["Batuka" by Tito Puente plays] [♪] [♪] [music fades out] [angrily] You can walk all over the building.

She is NOT going!

[yelling] SHE <i>WANTS </i>TO GO!

I don't see anything wrong with it!

I don't care about what she wants to do!

Delia is too young to be staying at somebody's house.

Family's one thing.

But I will not have her sleeping over at a stranger's house.

Laura is no stranger.

They've been going to school together since they were little.

We don't know her mother.

We've met her mother at the school meetings.

So what?

That doesn't mean we know her.

Why doesn't Laura sleep over here if they have to do homework together?

She has!

Twice!

So how can we possibly say no?

Very easy.

We say "No"!

Luis, you've complained so many times that your father was strict with you when you were young.

Now you're acting just like him.

Like my <i>mother</i>, for that matter!

[yelling] ¡NO, no!

¡No, no, no, no, no!

¡Un m-- un momento!

Un momento.

Un momento.

<i>Yo</i> me quejaba porque un hijo macho es diferente... Las hembritas son otra cosa.

Delia es una niña, y nosotros tenemos que protegerla.

[exasperated] ¡Ay, Dios!

¡Por Dios, Luis!

¿Qué te pasa?

Do you wanna keep Delia locked up here?

Do you wanna bring her up the way my mother brought <i>me</i> up?

Afraid of everything?

[sheepishly] Well... You turned out alright, didn't you?

[annoyed] Oh!

...yeah.

But I went through hell.

Trying to live a Puerto Rican life in the United States?

It took me <i>years</i> to be able to live in both worlds.

I don't want Delia going through that!

What are you talking about?

We let them know the way they live here!

Yes, you let Angelito, with the baseball, and-- and the football.

[pleading] But what about Delia?

What about Delia?!

What about her?

Alright... We let her go to the movies with her friends.

Your mother never let <i>you</i> do that.

I know!

That's fine!

But we have to let her <i>do </i>more and <i>see</i> more.

The more she's able to see about other ways of life, the more she'll be able to <i>learn</i>.

[laughs incredulously] Listen to-- will you listen to that!

[slaps newspaper down] What is she going to learn over there that is so important?

[exasperated] Oh, I don't know!

But at least she'll know that we trust her.

And <i>that's </i>what's important.

[gentle music plays] [♪] [yells] Well, who's gonna be over there looking after them?

[gently] Laura's mother, Mrs.

Williams.

She said that she'd pick Delia up and bring her right back Sunday afternoon.

There you go!

What about Angelito's football game?

That is on Sunday afternoon.

Y esto es mucho más importante para Delia.

[♪] All right!

[sighs] Está bien.

What can I tell you?

Okay!

[♪] [sigh] LUIS: ...pa Puerto Rico dentro de dos semanas y se van a llevar la-- ÁNGEL: Touchdown!

Boy, I bet I'm gonna make a touchdown at the football game tomorrow.

Hey, papi!

Wanna play with me?

No, not now.

Let me finish my coffee, then we'll play, alright?

Okay.

LUIS: Se van a llevar la niña, porque no pueden trabajar aquí y cuidar la niña.

<i>La niña ya está mejor...</i> Okay, fine.

Fine.

Now, you sure the girls will be all right?

Yes, I know.

Delia's very anxious to go.

Fine.

<i>[background chatter]</i> You have my number if anything should come up.

Fine.

Yes, yes.

Please call.

Okay.

Goodbye.

[indistinct chatter] DORIS: Luis... Acabo de hablar con la mamá de Laura.

Ella me dijo que va a estar con las niñas.

So, everything will be alright.

and she'll make sure that Laura and Delia are well-supervised.

Does that mean that I can go, mami?

Yes, Delia.

I just spoke to Mrs.

Williams, and she said she'll be there to watch over you girls.

But remember!

You're going over there to work on your science, not to fool around.

I expect you to behave like a responsible person and to get your work done.

<i>LUIS: Another thing...</i> Don't think that you'll be sleeping over every Saturday.

Oh, boy!

Thanks!

I'll call Laura.

[picks up phone] [footsteps retreating] Óyeme, Luis... ¿Tú vas a dejar que la nena tuya, se quede a dormir en una casa ajena?

¿Cómo es eso?

Ella no se puede quedar allá.

¿Quié-- quié-- quién es esa familia?

Si nosotros ni siquiera conocemos a la mamá de esa muchachita Laura.

