I just heard today my papi's had a second stroke.
He's asking for his little girl.
So yuh just going' abandon your wife
in her time of need most crucial?
"Him nah fly well."
What boils my blood is the kind of married man...
...who sticks his business in any old smelly...
...venereal, baggy *** that's had more dingle-dangles
stuffed up it than hot dinners.
Those kind of men should be publicly flogged in the town square.
Still she accuse me of being a cheat.
Barry, you are a cheat.
For better or for worse.
We are in this for life. Understand?
- Uh-huh... - Hmm...
Uh-huh...
For marriage is...
...is nothing without trust.
Thank you.
One remembers till it hurts remembering too.
Claudia Jones.
Feminist, advocate...
...and pioneer.
What happened to us Barry?
Life happened Carmel.
Don't you do it Carmel.
Don't you utter even a single damn word.
What if I asked nicely?
If I really needed you to be there with me?
What then?
Would you come?
You're a fool Carmel...
You've always been a damn fool.
There you go love.
Oh Carm... Come on.
Come and sit and have a chat with us, yeah?
Okay.
Come on.
Your Barry don't deserve you, Carm. He really don't.
Staying out at night to *** them trampy slags
when he's got someone like you at home!
Come on. Look at me.
You're a very attractive woman.
Yeah and you're smart and kind, best boss in Hackney.
Who could have her pick of men!
One that treats you with dignity and respect.
We're here for you Carm. Be brave...
And maybe put on a bit of lippy, yeah?
- Yeah... - Yeah.
Yeah....
Cheers...
Yes, cheers.
- Mr Dempsey? - D'you fancy a sticky finger?
Huh, excuse me?
- Sticky fingers? They're home-made. - Ah...
Pretty good too, even if I do say so myself.
Go on. Treat yourself.
Is this leftie loudmouth really trying to flirt with you?
Mm, yes..? See... What did I tell you?!
They all as cocksure as you
over in Town Planning, Mr Reuben Dempsey?
D'you fancy another one?
Better not. A moment on the lips...
I can think of worse places to spend a lifetime.
Yeah...
- why not? - Yeah...
You admire her?
Mm-hmm. I do, in a funny way.
Thatcher the Milk Snatcher?
Not her politics. But, you know,
as a woman in power who
gave those public-school toffs in Cabinet what for type-a-thing.
I can guarantee you, that Thatcher is anything
but a champion of women's rights.
Still a role model, isn't she?!
Showing how a woman can have it all.
Bet Carm could have it all, couldn't she Reuben, eh?
Yeah, she definitely could.
If she wanted it badly enough.
If I was you I'd ask for a refund on that politics degree.
And lose that hair of yours too while you're at it,
cos a professor you most certainly ain't!
Don't like my hair? Put a lot of time into this hair.
I know it doesn't show.
It does not.
Behave!
Hey.
So err, I just dropped by to give you-
Your pink ***?
This.
Oh...
Huh.
Thank you.
What happened there?
Just thought I needed to change it up.
- Mm-hmm... - Try something new.
Can I make you a cuppa?
Yeah, I'd like a cup of tea.
Look at he, he must like he tea sweet and black.
Carmel, stop you now! God never sleeps!
Biscuit? I have custard creams.
Oh, very nice. Crunchy and creamy.
Jesus didn't die for you to do this!
- You like fig rolls? - They're delicious, soft.
Sweet...
It looks like everyone's gone for lunch.
Hell is this white boy doing?
I have garibaldis too.
I don't know what they are, but they sound nice.
Have you got anything else?
That is to say my life as a married woman in my new home...
It does not say that Reuben.
Has now begun...
Why don't you come here...
Looks better on you...
That really is the 'Good Book', eh?
You like?
That's very nice.
Mm-hmm...
It's beautiful.
You like?
I like it a lot.
I love you.
You serious?
As serious as I've ever been about anything in my whole life.
Move in with me. I can make you happy.
- At least... - ... tell me you feel the same.
He's back! I got to go.
- I love you! - I got to go.
You're back early!
Who was that?
No one.
No one?
Just Merty.
You want a drink?
Please.
Barrington...
Barry...
What I'm about to say isn't easy.
And please don't feel I've reached this decision...
