The Secrets of Silk (18 page)

“Would you like me to call the children downstairs so you can tell them the sorrowful news?”

“Yes, it's gonna break their little hearts, but I have to tell them.”

While Buddy sat in the living room, sipping Jack Daniel's, Silk went upstairs and escorted the children down. Myron, Bruce, and Dallas stood with their hands folded in front of them. “Hi, Daddy,” they said quietly in unison.

Buddy was too broken up over the twins to notice that his sons weren't behaving like their normal rambunctious selves, and Dallas wore a straight face instead of greeting him with a smile.

After he gave them the sad news, Dallas started to cry, but when Silk gave her an evil look, she quickly wiped away her tears. The boys shifted from one foot to another, but didn't say a word.

“Well, it's time for bed, kiddies. Go on upstairs, put on your pajamas, and hit the sack,” Silk said with a sweet smile and a sugary tone of voice. “We'll all say a prayer for your baby sisters.”

“Mommy makes us take a bath before we go to bed,” Myron interjected.

“Oh, all right. I'll run the bathwater.” Silk smiled at the three children adoringly.

When Silk got Myron and Bruce alone in the bathroom, she pinched Myron's arm. He opened his mouth to yell, and Silk whispered, “Hush up or I'll make it hurt worse. Did
Mommy
pinch you every night before your bath?” Silk asked in a spiteful tone.

“No, Miss Silk,” Myron said, looking contrite.

Silk gawked at the child. “What did you say?”

“I mean, no, M'dear.”

“That's better. Now, get in that bathtub. Both of you. Before I spank your little, black asses.”

She walked toward the bathroom door, and then turned around and glared at them. “How's it feel going to bed on an empty stomach?”

“It feels bad.” Myron's lips trembled.

Silk chuckled. “I bet you two hard-heads won't sass me tomorrow, will you?”

“No, M'dear,” they both said at the same time.

Satisfied that the boys were sufficiently chastised, Silk closed the bathroom door.

While the boys were in the tub washing up, Silk went to Dallas' room. “You're the only good one in the bunch; that's why I love you.”

“I love you, too, M'dear. Are you going to say prayers with me tonight and stay in my room with me?”

“No, not anymore. I have to sleep with Daddy from now on. I have to treat him good and give him lots of thrills.”

“Are you gonna make Daddy laugh?”

Silk snorted. “Yeah, something like that.”

A
fter their early morning wedding ceremony at the justice of the peace in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Buddy and Silk drove to Atlantic City, New Jersey for an overnight honeymoon. After checking into a hotel, they walked the boardwalk hand-in-hand. The boardwalk with all its shops and neon lights was fascinating to Silk. They bought saltwater taffy and fudge, and so many souvenirs, they had to make several trips back to the hotel to drop off the heavy bags.

At the Steel Pier, they rode the Ferris wheel and other rides, played carnival games, and took in a rock-and-roll show.

Silk had never had so much fun in her life. Back in the hotel room, Silk gave Buddy the special treatment to try and convince him to stay over one more night.

“We can't stay, Silk. We have to leave at checkout time tomorrow morning. Our neighbor, Mrs. Sudler, was kind enough to watch the kids overnight, but she has her own household to tend to. Besides, I have to be on the job first thing Monday morning. I missed so much time after everything with Ernestine, I can't miss another day this year. Not if I want to keep my job.”

“But you got all that insurance money, now. With that kind of money, you can afford to miss a day's work here and there, can't you?”

Buddy's face clouded. “About the insurance money…” Buddy looked down guiltily. “I struck up a deal where I'd accept a smaller settlement instead of fighting in court. When my lawyer stopped by last week, he told me that a court fight with the cab company could last for years.”

“I've been meaning to ask you how much you got out of that accident.”

“Eleven thousand dollars.”

“That's a lot of dough.” With eleven thousand dollars, Silk could get a new car, build on extra rooms, get herself an electric clothes dryer, go on endless shopping sprees, and get the basement remodeled to look like a honky-tonk with a full bar and a Magnavox stereo console. She'd throw parties in the basement every Saturday night. There were unlimited ways to spend eleven thousand dollars once she weaseled the money away from Buddy.

“No amount of money could make up for the loss of Ernestine,” Buddy said gravely. “But it doesn't matter. I had to sign most of it over for the twins' medical bills. My health insurance doesn't cover all the care they need.”

“What are you saying? We lost all of the insurance money?” Silk's mouth went dry and her heart plummeted to her stomach. That sneaky-looking lawyer had come by the house while Buddy was in deep mourning. The crooked lawyer and that politician had probably gypped Buddy out of most of the dough he was entitled to. Silk was pretty certain that the lawyer and the politician had pocketed most of the insurance money for themselves and Buddy was too grief-stricken and gullible to realize it. Had she been married to Buddy at the time, those two crooks would have had to get past her before they could get their grubby fingers on one thin dime of that insurance money.

“The money's not lost,” Buddy said. “It's keeping the twins alive and I used some of the money to pay off the mortgage on the house. I also signed up for new policies for me and the children. I'll have to add you on now that we're man and wife,” he said as an afterthought.

Silk was raging mad over Buddy wasting good money on brain-dead babies. She'd had her heart set on getting a shiny new car ever since Nathan Lee had promised to buy her one. But she didn't say anything. Instead of complaining like she wanted to, she patted Buddy's hand comfortingly. “You're a good man, Buddy. The way you look after me and the kids makes me proud to be your wife.”

“I truly love you, Silk. I don't want you worrying about money because I earn a decent living. With the house paid off, that's one less bill. You'll never have to worry about being provided for. You're the queen of my house and I'm going to do my best to always treat you like royalty.”

