Provided by explosiveskull https://twitter.com/kaboomskull M_I_SForEver
In the beginning, God said,
"Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness".
And the Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and man became a living being.
But the Lord said,
"It is not good that man should be alone".
"I will make him a helper comparable to him."
Then the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man,
he made into a woman,
and brought her to the man.
Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh".
"She shall be called woman
because she was taken out of man."
"Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother,
and be joined to his wife,
and they shall become one flesh."
Hello?
Yes, this is she.
Oh my god!
What happened?
Yes.
What happened?
What hospital?
Hey, baby.
- What's up? - I...
What's goin' on?
What happened?
It's my dad, he's sick.
What do you mean he's sick?
I mean, he's sick, baby.
He's in the hospital right now.
What happened to him?
I don't know,
that's why we need to go and find out.
Oh, no.
I'm sorry, baby.
We need to go to the hospital.
I can't.
I can't go to the hospital right now.
This motion is due by seven tomorrow.
I need to go to the hospital.
Yes, baby, I'll take you, but I just can't stay.
Can you stay an hour?
Okay, just one hour?
I don't think I...
- I can't do this by myself. - No, I can't.
Please, don't do this.
Do what?
You're always try to guilt trip me into doing things,
and when I don't, you make me feel like a freakin' jerk.
Fine, don't go.
I'll see you later.
This is what
- I'm talking about. - Enough, Brandon.
I don't have time for this, okay?
I will go to the hospital by myself, okay?
Look, I'm sorry about your dad.
Let me know how he's doing,
okay?
Whatever.
Hey, sweet pea!
What's goin' on?
What happened to you?
Out of no where,
my stomach started hurting me something terrible,
so go inside, use the bathroom,
and there's blood in the toilet.
What really made it worse,
was I took some pills for the pain,
and after a couple of hours, pain came back so strong
I could barely hold myself up.
After a while,
your brother came and found me,
and took me here to get me checked out.
Oh god.
Has the doctor seen you yet?
Yep.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, he saw me, ran some tests,
and we'll see what it looks like later on tonight.
Daddy, I'm gonna come and stay with you for a few weeks.
Mm-mm, no.
- Honey, no. - Daddy, no.
- No, no, no. - It is not up for discussion.
I said no.
You have your own life, your own family
- to take care of. - Daddy,
Brandon will understand.
You need me right now.
No, I need you to be at home with your husband.
You all need each other.
I'm gonna be all right.
Besides, I still have your idiot brother with me.
I love you so much sweetie.
And I'm proud of you.
Your mama would be proud too.
I know.
I love you too.
I gotta go to the bathroom.
Here, here, let me help you up.
No, no, no, no, no.
Are you all right?
- I'm fine, I'm fine- - Mr. Taylor,
are you all right?
I'm fine, I'm fine.
Just let me get ahold of my breath.
- To my knees. - What happened?
Ow.
Come on, I got you.
Take your time.
I gotta go to the bathroom.
- All right. - Daddy, your socks are
on the wrong way.
Let's sit you down first,
all right?
Let's go over some results.
I gotta see a man about a horse.
Don't worry,
I'm gonna take you to see that man, all right?
Just listen to me for one second, all right?
You his daughter?
Yes, yes.
Good, glad to have some support here.
Are you all right?
Yes, yes, I'm fine.
What do the test results show?
Have a seat for a moment, please.
Please.
I didn't hear you come in.
How is he?
Do you care?
I wouldn't ask if I didn't care.
He's sick.
They say he needs surgery three weeks from now.
Man, sorry about that.
What happened to you?
I tried to lift daddy out of the bed,
and he pulled my arm trying not to fall.
It's not a big deal.
I'm fine.
Hmm.
Well what did he say was wrong with him?
They say that daddy has-
It's Matthew.
I gotta take this.
Babe, just give me a second,
and I'll help you rub your shoulder, okay?
Matt, did you get the draft I sent you?
Good.
Excellent.
I need you to look at the bottom of page three.
Yeah. Yeah.
You see it?
Jamison, Wilson, Stewart.
Yes, of course.
No, she's in litigation.
Maybe I can put you through to her secretary?
Mm-hmm.
Hold, please.
Jackson Black.
I'm here to meet with Ruth Stewart.
Of course.
If you have a seat, please, Mr. Black,
I'll make sure that she know you're here.
All right, thank you.
Ms. Stewart, Mr. Black is here to see you.
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Jackson?
Yes.
Jackson Black.
A pleasure to meet you.
Ruth Stewart.
Very nice to meet you as well.
I am very excited to be here, Ms. Stewart.
Oh, please, skip the formalities.
Call me Ruth.
We're the same age.
Okay, no problem.
I just wanted to come correct, that's all.
From what I can see from your resume,
you are quite impressive.
Weinstein & Shapiro recommended you with much enthusiasm.
Thank you.
We're always happy to have another associate on board.
And I'm gonna be your mentor for the next three months,
so we'll be working pretty closely together.
I can tell I'm gonna be in really good hands.
Indeed.
Come, let me show you around the office.
Daddy?
Daddy, what do you mean they don't have
your insurance information?
It's on your paperwork from Dr. Concordia's office.
But that's not your fault, that's their fault!
I can't believe they're trying to bombard you
with all this nonsense right now?
Yes, I'm...
I'm not, I'm not, I'm really not.
You know what, daddy, I actually...
I keep a file with your paperwork at my desk at the job,
so I'm gonna take a look at that,
and I'm gonna send it over to the hospital, okay?
Yeah, no, no, no, no, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.
Everything's okay.
It's fine.
Okay, I will.
I love you too.
Bye.
- Brandon? - Yeah?
Can you come here, please.
Yeah, what is it?
Three days?
Three.
Are you serious?
What do you mean, am I serious?
Are you serious?
Did you seriously leave nasty dirty dishes
in the sink for three days?
