Chris: I was hoping you could give me an allowance.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] I know it sounded like an innocent enough question, but here's what he heard.
[fantasy:]
Chris: Since you work like a slave all day and don't have any time to enjoy your own money, can I have it?
[reality:]
Julius: I'm not giving you money for walking around doing nothing. An allowance? I'll allow you to sleep here at night. I'll allow you to eat them potatoes. I'll allow you to use my lights. I'll allow you to drink my Kool-Aid. I'll allow you to nibble on them green beans. I'll allow you to look at that TV. I'll allow you to run up my gas bill. I'll allow you to walk up my stairs. I'll allow you to ask me these ridiculous-ass questions. Why should I give you an allowance when I already paid for everything you do? Who you know that gets an allowance? Huh? I'm finished.
Chris: I was talking to Greg and he said that he gets five dollars a week.
Julius: Sounds like Greg's doing better than me. Ask him for an allowance. You want to buy a leather coat, you need to get a leather coat job.

Rochelle: Well, what do you need a leather jacket for? What's wrong with Drew's old coat?
Adult Chris: [v.o.] Instead of Drew wearing my old clothes, I wore his old clothes. I think I was the first kid to get hand-me-ups.

Rochelle: Okay, baby, I'm gonna take you to the emergency room. Wait here. I'm gonna get your coat. Drew, get up!
Adult Chris: [v.o.] Going to the doctor was serious business, because usually, if something was wrong with one of us, my parents thought they could fix it with Robitussin.
[flashback to Drew touching his finger to the stove:]
Drew: Ow! I burned my finger!
Rochelle: Let me see, boy, let me see. Take some Robitussin.
[flashback to Julius and Rochelle looking in Tonya's mouth:]
Julius: Looks like a tooth broke off.
Rochelle: Yeah. I'll go get the Robitussin.
[flashback to Rochelle opening the door to a concerned Tonya:]
Rochelle: What?
Tonya: Mama, Chris just got hit by a car.
Rochelle: Oh, my God, I'll go get the Robitussin.

Rochelle: Excuse me, nurse. My baby's stomach is killing her.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] The thing about people who work in emergency rooms is they're not the ones with the emergency, you are.
Nurse: Really?
Admittance Clerk: But did you see Tracy last week with her new man?
Rochelle: Do you see me standing here with a sick child?
Admittance Clerk: Do you see me here talking to somebody? Quit hollerin' at people! You know, I don't need this. My man has three jobs!

Chris: It's too small, it's out of style, and it's just not cool.
Julius: It ain't supposed to be cool. It's supposed to be warm. Being warm is cool.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] Since my father was always working, he always seemed kind of grumpy. It seemed like there was never a good time to ask my father for money.
Tonya: Daddy, can I have $15 to go on a field trip to the the Statue of Liberty?
Julius: Okay.
Drew: And, Dad, can I have $5 to go to the show?
Julius: Okay.
Rochelle: Baby, can I get $25 to go shopping?
Julius: Okay.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] It looks like this might be a good time after all.
Chris: Hey, Dad? Can I get a leather jacket?
Julius: A leather jacket? You got some leather-jacket money?

Julius: You want to come and work with me?
Chris: For real?
Julius: Yeah. Tomorrow's Saturday. You can come do deliveries with me. I'll be back in a few hours. Now be downstairs at 3:30. Not 3:31.
Chris: Don't worry. I'll be down early.
Julius: No such thing as early. You're either on time or you're late.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] While things might have been tight with my father, my mother was getting loose. She was always happy when she had the house to herself. She caught up on her reading. She talked on the phone. She ate expensive candy she hid from us. But there was one thing that she never counted on to mess up her day.
Rochelle: Coming. [opens door] What are y'all doing here?
Tonya: Something went wrong at our school.
Drew: Something about the paint.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] Before vending machines were put into schools, hungry kids often snacked on lead paint chips.
Boy: Mmm. This is good! [faints]
Adult Chris: [v.o.] If we had ladders, he'd have ate the asbestos.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] I thought my father would be really mad that I missed work. Instead of getting a leather jacket, I thought I was going to get a leather belt.
Julius: What happened to you this morning?
Chris: I overslept. How come you didn't come get me?
Julius: You the one who want the job. Job ain't gonna wait for you.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] After everything I'd been through, I understood my father a lot more. Because when you work that hard, you think about every dime you spend. And I was thinking about how I was going to spend mine.
Chris: $25?
Julius: That's right. You earned every penny. Don't forget to ice down your arms.
Chris: But I need $50 for the jacket.
Julius: No, you don't. You want $50. There's a difference.
Chris: When I asked you for the jacket, you said I should get a job. And I got a job.
Julius: Job didn't pay enough. You got $25. I didn't make my first $25 till I was 30 years old. And I still got two of 'em. Look, you want the jacket, save your money. You can work with me again next week.
Chris: Okay.