Prior posting (Nov. 3) of The Sectarian: the story of a lovable, religious bigot
Luzy-Ann, a very Southern name (hyphenated names usually are), doesn't fit in. Especially in school. As is the case with most bullies, the teachers don't really help at all, even when the bully is a much bigger boy and the kid picked on is a small girl.
When Lake is born to Luzy-Ann's parents, Luzy-Ann feels even more sharply how different she is from everybody else living in their small town. Even with a little sister, Luzy-Ann feels even lonelier. The thing about Luzy-Ann, though, is that she tries. She tries to make things better, fix her problems, but being her own guide, things become difficult.
FIGHTS
AT SCHOOL
EXT. PLAYGROUND AT GRAMMAR SCHOOL MORNING
Luzy-Ann
is walking through the school playground to get to class. Two boys walk up to her. They are the class bullies.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
My sister was the only Asian in town, or as her cruel
classmates called her: a "yellow-belly". This particularly grieved my sister, but not my parents. They were sorry that my sister was tormented
at school, but since they knew my sister was no such thing, they told her
wisely to ignore the schoolchildren's taunts.
Of course, if my sister had been wise, she wouldn't have been a
seven-year-old in grammar school. All
this of course, my sister could not articulate.
Each
boy is on either side of Luzy-Ann. They
alternate pushing her, trying to make her drop her schoolbooks.
BOBBY LEE
We don't let yellow monkeys go to school with our kind.
(pushes Luzy-Ann again)
NARRATOR (V.O.)
The teachers didn't help either. Maybe because they believed that's what my sister was, or because
they knew it was useless to try to stop the kids. Every year, there was a class bully. And every year, there was a poor child who was the bully's
target. My sister's second- grade year
was her year to be picked on.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
One day, however, feeling that the world had abandoned
her, my sister resorted to self help.
She was sandwiched between two bullies, Bobby-Lee, who was in the fourth
grade. His father made a living killing
deer. And Billy-Joe, whose mother named
him so because she often could not remember his name, and two names to guess at
made it easier than one. They were
taking turns pushing my sister between them, when--
LUZY-ANN
Stop it, Bobby-Lee, I'm going to tell on you.
BOBBY-LEE
So what? Nothing's
gonna' happen to me, you yellow-belly.
You shouldn't even be here.
Bobby-Lee
pushes Luzy-Ann some more. She stumbles
BILLY-JOE
Yeah, you should be grateful for the food that we give
you. You'd be starving in China if it
weren't for us, you dumb Chino girl.
Bobby-Lee
pushes Luzy-Ann and she drops some of her books.
BOBBY-LEE
Why don't you go back home? My Dad says all Hasians are scared, that's why they always
scamper around and bow and say "yes, sir" Here, pick that up, yellow belly!
Bobby-Lee throws S's books on the ground.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
At the moment that my sister bent to pick up her books,--
Bobby-Lee
kicks Luzy-Ann on the rump.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
(continuing)
Something snapped in her savage little Asian heart.
Luzy-Ann
slams the books in the Bobby-Lee face, kicks both of them, and butts her head
in Billy-Joe's abdomen. They run crying
to their teacher.
BOOBY LEE
Teacher, look what she did to us!
SPIKE
She hit us!
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was also at that moment that my sister realized that
injustice in the world runs down to even the humblest of God's creatures.
They
run into the school building. A
TEACHER, sitting at her desk, gets up when she sees the two boys crying. She calms the boys down and walks outside to
Luzy-Ann.
TEACHER
(sternly, sharp, nasal-voice)
Luzy-Ann, you come here.
Luzy-Ann
looks at the Teacher defiantly.
INT. PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE AFTERNOON
Violet
and Brent, the principal of Luzy-Ann's school, and the teacher who
"caught" Luzy-Ann attacking Bobby-Lee and Billy-Joe are seated.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
She was given detention for a week. My parents were called to the principal's
office.
TEACHER
That's what comes of adopting a foreigner.
(sniffing)
Who knows where she came from?
VIOLET
She came from Malaysia.
TEACHER
(smugly)
That's what they wanted you to think.
VIOLET
So what if she didn't come from Malaysia, what if she came
from China?
TEACHER
It's important to know where our children come from. Because if you don't, who knows what they
might do?
VIOLET
How can you tell what they might do based on where they
come from?
TEACHER
Well, such as Nigeria.
(almost in a whisper)
I heard that they sacrifice animals.
BRENT
She's Asian. I
guess that rules out animal sacrifice.
Besides, we're raising her vegetarian.
EXT. HALLWAY
Luzy-Ann
is outside the principal's office listening in. She is sad.
LAKE
IS BORN
INT. NURSERY
DAY
Violet
is holding her newborn. Luzy-Ann is
eagerly trying to get close to the baby.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
It was about this time that I was born. Yes, the doctors were wrong, my mother could
have children after all. When my Mom
did get pregnant, my Mad always said that if we paid physicians like mechanics,
they'd get it right more of the time.
My sister said that she wanted a brother. I think this was because she could have
someone to pick on, to relive the days when she was bullied and she
triumphed.
LUZY-ANN
She's white.
VIOLET
(kissing baby)
What, honey?
LUZY-ANN
She doesn't look like me.
VIOLET
Well, honey, she's just the same as you.
LUZY-ANN
I thought she would be yellow like me. Why am I yellow?
VIOLET
You're not honey, you're tan.
LUZY-ANN
That's because I play outside. Why isn't anyone else yellow?
VIOLET
They are honey.
LUZY-ANN
I don't see any.