Look, I don't have time for this right now, okay?
I've told you a hundred times, we need a housekeeper.
I know you like to keep things clean,
and you know I have a lot of work to do.
I told you before, I don't want a housekeeper.
They steal from people,
and besides, we can clean up after ourselves,
but it just takes a mutual effort.
You already know I work very hard.
To hell with that!
I work hard too.
I support us too.
I work late, I write motions, appeals, I go to court.
We're both attorneys, so don't give me that.
All right, calm down.
Now, look, all I'm saying is,
is that instead of complaining,
that you should try and hire a housekeeper,
or wash them yourself.
'Cause I always wash them myself, Brandon.
Always.
And I don't complain, I just do it.
You seem to not be complaining
- a lot lately. - Mmm.
I'm not the only one who eats off of these plates,
or walks on these floors,
or uses the bathroom, or wears clothes.
Look, look, all I'm saying, is that when I cook for us,
which is all the time,
so you just wash the dishes after we eat.
It's not that deep.
Fine, I will wash them after I finish my work, okay?
I'm meeting with Freddie and Matt tomorrow night,
and I don't know how long
- Freddie and Matt? - I'm gonna be out for, so-
Yeah.
I thought you told Deacon Mitch that you were
coaching the little league game tomorrow?
That was just yesterday.
Well, something came up.
I'm sure he'll understand.
So you just flat out lied to him, and me?
It's not lying, Ruth.
Things do come up.
This didn't just come up.
You knew this.
What are you doing?
Leave them.
- I said, I'd wash them. - Forget it.
No, no, no, I said I got it.
Baby, just forget about it, really.
Why the hell are you always doing this?
You're always telling me what I'm doing wrong,
everything I'm doing wrong,
but when I try to fix it, you don't want me too.
Why even tell me in the first place?
Okay, forget I mentioned it, okay?
I am sorry.
I'll do it myself, okay?
Just forget it.
No Ruth.
I'll wash it.
I got it, I got it.
No!
- Put it down! - No!
Ruth, I said put it down.
There, I put it down.
I'm sorry, okay?
No.
Leave it.
Look, I'll take care of it.
Leave it.
Look, the Justice ruled in our favor.
We did a good job today,
Team Ruth.
Fantastic.
Let's go.
All right.
Thank God, 'cause I am hungry.
I could eat.
You always could eat.
Hey, there's this new restaurant I heard about
It'll be great.
Let's go.
Why don't we all go?
So y'all don't wanna eat?
But I made some beef stew for everybody.
Okay, her cooking is great.
I'm with her.
I don't eat beef.
You don't eat beef.
I eat beef.
You eat beef?
- Oh yeah, let's go. - Let's go.
Are you serious?
That's messed up, y'all.
You can come.
You enjoy that beef.
- Well, I don't know - Hey.
- what I'm gonna do now. - Hey, now.
Don't worry about it.
It's vegan.
- Vegan, really? - Yep.
Sound good?
I know you like vegan.
Well, let me get my coat.
You're not gonna need it.
It's nice outside.
- Come on. - Okay.
The walk will do us some good.
That's right.
- After you. - Thank you.
Hi, Ruth.
Oh, hey, Jackson.
You scared me.
I'm sorry.
Never my intention.
Yes, I know.
Something you need?
No, not really.
I just wanted to get you the statements
from the Walker file.
I mean, I think this is all of them.
That man is the bane of my existence.
I can't believe he actually wants to go over
every bank statement he's had since 1975.
How 'bout you don't steal other people's money?
- Check and balance that. - Well-
- That is why you make the big bucks.
Where do you want me to put this?
That's okay, I'll take them.
- Thank you. - Okay.
Ow!
Geez!
Are you okay?
Yeah.
I...
I hurt my shoulder a few weeks ago.
Weeks?
What happened?
Sorry, I don't mean to pry.
- Just concerned. - It's fine.
It's okay.
My father is very sick.
Oh, no.
At the hospital, I lifted him up trying to help him
to use the restroom, and he slipped, and he pulled my arm.
Have you seen a doctor?
No, no, it's fine.
Really, it's just a little sore.
I mean, if you say so.
My mother died six years ago.
Ovarian cancer.
Really?
Yeah.
I'm an only child, and she raised me, so it was hard.
It's gonna be all right.
I promise.
Yeah.
Thanks, Jack.
I lost my mom too while I was an undergrad.
I'm sorry, I just...
- I really need to- - Mm-hmm, yeah.
To find this paperwork.
You know, you're lucky, you know?
I mean, with all this going on,
that you have your husband to go through it with you.
You know, standing by your side, helping you.
I mean, at least you don't have to do it on your own.
Yeah, you're right.
So he's gonna meet you here, or at the hospital?
Who?
Your husband.
No, Brandon has to work.
Oh my God, I have to text him
to get his plate out of the fridge.
I'm sorry, I really just...
I gotta go,
- Yeah. - and find this paperwork.
Ah!
Oh my god!
Thank God.
So, while you're tending to everyone else,
who's tending to you?
What do you mean by that?
Ruth, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be out of place.
You are out of place.
And just so you know, my husband takes care of me.
Jackson, don't you have somewhere to be, or something to do?
Take care.
Oh God.
Oh, no.
- Oh my God. - Sorry.
Are you okay?
Yeah, your hands are freezing.
I keep screwin' up trying to help.
You know it's funny,
'cause before I went to law school,
I wanted to be a chiropractor.
- Oh, really? - Yep.
What happened?
Long story.
Short of it, I suck at biology.
Oh! Ow!
But a chiropractor, my dear Ruth,
is exactly who you need to see.
You need to get to a doctor, immediately.
No, it's fine.
It's fine, please.
You say that a lot.
It's 'cause it's not fine Jackson,
but I want it to be.
I want it to be.
Everything is gonna be fine.
It'll all be all right.
Trust me, okay?
