Tulsa Burning (4 page)

I crawled into the backseat. I didn't speak a word to either of them, and I didn't look back either. As the big automobile
pulled away from the only home I had ever knowed, I just kept my eyes on one thing, the clenched fists I held in my lap.

Chapter 3

THE THREE-MILE RIDE into the town of Wekiwa did not take long. Sheriff Leonard drove fast, and even with the windows down,
the smell of his cigar made me feel even sicker than I already was. Everything about the man made me sick, and I figured I'd
better work at blocking out the conversation between him and my ma, else I might puke right there in his sheriff's automobile.
I just kept repeating to myself, I'll get revenge. Someday I'll make Mr. Dudley Leonard sorry he ever heard of Nobe Chase.

We stopped in front of a large white house. I thought about how I'd seen the place a hundred times, but since I never had
any notion I'd end up living there, I had never paid it any real mind. Things sure had changed. Now I leaned toward the side
window, wanting to get a good look. There was big shade trees in the front yard and a swing on the big front porch. The house
was trimmed in yellow and had yellow shutters at the windows. There was a white picket fence around the place.

"It's beautiful," Ma said from the front seat. I thought so too. It didn't seem right, a man like the sheriff living in such
a beautiful place. He come around to open the door for Ma and to take the box of things she held on her lap.

"Come on inside," he said. "Mavis will be anxious to meet you two."

I got out and followed with my bundle under my arm. I still kept my fists clenched tight. The screen door opened into a wide
hall with shiny wood floors. The entire place smelled good. Then I seen why. A table stood beside the stairs, and on the table
was a vase with white roses in it.

"Mavis is up in her room," the sheriff explained. "She don't never come down unless I carry her. I'll take you there first.
Then you can take your things on up to the third-floor bedrooms." I was following behind, and he turned back to me. "My wife
ain't strong," he said. "She's not never to be troubled! Do you understand me? She'll be asking how you feel about living
here, and you're fixing to tell her you're pleased as punch." He leaned back down the stairs to be close to me, and I could
feel his hot breath on my face. "I've got me a leather whip my papa used to use on slaves back in Mississippi! It ain't been
used much lately, but I been thinking of getting it out and practicing." He grabbed at my shirt. "You understanding me, boy?"

I wanted to spit at him, but instead I nodded my head yes.

"Speak up," he said, low and mean. "Don't be shaking your fool head at me. Say 'yes, sir' when I ask you a question."

"Yes, sir," I said, and I swallowed back the vomit that come up into my throat.

In the upstairs hall I seen an open door. "Is that you, Dudley?" a voice called from the room. "I'm so glad you are here!"

"It's me, darlin'," the sheriff called. "I've brung Mrs. Chase and her son with me. They're just busting to meet you."

"Wonderful," said the voice. "Bring them to me, please."

I followed Ma and Sheriff Leonard into the room. In the middle of the room was a great big bed with four high posts. Spread
out up high over the posts was a kind of lacy cover. For a minute I was so taken with looking that bed over that I forgot
to look at the woman in it.

Then I noticed her there in the middle of the bed, propped up against some big pillows. No wonder the sheriff could carry
her downstairs. I never saw such a big bed or such a tiny woman. She held a hand mirror in front of her face. "Mercy," she
said, "my hair's a fright today." She pushed at wisps of faded red hair until they went behind her ear. Then she put down
the mirror and gave a nervous little laugh. "But that's no way to greet folks, is it?" She held her hand out to Ma.

"How'd you do," Ma said. She took the hand and bowed over it slightly. "I'm Vivian Chase, and this here's my boy, Nobe." Ma
reached back to pull me closer to the bed. "Say hello, son."

"Hello," I said. The tiny woman smiled at me. There was something real warm and sweet about her smile. She smelled good too,
and I could see a can of talcum powder on the table by the bed. If I could have, I would of smiled back at Mrs. Leonard, but
I just didn't have no smiles inside me. I could feel her studying my face, real interested in what she saw there.

