The Sharecropper Prodigy

by Malone, David Lee

  Ben hurried down the hallway to the study. He found Mr. Winston sitting behind his desk with a look of dread on his face. Something was wrong with Miss Rachel, Ben thought. Mr. Winston just hasn’t told Jim or Lizzie about it yet.

  Mr. Winston tried to smile, but failed miserably, as Ben walked in.

  “Have a seat there, Ben,” he said, pointing to one of the leather chairs.

  Ben didn’t want to sit, but obeyed anyway. He didn’t like to hear bad news sitting down.

  “Is this about Miss Rachel?” Ben asked, dreading the answer.

  “No, Ben, it’s not. And how many times has she told you not to call her Miss anymore.”

  “I can’t help it, sir. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break. You promise she’s alright, though?”

  “Yes, she’s fine, Ben. She called me this morning.” The Winston’s house was one of only a very few in Jones County that had a telephone.

  Ben relaxed a little, glad that his worst fear was over. “What did you want to talk to me about, sir? He asked.

  Mr. Winston stood up and started pacing nervously. He walked over to the double-hung window and looked out as if he were expecting to see something unusual. “Ben, I…I’ve got to do something that I’d rather take a beatin’ than have to do.” He turned back toward Ben but didn’t make eye contact. “I’m gonna have to ask you and your family to leave.”

  Ben looked at him, thinking he must have heard him wrong. “Ask us to leave, sir?”

  “Yes, Ben. I’ve got no choice. I can’t bare having that house Rube lived in stand on my property any longer. I want it gone, Ben. It’s a constant reminder to me of the awful thing that happened to Rachel and how much I hate Rube for it. I can’t go on like that.”

  Ben couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He could understand why Mr. Winston felt that way, but he couldn’t fathom him just kicking Ben and his family out with nowhere to go. He had spent three weeks almost constantly by Rachel’s side, caring for her every need. He didn’t want or expect any payment for it, but surely Mr. Winston had appreciated it enough not to put Ben and his family out in the cold.

  “Sir, what are we gonna do if we leave?” If it was just me, it wouldn’t matter, but I got brothers and a sister, and my mama has an infant to take care of.”

  “I know that, Ben. And I know that if it wasn’t for you, Rachel might not have recovered mentally, or at least not as fast as she did. Besides that, you saved her life and I will never be able to repay you for that. I’m not about to just throw y’all out to the wolves. I’ve talked to a friend of mine over in Cherokee county and he has a place for you on his farm. You’ll get the same percentage from your crop that you got from me. I’ll have some of my men move your things for you, so you won’t have to worry about that. I’m also going to give you a thousand dollars. That will more than keep your needs filled until your first crop comes in. If you ever need anything else within reason, all you have to do is let me know.”

  A thousand dollars was more than twice what Rube had profited off his last crop. That much money would keep Ben and his family clothed and fed for two years if they continued to live life with the meager existence they always had. Ben was determined to change that, however. With Rube now gone, there would be nobody to spend money on frivolities like tobacco and moonshine and Ben knew if he could somehow further his education, he could find a good job and give his family the things they deserved.

  Ben would have declined the thousand dollars and almost did. But common sense triumphed over pride and he kept his mouth shut. He had his family to think about and they would need all the help they could get and Ben could not provide. Not yet, anyway.

  Ben stood up and looked at Mr. Winston who was holding an envelope filled with cash. He hated taking money he felt he hadn’t earned and it was painful to reach out and accept it. But he had no choice. He knew Rachel knew nothing about Mr. Winston’s plans. If she did, she would jump on the next train out of Charleston heading south and put a stop to it. But Mr. Winston owned the land Ben and his family lived on, not Rachel. And Ben was not going to stay where he was obviously not wanted.

  “When do you want us out?” Ben asked, his tone all business and devoid of any warmth.

  “I’ll have my men come and load everything up Saturday, unless you need more time. I don’t want to rush you or put too much of a burden on you.”

