BYRON: Previously, on Black Cake...
ELEANOR [on recording]: B and B,
I told you a story about a girl with no family
and no past.
But of course, that's not my story.
What are you doing?
No!
[screaming] No! Please!
Do you really think Dad would've wanted to know everything?
There must be some kind of mistake. I'm not adopted.
Eleanor was your birth mother.
Did it not occur to you that I might want to know?
We didn't tell you certain things for the same reasons
that you haven't told Gio the whole truth about his father.
I can't single-handedly take on racism.
You can't seem to walk the walk.
You need me, Benny.
You had the opportunity to make something of yourself
and you blew it.
At least with me, you were somebody.
ELEANOR [on recording]: I've reached the end of my story.
I realize that I'm leaving you with so many unanswered questions...
[Little Man chokes]
[body thuds] [items clatter]
ELEANOR: ...particularly, about my wedding.
BYRON: Ma didn't kill Little Man.
This is insane!
My daughter, your prime suspect, is dead.
Case closed.
This case is still open.
She was never the only suspect.
The fact that she turned up overseas,
using her mother's maiden name.
You don't want to live a life of secrets.
We all have secrets.
PEARL: The police,
they think they know who poisoned Little Man.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
ELEANOR: Try to understand that nothing about that night was easy.
But in the end,
it had to be done.
[insects chirping]
[birds chirping]
[Mathilda hums]
[groaning]
[gasping]
Pearl! Pear--
[groaning]
[breathing shakily]
[groaning]
Mathilda, I'm here.
[Mathilda grunts and groans]
[Pearl grunts]
Mm-hmm. Breathe.
[Mathilda groaning]
PEARL: Breathe.
And push.
[Mathilda groaning]
[gasps, groans]
You got it.
One more time.
[Mathilda screaming]
[Mathilda gasps]
PEARL [crying with joy]: You did it!
[baby crying]
[Mathilda and Pearl laugh]
PEARL: You did it!
[sobbing laugh]
You did it.
[baby crying] PEARL: It's a girl.
MATHILDA: Look at all of this hair.
So black and straight,
just like your pa. Hmm?
I'm right here.
Mommy is here.
My sweet Coventina.
PEARL: Coventina?
Goddess of water.
Pearl,
you are the only one I trust to look out for her.
And I will, always.
As her godmother?
[Pearl cries happily] [Covey fusses]
[Mathilda laughs]
I'd be honored.
[Covey crying]
[Mathilda shushes]
To run duppy and ward off evil spirits.
Oh.
[Covey fussing]
[Pearl chuckles]
MATHILDA: Mm-hmm.
Would you look at that? [gasps]
Nutmeg fruit.
I'll mash it up and rub some in her navel to help her heal, for later.
That's not nutmeg.
Look closer.
[Covey fussing]
[Mathilda shushes]
Dear God! It's manchineel fruit.
MATHILDA: It's toxic.
I'm so sorry.
[Mathilda sighs]
[Covey cries]
[Pearl shushes]
[sharp inhale]
[drawer rattles]
[breathing heavily]
[gasping breath]
♪ somber music playing ♪
BYRON: May I help you, Ma?
No, you may not.
This is my last cake.
I need to do this on my own.
Please.
♪
Well, go on then.
[Byron chuckles]
[tapping bowl]
[Eleanor laughs]
[both chuckle]
Thank you.
Oh, Ma.
For this year.
You have been a gift.
♪
Scoot.
Look, you're stirring when you should be folding.
[Byron sighs]
Just let me.
Go on.
I'll be upstairs if you need me.
Mm-hmm.
Byron?
Hmm?
I hope you'll do this with your own children one day.
[Byron chuckles]
I wish I could be here to teach them, but
you'll always have this.
This is your heritage.
Hold onto it.
B and B,
there's a small black cake in the freezer for you.
Don't throw it out.
Sit down together and share it when the time is right.
You'll know when.
Love, Ma.
