“Well, now, I bet it is. Your momma even waitin’ for you? Or you done run away?”
Now she was making me mad. And I was just trying to keep her out of jail. My red rage took hold of my tongue. “How you gonna keep a white baby till he’s growed up without anybody findin’ out?”
“This baby left on the church steps, his momma don’t want him. Nobody want him. So the good Lord give him to me.”
“How do you know the good Lord didn’t want the preacher to have him?”
“’Cause he put me there to see it happen—me and nobody else.”
Guess I couldn’t argue that, it wasn’t Sunday or anything. Then a question popped in my head that should have before now. “Why would anybody leave a white baby at a colored church?”
She got stiff and looked away. “Was a white church.”
“Oh, no!”
Wallace had called her stupid, but she couldn’t be dumb enough to take a white baby from a white church!
She drew away a little and looked toward where James was sleeping in his basket. “I thought he was colored,” she said, her voice more prickly than I’d ever heard. “It was a colored girl who I see put him there.”
“Why didn’t you just leave him when you saw he was white? Somebody woulda taken care of him.”
“I didn’t see he was white at first.”
Now she was just making stuff up. “He don’t look at all colored to me.”
“He wrapped up tight as a caterpillar in a cocoon, face and all. They was a car comin’, so I pick him up and drive off afore I seed he was white.”
“Oh, Eula, you gotta take him back.”
She shook her head. “Too late for that.”
I considered for a bit. “Just go back tonight and leave him on that church step where you found him. Nobody will see you.”
“No!”This time her head was jerky as she shook it. “No. Good Lord have a plan. Ain’t for nobody—even a white girl—to question.” She grabbed up a pillow and fluffed it, like that was all there was to say.
I was real mixed up about baby James. I just couldn’t believe his momma truly didn’t want him. Was Eula so crazy for a baby that she made that story up? But if it was true nobody wanted him, Eula would take real good care of him. How was a white baby gonna grow up in a colored house? In Sunday school they said we got to accept and be grateful for what God chooses for us. Did God want James with Eula? It was all too much to untangle in my head. Plus I had to make sure I was gonna get out of here tomorrow. So I decided to be agreeable— something Mamie said I didn’t even have in me.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, real sweet. “Like you said, the Lord works in mysterious ways.” Still, it seemed to me that God giving her a colored baby made more sense.
She laid the pillow on the pallet and smoothed the case. “Sorry it ain’t a proper bed.”
“It’s okay. It’s only for one night anyway,” I said, real definite to remind her I was leaving in the morning.
I took off my Red Ball Jets and tucked my socks inside them.
“G’night, then.” She went to the door.
Maybe I’d just take off out of here tonight and not chance it with Wallace in the morning. I didn’t like the idea of walking around out there in the dark woods—what if I got turned around? What if baby James was kidnapped and I couldn’t tell the police how to find this place? It might be better to take James with me, but babies were probably particular tasty to bears and whatnot.
I waited, my heart skipping fast, hoping not to hear the lock.
The door rattled a bit, then I heard the skeleton key and clunky swick as the lock slid home.
It wasn’t a minute later when I heard them, Wallace and Eula. Rough, strained whispers muffled through the wall between the bedroom and kitchen, like talking through two cans and a string. For a while I couldn’t make out anything, then Wallace’s voice got a whole lot louder . . . and clearer. “Don’ argue with me, woman! There ain’t no other way.” Eula said something quiet that sounded like it had
Now she was making me mad. And I was just trying to keep her out of jail. My red rage took hold of my tongue. “How you gonna keep a white baby till he’s growed up without anybody findin’ out?”
“This baby left on the church steps, his momma don’t want him. Nobody want him. So the good Lord give him to me.”
“How do you know the good Lord didn’t want the preacher to have him?”
“’Cause he put me there to see it happen—me and nobody else.”
Guess I couldn’t argue that, it wasn’t Sunday or anything. Then a question popped in my head that should have before now. “Why would anybody leave a white baby at a colored church?”
She got stiff and looked away. “Was a white church.”
“Oh, no!”
Wallace had called her stupid, but she couldn’t be dumb enough to take a white baby from a white church!
She drew away a little and looked toward where James was sleeping in his basket. “I thought he was colored,” she said, her voice more prickly than I’d ever heard. “It was a colored girl who I see put him there.”
“Why didn’t you just leave him when you saw he was white? Somebody woulda taken care of him.”
“I didn’t see he was white at first.”
Now she was just making stuff up. “He don’t look at all colored to me.”
“He wrapped up tight as a caterpillar in a cocoon, face and all. They was a car comin’, so I pick him up and drive off afore I seed he was white.”
“Oh, Eula, you gotta take him back.”
She shook her head. “Too late for that.”
I considered for a bit. “Just go back tonight and leave him on that church step where you found him. Nobody will see you.”
“No!”This time her head was jerky as she shook it. “No. Good Lord have a plan. Ain’t for nobody—even a white girl—to question.” She grabbed up a pillow and fluffed it, like that was all there was to say.
I was real mixed up about baby James. I just couldn’t believe his momma truly didn’t want him. Was Eula so crazy for a baby that she made that story up? But if it was true nobody wanted him, Eula would take real good care of him. How was a white baby gonna grow up in a colored house? In Sunday school they said we got to accept and be grateful for what God chooses for us. Did God want James with Eula? It was all too much to untangle in my head. Plus I had to make sure I was gonna get out of here tomorrow. So I decided to be agreeable— something Mamie said I didn’t even have in me.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, real sweet. “Like you said, the Lord works in mysterious ways.” Still, it seemed to me that God giving her a colored baby made more sense.
She laid the pillow on the pallet and smoothed the case. “Sorry it ain’t a proper bed.”
“It’s okay. It’s only for one night anyway,” I said, real definite to remind her I was leaving in the morning.
I took off my Red Ball Jets and tucked my socks inside them.
“G’night, then.” She went to the door.
Maybe I’d just take off out of here tonight and not chance it with Wallace in the morning. I didn’t like the idea of walking around out there in the dark woods—what if I got turned around? What if baby James was kidnapped and I couldn’t tell the police how to find this place? It might be better to take James with me, but babies were probably particular tasty to bears and whatnot.
I waited, my heart skipping fast, hoping not to hear the lock.
The door rattled a bit, then I heard the skeleton key and clunky swick as the lock slid home.
It wasn’t a minute later when I heard them, Wallace and Eula. Rough, strained whispers muffled through the wall between the bedroom and kitchen, like talking through two cans and a string. For a while I couldn’t make out anything, then Wallace’s voice got a whole lot louder . . . and clearer. “Don’ argue with me, woman! There ain’t no other way.” Eula said something quiet that sounded like it had
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