I believe there's more cereal on the floor
than made it into your bowl this morning.
- But I... - You heard your mother.
There's our little working girl.
Finished your first week of having a real job.
- How's it feel? - Like payday.
You mean it feels good to have responsibility
and be rewarded for your hard work.
Yes, I have been growing as a person.
And I'm gonna buy a new dress for Cathy's party.
You have plenty of party dresses.
We agreed to let you take this job only if it didn't interfere with school
and you were responsible with the money you earned.
Spending your first paycheck on a dress doesn't sound like a good idea.
Well, is it a special party?
- Nope. - Yes.
Kwame's gonna be there.
I thought you broke up with Kwame.
- Albert. - I did.
If you broke up, why are you on the phone with him all the time?
Dean, it is not polite to eavesdrop.
And what else you hear?
You two are more back and forth than a trolley car,
- and no new dress is gonna fix that. - But...
That's cool.
Probably won't have enough money for a new dress anyway.
I barely make any tips at work.
You do realize that tips are based on good service, right?
Yes, Daddy.
I was hired to make their new black customers
feel comfortable, but there aren't enough of them,
so I've been inviting my friends to come by
so they can tell people that it's cool to eat there.
If you need more customers, we're available.
- Want to go tonight, Lil? - Sounds like a good idea.
Stew's better on the second day, anyway.
Hope your plan works and you get more tips.
You know, a lot of money gets taken out of that paycheck.
I know about taxes, Daddy.
I'm talking about what I take out.
Everybody in this house with a job chips in for bills.
Only you could find a way to charge me for earning my own money.
I'll see y'all later.
Yeah, and we will get ready to leave as soon as Dean
cleans up those last three Cheerios up under the hutch.
Not only did my mom have eyes in the back of her head,
apparently she had X-ray vision, too.
But I was going to Norman's.
We're going to Kim's diner. After you take a bath.
You smell like the outside.
But all the guys are counting on me.
I'm supposed to bring them the cherry bomb and the rope.
The what?
Yeah. Never mind.
Well, that last Cheerio was picked up,
and I'm gonna go get in the bathtub.
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Dad, your pork chop with the gravy on the side, no potatoes.
Mom, your country fried steak, light on the batter with no pepper.
And here's Dean's burger,
well done with pickles, but no onions.
Here is a refill of your sweet tea, 'cause I noticed you were getting a little low,
an extra napkin for you, and extra ketchup for Dean.
Very nice. Thank you.
Look at our baby girl.
So professional.
I told you I could handle grown-up things like having a job.
You forgot the sugar for my ketchup.
I said no seeds on my bun. This lettuce is brown.
I think I see onion juice on the bread, and... it's cold in here.
Dad, tell Dean to stop being a little butt.
You can't come crying to Mom and Dad on the job.
Handle him yourself. But remember, the customer's always right.
Sir, let me take that burger back to the kitchen to make it right for you.
Did you want regular spit on that, or extra juicy?
On second thought, it's fine the way it is.
There's a lot of us in here. I think your plan just might be working.
It is, and I got lots more ideas
that'll help things run better around here.
My mom and dad were used to this from Kim.
They always said, "When Kim goes to heaven,
she's gonna tell Peter how he can run things better."
To which I always replied, "If Kim goes to heaven. If."
Table 8 just sat down.
Aww, my girlfriends showed up for me.
This is gonna be so fun.
We're supposed to be waiting tables, not hosting a dinner party in here.
I'll be sure to provide excellent service so they come back.
And take even more tip money out of my pocket.
Great.
I'd watch your back with that one.
Wendy? She's fine.
Her feet probably hurt.
Mine would, too, if I wore those ugly clodhoppers all day.
As my mom and dad proudly watched Kim take on this new level
of responsibility with confidence,
the significance of the moment wasn't lost on me.
So...
now that Kim has a paycheck,
can I get her allowance?
15% of $7.50?
Let's just give her 10%. That math's easier.
- 15% is $1.13 when you round up. - Thanks.
None of us could figure that tip out in our heads.
Wait, that's for Kim? S-She's my sister.
I should have told you less.