It feels good?
Uh-huh.
Yeah, thank you.
Ruth.
- No. - Come on.
Oh my God.
- Hey! - Get out!
Listen.
No, no.
No!
Wait!
Well, hello, Mrs. Stewart.
You're home early.
Hey, baby.
How was your day?
I'm glad you asked.
The judge accepted our motion.
Our client is going to a halfway house,
and won't see any jail time.
And now Rosenberg, Sloan, & Stewart LLP are $250,000 richer.
So all that good and hard work paid off.
Thought we'd celebrate
a little bit.
And how was your day?
Good, good, good.
Anything excitin' happen?
Well?
You hungry?
Dinner's almost ready.
Oh, what you cookin' over there?
Tomato and okra chili,
brown rice, vegetables, and cornbread.
- Mm-hmm. - Mm-hmm.
It smells so good too.
You've always known the way to my heart.
Are you on the menu too?
Okay, stop it.
I wanna finish what I'm doin'.
I'm hungry.
Oh my God.
- Whoo, geez. - What?
Your hands are freezin'.
Well, it's winter time, baby.
What you expect?
Besides, I said I was gonna give you a massage,
and I'm a man of my word.
Yeah, two weeks later.
Thanks, honey.
Oh!
Listen, man, you gotta go
to the doctor for this.
It's been sore too long.
No, it's fine.
- It's okay. - No, it's not.
It's not fine.
Okay, I'll go see somebody.
Good.
How does you feel now?
It feels good?
Yes.
What's wrong?
Ruth, what's wrong?
Is it your dad?
What did they say about him?
They say daddy's got pancreatic cancer.
No.
It's spread.
He needs to get surgery to remove a mass on his liver.
When?
Next week.
Well, why didn't
- you say anything to me? - I did,
over and over again.
You were too busy.
Everything is gonna be okay.
I promise.
Trust me.
- Good morning. - Oh, good morning.
- You okay? - Yeah.
I'll be in my office if you need me.
Okay.
All right.
All right, talk to you later.
All right, see you later.
Oh, Ruth, good morning.
Did you get that email that I sent about the Walter estate?
They want a conference call this afternoon,
and I put it on your calendar,
- Okay, that's fine. - and I need you to confirm
the dates that you wanna go to Chicago
- for the Partners Conference. - Okay.
- Fine, I'll do- - Oh, and Don just called.
He said he's faxing over the summons for Walker.
Okay, Cherise.
I can't really talk to you
- about this right now. - And I need you to put in your time,
so that I can draft that invoice
- for Hughes Lovells - - Cherise, I can't talk now.
- I gotta go, okay? - Okay.
- And coffee's on your desk. - Thank you.
Oh, wait, there's the fax now.
Yeah, he's a crook all right.
By the way, your husband called, he said...
Hi, Ruth.
Did you get my email?
About Glick?
I sent it three days ago.
We're set to meet in about 30 minutes.
And I thought you mentioned
something about another brief you wanted me to go over?
I hope you like the flowers.
I thought maybe you could give them to your father.
- Jackson, I don't really- - Just hear me out,
- please. - No, Jackson.
Wait.
Listen, you have only been here for a month,
and you've already...
No, I can't do this.
No, just go.
Just leave, please.
- We- - Don't, no!
Don't touch me.
I'm married, it's wrong.
This is wrong.
Please, just go.
- Please. - I'm not going anywhere
- until you listen to me. - What?
Are you crazy?
Are you trying to ruin my career too?
What is wrong with you?
- Well, listen to me then. - Okay, listen, okay?
I'm sorry.
- Why would you said that? - Because I am.
I never should have lead you on like that.
I just...
I shouldn't have done...
I'm really, really sorry.
You didn't seem all that sorry three days ago.
What?
Oh, oh, okay, okay.
Wrong thing to say.
I respect you, and I care about you.
I had no right to approach you the way that I did,
especially since I know you're married.
I just...
I couldn't stand seeing you crying.
I care about you.
You've done so much for me.
Since I've gotten here,
you're the one who's helped me the most.
It's like I see myself in you,
ever since we first met.
and I just knew.
And then nobody has got my back the way that you do.
I wouldn't be here without you.
So, please, please, forgive me.
I am sorry.
All right, okay.
I listened to you.
Now go.
Starting tomorrow, George is gonna be your new mentor.
I think that would be best.
Well, I just don't want this to affect our friendship.
I love you.
Get the hell outta my office.
Now!
Hey.
Hey, baby.
What are you doin' here?
I thought we'd have some lunch together.
You hungry?
Oh, yeah.
I didn't know you had a meeting.
I called your assistant earlier, and she said you were free.
She tried you once again, but once I got here,
but you didn't answer,
so I thought I'd come on back here and get you myself.
Oh.
No, no.
We don't have a meeting.
This is our new associate, and my mentee.
We just had to go over a brief, but we're done now.
Yeah, we're done now.
My apologies, sir.
Jackson Black.
Black, no worries.
Brandon Stewart.
Oh, trust me, I know who you are.
It is an honor to meet you, brother.
I've read some of your cases.
I gotta say, you are a real inspiration.
Definitely know how to win.
Thanks, I learned my best tactics from Ruth.
Me too.
Well, I gotta go, and get these gloves for Glick.
So, I'll let you know how it goes.
Gloves?
Oh yeah, yeah, she's a real germaphobe.
Hey, I can tell you, our clients, some real nutcases.
By now, I just do whatever they want me to do.
Whether wearing gloves,
massaging their backs, kissin' their necks.
You know, we do what others won't do,
that's what makes us so successful.
I'll do anything for my clients.
Without them, we wouldn't be anything, you know?
We owe them.
- Hmm. - Yep.
Your hands are freezing, man.
Well,
another reason I wear gloves.
See you.
Ruth.
I can't believe you're here.
It's so good to see you.
You too.
