The Moneychangers (26 page)

As Margot had calculated, ridicule is one of the stronger weapons in any arsenal. Over the weekend the airport commission conceded that discussions would be held on janitors' and cleaners' wages, which resulted in increases soon after. A further development was that the corrupt union was voted out, a more honest one replacing it.

Now Margot stirred, moving closer to Alex, then said softly, "What kind of a mind was it that you said I had?" "Convoluted-pixie." "That's bad? Or good?"

"It's good for me. Refreshing. And most of the time I like the causes that you work for." "But not all the time?" "No, not always." "Sometimes the things I do create antagonism. Lots of Suppose the antagonism was about something you n't believe in, or disliked? Suppose our names were linked together at a tim
e like that, when you wouldn't w
ant to be associated with me?"

"I'd learn to live with it. Besides, I'm entitled to a private life, and so are you."

"So is any woman," Margot said. "But I wonder sometimes if you
really could live with it. That’s if we were together all
the time. I wouldn't change, you know; you have to understand that, Alex darling I couldn't surrender independence, nor ever stop being myself and talking initiatives."

He thought of Celia who had taken no initiatives, ever, and how he had wished she would. And he remembered, as always with remorse, what Celia had become. He had learned something from her though: That no man h whole unless the woman he loves is free, and knows the use of freedom, exploiting it in fulfillment of herself.

Alex dropped his hands to Margot's shoulders. Through a thin silk nightgown he could sense the fragrant warmth of her, feel the softness of her flesh. He said gently, "It's the way you are that's the way I love and want you. If you changed, I'd hire some other lady lawyer and sue for breach of lovi
ng."

His hands left her shoulders, moving slowly, caressingly lower. He heard her breathing quicken; a moment later she turned to him, urgent and gasping. "What the hell are we waiting for?'' "God knows," he said. "Let's go to bed."

3

The sight was so unusual that one of the branch's loan officers, Cliff Castleman, strolled over to the platform.

"Mrs. D'Orsey, have you looked out of a window yet, by any chance?"

"No," Edwina said. She had been concentrating on the morning mail. "Why should I?"

It was 8:55 A.M., Wednesday, at First Mercantile American's main downtown branch.

"Well," Castleman said,
'I thought you might be inter
ested. There's a lineup outside such as I've never seen ahead of opening time before."

Edwina looked up. Several staff members were craning to look out of windows. There was a buzz of conversation among the employees generally, unusual this early in the day. She sensed an undercurrent of concern.

Leaving her desk, Edwina walked a few paces to one of the large plate-glass windows, part of the street frontage of the building. What she saw amazed her. A long queue of people, four or five abreast, extended from the main front door past the entire length of the building and out of sight beyond. It appeared as if all were waiting for the bank to open. She stared incredulously. "What on earth…?"

"Someone went outside just now," Castleman informed her. "They say the line extends halfway across Rosselli Plaza and more people are joining it all the time." "Has anyone asked what they all want?"

"One of the security g
uards did, I understand. The ans
wer was, they've come to open accounts."

"That's ridiculous! All
of those people? There must be three hundred I can see from here. We've never had that many new accounts in a single day."

The loan officer shrugged. "I'm simply passing on what I heard."

Tottenhoe, the operations officer, joined them at the window, his face transmitting his normal grumpiness. "I've notified Central Security," he informed Edwina. "They say they'll send more guards and Mr. Wainwright's coming over. Also, they're advising the city police."

Edwina commented, "There's no outward sign of trouble. Those people all seem peaceful."

It was a mixed group, she could see, about two thirds women, with a preponderance of blacks. Many of the women were accompanied by children. Among the men, some were in coveralls, appearing as if they had left their jobs or were on the way to them. Others were in casual clothing, a few well dressed.

People in the lineup were talking to each other, some animatedly, but no one appeared antagonistic. A few, seeing themselves observed, smiled and nodded to the bank officials.

"Look at that!
" Cliff Castleman pointed. A TV crew with camera had appeared. While Edwina and the others watched, it began filming.

"Peaceful or not," the loan officer said, "there has to be a motive behind all these people coming here at once."

A flash of insight struck Edwina. "It's Forum East," she said. "I'll bet it's Forum East."

Several others whose desks were nearby had approached and were listening.

Tottenhoe said,
"We should delay opening until
the extra guards get here."

All eyes swung to a wall clock which showed a minute to nine.

"No," Edwina instructed. She raised her voice so that others could hear. "We'll open as usual, on time. Everyone go back to their work, please."

Tottenhoe hurried away, Edwina returning
to the plat form and her desk
.

Prom her vantage point she watched the main doors swing open and the first arrivals pour in. Those who had been at the head of the line paused momentarily on entry, looked around curiously, then quickly moved forward as others behind pressed in. Within moments the central public area of the big branch bank was filled with a chattering, noisy crowd. The building, relatively quiet less than a minute earlier, had become a Babel. Edwina saw a tall heavyset black man wave some dollar bills and declare loudly, "A
h want to put ma money in the
bank."

A security guard directed him, "Over there for new account'."

The guard pointed to a
desk where a clerk a young girl
sat waiting. She appeared nervous. The big man walked toward her, smiled reassuringly, and sat down. Immediately a press of ot
hers moved into a ragged line be
hind him, waiting for their turns.