¿Cómo es eso?

¡Papi, está bien!

La mamá va a estar con las niñas y van a trabajar unas cosas de la escuela.

Óyeme una cosa, Doris... ¿Tú conoces a la mamá de esa muchachita Laura?

Entonces, ¿cómo puedes estar de acuerdo?

Don Manuel... Ya nosotros discutimos todo este asunto.

[steps slowly receding] Abuelo, ¿quiere jugar conmigo?

[scoffs] Ese juego loco... <i>ÁNGEL: Papi!</i> ¿You wanna play with me now?

No, not now.

Maybe mami wants to play with you now.

Mami doesn't know how to play football!

I don't.

Well... teach her then!

[resigned] Okay.

Come on, mom.

Let's play football.

These are your men.

And these are mine.

DORIS: Okay.

[quiet chattering] ¿Usted no está de acuerdo, verdad?

[sigh] [♪] Mire, don Manuel... Yo entiendo su punto de vista.

Usted tiene que recordar que, cuando usted criaba... a Doris allá en Puerto Rico, la vida era mucho más tranquila.

<i>LUIS: Pero...</i> <i>Acá no.

</i> <i>Acá... el mundo es más grande.</i> El mundo de los muchachos es más grande.

Tienen que vivir, sí, con... ...nuestros valores puertorriqueños.

Pero también <i>tienen</i> que vivir con los de acá, que son distintos.

Yo lo siento, pero yo no voy a ser tan rígido con mis hijos como los padres nuestros fueron con nosotros dos.

Entiéndame... Ellos tienen que vivir aquí en este ambiente.

<i>Y yo quiero irles dando libertad,</i> poco a poco.

Cosa de que así ellos puedan crecer.

Y al crecer, pues se van desarrollando.

Así pueden ser responsables por sí mismos.

¿Entiende?

[♪] Luis... Son tus hijos.

[music fades out] DEBBIE: I'm a Leo, and you're an Aquarius.

Which sign are you, Delia?

<i>DELIA: Sagittarius.</i> That's what my uncle is!

Danny is a Libra.

Should I call him on the phone now?

DELIA: Who's Danny?

LAURA: That's the boy she likes.

She's always calling him on the phone.

And your mother lets you do that?

Sure.

Doesn't yours?

I don't like anybody.

I bet you do, Delia Blanco.

You just don't wanna tell us.

- I don't!

- I bet you do!

[giggling] MRS.

WILLIAMS: What's all the giggling I hear?

I thought you girls were working.

Here, I brought you a treat.

Mmm!

Thanks, mommy!

- Thank you, auntie.

- Thank you, Mrs.

Williams.

Enjoy it.

Get that over here.

I want some too.

Then get up.

I can't reach it.

- [whispers] Yeah!

- Here.

Mmm, this is good!

It's better than my mother makes it.

She makes it all the time.

Does <i>your</i> mother make this, Delia?

No, she doesn't bake.

She doesn't?!

Then what do you have for dessert?

Oh, her mother makes this delicious custard.

What's it called, Delia?

Flan.

Eugh!

I don't like custard.

I like cakes.

Do you live near here?

Yes, only 8 or 10 blocks away.

Do you have your own room in your house?

Yes!

Yeah, <i>now </i>she does.

And I can sleep over.

Her brother used to share her grandfather's room.

But now he also has <i>his </i>own room.

Right, Delia?

You mean your grandfather lives with you?

Gee, you're lucky!

At least you don't have to go dragging every month and drive for 2 hours to visit him like <i>we </i>have to do.

Where does your grandfather live?

Too far!

I hate to go out there.

He lives in a nursing home.

Is he sick?

No.

But when our grandmother died, he moved out there.

[surprised] Alone?

No!

There's a whole lot of other old people around.

And... we didn't have room for him at our house.

And my mother has to work.

You must have a big place if your grandfather lives with you.

No, it's not big.

Oh, but it's cute!

You should see it.

With ruffle doilies with flowers in the center.

It is so cute!

You mean you buy flowers every day?

We only have them on holidays or birthdays.

Oh, no.

They're only plastic.

But they are so pretty on the little doilies.

What are doilies?

Oh, they're these pretty things, like... lacy fluff.

Like we did, you know... Lace tablecloths, but small?

Lace tablecloths?

Yeah, but small.

They're beautiful!

Her grandmother makes them in Puerto Rico.

[awkward] Oh.