...lightly, because Lord knows I haven't.
But in the end...
...I truly, truly think it is what's best for all of us in the long run...
Oh God...
You, me, and the girls!
Barry...
- Mummy's home. - Mum.
What's all this?
You don't deserve a break upon occasion? Come.
- It's a surprise... - Come...
- He's been cooking all day. - Sit...
I helped too.
- Take the weight off. - There's sausages, potatoes...
- Fishcakes. - Because you daughters have something to show you.
- Right, let's... - Ha, ha, ha, what it is?
Five, six, seven, eight.
Eh... eh... mm, yes, yes, oh yes....
Ah-ha...
Go Maxine.
Go Maxine. Go Maxine. Go Maxine.
Eh...
- Go Maxine, go Maxine... - Go Maxine, go Maxine...
- Yes Maxine. Yes. - Go Donna! Go Donna!
Go Donna, go Donna, go Donna...
Yeah! Nice, nice, nice...
All that rehearsing, how long did that take? It was so cool, huh?!
Thank you baby.
Oh Donna. God bless you both.
- We're just going to get changed. - Hurry back, eh?
We eating soon. See that, all day.
- All day. - All day...
Y'alright?
Barry...
What I'm about to say
isn't easy,
- and please don't feel I've reached this decision... - Hold on...
- I truly, truly... - Just hold on...
Before you say anything further just so you know,
I know I can be better.
Y'know... A better husband, a better father.
I promise.
-This was the promise you made Carmel. - I will, from now on. I will.
Till death do us part.
I swear,
eh?
Swear, swear, swear down.
Okay.
Okay...
- Yeah? - Yeah, yeah, yeah...
- Y'alright? - I'm alright, I'm alright, it's the girls... Beautiful...
Yeah.
- Okay. - Okay.
Okay. Well, sausages, prawn crackers...
- I erm, let me get the potato. - Potato...
Mm-hmm...
See that?
- Spoon? - Spoon... Spoon...
Spoon... Don't tell me...
In the...
Don't...
Take the job at Lambeth.
Move south and forget about me.
No, no.
See I can't.
And I won't. Not without you.
I'm a married woman, Reuben.
Marriage it's a gift from God
who, who I made a sacred vow in front of.
I can't break it.
I won't.
I've sacrificed too much.
Don't you deserve to be happy?
Don't you?
Take the job, Reuben.
You know if you go now, that's it.
There's no going back.
Good luck, yeah.
Thanks very much, it's been a pleasure.
I'll miss you guys too.
- Right, see you all. - Bye Reuben.
Don't work too hard.
Carmel...
You know, there's no easy way of saying this,
but it's something that's been weighing on me heavily for
a while now and...
I feel it's maybe best for both of us
if we went ahead and erm, thought about...
you know...
maybe getting divorced.
Carmel...
you heard what I said?
I would sooner kill us both than allow that,
you selfish son-of-a-***!
For better or for worse
we are in this for life!
Understand?!
I understand.
It's alright.
Would you like some help Mrs Walker?
No Queely, you stay where you are....
Alright...
Okay.
Carmel!
So good to see you, cousin.
It-a been too long.
Must feel good to be home, nah? Get away from England.
Augusta.
Yuh looking' pale, woman. Come!
I coming, I coming.
Alright.
Together.
Come here.
Must feel good to be home.
Yes.
Come...
Look at this place.
It shook with Papi's rage.
It tore through Mummy.
You couldn't wait to leave.
When you flee the nest, fly as far as you can.
Because the guilt will pull you back.
So here you are Carmel, the dutiful daughter.
And for what?
What's the matter?
Come...
He in his room.
Doctor say him nuh have much time left at all.
I, I don't think I can...
Chile, a yuh papi. A good man.
He was many things.
But good...?
Listen.
You will feel different after a likkle rest and some food.
Me go fix yuh something.
Yuh daddy change, Carmel.
Ole age soften him like he flesh.
You was always in his prayers.
Remember, chile. To err is human.
But to forgive...
So... kinda surprised not to see Barry with you!
He had a client he couldn't let down.
Hm, he was always industrious like that.
As industrious as he was handsome.
Who had de pick of the whole island.
