The Sharecropper Prodigy (10 page)

             
The day before Rachel was to leave, Ben spent the whole day with her. Rachel was doing better emotionally, thanks to Ben’s unyielding determination. They spent most of the day discussing books they’d recently read and taking little walks in the cool, late November day.

             
I drove Uncle Lee’s car over to Rachel’s house to bid her farewell. Though nobody would have ever guessed it, and I had kept it a complete secret, I hated to see her go almost as much as Ben did. At sixteen, my brain still couldn’t process the information it received every time I saw or even thought of Rachel Winston. When I was fortunate enough to be close to her and timidly stole a glance into her eyes, my thoughts became tangled. My tongue did most of the time, too. Like a well worn rope that someone had spent an entire day tying knots in. Her eyes were as blue as any sky I’d ever seen. The best way I can describe them is the color of a robin’s egg. Her hair was dark red, almost auburn, with thick, loose curls that fell indiscriminately across her shoulders. Her complexion was darker than any red head I’d ever seen and her skin tanned easily in the summer, despite the fact that she kept herself covered most of the time for fear of getting freckles. She was as tall as me and slender, with long shapely legs and a tiny waist. But what made her completely irresistible was on the inside. She had the biggest heart and was the most truly kind person I’d ever known. She could get riled easily if you crossed her, like most redheads can, but that added to her charm even more as far as I was concerned. Of course I didn’t deem myself worthy of ever winning her affections and couldn’t imagine myself ever conjuring up the nerve to make my feelings known to her. Even though I had grown up within two miles of her and had been in her class at school since the first grade, every time I saw her always seemed like the first time.

             
Rachel and Ben were walking through the peach orchard that started where their perfectly manicured back lawn ended. The trees were now bare and the thin braches looked melancholy against the gray sky. It was a blustery day and the cool breeze had a bite to it. At this point, all I knew was that Rachel had been attacked by Rube Evans and that he had paid the price at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. I had no idea she was carrying Rube’s baby.

             
Ben and Rachel both had smiles on their faces when I walked up. I could tell right away that the cheerful façade Rachel was trying desperately to display took a lot of effort. Her lips were smiling but her eyes weren’t cooperating. She looked as if she were looking past me. Like there was someone standing behind me who’d caught her attention.

             
I felt awkward anytime I was near Rachel, but even more so under the circumstances.

             
“I…uh, I heard you were leavin’ for a while. I just wanted to come and tell you bye,” I said, looking down at the ground.

             
Then, the most surprising and wonderful thing I had ever experienced happened. Rachel walked up to me and gave me a hug. I reluctantly put my arms around her. I knew I was probably shaking like a leaf. But my fear was immediately replaced with concern. She felt like she was nothing more than skin and bones. Her shoulder blades felt like knots on a tree limb and I could have counted her ribs. I did my best not to let on that I had noticed. The hug was the best thing I’d ever felt, despite the emaciated condition of her body. I wished I could have grabbed her and held her forever and told her everything would be alright. That I would make it alright.

             
All three of us started walking and making small talk. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome and figured she would be leaving soon, anyway. She had told me she was packed and would be leaving on the evening train. I asked her if I could stay in touch with her while she was gone. She told me that she would like that very much and that she would write to me when she got settled in. I bid her and Ben farewell and walked back to the car, feeling like I was walking on air. Rachel Winston had hugged me and told me she would like very much to stay in touch with me. Suddenly, the cold November air had lost its sting.

*****

              Ben received a message from Mr. Winston two days after Rachel left for Charleston. One of his hired hands had come to the Evan’s little shack and told Ben to come to his house as soon as he could. Fearing something might have happened to Rachel, Ben said he could go right now and asked the man if he could ride with him.

             
When the car dropped Ben off in front of the Winston’s house, he jumped out of the car and ran to the front door. He knocked urgently and stood there waiting, rocking back and forth until Jim answered.

             
“Hi, Jim. I got word that Mr. Winston wants to see me. Miss Rachel’s alright ain’t she?”

             
“Fer as I know she is,” Jim answered. “Mr. Winston’s in his study waitin’ on you. Just go on in.”

             
Ben hurried down the hallway to the study. He found Mr. Winston sitting behind his desk with a look of dread on his face.
Something was wrong with Miss Rachel,
Ben thought. Mr. Winston just hasn’t told Jim or Lizzie about it yet.

             
Mr. Winston tried to smile, but failed miserably, as Ben walked in.

             
“Have a seat there, Ben,” he said, pointing to one of the leather chairs.

             
Ben didn’t want to sit, but obeyed anyway. He didn’t like to hear bad news sitting down.

             
“Is this about Miss Rachel?” Ben asked, dreading the answer.

             
“No, Ben, it’s not. And how many times has she told you not to call her Miss anymore.”

             
“I can’t help it, sir. It’s a habit I can’t seem to break. You promise she’s alright, though?”

             
“Yes, she’s fine, Ben. She called me this morning.” The Winston’s house was one of only a very few in Jones County that had a telephone.

             
Ben relaxed a little, glad that his worst fear was over. “What did you want to talk to me about, sir? He asked.

             
Mr. Winston stood up and started pacing nervously. He walked over to the double-hung window and looked out as if he were expecting to see something unusual. “Ben, I…I’ve got to do something that I’d rather take a beatin’ than have to do.” He turned back toward Ben but didn’t make eye contact. “I’m gonna have to ask you and your family to leave.”