"Mercy, you remind me of my younger brother." She leaned closer to me. "He was lots younger than me, just a baby when I left
home, but my, how I loved him." She turned toward the sheriff. "You see the likeness, don't you, Dudley? This boy's so much
like Joe."

"Don't know as I do," said the sheriff.

Mrs. Leonard waved her hand toward a framed picture on the wall. "That's Joe," she said.

The young man had on a soldier's suit, and his nose and eyes reminded me of myself, except that he had a real happy look on
his face, lots happier than I figured I had ever looked.

"We lost Joe in the war. He died in France," she said softly. "Broke our hearts, didn't it, Dudley?"

I glanced real quick at the sheriff. His lip turned down for just a second, and a flicker come to his eyes that looked even
meaner than usual. He sort of shook his head fast, and he got a fake sad look on his face. "Sure did, sugar. Broke our hearts."

I could see two things right then. Sheriff Dudley did not like his wife's younger brother, probably felt glad when he died.
I could see too that the sheriff's wife was the boss in this house. I decided right then that it would be fun to watch that
man hop when she said jump.

"Your brother was a fine-looking young man," my mother said. "That picture does put a body in mind of Nobe." She shook her
head. "It's a terrible shame he had to die that way."

Mrs. Leonard smiled at Ma, then went back to looking at me, but she spoke to her husband. "Just look at this boy, Dudley,"
she said. "Surely you can see how like Joe he is."

The sheriff sort of shifted from one foot to the other. "Well, now that I look close, I reckon you're right."

Mrs. Leonard turned back to me. "Joe was always smiling, though, and you're a sad young thing," she said, and she shook her
head. "Of course you are, burying your father just today." She patted my hand. "Well, we will just have to work at making
you happy again, won't we, Dudley?" She turned to her husband who came to kiss her cheek.

"That we will," the sheriff said, just the same as if he meant it. The easy way he lied didn't surprise me none, but it made
a cold shiver crawl up my spine.

My eyes traveled over to the sides of the bed. There was a case full of books, and books stacked on the floor too. One book
laid facedown and open on Mrs. Leonard's lap. I could see it said
Huckleberry Finn
on the cover.

I reckon Mrs. Leonard saw me looking at the books. "They fill my days," she said, holding up the book. "Do you like to read,
Nobe?"

"Can't very much," I said.

Ma spoke up right quick. "He don't mean he can't read, just that his eyes are weak, won't hold up to much reading." She patted
my shoulder. "Nobe's a smart boy, done real well on the county exam, he did."

"Maybe he needs glasses." Mrs. Leonard leaned toward me and studied my face like she might figure out my eye problem by looking
close. "We'll have to see what can be done about your eyes, Nobe."

"Do you reckon we ought to let these folks get settled in their rooms now, darlin'?" the sheriff asked.

"Oh, my mercy, yes," she said, "but Vivian"—She stopped and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear, I forgot to ask if I may
use your given name? Forgive me for being so bold."

Ma stepped up closer to the bed. "Why, sure, you can call me Vivian," she said.

"And you must call me Mavis." She clasped her hands together and put them against her thin face. "Oh, we are going to be so
happy in this house now."

Another shiver traveled up my spine. I figured I might as well get used to them shivers. This was a place bound to produce
them.

"You'uns follow me," said the sheriff. Me and Ma trotted after him out of the room and up another flight of stairs. "That
one's yours, boy," he told me when we was at the top. "You'll be expected to work around here to pay for your keep, but Mavis
doesn't want you to start until tomorrow. Says you ought to have the rest of the day off."

I ducked into the small room, closed the door, and leaned against it, glad to shut out the sound of the conversation between
Ma and the sheriff. I stared at the bare white walls, the cot, and the small corner table.

I took my marble jar and horseshoe out of my bundle and put them on the table. There was a shelf in the corner, so I put my
roll of clothes there. I kept the silver dollar in my pocket. It hadn't brought me no good luck so far, but I wanted to keep
it close to me, to remind me of Cinda.