Okay.
Ready?
[knife clinks]
What the hell is that?
♪ intriguing music playing ♪
♪
BENNY: [gasps] It's Ma and Dad back in Jamaica.
Aw, look how young they were.
Who's the other girl?
BYRON: "Benedetta 'Bunny' Pringle."
Benedetta was Bunny's real name.
Ma named me after her best friend.
BYRON: You know I helped Ma bake this cake?
How the hell did I miss this?
We both... missed so much.
I imagine she worked very hard to keep all this from you.
Yeah.
Um, if you don't mind, I'd like to return to the hotel.
I have a few phone calls to make.
You can't leave now!
I have been ignoring my phone since I got here.
If I don't resurface soon,
I fear my family may file a missing person's report.
[Byron chuckles]
Okay, but please, don't leave without saying goodbye.
I'll see you at the funeral.
Let me walk you out.
Bye.
[door opens]
[door closes]
♪
Hey.
NARRATOR [on video]: Etta Pringle isn't just a local girl
who's made good,
she's conquered the world one swim at a time.
Benedetta "Bunny" Pringle is Etta Pringle.
[crowd cheering on video]
It's that famous swimmer.
Mom used to be obsessed with her, remember?
Yeah, I do.
I just thought it was... Jamaican pride.
NARRATOR [on video]: After winning her first harbor race in Kingston,
Etta broke records with her stunning long-distance swims.
As the first Black woman in the world to have swam the English Channel,
the Strait of Magellan in Chile,
and the icy waters off the Siberian coast,
she still shows no signs of slowing down.
Ma was watching Etta.
Like Dad was watching me.
♪
Enjoy.
PERSON: Thank you, Miss Pringle.
Alright, who's next?
BENNY: Bunny, hi.
ETTA: My God.
All these years, I thought Covey died in that train crash.
[scoffs] I don't understand.
If she'd been following my career, why didn't she reach out?
BENNY: In her final message, she said there was one person out there
who knew the truth about what happened on her wedding night.
Do you think... she killed Little Man?
I mean, we wouldn't blame her,
but we just don't understand why she would tell us all this,
only to leave that out.
She must have had her reasons,
probably to protect the both of you.
What about our dad?
Do you think he could have done it? ETTA: I don't know.
If she didn't say in the recording,
she mustn't have wanted you to know either.
But we need to know.
I don't care.
I'm sorry if I'm not interested in whatever happened to Little Man.
For 50 years, I thought my best friend was dead.
What I want to know is how she could just carry on
without ever letting me know she had survived.
You need to hear from Ma.
So why don't you come over after you've listened to the message?
And we'll talk after the funeral.
No.
I won't be attending.
I have worked very hard to put this all behind me.
I'm terribly sorry, I must leave.
Miss Pringle, please listen--
BYRON: Benny, let her go.
[Benny sighs]
We can't let Ma's story end like this.
We don't have a choice.
If Etta doesn't want to talk to us,
then maybe we should just go to Jamaica after the funeral.
Jamaica?
And do what? - Ask questions!
About-- About the wedding. Ab-- About our grandparents.
Ma-Mathilda vanished. - Yeah.
But what if she started a new life?
O-Or had more children?
Don't you want to know if we have family out there in the world?
One new family member is all I can handle right now, Ben.
[Benny sighs]
There's still so much that we don't know.
And there are some things we'll never know.
ELEANOR: My dearest Bunny,
where do I begin?
You know better than just about anyone that untold stories shape people's lives,
both when they are withheld
and when they are revealed.
I can't tell you how wonderful it has been following you in the news.
You don't know how many times I wanted to get in touch before now.
So please, forgive me for asking you to do me this one last favor.
It's about my children.
BUNNY: Cheer up, would you?
Just... [chuckles] look at me.
You look lovely.
[scoffs] If by lovely, you mean ridiculous.
Come on.
If this won't make you smile, I don't know what to do.
There's nothing you can do, Bunny.