It seemed as if the report about everyone having come to open an account had been accurate after all.

Edwina could see the big man leaning back expansively, still holding his dollar bills. His voice cut across the noise of other conversations and she heard him proclaim, "Ah'm in no hurry. There's some things ah'd like yo' to explain."

Two other desks were quickly manned by other clerks. With equal speed, long wide lines of people formed in front of them.

Normally, three members of staff were ample to handle new account business, but obviously were inadequate now. Edwina could see Tottenhoe on the far side of the bank and called him on the intercom. She instructed, "Use more desks for new accounts and take all the staff you can spare to man them."

Even leaning dose to the intercom, it was hard to hear above the noise.

Tottenhoe grumbled in reply, "You realize we can't possibly process all these people today, and however many we do will tie us up completely."

"I've an idea," Edwina s
aid, "that's what someone has in
mind. Just hurry the processing all you can.

Yet she knew however much they hurried it would still take ten to fifteen minutes to open any single new account. It always did. The paperwork required that time.

First, an application form call
ed for details of residence, employment, social security, and family matters. A specimen signature was obtained. Then proof of identity was needed. After that, the
new accounts clerk would take a
documents to an officer of the bank for approval and initialing. Finally, a savings passbook was made out or a temporary checkbook issued.

Therefore the most new accounts that any bank employee could open in an hour were five, so the three clerks presently working might handle a total of ninety in one business day, if they kept going at top speed, which was unlikely.

Even tripling the present complement of clerks would permit very few more than two hundred and fifty accounts to be opened in a day, yet already, in the first few minutes of business, the bank was crammed with at least four hundred people, with still more flooding in, and the line outside, which Edwina rose to check, appeared as long as ever.

Still the noise within the bank increased. It had become an uproar.

A further problem was that the growing mass of arrivals in the central public area of the bank was preventing access to tellers' counters by other customers. Edwina could see a few of them outside, regarding the milling scene with consternation. While she watched, several gave up and walked away.

Inside the bank some of the newcomers were engaging tellers in conversation and the tellers, having nothing else to do because of the melee, chatted back.

Two assistant managers had gone to the central floor area and were trying to regulate the flood of people so as to clear some space at counters. They were having small success.

But still no hostility was evident. Everyone in the now jam-packed bank who was spoken to by members of the staff answered politely and with a smile. It seemed,

Edwina thought, as if all who were here had been briefed to be on best behavior. She decided it was time for her own intervention.

Edwina left the platform and a railed-ofE staff area and, with difficulty, made her way through the milling crowd to the main front door. Signaling two security guards who elbowed their way toward her, she instructed, "That's enough people in the bank. Hold everyone else outside, letting a few in as the others leave. Except, of course, allow our regular customers to enter as they arrive."

The older of the two guards put his head close to Edwina's to make himself heard. "That won't be so easy, Mrs. D'Orsey. Some customers we'll recognize but a good many we won't. We get too many here each day to know 'em all."

"Another thing," the other guard put in, "when anybody arrives, those outside
are shouting, 'Back of the line
' If we play favorites it could start a riot."

Edwina assured him, 'Where won't be any riot. Just do your best."

Turning back, Edwina spoke to several of those waiting. The surrounding constant conversations made it difficult to be heard and she raised her voice. "I'm the manager. Would some of you please tell me why you've all come here today?"

"We're opening accounts," a woman with a child beside her said. She giggled. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"And
you guys put out them ads," another voice injected. "Ain't no amount too small to start one, is what they say."

"That's true," Edwina said, "and the bank means it. But there has to be some reason why you all chose to come together."

"You could say," an eld
erly cadaverous man chimed in, “
we're all from Forum East." A you
nger voice added, "Or want to be." “
what still doesn't tell me…" Edwina began.

"Perhaps I can explain, ma'am." A middle-aged, distinguished-looking black man was bed
shoved forward through the press
of people.

"Please do."

At the same moment Edwina was aware of a new figure beside her. Turning, she saw it was Nolan Wainwright. And at the main doorway several more security guards had arrived and were assisting the original two. She glanced interrogatively at the security chief who advised,
"Go ahead. You're doing okay."

The man who had been thrust forward said, "Good morning, ma'am. I didn't know there were lady bank managers."

"Well, there are," Edwina told him. "And getting to be more of us all the time. I hope you believe in the equality of women, Mr…?"

"Orinda. Seth Orinda, ma'am. And I sure do believe in that, and lots of other things besides."

"Is it one of the other
things that brings you here to
day?" "In a way, you could say that." "Exactly what way?" "I think you know we're all from Forum East." She acknowledged, "I've been told that."

"What we're doing might be called an act of hope." The well-dressed spokesman mouthed his words carefully. They had been scripted and rehearsed. More people drew close, conversation stilling as they listened.

Orinda went on, "This bank, so it says, doesn't have enough money to go on helping Forum East get built. Anyway, the bank has cut its lending cash in half and some of us think that other half will get chopped too, that's if someone doesn't beat a drum or take some action."

Edwina said sharply, "And taking action, I suppose, means bringing the business of this entire branch bank to a standstill." As she spoke, she was aware of several new faces in the crowd and of open notebooks with racing pencils. She realized that reporters had arrived.