Letters to Missy Violet (8 page)

“Merlene? She don't look like a Merlene,” Arma Jean whispered.

“I think that's a nice name,” I whispered back to Arma Jean.

“Yeah, but Merlene? She look more like a Lula or an Oola or somethin',” Arma Jean said a little loud, and Mama turned around and gave us a hard look.

“How do!” Miss Petty answered, and snatched a handkerchief out of her pocketbook and started polishing the piano keys.

“Merlene,” Mama went on, “I'm startin' a quilt and I'd like for somebody to work on it with me. I thought about you because I hear you do some of the finest stitchin' in town. Would you be good enough to work on it with me? I'm startin' it tomorrow afternoon.”

Miss Petty kept her head down, but when she looked up her eyes had water in them and said, “I'd be much obliged, Lena.”

Miss Petty and Mama sewed up a storm that Monday afternoon, and by the time I got home from school, Mama had the goldenseal tea for Mary Lee. Good work, Mama!

Not only that, but Mama said Miss Petty was one of the best sewers she's ever seen. “Stitches straight as arrows just like a sewin' machine. Sixteen stitches to the inch!” Mama said. And coming from Mama that's a good word, because Mama is one of the best seamstresses in the county. Mama said when she asked Miss Petty about the tea, she said she'd be “more than happy to share with Mary Lee.”

Mama said Charles came home from school while Miss Petty was still at the house. Mama and I both believe he meant to get home early so he could frighten Miss Petty. That's why he didn't wait to walk home from school with the rest of us. Mama said Charles came in with an impish look on his face. She said poor Miss Petty's hands began to shake as soon as Charles walked through the door.

Mama fixed Charles good, though. She said she did her finger for Charles to come over to her and she whispered in his ear, “If you upset Miss Petty, I'll break you down into five dollars' worth of change!” And Charles skulked on out of the room with a long face. Good for Mama! I think Mama will be a nice friend for Miss Petty.

Mama and I went by to see Mary Lee every day for a week, and sure enough, she began to feel better after drinking the tea. I was real proud of myself. This was the second time I had looked after somebody while Missy Violet was away. Maybe someday I
could
make a good midwife.

November 7, 1929

Dear Lena,

I hope this letter finds you all in the Lord's care. Brother is improving every day and we are grateful for God's mercy. How is James's foot? Be sure to give him my regards and tell him I appreciate him and the children looking after Duke and the cow for me. If Brother keeps improving, I hope to be home by New Year's.

How is that sweet baby Cleo? I'm working on a sweater dress for her while I'm here in Florida. Brother usually goes to bed early and I sit and knit while he sleeps.

How is Savannah? Is she keeping company yet? My heart goes out to you and James. I know you have your hands full with so many children in the flower of their youth. I keep you in my prayers always.

Lena, I want you to do something for me. Please go visit little Maggie Dockery and see if she is doing her hand calisthenics. Take Viney with you—she will know what to do. And if you can, please go by and see little Bennie Sattifield and his mother. Let me know how they are coming along.

I will be much obliged if you will see to this for me. And if you happen to see Miss Roula, give her a hug for me. Give everybody at church my regards and give Viney and Charles a hug and a kiss. They are my two sugar lumps. May God bless you and yours.

In Christian love,

Viola McCrae

 

November 16, 1929

Dear Missy Violet,

So good to hear from you. Things are not the same with you away. James and the children are fine. His foot finally got better. For a while I thought my husband was going to be crippled for life. Thank the Lord you sent word for him to stay off it and he listened. And for Viney doing all the things you had taught her.

Don't worry, I will do what you asked. Viney and I will go see little Maggie Dockery and little Bennie Sattifield. I saw little Bennie in town with Miss Mintzy, that old lady who takes care of him while his mother and father go to work. When anybody talks to her she holds on to that little sack she wears tied around her neck. It's just some grass and twigs tied up in some muslin, but she think its got some kind of magic in it.

You should see Bennie. He is a great big strong baby. Twice as big as Cleo. I don't know how Miss Mintzy handles him—she's all bent over and got the rheumatis in her hands. I'm surprised Bennie hasn't snatched that amulet from around her neck.

Yes, ma'am, Savannah is keeping company. She is seeing Solomon Trueheart. You know, that part-Indian boy. They will be graduating in May. James don't like it, though—he favors Lorendo Smith. He and Lorendo fixed it so Savannah would catch Solomon with that fast gal, Windrella Rodgers. Savannah nearly died when she saw the two of them together—I had to step in and tell her about James and Lorendo's little trick. James don't know I told. He doesn't even know I know. Now he just thinks it's the Lord's will that Savannah and Solomon got together.

The boys are fine, except for Claude Thomas. You know he's my peculiar child. I have not told anybody about this, but I may have to send him away. He says he's going to kill one of the Klan. Lord have mercy! I think what set him off was what happened to Charles and Viney a little while ago when they went fishing up on the river.

Even after the children told him about the little white boy who saved them, he still felt the same way. He says he's going to get a shotgun and kill the first white person he sees, and you know, Missy Violet, he's always going off by himself. Half the time I don't know where he is. I'm so worried about him.

One day, Antonio Rose said to me, “Mama, you know, I been thinkin'. Claude Thomas ain't doin nothin' down in the woods but drawin' pictures of animals and birds and things.” And, Missy Violet, he can draw a picture of anything. The boy really is gifted in that way.

But he doesn't have any friends—not one. Everybody should have at least one friend. Antonio Rose says the pictures are his friends. You know Antonio Rose, always figuring things out. And I do declare, Missy Violet, what Antonio Rose said did set my mind at ease for a while.