Windows made up the walls on two sides of the room. I pushed back the curtains and looked down at the street below. A big
lump come up in my throat. I was used to looking out at a barn and a pasture with sunflowers in it. Here I couldn't see nothing
but town, almost the whole town of Wekiwa, Oklahoma. Right across from me was the post office, the jail, and Daisy's Café.
I went to the last window in the row, and I could see the sidewalk for Hill's Grocery and Dry Goods Store just right of the
sheriff's house. On the other side of Hill's was the blacksmith shop and the drugstore. Except for the Last Chance Baptist
Church and the Wekiwa School, both off to the left of the sheriff's house, that was all there was to the town.

I stayed there at the window for a while. Down the street I saw a boy I recognized from school. He come out of the grocery
store, and he carried a box piled high with groceries. He put the box in a wagon parked in front of the sidewalk. Then he
went back for another box. I watched him carry out three boxes. All the time my mind was working.

Maybe living in town wouldn't be all bad. I started wondering if the chores Sheriff Leonard had in mind for me would take
all day. It didn't seem likely there would be that much work around the place. There ought to be time for me to work somewhere
else too. If I was to ask the sheriff, though, he'd most likely say no to the idea of me getting a job just to spite me.

I opened my door and listened. No talking come from Ma's room. I wondered if she had gone back downstairs to Mrs. Leonard's
room. Maybe I should go down there and talk to the sheriff's wife about getting a job. It was good, knowing that the sheriff
did pretty much whatever his missus wanted done.

The bedroom door was open. I could hear Ma's voice even before I got to the door. She was talking about me. "Oh, yes, he's
a good boy, never gave us a minute's trouble." Her words took on a sad sound. "His pa was awful hard on him, though. You might
of heard that Melvin was turned to the bottle." It was quiet then, and I knowed that Mrs. Leonard was talking in her soft
way.

I stepped up and knocked on the door frame. "Could I come in, please?" I asked.

Mrs. Leonard's weary face broke into a smile. "Oh, my, yes, you just come right in this room. My mercy, it makes me feel better
already, just having a young one in the house. Oh, yes, it surely does."

I went in to stand beside the chair Ma had pulled up be side the bed. "Mrs. Leonard," I said, "I've got me a question, but
maybe you'd rather I was to wait on your husband to answer it for me."

She smiled again. "Well, my gracious, you just ask me whatever you want to ask, and we'll just see do I know how to answer."

"Well, the sheriff, he mentioned that there'd be chores around your place here for me to do, to pay for my keep and such.
Of course, that seems fair and all, but I was wondering, do you reckon how I'll be busy here all the time, or do you think
maybe there'd be time for me to do work for someone else in town was I able to find someone to hire me?"

Mrs. Leonard leaned over to pat Ma's arm. "What a fine boy you've got there, Vivian. Wanting to work straight off. He's not
a bit lazy, is he?" Then she looked up at me. "I don't know right off what chores Sheriff Leonard has in mind for you to do,
but there can't be too many. You just go right on and see can you find someone to give you a job. You just go right ahead
and leave Mr. Sheriff Dudley Leonard to me."

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, and I started toward the door. I turned back to say, "I'm thinking I'll just go out now and look
for a job, if that's all right?"

"You do that," said Mrs. Leonard. She pointed to the grandfather clock in the corner. "Our cook, Mrs. Burns, likes to serve
supper at six."

"I won't be late," I said.

I went down the stairs two at a time. I ain't claiming that I felt happy. Too much was hurting my insides, but outside the
afternoon breeze felt good as it lifted the hair from my forehead. I didn't figure there was much hope, but I went first to
the blacksmith's shop.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust from the bright sun to the dim shop. I couldn't see old Elmer, but he called out a
hello to me.

"Howdy," I answered, and I moved in the direction of the voice. Then I could see. Elmer had the same big bushy hair, and he
had on his blacksmith's apron, but he wasn't working even a little bit. He was setting in a straight-backed chair, and across
from him on a bench was a fellow I didn't know.