The note was written in a scrawl

Chapter 30) River Boy goes to see Maggie
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River Boy was thinking about Maggie and watching the boat come down the river.
The fishing tournament was the next day, and they had men walking both banks with four more in the boat carrying guns, telling the Negroes to get out.
The latrines were dug so nobody needed them now, unless they were dressed in uniform and carrying a serving tray.

River Boy and Grandpa had most of the shack repaired by then, with a new window and salvage door. Other things needed work, but it was okay, and the fishing was good. Or had been until then. The tournament was expected to wreck that.

Staying low to avoid getting shot at, he worked his way up to the shack and talked to Grandpa about Maggie.
Grandpa shrugged. He lost his wife and two children in prison and never spoke about it so River Boy didn't know. His ex-wife died, and two children disappeared north decades ago. Even his brother was dead. The last relative was his brother's son, Crackling, who was born Charles Jones, but was called Charlie Green until he started killing people and then they called him Crackling Green, and now even he disappeared.

River Boy and Grandpa only lived together five years, after finding the runaway 13 year old boy trying to steal his stringer of catfish, but it was River Boy who helped him finish the shack and add the window in front of his desk that looked out on the ash tree and down to the river, which made Grandpa cry, and that old man hadn't cried in forty years.
It was River Boy who stole or wheedled the things they needed to stay alive, and River Boy delivered the notes, but now he was getting older and Grandpa knew  he was going to leave.
 
Grandpa said, I guess it's up to you if you love her.
River Boy surprised himself and said, yes, I do.
If he knew how Grandpa was feeling, he could tell him that he'd never leave, but Grandpa was still in prison where your people turn around and forget you.

Maggie was on the front porch thinking about River Boy.
The girls asked her to go to the football game, but she didn't have a boyfriend.
Tad was taken up with the little sophomore girl that ran out of the soda shop, and had lots of friends and was going to be a varsity cheerleader next year.

She couldn't go with River Boy.
People would say she lost Tad for a Blacktown boy who fished on the river.
And where would they sit? In the white section or the Negro section?

She hated lying to her parents and sneaking down to the river ... and then avoiding River Boy as soon as her family was back together.
Nothing made sense.

That night she talked to her mother without telling her it was River Boy.
Her mother heard Maggie's uncertainty, bit her tongue saying, if you love the boy, then it's right.

Thomas Churchail III was thinking about that special girl he met at the Abbeyville summer party.
The way they walked together and how she felt. She was smart and strong.
He knew her name was Maggie and she lived in Trinity.
His college girlfriend was not the purebread sweetheart he imagined, and since he met Maggie, he could think of no one else.

That night he talked to his mother. She said, if you love her, then go find her.
Churchail III surprised himself and said yes I do.
He would go to Trinity and find his love next day.

Early next morning, Saturday, the same day as the fishing tourney and football game, two suitors set out to find Maggie Winston.

Thomas Churchail III drove his new sedan from Abbeyville to Trinity, arriving around eleven. The town was unexpectedly busy and very attractive. It spoke well of the girl he wanted to find.
He was wearing a suit coat and stopped at the town square, asking the lunch counter clerk if he knew a girl named Maggie and where she might live.

That sparked wide debate among the few patrons at the counter.
They were inclined to play a trick on Churchail but got tired of that and concluded it must be Maggie Winston up on North Peachtree.
That's the yellow house on the left. Are you going to the football game with her?
Churchail, not realizing there was a game, said I hope, thinking he was probably too late. Maggie would certainly already have a date.

River Boy also set out for Trinity. It was a bit after ten, a beautiful autumn day, warm with a breeze and the smell of fall.
The bushes and grass were starting to turn color, and nights were getting chilly.

The Homecoming football game was scheduled for 7 that evening.
He never considered going to a football game, but took his jacket anyway in case it got cold. It had some dirt on the sleeve but fine by comparison.

On the way, River Boy kept running into delays. First, he snagged his pants on the fence. A loose bull in the field caused another detour. Then a farmer yelled out, and asked him to take $3 to Wilkerson the auctioneer who sold him a mule collar. That sidetracked the direct line to Maggie's house and instead he walked to Bethel Wilkerson's house to deliver the $3.
As he was starting up the street toward the Wilkerson's, a new car drove by with a large blond fellow he remembered seeing at Churchail's house in Abbeyville.

At the same time, Bethel's daughter, Susan Wilkerson was getting out of the bathtub, heard the cat fighting outside and jumped into a pair of panties and t-shirt before running out to rescue Moby the cat.
Leaning over and exposing more of herself than usual and not wearing much on the bottom half either, she didn't see River Boy coming up the sidewalk.
He saw her. Both realizing at the same instant that the other was alive ... her recognizing a genuine look of love ... and him seeing a beautiful girl he should have known before, despite having talked to her numerous times, and fishing together at the river.

Happily realizing her lack of attire, River Boy handed over the $3 as she tried to retreat behind the squirming cat. River Boy was stumbling for a reason to linger, yet knew he had to move on to what he hoped was his true love four streets over.
Managing to follow Susan up to the front door, she finally had to drop the cat and make a revealing dash behind the door.
He decided she probably needed time to dress, so resumed walking to Maggie's.

Fourteen minutes earlier, just as River Boy was about to meet half-naked Susan in front of her house, Thomas Churchail parked his new car in front of Maggie Winston's house and knocked on the door.
Ruth answered and called Maggie downstairs saying there was a gentleman that wanted to see her.

A jolt of wonder opened Maggie's senses when she heard her mother answer the door and talk to somebody.
She tried to remember where she heard the man's voice before. Her bedroom was on the backside of the house so she couldn't peer out a window and see who might have arrived.
It was exciting. Maybe she should make him wait?
She quickly pulled out her nicest dress, maybe a bit too summery for the season, but there was no time to waste.

Thomas and Ruth kept talking. Maggie heard them move into the parlor, which was unusual.
She never took Tad into the parlor when he came over.
Who was this? Her composure nearly wrecked, she nervously came down the stairs, greeted by her mother at the landing, who led her into the parlor, and said Maggie, this is Thomas Churchail.

Thomas stood up and said, hi Maggie, hope I'm not delaying a prior engagement.
It was such a surprise to see him again, she blurted out, oh no, I remember you. It's good to see you.
She wanted to tell her mom it was that wonderful man from the Abbeyville party who was in agriculture school and walked with her across the field. Except she lied to go to the party.

Maggie's mother hastily retreated to the kitchen while Maggie tried to contain her excitement.
Thomas, sensing that his visit was having the desired effect, and wanting to relieve the uncertainty, said, do you want to sit on the front porch?
Maggie said, yes. It was a thousand times yes.
No more than two minutes later, Maggie yelled in the door, Thomas and I are going to take a drive, okay?
Oh sure her mother said, hurrying to the front door in time to see her daughter helped into a new car by a man holding the door open for her.

From the corner mailbox, River Boy saw the same.
He shrunk to nothing as they drove by.
Maggie didn't see him.

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