Like you? I go outta here every morning, I bust my butt ’cause I like you? You’re about the biggest fool I ever saw. A man is supposed to take care of his family. You live in my house, feed your belly with my food, put your behind on my bed because you’re my son. It’s my duty to take care of you, I owe a responsibility to you, I ain’t got to like you! Now, I gave everything I got to give you! I gave you your life! Me and your Mama worked out between us and liking your black ass wasn’t part of the bargain! Now don’t you go through life worrying about whether somebody like you or not! You best be makin’ sure that they’re doin’ right by you! You understand what I’m sayin’?
When he turned to face me, I knew why the devil never come and get him ’cause he was the devil himself. I don’t know what happened. I woke up, laying there by the creek, and Blue, this old dog we had, he was licking my face. Both my eyes were swoll shut. I thought I was blind, I couldn’t see nothing. I just laid there and cried. And I didn’t know what I was gonna do. But I knew the time had come for me to leave my daddy’s house. Suddenly, the world got big, and it was a long time before I could cut it down to where I could handle it. Part of that cutting down was where I got to the place where I could feel him kicking in my blood, and I knew the only thing that separated us was a matter of a few years.I hope he’s dead. I hope he found some peace.
All right, Mr. Death. I tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna take and build me a fence around this yard, see? I’m gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side. You stay over there till you’re ready for me, then you come on. Bring your army, bring your sickle, bring your wrestling clothes. I ain’t gonna fall down on my vigilance this time. You ain’t gonna sneak up on me no more. When you ready for me, when the top of your list say Troy Maxson, then you come on up and knock on the front door. Ain’t nobody else got nothing to do with this. This between you and me. Man to man! You stay on the other side of that fence till you ready for me!
Rose’ll tell you. When I first met her, she ask me if I had gotten all that foolishness out of my system. I said: Baby, it’s you and baseball, all what count to me. You hear me, Bono? And I meant it, too. She said: Which one come first? I said: Well, ain’t no doubt it’s baseball. But you stick and get old with me, and we’ll both outlive this baseball! Am I right, Rose? And it’s true.
I spend my money where I’m treated right. I go down to Bella, say, I need a loaf of bread, I’ll pay you Friday, she gives it to me. What sense that make when I got money to spend it somewhere else and ignore the person who done right by me? That ain’t in the Bible.
I don’t care what nobody say. I’m the boss. You understand? I’m the boss around here. I do the only saying what counts.
