September Wind (49 page)

Once outside, Emily couldn’t believe she made her way through all the commotion of reporters and curious bystanders just to come face to face with her grandfather.

She was surprised he didn’t look angry. He started to say something but Rose pulled her down the steps, almost dragging her across the street.

“Thanks for your support everyone!” Emily kept saying
.

             
When they reached the sidewalk, Rose took her hand. “Come on, let’s run.”

             
Emily looked back for the old man as they headed away from the crowd. But he was gone too.

             
All at once, she realized she really was free, free to go out and do whatever she wanted. “Let’s go to the apartment and make something to eat,” she said to Rose.

             
“
Exactly what I was thinking. And then we’ll go see Father. We’ll take him a treat.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

The girls had finished eating, and were packing something up for their father, while having a deep discussion.

“Emily? That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

“Come on, Rose. Support me on this. Please? He’s done so much for me, and I just can’t leave him here alone. I want to stay.”

              “
Ooh you’re so stubborn, but okay. I won’t try to talk him into it, though.”

The girls brought tuna sandwiches to their father, and spent nearly an hour talking before Emily got up enough nerve to bring up her idea.

“
I have a plan,” she said, “but let me explain before you say anything.”

He looked suspicious, narrowing his eyes. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“I want to stay here until you’re out of jail. I’ve thought it out. I’m going right over after I leave here and put in an application at a grocery store. I’ll pack groceries, or sweep the floors, wash dishes if I have to.”

“
Sounds good, Emily, but the answer is, no.”

“Wait. Please? I talked to the people who own the apartment where Rose and I are staying, and they said I just have to pay for the electricity.”

Samuel looked at her for a moment, as if he were contemplating. Then he stood, took her hand, then Rose’s, and led them to the door.

             
“Listen, Emily, I’m warmed by your concern for me. But I won’t allow you to stay behind. You’re going back with Rose.”

             
“But... I don’t want to leave without you.”

             
“
You, little girl,” he said firmly, cupping her face in his hands, “you need to get yourself in school.” He kissed her forehead and then pulled both of his daughters close. “I’ll be home before you know it.”

             
They curled up in his arms for one last goodbye, and then kissed him on a cheek and left him standing there, smiling and waving them out the door. “Something good will come of this, you’ll see,” he called.

“
Oh, boy,” Rose said, smiling through her sniffles, “he can be such a pathetic optimist, don’t you think?”

* * * *

When they arrived at the San Francisco airport, Aunt Bernice was waiting for them.

             
“
Where’s Mother?” Rose asked as they crawled into the car.

             
“
Work, where else. She said for me to tell you she’d try to make it home by six. If not, there’s cold chicken and salad in the fridge. Unless you want me to stop and pick you something up?”

“We’ll manage,” Rose said from the back seat.

Bernice glanced over her shoulder. “How’s your father doing?”

“Oh, he’s fine, considering where he’s at. He sure put on a good show, though.”

              Emily turned her gaze out the window, feeling guilty and wondering if the rest of the family was going to blame her for putting him in jail.

             
“
Listen, girls. As soon as your father gets home, everyone’s invited to Grandmother’s for a barbeque. After we eat, we’ll warm up a couple guitars, and of course the piano, then later we’ll bring out some pictures and games and have us a grand ole time.”

             
Emily turned to Bernice who didn’t seem at all concerned about the new relative she suddenly had to haul around. “I hope it’s soon.”

Bernice dropped them off at the house, and Emily saw her new home for the first time. It was about a fourth of a mile off the main road, not more than five or six miles from the church. She had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. The house wasn’t spectacular like the Palace, or Donald Schillings’, but it was homey, set back within a grove of trees.

              There was a piano in the corner as they walked through the front entrance. Throughout the room, gold-speckled wallpaper glistened with rays of sunlight that fell through ivory lace curtains and across polished hardwood floors. The dining room was simple, with only a long oak table and high-backed chairs in the center of the room, and a china cabinet against the wall.

The large kitchen was bright with various shades of yellows, delicate green trimming, diamond shapes, stained wood, frilly white curtains tied back with yellow ribbons, knickknacks, and matching picture frames.

Emily followed Rose upstairs to their bedroom. She gaped in awe at the white walls with paintings of wild, long-stemmed flowers coming up from the light green baseboards.

             
“
Rose. This is wonderful.”

             
“It only took me two weeks to do the painting. See that?” She pointed to the bed on the right. “Father went out and bought it for you when you got out of the hospital. I went up in the attic and brought down the bedspreads and rugs Grandmother made a while back from pieces of leftover fabric.”

             
“
This room is enchanting,” Emily said. She noticed two desks on either side of a bookcase at the far end of the room.

             
Rose pointed to the desk on the right. “That one’s yours.”

             
Emily was teary-eyed as she went to try out the chair. She felt the unscratched surface of the desktop, and then opened a drawer where she found pencils, pens, and other supplies. “I never expected anything like this.”

             
“
Oh, and then later I’ll take you up to the attic to see if there’s anything else you want to bring down.” Rose went to her desk and sat facing Emily. “So then, before we go to bed, we need to have a talk.”

Emily replaced a pencil sharpener she had picked up, and closed the drawer. “What about?”