Yet-a my own cousin go and win the jackpot!
What a beauty yuh did look on your wedding day.
When yuh a go stop being all gentlemanly
and finally touch them?
We're married now. They want touching.
Barry! Wake up. They need caressing.
I can't believe we soon going Inglan.
We'll see Her Majesty.
Might even invite us to have tea at The Palace. To welcome us.
We got a whole lifetime ahead of us.
I love you Barry!
Morning husband.
All gnarled and tangled up.
Ow!
Carmelita Miller.
It is, isn't it?!
Hubert?
Look at you.
Well, look at you.
Err, listen to you.
Oh yeah, I'm fully grown now.
So American!
Hubert...
Oh...
Sorry about your Daddy.
It-a part of life.
Doesn't make it any easier.
My wife, Everine, she passed just over a year and a half ago now and...
I'm sorry.
Thank you.
It's why I came back.
You know, home.
I heard you was States side.
Mm, D.C. Yeah, I was a university Professor.
Mmmm... You always were a bit of-a swot.
How was the Empire?
How'd that treat you? Was it everything you had hoped for?
My sister, Beryl.
She always said
Carmelita could-a achieve anything she put her mind to.
- Yeah..? - Mm...
Well... I did. Eventually.
My degree in Business Administration
led to a career in Housing Management.
Oh...
I was responsible for well over two thousand properties.
Damn. Big Boss Lady.
Hm-hmm...
Them were some of the happiest days of my life.
Where I felt most wanted.
Needed.
Loved.
Hey, hey... I know, it's hard coming back?
My daddy would always say;
"bwoy, never go backward. Only forward."
Sometimes
I think you need to go back in order to move forward.
This house...
- It was your grandmothers. - Mm...
It's exactly how I remember it.
Do you remember what happened there, hm?
That's where you told me you were choosing' Barry instead.
- I remember. - Yeah,
insisted on having one final kiss.
Ha, yeah, said it was a way of err,
cushioning the blow.
I don't remember that.
Oh, yeah, you said err,
Jack Lemmon types were cute and all that
but what you really were after was a Rock Hudson.
Oh Lord...
I've been working out ever since.
Yeah... Barry was always the luckiest guy on the island.
I better get back.
Oh, hey Carm, I, I... Carm I, I... please...
Lord,
please grant me the power of forgiveness
so that the sinners-
The...
...fornicators.
The abusers.
They may be...
You ain't fooling nobody Carmel. Least of all him.
My God.
Carmel?
Is you?
Odette?
Oh buoy...
Woo!
New me.
I love it.
Mi nah see you nearly thirty years and...
yuh just turn up mi local here.
Thirty years.
Odette,
how you just left London so and you never even say goodbye?
I'm sorry.
Was a hard time for me and Morris...
with our divorce.
I understand.
Odette I...
I need a drink.
Sup'm happened?
What? What happened?
Carmel
My Papi's dying.
Oh, yes, I, I heard.
I'm sorry.
I'm not.
Come...
Young man.
Augusta?
Where yuh been?
You're too late. He passed.
Hullo?
He's dead Barry.
Papi...
he gone!
Oh, I'm so sorry, Carmel.
I feel like an orphan, Barry.
When you coming out for the funeral?
Barry?
You know I don't business with funerals.
Yes, but...
this is mi Papi.
I need you.
I really need you to come out.
People will expect you to be here, by my side.
I am sorry Carmel.
I just can't.
Morning husband...
I know I can be better...
And I will from now on... I will.
For better or for worse.
We are in this for life.
Carm...
Ah, ha-haa...
- Again... - Woo!
It's alright.
- Mmph... - I sorry, I sorry. Come, come...
For marriage is...
...is nothing without trust.
Thank you.
You're a fool, Carmel.
You've always been a damn fool.
Donna.
- Lovely to meet you. - Oh, thanks.
...lies...
...he's told to the face of the woman
who's given her whole life to him...
He'll always find a way of letting her down.
You need to connect with your grandson again.
Welcome
to Grandy's bar.
Do you have a girlfriend?
It's complicated.
Isn't it always.
Don't tell Mum though.
She still blames Dad for everything.
How you know what went on when him gone before you was born?
He told me.
You see your father?