Well, isn't he just the cutest?
He reminds me of my little brother,
- but Calvin's not that smart. - He's not.
We should buy him a milkshake.
Now, girls my age may not have given me the time of day,
but I was about to discover that the girls too old for me to date...
man, I was irresistible.
Dean, scram. Go back to Mom and Dad.
Don't worry about it, girl. I mean, he can stay with us.
- Come on, it's fine. - Thank you.
Hey, waitress?
Refills for me and my friends, please.
Make it snappy, sweetheart.
Careful.
Come on, Dean, time to go.
The ladies and I just ordered drinks,
so I'mma stay here for a while and ride home with Kim.
Is that what you think you're doing?
Let the boy stay, Lil.
He might learn some responsibility by observing Kim in her work environment.
She got that strong work ethic like her mama.
Well, okay, then, Dean.
Just don't bother your sister while she's busy.
We'll see you at home.
You be cool.
So, Dean...
tell us all about yourself.
Yeah, your book report is very good, Dean.
You really explained the themes of Call of the Wild very well,
but you had several misspelled words.
Now, honey, if you can't spell something, you gotta look it up.
How would I know if I spelled a word wrong if nobody tells me?
One day, I'm gonna create something
that automatically checks your spelling for you.
Baby. Lazy has already been invented.
And that's why I don't have a yacht today.
I got it!
Hey, Mrs. Williams.
Kwame.
Kim, you, ready to go?
- Yeah, let's go. - Albert.
- I prefer Kwame, sir. - I bet you do.
But that's not what your mama named you.
- Well, we were on our way out, so... - I parked behind you in the driveway,
so we might as well sit a spell and catch up.
How's that revolution coming?
Y'all on schedule?
So...
Does this mean that you...
Kwame is just giving me a ride to the party... as friends.
"Friends"?
I used that one a time or two myself back in the day.
But experience tells me there's no such thing as boys and girls being just friends.
What was my dad talking about?
I have friends who are girls, like Keisa.
Right.
Maybe that was true back in the '40s or whenever,
but men and women are equals,
and we can define our own relationships.
Is that what you two think you're doing?
Yes. Friendship is what I want.
- You're driving this? - Yes.
And my friend and I are about to be late to Cathy's party.
So you're just gonna let her do all the talking for you?
- I'm sorry... - So you're just gonna interrupt her when she was talking?
So you're just gonna let me contradict myself like that?
- I don't... - We are picking up
some other people on the way, so we really should go.
Kim, you know what time to be home.
Yes, Dad.
Just get...
- Listen, you be careful, girl. - Okay.
Watching my father glare at Kwame...
I thought girl dads were the meanest people in the world...
until I became one.
Now I know that meanness is totally justified.
You hung out with high school girls?
And they paid for your food?
- We mostly just talked. - About what?
Just stuff. Like what they watch on the boob tube.
That's what they call TV.
Cool.
Yeah, and how they never have enough scratch... that's money.
And where they like to go for submarine races.
It means making out in a car.
I know, I know.
I thought there were gonna be real submarines involved, too.
I think it is so good that you wanted to come here and support your sister.
And you were right about the milkshakes.
Delicious.
Asking my mom to take me to the diner
was a brilliant move.
It made me look like a good brother,
all while putting me in position
to run into Kim's girlfriends again.
Kim being heavy-handed on the whipped cream tap
was just a happy accident.
Mr. Young?
Did Wendy mention my menu idea to you?
No, what was it?
Ooh, I'd seen that stink eye before,
but usually, it was Kim giving it to me.
I was thinking we should take our less popular items
off our regular menus and tell customers
they're our specials of the day.
That might make them inclined to try something different.
That's fine by me, as long as it's okay with Wendy.
I told you, I let her handle the menu.
Sounds like a yes to me.
What it sounds like is someone with a lot of smart-ass ideas
thinking she knows more than the people who worked here for the last ten years.
Wow, that was the first time I'd ever seen someone who wasn't Mama or Daddy
check my know-it-all sister about her attitude.
What's the problem? I was only trying to help.
Why don't you learn how things work around here first, hon?
