by Patrick Shea
Saul had come to believe that life would be better for a Negro family in the north. Both the Uncles were adamantly opposed. She could still remember her Uncle Robert telling Saul that he had fought in WWII so that he would have the right to live where he wanted, and while this country had a lot of problems, and the South even more so, this was home and he wasn’t moving. Besides, there were now important people who were fighting to change things, and for the first time they were getting support from the Federal government, even if the support was largely passive.
Saul remained focused on his dream of moving north and so he did. Two years later he was back in Atlanta and he had the good sense to act humble. He told the family that he didn’t understand the northern Blacks who looked poorly at recent migrants from the South. He found work in a factory and made enough money to live, but the circumstances of that life weren’t for him. It just wasn’t the same as his Southern life style.
The family attributed Saul’s adventure to youth and welcomed him back into the family business. Saul became the most outspoken member of the family when it came to supporting the local community and the quiet lifestyle found on the outskirts of this small Southern city.
Charlotte blinked and realized her Mother was speaking to her and had to ask her to repeat the question.
“I said, don’t you have to be going soon? It will be dark in about an hour.”
“Oh, thanks Mom, yes I do need to leave soon but we still have a little time. Tell me, have you decided yet about coming to stay with James and I?”
“Yes I have, I’ve decided that this is not the time to be too independent. It looks like this virus will be with us soon. There are already hundreds of cases reported in the city. While I haven’t gotten used to the idea that we will all move on within just a couple of weeks, I have decided that I don’t want to be alone when we go through it.”
Charlotte said, “That’s a relief. I can’t tell you how much I want you to join us and how happy I am with your decision. I’m afraid if you had said no, I might have had to ask James and the boys just to come and kidnap you.”
Her Mom smiled and said, “Well, we don’t have to worry about that, but what about your boys and their families, what will they do?”
Charlotte frowned and said, “I’ve extended the same invitation to both of them and they’re talking to their wives now. Jamal will probably join us with his two little ones since his wife is from Florida and all of her relatives are there. I’m not sure about James Jr., you know Tiffany’s parents live in Decatur and I’m sure they want Tiffany to join them. I don’t even know what I would do under those circumstances, so I’m waiting for J.J. to tell me what they’ve decided.”
Charlotte and her Mom agreed on a time for James to pick her up in the morning, and Charlotte began the thirty minute drive home. She spent the time both listening to the radio news of the virus and working out the logistics of her Mom, her sons, their wives and the three Grandchildren living with her and James. Once she felt she had a workable plan to keep everyone in relative comfort with some semblance of privacy she felt better.
However, there was nothing on the radio that could be considered anything like good news. The virus in Western Europe was terrible. It seemed that no one even knew what was happening in Great Britain or Ireland. News reports from there had stopped a couple of days ago. The countries on the Atlantic seaboard of Europe were being devastated and those farther inland were in panic as the virus spread quickly through Europe and into Asia.
Charlotte was worried about what would happen in Atlanta when the virus started killing people. She didn’t know and she tried not to think about it, although that proved impossible.
For now she would do what she could for her family. When she got home she would ask James to get the old bunk beds and a cot out of the attic and set up for the grandkids. She knew her job would be to make sure the freezer and pantry were well stocked, and she knew she would have to complete that job tomorrow. She was already concerned that services would start going down-hill soon, and at the rate the virus was spreading it would not be long before the stores would no longer be stocked, or even open. She would ask both J.J. and Jamal to bring whatever food they had at their homes.
She was looking forward to getting home and talking to James. The two of them had been together for almost thirty years and he remained her best friend. He always seemed to know what to say in times of crisis and she wanted to talk to him again about the virus. She knew there was nothing he could do to change anything that was coming, but she still wanted to listen to him and his inevitable practical approach to every problem.
She had met James when he came home from the war the first time. He had served with Charlotte’s older brother Paul and they had become close friends. She had adored Paul her entire life. He always seemed to take pride in his little sister and she always felt special around him.
She had been devastated when Paul had been killed in February 1968 during the battle for Hue. James and Paul had been in the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and were fighting side by side that day. After being wounded Paul had asked James to promise that he would visit Paul’s family and tell them how he had died and that his last thoughts were of his family. Even though James kept telling Paul he would be okay, Paul had died before the corpsman could even get to him.
James had knocked on their door four months later. He spent three days with them during which he fulfilled his promise. He described Paul’s actions during the first three weeks of the battle, and he described his death. During those three days he cried with the family and he laughed with them, and he came to be a part of them in a surprising and comfortable way. It was the only time James discussed his role in the war with Charlotte, although they talked of Paul now and then over the years.
James still had a year to serve on his enlistment and the Marine Corp sent him to Vietnam for a second tour of duty. During this time Charlotte, who was now a senior in high school, wrote James often, and occasionally James would write back. Charlotte was attending Clark College in Atlanta when James returned home. He visited the family again, but this time as a guest of Charlotte’s. The family was pleased and Charlotte’s father offered James a job with the family business, but with conditions.