  “Saturday will be fine, sir. I’ll see to it that everything is in order.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The first day of December had brought a cold snap with it, leaving a

  frost on our yard that made it look like it had been dusted with snow. I was outside splitting firewood for the Franklin heater and the cook stove when I looked up and saw Ben walking up the drive. He had his coat buttoned all the way up to his chin and his pace looked like he was there on business. Ben seldom ever came to my house because of the way my Uncle Lee felt about black folks, so I knew it must be something serious. I laid down the ax and walked out to meet him.

  “Your out awful early for such a cold morning,” I said. “Nothin’s wrong, is it?”

  Ben was breathing hard as if he’d run part of the way over. His breath in the cold air looked like he was blowing out smoke from a cigarette. “I guess it all depends on what your opinion of “wrong” is,” he answered. “I’m gonna be leavin’ tomorrow and I wanted to come and tell you.”

  I stood there, trying to comprehend what Ben had just told me. “Where are you goin’?” I asked. I figured he was talking about being gone for a few days and maybe wanted me to look in on his family.

  “Mr. Winston wants us to move. He’s found us a place over in Cherokee County. He’s gonna burn our old place to the ground because it reminds him of Papa and what happened to Miss Rachel.”

  “Well, hell. None of that was your fault and you saved her life!” I said, my voice becoming noticeably higher and much louder. “Not only that, you nursed her back to health. Who does that old bastard think he is if…….”

  “It’s alright, Tom. I guess I can understand why he feels that way. And he did find us a new place. He gave me some money, too. Enough to keep us in good shape for a while.”

  “White folks think they can just uproot a whole family and feel fine about it as long as they give them a few dollars. And you’re alright with it. That just don’t sound like you, Ben.”

  “Well what do you expect me to do about it? I’m not gonna stay where I’m not wanted and…..”

  “Hell, you’re not wanted anywhere, Ben,” I shouted. “You’re a nigger, or hadn’t you noticed? Not only that, you’re a nigger that is smarter than any of the white folks. That makes you not wanted even more. And I’ll tell you what you can do about it. You can call Rachel and tell her. I’ll take you up to Uncle Joe’s store and you can use his phone. She’ll put a stop….”

  “I don’t want to involve her. The house we live in belongs to her Papa. If he don’t want us there, I could never feel right about stayin’”

  “So you’re just gonna move from one shack into another one. In a place where you won’t no anybody with no friends like me and Rachel, and you’re fine with that.”

  “No, I ain’t fine with it!” Ben shouted. “I just don’t have any choice. Maybe this is what I need. Maybe this will get me out of my complacency and cause me to try to do something about finding a way to make more money and get an education.”

  “Well, I’m glad to see you’re thinking about what you’d like for a change. All you’ve ever done is work like a dog and take care of your family. The only thing you ever do for yourself is read. And you wouldn’t do much of that if it wasn’t for Rachel bringin’ you books. You’d never spend what little money of your own you manage to make. You’d feel guilty that some of your family would have to do without something.”

  Ben looked out across the yard. “I had complete access to Mr. Winston’s library for three weeks. I was hopin’ I still would once Rachel was gone. I’d never seen so many books on
so many different subjects in one place. I barely slept at all while I was stayin’ there lookin’ after Rachel.”

  My Aunt Mary Kate came to the door and called me into breakfast. She saw Ben and asked if he wanted to stay and have some gravy and biscuits. He thanked her and told her he’d already eaten.

  “I know you have to go,” Ben said. “You ain’t got long before school starts. I just wanted to come tell you bye. I’m gonna miss you. You and Rachel are my best friends in the world. I’ll write you a letter when I get settled in.”

  Ben held out his hand and I shook it vigorously. A thought had formulated in my mind while he had been talking. One of those thoughts that come suddenly and you have to grab onto it and hold it before it flies away. It was something that was going to require a little more consideration, so I asked Ben if I could come over to his house after school. He smiled when I asked him.

  “Of course you can come. You don’t have to ask. I’d like to see you a little longer before I have to leave.”