Did you ever think that, in addition to wanting new customers,
Mr. Young wanted a waitress with a fresh perspective and a better attitude?
Well, he got one
with a smart mouth who needs to learn her place.
Can you believe Wendy?
Going off on me for no reason at all.
- I did not appreciate her tone. - Right?
But she definitely had a good reason.
Wait... so you're taking her side?
Baby, I'm always on your side, but that doesn't mean you're right.
Well, then, she's more wrong.
You have been working here for less than a month.
Workplaces have hierarchy
and politics that you need to learn
before you start going around trying to change things.
It'd be like me going to one of your parties
and trying to show all your friends how to do the Watusi.
Now, how would you like that?
I get it.
Now go get me some French fries to go with this milkshake.
But don't let that Wendy anywhere near my food.
I took Mama's example to heart.
No matter our internal conflicts,
we were a family and always had each other's backs.
This Wendy lady had a problem with Kim,
and that meant we had to...
Hey, here comes Pam!
Hey, Pam!
Kim's friends were super cool.
All they really did was gossip about people I didn't know,
talk about music I didn't listen to,
and reference magazines I hadn't read.
But still, I'd never felt so included in my life.
I think my birthday was the best party of the year.
I couldn't believe all the boys we invited
- actually showed up. - I know.
Did you see when Irving and Kwame were trying to sing like the Temptations? So funny.
Kim must have loved that.
Really? Why?
Well, because...
Give me one second, guys.
What are you guys doing here?
You were bragging about how fun this place was,
so we decided to join you.
Yep, and Norman's dad's apartment does not have gorgeous high school girls.
But they're my friends, and they're way more mature than you guys.
So?
Not everyone loves jokes about passing gas, Norman.
Really?
Dean, your food's getting cold.
This is Norman, Cory, and Hampton,
but t-they're not staying.
So, Dean, do you know Kwame?
No, not really.
I mainly just say hi to him for when he calls for Kim.
I would hope they give you enough time to talk to your girlfriend.
I don't really have a girlfriend right now.
I can't believe that, Dean.
Now, I should have been suspicious about this whole line of questioning,
but I wanted to show the guys how "in" I was with the high schoolers.
Anyways, he doesn't call as much since they broke up.
And... And when was that?
I don't know exactly.
He took her for a walk by the train tracks and...
Sound familiar?
She told my mom and dad that they were just friends. I heard her.
You know what, Dean?
I think it's crazy that you don't have a girlfriend.
I mean, who wouldn't want to be with an honest young man like you?
You know, I bet you don't even eavesdrop
on Kim and Kwame's phone calls, do you?
I need to use the restroom.
- Then go. - You have to let me out.
Just...
I think we all have to go.
Yeah, come on.
Let go...
What gives?!
She's pumping you for information, man.
Why would she do that?
- It's so obvious. - Obvious.
Pam's in love with you!
No.
Really? No, that's impossible.
She asked you if you had a girlfriend
and said, "Any woman would be lucky to have you."
And she stares deep into your eyes when you talk, like this.
That's love!
N-No, but she asked about Kim and Kwame.
To keep you off guard.
Girls are tricky.
This is better than the stories I watch with Granny.
- So, what should I do? - Look, you let her take the lead, all right?
My dad said older women know just what they want and exactly how to get it.
I was glad I had friends who had my back,
even if they had no clue what was actually going on.
I still wasn't sure the guys were right about Pam having a crush on me,
so just in case, the next day, I sprayed extra Afro Sheen on my hair
and chewed half a roll of breath mints.
Are you ready to order?
And no asking for lemons and water to make your own lemonade.
Well, our parents actually gave us money today.
Oh, okay then. What'll you have?
Table 5 needs more jelly.
- Okay, I'll... - Now.
I'm sure these gentlemen will wait.
I still hadn't figured out what Wendy's issue was with my sister.
Kim was great at her job,
but I figured it had something to do with Kim being from the original mother race
and Wendy being jealous because her loins
weren't the birthplace of civilization.
I mean, that's what I got from those Black Panther pamphlets in Kim's room, anyway.
Cathy, Mildred!
Here, Hampton, slide over and give them some room.