             
Ben looked at him, thinking he must have heard him wrong. “Ask us to leave, sir?”

             
“Yes, Ben. I’ve got no choice. I can’t bare having that house Rube lived in stand on my property any longer. I want it gone, Ben. It’s a constant reminder to me of the awful thing that happened to Rachel and how much I hate Rube for it. I can’t go on like that.”

             
Ben couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He could understand why Mr. Winston felt that way, but he couldn’t fathom him just kicking Ben and his family out with nowhere to go. He had spent three weeks almost constantly by Rachel’s side, caring for her every need. He didn’t want or expect any payment for it, but surely Mr. Winston had appreciated it enough not to put Ben and his family out in the cold.

             
“Sir, what are we gonna do if we leave?” If it was just me, it wouldn’t matter, but I got brothers and a sister, and my mama has an infant to take care of.”

             
“I know that, Ben. And I know that if it wasn’t for you, Rachel might not have recovered mentally, or at least not as fast as she did. Besides that, you saved her life and I will never be able to repay you for that. I’m not about to just throw y’all out to the wolves. I’ve talked to a friend of mine over in Cherokee county and he has a place for you on his farm. You’ll get the same percentage from your crop that you got from me. I’ll have some of my men move your things for you, so you won’t have to worry about that. I’m also going to give you a thousand dollars. That will more than keep your needs filled until your first crop comes in. If you ever need anything else within reason, all you have to do is let me know.”

             
A thousand dollars was more than twice what Rube had profited off his last crop. That much money would keep Ben and his family clothed and fed for two years if they continued to live life with the meager existence they always had. Ben was determined to change that, however. With Rube now gone, there would be nobody to spend money on frivolities like tobacco and moonshine and Ben knew if he could somehow further his education, he could find a good job and give his family the things they deserved.

             
Ben would have declined the thousand dollars and almost did. But common sense triumphed over pride and he kept his mouth shut. He had his family to think about and they would need all the help they could get and Ben could not provide. Not yet, anyway.

             
Ben stood up and looked at Mr. Winston who was holding an envelope filled with cash. He hated taking money he felt he hadn’t earned and it was painful to reach out and accept it. But he had no choice. He knew Rachel knew nothing about Mr. Winston’s plans. If she did, she would jump on the next train out of Charleston heading south and put a stop to it. But Mr. Winston owned the land Ben and his family lived on, not Rachel. And Ben was not going to stay where he was obviously not wanted.

             
“When do you want us out?” Ben asked, his tone all business and devoid of any warmth.

             
“I’ll have my men come and load everything up Saturday, unless you need more time. I don’t want to rush you or put too much of a burden on you.”

             
“Saturday will be fine, sir. I’ll see to it that everything is in order.” 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

             
The first day of December had brought a cold snap with it, leaving a

frost on our yard that made it look like it had been dusted with snow. I was outside splitting firewood for the Franklin heater and the cook stove when I looked up and saw Ben walking up the drive. He had his coat buttoned all the way up to his chin and his pace looked like he was there on business. Ben seldom ever came to my house because of the way my Uncle Lee felt about black folks, so I knew it must be something serious. I laid down the ax and walked out to meet him.

             
“Your out awful early for such a cold morning,” I said. “Nothin’s wrong, is it?”

             
Ben was breathing hard as if he’d run part of the way over. His breath in the cold air looked like he was blowing out smoke from a cigarette. “I guess it all depends on what your opinion of “wrong” is,” he answered. “I’m gonna be leavin’ tomorrow and I wanted to come and tell you.”

             
I stood there, trying to comprehend what Ben had just told me. “Where are you goin’?” I asked. I figured he was talking about being gone for a few days and maybe wanted me to look in on his family.

             
“Mr. Winston wants us to move. He’s found us a place over in Cherokee County. He’s gonna burn our old place to the ground because it reminds him of Papa and what happened to Miss Rachel.”

             
“Well, hell. None of that was your fault and you saved her life!” I said, my voice becoming noticeably higher and much louder. “Not only that, you nursed her back to health. Who does that old bastard think he is if…….”

             
“It’s alright, Tom. I guess I can understand why he feels that way. And he
did
find us a new place. He gave me some money, too. Enough to keep us in good shape for a while.”

             
“White folks think they can just uproot a whole family and feel fine about it as long as they give them a few dollars. And you’re alright with it. That just don’t sound like you, Ben.”

             
“Well what do you expect me to do about it? I’m not gonna stay where I’m not wanted and…..”

             
“Hell, you’re not wanted anywhere, Ben,” I shouted. “You’re a nigger, or hadn’t you noticed? Not only that, you’re a nigger that is smarter than any of the white folks. That makes you not wanted even more. And I’ll tell you what you can do about it. You can call Rachel and tell her. I’ll take you up to Uncle Joe’s store and you can use his phone. She’ll put a stop….”

             
“I don’t want to involve her. The house we live in belongs to her Papa. If he don’t want us there, I could never feel right about stayin’”

             
“So you’re just gonna move from one shack into another one. In a place where you won’t no anybody with no friends like me and Rachel, and you’re fine with that.”

             
“No, I ain’t fine with it!” Ben shouted. “I just don’t have any choice. Maybe this is what I need. Maybe this will get me out of my complacency and cause me to try to do something about finding a way to make more money and get an education.”