01x06 - She's Royal

[bunniefuu]

MUSIC: Dancing

Close by Rita Joyce

I am longing to hear from you.

Why won't you reply

to my letters?

While it has only been four

months since I saw you last,

it feels like a lifetime.

I will work until my hands

are worn to the bone,

so that I can be

by your side again.

Please, write back to me.

Love always, your Albert.

What you reading, Mummy?

Mind your business, Maggie. It's

just a letter from a friend.

What friend, Mummy?

A friend I left

behind in Jamaica.

Oh! Daddy!

Hey, baby.

Whapp'n, Wilfred?

My, suttin' smell good!

It soon ready.

Dish some up fi' for you

and Maggie when it finish.

Mi ah guh lie down.

You still not on

English time yet?

You been here two

months already.

Why that never tek me so long?

Mm, it must be that.

I haven't been feeling too

good since me get here.

Man, hold on, nuh, hold on.

You nah waan' fi know

what's in the bag?

Oh, what's inna di bag, Wilfred?

Is it for me?

It's for your mudda.

Open it, nuh.

It's so your mudda can

listen to her songs.

I know, I know you're

missing home, baby.

But this is home now.

It's nice, innit? Mm. Mm.

Oh!

Oh, she is a beauty, Veronica.

So how was Maggie?

Oh, you know, she's

always good as gold.

Chats me ear off, but,

sure, I do the same back.

Ah, Maggie, why don't you help

me run a bath for your mudda?

But me wan' play

with baby Sylvie.

You can play with

the baby later.

Now, we need to look

after your mudda.

MUSIC: Little Queenie

by Chuck Berry

Come on. Come on.

She's a lot lighter than

the rest of yous, isn't she?

Well, her colour

will come in soon.

It's going to be OK, pet.

We can make it

Come on, Queenie,

let's shake it

Go, go, go, little Queenie

Go, go, go,

little Queenie ♪

Sylvie! How many times do I have

to tell you? Stay out of my room!

Sorry, I know, but you took the

record player out of the front room.

What else was I meant to do?

Yeah, well, it's

mine till I move out,

so that means go

and buy your own.

With what money?

Why don't you get your likkle

boyfriend to buy you one?

He's not likkle, Maggie.

Why a man my age is running

'round with a 17-year-old,

I will never know.

Here we go again.

Fine, I'm going, but

I'm taking this with me.

HORN HONKS Sylvie!

Oh

And stay out of my room.

Is that you, Sylvie?

I'm just going down the road.

Down the road

where? And with who?

I'm meeting Sandra at HMV.

She wants to go halves

on a Sister Nancy record.

She has some money saved up

from her hairdressing job.

You know how I

know you're lying?

You talk too much.

Mum! Ah, just let

the girl go out, nuh.

She can't spend the whole summer

holiday arguing with Maggie

about the blasted record player.

Just be home by eight.

Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad.

Go. Quick, quick, quick.

You should get talking!

Hey, baby.

I have to be home by eight.

Nuh worry yourself.

You're safe with me.

She needed you there, Veronica.

She should have listened to me.

And now, look.

I wanted better for her.

Go and talk to her, Maggie.

No, give the baby to your mudda.

Veronica

This is your grandchild.

ANSWERING MACHINE: You've

reached Romero. I

MUSIC: Never Ever

by All Saints

I just don't understand why

he won't answer the phone.

Because he's a coward.

But he told me he'd

always be there.

He was always there from the

day I found out, even though

He wasn't going to leave

his wife. I told you.

But he said he would.

He said that his parents

forced him to marry her.

Listen, when I see that

man, it's curtains for him.

I'm going to twist up his

ba*ls so hard he won't be able

to have another

child in this life.

You promise?

I promise.

Sylvie, you know I've

always got you, yeah?

And the same goes for the baby.

Thank you.

Have you thought of what

you're going to name her yet?

Mm.

Hmm I was thinking

..Princess.

Absolutely not! No way.

I was going to say that I

want her to be strong

..and brave

..like a queen.

So I was thinking Queenie.

Yes, man.

Mi like it.

Now, go and get yourself

cleaned up and come downstairs.

Your daughter is

waiting for you.

ALL: Happy birthday to you! ♪

Wow. Blow it!

ALL: Yay!

11 years old, my

big granddaughter!

Happy birthday!

So what have you two been

doing for Queenie's birthday?

Well, we were supposed to go to

the cinema, but Mum had a date

Oh? Er Queenie!

Wow! Date? Date? With whom?

Never you mind.

He's just a friend.

