Episode 70

SEAN and DR. MWATSUMI have gone into their final phase in their quest for Iota Phi Theta Fraternity. They are anxious to hear the good news from SAIFA and BROTHER HILL.

BROTHER HILL - Brothers of Iota, we are all in agreement. The two candidates presented have met all of the requirements of membership. They have presented themselves worthy of this great honor and have shown that they will answer the call of brotherhood at all times.

SEAN thinks - Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

BROTHER HILL - We realize that as Iota continues to grow, we must stay close to our ideals and purpose. And we have successfully instilled those principles in these two worthy men.

(SEAN notices RAY smiling.)

SEAN thinks - I've never seen him smile before!

BROTHER HILL - Brothers...

(BROTHER HILL walks toward SEAN and DR. MWATSUMI who are standing next to one another in front of all the brothers. He reaches into a suitcase type bag and pulls out two rope necklaces.)

BROTHER HILL - ...it is my pleasure and honor to welcome Sean Jackson and Dr. Colin Mwatsumi...

SEAN thinks - Oh, my God!

(SEAN?s heart is beating hard and fast.)

BROTHER HILL - as our newest brothers of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated! Congratulations, gentlemen!

SAIFA - Ow! Ow!

BROTHERS - Ow! Ow!

SEAN - Yes! Yes!

(BROTHER HILL places the necklace over SEAN's head. The necklace has the letters of Iota Phi Theta on it. BROTHER HILL extends to SEAN the fraternal handshake.)

SEAN - Yes! Ow! Ow!

(SEAN hugs BROTHER HILL and immediately drops to his knees and holds his face in his hands. BROTHER HILL then places a necklace over DR. MWATSUMI's head.)

SAIFA - Congratulations, frat! Get up Sean and give me some love, brother!

SEAN - I can't believe it! I can't believe it! I'm an Iota! I am finally an Iota!

(SEAN and SAIFA hug.)

SAIFA - Welcome, man! You did a great job!

SEAN - I owe this all to you, Saifa! Thank you.

(SAIFA smiles. SAM walks up with an Iota Phi Theta jacket.)

SAM - Here ya go frat! Now look, don't mess this jacket up, this is mine! We didn' get yours done yet.

SEAN - You're letting me wear yours?

SAM - Yeah, man. Try it on!

(SEAN hugs SAM so hard that SAM drops the jacket.)

SAM - Good grief, man! Ha ha ha ha ha! Congrats!

SEAN - Thank you! Ow! Ow!

BROTHERS - Ow! Ow!

(SEAN tries on the jacket.)

SEAN - How do I look?

RAY - It looks good on you, bruh! It fits you well.

(SEAN turns toward DR. MWATSUMI. The Doctor is talking with some of the older brothers. He is wearing an Iota hat.)

SEAN - Doctor.

DR. MWATSUMI - Sean! Congratulation, son!

SEAN - Thank you...my brother!

(They hug and SEAN has to fight back tears.)

DR. MWATSUMI - This has been a long time coming, Sean. Cherish it forever. I will.

SEAN - I will, too, sir.

(They hug again.)

SAIFA - Let's go, guys. We don't want to keep the brothers waiting.

SEAN - Hey Saifa, I have a quick stop I need to make. I need to take care of something...very important.

SAIFA - Oh, I understand.

SEAN - I guess I can call your cell phone and find out where y'all are and meet you there.

SAIFA - Cool. Hurry back though.

SEAN - I will.

(SEAN turns to leave.)

RAY - Hey Saifa, where's Sean going?

SAIFA - He has something to take care of real quick. Probably call his dad. He?s gonna meet us at the restaurant.

RAY - Oh, okay, cool.

Thirty minutes later...

SEAN thinks - I can't believe I am finally over!

(SEAN looks down on the letters on his jacket.)

SEAN thinks - I am an Iota man! I can't believe it!

(SEAN hurries to his destination.)

SEAN thinks - It feels so good but I still don't believe it. It hasn't hit me yet...

(SEAN knocks on the door.)

SEAN thinks - ...but it?s about to...right now!

(RONNIE opens the door to the Omega house. He has a beer in his hand.)

RONNIE - What are you doing here?

SEAN - I'm Greek now! So what you gotta say now, huh? What you gotta say now!

(SEAN slaps the beer out of RONNIE's hand.)

SEAN - What's up with all that trash you were talking about Iota!
:: NEW PAGE ::

SCENE 2

CARYN is on her way home from the hospital with her baby.

CARYN thinks - Dag, Derrick! Where are you?!

(She looks over at the sleeping baby and rubs his head. She puts her phone down and continues to drive home.)

