 Shorty offers to let Carole stay at his place , but not wanting to get involved with him , Carole tells Shorty that she 's staying with Michael , and that they 've been " secretly tight for a long time . " Michael is turned on by her no @-@ nonsense attitude and strong sense of self @-@ reliance . This relationship also arouses his father 's racist fury , as well as the jealousy of Shorty . But Rosa comes over to rape Michael while Angie slaps Ida in the face with a gun . Michael and Carole decide to move out of Michael 's parents ' house and try to earn enough money to move to California , in order to avoid Shorty . Michael gets a chance to pitch a comic strip idea to an old executive lying on his death bed , who seems enthusiastic enough to listen to the idea . 