It was apparent that Charlotte and James were strongly attracted to each other, but Charlotte’s education was paramount to her father. He told James he had to agree first and foremost that he would do everything he could to help Charlotte graduate. That meant he could only see her on Sundays during the school term.
He also let James know that this would be a courtship, not a whirlwind romance. James agreed, and he ‘courted’ Charlotte for more than three years before they were married. While they found that some exceptions to the Sunday only rule were important, they were sure to keep clandestine meetings quiet since neither of them wanted to disappoint Charlotte’s father.
Charlotte and James laughed about these secret meetings for years, but never around Charlotte’s father. Charlotte always said she kept the meetings secret out of respect for her father, but always accused James of doing so out of fear of her father. While James always denied this, he was never too adamant about it.
They were married the summer after Charlotte graduated from Clark. James Junior, who came to be known as J.J., was born the following summer and Jamal a year later. Charlotte raised her boys to be real boys. She knew that they were going to face a tough future and she wanted them prepared for it. They learned how to play hard and how to work hard.
She and James made sure the boys knew their education ended when they graduated from college. And they both did. J.J. graduated from the University of Georgia and Jamal from Georgia Tech. Charlotte and James still laughed about how that had worked out. The rivalry between these two schools was intense and they had a tough time finding a livable balance during the college years. The annual football game between the schools was always a rowdy weekend at the White’s house.
James rarely talk
ed about his service during the war, but Charlotte always kept a picture of James in his Marine Corp dress uniform on the mantel. She made sure the boys knew what their father had done and why he had served. She was proud of James and theirs was a patriotic family. Both of the boys ended up serving as Marine Officers after college, and while those years were stressful for Charlotte, it was a stress filled with both fear and pride for her boys.
And James beamed. It seemed to Charlotte that James was likely to burst with pride when he saw the boys in their uniforms together, one a Captain and one a First Lieutenant. Both young men asked to serve as infantry officers to honor their father, and while they both understood that being in the military was not easy, neither considered the time they spent in uniform a burden.
Both of the boys now participated in the family business, and while they were both married with families of their own, the White’s still remained a close knit family. Charlotte and James knew they were blessed and they gave thanks each Sunday for these blessings.
When Charlotte arrived home James was working in his shop next to the garage. As always Charlotte kissed him, and then said, “I see you brought the bunk beds down from the attic. Are they going to be okay for the grandkids?”
“I think so, I’m checking to make sure the hardware is all here, and I might add a couple of new braces from some scrap wood I have here. It’s hard to believe but these bunk beds are twenty-five years old now.”
Charlotte looked at him over her glasses and said, “I don’t know why that’s so hard for you to believe, you aren’t a spring chicken anymore and don’t tell me you that truth hasn’t hit home with you yet.”
James laughed and responded, “No, I can’t tell you that, but my goodness, this life of ours had gone by so fast.”
Charlotte turned serious with this reminder of how little time they had left. She again asked James what was going to happen to them. He said, “Babe, we’re going to use what time we have left to be with each other and the family. I can’t change this virus, but I can make sure my family is together and as comfortable as I can make them until the end days get here. As hard as that will be, we’ll still be better off than a lot of folks who aren’t going to be with their loved ones for the end. Fate has always smiled on us and we just need that to hold true for a little longer.
“By the way, J.J. called a couple of minutes ago and said that he and Tiffany have decided to join us with their little one. Tiffany’s parents are having a hard time with that, but they have a small house and they think it will be better if they join Tiffany’s sister and her family. Tiffany promised to talk to them daily, if not more often, and if the streets stay clear and chaos doesn’t start she’ll be able to drive over each day. They only live about sixteen miles from here.”
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relieve and said, “I’m really relieved. I know how Tiffany’s parents must feel but I feel so good knowing the boys and their families will both be with us.”
“Yeah, me too, although I feel a little selfish about it, I was really happy when J.J. told me the decision. Fate is really funny sometimes. It’s only been a couple of months since we started talking about selling this big house and moving into something easier to keep up with. We would really be sorry today if we had done that.”
“Did anything new happen while I was visiting with Mom?”
“I watched the news of course. Jack Sweeney, the Homeland Security guy we watched yesterday, seems to be moving quickly. The reporters have been talking about the latest bulletins and those recommendations make a lot of sense to me. The idea of asking citizens and communities to help the survivors prepare for their future life seems to be the right thing to do. I talked to the folks at work this morning and everyone seems to agree that if we can help, we should.
“By the way, I told everyone that today was the last day for work. I told them I wanted them to spend time with their friends and families from now until the end. Some of them were shocked it came to this so quickly, but all of them seemed grateful.