VIOLET
When you grow up and travel a bit, you'll see a lot of
yellow, red, brown, even green people.
Violet
kisses Luzy-Ann and kisses the baby again.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
At that moment, which shouldn't happen to anyone so young,
my sister felt utterly and completely alone in the world. It isn't that my parents favored me. I never even noticed the difference until I
was close to my pre-teen years. And the
differences I noticed had nothing to do with skin color. As a matter of fact, my parents were adamant
that my older sister take care of me.
Which meant of course, that I had to listen to her and do as she said
when my parents weren't around. This,
my sister liked, and it made her feel not so alone.
INT. AUNT TATEM'S HOUSE DAY
Violet
is rushing around the house, getting ready for a dinner date.
LAKE (V.O.)
My sis was made for kids.
She simply longed for them.
Here, was, another human being, totally helpless and utterly dependant
upon the good graces of my sister who must not only obey and listen to her but
listen to the reasons why obedience was the only choice given. Child slavery was more rampant that most
people think.
VIOLET
Now, Lake, listen to your sister. Don't get into any trouble and don't eat all
the pie I put in the refrigerator.
That's for tomorrow when the guests come. Do you understand?
LAKE
But she never lets me do anything. She makes me ask for everything.
VIOLET
Luzy-Ann, don't take advantage of your position. You're here to take care of your little
sister, not beleaguer her with orders.
LUZY-ANN
She never listens to me.
LAKE
You're always wrong.
VIOLET
(excited)
Girls, I have to meet your father. He's interviewing for a position. It's a chance to move out of here.
LAKE
Are we going away?
Hooray!
Luzy-Ann looks perturbed.
Violet preens herself in the hallway mirror.
VIOLET
How do I look?
LAKE
Beautiful, mom.
Violet
leans over and gives both girls a hug and kiss.
VIOLET
You girls be good while I'm gone now.
She
leaves. Luzy-Ann has a newfound gleam
in her eye.
LUZY-ANN
It's time for lessons.
LAKE
Lessons! It's
Saturday.
LUZY-ANN
Exactly. Aunt
Tatem told me to make sure you learn your catechism.
LAKE
(wearily)
I hope Dad gets that job.
FITTING
IN: A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN
INT.
CHURCH MORNING
Sunday
mass is being celebrated. Luzy-Ann is
in church, looking bright and devout, and singing loudly.
LAKE (V.O.)
Because my sister was made to feel yellow, so to speak,
she began to try to fit in...and become white, so to speak. She attended church regularly. Wore the same checked muslin dresses, broad
rimmed sun hats, and even outdid the churchgoers of our town. Only the older ladies dressed so, we figured
it was these fearsome matrons Luzy-Ann was trying to placate.
EXT. CHURCH
MORNING
The
congregation is milling around outside church after mass. The young people are dressed in modern
dresses, pants and shirts. The older
women are dressed in old-fashioned dresses, as is Luzy-Ann.
LAKE (V.O.)
(continuing)
She was wont to be seen in gloves. This kept the sun off her hands, and made
her "less tan", she explained.
When pressed, she would say the sun was bad for her skin and she wanted
to keep as young looking as possible,
A WOMAN
is remarking on Luzy-Ann's cover from the sun.
WOMAN
But you look sixteen, how young do you want to be?
LAKE (V.O.)
My sister could have learned any one of several lessons
from that experience. She could have
washed her hands of a town that did not accept her. But that was not my sister's way. My sister felt that there was always a workable solution. And her solution in this case was to make
them accept her. This distressed my
parents somewhat, but at the same time, how could they keep her from being what
she wanted?
INT. BATHROOM
EVENING
Luzy-Ann
is putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She is sticking on her false eyelashes. Because she thinks they make her Asian eyes look bigger, more
"Caucasian", she doesn't go anywhere without them. Well satisfied, she smiles to herself in the
mirror.
Luzy-Ann
leaves the house, dressed so old-fashioned, Violet and Brent look distressed
over their daughter's dress.
LAKE (V.O.)
But what was most unfathomable about my sister, was her
great big, horrible accent. It didn't
even sound real, yet it was. As real as
all her other peccadilloes that made you want to look at her twice, like a
train wreck that has too many dead bodies to look away.
EXT. RESTAURANT
DAY
Luzy-Ann
is sitting with her friend, MARY-ANN, at a small restaurant.
LAKE (V.O.)
(continuing)
Here she was, an Asian where few were to be seen. That in itself caused people to stare. But as soon as she opened her mouth, out
came that twang that sounded like a recent immigrant, who was faking it as a
California Valley Girl, and trying to pass off as a Southern Belle. It was too much.
They
order lunch.
MARY-ANN
I'll have the sub sandwich, hold the mustard.
WAITRESS
And you?
LUZY-ANN
I'd like a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, hold the
mayo, extra tomatoes, pickles and onions.
And, may I have baby spinach instead of lettuce? And the bacon extra crispy. Oh, and instead of sandwich bread, I'd like
it on a croissant.
Luzy-Ann's
mangles the pronunciation of "croissant".
WAITRESS
A what?
LUZY-ANN
A croissant.
WAITRESS
We don't got none of those here.
LUZY-ANN
Of course you do.
I had one just last week. You
know, their moon-shaped. And they're
soft, but kind of crispy.
WAITRESS
You mean a crescent?
LUZY-ANN
Yes, a croissant.
The
waitress looks at Luzy-Ann oddly.
Mary-Ann smiles sheepishly.
BUYING
SKIN WHITENER
