The Sharecropper Prodigy

by Malone, David Lee

  *****

  There were days I wished I had let them gone ahead and taken my leg. Today was one of them. It felt like a giant toothache from my knee down to my toes and I grimaced every time I moved. When I was threatening the doctors with their lives if they amputated it, the only thing I was thinking about was Rachel. I was afraid she wouldn’t want a man with a prosthetic leg limping around, following her like a whipped puppy. I guess I didn’t know her very well. She let me have it good, when she found out how close I came to dying. In fact, if it hadn’t been for penicillin, I probably would have died. I found out later I was one of the first soldiers ever treated with the relatively new antibiotic. Thank God for miracle drugs. But Rachel was still furious.

  “Why would you lay there and nearly die when all they had to do was take your leg from the knee down,” Rachel had said. “Do you think I am so shallow and superficial that it would have changed the way I felt about you?”

  I took the admonishment with an inward smile. It was then I realized she truly loved me. When I was finally sent home, she stayed at my house for a week, only returning to her own house to bathe and get fresh clothes.

  I had gotten in touch with Max McGee, who was the foreman that gave Ben and me our first job in Atlanta. It turned out that he was now a superintendent for a big construction company that had a government contract on a huge project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He said he couldn’t give me any details until I got up there for security purposes. The project had something to do with the war effort and was apparently supposed to be a secret. I told him about my injury and that I would probably be limited as to what I could do.

  “You can tell other people what to do, can’t you?” he asked me. “I don’t need you to tote lumber or lay bricks. I need you for what you know, not what you can do. I’ll make you a foreman as soon as you get here and get clearance.”

  I had managed to put back a fairly nice nest egg from my job in Atlanta and the money I was paid by the army. Me and Ben had always lived very frugally in Atlanta, our only diversion to work being reading and discussing books with Abby and maybe playing chess or a few card games. I refused to go see any picture shows, because Ben would have been forced to sit in the balcony with the rest of the black folks. So besides the little bit of rent we paid Abby and the money I sent home to my aunt and uncle, I had tucked away almost all the rest. Still, I knew I had to earn money. I was never one of those who was satisfied with just getting by, and besides that, I had to be busy. I had detested idleness since I was old enough to remember. I knew there was no way I would be able to find a job close to home that paid anywhere near what Max told me I’d make in Tennessee, so I didn’t have much choice. There was just one thing I had to take care of first, and if that didn’t happen I wasn’t going anywhere. I had to marry Rachel. I had told her I loved her and she returned the favor, yet we’d never even been on a picnic or to a picture show together. I had immediately had to leave after making my feelings known and travel half way around the world to get blown up by a French cannon. I wasn’t about to light out again unless she was by my side.

  It had taken more nerve for me to tell Rachel how I felt that night than it did to hit the beach in Algiers. I didn’t figure it would take any less to ask her to marry me. I planned on adhering to the proper protocol and asking her papa for her hand, after I’d asked her, of course. But that was only going to be a formality, because I really didn’t care what his answer would be as long as hers was satisfactory. As far as I could tell, her papa liked me and seemed to be satisfied with me as a suitor. But a suitor was one thing and a son-in-law was another.

  I got into Uncle Lee’s truck and started the engine, looking in the side view mirror to make sure my collar was straight and my hair wasn’t too disheveled. I had always had a habit I couldn’t seem to break of running my hand through my hair. I felt the same way I did the last time I borrowed Uncle Lee’s truck to go to the Winston house. My pulse was racing a mile a minute and my fingers and face were numb. Breathing took a conscious effort and it seemed like the world, or at least Jones County, suddenly had a shortage of oxygen. When I saw that my appearance was tolerable and came to the conclusion that I would be able to breathe well enough to keep myself alive, I backed the truck out of the driveway.