CARYN thinks - Bobby must be smokin' weed if he thinks I'm about to give up my precious little baby boy to him!

(She tries to call DERRICK again.)

CARYN thinks - Dag, man!

(This time she leaves a message.)

CARYN - Derrick, call me back as soon as you get this message! This is an emergency!

(CARYN hangs up and turns the corner toward her place. She looks at the baby again.)

CARYN whispers - I love you, little man. You're my world.

(CARYN pulls up at her place and parks the truck. She starts to unbuckle the baby seat and her cell phone rings.)

CARYN thinks - Dag!

(She fumbles with the phone and manages to answer it.)

CARYN - Hello? hello?

DERRICK - Hey, what's up!

CARYN - Derrick!

(She almost drops the phone.)

CARYN - Hello?

DERRICK - What's the matter? What's wrong?

CARYN - Hey, I'm carrying Lil' Derrick up to my room from the truck. Will you answer the phone if I call you right back?

DERRICK - Up to your room? Why you got the baby out this late, Caryn!

(The baby wakes up and starts to cry.)

CARYN - Oh gosh! Shhhhh! Mommy's here. Shhhh now.

DERRICK - He's probably sleepy because you got him out so late!

CARYN - Derrick let me take care of him and I'll explain it all when I call you back.

DERRICK - Okay, hurry up and call me back! Are you sure that everything is okay?

CARYN - Yeah, yeah, everything is fine! I'll call you right back!

(He hangs up and she just lets the phone drop off of her shoulder into the front seat of the car. She carries the baby to her room.)

CARYN thinks - I'll grab the phone after I settle the baby in.

(CARYN walks with the baby and rubs his head until he stops crying. He quickly falls back asleep.)

CARYN - That's my boy. Shhhhh now.

(She puts the baby to bed and goes back outside to grab her phone. She dials DERRICK back.)

DERRICK - Hey what happened! You blew my phone up!

CARYN - Derrick, the baby was in the hospital!

DERRICK - What! What happened! Is he okay?

CARYN - Yeah, he's fine. He put something in his mouth and it blocked his air! So he was choking!

DERRICK - What!

CARYN - He was with the babysitter and when I got home it had just happened. So we rushed to the emergency room and they got it out. They ran tests and stuff to make sure he was okay.

(CARYN starts crying.)

CARYN - I was scared Derrick. But they told me that he was okay and that he would be fine. Just to be more careful next time.

DERRICK - Oh, my, God! Are you sure he's okay?

CARYN - Yeah. He's okay.

DERRICK - How are you?

CARYN - I'm shook! And then they made me and Bobby meet with a...

DERRICK - Bobby? He was there?

CARYN - Yeah, I called him because you were gone. So he met me at the hospital. They made us meet with a social worker and now Bobby wants to take the baby from me and raise him himself.

DERRICK - What!

CARYN - Yeah, he's calling me a bad mother! Bobby and the social worker were ganging up against me, Derrick!

(silence)

CARYN - It wasn't fair!

(silence)

CARYN - Derrick, what should I do?

(silence)

CARYN - Derrick?

(silence)

DERRICK - Give me Bobby's number.
:: NEW PAGE ::

SCENE 3

XAVIER is in his room on the telephone with his dad.


MR. MORGAN - What do you mean suspended? What exactly happened Xavier? Did you guys haze the Scrollers?

XAVIER - No dad. We only had one this year. Remember when you met him at the grad meeting?

MR. MORGAN - Oh yeah. What was his name again?

XAVIER - Mike.

MR. MORGAN - Oh, yeah. So why is the chapter in trouble?

XAVIER - Mike has...let's say that Mike has a big mouth and he talks way too much. He hasn't learned discretion too well. So he went running off at the mouth to Dell.

MR. MORGAN - Dell from the national office?

XAVIER - Yep.

MR. MORGAN - Wow.

XAVIER - So what do you think we should do?

(MR. MORGAN pauses before answering.)

MR. MORGAN - Pray. Ha ha ha ha!

XAVIER - Very funny.

MR. MORGAN - I'm just pulling your leg son. I tell ya what, let me call my chapter president and see what I can do.

XAVIER - Would you do that?

MR. MORGAN - Yeah. I'll do that and let you know what I can do. Our chapter president is personal friends with Dell. Let's see if we can convince him to ease up a little on the chapter.

XAVIER - That would be great! Thanks.

MR. MORGAN - No problem. You guys just stay out of trouble.

XAVIER - Yeah.

MR. MORGAN - How is Gregg?