We were fools, thinking we can leave this island.
We're girls.
They tell us how to walk, how to talk, where to swim,
who to love.
Why did we ever think things would be different for us?
Because we are different.
[Covey scoffs]
I used to think so.
[chuckling scoff] I still do.
Because there's still hope for you, Bunny.
[Bunny sighs]
You'll swim in the harbor race next year,
and then you'll be off to some... exotic country
on a swimming scholarship.
[Bunny chuckles]
Promise me you'll do it.
I will.
And you'll be by my side.
No.
I'll be with Little Man.
[tuts] Stop that.
Your pa will come through.
How do you know?
Because he always has.
Right?
Because he loves you.
[knock on door]
GIBBS: Come in.
Where have you been?
[sighs] What are you doing here?
I'll ask you again.
Where have you been
during all of this wedding planning nonsense?
I've stayed away like Covey asked.
Well, you've stayed away long enough.
Covey still believes her father will find a way
to stop this wedding,
but you and I both know he can't.
So what are you gonna do?
Me?
You know I'm leaving for university.
So you're abandoning her?
Just like her mum.
And now her pa. Is that it?
What would you have me do?
Little Man will kill us both. Is that what you want?
After this wedding, we'll never see her again.
Is that what you want?
Of course not.
Then how can you just leave her behind?
And I thought you loved her.
I do.
Prove it.
♪ tense music playing ♪
[door slams shut]
You aren't planning on giving that same eulogy
you wrote before, are you?
What would you like me to say?
I don't know.
Something about her life as Covey?
To honor who she really was.
And to acknowledge Mabel.
We can't acknowledge Mabel without blowing up her world.
So you're just gonna get up there and keep lying like Mom and Dad?
That is not what Ma wanted.
BYRON: But it is, though.
She helped plan this, Ben.
Eleanor's funeral, not Covey's.
So I have to see it through,
honor the life she chose to present to the world.
The truth is for us.
I'll be home in a few more days, and we can discuss boarding school then,
but... now is not a good time.
GIO [over phone]: Well, when is a good time, Mum?
You're always in-between flights and, and appearances
and slogging through customs.
[over phone] Where are you anyway?
I'm in California.
You're in the States?
Why?
We're targeting a few stops over here for my book tour, so--
GIO: Oh, right, they haven't canceled that yet.
Giovanni!
GIO [chuckling]: I'm kidding.
But why didn't you just tell me?
You left without saying goodbye.
You're right. I'm sorry.
Things just got a bit heated with your grandparents.
Will you just tell me what happened?
MABEL [over phone]: It was nothing. Really.
You'll probably laugh when I tell you.
Don't spend another second worrying. Okay?
I'll be home in a few days, and,
I'll explain everything then.
Okay, darling?
GIO: Sure. Whatever.
Alright. I love you. Bye.
[ends call]
[indistinct chatter]
[car door closes] - There's your girl.
I'll catch up with Mabel.
I'll see you in there.
Yeah.
[exhales]
Hey.
Appreciate you showing up.
Of course.
You know I loved her.
What do you think she would've said about your mic drop?
You heard.
It's all over my feed.
Proud of you.
Part of the reason why I did what I did on that panel
is because of what you said to me about walking the walk.
Come on. Talk to me.
We'll talk in a few days.
I really don't want to get into it at your mother's funeral.
No. I don't want to wait anymore.
- Now's not the time. - Lynette.
Listen, I'm not gonna let you just walk away from me again.
Just tell me.
I'm pregnant.
Okay?
I found out when I was in Illinois.
And I wanted to tell you, but your mom passed.
Then came the recordings and Benny.
[sighs]
I'm sorry.
No, no.
We're having a baby.
That's great news.
Is it?
What does that mean?
When's the last time we talked about having kids?
I've always seen us with kids.
LYNETTE: Imagining parenthood and living it aren't the same thing.
Lynette, I realize that.