  “I’ll walk over as soon as I get off the school bus,” I said.

  *****

  My day at school was wasted. I would have been as well off had I stayed at home. I had been admonished in every class by my teachers for not paying attention. Mr. Yates, who taught history, ask me if I was sick or if maybe I had been drinking. But I had an idea that needed cultivating and I didn’t have long to get my plan together. Convincing Ben to go along with it was going to be the most difficult part. But if either of us were ever going to escape the poverty stricken place we now lived, it was my opinion that the sooner we got started the better. Uncle Lee and Aunt Mary Kate were doing better than a lot of people in Jones County, but that wasn’t saying much. They would be better off if they didn’t have me to feed and clothe. I was kind of thrust upon them when my momma died and my daddy decided to run off to Detroit to try and find a job at one of the automobile manufacturers. He said he would send for me as soon as he was settled in. Apparently, it took him some time to settle, because that had been ten years ago and I still hadn’t heard a word from him.

  *****

  I had the school bus driver let me off at the little road that led down to Ben’s and some of the other tenets houses. I waited for the bus to get out of sight and broke into a fast trot. I couldn’t wait to see Ben and tell him about my plan. I only hoped I could get him to go along with it. I had spent all day coming up with ways to overcome any objection he might have. As smart as Ben was, I had been around him enough to figure out what his priorities were and they weren’t complicated, even if he was.

  I said hi to Sam and James who were in the yard playing some kind of game that involved an old coffee can. I walked up the two steps to the front porch that sagged in the middle like an old worn out mattress. The shack had never had a paintbrush within a mile of it and was constructed of seasoned pine. I was thinking that when Mr. Winston put the torch to it, it would be gone in a matter of minutes. Ben opened the door before I had a chance to knock and told me to come in. I walked through the door and saw that Ben had already gotten their few possessions ready to be loaded. The house was as clean as a pin. Despite the fact that the Evan’s lived in abject poverty, Ben and Nellie always kept the house spotless, which was no easy task with such a large family in such a confined space. I went over to where Miss Evergreen was sitting in an old rocker, holding Ben’s youngest brother. I tickled him under the chin and watched a toothless grin spread across his face.

  Turning back to Ben I asked him if we could talk outside. He opened the heavy wooden door and we stepped out on the porch. We walked down to the creek bank and sat down on an old sycamore tree that’s roots had succumbed to erosion years before and had fallen across the creek, making a natural bridge. I sat, swinging my feet, wondering how to begin. I decided just to blurt it out and talk as fast as I could before Ben had a chance to stop me.

  “Why don’t me and you take off to Atlanta,” I started, “I heard a man down at the store the other day who said they were hirin’ construction workers and the pay was good. You and me both are used to hard work and we’ve been helping build barns and such since we were big enough to swing a hammer. You know how to figure angles and are a genius with numbers. You could read blueprints without any trouble. I bet we could get a job right off and work our way up to some good wages. You could send some of the money home to your folks. Nellie and Sam and James can take care of the farm and Robert will be big enough to help out come plantin’ time. With the extra money you could send them, they would be better off than if you were still here, just doin’ the same thing as them.”

  I turned to see Ben’s reaction, and noticed he was staring off into space. Had he even been paying attention?

  “Morehouse,” Ben said quietly.

  “What did you say, Ben? Are you even listenin’ to me? I didn’t say nothif’ about a whorehouse.”

  “Morehouse, Ben repeated louder. Are you sure the men you heard knew what they were talkin’ about?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I mean he said that him and a friend of his was gonna move their families over there. Said they had already been promised jobs.”

  “Atlanta. That’s where Morehouse College is. If that man is on the level, I might could save enough money to enroll there. That’s one of the best colleges for black folks in the country. Maybe I could work at night or something…..”

  “What makes you think they’ll just let you enroll, Ben? You ain’t never been to school more than three months out of the year. I know you’re smart enough, probably smarter than most people there, but don’t you have to graduate high school first?”

