out of high school, who’d flunked PE and hung out with the shop boys smoking at recess. He was talking to a girl in white. A nurse, I guess, but she didn’t look much older than I was.
‘I get off at six o’clock,’ I heard him say. She stood there smiling, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. At the opposite end of the hall an empty chair sat outside one of the rooms. It had a policeman’s hat underneath it. I hurried down there to find a sign on the door.
‘NO VISITORS. I went right in. There were six beds, all empty, except the farthest one over by the window. The sheets rose up, trying hard to accommodate the occupant. I plopped my bag on the floor.
‘Rosaleen?’
A gauze bandage the size of a baby’s diaper was wrapped around her head, and her wrists were tied to the bed railing. When she saw me standing there, she started to cry. In all the years she’d looked after me, I’d never seen a tear cross her face. Now the levee broke wide open. I patted her arm, her leg, her cheek, her hand. When her tear glands were finally exhausted, I said, ‘What happened to you?’
‘After you left, that policeman called Shoe let those men come in for their apology.’
‘They hit you again?’
‘Two of them held me by the arms while the other one hit me—the one with the flashlight. He said, ‘Nigger, you say you’re sorry.’
When I didn’t, he came at me. He hit me till the policeman said that was enough. They didn’t get no apology, though.’
I wanted those men to die in hell begging for ice water, but I felt mad at Rosaleen, too. Why couldn’t you just apologize? Then maybe Franklin Posey would let you off with just a beating. All she’d done was guarantee they’d come back.
‘You’ve got to get out of here,’ I said, untying her wrists.
‘I can’t just leave,’ she said.
‘I’m still in jail.’
‘If you stay here, those men are gonna come back and kill you I’m serious. They’re gonna kill you, like those colored people in Mississippi got killed. Even T. Ray said so.’
When she sat up, the hospital gown rode up her thighs. She tugged it toward her knees, but it slid right back like a piece of elastic. I found her dress in the closet and handed it to her.
‘This is crazy—‘ she said.
‘Put on the dress. Just do it, all right?’
She pulled it over her head and stood there with the bandage sloped over her forehead.
‘That bandage has got to go,’ I said. I eased it off to find two rows of catgut stitches. Then, signaling her to be quiet, I cracked the door to see if the policeman was back at his chair. He was. Naturally it was too much to hope he’d stay off flirting long enough for us to float out of here. I stood there a couple of minutes, trying to think up some kind of scheme, then opened my bag, dug into my peach money, and took out a couple of dimes.
‘I’m gonna try and get rid of him. Get in the bed, in case he looks in here.’
She stared at me, her eyes shrunk to mere dots.
‘Baby Jesus,’ she said. When I stepped out into the hall, he jumped up.
‘You weren’t supposed to be in there!’
‘Don’t I know it,’ I said.
‘I’m looking for my aunt. I could have sworn they told me Room One-oh-two, but there’s a colored woman in there.’
I shook my head, trying to look confused.
‘You’re lost, all right. You need to go to the other side of the building. You’re in the colored section.’
I smiled at him.
‘Oh.’
Over on the white side of the hospital I found a pay phone next to a waiting area. I got the hospital number from Information and dialed it up, asking for the nurses’ station in the colored wing. I cleared my throat.
‘This is the jailer’s wife over at the police station,’ I said to the girl who answered.
‘Mr. Gaston wants you to send the policeman that we’ve got over there back to the station. Tell him the preacher is on his way in to sign some papers, and Mr. Gaston can’t be here ‘cause he had to leave just
‘I get off at six o’clock,’ I heard him say. She stood there smiling, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. At the opposite end of the hall an empty chair sat outside one of the rooms. It had a policeman’s hat underneath it. I hurried down there to find a sign on the door.
‘NO VISITORS. I went right in. There were six beds, all empty, except the farthest one over by the window. The sheets rose up, trying hard to accommodate the occupant. I plopped my bag on the floor.
‘Rosaleen?’
A gauze bandage the size of a baby’s diaper was wrapped around her head, and her wrists were tied to the bed railing. When she saw me standing there, she started to cry. In all the years she’d looked after me, I’d never seen a tear cross her face. Now the levee broke wide open. I patted her arm, her leg, her cheek, her hand. When her tear glands were finally exhausted, I said, ‘What happened to you?’
‘After you left, that policeman called Shoe let those men come in for their apology.’
‘They hit you again?’
‘Two of them held me by the arms while the other one hit me—the one with the flashlight. He said, ‘Nigger, you say you’re sorry.’
When I didn’t, he came at me. He hit me till the policeman said that was enough. They didn’t get no apology, though.’
I wanted those men to die in hell begging for ice water, but I felt mad at Rosaleen, too. Why couldn’t you just apologize? Then maybe Franklin Posey would let you off with just a beating. All she’d done was guarantee they’d come back.
‘You’ve got to get out of here,’ I said, untying her wrists.
‘I can’t just leave,’ she said.
‘I’m still in jail.’
‘If you stay here, those men are gonna come back and kill you I’m serious. They’re gonna kill you, like those colored people in Mississippi got killed. Even T. Ray said so.’
When she sat up, the hospital gown rode up her thighs. She tugged it toward her knees, but it slid right back like a piece of elastic. I found her dress in the closet and handed it to her.
‘This is crazy—‘ she said.
‘Put on the dress. Just do it, all right?’
She pulled it over her head and stood there with the bandage sloped over her forehead.
‘That bandage has got to go,’ I said. I eased it off to find two rows of catgut stitches. Then, signaling her to be quiet, I cracked the door to see if the policeman was back at his chair. He was. Naturally it was too much to hope he’d stay off flirting long enough for us to float out of here. I stood there a couple of minutes, trying to think up some kind of scheme, then opened my bag, dug into my peach money, and took out a couple of dimes.
‘I’m gonna try and get rid of him. Get in the bed, in case he looks in here.’
She stared at me, her eyes shrunk to mere dots.
‘Baby Jesus,’ she said. When I stepped out into the hall, he jumped up.
‘You weren’t supposed to be in there!’
‘Don’t I know it,’ I said.
‘I’m looking for my aunt. I could have sworn they told me Room One-oh-two, but there’s a colored woman in there.’
I shook my head, trying to look confused.
‘You’re lost, all right. You need to go to the other side of the building. You’re in the colored section.’
I smiled at him.
‘Oh.’
Over on the white side of the hospital I found a pay phone next to a waiting area. I got the hospital number from Information and dialed it up, asking for the nurses’ station in the colored wing. I cleared my throat.
‘This is the jailer’s wife over at the police station,’ I said to the girl who answered.
‘Mr. Gaston wants you to send the policeman that we’ve got over there back to the station. Tell him the preacher is on his way in to sign some papers, and Mr. Gaston can’t be here ‘cause he had to leave just
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