And I can't imagine my life with a child.
♪
What are you saying?
That you don't want kids?
Or that you don't want to have kids with me?
♪
I'm saying, I don't know.
So,
what have we been doing all these years?
Playing house?
That's not fair!
Tell me why I've been thinking we're building a future
and-and you're in a totally different place?
Maybe that's a story you've been telling yourself.
Story--
LYNETTE: Or maybe it's a story we've both been telling ourselves.
I don't know.
I'd be lying if I told you I knew for sure that I wanted this.
[sighs] I'm sorry.
♪ somber music playing ♪
♪
MABEL: I wasn't expecting an open casket.
[Benny sighs]
Why do you think I'm all the way back here?
[Benny sighs]
♪
[indistinct chatter]
I couldn't even bring myself to walk into my dad's service.
And here I am, the wayward daughter,
in the flesh.
Well, I was banned from my husband's funeral.
Well, rather the service his parents put on for him, so... [sharp inhale]
I win.
Your husband?
I'm sorry. I had no idea he passed.
That's alright.
It was 16 years ago.
I was still pregnant with Gio.
He's never met his father?
Unfortunately, no.
Why would his parents ban you from his funeral?
That's a story for another day.
I'm leaving.
What?
I'm done.
Done with what?
Lying.
You were right.
I can't do it anymore.
MR. MITCH: Good morning.
ALL: Good morning.
[Mr. Mitch clears throat]
Eleanor Bennett was born Eleanor
Douglas, and, uh--
[Mr. Mitch sighs]
Each of us knew Eleanor Bennett
♪ soft, pensive music playing ♪
in different ways.
[crowd murmurs]
MR. MITCH: Hmm?
Mother.
Volunteer.
Hmm?
Friend.
And a partner.
When my wife died,
I felt like I wanted to disappear with her,
and then I met Eleanor.
And she said this to me,
"The thing
"about identity, Charles--"
Charles.
[mourners chuckle softly]
"There's, uh, your family history,
"then here's how you see yourself,
and then there's what others see in you."
♪
Oh, boy!
I'm gonna miss the way she looked at me.
♪
[gulls squawking] [waves crashing]
So you changed your mind, huh?
Your mum insisted.
Of course, she did.
ETTA: I was so shocked when you told me she had passed,
I forgot to ask when it happened.
Nine days ago.
I had months to prepare.
And up until today, I thought I had.
How do you grieve for someone you never really knew?
It's not just Ma.
My dad was the kind of dad who made the others look bad.
The kind of dad I used to think I wanted to be.
Now,
I wonder if any of that was even real.
You look so much like him.
And he adored your mum.
I know.
That's the one thing I still know to be true.
How on earth did they ever find each other?
The story they used to tell was that
Ma fainted on a busy street in London,
Dad ran over to help her.
Yeah.
Her knight in shining armor.
Aw.
I should've known that was just a story.
A lie, like everything else.
I understand you're angry.
Grief looks different on everyone.
BYRON: How did you handle it?
When you heard that she had died all those years ago?
I stopped thinking about her.
I had to.
There was no body,
no grave,
no celebration of her life.
So, you never really grieved.
♪
Did your parents ever talk to you about a Caribbean tradition, Nine-Night?
It's a ritual for the deceased on the ninth night after the death,
a memorial our way.
If your parents' funerals were a way to say goodbye to Eleanor and Bert,
I think it might do us all some good if we hold a Nine-Night ritual
to say goodbye to Covey and Gibbs.
♪ soft upbeat Jamaican music playing ♪
ETTA: Alright, hand it over, hm?
[Benny and Mabel laughing]
I need you present for this, in mind and body.
That's the only way to do Nine-Night right.
And what do we have to do again?
Haven't you been paying attention?
We have to release Covey's evil shadow spirit.
Oh, right. Yeah, no, of course. Yeah.
Now, don't make fun. We're all Jamaicans here, right?
I guess we are, yeah.