  “If I can talk to the dean, I’ll figure out a way. I just need a chance to let them see how determined I am. If they will just give me a chance…. When do you want to leave?”

  I thought my teeth were going to fall out of my mouth. I had come up with a plan I was sure Ben would oppose, and now he had turned the tables and was putting the pressure on me.

  “Well, uh….I don’t know. My Aunt Mary Kate ain’t gonna like it. Even though I’m sixteen, she still thinks I’m a kid and she wants me to finish school.”

  “You can do that in Atlanta, Tom. They’ve got night classes in a city that big. You might even finish faster, if you’ll study hard.” Ben thought for a minute. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll get my family settled in their new place. I’ll tell momma my plan and that I’ll send her enough money to buy groceries every month. They’ll make more than enough off their cotton crop for all the other expenses, especially since Rube ain’t around to blow money anymore. Momma will be able to put back a little for the first time in her life.”

  Ben looked like a kid at Christmas. He walked back out to the end of the sycamore log and jumped off, clapping his hands together repeatedly, something I’d seen him do before when he was truly excited about something. I don’t think he was even aware he did it.

  “When we get settled down, I’ll find a telephone and call your Uncle Joe’s store and give him a message telling you when I’m comin’. I don’t think the place we’re goin’ is over thirty miles away. I can either hitch a ride or take a bus back. Tom, this is the best idea you’ve ever had. I wish I was half as smart as you are.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Me and Ben sat at my Uncle Joe’s store, that also served as the bus station, both as nervous as we had ever been. Neither of us had ever been away from home and I wasn’t sure which feeling was more dominant. The fear of the unknown and missing my family, or the anticipation of adventure and a good job. I had done all the research I could since we had made our decision, and found out there were several government subsidized housing projects being built. I knew with Ben’s genius at anything he undertook, we had a very good shot at finding work. The only drawback, and it was a hell of an obstacle to overcome, was that Ben was only fourteen years old and black. But he had read more books on construction and engineering in the last three weeks than probably anybody we would come in contact with on the constr
uction site would ever read in their whole lives, and he had always been good with his hands. Finding someone that was as talented as Ben with both his head and his hands was extremely rare.

  Leaving home hadn’t been easy. My Aunt Mary Kate had been on a three day crying jag. I knew she was worried about me and I really felt sorry for her, since I was the closest thing to a son she’d ever had. I assured her I would be fine and promised her I would start taking night classes to get my high school diploma as soon as I was settled into a job. The fact that I was leaving the day after Christmas didn’t help matters, either. I suggested to Ben that we wait until after New Years before we left, but he was adamant about leaving now. He was afraid if we waited any longer there would be no jobs left.

  It was a bitterly cold day with a steel gray sky and a few snow flurries swirling around. The old pot-belly stove in the store had a roaring fire going and it felt warm and cozy inside. I was dreading leaving the familiar comfort and getting on the bus which I thought might be cold, though I’d never ridden on one more than a few miles and always in the summertime. One thing I was glad to see was that not many people were in the store today. Of course Jim Fuller and Mack Brown were in their usual spot, but politics and economics were the furthest thing from their minds. My Uncle Joe was sad that I was leaving, but thought I was doing the right thing. He only wished I had chosen a different traveling companion. He liked Ben and had been tickled to death the day he had put the redneck crowd in their place, but thought I was asking for a lot of trouble traveling with a highly opinionated negro.

  I heard the bus before I saw it. The rattle of the diesel engine gearing down had an unmistakable sound. Me and Ben were the only passengers getting on. Harvey Kendall and his wife were getting off. They had spent Christmas with their oldest son who lived in Mobile and by the looks on their faces, were glad to be home. Me and Ben said farewell once again to my Uncle Joe and stored what little luggage we had in the compartment underneath. When we boarded together, we got a few looks from the other passengers, but none looked threatening enough to worry about. Once the Kendall’s luggage had been unloaded, the driver took his seat behind the wheel, put the bus in gear, and we pulled away, leaving a thick cloud of black smoke.