“You're making me blush, talking all sweet and tender.”

“You'll see, Mrs. Dixon. I plan to pull as much overtime as possible to make sure you have the finest things in life.”

“Thank you, Buddy. But I don't want you breaking your back over me.”

“Shoot, you're well worth breaking out a little extra sweat over. Didn't you notice how every man on the Boardwalk, both white and colored, couldn't keep their eyes off you? I felt like poking my chest out with pride. I could hardly keep myself from shouting out loud, ‘This beautiful woman is my new bride.' ”

“Aw, Buddy, you say the sweetest things.”

“I only speak the truth. Now, get back under these covers, woman, so I can show you how much I love you.”

Silk wondered if Buddy was finally going to give her the special
treatment to demonstrate his love. Back home, white men loved pleasuring her with their lips and tongues, but colored boys always acted real funny-time about it. Most flat-out refused, and others hesitated and required a lot of persuading.

“In my time of need, you were good to me, Silk. And I want to return the favor. I always thought oral sex was something only white fellas with little peckers did. You've opened up my eyes and shown me sexual pleasures I'd only heard about. I love you so much, I'm willing to try most anything to keep you satisfied.”

“I'm already satisfied.”

“I want you to be even more satisfied,” Buddy said softly, moistening his lips in preparation for the task ahead.

“Okay, Buddy,” Silk said, leaning back and widening her legs. “The main thing you need to know about oral sex is that it feels better to the woman when you don't rush through it. It's much, much better when you take your time.”

“I'll take my time,” Buddy agreed as he lowered his head between Silk's smooth thighs.

•  •  •

Monday morning before leaving for work, Buddy gave Silk her weekly house money. She had yet to spend all of last week's money, and since the money wasn't doing any good sitting in her purse, she decided to go over town and browse around, and maybe buy herself some more new clothes, some shoes, and personal items.

“Boys!” Silk called. Myron and Bruce rushed to her bedroom.

“Yes, M'dear?” they both said.

“You're both old enough to look after yourselves. I'm going over town, and I'm taking Dallas with me. You two can eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches after you finish your chores. I better not see
a speck of dust on anything when I get back, or I'ma take switches to y'all little narrow behinds. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, M'dear,” the boys chorused.

Holding Dallas by the hand, Silk walked along Flower Street until she reached the bus stop on Ninth Street. When the bus arrived, she and Dallas boarded, and Silk gave the bus driver a quarter. From a metal case that was strapped to his waist, he gave her five cents change. Silk and Dallas took seats in the front of the bus, and Silk felt like a grand lady.

The last stop was Seventh and Sproul Streets. Silk and Dallas walked along the street and gazed through the window of the YWCA, where little white girls were dressed in tights and leotards, taking ballet lessons. With money to burn, Silk was ready to start spending.

“Do you want to be a ballerina, Dallas?”

“I don't know how to dance like that.”

“The ballet teacher will show you how. I think you'd make a pretty ballerina, so let's go in and see about getting you signed up for some lessons.”

Inside the building, there was an older woman at the desk. She gazed at Silk and Dallas as if they were intruders.

“I want to sign my little girl up for ballet lessons,” Silk said.

“Uh, you're at the wrong branch. The West branch Y at Seventh and Yarnall Streets is where the Negroes go,” the woman said.

“Do they give ballet classes at the colored Y?”

“No, but there are tap dance classes as well as interpretive dance.”

“My little girl wants to be a ballerina,” Silk said stubbornly. “Is there a law that says she can't dance with those little white girls?” Silk pointed to the girls standing at the ballet bar.

Flustered by Silk's bluntness, the receptionist turned a pinkish
color. “There's no law. But historically, here in Chester, the coloreds tend to congregate among their own kind.”

“I didn't come in here for a history lesson. How much is the ballet class, and how soon can my daughter start?”

Red-faced, the woman shuffled through some papers, and then handed Silk a card. “Your child will have to become a member of the Y in order to take dances classes or use any of the facilities, such as the pool. Fill out the information and bring the card back on Saturday, along with the five-dollar registration fee. The summer session begins Saturday at two.”

“Okie-dokie,” Silk said, with smug satisfaction.

“She's going to need dance attire. Soft ballet slippers, black tights, and a black leotard.”

“Why do they have to wear all that black? I thought ballerinas wore pink leotards with pink crinoline skirts.”

“They wear tutus when they perform at their dance recital, but the girls rehearse in standard tights and leotards. Black only,” the woman said pointedly, clearly annoyed by Silk's lack of knowledge.

“So, what store carries ballet getup?”

The receptionist sighed. “Weinberg's carries the tights, leotards, and slippers. But if she makes the cut for the recital, you'll have to get her costume from Baum's Dancewear in Philadelphia.”

“I suppose we'll be traveling to Philly to pick up a tutu because my little girl is a natural born dancer. She's gonna make the cut and put all those other children to shame. Isn't that right, Dallas?”

“Yes, M'dear.”

Giving the receptionist a look of triumph, Silk tucked the registration card in her purse and escorted Dallas out of the building.

“I didn't expect to encounter a bunch of prejudiced people up North, but I suppose they're everywhere,” Silk said.

“What do prejudiced people look like?” Dallas inquired in a wary tone.

“They look like crackers.”

Dallas scowled. “Like Saltine crackers?”

Silk sighed. “Never mind. You don't need to concern yourself about prejudiced people because I'm gonna protect you from them.”

Silk and Dallas approached the State Theater and gazed at the advertisements for the coming attractions. An animated movie,
101 Dalmatians,
was scheduled to show the upcoming Saturday.