I figured you could use a little break.
We can eat in the park.
Oh, yeah, that would be nice.
That'd be really nice.
You all right?
You feel sweaty.
Yeah, I'm fine.
I'm just thinkin' about daddy,
and a client's sentencing is coming up,
among many other things.
So just...
I just got a lot on my mind.
Well, I hope this Jackson is doing his part
helping you with your clients.
Is he any good?
Oh, yeah, he's good.
He's really good.
Wow!
Who got you these?
Oh, the other partners,
they realized it was my eight year anniversary working here,
so they got me these.
And yeah, I'm so glad that you saw these,
because I'm gonna put these in some water,
so I can give them to daddy.
Yeah, I'm gonna...
Yeah, okay.
Where's the water?
What?
You didn't put any water in the vase.
All right, let's go.
- Let's not waste any time. - Okay.
Let me just get my...
Okay.
Hello?
Hey, daddy.
How you feelin'?
Oh, good.
Oh, I'm so glad the surgery went well.
I was worried.
When do they say you're gonna be able to come home?
Only a few days?
That's great!
Oh, my gosh.
Where's Junior?
Okay.
Yeah, well I'll stop by later on tonight
just to check in on you.
Okay?
All right.
I love you, daddy.
Get some sleep.
Bye.
- Hey, baby. - Something smells good.
New perfume?
Yeah.
Wow, you noticed.
Brandon didn't even notice.
I like it.
Thanks.
Nice dress.
You know, George can't keep his eyes off you.
He can't resist your beautiful smile.
Do you mind if I undo my tie?
It's kinda hot in here.
Yeah, go ahead, sure, go for it.
Tell me, Ruth,
while you're tending to everyone else,
who's tending to you?
My hands could tend to you.
They know where it hurts.
Does that feel good?
Hey, baby.
What's up?
Nothing much.
You okay?
Yeah.
How was your day?
Busy, as usual.
I was in and out of trial for most of the day,
which was daunting, but it is what it is.
I had three clients today, can you believe that?
Three clients being sentenced.
Luckily, none of them will be seeing any jail time,
just a slap on the wrist.
They even elected a new judge.
So you know I had to pull all the punches for that one.
I had to do legal.
I had to setup the documents, the beginning.
I had to cross reference brief.
Honey, I need to talk to you.
- Shoot. - I just...
I just, I...
I just want...
- Uh-huh. - I love you so much,
- and I- - Yeah?
I made a mistake.
Did you bleach one of my vintage jersey's again?
- No. - Then what do you mean?
I mean I did something I shouldn't have.
I never...
It was never ever a sexual thing.
You cheated on me?
It was not sex!
Then what the hell was it then?
Okay, listen.
I just...
I just kissed him.
After every damn thing I've done for us, for you?
And you stick your tongue down another man's throat?
Everything I've done,
that ain't good enough for you?
You mean everything to me, okay?
But I told him to stop.
I told him to leave me alone.
Who?
Who is he?
You don't know him.
Is it that new guy, huh?
Your mentee?
No, no.
Sweetheart, please.
Flowers...
He bought you those flowers, didn't he?
And you were hiding them from me.
And that jackass had the nerve to shake my hand.
I could kill him.
No.
- You know I could. - No.
Honey, listen to me.
This is my fault, okay?
I made the mistake.
Just tell me what...
I'll do anything not to lose you.
Anything!
- Anything? - Yes!
Since you wanna be in someone else's bed so much,
I don't want you in mine.
I didn't even sleep with him!
Can we just work this out?
Work out this sofa!
Work out these sheets!
Work out these silk pajamas.
No, wait, I bought these.
You remember when I bought these, Ruth?
You remember?
Because you wanted satin pajamas, right?
Seriously, Ruth?
Are we serious?
Did you seriously leave a cup in the sink?
Well, don't worry about it.
I got this!
No!
There, now no one has to wash it,
since we're breaking dishes.
Look, I worked it out.
- I'm working it out for us. - Baby, please stop!
Please!
And while you're down here,
think about how your gonna work out the rest of your life!
- Praise the Lord, everybody! - Yeah.
I said,
praise the Lord, everybody
I wanted to remember the broken body of our Lord Jesus.
Now during your personal tribulations,
recall the blood of Jesus.
And the same mercy.
Did you hear what I said?
- I said, the same mercy. - Same mercy.
That he showed you, extend it to others.
But start, first and foremost, in your house.
The Bible says,
"A house divided against itself shall not stand".
- Amen? - Amen.
So children, love your parents.
- Yes. - Yes.
Parents, your children.
Husbands and wives, and everybody,
walk in the spirit of love.
All your disputes must be settled at home
before you come to participate in the divine host.
Understand this,
you cannot expect the mercy of God
when you yourself do not intend to extend it to others.
Amen!
- Amen! - Amen!
I'm gonna ask my son, Deacon Brandon Stewart,
to come and pray over the host today,
the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deacon.
Amen!
Glory to your name, Lord.
We pray that you bless the host
as we remember the sacrifice you made on Calvary.
Forgive us all our sins,
and help us to show mercy,
and forgive the unforgivable.
Teach us to love each other.
Show us how to love the unlovable.
- Amen. - Amen.
- Thank you, son. - Amen.
Son, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus.
The body and the blood of Christ.
Amen.
I think I have some organic butter in the fridge.
I bean butter in the trunk!
Your into this organic thing, eh?
I need some meat
- on my plate, though. - Can you pass the bread?
- Yeah. - I got you.
Oh, you got me, son?
- Oh, okay. - You know Ruth?
Brethren, brethren - - If you had some of those tongs-
- Let's pause for prayer. - You know, it would be easier
- to pick up the corn. - Brethren, brethren.
Brethren, okay.
Let's prayer.
- Ew, I got this. - Yeah.
Y'all bow.
You got this, baby, right?