Oh, enough gabbing!

Let's get back to our work, or we'll never get this project done.

Now, where were we?

[calling out] ¡Avanza, papi, avanza!

Hurry up!

I'm gonna be late!

<i>LUIS [from far away]:</i> <i>¡Ay, Angelito!</i> <i>Todavía nos queda una hora.</i> Yeah.

What would happen if we had a flat tire?

[sulky] I'm gonna miss my game.

<i>LUIS </i>[yells]: <i>Aw, c'mon!</i> <i>I'll get you there on time!</i> MANUEL: Ey, ey.

¿qué es lo que pasa ahora con ustedes?

<i>LUIS: </i> <i>¡El nieto suyo, don Manuel,</i> <i>que me tiene loco</i> <i>con el juego de football!</i> [chuckles] La verdad es que hay gustos que merecen palos.

<i>[phone rings]</i> ¿Tú lo coges, nena?

<i>DORIS: Aló...</i> Sí, Tinita... [worried] ¿Pero qué pasa?

¡Ay, bendito!

¿Y cuándo le empezó el dolor?

<i>¿Llamaste al doctor?</i> LUIS: ¿Quién es?

MANUEL: Tinita.

<i>DORIS: No, sí.</i> <i>Claro, claro.</i> Luis irá inmediatamente.

Sí, espéralo.

Estará allí en 5 minutos, ¿okay?

Okay, bye-bye.

[hangs up phone] ¿Qué es lo que pasa ahora?

El nene de Tinita tiene dolor de barriga y ella cree que es apendicitis.

Y hay que llevarlo al hospital inmediatamente.

<i>BOTH MEN: hmm...</i> Salgo enseguida.

Pero papi, ¿y mi juego de football?

Ah... [snaps finger] I'll call Mr.

Peters!

Maybe he hasn't left.

He can pick you up.

[running steps] [angrily] But why do you take them?

Why can't <i>they </i>take a taxi?

LUIS: ¡Oye!

¡Óyeme-- DORIS: ¡Ángel!

Listen, they're our friends, and we must help them.

I'm going to miss my football game!

[distressed] I knew it.

I <i>knew </i>it!

Pst!

Nene... Dios sabe lo que hace, ¿okay?

Cógelo con calma.

LUIS: [mumbles] DORIS: ¿Qué?

- There's no answer.

- Hm.

Maybe they left already.

[sigh] Today is Sunday, who can I call <i>now</i>?

And I can't go because I have to wait for Delia.

LUIS [groans] ÁNGEL: Well, then!

I'll go by myself!

I'll go on the bus!

<i>DORIS: [sternly] </i> <i>¿Ángel?</i> You can't go by yourself.

LUIS: Don Manuel... <i>MANUEL: Mmm?</i> <i>- Dime.</i> <i></i>- Manuel... <i>MANUEL: ¿Ah?</i> <i>- </i>Usted lo puede llevar, ¿no?

¿Usted lo puede llevar?

¡Yo le doy pon!

Yo lo llevo, por lo menos hasta la parada de la guagua.

Mira, Luis... Es mejor que Angelito se quede aquí.

Todo pasa por alguna razón.

Después de todo... No hay mal que por bien no venga, chico.

¿Okay?

Okay, okay.

No, pero don Manuel, por favor.

Hágalo aunque sea p-- ÁNGEL: Por favor, abuelo.

¿Por qué no me lleva?

- Don Manuel... <i>MANUEL: Tal para cual, ¿verdad?</i> - Yo se lo prometo.

<i>MANUEL: Está bien.</i> <i>Okay.

Dale.</i> [footsteps] Pero que conste que lo hago por ti.

Porque si después este nene se me rompe la cabeza por allá-- <i>LUIS:</i> <i>¿Qué se va a romper la cabeza--?</i> [voices overlap] LUIS: [kiss] ¡Muá!

DORIS: Bye-bye.

[voices overlapping] DORIS [loudly]: ¡Qué gocen!

Luis, avísame-- <i>[overlapping voices]</i> [closes door] [overlapping voices recede outside] [exhales] Phew!

[crowd cheering] [crowd cheering] <i>[referee whistle]</i> <i>[crowd cheering and clapping]</i> <i>[children shout]</i> <i>[cheering chants in distance]</i> <i>[cheering and shouting continue]</i> [crowd calling out] [excited shouting] [cheering and shouting continue] [referee whistle] [children shout and clap] [excited shouting] [crowd cheering] [referee whistle] [players calling out] [excited shouting] [referee whistle] [players calling out] [children yelling and calling out] [referee whistle] [crowd cheering] [jeering] [parents cheer] MANUEL: ¡Pero ten cuidado!

