The note was written in a scrawl

Chapter 8) Going to town
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The morning after the Abbeyville party, Maggie was all nerves. Conflicted by her behavior and embarrassed in front of her mother, she needed to talk to River Boy.
She wanted him  ... to find her ... and expected to find him at the river ... so that he could find her. She certainly wasn't going to walk over the hill to his house and decided to walk to the cement bridge instead.

The bridge looked bigger than she remembered. It was meant for cars, there was no place to walk.
She looked across to the railroad bridge, but he wasn't there.
Nor could she see down along the river. The trees hid most the bank.
On the left side of the bridge was a worn path that dropped into a steep tunnel of trees.
She feared a person could go down there and never come back.

Remembering what River Boy said about snags and holes, and feeling emboldened by hitting a man the afternoon before, she picked her way through the maze of roots and turns until she got to the path that ran above the river. It was worn deep but some places tipped dangerously toward the water.
Off to the right, there were two Negroes fishing from the bridge pile. They hadn't seen her and didn't look menacing, so she went the other direction, going downriver toward Blacktown.
She imagined that by accident she could arrive at River Boy's house. Putting aside that foolish idea was the next job, along with not slipping and falling into a pool and getting washed out and lost forever. What would her mother think?

Short minute later a rock skipped past. Barely missing. And then another. Looking around and across the river she saw River Boy on the other side. He yelled, hi Maggie, and waved.
She cautiously managed a hello, hoping not to sound too eager, wanting to look like she was there by coincident and not that she was looking for him. He knew better.

Picking up his fishing pole, he disappeared into the trees, going up the steep riverbank on the other side.
Well, that was rude. No different than the way she treated him at school I suppose. She climbed back up to the cement bridge and saw him coming across the rail bridge.
A chorus of voices from below yelled a greeting. River Boy waved to everybody until half way across when a train whistle sounded.
Maggie screamed. River Boy started running back in haste.

The big diesel engines rattled the ground as they accelerated out of Trinity, coming into view just as they crossed the bridge with a click clack of steel wheels hitting the rail joint, and occasional boxcar rumbling by with worn bearings.

It was a fast-running shorty with just a few cars that disappeared as quick as it came. The train no longer stopped at Trinity regularly, the depot closed, but at least the new diesels smelled better than the old coal-burning engines.

River Boy crossed over and came up the path that led to the cement bridge where Maggie was waiting.
Hi, how are you?
Maggie said, I was worried the train would hit you, still pretending it was odd chance she was there.

River Boy was dressed nicer than usual, knowing he was going to town that day. He had some money now, working for Top Hat Jinkins. And while it might be risky for a man from Blacktown to be seen with Maggie, he had grown taller the last year. Maybe people wouldn't recognize him right away.

Top Hat collected rents in Blacktown for white owners. Some lived in Trinity. Some elsewhere. He also ran gambling out of the pool hall, with a cut going to Crackling Green and Boy Johnson, and in turn, they kicked a payment to the Upstate Boys.

Top Hat was part of the corruption, but he was also the rule in Blacktown.
People trusted him.
Like the time county deputies Ranny and Dack were in Blacktown beating a man over a missing tool at work.
The law was the Klan. And Ranny and Dack were the worst.

They had old man Jackson on the ground kicking him bad with other Negroes afraid to come out.
It was moving near dark. A bad time for evil men to be surrounded by revenge-seeking Negroes. That's when Top Hat walked by. It wasn't known if he happened by, or came by.
People started coming out of the houses and gathered toward the officers. The officers, alarmed for their safety, gave one last kick before retreating to the car and driving away, satisfied their work was done, and thinking they owed Top Hat a deed for interfering with the call to purify Negroes of their shame.

Unease was growing in Blacktown. Top Hat was more wary than usual and wasn't seen around like before. He hired River Boy to take payments to Crooks Tail. People saw that Top Hat was scared and knew Spade was the problem. It wasn't the law, it was Spade.
Top Hat made the mistake hiring a violent man like Spade to collect rents instead of killing him when he was a boy, but killing him would bring equal disaster. It's amazing the ignorance that politics and opinion play for marching the worst to the top over the best.

River Boy was happy to see Maggie.
She saw him tall and tan, but pulled herself back despite the unrequited leftover from Abbeyville.

He said, come on, I have to go to Louis' place. Louis was the furniture maker and repaired fishing reels. He fixed fans and did electric work around town. Very reliable, upstanding man. His shop was one of the many businesses lining both sides of Main Street. There was a barber shop, bookbinder, butcher, auto repair, TV and radio store, lawyers office, post office, industrial supply, hardware and lumber, jeweler and watchmaker, heating oil distributor, metal shop and welder, soda fountain, the pharmacy .... and at the end of the wide street was the town square.
The view toward the courthouse was magnificent, with well ordered brick and stone buildings with shimmering clean glass windows, wide sidewalks, and a tapestry of awnings.

The business district and town square were the essence of Trinity. It's where people worked and shared stories and greetings.

Maggie felt proud walking next to River Boy. He was walking strong. She was a lady's tomboy herself and had no problem keeping up.
Plotting her strategy, there were questions that needed to be asked. Crooks Tail, and how he knew the girls in the car.

Her sister's husband Howard drove by in his checkered farm shirt en route to visit a customer, and saw a boy walking with Maggie, and wondered who he was. He made a note to ask Joel when he got back.