  *****

  Rachel looked beautiful as always. She had on a dress that left her shoulders exposed and was low cut in the front. Her creamy skin hadn’t been tanned by the early summer sun yet, and was flawless. I had a sudden urge to kiss her neck and shoulders, but of course kept it in check, because I was sure her papa was lurking somewhere just around the corner. She had put her auburn hair up in some kind of way that left just a few tender strands resting incongruously on her shoulders and partially covering the perfect skin on the nape of her neck. She never wore much rouge or other cosmetics that I couldn’t name. She didn’t need them. She wore just enough to give definition to her prominent cheekbones and accent her lively, blue eyes, that were like looking into soothing pools of sparkling water. I stood in the doorway, not yet having crossed the threshold, speechless. At that moment I was the luckiest man on earth to be the one to behold the beauty that was before me.

  After Rachel snapped me out of my trance by telling me to come inside for the third time, I finally found my voice that I thought might have been lost forever.

  “Ah…can you come outside for a minute, Rachel?” I asked in as bold of a voice as I could manage. I had learned from the last time that getting right to the point was the best way, or at least I hoped it was. Besides, I couldn’t have eaten a bite of the supper Lizzie was cooking if I had to keep this bottled up inside me the whole time.

  Rachel came outside with me and we walked through her yard toward the orchard. I took her hand and looked into her eyes, trying my best not to be intimidated by their beauty. I knew she was too good for me, but she was too good for anyone else, too. I just blurted it out. “Rachel, I’ve got to take that job in Tennessee. It’s just too good to pass up. But I can’t stand to be away from you again. I can’t even stand to be away from you a day. So…what I would like is…would…would you consider marryin’ me?”

  I closed my eyes like I was expecting a blow to the head or something. I felt like if she didn’t say yes, I would just melt into the earth and become a permanent part of the Winston fruit orchard.

  Her answer was quick and simple. The way I like things to be.

  “Yes, Tom. I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier.”

  I reached down and kissed that neck that I had been craving like it was some kind of delicious, forbidden fruit, since she first answered the door. I wanted to shout and let the whole world know at one time.

  “Rachel, I love you so much I don’t have the words. It’s times like these I really miss Ben and his poetic vocabulary,” I said laughing, but profoundly serious at the same time.

  “I love you just as much,” Rachel answered. She looked at me, smiling that smile that would light up the darkest abyss. “Speaking of Ben, we’d better tell him right away. I don’t want to wait long and I know you want to go to work. I assume you’ll want him to be your best man.”

  “I wouldn’t have anybody else,” I said. Rachel said she didn’t want to wait long. Thankfully, that eliminated my next question.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  As we were walking back to the house, I asked Rachel if I should speak to her papa immediately, or call Ben and tell him the good news first.

  “Let’s tell Papa,” she said. “He’ll probably be eaves droppin’ on our telephone conversation with Ben, anyway. I’d rather him hear it directly from us, so he won’t think we’re tryin’ to keep secrets from him.”

  “Good idea,” I said. Anything Rachel could possibly say right now sounded like a good idea to me. I was walking several feet above the ground. I could also breathe again and the feeling had returned to my extremities.

  Rachel flung open the heavy front door and we rushed inside like a strong gust of Ma
rch wind. Mr. Winston was coming out of his study where one of the two telephones in the house were. He had a grave look on his face as Rachel shut the door. He walked slowly over to greet us.

  “What’s the matter, Papa? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost or somethin’.”

  Mr. Winston looked at both of us as he ran his fingers through his thick mane of white hair. “I didn’t see a ghost, but I sure just heard from one,” he said. “I just got off the phone with Billy Sprague, the sheriff over in Cherokee County. They found my truck that Ned Higgins left in almost three years ago. Ned was in it. Or at least what they believe to be his bones were in it.”

  I noticed the color suddenly drain from Rachel’s face and she became noticeably unsteady on her feet.

  “Are you alright, honey?” Mr. Winston asked.

  “Yeah…I…I’m fine, Papa. Just shocked, that’s all. Where did they find the truck?”