His name's Roy.

Oh, my gosh! Oh, is it?!

Anyway, stop chat

your mudda business.

Right. You can

stay here, Queenie.

I will make you a big birthday

breakfast in the morning.

Her birthday's over now,

Mum. Stop spoiling her.

Of course I have to

spoil her. She's my baby.

Er, no, Mum, it's MY baby.

I'll run you a bubble

bath before bed.

Oh, God, Maggie, please!

Dad, it's a breast. Get over it.

Talk to your daughter

now, Veronica!

About what?

If we were back home

What is it that you said

when we first come here?

"This is home now."

Go and cut the cake.

Ugh!

LAUGHTER

BABY BABBLES

I think I'm going into me shed.

Is he missing Sylvie that much?

You know the two of them close.

And he really, really

nuh like that Roy.

Who does? I don't

trust him at all, Mum.

None of us like him, it's true.

But he's worried about her.

He's not even sleeping.

But it's Queenie I worry about.

SHE SIGHS

No. No, let her stay, since

she loves her mother so much.

Roy! I never signed

up to be anyone's dad.

Sorry, Roy, I

It's cos of her I can't get a

minute alone with you. Please

MUSIC: Up by The Saturdays

Queenie.

I've been calling

you for dinner.

I'm not hungry. Queenie, please.

Can't we just go to Grandma

and Grandad's for dinner?

No.

I've told you, we're

a family now, OK?

Me, you and Roy.

Queenie, look, I know, OK?

I know that you and

Roy don't get on.

I know that he

can be particular.

And if you don't

listen to him

..he can get cross.

And I know that's not nice

..but can't you see if you do listen

to him, things will get easier?

He's not my dad.

Well, your dad

isn't here, is he?

But Roy is.

Please Queenie.

Xxxx

She has no respect for me.

I bring you into my house

..under my roof

..I even let you bring this

likkle girl, who has no manners,

and this is how you repay me?

By making me sit and wait

until my food gets cold?

I said I'm sorry, Roy.

Queenie didn't even know.

She-she was just doing

The reason why your girl has no

manners is cos you never teach her

how to respect her elders.

MUSIC FADES OU

You're lucky I let this

likkle girl into my home.

You will always be stupid,

just like your mother.

When will you be back? I

don't like being here alone.

As soon as I can, Queenie.

Roy just wants to

talk things through.

Well, why can't I go to Grandma

and Grandad's or Aunt Maggie's?

Because, Queenie, they

will ask questions.

And what happens at

home stays between us.

Where is home, Mum?

This is home, until me

and Roy sort things out.

Now, remember what I told you -

do not open the door to anyone.

There's food in the fridge

if if you get hungry.

OK.

OK. I'll see you tomorrow.

Please

..come back.

That's how it goes with

the women in our family.

I've never really

known how anyone feels.

If I learned one thing from them,

it's to be strong, whatever that is.

It usually means

covering things up.

There's no room for feelings.

Is that why you've been saying

"I'm fine" or "I was fine"

since we started

seeing each other?

I was fine.

I, erm was safe enough,

and my mum would pop in to make

sure I had enough food and

And for how long were you

left alone in that flat?

I don't remember exactly.

A few months.

Once Auntie Maggie found out,

I went to live with her

and Diana for a while,

when Diana was just a baby.

That was fun.

Diana was like my little dolly.

And then my grandparents, and

..then my dad, which was

It was not good.

His wife wasn't very welcoming when

the daughter that she'd always tried

to ignore turned up on their

doorstep and asked to stay.

Sounds like you were always made

to feel like you were the problem.

How did that make you feel?

It's like you said.

Like I was the problem.

OK. Well

..Roy rejected you, which,

of course, he shouldn't have.

Your mum rejected you.

And the first relationship you

were in that felt safe ended,

which would've felt like the

biggest rejection of all,

so this behaviour,

this casual sex,

is you looking for

constant affirmation.

Affirmation that you're wanted.

All right.

Your ex-boyfriend

moved on quickly.

You lost one of

your best friends.

No.

Cassandra lost herself.

And then you felt

rejected by your boss.

That one just

That one didn't surprise me.

How do you mean?

Well, she

..she stuck with

her own, didn't she?

She wasn't going to believe the

silly, little black girl whose work

was slipping over the

office heart-throb.

I don't understand why it's all

about me being rejected instead of

the people that are

doing the rejecting.

And what if I liked the casual

sex that I was having then?

Respectfully, Queenie, you yourself

told me you weren't having much fun

during those sexual encounters.