- Come on. - Come on, sweetheart.
Hold my hands.
Okay.
Dear God, thank you so much for this food we 'bout to eat.
Lord God, El Shaddai, Jireh,
we just ask that it's flavorful,
because we know that Ruth only uses organic ingredients,
and so we also know that she does not use
adequate amounts of salt and pepper.
God, I also ask that we don't get sick this time,
like we did when she made that meatloaf.
Lord, we know that you are able.
God, and I also wanna thank you so much
for getting my SNAP application approved, God.
So now, I don't have to ask Tyriek, Rashad,
or Cornelius for anything, Lord.
God, I thank you so much,
because we both know they ain't good for nothin'.
Thank you for keepin' it 100.
Amen!
- Amen. - Amen.
- Did y'all feel that? - It'll be all right.
Yeah.
No!
I don't trust you anyway, Tommy.
Ever since you became a Muslim, you don't feel nothin'.
Stop lettin' the devil use you.
Mm-hmm.
See, you know what that is?
That right there, that's your problem, my beautiful sister.
See, you lettin' that white man get to your mind.
You know what I'm sayin'?
See, I refuse to believe that some white Jesus
is gonna bless my food, and provide for me.
See, that's that slave mentality
that they puttin' in you, huh?
That's that mind poison.
You understand what I'm tellin' you?
First off,
Jesus wasn't white, okay?
We're not prayin' to a white man,
and it's not a white man in the sky answerin' our prayers.
Well, he seems to be providin' them food stamps
for you every once and a while, huh?
How them welfare checks comin', sis?
Jesus give me
- my welfare check. - Tommy, shut-up, man.
Nobody ain't ask you nothin'.
You know my name is not Tommy anymore.
My name, which was given to me by my brothers,
is Jabari Jahi El-Baruch.
Sweetie, I sure hope you get over this phase of yours
with this Nation of Muslim business.
You know your mama and daddy did not raise you like this!
Taylor, how you feelin' since your operation?
I'm feelin' all right.
Feelin' good.
I just have to take a little bit easier.
You know what I'm sayin'?
But I got Junior here sometime helpin' me out.
By the way, baby girl,
you were supposed to come by last night.
What happened?
Oh, Brandon and I had somethin' come up last night
that we had to take care of.
Oh, okay.
It took most of the night.
Oh!
We know what y'all talkin' about.
Y'all was doin' the nasty.
- Hush. - My black Nubian
- Wesley Snipes. - Junior, shut up.
Oh.
- Food is good. - Daddy?
Wait a minute.
- No, nothin' there. - Daddy,
did they release you from the hospital?
- Well, no, but- - Wait!
What were you doin' here?
It's Sunday dinner, and you know,
so I decided to take a walk, okay?
Just a little walk.
How long have you been gone?
Well, they would probably tell you four hours,
- Oh! - But, I mean,
- what's an hour or two? - My God.
Wait.
We not goin' for a walk?
I was gonna take him back right after we ate.
Junior, you are an idiot!
I'm not going back there.
That place smells like liniment,
- and the food tastes- - Okay, okay.
No, no!
Stop, daddy.
- Like doodoo- - Ruth, I was just noticin'
that your fireplace is a little dusty.
Do you ever get a chance to clean?
Excuse me?
You know, vinegar is my solution to everything.
You should try it sometime, and watch it work.
And you know, another thing.
When you set out your utensils for your guests,
you should polish them a little
so that the watermarks won't show.
I'll teach you before we leave.
Hey, man, can you pass the pulled pork?
From one black man to another, okay?
Don't consume that swine, man.
- He a mess. - That poison!
Come on, man.
It is a disgusting animal,
and Allah teaches us, command us, yet,
not to eat that pork, brother.
Come on, now.
Look, don't you read your Bible?
Deuteronomy, Chapter 14, verse eight.
Brother, come on, now.
Put the pork off your fork.
Don't even put it on a spork.
Jesus said that's there's nothing outside of a person
that goes into him that defiles him.
- Mm-hmm. - But what is in a person?
That is what defines him.
- Amen. - Like the stupidity
that is flowing out of your mouth right now, Tommy,
that defiles you.
Look, my name is Jabari Jahi El-Baruch.
Tommy, shut up.
We don't study there for education.
I'm just happy to be home, yo.
- Mm-hmm. - Yep.
Nah, man.
What you doin' with that, man?
Drop that right in here.
Where I'm from, don't nothin' go to waste.
Hey, listen, I know I got about...
Put all your water bottles up in this bag, all right?
Got at least a dollar at this table.
Ruth, do you have anymore of this Zinfandel?
This is so delicious.
No, ma'am, you drank my whole collection.
- Oh. - Oh, that's okay.
I got it.
Ta-da!
Maggie, don't you think you've had enough?
Jeffrey, I know how to take care of myself.
I am fully grown, okay?
So Candice.
So how the kids?
How's work?
They're good.
I'm not working right now.
I'm on unemployment,
but it's just a temporary situation
leading to a divine altercation.
So yeah, I am starting a line of hair and extensions,
and they feel and look like human hair,
but they aren't as expensive.
- Oh. - And patent is pending.
And we also have a lot of hair care products and services.
Wow, that's very enterprising!
You have clients?
What, customers?
- Have you got backing? - Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I have a whole bunch,
and they usually come to my apartment,
and we work in the kitchen,
'cause I gotta use the stove.
Oh, so it's not like you have a shop?
Like this is a real LLC?
Mm-mm.
If I did that, I would mess up my benefits.
I gotta be fiscally responsible.
Oh, I see, yeah.
You gotta fiscal, yeah.
You know, you in the system, so yeah.
You ain't say a word all night.
Are you all right, son?
I know what's
- wrong with him. - Shut up.
You know, Ruth, you're not feeding my baby
the way you should.
You know, stop all this organic foolishness,
and go and buy some regular food.
