The Sharecropper Prodigy (14 page)

             
“I know you do, Ben. Some people are just ignorant, that’s all. That’s their problem, not yours.”

             
“A man can’t do anything about the color of his skin, Tom. Don’t people know that? I wish sometimes I was white, but that ain’t the way the Good Lord made me. And He don’t make mistakes, Tom.” There were tears welling up in Ben’s eyes. I got a tighter hold on Ben and we started walking a little faster. God didn’t make mistakes and everything would be alright when we got home.    

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

              Ben wouldn’t even consider getting on the bus and going across town to the Morehouse College campus without me, even though Abby was going too. I think he was still shaken up from the encounter we had with the lowlife rednecks on the way home from work a couple of weeks before. The cowards never showed their faces at work again. I’m sure that was the best job they had ever had, or were likely to ever get, and they had thrown it away for a few minutes of inebriated fun, ganging up like a pack of wolves on a fourteen year old negro boy. I was certain they would remain worthless white trash the rest of their miserable lives.

             
We arrived at the Dean of Admissions office early. The dean’s secretary told us to have a seat and that Dr. Goodman would be in shortly. Ben was as nervous as I had ever seen him. This was what he’d waited for since he was old enough to begin dreaming of a college education. Now, here he was at one of the most prestigious black colleges in the country about to see the man who could make his dreams come true, or shatter them. Abby could sense Ben’s anxiety, which wasn’t difficult considering he couldn’t sit still for more than a minute before he would get up and start pacing.

             
“Sit down and try to relax, Ben,” she said. “The dean is going to be very impressed with you. I promise, you have nothing to worry about.”

             
“I just took a day off from work and forfeited a days wages on a gamble,” Ben said. “If they won’t accept me, I have let everybody down.”

             
“You haven’t let anyone down, Ben. No matter how it turns out, you are the most responsible and considerate person I know. You just have to remain positive like you always are.”

             
I was almost as nervous as Ben. He was my best friend in the world and I wanted to see his dream come true. A year earlier, neither of us ever dreamed this day would come so soon. I knew nothing short of death would keep Ben from a college education one day, but I also knew he would never leave his family to fend for themselves. All the terrible things that had happened with Rube and Ben’s family being forced to move, had caused things to turn out for the good. I guess every cloud does have a silver lining.

             
I looked at my watch. It seemed like we had been waiting for an hour, but to my surprise it had only been fifteen minutes.

             
I put my watch back in my pocket and picked up a magazine from the polished walnut table beside where I was seated. I had just started thumbing through the pages when the secretary came out and told us Dr. Goodman had just arrived.

             
“He’s very busy today and would like to know the purpose of your visit. He usually sees people by appointment only.”

             
This was the response Abby said we could expect. But if we had written or called to request enrollment for a fourteen year old boy who had never attended high school, they would have never responded.

             
“Just tell him Abigail Walker would like to see him on a private matter. I am the widow of Herman Walker, who was a well known attorney in Atlanta. He and I made several charitable donations to your fine school.”

             
Although Abby didn’t say she might be making another donation, she didn’t say she wouldn’t either. The voice of money speaks very succinctly and can usually drowns out any clatter.

             
The secretary looked us over one at a time and I’m sure wondered what part me and Ben played in this potential act of benevolence. “I’ll let him know,” she said, forcing a smile.

             
We only had to wait another couple of minutes before Dr. Goodman himself stepped out into the foyer. The smile on his face displayed one of the most impressive sets of teeth I had ever seen. It was immediately obvious that Dr. Goodman had some white ancestors somewhere in his family tree. His hair was almost straight and his eyes were a pale green. His skin wasn’t much darker than mine got in the summertime.

             
“Good morning, Mrs. Walker, and how are you today?” His voice sounded like one of the newsmen I’d heard on the radio.

             
“I’m fine, Dr. Goodman. And you?” Abby responded, smiling pleasantly. Her prominent dimples made her look like she was still in her teens.

             
“I’m so sorry you had to wait. Please, do come into my office.”

             
We let Abby go first and followed behind her like two little puppies. Dr. Goodman had the nicest office I’d ever been in. Of course I hadn’t been in very many offices at the time, but I couldn’t imagine one being much more impressive. All his accolades were spaced out on all four walls so no matter where you looked you were bound to see at least a couple of them. I saw his diploma from Morehouse and his doctorate from Howard University in Washington, D.C. There were numerous other awards and certificates of appreciation that I’m sure were well deserved and he was proud of.

             
Abby and Ben sat down in the leather chairs across from his desk that  were big enough for two people. I had a seat on a sofa behind them.

             
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit today, Mrs. Walker?” the dean asked, still smiling from ear to ear.

             
“I have someone very interested in attending your fine institution,” Abby said. “I know he will be a most welcome addition to your student body as well as a great asset.”

             
Dr. Williams smile noticeably relaxed when he heard the reason for Abby’s visit. But it didn’t disappear completely. I guess he thought there was still a sliver of hope for a donation of some sort.

