Belle, I wouldn't put
my hand on you if you'd do
what I say. If you'd just do
what you're told, I wouldn't
shake you that way.
I wouldn't raise a hand
I wouldn't have cut my knuckle
on your eyetooth. I wouldn't
have sparred with a grease fire
in my fist until the cut healed.
No bruises, no cover-up
for the welts. Belle, this
is a good thing when you want
it to be. I love your brown
hair. You want Papa
Jack near, don't you?
Bella, a woman is still
a woman & the female mind
is much slower than a man's.
You need reminding.
You need direction.
Shakespeare had a man
play Desdemona, didn't he?
If you're Papa Jack's girl,
you get seal coats from Alaska.
Jewels luminous as the streetlamps
in London. Belle, as long
as you do what I tell you,
you get to cut a swath
with the Heavyweight Champion
of the World. You get to travel
first-cla**, on steamers
with kings & queens. You get
all your food cooked in bu*ter.
You ever ate shark? If you just
did what Papa say, you would
already know shark fancies most
any other fish. Only with a mean
aftertaste-no matter how much
bu*ter & lemon the cook uses.