  “In the Coosa River, about a mile from Oak Bluff. Either Ned ran off the road into the water by accident, committed suicide, or somebody killed him and dumped my truck with his body in it.” Mr. Winston shook his head. “Ned could be ornery sometimes and a had a smart mouth, but I didn’t know he had any enemies that would want him dead. I don’t believe he would’ve killed himself. Maybe he just went to sleep at the wheel or something. I guess we’ll never know.”

  “I…I guess not,” Rachel responded, as if she were talking to herself.

  I knew there was going to be no telling Mr. Winston about our plans tonight. There wasn’t going to be a telephone call to Ben, either. At least not about our marriage plans. But I knew we’d have to let him know as soon as possible about Ned Higgins being found.

  *****

  Rachel walked all through the house, making sure her papa and Lizzie were both gone. She had seen them drive away, headed to the grocery store, but wasn’t about to leave anything to chance. Jim was still on the house somewhere, but he wasn’t an eaves dropper. Jim could care less what anybody else was doing. After Rachel was satisfied she was safe, she picked up the phone and dialed the number for the dorm where Ben lived on the Harvard campus. The phone rung several times before someone finally answered it. The place was so noisy, Rachel could barely hear the person on the other end. Rachel eventually made out the person’s name. It was Norman and he knew Ben, but said he was in class right now. Rachel left her number and told Norman to please have Ben call her back as soon as he got the message. Norman promised he would, but from the background noise that sounded an awful lot like some kind of party, she seriously doubted Norman’s reliability.

  Rachel began pacing all over the house. She knew she would have to be careful when Ben did call. Everybody in Jones County, except the police, sheriff and fire department were on a party line. You never knew who might be listening in, and some old biddy usually was.

  Not much more than five minutes had passed before the telephone rung. Rachel ran to her papa’s study and picked it up.

  “Hello, Winston residence,” Rachel answered.

  “Hi, Rachel. It’s Ben. How are you doin’?” Ben asked in is usual cheerful voice. “Is anything wrong?”

  “Hello, Ben. I’m doin’ great. I’ve got some good news, too. I think Tom wanted to be the one to tell you, but I couldn’t wait. Tom asked me to marry him and I of course said yes. We want to get it done in a hurry, too. Tom has been offered a job in Tennessee that he just can’t pass up. I’m sure he’s already told you about it. But he doesn’t want to go without me, and I don’t want him to leave without me .”

  “Well, that’s certainly great news, Rachel. My two best friends in the world tying the knot. I’m as happy as I can be for both of you. Are you just gonna have a private ceremony or somethin’?”

  “No, no, Ben. That’s why I was callin’ you. We’re just gonna have a small ceremony at the church, a few friends and family, but I know Tom is gonna want you to be his best man. He’s gonna kill me for telling you this, because I know he wanted to ask you himself, so please don’t let on. But I was wonderin’ if it was possible for you to be able to come home for a few days.”

  “I might have to rearrange a few things, I’m takin’ so many courses, but I’ll figure somethin’ out. I wouldn’t miss your weddin’ for the world.”

  “Oh, Ben. You don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that. You’re sure it won’t interrupt your studies too much?”

  “Nooo. I’ll catch up. Don’t worry about me. Have you set a date?”

  “No, we haven’t. We’ll work it around your schedule. I’m not gonna do anything elaborate, like sendin’ out invitations. It’s just gonna be the people we can call or send a quick letter to, and the rest will be word of mouth. The sooner the better. I wish you were here right now.”

  Rachel was trying her best to sound urgent without giving anything away to whoever might be listening. She was hoping Ben would catch on, or maybe hear something in her voice that aroused suspicion. He was usually very adept at that sort of thing.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Ben said. “I don’t have any classes next Friday. Why don’t I get on the train Thursday evenin’. I should be there Friday night or Saturday morning at the latest. I wouldn’t have to miss but one or two days of classes that way.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Ben. And Ben, Tom and I are gonna pay your expenses for the trip and I don’t want to hear any argument about it. I know with the work load you have at school you’re not getting to work a lot at your job. Besides that, you’ll be doin’ us a favor.”