XAVIER - He's alright. He's going through some things right now.

MR. MORGAN - Oh yeah? What's going on with him?

XAVIER - Well his...ways with women finally caught up to him.

MR. MORGAN - Really? He doesn't have...

(silence)

XAVIER - Oh no! Nothing like that. His girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend Shareesa caught him out there and left. And even though he took her for granted for a long time, he really hasn't been the same since.

MR. MORGAN - I'm sorry to hear that. But that happens.

XAVIER - Yeah.

MR. MORGAN - Just be there for him as a brother and keep him in your prayers.

XAVIER - Yeah, I do.

MR. MORGAN - That's good.

XAVIER - How are things at the church?

MR. MORGAN - Good. When you come home you're going to love our new video equipment room. Completely computerized.

XAVIER - Really? Sounds real nice.

MR. MORGAN - Real expensive is what it is! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

(XAVIER laughs.)

XAVIER - Expensive? As much money as you big time preachers have? Ha ha ha!

MR. MORGAN - Yeah, okay. Well, look, Xavier, I got some things I gotta take care of. Got some reading to do.

XAVIER - Okay. Well, thanks for the advice and for the help with Dell.

MR. MORGAN - Don't thank me, yet. I don't know what will happen.

XAVIER - Well, anything is better than nothing.

MR. MORGAN - Right, right.

XAVIER - So, I guess, I'll talk to ya lata.

MR. MORGAN - Okay Xavier, God bless you.

XAVIER - God bless you, too.

(They hang up.)

XAVIER thinks - Let me call G and see how he's feelin'.

(XAVIER dials GREGG.)

GREGG - Wassup Z.

XAVIER - Chillin, just callin' to see how you feelin' man.

GREGG - Pissed. Ha ha ha ha ha, hold on a second.

(GREGG clicks over.)

GREGG - Okay, I'm back.

XAVIER - Oh, you didn't have to hang up, man, I was just calling to see what's up.

GREGG - That's okay. She wasn't talkin' bout nothing. What you up to?

XAVIER - Just spoke to my father. That's about it.

GREGG - How's he doin'?

XAVIER - He's always good. He asked about you.

GREGG - That's cool.

XAVIER - Are you okay, man? You don't seem to be yourself.

GREGG - I'm cool. What do you mean?

XAVIER - I don't know. It just seems that since...

(XAVIER pauses.)

XAVIER - ...since you and Shareesa broke up that...

GREGG - Naw, it isn't that. It's this thing with the chapter. Ya know? I mean it's really upsetting.

XAVIER - I know.

GREGG - But if we launch an appeal, we should come out okay.

XAVIER - Yeah. And my dad is gonna try to help, too.

GREGG - Good.

(silence)

XAVIER - What do we do about Mike from this point on?

GREGG - I actually thought about that. Mike is a good guy. He just talks a little too much.

XAVIER - Yeah, I agree.

GREGG - We need to sit him down and tell him that we are happy that he is a part of us now and this whole fiasco isn?t his fault. But from now on, be more careful and make better decisions.

XAVIER - You think that's all we need to do?

GREGG - Yeah. I really got to know Mike's personality when he was pledging. I think he knows right from wrong and what he should and shouldn't do. We just need to channel his young energy and enthusiasm in a way that helps us and not hurts us.

XAVIER - I hear ya. Well, I'll support you on that. I thought you wanted to kill him.

GREGG - Naw. Maybe I am changing then, huh?

(They laugh.)

XAVIER - Where is Mike anyway?

GREGG - I don't know. I called his cell after he walked out of the meeting with Dell, but I keep getting his voice mail.

XAVIER - Well, if you talk to him, let me know.

GREGG - Cool, man.

XAVIER - Aight, let me do some reading.

GREGG - Cool, nupe. I'll holla at cha lata.

XAVIER - Peace.

(They hang up.)

XAVIER thinks - Gregg is being nice about Mike. This isn't the old Gregg.

(XAVIER pulls out his Bible.)

XAVIER thinks - Maybe Gregg is right though. Maybe Mike isn't as stupid as he comes off to be. I keep trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

(XAVIER sits down and opens the Bible to begin reading.)

XAVIER thinks - Well, I'll wait it out and see. I do believe Mike is a good guy. Whether he can be channeled to make better decisions...I guess we'll find out.

(There is a knock on the door.)

XAVIER - Dag, as soon as I sit down to read...

(XAVIER puts the book down and gets up to answer the door.)

XAVIER thinks - Whoever it is ain't stayin'.

(XAVIER opens the door.)

BRENDON - Greetings Big Brother Little Red!