Tulsa Burning (10 page)

"Well," said Isaac, "it's time you learned."

We fished all afternoon. Mostly I held the pole, with Isaac giving me instructions. We caught three good-size fish and one
little one.

"We'll put this little guy back," Isaac said. "Let him grow."

It come to me just at that minute, watching Isaac slip that fish off the hook, that here was a fellow that would always be
kind to little critters and little people. He had the kindest big brown eyes that I had ever seen. I knew Pa always said you
couldn't trust a colored person, and Isaac was the first one I'd ever talked to. I was old enough, though, to know that Pa
was wrong about lots of things.

Isaac gave me the fish we caught, and he gave me the fishing pole. I was real proud to take the fish home for Ma to cook.
I told Ma and Pa that I had met a fellow at the creek who helped me catch the fish, but I didn't tell them the fellow was
colored.

All that spring, I'd slip out and meet Isaac at the creek for fishing. Sometimes we'd go to his house. He taught me how to
play baseball and marbles. I got so good at marbles that I could beat him fair and square. Isaac would always laugh when I
beat him and say, "I taught you too well."

After Isaac taught me to play, I won lots of marbles from the boys at school. I liked to look at them because they reminded
me of Isaac.

Before too long, Isaac had to leave for college. I walked out to the main road with him to wait for the bus. "Why do colored
folks always set in the back of the bus?" I asked him.

"Because that's the law the white men made. It isn't right, but it will change some day." He reached down and put his hand
on my head. "Lots of things in life aren't right, Nobe, but most things get better with time."

I remember that when Isaac got on that bus, I felt so lonesome, lots more lonesome than I had ever felt before. I stood and
waved at the bus until it disappeared in the dust.

That's how I got to know Mrs. Mitchell, by going over there with Isaac to eat. She started right from the beginning to call
me Noble instead of Nobe.

Ma found out somehow about me spending so much time with Isaac and his mother. She didn't like it much, but she didn't tell
Pa. Ma never did anything to stop Pa when he beat me, but she'd spare me if she could. Sometimes after I got back from eating
with the Mitchells, Ma would ask me what we had. She'd want to know too what kind of dishes we used, what the furniture looked
like, and how things was arranged.

Ma was real interested when I talked about things like Mrs. Mitchell's flowers or the nice starched tablecloth on the table.
She never had heard of colored folks having nice things. She didn't think it was right, but she wanted to hear about it anyway.

I stopped the truck in front of the drive to our old place. No one had moved in there yet, so I drove up in front of the old
house. The moon was big and round in the sky, and it put a sort of soft light all over. Things looked pretty good in that
light. I knowed if I looked real close all around that I would see that little fellow, the one with yellow hair and quick
blue eyes that were always on the lookout to see if he could keep from getting hit.

I knew I could see Pa out there beside the barn too, but I didn't look. I just set there in that truck, and I prayed. "God,"
I said, "don't let Isaac die. I reckon he's the truest kind of Christian there is. If you let him die, don't expect to be
hearing from me again, because I just won't have no use for you if you let that happen." Then I thought to say, "In the name
of Jesus," like the preacher does in church, before I said, "amen." I felt real glad about adding that part about in the name
of Jesus, because from what I heard about Jesus, I figured Isaac was more like him than any other man I had ever met.

Chapter 8

I SLEPT LATE the next morning. When I started down the stairs, I could hear Ma and Mrs. Leonard on the second floor. Ma was
helping Mrs. Leonard practice her walking, and I stopped to see if they needed a hand.

They were outside the bedroom door, Mrs. Leonard close to the wall and holding tight to Ma. "You're doing so good, Mavis,"
Ma said. Then she looked up to see me. "Oh, Nobe, there you are. I saved some breakfast for you on the back of the stove."

Mrs. Leonard leaned against the wall and looked at me. "Mercy," she said, "when I look at you, I almost call you Joe."

"I hope seeing me don't make you sad," I said.

"Mercy, no." She smiled. "It's a blessing, a pure blessing, to lay eyes on you."

"Ma," I said, "I aim to go out to the Mitchells' after I'm finished working. I sure am anxious to hear about Isaac."

Mrs. Leonard was moving again, and Ma held tight to her arm. "I was just telling Mavis about you driving to Tulsa last night
to help that boy." She smiled at me, kind of embarassed, like she wanted me to know she was sorry for fussing at me. "Mavis
thinks it was a real brave thing for you to do."

"I do," said Mrs. Leonard. She let go of Ma's arm and reached out to take mine. "What's right is right, and I told your mother
she ought to be real proud of you for seeing what had to be done."

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, and I helped Ma get her back to bed.

"You're a deal stronger than you was at first," Ma told her while she fluffed up the pillow. Just then we heard the sheriff
on the stairs.

"Vivian," he shouted. "Where's that boy of yours?"

"We're all in here," Mavis called.

The sheriff's big form filled the doorway. His face was red, and I knew he was mad. "I've got plans for you today," he said.
"You can whitewash the fence, keep you out of trouble."

"I got to be at the Café before long," I said. "I'll do the fence tomorrow."