  Ben was taking every class they would allow him to, and breezing through them seemingly with little effort. He had already received his masters degree and at the pace he was going, he would have his doctorate in a little over a year. The last thing he needed now was a setback, but with the sheriff finding Ned Higgins remains, it might not be avoided. Rachel was sure there would be questions Ben would have to answer since he and Manuel were the last ones to see him alive.

  *****

  Rachel and I had a nice supper at a cozy little restaurant in Gadsden, which was technically the first date we’d had where I had picked her up and we actually got to do something nice together. Of course, we would have Ben on the return trip home. His train was due in at nine-thirty at the station just south of Gadsden. I couldn’t wait to see him, despite the bad news we were about to tell him.

  The train rolled in right on time and I immediately started looking for Ben. He wasn’t hard to spot, because he was one of only three black folks that got off the segregated colored car.

  “Hey, you two,” Ben yelled when he saw us. He came running towards us, lugging his suitcase. I shook hands with him, and could tell he wanted to hug Rachel, but thought better of it with all the people around.

  “How are you, Ben? Did you have a good trip?” Rachel asked.

  “Yeah, it was great. I love ridin’ trains. You two are sure a sight for sore eyes. Both of your faces look absolutely radiant.”

  “We are both as happy as dead pigs in the sunshine,” I said.

  “I believe you could have come up with a more romantic simile,” Rachel said laughing.

  “Well, that’s the one my Aunt Mary Kate always uses,” I answered, faking a look of admonishment.

  We had borrowed Mr. Winston’s car at his insistence. To my surprise he had seemed happy when Rachel and I told him we would like to be married. I would have thought he would have been adamant about Rachel staying in school and finding a young man from a good family who was studying to be a doctor or lawyer, or something like that. But he said he had high hopes for me and knew I would be successful at whatever I did. He told Rachel he liked the idea of her marrying a home town boy she had known her whole life. He seemed happy that Ben was coming home, too. He hadn’t forgotten for a minute how Ben saved Rachel’s life and probably her sanity. He also admitted that he had been proven wrong about the black man’s capacity for intellect. He also felt guilt a great deal of guilt for making Ben and his family move. He believed his e
motions had caused him to make too hasty a decision.

  We asked Ben if he wanted anything to eat, but he told us he had had a really good supper on the train from the dining car. It was brought to him and the other black passengers, of course. Black folks weren’t allowed to take their meals in the dining car.

  We jumped in the car and headed for home. I would like to have bought Ben a beer or something to celebrate his return, but after growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, he had made a vow to totally abstain from all libations. After we’d caught up on everything that had recently occurred, Rachel and I kept looking at each other in the dim glow of the dash lights, wondering when the time was right to break the news about the truck and Ned Higgins being found. I had had pretty good luck lately just getting straight to the point, so I just decided not to wait for Rachel.

  “Ben, they found Mr. Winston’s truck the other day and Ned Higgins skeleton was in it.”

  Ben was silent for a minute. I tried to see his face in the rear view mirror to judge his expression, but it was too dark to see in the back seat. I knew there was a service station just a mile or two up ahead so I sped up.

  “Are they askin’ any questions about it?” Ben asked. “I mean, has anybody been out to your house Rachel?”

  “No. Not yet,” Rachel said. “The sheriff in Cherokee County called Papa on the phone and told him about it. He had to go over there and identify the truck, of course. They wouldn’t let him have it back, though, until they had done some investigatin’.”

  I pulled into the station and parked under the security light that stood off to the side of the building. The station was closed and I was hoping we could sit and talk a few minutes without being bothered. I knew the owner, and he lived several miles away, so hopefully nobody would think we were trying to steal something.