The Women of Brewster Place (1989)

Lonette McKee: Lorraine

Quotes 

• Theresa : So what? We're nothing but a couple of dykes.

  Lorraine : You can call yourself anything you want to, Tee, but you leave me out of it.

  Theresa : Lorraine, you are a lesbian. A dyke, a lesbo, a butch, all those names that boy was calling you. Yes, I saw it! And you can run in all the basements in the world, and it's not gonna change anything. Why can't you just accept it?

  Lorraine : [angrily]  I have accepted it! I've accepted it all my life! I lost my family because of that, but it doesn't make me different than anybody else in this world!

  Theresa : It makes you damned different!

  Lorraine : No, it doesn't!

  [opens a package and takes out some underwear] 

  Lorraine : Do you see this? There's only been two things in my life that have been constant since I was sixteen! That was beige bras and oatmeal. The day before I first fell in love with a woman, I got up in the morning, had oatmeal for breakfast, I put on my beige bra and went to school. The day after I feel in love with that woman, I got up in the morning, had oatmeal for breakfast, put on my beige bra and went to school. I was no different before that happened or after that happened, Tee.

  Theresa : And what did you do the next day you went to school? Did you stand around in the locker room and swap stories about this new love in your life with the other girls? Why didn't you stand up there in that locker room and pass her picture around? Why didn't you take her to the senior prom? Hmm? Why not? Lorraine, answer me.

  Lorraine : [quietly]  Because they wouldn't have understood.

  Theresa : That's right! And as long as they own the whole damn world, it's them and us. And that spells different!

• Kiswana : [after an argumentative person just left]  Can we settle down? We still need someone to take the minutes.

  Tenant #2 : The way this is going, they'd better take the hours.

  Lorraine : Excuse me, I'll take the minutes

  [At this, Miss Sophie is fuming] 

  Kiswana : [giving Lorraine the notepad]  Thank you. Okay, we can finally get down to business. Now, Abshu's going to tell us about some money making ideas and then we'll take a vote.

  Miss Sophie : Ain't we supposed to vote over who we wants for secretary? I mean, can anybody just stroll in here and get shoved down our throats and we don;t have nothing to say about it?

  Lorraine : Look, I can just go. I was only trying to help.

  Kiswana : No, wait.

  [to Miss Sophie] 

  Kiswana : What vote? No one wanted the job. Did you want to take notes?

  Etta Mae : Lord, she can't do that unless we all recite the ABC's. And we better not do that too fast!

  [people start laughing] 

  Miss Sophie : [getting up and facing them]  Now listen here. Why should a decent woman get insulted while y'all all take sides with the like of them?

  Etta Mae : I'm as decent as you are, you old bat! And i'll come obver there and land you in the mouth

  [She gets up and starts to struggle while the people hold her down] 

  Miss Sophie : [holding up a statue in defense]  That's right! Pick on me, pick on me! Like I'm the one going around doing all these filthy unnatural things right in front on you. Every one of you seen it. Every one of you been up there and talked about it, not just me!

  [to Lorraine] 

  Miss Sophie : See what you done. Moving here with your nasty ways. Well, you ain't welcome here, you hear me? You ain't WELCOME HERE!

  Lorraine : What has anyone of you seen me do except leave my house and go to work just like the rest of you?

  Miss Sophie : Ha Hah hah!

  Lorraine : Is it so disgusting for me to speak to all of you on the street even though no one ever speaks back to me? Is that my crime?

  Miss Sophie : Oooh, don't you sit there like Little Miss Innocent! I'll tell you exactly what I seen. I wasn't going to mention such filthy things but you done forced me.

  [cackling evilly] 

  Miss Sophie : You forgot to close your shades last night! And I saw you, I saw the both of you! There you was, standing in the bathroom door dripping wet and naked as you please, call onto the other to put down her book and come over and give you a cool towel. She's standing in that bathroom door with your naked behind, I saw ya, I saw ya, I saw ya, I saw ya!

  Ben : I guess you step out of the tub with your clothes on makes it easy on Jesse's eyes!

  [everyone busts out laughing] 

  Kiswana : Okay, stop it! All right, be quiet

  [Lorraine leaves in tears] 

  Kiswana : Everybody SHUT UP! There is nothing funny going on here!