"You'll do it when you get off." The sheriff folded his arms across his chest and glared at me.

"Dudley," said Mrs. Leonard, "the fence can wait. I'm sending Nobe on an errand for me after he gets off work." Ma's hand
was still on the pillow. I saw Mrs. Leonard reach over and give Ma's hand a quick squeeze.

I stood real still, wondering what would happen when the sheriff demanded to know what errand I was going to do, but he didn't
ask, just let his breath out in a sort of sigh.

"Well, tomorrow, then. I don't want you with time on your hands and hanging out with coloreds."

"Dudley, I wish you wouldn't be so pigheaded," said his wife. "But you don't have to worry about this boy. He knows what's
right."

The sheriff looked at her real close, like he was trying to figure out if she was making fun of him. I stared down at the
floor, so as I wouldn't grin.

"Nobe," Ma said, "you ought to go down and eat your breakfast."

I was glad to have a reason to get away from the sheriff. I slid past him and down the stairs, but I heard his heavy steps
behind me. I got the plate from the back of the stove where Ma had put it to keep the biscuits and gravy warm.

The sheriff came into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee from the pot on the stove, then settled at the little kitchen
table.

"Sheriff," I said, real sweet like, "ain't it likely the whole town is running amok without you to watch it?"

"Don't get smart with me, boy. Set yourself down here to eat," the sheriff said. "I come home special to talk to you."

I lost my appetite when he said that, but I did like he said. I took a bite while I waited for him to talk. "I want to know
what's going on with that colored kid," he said.

"Isaac Mitchell?"

He grunted and nodded his head. "Heard you went up to Tulsa to bring him home last night."

It was my turn to nod.

"Well," he said. "What's going on?"

"Isaac's hurt. He's unconscious, or at least he was last night. He's at his mother's. That's all I know."

He grunted again, and he stood up. "You see here, I won't put up with no trouble out of the coloreds in this town. You might
just pass that on to your darky friends!"

"I don't think Isaac's got starting any trouble on his mind. He sure didn't look like it last night, unconscious in his bed."

"You just pass on what I said. Hear?" He stood up.

I nodded and bolted away from the table and through the back door. "Nobe," my mother yelled out from upstairs, "you didn't
eat your breakfast." I didn't look back in her direction.

It was too early for me to go to work, but I went on over to the Café anyway. I was mostly hoping Lester would be there and
that I could find out about Isaac.

Lester wasn't there. "He comes in at eleven today," Daisy told me. She had lots of questions about the Tulsa trip, but I gave
her pretty short answers. I guess I just wasn't much interested in a discussion, and I sure didn't want to let on about Lester
being Isaac's pa. I went on back in the kitchen

Lida Rose was in there, and she had on a new red dress. She jumped up from her chair so I could see it well. "Mama ordered
it for me from the Sears catalog," she said, "but they've got a little red hat that would just go with it over in Hill's window.
Ain't that lucky? Mama might buy the hat for me too."

"You look mighty pretty," I told her, and she did. She was the prettiest little girl I'd ever seen in that new red dress!
She went back to playing with paper dolls.

"This is the little girl," she said, holding up a small doll. "She is an only child like me, but she hopes her mama and daddy
will get her a baby brother or sister for a surprise."

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Oh, her name is Dottie Dimple. See, this is her friend, Lottie Love." She held up another doll.

"That's nice," I said, and I went to sit at the little table in the corner.

Lida Rose brought her dolls over to the table and spread them out. "Do you have a sister, Nobe?" she asked.

"No sisters. No brothers," I said.

"Me either," she said. "I wish I did have a brother." She leaned close to me. "He would play with me." Her pigtails bounced
when she moved her head, and she studied me real close with her big blue eyes. "Well," she said. "You could be sort of my
pretend brother."

"What does a pretend brother do?" I asked.

She sighed, like I was sure a trial to her patience. "The same thing a real brother does, of course. He plays with me."

I didn't feel like playing, but she smiled so sweet, I just nodded. "I'll play if I don't have to move none," I said. "I'm
pretty tuckered out this morning."

That sounded fine to Lida Rose. "You just set right there," she said. "I'll be Zorro and do all the moving."

"Zero?" I said. I knew better, but I wanted to razz Lida Rose just a little.

"Not Zero!" She rolled her eyes. "Zero is nothing. Seems like a big boy like you would know that." I opened my mouth to defend
myself, say I did know about zeroes, but she didn't give me a chance. "Zorro! He's this guy in the picture show. He lives
where there are lots of bad guys."

"Tulsa?" I said. This time I wasn't trying to tease. I was just remembering the awful burning. "Or maybe right here in Wekiwa.
We've got us one or two of those bad guys."

"No," she said, trying to be patient. "It's some place far away."

"Like California, maybe." I had never seen Zorro because there wasn't no picture show in Wekiwa, but I had heard about him.
"Zorro is this Mexican guy who wears a mask and goes around helping out poor people who are in trouble."

Lida Rose clapped her hands. "You do know Zorro. Good.