“However, George and Maiya are both single and both are from out of town. George is from New Orleans and Maiya is from Dallas. They weren’t sure if they could get home since no one knows how normal things will be or won’t be for travelers. We talked about it and we called both sets of parents as well. We decided that they were going to take my pick-up truck and make the drive since neither one of them has a car worth a darn. This is no time to break down on the highway. Besides, I don’t drive the truck much anymore.
“They can make it to New Orleans in about eight hours so they are going to leave first thing in the morning. George and his parents insisted that Maiya spend the night with them, and then drive to Dallas the next day. I told George and Maiya I wanted them to come over this evening and spend the night with us. They can leave from here in the morning. I thought maybe we could put together a cooler of food and beverages for the drive. There’s no telling what will or won’t be open, and I don’t want them to stop if they don’t have to. They’ll have to find a place to fill up with gas at least twice on the trip. Hopefully that won’t be a problem.
“I hope you don’t mind me setting this up like this.”
Charlotte said, “You know I don’t mind. And I want you to know I’m proud of you. I know you don’t drive the truck that much anymore, but I also know how much you treasure it”.
“Well, I did treasure it. But I remember that sign board in front of the church on Mission Ave we saw a couple of months ago. It said ‘The best things in life aren’t things’. That struck us as one of those simple truths of life that is never properly articulated. It turns out to be truer than I thought.
“Don’t be surprised if George and Maiya change the itinerary this evening. I watched them this afternoon and I think they have kind of an attachment growing. I don’t think either one of them wanted to overtly pursue a relationship at work, maybe because they understand the difficulties inter-racial couples still have in the world. But I got the feeling that whatever their current relationship, George is being protective.
“He mentioned maybe he would take Maiya on to Dallas and then return to New Orleans. At first she started to get her dander up about being able to take care of herself, but I think she saw the wisdom of George telling her this just wasn’t the time to be on the road alone. Then he pretty well settled the issue when he told her he was going to ask his brother to ride with him to Dallas and back since he didn’t particularly want to be by himself either.
“He asked me if I knew where he could get a weapon for the trip. I think that’s a smart thing to do so I’m going to give them one of my shotguns to take along with a box of shells. I hope they won’t need it, but I want them to have it just in case.
“I made them promise to stay in touch with us until they are both home safely and they agreed they would do that.”
Charlotte wasn’t surprised at James’ concern for George and Maiya, or with the arrangements he had made. He had always been thoughtful, and although he was a hard man in some ways, he was also generous, almost to a fault. Charlotte smiled as she watched him continue to work on the bunk beds. After all these years she still loved him deeply and she was always thankful fate had put them together.
Chapter 2
Chapter Ten: The Road Trip
Wednesday: Atlanta, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana
Thursday: On to Dallas, Texas
George and Maiya left Atlanta at 7:00 o’clock Wednesday morning. James and Charlotte White saw them off and made sure James’ truck had a cooler full of drinks and food for the drive to New Orleans. Across the backseat was a 12 Gauge shotgun and box of shells James had provided.
Maiya looked at George and said, “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that this worked out so well for both of us, but I still think I got the better end of the deal. I really appreciate your going with me to Dallas. Did you talk with your brother yet and is he going to make the trip to Dallas with us?”
I talked to Andy
last night and told him I was going to Dallas with you. I decided not to ask him to go with me until he had some time to think about it. I’ll talk with him this evening.
George continued, “I’m also glad we could make the trip together. One of the things I always liked about working for the White’s was the outing we made as a group on Friday nights. I always enjoyed going to Pasqual’s Pub with the other employees.”
“I did too. I don’t know who came up with it but it was a great idea. There was no other way we would have gotten to know the employees from the other stores and from the farm. I don’t know about you but it made me feel like a part of the team.
“Me to, It also gave me a chance to get to know you better. I would have gone to those Friday night gatherings anyway, but I have to confess, I looked forward to seeing you away from work.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that, although I felt the same way. I always liked talking to you in that environment. It was nice and casual and I never felt any pressure about anything. You were always easy to be around.”
George smiled and said, “Thanks, I looked at those meetings the same way. I think the others did also since they always seemed to expect you and I to sit next to each other. It was a lot of fun.”
“It was a lot of fun. Why didn’t you ever ask me out?”
George thought for a minute, surprised that Maiya had been so direct. He then remembered that there was no time left for subtleties or gaming and said “I never wanted to ruin a good thing. If you had said no I would have been devastated. It would’ve also created a problem at work and I didn’t want that to happen. I really liked the job and the people I worked with.”
“Yeah, me too. I was half-way kidding when I asked you that, but I did wonder sometime if you ever would ask me. I’m pretty sure I would have said yes, except for worrying about work. I agree that taking a chance on screwing up our working relationship would have been bad. But maybe we had the best of both worlds. We got to be with each other every working day and most Friday nights. That isn’t bad for two people who didn’t date.”