You know, somethin' that can stick to his ribs.
Am I right?
No.
He needs some bitters.
- Do you have some bitters? - He's not sick.
Well, then why is he so upset?
'Cause I cheated on him with a co-worker two weeks ago,
and now he wants a divorce.
Say what?
Does anybody want banana pudding?
Damn.
See, I'm gonna take this.
I'm gonna open
- this up real quick. - Give me my
stuff back, Tommy.
I don't think so.
He'll come back here.
Anybody don't want no bean pies?
Okay, I got bean-citrus juice,
if you need, in the cooler.
Anybody?
In the trunk.
- Unc, you want a bean seltzer? - No.
Oh, damn.
Are you the Stewarts?
Bill Caffrey.
Nice to meet you.
Brandon Stewart.
This is Ruth.
- Your wife? - Yes.
You okay, Ruth?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Just have a little bit of a headache.
I'm fine.
Have a seat.
So I know Pastor Stewart referred you to me.
Yes, he's my father.
Why are we here?
Well, dad referred us to you
because we've been experiencing some issues in our marriage,
and he wants us to forego any ministry duties
until further notice,
until we get our house in order.
What exactly is it that's keeping your house out of order?
Infidelity.
I see.
Who?
I recently had an incident with a co-worker
that was inappropriate.
And you only had sex once?
No, it was never sex.
I've only had sex with Brandon.
I kissed him.
I see.
And I'm not sure if I want to continue this marriage.
Before we even begin the counseling process,
I wanna ask you, for the time being,
to get any idea of divorce
- out of your head. - Are you kidding me?
No, I'm not.
I want us to stop looking into
our understandings of the issues.
I want you guys to consider
not how you see your marriage,
but how God sees your marriage.
Can we all agree to that?
Deacon?
Yes.
Sister?
Yes.
Good.
Now, let's start from the beginning.
Brandon, what was the first thing
that attracted you to Ruth?
Where did you meet?
Well, we met freshman year.
She was in my classes, and she was beautiful.
And as I got to know her,
I got to see how kind, thoughtful,
and absolutely brilliant she was.
So when I asked her to go out with me, and she said yes,
I couldn't believe it.
I thought something was wrong with her.
We dated for a few years,
and then she became my wife.
- And... - Yes, go on.
I'm done for now.
Okay.
What about you, Ruth?
Hmm, he was always so motivated.
I loved that about him.
As I got to know him,
I found him to be so considerate, and sweet, and gentle.
And he'd take me out all the time,
and we'd just talk for hours.
I think one night, we actually went out,
and just sat there on the lawn, and then we went to sleep.
You remember that?
There was never a dull moment.
We laughed together.
We shared together.
We loved together.
And soon after school, we got married,
and it was great at first.
It was amazing.
But then we...
We just separated.
Not legally, or anything, but in every other way.
Emotionally, spiritually torn.
It was like night and day.
And we even planned to start having kids.
The doctor said that I might have infertility.
After that, everything just went cold.
We both made partner at our firm,
and we just got busy.
But Brandon never seemed to have any time.
No time to talk.
No time to make love.
No time, no anything.
I felt like I was single again.
I know how important intimacy is for every marriage,
and not being intimate is a sure sign of a problem.
But she's lying.
We have sex.
- We had sex last Thursday. - Really?
Yeah, ask her.
That's not what I said, Brandon.
I said, "We haven't made love".
Sex, we have.
Intimacy, we don't.
Well, you really seem to be enjoying the lack of intimacy.
Brandon, let her finish.
The only who seems to enjoy it is you,
because it's your way, what you wanna do.
You don't even consider what I like, or what I feel.
You used to really care about how I felt,
but now it's all about you.
It's all selfish.
Please.
Aside from lack of intimacy,
what else would you say is causing this separation?
I just feel alone.
Like he doesn't have my back on anything.
I go to the doctor to get a cyst removed from my leg,
and he won't go with me for the procedure.
He tells me to take a cab home.
My father is sick.
He won't even go with me to the hospital.
And I'm going crazy with the stress of it all,
and he won't even be there to support,
or just help around the house.
Ruth, I have a responsibility to take care of us.
Many times, when you ask me to go out with you,
or to be with you during these times,
I have things that are due the next day,
or within a few hours.
And secondly, you know I hate doctors offices and hospitals.
It's all very traumatic for me.
Don't you see how selfish that is?
- But wait- - And how selfish you are?
- Hold up. - Baby, there's more
to our life than just work and money.
I need you to be there.
For trying to keep a roof over our heads,
or food in the fridge?
You're not even
- listening to me. - Guys, guys.
But clearly, I can't be as selfish as my wife
who goes off and gets her needs met with another man?
Baby, what?
What can I do?
What can I do, or give you, or say
to let you know how much I love you?
You know, Brandon,
when you were in your season of dishonesty,
I didn't treat you like this.
Hey, when I found out about your secret,
I didn't do this to you.
- Secret? - Really?
- You wanna go there? - Yeah.
Why even bring this up?
That was years ago!
This about you, not me!
Brandon, what is she talkin' about?
- It's not relevant. - Yes, it is!
- Tell him! - No!
A year...
- About two years into- - Ruth!
Excuse you.
About two years into our marriage,
I discovered that Brandon was watching pornography.
Well, here we go.
Ruth playing the victim.
- Really? - Yes.
I found magazines
inside the bottom of his desk drawer by mistake,
then I looked on his laptop and our computer,
and I found a whole lot more.
He was addicted.
And when I confronted him about it, Brandon apologized.
He said he was sorry.
Said he would never do it again, and I forgave him.
Are you still struggling?
No, I haven't looked at anything since then.
Even though I was hurt, and upset, and confused,
I stood with him because I love him.
But now the tables have turned,
and he's not standing with me.
But it's not the same.
You actually had an encounter with someone!
