Two Trains Running

It’s a new day, and Risa is sitting at the counter. She has posted the flier for the rally. Sterling enters carrying a gas can and flowers. He gives the flowers to Risa, but she questions where he got them. Sterling admits that he took them from the funeral parlor because paying for flowers is something that only white people do. Risa doesn’t want flowers that were stolen from a dead man, but Sterling asserts that Prophet Samuel doesn’t care anymore and that the funeral has been delayed because so many people still want to view the body. Therefore, the space is overflowing with flowers. Sterling adds, “Hell, a flower’s a flower. They gonna be dead in a minute if you don’t put them in some water. They gonna be dead in two or three days even if you do” (58). He considers buying flowers a waste of money, especially for the dead. Risa puts the flowers in a glass of water. Risa tells Sterling that when West comes by, he’ll ask about the flowers, and Risa plans to tell him where they came from. Sterling doesn’t care if she does and is certain that West won’t care either since he’d just end up having to dump them out anyways.