You didn't say you had hands like that.Creed · 2015 — Chapter 6 of 10 · 5'15" · B2
Adonis Tells Bianca His Secret, Explained: had an affair with
The secret finally comes out: Adonis tells Bianca that the boxer Apollo Creed was his father. "Apollo had an affair with my mom," he explains, and the confession is tangled up with a more fragile question — whether she feels the same way about him. Bianca pushes back: he can't talk about himself as if he isn't someone worth choosing.
What happens
Adonis lays out the truth for Bianca: his father was Apollo Creed, and he exists because Creed had an affair with his mother. He describes being passed around as a child until Mary Anne tracked him down and took him in. Alongside that confession, he tests whether Bianca shares his feelings.
Listen for
get on my nervesmight as well havehad an affair withtrack someone down
00:00 / 05:15Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
had an affair with
to have a secret romantic relationship with someone
唐尼坦白，阿波罗当年和他母亲有过一段婚外情，这才有了他。
The novel opens with a senator having an affair with his aide.
Also in this scene
- get on my nerves
to annoy someone, often over small things
- might as well have
used to say something is effectively the same as something else
- track someone down
to find someone after searching
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 70 lines
liaison
You didn't say you had hands like that.Well, but girl, I'm square though. I'm square though.Let's go for it.Let's go tear the city up. Okay.Keep 'em closed. Mmm-hmm.There he is.No, I'm looking you up.No, don't do that. I'm right here.used to say something is effectively the same as something else
You might as well have.when-clause of time
I don't care about that shit.to have a secret romantic relationship with someone
Apollo had an affair with my mom.I bounced around foster care for a couple years.In and out of juvie.liaison
In and out of juvie.In and out of juvie.to find someone after searching
Adonis explains that Mary Anne eventually searched him out and took him in.
Then Mary Anne tracked me down and took me in.How many females have you been with before me?dropped linking verb
Look, Bianca, come on now. You different.When I'm around you, I feel like I know you my whole life.Tell me you don't feel the same way about me.Are you gonna find a problem with everything I say?gonna for future intention
Are you gonna find a problem with everything I say?No, I'm gonna find the real in what you're saying.to annoy someone, often over small things
Just to get on my nerves.liaison
Just to get on my nerves.Adonis Tells Bianca His Secret, explained
What's really going on
Adonis lays out his parentage as if it explains him — the affair, the years of bouncing around, Mary Anne stepping in. But the past isn't what's really at stake; whether Bianca can be trusted with it is. Even mid-confession he keeps his guard up. "Apollo had an affair with my mom." clearly costs him, and he immediately turns the admission into a test, asking her to say the words back. Bianca refuses to be filed away with everyone he holds at arm's length, and what plays as a tender scene turns into a negotiation over trust: he offers the truth but keeps an escape hatch, and she won't let him have both.
Theme
SecretsAdonis finally tells Bianca who his father was, turning the thing he hides into the thing he offers her.
IdentityHe explains himself through his parents' affair and his childhood, while Bianca insists he can't treat her as just another person.
What you'll learn
- 'square' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'tear the city up' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
Listen for
- hands like that — liaison
- In and out of juvie — liaison
- get on my nerves — liaison
When I m around you I feel like I know you my whole lifeAdonis tells Bianca that being with her feels instantly familiar, as if they'd known each other all their lives — his way of admitting how much she means.
No I m gonna find the real in what you re sayingHe pushes past Bianca's words to what he thinks she really means, refusing to take her deflections at face value.
Yeah Donnie but I m not peopleBianca's reply when he lumps her in with everyone he keeps at a distance: she refuses to be just another person he shuts out.
Tell me you don t feel the same way about meAdonis asks Bianca to admit she feels what he feels, turning the confession into a plea for her to meet him halfway.
Questions about this scene
Who was Adonis's father?
Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion. Adonis reveals that Creed had an affair with his mother, which is how he came to exist.
Why is Adonis so guarded about his past?
He grew up bounced around, in and out of places, until Mary Anne tracked him down and took him in. His past made him defensive and slow to trust.
What does Bianca mean by 'I'm not people'?
Adonis tends to hold everyone at arm's length. By saying she isn't 'people', Bianca tells him she won't be lumped in with the crowd he keeps away from.
What is Adonis really asking Bianca?
Under the confession, he's asking whether she feels the same way about him. He wants her to say it instead of making him guess.
Why did Mary Anne take Adonis in?
Adonis's mother died, so Mary Anne tracked him down and raised him, giving him the stable home he describes when he explains who he is.
Creed · 10 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7die a happy manRocky Refuses to Fight His Cancer
Chapter 1behind closed doorsAdonis Asks Rocky to Train Him
Chapter 2jawnAdonis and Bianca's First Date
Chapter 3on one's ownRocky Agrees to Train Adonis
Chapter 4an offer you can t refuseRocky Offers to Train Adonis
Chapter 5no pushoverAdonis Blows Up at the Gym
Watching · Chapter 6had an affair withAdonis Tells Bianca His Secret
Chapter 7die a happy manRocky Refuses to Fight His Cancer
Chapter 8cut from that clothConlan Trash-Talks Adonis
Chapter 9lock it inRocky's Pre-Fight Talk with Adonis
Chapter 10the heart of a championAdonis Creed Fights Ricky ConlanChapter 6 of 10 · about 19 min to go