Jesus said, "If you look at a woman to lust after,
then you've already committed adultery in her heart".
See, Ruth only kissed one man.
How many women have you looked at with the same intention?
Ruth, you say you love Brandon.
So I have to ask you again,
do you have any feelings for this colleague?
I don't know what I feel.
This is hard, but this is good.
Transparency is what we need for your marriage to heal.
Our time's almost up,
but I want you guys to both keep this in mind,
marriage, as you both know,
represents God's relationship with us.
I want you guys to both to really think and consider
everything that God has given us,
then I want you to think about the communion exercise.
"For I have received of the Lord
that which also I give unto you."
You receive salvation, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
We're gonna use this scripture as a guide
for our last sessions together.
But in the interim, I'm gonna recommend
that you guys take a brief separation from each other.
And I'm also gonna ask that, for the next session,
it just be Brandon and myself.
Can we agree to that?
Good.
See you then.
I don't know what to do.
I don't...
I don't know what else to say, God.
I just...
Just help us.
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait.
What are you saying?
What I'm saying, is she kept telling me, "Go slower".
She's always doing that.
She's so controlling.
Tries to control everything.
Yeah, and you said, "You didn't care".
I didn't say that.
I said, "I couldn't stop".
You said, "You kept going".
And?
You didn't stop.
It was too late.
I couldn't.
What do you mean you couldn't?
Think about it.
So you chose not to stop?
What your point, man?
How often do you actually make love to Ruth?
Well?
This is so stupid!
Oh, it is?
She belongs to me.
Her body belongs to me.
Who are you to tell me what to do with my wife in bed?
Well, who else does she belong to?
Who do you belong to?
Well, if I knew the answer to that,
we wouldn't be here now, would we?
And you'd be broke, without a job.
Man, I just can't believe she would do this to me.
After all the hard work, after everything I've done!
After all the sacrifices I made for us!
You keep askin' the same question,
"Why did she do this?",
but have you ever stopped to ask yourself,
"Why did she stop?".
Why didn't she just keep going with this man?
Why come home and tell you?
Risk her reputation?
Agree to sleep on the couch indefinitely?
And to top it all off, withstand your incessant cynicism,
demands, and constant criticism?
Have you ever asked that?
What the hell are you telling me, man?
She cheated on me.
Just because she came to me, after stickin' her tongue
down another man's throat I should be happy?
Well, she stopped, yet, you didn't.
It's interesting.
What do you mean?
She stopped kissing this other man because she loves you.
You claim that she's controlling.
She is controlling.
She tries to control everything.
She controls the dishes.
She's controlling about the housework, about sex,
about what I eat.
It's driving me crazy!
And you're not controlling about anything ever?
Are you saying I don't love my wife?
No, no, I'm not saying that, Brandon.
Look, Ruth was unfaithful to you.
She committed infidelity, and for that,
you have every right to be upset, period.
But I'm trying to get you to see something.
Just see it.
When your wife took her last kiss
on the lips of this other guy, she ran to you!
She ran hoping that you would embrace her in your arms,
and what do you do afterwards?
You force your will and desire, and call that love.
That's what I'm trying to get you to see.
Emotions might have caused her to land into the wrong arms,
but love caused her to come back into your arms.
Isn't Ruth worth fighting for?
Yeah.
You know, I was talking to her father before we came to you,
and he was saying to me, when he gave Ruth away,
that he's entrusting her life to me.
He's sick right now with cancer.
He doesn't know if he's gonna make it.
And he's known for a while now, he just hasn't told Ruth.
I mean, I can't control whether or not
she takes her next breath, but her life is in my hands.
He gave her to me.
God gave her to you.
But she needs your compassion, protection, and love.
Take her back.
Win her back.
She belongs to you.
Ruth?
You didn't answer me.
Huh?
I said, tell me how did we get here?
Honestly, I don't know.
I don't know what happened to me.
When did you first realize that something was wrong?
When Brandon would touch me,
it made me feel like I was heavy and weighed down.
His hands used to make me feel like
nothing could buckle me.
Everything I needed was in those hands.
Then they stopped giving.
They started taking.
Stopped loving.
And I stopped giving.
I started taking.
And with Jackson, I stopped loving.
What was it about Jackson that
you wanted to take for yourself?
The warmth and the love that Brandon gave me,
I found again in the hands of this,
in the cold hands of this man.
Yes, I know you have a lot going on,
and it probably seems like
there's not a whole lotta support.
You said your father has cancer, right?
Yes, stage four.
Sorry to hear that.
And you also said your mother passed
when you were an undergrad.
Does her not being here add to the weight you feel?
Do you think about her?
No more than most people do
when they think about their dead parents.
You miss her?
Ruth, come sit.
It's gonna be okay.
She's already.
It's okay.
Sorry.
No!
She was my best friend.
But she took on so much, you know?
Upon herself that we didn't even know that she was sick.
And it seems like Brandon is the same way with me.
He didn't even notice that I wasn't around him anymore.
He didn't notice just how heavy his hands were getting.
And then Jackson was there,
- and- - Do you love him?
Brandon?
Yes, I do.
Do you love Jackson?
As much as I love his hands, I can't say I love him.
If you had a choice between
Jackson's hands and Brandon's heart,
who would you choose?
I don't know.
That's a question that you have to answer.
That's a question that will make or break your marriage.
Cherise, because you know
that is why the early bird gets the worm.
All right, can you get me the Simpson affidavit.
I wanna send over their pre-trial motion tomorrow.
All right.
Thank you.
Mr. Stewart.
To what do I owe the pleasure?
Nice office, Black.
How'd you end up in here?
Well, Ruth secured this for me before I got here.
It is great.
How did you get in here?
You ask too many questions.
You and Ruth are like two peas in a pod.
You seem fond of her.
Well, she's great.
She's a wonderful woman.
You're a very lucky man,
but, of course, you know that.