After dropping off the reel for repair, River Boy started walking up the alley that cut between the buildings going to the library and high school a block away. Maggie followed.
She had to get in her questions somehow, but was overcome by temporary privacy and grabbed River Boy's arm. She couldn't believe it when she pushed herself against him and they kissed. She remembered his open shirt, and wanted to see his chest again, running her hand across him.
Instantly overcome with the gush that this was wrong, she broke apart and started walking away. He caught up and continued walking as if nothing happened. She stopped and turned, how do you know my friends that were with me yesterday? That was really what she wanted to know.

He acted puzzled, playing rat-cat, and asked, why you want to know?
Because they told me things.
Ok.
They said I should ask you about Crooks Tail.
River Boy laughed. Sweet Maggie just advanced him, and was asking about the worst spot of human decay in the state, expecting him to tell her because her friends wouldn't. He knew those girls went to Abbeyville, and assumed Maggie was suffering rampant loss of control.
What do you want to know about Crooks Tail?
What happens there?

Well how can anyone measure what to say about that?
River Boy said, we can go if you want.
Maggie kept walking. It was a big moment. River Boy just asked her for a date. She didn't consider it a date. It would be like a family picnic, except without the family. They could go as friends.
Okay she agreed. it was exciting being with him, but there were doubts. How could she get out of the house? What if somebody saw them together? She'd have to lie again. This was a mess.

She returned to the most basic question, how do you know my friends?
He said, from school.
How could that be? Nobody talked to him. He was in dumbbell English because he was from Blacktown and didn't talk much.
River Boy stopped and sat down on a stone step in front of a side door in the alley.
He motioned for her.
Despite being frustrated, she sat down and looked away.

River Boy told her he came from a bad family before he met Grandpa. That his Grandpa saved him.
I know your friends from school and around town. If they talk about me, they shouldn't, because they don't know. Not because of ... well, I don't know ... it's just the way it is.
He reached over and playfully touched her hand.
She turned her head forward and nodded. She could feel the pain in his words and had heard he came from trouble.

He said, look, you better go, I've got a long way home. We'll go to Crooks Tail next week.
Ok but how will I know?
River Boy shrugged but didn't answer and got up and left.
It was too much. She jumped up and ran after him. Why won't you tell me what happens in Crooks Tail?
He shook his head and said, everything happens there.

She asked, have you taken anybody else?
He shook his head.
It was maddening she couldn't get an answer, thinking it wasn't Becky, because her reaction was 'eww' after seeing him at the bridge. But the other girls knew him. She saw their faces.

River Boy lived in a dark place before Trinity. He learned that talking about what could happen or did happen changed the future. It wasn't his. It was hers.
He told her it was ok, and he would let her know. Then walked away again. He liked Maggie.

She went back to Main Street, and saw Tad going into Max's Soda Fountain with a girl from the sophomore class.
Maggie ran across the street, intent on fixing Tad mostly because she was mad at dumbbell River Boy.
She walked in and sat down next to Tad, across from his new little girlfriend. Grabbing his arm, saying, hi Tad, who's this? It was loud enough to attract attention.
Tad couldn't remember what to say.
The other kids started looking at the little sophomore girl who got embarrassed. The tension was too much for the fragile girl, so she got up and ran out amid hoots and laughs. Come back when you grow up, sweetie. Ha ha ha ha.

Then Maggie got up from the table and left Tad sitting there, causing even more commotion.
As she got near the door, one of the redneck girls strutted in front on purpose. It was perfect and Maggie wailed a hard one to the side of her head. The girl fell over a chair and knocked down the table breaking glasses.

That bust the place apart. The greasers at the far table started howling, the soda shop erupted in screaming laughter, some of the kids started throwing food and silverware at each other.
Maggie walked out knowing it was a bad thing, being mean to the little sophomore girl. But forget that, she just made top billing on the gossip circuit around town ... in addition to being spotted by Howard walking with an unknown young man. The Abbeyville effect was running full rage.

Predictably, her mother and father's phone had already spread the news by the time Maggie got home.
They were mortified that their daughter tore up the soda shop and wanted to know if the young man seen walking with her caused the change in behavior.
The answer was yes, but she couldn't tell that one.
Well, who is he?
Maggie said, oh he's in dumbbell English class and nobody talks to him.

Her father asked, is he that boy from Blacktown?
Joel looked at the mother and said, you know the one I mean? He's in trouble all the time.
Oh yes, that boy, her mother remembered.
Honey, is that the boy?
Maggie lied, no, and stuffed an apple in her mouth. She hadn't planned for questions.

The way Howard described him, Joel was pretty sure it was the boy from Blacktown. You stay away from him. He's going to reform school for causing this.

Maggie said, no, it wasn't him. He was just walking next to me and then I ran across the street to the soda shop.
That started the second quiz about what happened there.
She said, I was mad at Tad for being with another girl.
Her mother said, you need to give Tad time to decide. He cares about you.
Joel added, I hope he doesn't change his mind after this.
Maggie stuffed another bite of apple in her mouth.

It would be a disaster if her parents found out about River Boy, Abbeyville and riding in Big Mak's car from Blacktown. And what about Crooks Tail? She would need a hundred lies and a prayer for that one too.

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