¡Te vas a caer, muchacho!

¡Date cuenta!

[crowd cheering] [referee whistle] ¡Qué barbaridad!

[referee whistle] [children shout and cheer] [referee whistle] ¡Agarra la bola y sigue!

¡Sigue corriendo!

¡Sigue, no la sueltes!

MR.

PETERS: [yells over crowd] ¿Cómo está usted, Sr.

Muñoz?

¡Hola, Mister Peter!

Look at that!

Ángel is playing!

Yeah, I-- I noticed.

¡No, no la sueltes!

¡Corre, corre!

¡No, pero para el otro lado!

Run the other way!

Run the other way, Ángel!

The other way!

Mr.

Muñoz, he can't run the other way.

See, that's the goal line of the <i>other </i>team.

B-but he's <i>closer</i>!

[guffaws] Oh, my God!

[referee whistle] [players calling out] [children yelling and cheering] [referee whistle] [gunshot signals end of game] Well, the game's over.

But Ángel really played well.

You should be <i>very</i>, very<i> </i>proud of him.

- [gleefully] Uh-huh!

- But... too bad we lost the game!

[perplexed] Wait!

Oh-- Didn't Ángel's team win the game?

[apologetically] No, not this time.

But probably <i>next </i>time, they will.

- [disappointed] Ohhh... Here he comes... You played very well, Angel.

<i>Very</i>, very well.

Muy bien, mijito.

¡Muy bien lo hiciste!

But, grandpa!

We lost!

Yeah, but you played very well anyway.

That's an important thing.<i></i> <i>[child yelling]</i> Excuse me, I see Mr.

Johnson.

I'll see you later, Mr.

Muñoz.

Okay, okay.

Take good care of him.

You got a good fan there.

[excitedly] Oh!

He's my grandson.

D-Did you see him play?

He's very good, huh?

My grandson!

Óyeme, lo hiciste muy bien.

Muy bien... ¡Lo que pasa es que el referí ese no-- no sirve pa na!

[♪] See, grandpa?

I didn't get hurt!

I told you so!

[chuckles] ¡Claro!

Pero eso es porque yo estaba contigo.

¿Y sabes qué?

Eso quiere decir que de ahora en adelante, a todos los juegos, yo tengo que venir siempre contigo a acompañarte.

[♪] - ¡Mira, ahí está papi!

- Oh, sí, sí.

DON MANUEL: [chuckles] [♪] ÁNGEL: We lost!

LUIS: Huh?

You lost?

MANUEL: Pero jugó muy bien.

Jugó muy bien, muy bien.

Sí, muy bien.

[door opens] [door shuts] DELIA: Bendición, mami.

[kiss] Nena, I'm so glad you're home.

Tu papi y yo no pudimos dormir anoche.

Did you have a good time?

Yeah.

Did you get your work done?

Yeah, we finished it.

Good... Did you have lunch yet?

Mami... Laura's mother gave us potatoes and roast beef.

And for dessert, we had cherry pie.

And last night, we had strawberry shortcake.

¡Oye, parece que comieron bastante!

Yeah, she always<i></i> <i></i>bakes those things.

Cakes, and pies, and stuff like that.

She <i>always </i>bakes them.

And Debbie's mother, too.

Who's Debbie?

She's Laura's cousin.

She was there, too.

¡Oh, así que habían tres!

Sí, pero no me cayó muy bien.

Oh, you didn't like her?

Why not?

Because she's a snob!

She asks questions all the time.

I didn't like her.

What kind of questions?

About how we live and what we do.

You know, stuff like that.

I just didn't like her.

Well, Nena!

It's only natural that people are curious about the way other people live.

Why did it bother you?

Because she's a snob!

I can't stand her!

[puzzled] Where's Ángel?

He's at his football game, remember?

Oh, with papi?

No, he had to take Tinita's boy to the hospital.

He got sick.

But Abuelo took him!

[in a surprised tone] Abuelo?

- <i>Abuelo </i>went to the game?

<i>- Mm-hmm.</i> This, I gotta see!

[giggles] Can you imagine?

I wonder how he liked it.

Well... They should be home soon anyway, so I better get dinner done.