Black, I'm a cut right to the chase.
I know what happened between you and my wife.
Look,
I don't know what you're talking about.
Man, don't test my patience today.
Man, you don't know what you have.
Ruth is gorgeous, skillful, brilliant, and incredibly sexy.
She's kind, loving, generous to everyone here,
but you don't even care.
What kind of man can't go with his wife to the hospital?
Oh, yeah, she told me.
So yeah, I know Ruth.
I may know Ruth more than you even know.
Hell, if her lips were a preview,
I'd give my left nut to be her husband -
Please, do it.
I dare you.
I'll knock your teeth out.
Now, you listen to me, and you listen to me good.
Stay the hell away from my wife!
You come near her again, and I will personally kill you.
What,
you threatening me?
You don't know me!
Damn right I am.
And believe me, I've had seven clients in the past 10 years
who've committed murder,
all of which walked away Scott free.
I will get away with it.
I'm sure you know that.
And if you even think about smearing my wife's name,
or ruining her reputation,
all I have to do is make one call, one,
to ruin your career for the next 20 years.
Are we clear?
I know you, Black.
I know all about you.
How you graduated with a 2.5 GPA,
yet, have unexplainable success,
going from office to office,
telling every lie you could think of,
and inch by inch, as you slide under your boss' dresses,
you climb the corporate ladder.
Ruining families, breaking hearts, adding to your list.
And when these scandals risk exposure,
they throw you somewhere else with high recommendations.
Yeah, I know you, Black.
I know you real good.
Give your two weeks notice by Friday.
Well, alas, here we are.
Six weeks gone.
Our last session together.
Ruth, are you all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
My brother cooked for us last night,
but it all came up this morning.
But I'm okay.
Before we get into interactions, I wanna ask you both
what your experience was like being separated.
Ruth, let's start with you.
You know, the Lord really showed me that
I rely too much on people to help and support me,
and, of course, it's always good to get
encouragement and support,
but with Jackson,
I wanted him to make me feel valid.
In that moment, he gave me that.
And I felt so confused about how I felt about him.
I would start to have feelings for him.
When I saw him coming, my heart would race.
I would dream about him.
But then I realized,
that only God can love me in such a way where I feel valued.
Just being in his presence made me realize
just how much I love Brandon.
Wow.
Brandon, what about you?
Well, I have a confession.
Go ahead.
I've never felt good enough for you.
No, it's not that I don't care.
I just don't know how to make myself feel enough for you.
That's why all I can do is work.
That's something I know I can do.
I can provide for you,
but I can't give you what you really need.
It hurts, because I...
I can't...
So I work, and I work to prove to you,
to prove to myself, that I'm a man.
I am a man, and I can do something for you.
But it seems like every case I win,
I forget about the most important one,
and that's you.
Baby, you are all I ever wanted.
You are all I ever needed.
I needed you to be there.
I have another confession.
Okay.
It's not because of you that we can't have children.
I went to the doctor by myself,
and they determined that my count is low.
Something's wrong with me,
and I've known for so long, but I didn't say anything,
because I know, I already know I didn't deserve you,
but I did everything.
I felt like I did everything for you.
Why would you go to someone else?
I'd never thought in a million years that I would.
So much stuff began to happen,
and that's why I needed you there with me by my side,
but you were never there.
But now I understand what happened.
You turned into a completely different person.
You went cold just like that.
And for what, baby?
Because of a low sperm count?
Why wouldn't you tell me this?
I don't know.
And you didn't even notice that I was gone,
and that hurt me so bad,
that you could see me day in and day out,
and not know that your own wife was gone.
You won your cases, you made partner,
but a part of you was dead,
and you didn't even seem to care.
But I'm a good man, Ruth.
I'm a good man.
I've done everything I know to do for you.
Some of these men out here who call themselves married
would never do these things for their wives.
I'm working, coming home, and attending to you.
I'm not sleepin' around.
I don't have babies all around the neighborhood
- with different women. - Yes.
I'm a good man.
I'm just not good enough for you.
Okay, what do you want me to say, honey?
I know it.
- Yes, you are a good man. - What do I want you to say?
How 'bout sorry for ruining my life?
How 'bout sorry for embarrassing me
- in front of your family? - I said that I was sorry!
I've said I'm sorry a million times,
but it doesn't seem to be enough for you!
Nothing I do is good enough for you!
What the hell else do you want me to do?
Just stop.
Everybody take a deep breath.
Our time is almost over.
I know you two care for each other, but let me just say,
love is a choice, and choice is a very powerful thing.
Jesus' prayer for his disciples was that they would be one,
just as he and the Father are one,
and that is my prayer for you,
even as we end our sessions here,
that you two would be one, but it's a choice.
It's your choice.
Will you choose to fully embrace this principle,
and apply it to your walk together
the way God intends you to, or will you not?
Look, I rarely do this.
These are divorce papers.
I'm giving these to you,
and you two will decide what you're going to do.
I just have one last request for you both.
That you two go to the beginning of your relationship.
Go to the place where you had your first date,
and there, decide whether or not
you wanna continue this marriage.
Can we agree to that?
I will agree to that.
When?
Whatever works for you.
Saturday.
You know the time.
Fine.
Excellent.
A pleasure meeting you both.
I wish you well, and I'll be praying for you.
So Briar's Park, Saturday?
Yeah.
Thank you for all your blessing.
You have been so good to me.
She betrayed me, God.
How am I supposed to...
I need you to speak.
I need you to say something to me now.
I love her.
I do.
With this ring.
I'm so scared.
I'll be right there with you.
I don't want a divorce.
Me either.
"It's not an option",
that's what you said when we first got engaged.
We're in this thing together.
Like Ossie and Ruby.
I'm sorry, baby.
I love you.
Me too.
You see, you were always everything I needed.
Thank you, Jesus.
That what God has joined together
let no man put us under.
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