So what? Are you Are you

saying that I had casual sex

because nobody ever loved me?

No.

But the love you had

growing up was inconsistent

and unreliable, and so now,

love to you feels like something

that's always about to go.

Well, just

That's just how it is for

girls like me, though.

What do you mean,

girls like you?

Loud, brash, sassy,

confrontational, bitchy!

That's the problem - I can't not

be a strong black woman, Janet, OK?

I I can't walk into any

place and not be a black woman.

On the bus, on

the Tube, at work,

in the canteen, in

the car, it's

No, I-I don't need your water. I

don't need it because guess what?

I'm I'm a strong black woman,

and we don't need anything.

We don't need anything

and we don't need anyone.

We can just take everybody's

sh*t and it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter how

much we've been through,

and it doesn't matter how much

we can't take any more, and it

SHE PANTS

I can't

I can't breathe.

Is this a dream?

No, it's my nightmare -

coming all the way

to North London

because my granddaughter is doing

things I told her not to do.

What happened?

You fainted. It happens.

Queenie will be fine.

Let's see how fine she is

when I finish with her.

Come on. The cab

is waiting outside.

I'm sorry about before. I

I think I've been

holding a lot in.

I just I don't know why

I don't know why it

came out like that.

There's no need to apologise.

I'll see you next week.

I doubt it.

And how many times do I

have to tell you to listen?

Because if you had just

spoken to your mother,

like I already told you,

you wouldn't have to pay

some woman we don't know

to talk about family business.

And I wouldn't have to pay to

jump in a taxi across London

because she phoned me to tell

me that you'd fainted, Queenie!

You know how much pain I

had to tek tru my yout?

No good will come

of all this digging.

Sometimes we have to

leave things in the past.

We're here, Grandma.

Where Queenie?!

I'm here, I'm here.

Oh!

What a journey.

Oh

Right.

How much, driver?

That'll be �70.

Lord, have mercy!

Me whole pension finish.

Actually, do you think you

could take me somewhere else?

Where else? You live here now.

Not to live, Grandma, I'm

just going to go to Kyazike's.

Oh, are you now?

I don't think so.

Queenie, you need to come

inside. We need to talk about

Can we please just

talk tomorrow?

I can't do any

more talking today.

Make sure.

This discussion is not finished.

TAXI DRIVES AWAY

DOOR OPENS

It's just me.

Where Queenie, deh?

You k*ll her for fainting?

She gone to her friend.

The African one.

Sit down.

Let me make you a cup of tea.

I just don't understand

why the girl don't listen.

It's for her own good.

Ever since Queenie was young,

she let her emotions run her.

She's just like her

mother in that way.

They're the same, but different.

She too soft.

You will have to

speak to her, Wilfred.

The same way Sylvie

always listened to you,

Queenie might hear you over me.

Hmm?

Maybe if all of we had learned to

talk about our troubles back then,

we wouldn't carry so much on our

shoulders all the way to the grave.

I wish we had spoken

more when we was young.

Whatever you'd have told me,

whatever you'd have said

..I would have loved

you the same way.

Queenie will keep

going to therapy.

I think we have to learn from

this new generation, Veronica.

SHE SIGHS

Hm. What are you doing here?

I'll give you a clue.

Mm.

It's nice to see you too.

Where's Kyazike?

She went out.

Apparently the paint fumes

were getting her high.

Why are you painting

in the house at 8pm?

Well, I was working all

day, and Kyazike wanted

to surprise her mum before she

got back from work in the morning,

so here I am.

That's nice of her.

Yeah.

Talk to me, Big Q.

Hmm? What's happening?

I had therapy today.

OK.

Heavy session?

Yeah, you could say that.

I'm tired.

Want to talk about it?

Not really because

..if I tell you everything,

you won't want me.

Nobody really wants me.

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

You still haven't finished? Shh.

Queenie's sleeping.

How you mean?

I mean she came

over and she just

I don't know, she just

looked bare tired, like

..more tired than

I've ever seen anyone

so, yeah, I just put a

blanket on her and that.

I can see that.

What?

Cool. Erm, listen.

If you f*ck about Queenie

Oh, man, this she's not going

to indirect you on her socials

and move on with the next guy

the next week.

It's going to break her.

And why you telling me for?

And I know you're my family,

my cousin or whatever,

but I'm not the one

with commitment issues.

Queenie doesn't need

someone who's going to

chat to the next

girl every week.

Our girl's vulnerable.

She's not good.

She will be, but

just not right now,

so you need to leave her alone.