  [She takes the statue from Miss Sophie] 

  Kiswana : Why did you do that? This association is for everyone who lives here, you judgmental, self-righteous old wench! Who do you think you are?

  [as Kiswana is speaking, Ben takes off after Lorraine] 

  Kiswana : If you can't do anything but be disruptive and humiliate people, then you can just get the hell out of my apartment!

  Miss Sophie : Fine. That's just fine with me, sister.

  [she goes to the door] 

  Miss Sophie : This ain;t nothing but a whole bunch of ol' silly mess anyway. JESSE!

  [she leaves] 

  Tenant #2 : [to a man in a hat]  Go on, Jesse.

  [as the man leaves, everyone starts giggling] 

  Kiswana : I don't want to hear another word out of anyone that isn't strictly related to business. Do I make myself clear?

• Theresa : [as Lorraine comes in with groceries]  Remember my chocolate chip cookies?

  Lorraine : Well, hello. Hello to you too. My day? My day was just fine.

  [sets groceries on the counter] 

  Lorraine : Little Baxter boy brought his puppy to the show and tell, peed all over the floor then proceeded to chew the heel off my shoe. But yes, I managed to hobble to the store

  [takes out a package of cookies] 

  Lorraine : to get you chocolate chip cookies.

  Theresa : You know, you should have a talk with Mrs. Baxter. She ought to train that boy better than that.

  [She goes over to her] 

  Theresa : Hello.

  Lorraine : Hi

  Theresa : I only had to work half a day and the only tragedy I had was that I lost some fingernails in the typewriter. I'll put the stuff away and I'll make dinner so you can get your rest.

  Lorraine : No, you made dinner last night and fair is fair. I'm not really tired.

  [They proceed to get the groceries out of the bag] 

  Lorraine : T?

  Theresa : What?

  Lorraine : Have you noticed that people aren't as nice as they used to be?

  Theresa : What people, Lorraine?

  Lorraine : People in this building. They hardly speak to me anymore and it wasn't like that when we first moved in. I don't know. It makes me wonder what are they thinking.

  Theresa : Well, I personally don't give a damn what they're thinking- their good evenings don't put food on our table.

  [she takes the groceries to the far end of the kitchen] 

  Lorraine : Yeah, but you saw the way those two old ladies looked at us. They must know something or feel something.

  Theresa : They, they, THEY! I'm not starting up with this again, Lorraine. Now who in the hell are 'they'? You know, we're living in this dump of a building in this godforsaken neighborhood around a bunch of ignorant Negros with the cotton still underneath their fingernails because of you and your "theys". "They" knew something in Linden Hills and I had to give up my beautiful apartment for you. Then "they" knew in Park Heights and you made me so miserable we had to move. And now these mysterious "theys" are on Brewster Place? Look out the window, Lorraine! Do you see that wall? That's the end of the line for me. I'm NOT moving anymore so if that's what you're working up to, SAVE IT!

  Lorraine : [facing her]  You see, that's why I didn't mention it to you! Because you're always flying off the handle and jumping to conclusions and I did not say a damn thing about moving!

  [she goes to the bedroom door] 

  Lorraine : And, I was not aware that you've been so miserable since we've been together!

  [she goes into the bedroom and slams the door. Theresa goes to the bedroom] 

  Theresa : I'm sorry. Something knew I overacted. I'm sorry.

  [coming over to Lorraine in bed] 

  Theresa : And you know good and well if I was that miserable, I would have been gone a long time ago.

  Lorraine : You must think I'm some sort of paranoid freak. T, I just can't afford to have people calling the school or writing to the principal.

  Theresa : I know, I know.

  Lorraine : That's how I lost my job in Detroit. Teaching is my whole world, T.

  Theresa : I know. Look, it's not going to happen again. Lorraine, this school is too far away and you don't have to tell these old biddies where you work. You're just worrying about nothing. But I know something that's gonna make you feel a whole lot better about all of this.

  Lorraine : What?

  Theresa : Chocolate chip cookies.

  Lorraine : [starts laughing]  Lord, Help me Jesus!

  [They both laugh]