Acrimony

What is it going to take

to make you heed the warnings of this court?

It is obvious to me

that you are not taking this matter seriously.

I will not allow you to continue to harass these people.

Is that clear?

If you violate this restraining order, I assure you,

you will spend 40 days in the county jail.

I mean it.

One more offense.

What is obvious to this court

is that you're in need of professional help

and anger management counseling.

This court has suggested that you seek counseling,

but since you can't or won't do it voluntarily,

I am requiring it as part of your staying out of jail.

Do I make myself clear?

Do I make myself clear?

Melinda?

Yes, Your Honor.

So,

do you think you have an anger problem?

Motherfucking right, I got an anger problem.

Do you feel that you're entitled to this anger?

That's like asking me if I'm entitled to being hungry.

He caused all of this.

All of it.

It's not me. That son of a bitch owes me.

What do you think he owes you?

Every damn breath in his body.

Why do you feel that way?

You don't know what he did to me.

You don't know.

Would you like to share what he did?

Do I have a choice?

We all have choices.

Not when some damn judge is making me sit here.

- You know what? - This is bullshit, okay?

This motherfucker torments me, and he gets to walk away free.

What are you writing?

Just my notes.

And what do your notes say?

I'm a stereotype?

Is that what you think you are?

Hell, no!

Sick and tired of hearing that.

Every time a black woman gets mad, she's a stereotype.

"Ooh, she emasculates men."

Is that what you think you did?

Bitch...

are you not listening to me?

I never did anything to him.

I was everything he needed me to be.

I was...

I was strong when he needed me to be.

I played weak when he needed me to.

I was pathetic.

I was...

Don't tell me I don't have a right to be angry. Hmm?

Is that what you think I said?

I really don't give a damn what you said.

But this is wrong.

All of this is wrong.

Why don't we do this?

Why don't we just start from the beginning?

Help me understand this injustice.

Just tell me what happened.

How far back do you wanna go?

I remember every damn day.

That's the problem.

Can't forget it.

I can't get it out of my head.

So...

How far do you wanna go?

Well, let's start at the beginning.

Okay.

How'd you meet him?

It was raining.

I was in college...

and I was studying late.

It was raining really hard.

I don't know. Crazy shit happens to me in the rain.

Around water.

I was trying to get back to my dorm, and I ran into him.

- No! - Damn!

- No, no! - You can't watch what you're doing?

Move! You the idiot who bumped into me!

Girl, what's wrong with you?

Damn!

Hi.

Is Melissa here?

There's no Melissa here.

Oh, Melinda. Melinda's...

What do you want?

- Who's this? - The asshole.

I'm sorry. Here.

I have some of your papers.

Great. Just great.

And I think you may have one or two of mine.

No, I don't. Sorry.

Here. Forgive her. She's really bad at history,

- and she had a paper to turn in today... - Sarah!

Goodbye.

Look, I feel really bad about bumping into you.

I can be in my own head when I'm working on a project.

I'm sorry.

Okay, yeah. Fine.

But if you don't mind now,

I have less than 24 hours to finish my paper.

So, goodbye.

Well, your basis is way off in the first four pages,

and the facts of the Spanish-American War are wrong.

And Professor Huff will catch that in a second.

How do you know that?

I took his class last year.

I'm sorry for reading your first pages.

I got an A in his class.

I can help you if you'd like.

I was so mad the first time I saw him

that I didn't even realize how handsome he was.

Please?

He was beautiful. Gotta give him that.

The devil sure knows how to put a package together.

Standing in front of me was all the things I loved.

He was dark, sexy.

- It was 1497. - No.

Look, this is too hard for me to remember.

Can we take a break?

I don't wanna talk about this stuff anymore.

You don't have much time.

It's too much, okay?

I'm on a brain overload.

So, let's talk about you.

Those papers you needed, what were they?

Tell me.

I think I've found a solution to an age-old problem.

I'm creating a battery that can recharge itself.

If it works, it can be used in cars, homes, you name it.

And I'm gonna be so rich.

While saving the environment, of course.

Of course.

He was so charming.

So slick.

I just wish to high heaven

someone would have said to me right then and there,

"Girl, get up and run as fast as you can

because this man will leave you devastated."

How'd you do?

Tell me.

But we studied.

Yo, I'm sorry.

Let me talk to Professor Huff. Maybe we get you a make-up.

No. No, okay?

I mean, this is all just a waste of money.

I can't keep doing this to my mother.

To be honest with you, I mean,

she was surprised I was even going to school.

I wasn't as smart as my sisters.

Come here.

Melinda.

Hey, what are you doing here?

Mama...

My sisters came to tell me that my mother had died.

My mother and I always been close.

May she rest in peace. Amen.

I was numb.

I was so desperate to feel anything.

You see, that's how this happened.

He was there at the right time to take advantage of me.

Hi.

I'm Brenda.

Hey, I'm Robert.

You have a last name?

Gayle.

- Hmm. - How do you know Melinda?

- School. - Oh.

Well, we haven't seen you around here.

Yeah, I'm from Kirkwood.

Oh.

Well, this is a different side of the tracks for you.

What do you do for a living?

I'm in school right now.

Oh. That's good. That's good.

Yeah.

Well, if you don't have a job, then who's paying for it?

Student loans. Scholarships.

That kind of thing.

Oh. So you must be smart.

Or an athlete.

- No, no athlete. - No? Oh.

Oh. This is my boyfriend, Casey.

- Oh. Hi. - Hi, man.

- Hey. Nice to meet you, man. - Good to meet you, too.

And this is Kalvin, Brenda's fiancé.

- What's up, man? - Good to meet you.

Good to meet you as well.

So what are you studying?

Mechanical engineering.

- Oh. Devon, come here. - Hey.

Hey.