We believe that a person has three parts,
body, spirit, and duppy,
the evil shadow spirit that stays in the body.
If it doesn't leave after nine nights,
it can linger forever,
bringing bad luck to the family left behind.
Hence, the Nine-Night ritual to release it.
Oh, now, it won't be a traditional Nine-Night,
but we'll eat, we'll tell stories,
and later, we'll start a fire out back
and burn tokens from Covey and Gibbs' past,
releasing them of their regrets and their mistakes for good.
Okay, I think I can wrap my head around all that.
But are you ever gonna tell us what Ma said in her recording?
Oh, that's between me and Covey.
But did she tell you she regretted the way she treated you?
Me?
Yeah, you told her you had feelings for her,
and she shut you down.
And she never got over that.
Yeah. Well, it's true, she did hurt me,
but she made up for it.
How?
She pulled up to my house in a stolen motorbike
and took me for a joyride.
[all laughing]
Your grandfather won it in the cockfights, and he was passed out drunk,
and she wanted to take me for a spin before he woke up.
It was a peace offering.
[bike engine rumbling]
[crickets chirping]
I'm sorry for shutting you down earlier.
I know it must've been hard to say what you said.
You were right to shut me up.
It's dangerous for a girl to like another girl.
Right?
Bunny,
when I said it was dangerous, I didn't mean it was wrong.
What does that even mean?
I don't know.
I just don't want you to feel like you have to act like someone you're not.
Not with me.
So I'm supposed to act
with everyone else?
I don't know.
I wish I had the answers, but--
It-It's fine.
We don't have to talk about it. I--
I shouldn't have said anything.
Honestly, I don't even know what I was saying. I--
I only know how I feel.
How do you feel?
Scared.
I can't snap my fingers and make the world a better place for you,
but I will do everything I can to be a safe space.
It's the least I can do.
Because you've always been mine.
♪ gentle music playing ♪
Your mother was many things.
She had a lot of pain in her life, and loss, of course.
But there were so many good parts too.
She was an extraordinary woman.
There was no one else like Covey in my parish
who would let me be me.
So when she left for London,
I wasn't sure I could make it on my own.
But if she hadn't left,
I might still be in her shadow forever.
Where it's easier to hide.
I hid in yours.
And in my girlfriend Joanie's.
And in Steve's.
I hate that you felt like you needed to hide.
For a long time, Steve was the only person who believed in me.
Nah.
He made you think that.
We always believed in you, Ben.
[Benny sighs]
Man, I think I need to figure out how to believe in myself.
Like you did, Etta, when Ma left.
God, I wish she would've just told me about you.
I think it would've kept me from running.
If she had told you about me,
she would've had to tell you everything about her life before.
It was all or nothing.
I'm sure my parents probably felt the same way.
I don't want this to end.
You don't want what to end?
All of us here together.
You'll go back to your jobs and... your families,
and it'll... just be me again.
No. It won't.
No, and you won't be alone.
Whether it's Rome or London, you'll still have me.
You'll have all of us.
Hey, and your art
and your music.
Is that who I am? [chuckles]
My art and my music? [Byron chuckles]
Because if it is, I'm fucked.
I haven't created anything new in years,
not without a partner.
And then when I try, I just think it's derivative,
it's not ready.
That's imposter syndrome,
and we all have that.
Yeah, but yours isn't holding you back.
You are a famous food guru.
Ah! On the verge of being canceled.
Until you tell the world you're Black.
And then someone's gonna win an Oscar playing you.
[Byron and Benny laugh]
Ah, Mabel, we're just giving you shit.
But I am a fraud.
I couldn't even tell my son why I came here.
And that's not the first lie I told him.
Or the worst.
I'm afraid if I tell him the truth about his father and how we met,
he'll never trust me again.
Do you want Gio to find out from someone else,
like you found out about your adoption?
MABEL: Of course not.
