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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