Well, I'm Zorro, and you are the bad guy."

"Do I have a name?"

"We'll just call you the bad guy."

"Okay," I used my finger as a gun. "I've just shot at some poor people."

Lida Rose threw up her hand. "Wait! What will we do about my friend. Zorro has to have a friend?" She frowned. "We need one
other person to be my friend." She looked around the room and grabbed a broom. "This will have to be him."

Just then Lester came through the back door. "Gosh," said Lida Rose, pointing at him with her head. "He could be the bad guy,
and you could be my friend." She lowered her voice just a little. "He'd make a good bad guy." She studied Lester's face and
shook her head. "I'm pretty positive there ain't no use to ask him does he want to play."

"I suspect you're right," I said, "but I've got to talk to Mr. Cotton before we start our game."

Lida Rose gave a little impatient sigh, but she let me talk. "How's Isaac?" I asked.

For a second, Lester looked at me like he wasn't going to answer, but he did. "Reckon you could go out there and ask him yourself."

I jumped up. "He's awake?"

"Wasn't talking when we hauled him in there last night, was he?"

I grabbed Lida Rose's hands and started to do a little dance with her. "When did he wake up?" I asked.

"You want to know every little detail, you've got to go out there." He turned to take his apron from the hook. "They don't
pay me to stand around jawing all day."

"What's he talking about?" Lida Rose asked.

I just smiled. "He's trying to play like he's a bad man," I told her, "but the thing is, I know better."

"Are you here to flap your gums or to wash dishes?" Lester pointed at a stack of dishes beside the sink.

"I am here to play," I said, and I laughed. "Yes, sir, that's my true purpose." I moved my chair over to the corner, and for
thirty minutes I was the bad guy while Lida Rose and her buddy the broom went around rescuing folks from the terrible things
I done. She laughed a bunch too, and I couldn't stop smiling.

When the noon crowd came in to eat, I had to quit playing and tackle the dishes, but I still felt good, like a little kid
who just got a full sack of candy. As soon as my work time was up, I headed out to Mrs. Mitchell's place.

I reckon I never did enjoy a walk more than I did that one, me with my heart all light, and that whole June day just as sweet
as the little roses that were growing wild on some of the fences I passed. The first two miles I just enjoyed the day, and
once I called out to a cow, "Hey there, old girl, Isaac is awake. I reckon the world ain't too bad a place, after all."

In the last mile there was three important places. Before I got to Cinda's, my mind got off Isaac and how glad I was to know
he was all right. I went to thinking about Cinda. I didn't have no impure thoughts though. I just thought how she was like
a sunflower, fresh and strong. I hoped maybe she'd be in the yard, swinging on that same swing where I'd seen her the first
time or hoeing in the garden, but there wasn't no sight of her.

I wanted to stop and knock on her door. I thought about how Basil Bailey and his plane would likely be landing over at Widow
Carter's place any minute now. I'd heard Basil and Willie was coming to stay with Oily the night before. Some folks was talking
about going out to the widow's to watch them land.

Tomorrow was June 2, and I would get paid in the morning. Me and Cinda would be going on another plane ride in the afternoon.
I didn't stop, though. I turned sort of shy. Cinda might ask why I stopped. I'd already told her to meet me at the widow's
place tomorrow. Besides, I was in sort of a hurry to see Isaac. I just walked on by her house, but just in case, I looked
back over my shoulder every once in a while until I couldn't see her house.

After Cinda's, it wasn't long until our old home place was in view. I didn't look over that way, not once, and I started to
whistle. I didn't want to see Pa or me, the little boy with the lonely look on his face. I couldn't stand to look at that
little boy, not on a day when my heart was so filled up with springtime and gladness. I just kept my head turned, and I kept
right on whistling.

It wasn't long before I saw Mrs. Mitchell's place. When I got close enough to see the flowers in the window box, I couldn't
walk anymore. I broke into a run, and I had to hold myself back from yelling out to Isaac and his mother.

Even outside I could smell the beans and cornbread. I'd had me a bite to eat at the Café, but I knew I'd eat again if I was
asked, and I knew I'd be asked. Mrs. Mitchell came to the door when I knocked. "Come in, come in," she said. "Isaac's up."
She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

He was setting at the table, but he got up when I walked in. "There's my rescuer," he said, and he punched me on the shoulder
like he always does.

"I had help," I said, and I looked over at Mrs. Mitchell and wondered what she'd said to Isaac about the night before.

"Old Lester," he said, and he shook his head in wonder. "Mama told me you said he risked his life."

"He did," I said. "He got two guards to chase him, and he climbed over a building. I couldn't of done it without him."

"Sit down." Mrs. Mitchell pulled out a chair for me. "Cornbread's ready to come out of the oven, and I'd like nothing better
than having my two favorite young men at my table."

I did, and boy was I hungry. The beans had big pieces of juicy ham in them, and I never tasted cornbread so sweet and good.
After we finished, we just stayed at the table talking and laughing, mostly about airplanes and my experience with Basil Bailey.
Isaac was interested in going up when Basil came to town the next day.