Rose looked so serious. “Oh, it’s something I’ve been thinking about since I heard you were coming to live with us.”

“We can’t talk about it now?”

              “
I’d rather wait. It could be a long discussion.”

             
They had a snack, and while they were unpacking, the telephone rang.

Rose ran down and then hollered up that it was Maria.

“Guess what, Emily,” Maria said. “Our mommy’s not in heaven, she’s alive. She’s coming here to live. And guess what? I’ve got a new baby brother.”

             
“
Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you guys.”

“And guess what else? Guess who came to drive us?”

              “
Who?”

             
“
You have to guess.”

             
Emily thought for a moment and then gasped. “You mean Bruce? Bruce is out there?”

“Yep, and he said when you come out, he’ll drive us all to the movies. Emily? Auntie wants to talk to you.”

              “
Well, you were right, Emily,” Agnes said the minute she got on the line. “You know that
fella
we’ve been discussing?”

             
“Let’s see, you must mean Donald Schillings.”

“That’s the one. And he did have a reason for wanting to keep the little ones around. If you know what I mean.”

              “
I’m assuming Maria and Nathan?”

             
“
Exactly. So anyway, you’ll never believe this.”

             
“
Try me. I don’t think anything will surprise me at this point. What is it?”

             
She heard Agnes’s muffled voice as she shooed the children from the room.

“
Listen to this,” she said when she got back on. “Bud, Donald’s uncle, set up his
will
so the house and land would be in Flora’s name until Maria turns eighteenth. Then it goes to Maria. I guess he left Nathan the house and businesses in Florida. Anyway, Donald, that lousy bum, was going to wait until Maria turned eighteen and then have her sign it all over to him.”

             
“Oh, Agnes. I just knew it was something like that. But, I still don’t understand why he didn’t just find himself some other property?”

             
“
I know exactly why. He’s put too much into that place. The neighborhood is filled with his friends. And they were gradually chasing out everyone that wasn’t in their gang. It was the perfect setup for him.”

             
“It’s still so unbelievable.” Emily sighed. “Well, at least it’s over now and the children will have their mother back. Say, how are they doing?”

             
“
They couldn’t be better. Like Maria said, they’re all going to live here in New York. It looks like Kenneth is getting off easy for those few runs he made in return for helping to prosecute Donald. Anyway, I’ll let you talk to the children now, but I just wanted to let you know what’s transpired. Oh, and Flora says she wants to personally thank you for being so good to Maria and Nathan. I don’t know what she’s planning to do with that property, but I’m sure they’ll make a run out there at some point. And I want you to know that you’re always welcome here.”

             
After talking to the children again, Emily helped Rose put dinner on.

             
“
How late does your mother usually work?”

             
“
Mm, maybe eight or nine. Sometimes later. Sure thought she’d be home by now, especially tonight.”

             
“
So, you never told me how she feels about me... about me moving in.”

“There’s really nothing to say. She understands you’re part of the family.”

              Something about Rose’s tone wasn’t as reassuring as Emily would’ve wanted. Back at the farm she worked hard, and she knew the men needed her. Here, she didn’t know how, or even if, she would ever be able to make up for the upheaval she caused.

             
Rose picked up the plate of chicken and offered it to Emily. “Really, she’s fine about it. So don’t look so concerned.”

             
When a car pulled into the yard, the girls waited for Adah to come in the back door.

“
Sorry for being so late,” she said. “Whew, what a day.”

             
She went over and gave Rose a hug, then looked up at Emily. “You get settled in okay?”

             
“
Yeah. Thanks for letting me stay.”

             
“
Well, of course, you’re part of the family now.”

             
Rose gave her an
I-told-you-so
smile.

After the girls cleaned up the dishes, they said their goodnights and went upstairs.

              Emily sat on her bed, kicked off her shoes, and tucked her feet under. “Okay now, what’d you wanna talk about?”

             
Rose sat across from her, suddenly looking a little stiff. “Well, I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“You’re making it sound so serious.”

              “
It is. It’s about you.”

             
“
Okay.”

             
Rose took a breath. “So, I’ve been thinking that… uhm…That since you’ve been raised white all these years, you should continue to be white.”

“Mm? Now how and...
why
would I want to do that?”

             
“To save yourself from… ridicule.”

             
Emily frilled up her curly hair, pointed to her black eyes, and then fluttered her hands around her face. “I’m not exactly white, you know. Remember the first day we met, you said now that I’m with you, the Negro in me will be as obvious as night and day.”

“When your hair is pulled back and you wear makeup, you really can’t tell for sure. There’s a girl at school that’s part Polynesian. She’s well liked.”

              “
You want me to pretend I’m Polynesian? Auh, that’s not exactly white.”

“No but…”

              “
Oh, wait a minute. You’re saying I should pretend you’re not my sister. Nope, it’s not going to happen. I’m stayin’ Negro.”

             
“
Emily, you don’t understand.”

             
“
You’re right. I don’t. You have a good life, you’re happy, you said so yourself. It can’t be that bad out there.”

             
“
Okay, there’s a small group of whites and some strays that accept us, especially lately. I think that’s got to do with the drama teacher that came in last year. He’s darker than I am. Anyway, I’ve found the closer you stick to the drama kids, the better off you are.”