What are we gonna have?

Tonight, we are having pernil.

[disappointed silence] [footsteps retreat] [♪] [doily rustles] [doily lands softly] [♪] [♪] Delia, what are you doing?

[startled] Oh, nothing... Why did you take the doily off?

I just wanted to see what it would look without it.

Well, just put it back now, eh?

It looks <i>much </i>better with it.

Just put it back.

[feet drag] [doily rustles] Well, it's... [angrily] It's... <i>ugly!</i> [sternly] Delia!

Your grandmother made that doily!

And doña Inés made that bouquet for us.

Well, it looks... It looks <i>Puerto Rican</i>.

<i>DORIS: Puerto Rican?

!</i> Delia!

DELIA: It's true!

The doily is ugly.

And the plastic flowers, too!

They look Puerto Rican, too?

So, now you're ashamed of being Puerto Rican?

Why can't our house be like other people's?

You mean like Laura's?

[defiantly] Why not?

[sternly] Delia!

Since <i>when </i>do you speak like that in this house?

¿Así es como te vas a poner cuando vas a casa ajena?

[calmly] You go to your room.

And calm down.

We'll talk about it later.

[hurried steps] [opens door] [door shuts] [couch creaks] ÁNGEL [excitedly]: ¡Mami!

Guess what?!

[front door shuts] We made a football fan out of abuelo!

[excitedly] Doris!

¡Doris, muchacha!

¡Si tú hubieras visto a este niño jugando!

[giddy laugh] ¿Cómo está Richy?

Está bien.

No era apendicitis.

Era que le había dado un virus.

Delia home yet?

[in a shaky voice] Yeah, she's in her room... Oh, boy!

I have to tell her about the game!

[hurried steps] Oh, mami... ...we lost.

[door opens] [eagerly] Delia!

You missed a great game!

Yeah, did you win?

Nah.

We lost.

But you should have seen abuelo.

I made a football fan out of him.

[surprised] Out of abuelo?

Yeah!

Delia... He was so excited, you know what he did?

He was telling me to run the <i>wrong </i>way!

Weren't you embarrassed?

Embarrassed?!

Why should I be embarrassed by abuelo?

He was telling you the wrong thing in front of all those people.

Are you kidding?!

[wistfully] He was so proud of me... he treated me as if I had won!

Did you have a good time at Laura's house?

[flatly] It was okay... Boy, I bet you're glad to be home.

There was nobody to tell me to shut up or anything.

Was Laura's abuelo there?

No, they weren't.

They all live apart.

They hardly see much of each other.

Oh, boy!

She's missing on a <i>whole </i>lot of fun!

Delia, you should have seen abuelo.

He was so funny!

You know what?

He wanted mami to call you last night.

What?!

He wanted mami to call you.

To see if you were all right.

But she <i>didn't </i>call me.

I know she didn't.

She told abuelo that you were a big bird.

[confused] A big <i>bird</i>?

You know that saying that abuelo's always talking about... You know, the bird in the nest.

- Oh, "el pájaro no ta listo pa--" - Yeah, <i>that</i> one.

Abuelo thought you were too small a bird to fly.

What did mami say?

Oh, she said a lot of things... [insistent] What did she <i>say</i>?

You know, the thing mami tells us when she's proud of us.

What?!

<i>Tell </i>me.

Okay, lemme see, uh... That she wasn't afraid of you... ...seeing the different things... ...because... [impatiently] Because <i>what</i>?

Something that you were big enough to know what's important.

To know <i>what </i>was important?

You know!

About the love for you in your nest.

They kept talking about you as if you were a bird.

Mami said that?

Yeah.

But Abuelo said you're gonna learn cosas malas.

You know, <i>bad </i>things.

Did you?

[insistently] Did you?!

Yeah, that I miss your big mouth.

Delia, stop it!

- I didn't do anything.

- Yes, you did!

- I did <i>not</i>!

- Wanna have it out?

DORIS: ¿Qué pasa?

What's going on here?

DELIA [happily]: ¡Mami!

- ¿Qué?

[muffled] Oh, I love you too, Delia!

Oh, brother!

DORIS [amused]: Look at him!

[giggles] [whacking sound] ÁNGEL: Ow!

- [muffled yelling] - Stop that!

Come on!

Stop that.

[laughs] ["Batuka" by Tito Puente plays] [♪] [♪] [♪] [♪] [♪] [♪] [music intensifies] [music ends]