Hey, Dean.
You know my boyfriend.
Wait. Kwame is your boyfriend?
Yeah.
We're back together now.
Kim, two Cokes for me and Kwame.
Really?
I thought that we...
I-I mean, you said...
As I saw what was unfolding before me,
I began to realize that I'd been part of a nefarious plot all along.
As much as I didn't like my sister sometimes,
it never occurred to me that her friends
may not have been real friends.
Kim, I-I didn't know you'd be working today.
Didn't know or didn't care?
Look, can't we talk about this?
I don't need your help.
Let her weird little brother help clean up her mess.
After an hour of mean-mugging
and shooting the occasional spitball at Pam and Kwame,
- my friends had to get home. - Sorry about all this, man.
Yeah, that Pam is a real Jezebel.
Actually, she makes Jezebel look like Ruth.
It's not just a book, guys!
See you tomorrow, bro.
See ya, guys.
Before you say anything, I know my behavior was unprofessional.
Honey, it was more than unprofessional.
It was a train wreck.
But it wasn't your fault.
Here, let me show you something.
His name is Chad.
Boy, did he have my nose wide open.
You might say he was my Kwame.
That...
was taken about a month after he left me.
And that...
is Chad Junior.
- Is he your only child? - Mine.
But not his dad's.
I've heard Chad Sr. has three daughters by two other women.
That's heavy.
That's why now I can see
a no-good guy coming a mile away.
You need to let Kwame go.
- I know. - No, you don't.
You might have let him go up here,
but you need to let him go in here.
Because if it gets any lower, you're in real trouble.
I get it.
- But why... - Maybe the two of us didn't start off so good,
but I felt I should tell you
what I wish someone would've told me ten years ago.
Thanks.
I know I need to move on.
There's no way I can go through another scene like the one this afternoon.
He's just lucky neither one of us had a pistol.
That's right.
Comparing what I'd seen between Kim and Pam
to what I was seeing now, I learned that true friendship
can come from the most unexpected places.
This was the first time it ever occurred to me
that there might be a period in my life
even more emotionally challenging than junior high.
I have to tell you something.
I kind of am the one that told Pam that you and Kwame were broken up.
Thanks. Thanks a lot.
I really hoped Kim was going to add a
"But it wasn't your fault."
She didn't.
I just don't understand why you can't be done with Kwame.
I swear, you guys have broken up like a thousand times.
Girls like guys like Kwame.
Even girls who know better, like me...
and Wendy.
Does that mean that there are girls like Kwame that guys like?
- Even though we know better? - Yeah.
And Pam is one of them.
And based on the way she played you,
you better start praying now.
Damn. The future.
Look. Sometimes, relationships don't make any sense.
That's why you have to make sure you have good friends around you...
who will tell you the truth,
see things you don't see.
Obviously, I'm still looking for good friends like that.
But you've always had a ton of friends.
I've always been popular.
That's not the same as having good friends.
Like you.
You have real friends.
I'm a little jealous of that.
That was the only time my sister ever said
she was jealous of anything I had.
What the hell?
- Those guys. - _
And she was right to be jealous this time.
Hey, great news, guys! My parents are back together!
- Cool. - That's great.
Yeah, but my dad moved back home, so...
no apartment for us.
Looks like it's back to the diner.
Does your sister know any more cool high school friends we could hang out with?
She's not even working at the diner as much.
She's got an extra job.
He's changed, and he's putting on his P.J.s.
Dinner's in the oven and should be ready in a few minutes.
- Cool. - Thank you so much for babysitting.
These extra night shifts really help me out.
I'll see you later. Bye, Dean.
I don't know why I'm here.
Mama's cooking is way better than Wendy's.
And she doesn't even have a color TV.
This is what you get for lying to our parents
about how you were "learning responsibility" from watching me work.
- Fine, I'll watch. - No.
This time, you'll learn from experience.
You can start by setting the table and getting dinner out of the oven.
Chad and I are hungry.
He likes his chicken strips with extra ketchup,
and I like mine crispy.
We'll need two waters and extra napkins.
Make it snappy, sweetheart.
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