             
“And who is this fine young man?” he asked.

             
“His name is Benjamin Franklin Evans, sir,” Abby said nodding at Ben. I imagine she thought using Ben’s full name would be more impressive. Especially since he had been named for one of the most beloved historical figures in the country, and most of the world.

             
Dr. Goodman offered his hand and Ben took it, shaking it timidly.

             
“How do you do, Mr. Evans? And when do you plan on attending our school? Do you graduate from high school this year?”

             
Ben tried his best to look confident, but was overwhelmed by his surroundings and a man of his own race that had achieved so much. This was the first black man Ben had ever known that had even graduated high school.

             
“No, sir. I…I never attended high school, sir. Where I live in Alabama there was only one school for black children and I was able to attend about seven years. The curriculum offered was not very advanced, so I guess you could say I was self educated with the help of a very dear friend named Rachel Winston. Her father owned the property where we lived and worked.”

             
Dr. Goodman nodded. “I see. So your family are tenant farmers then?”

             
“Sharecroppers, sir. We didn’t own any of the equipment we used to plant or harvest our crops and Mr. Winston bought our seed and fertilizer, so I believe the appropriate term would be sharecropper.”

             
“Uh huh. I see. Well, I would really like to help you, Mrs. Walker,” Dr. Goodman said, turning his attention back to Abby, “but I just don’t see how Mr. Evans could possibly be ready for an institution like ours. Our curriculum is very rigorous, you see. Perhaps if it were possible for him to attend one of our local high schools, and with some tutoring….”

             
“Dr. Goodman, I know what you’re thinking and I can’t say I blame you. You don’t see how it could be possible for a boy Ben’s age, who has had little formal education, to have anywhere near the knowledge and capability to keep up with the other students. My first impression of him was precisely the same as yours, I can assure you. But he and Tom have been boarding at my home for two months now, and I can tell you I have never seen anyone like him. I graduated, with highest honors I might add, from Radcliffe, and my husband from Harvard. I would bet everything I own that not only could he master the curriculum at either of those institutions, but he would probably be at the top of his class. The only word I can think of to describe him is
prodigy
. He is a
prodigy
, sir.”

             
Abby shifted in her chair, waiting for a response.

             
“Alright, Mrs. Walker. Let’s say you’re right, and mind you I don’t doubt your sincerity in the least. There is the question of tuition. How will he be able to afford the costs?” Dr. Goodman spoke directly to Abby, ignoring Ben.

             
“Why don’t you ask him?” she answered, nodding once again at Ben.

             
“Okay, Benjamin. What’s your answer?”

             
“Well, sir. I was hoping to obtain a scholarship of some kind, even if it were only partial. I have a job that pays good wages and…..”

             
“Surely you don’t think you can work a full time job and keep up with your studies,” the dean interrupted. “Most students have a difficult time just holding down a part time job. As far as a scholarship goes, well, they are very scarce indeed, considering we are still in an economic depression. Your only chance would be to have a very impressive score on your entrance exam.”

             
“Does that mean you are going to let him take the entrance exam then?” Abby asked.

             
“Well, uh….I suppose I could, but I…I just don’t know if he’s mature enough for a college environment, even if he
could
pass the exam. And there is still the question of tuition.”

             
“Dr. Goodman, this young man has moved away from his home and managed to find a decent job, earning more than most grown men in Georgia. I don’t think maturity is an issue. As for tuition, any shortfalls that might occur, I will personally make up the difference.”

             
Dr. Goodman looked as if he didn’t know what to say. All of his objections had been countered. He wasn’t about to risk angering a potential donor who had already proven themselves in the past.

             
“Alright. I’ll agree to let Mr. Evans take the exam. Just be warned that it is going to be difficult for someone who doesn’t have much formal education. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up too high. Now, Mr. Evans, when would you like to schedule your test? Maybe next fall?”

             
Ben looked at Abby as if he wanted her to answer for him, but she wanted Ben to speak for himself. “Would it be possible for me to take it today?” Ben asked. “I mean, I..I’ve already missed a days work, anyway.”

             
Dr. Goodman clasps his hands behind his head. He was thinking it might be better to go ahead and get this over with and not be bothered by it again, once this boy failed the exam.

             
“Why not,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll have my secretary find a professor or an assistant whose not busy and can administer it. You will have three hours to complete it, so we may have to change administrators in the middle of it. It will take a few days to get the results, also.”

             
“Thank you, sir,” Ben said smiling. “Just tell me where to go.”

             
“If you will be kind enough to wait in the lobby, I’ll do my best to have someone with you within the hour.” Dr. Goodman got up and extended his hand, first to Ben, then to Abby. He even shook my hand. “It’s always a pleasure, Mrs. Walker,” he said, the smile returning to his face, “was there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

             
“Not that I know of, Dr. Goodman. I do want to thank you very much, though, for giving Ben this opportunity.”

             
Well, you can’t blame a man for trying
, I thought.