Pray for us. Pray for our boy to have patience to wait on the Lord to make things right for the colored people. I didn't mean to burden you with my problems, I know you have your own worries. But the Bible says, “The fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.”

Faithfully yours,

Lena Windbush

November 19, 1929

Dear Missy Violet,

I am writing this letter for Mama. She wanted to write it herself, but I begged her to let me write it for her so I could get to use my new green writing paper I won in the essay contest. She wants you to know that the last time Papa and the boys went down to your house to lay down straw for the cow and to feed the dog, Mama and I went by Miss Roula's house. But her daughter had already closed up the house and taken Miss Roula up north. So we went to see little Bennie Sattifield and his mama.

Little Bennie is special because he is the first baby I helped bring into the world. He is all plump and rosy now—not like the first time I saw him. Back then he was all wrinkly and red and squalling his head off! Now he laughs and coos and tries to catch things in the air with his little dimpled hands. I asked Missus Sattifield if I could hold him and she sat him on my lap. He was so heavy. I think he is heavier than my baby sister, Cleo, though Cleo is older.

It felt good holding little Bennie, and that big wide grin that hides inside of me came out and spread across my face. Little Bennie kept looking up at me with his pretty round eyes. I wondered if he remembered me. I wondered if he was grateful that I had held him after he was born. Then he hauled off and clocked me in the nose! I could taste blood in my mouth. Missus Sattifield rushed over and took little Bennie, and Mama gave me a handkerchief to wipe my nose with. It felt like my two front teeth were loose.

Miss Sattifield said, “I'm so sorry, child. He a little slaphappy.” Then she said to the baby, “Little Bennie, that wasn't nice. Why you hit Viney? She's your friend.” But little Bennie just said, “Gugh!”

By the time we got to Missus Dockery's house the bleeding had stopped and my two front teeth were not loose. Little Maggie was in the yard playing when we walked up. When she saw us she ran into the house. Her mama came through the screen door and invited us to sit down on the porch. Mama and Missus Dockery chitchatted for a while. Then Mama told Missus Dockery about your letter, that you were concerned about Maggie's hands.

Missus Dockery called Maggie over and told her to show me and Mama her hands. The little girl was shamefaced at first and hid her hands behind her back. So I said, “Come here, Maggie. I want to show you something.” When she came over I balled up my fists and held them up.

“Did you know that all babies are born with their hands balled into fists like this? But they are supposed to open up in a few months. See, like this.” I spread my fingers. Maggie looked at my hands then looked at her own. “Missy Violet told me that sometimes a baby's hands won't open up on their own so you got to help them. You got to let your mama pull them every day, and you got to sleep with them under your head or under your pillow. You remember how Missy Violet showed you?” And Maggie nodded her head.

“Now show me what you're going to do,” I said, and Maggie pressed her little crooked hands together like in prayer, then she rested them under her cheek like they were a pillow. “That's right, Maggie!” I said, and gave her a hug like you do when you talk to her. That felt good, like when I was holding little Bennie, only Maggie didn't punch me in the nose.

So don't worry about Maggie and little Bennie—they are doing fine. Mama said we would go back and visit them in a few weeks if you were not home by then. She says to give your brother our regards and to tell you all the family is well.

From your best helper girl,

Viney

November 23, 1929

Dear Missy Violet,

There was a lot of excitement at the church a few Sundays ago. Maybe you already heard about it because everybody is talking about it, saying it was a sign, on account of what happened a few days after. Those crazy Rausy Brothers showed up at church service! All the older folk said never since there was an African Methodist Episcopal Church in Richmond County had a Rausy stepped foot in a church! But there they were—both of them, looking like two train wrecks.

Some folks think they ran out of food back there in the woods and came down to the church to find something to eat. But Reverend Mims believes the Lord sent them to get saved because Pax, the one with the funny-shaped head, went to the Moanin' Bench and got religion. Bledsoe didn't go up, but he did clap his hands and pat his foot when Savior Brown sang “Oh, Happy Day.” But later, he started that herky-jerky laugh of his and kept it up right through Reverend Mims's sermon. After that, he had to be escorted out of the church for picking at some of the sisters.

Next thing you know, Mister Som Grit jumps up and starts testifying. Everybody was surprised because he's a “Baptist born, Baptist bred, and when I die, I'll be a Baptist dead” Baptist. Some of the folks think he came over to the Methodist to find a wife. They say he can't get a wife over at the Baptist church because the women there know him too well.

Arma Jean said she heard the preacher's wife tell one of the ladies on the Usher Board that she didn't understand why Mister Som Grit come over to the Methodists. She said “the pickin's are slim” at the Methodist church because “most of the women Mister Grit's age are settled widow ladies who don't want to be bothered with no husbands no more” and the rest are “old maids who are afraid of men.”

Arma Jean had an idea. She thinks Miss Petty should get with Mister Som Grit. She thinks Miss Petty secretly wants to be a married lady, and she thinks she knows how to get Mister Som Grit and Miss Petty together. That girl is a genius!

But something happened a few days later that made us forget about Mister Som Grit and Miss Petty. One of the Rausy Brothers passed away. The one named Pax, with the funny-shaped head, just up and died. His brother, Bledsoe, stayed in the house with him for three days before he told anybody he was dead. He finally went to Reverend Mims and Reverend Mims sent Mister Brownlee out there to get the body.

It was real nice the way everybody pitched in to help. Mama said it was the Christian thing to do. Mama and Miss Petty put together a dark suit for Pax Rausy, and the undertaker donated a pine box. The Goodwill Workers cooked food, and the Usher Board brought flowers. On the day of the funeral the church was packed. Mama said some of those folks just came there “to see.”