But when you learn that you have been lied to
by the people you trusted the most,
you revisit all the things you never fully understood,
and you start thinking about all the lies that you told yourself over the years.
Everything shifts, and you can't push it back.
And that is terrifying.
Mabel,
your secret is your duppy.
And whether it's now or later,
you need to release it.
I'm just not ready to release my duppy.
I am.
It's Steve.
Oh, but you've already let him go, though.
No.
He came by when you were at that panel.
What? He broke the order of protection?
I didn't know what to do.
You call the police or call me.
I'm sorry, you aren't exactly telling me everything.
You haven't told me what's going on with Lynette or your job.
And then when I asked you about that promotion, you lied!
That's not the same thing.
BENNY: How is that not the same thing?
No, no, please stop.
Don't you see how burdened you are by your secrets?
It's not just your parents we need to release.
It's you, too.
Otherwise, you'll all do the same to your children.
[Byron sighs]
Well, I know what it's like.
I've been carrying this burden for 50 years.
Learning that Covey had made a life with Gibbs,
and he got to see her flourish
and become all the things I knew she could be,
stirred up feelings I didn't even know I still had.
Feelings about... the choices the three of us made
the night of Covey's wedding.
I don't want you to change the way you feel about your parents,
especially your father.
♪ foreboding music playing ♪
But it was a difficult situation for all of us.
But now, it's time to tell you the full story.
♪
Two weeks before the wedding,
I went to your father,
and I begged him to come up with a plan to stop it.
When the wedding day finally came,
I hoped and prayed
that when I walked into the bridal suite, Covey would be gone.
But I couldn't find her.
Have you seen Covey?
What is that?
[Pearl shushes]
Come.
♪ foreboding music playing ♪
It's manchineel fruit.
Its sap is toxic.
I don't understand. Wh--
This... is Covey's way out.
♪
The groom has booked the honeymoon suite for the night.
After the reception,
the celebratory nightcap will be sent to the newlyweds.
Little Man will enjoy his drink,
fall asleep,
and then never wake up.
What?
We can't send Covey into a honeymoon suite with him.
You know what he'll do.
We'll fill him up with wine at the reception
so he's too drunk for any of that.
And what if he's not too drunk?
Do you have a better plan?
I've thought this through.
It's the only way.
So how do we get her out of there?
I'll be waiting when the wine is sent to the suite.
I have a bag packed with everything Covey needs
to get to London,
including a place for her to stay.
But,
in order to get her off this island safely,
we can't tell her any of this.
If Little Man suspects anything is off, we'll be done for.
[loudly] Get dressed, or you'll be late.
ETTA: Back then, we were taught
to rely on boys and men to save the day,
so I was counting on Gibbs.
But I couldn't tell Pearl or Covey.
I couldn't tell anyone.
I had to play along until Gibbs arrived with a better plan.
Just
let your mind drift.
I didn't know what else to say to get her through that day.
But when I saw the results of my advice, I regretted it immediately.
[guests applauding]
LITTLE MAN: Ladies and gentlemen. To my wife!
[guests cheering]
ETTA: My best friend was disappearing,
pretending,
burying her true feelings,
her true self.
The feeling was all too familiar,
and time was running out.
As the night wore on, I realized... I couldn't wait for Gibbs.
As much as he loved Covey,
he didn't have any way to save her.
But I did.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
♪
[items rattle]
[shuts drawer]
♪ ominous music playing ♪
[breathing shakily]
♪
♪ ominous music intensifies ♪
♪ foreboding music playing ♪
ETTA: Back then, there were no cameras.
If you acted innocent, people believed you.
So that's what I did.
[choking, coughing]
[body thuds] [items clatter]
[glass shattering]
ETTA: And I never looked back.
♪
♪ soft music playing ♪
I thought I sent her to London thinking it was her father,
so she didn't feel abandoned.
She must have known it was me.
And that's why she kept her distance.
To protect you.
BYRON: Mm-hmm.
[Benny sighs deeply]
I never discussed that night with anyone but Pearl.
[deep breath] I... took a life,
and I've
never acknowledged that for 50 years.
[slight chuckle] But you're living proof I did the right thing.
Oh, this would have been a dream if Covey would've been alive to see this--
All of us here together.
I just wish I had been able to say goodbye at the funeral
when I had the chance.
Me too.
I just, um,
I wasn't ready.
None of us were.
Now that we are,
maybe we can.
♪ Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down by Odetta playing ♪
♪ Ain't no grave ♪
♪ Can hold my body down ♪
♪ Ain't no grave ♪
♪ Can hold my body down ♪
♪ My body down ♪
♪ When the first trumpets sound ♪
♪ I'll be gettin' up, walkin' 'round ♪
♪ Ain't no grave ♪
♪ Can hold my body down ♪
♪ Well, I heard of a beautiful city ♪
♪ And its streets was paved with gold ♪
♪ Well, I had not been to heaven ♪
♪ Oh, Lord, I've been told ♪
♪ When I find the throne of grace... ♪
What's wrong?
♪ Ain't no grave ♪
♪ Can hold my body down... ♪
If we move forward,
there's something you need to know.
I was there that night at your reception.
I showed up for you, Covey,
thinking that I could be the hero I thought you needed.
I-I couldn't come up with a way to get around Little Man.
So... I decided to wing it,
hoping that I could find a moment when you're alone
to whisk you away into the night.
But,
then I saw him kiss you,
and you smiled.
And I was afraid that you decided to move forward without me.
No.
Gibbs.
You don't understand.
I was playing a role to survive.
That's all I could do.
I understand that now.
I-I do.
I was a coward back then.
I'm sorry.
I forgive you.
If we're gonna move on, you have to forgive yourself.
♪ Ain't no grave ♪
♪ Can hold my body down ♪
♪ somber music playing ♪
♪
[softly] Ma,
[sniffles] I'm here.
[cries]
♪
We have the same hands.
♪
[Mabel sniffles]
♪
I'll see you out there, Covey.
♪
[presses record]
Hey, guys!
It's been a minute since I've posted,
but here I am.
This one is for my grandmother,
Mathilda Brown,
wherever you are.
♪ strumming guitar ♪
[singing] ♪ Have a little song ♪
♪ Won't take long ♪
♪ Sing it right ♪
♪ Once or twice ♪
♪ Oh, lordy me ♪
♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪
♪ Everything I got is done and pawned ♪
[shouting on video]
BENNY [singing]: ♪ Pawned my watch ♪
♪ Pawned my chain ♪
[shuts off computer] - ♪ Pawned everything ♪
♪ That was in my name ♪
♪ Oh, lordy me ♪
♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪
♪ Everything I got is done and pawned... ♪
[camera starts recording]
Dr. Bennett,
tell me about the first time you experienced racial discrimination
at the Institute.
BENNY [singing]: ♪ Pawned everything that was ♪
♪ In my life ♪
♪ Oh, lordy me ♪
♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪
♪ Everything I got is done and pawned ♪
♪ Pawned my chair ♪
♪ Pawned my bed ♪
♪ Ain't got nowhere to lay my head ♪
♪ Oh, lordy me ♪
♪ Didn't I shake sugaree? ♪
♪ Everything I got is done and pawned ♪
♪ Mmm, everything I got is done and pawned ♪
♪ song ends ♪
[insects chirping through window]
♪ tense music playing ♪
ELEANOR [on recording]: Oh, Mabel,
there are so many things I wanted you to know.
So many things I wish I could've taught you over the years.
I spent my life wondering what happened to my own mother.
And I want you to know everything I know,
including your biological father's name.
But I must warn you,
people could get hurt.
You've seen how these things play out in our volatile, modern world,
but he is part of your story.
What you choose to do with this information is up to you.
♪
♪ dramatic crescendo ♪
♪ gentle music playing ♪
♪
♪ music fades out ♪