Page 88 of Queen


  She had been kind to Queen because she was a kind woman and Queen needed

  help, but her first loyalty was to Massa Cherry, for whom she had worked,

  slave and free, all her life. She also thought that too much kindness might

  not be the best thing for Queen.

  "You listen to me, Missy,' I she said sharply. "If you gwine work here, you

  gotta dress nice and look nice and be nice. You say you was raised proper

  and got good manners-well, you start showing it. Massa Cherry don't want

  some meantempered skivvy running round the house."

  Queen turned away, sulking.

  "If'n it'll make you feel better, I's takin' the cost of yo' new clothes

  out of yo' wages."

  She thought she had been stem enough for the moment, so she relaxed a

  little.

  "Coz you don't look so good in my hand-me-downs," she added, with a twinkle

  in her eye and her voice.

  Her warmth of tone and commanding personality reassured Queen, who needed

  someone to tell her what to do.

  "I's sorry," she whispered, and Dora laughed. She helped Queen into the bed

  and tucked her in. As mammies do.

  The crisp, clean sheets felt wonderful to Queen, and she snuggled Abner to

  her, and thought she never wanted to wake up. Dora sat on the edge of the

  bed, and stroked her hair.

  "Don't have to worry no more," she said softly. "You safe now. I I

  Queen could not accept that. She turned her head away, to look at the wall.

  "Don't belong nowhere," she murmured.

  Dora could only guess at what had happened to Queen to bring her to such

  desolation, but she was beginning to understand something of the forces

  driving her, and what she needed.

  "Glory be, chile," she said. "Everybody belong somewhere. Jus' takes some

  folk a while to work out where it is."

  Still she stroked Queen's hair, and thought of her own children, married

  now, with families of their own. She thanked God that she had never seen

  any of her girls in a state as wretched as Queen's.

  A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 731

  She began to hum a gentle lullaby, which slowly formed into soft,

  loving words.

  Queen drifted to sleep with Abner in her arms, while Dora sat with

  her, and lulled her with childhood songs.

  As mammies do.

  85

  ====> 1~

  When Alec got home that evening, it was to the usual domestic chaos. He

  employed a girl, Little Bit, as part-time housekeeper, but she was a

  foolish, dreaming girl, lazy and difficult, and far too young to be

  surrogate mother to Alec's children. For although Minnie, his eldest girl,

  was useful around the house, Freeland was too full of youthful energy to

  be anything but a nuisance, and Julie was not old enough to help anyone.

  George, who lived with them in the shed at the back of the shack, did his

  best, but was young himself, and often tired from his long hours on the

  farm. No matter how much love Alec tried to show his children, no matter

  how many speeches of mutual cooperation he made, no matter how much

  authority he gave Little Bit over the household, she was hardly older than

  her charges, and there was constant bickering and general unhappiness.

  Tonight, the dinner was late.

  "Lord sakes, Little Bit," Alec said tetchily, "they should have et an

  hour ago."

  Little Bit thought she had worked hard, and resented his constant

  griping.

  "I cain't do everything," she complained as she always did. "I bin here

  fo' hours cookin' an' cleanin', an' I's dog tired."

  Although she wasn't too tired to look forward to her date that night with

  her new boyfriend. Rather than argue with her, Alec gave in, for it had

  been a long day.

  "All right, Little Bit," he said. "You go on home. I'll see to

  everything. "

  732 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  Little Bit needed no second bidding, and grabbed her hat and coat.

  "Time you had a new wife to slave for yo'," she sniffed as she walked out

  of the door.

  Alec's presence and Little Bit's departure calmed the children, and

  Minnie organized everyone in helping with the dinner. She and Alec served

  the meat and beans, and cooked the turnip greens, while Freeland and

  Julie laid the table, and George did his best to tidy up, but he was tall

  for his age and got in everyone's way. As they ate their dinner, the

  youngsters complained of Little Bit, giggling that she was a little bit

  worse than useless, until Alec told them to shush. They sat together as

  a family for a while and told their father their stories of the day, and

  then one by one, Alec dispatched them to bed. Minnie and Julie slept in

  a small room at the back of the shack, and Freeland shared the shed with

  George. Alec said prayers with the young ones, tucked them in, and kissed

  them good night.

  He looked at the shack and shook his head. The children were right,

  Little Bit was a little bit worse than useless; the place looked like it

  hadn't been properly cleaned in weeks. He thought sadly of Tennie, who

  had kept the little house in such apple-pie order. He was too tired to

  tackle the mess, and went outside to sit on the porch with George, as was

  their evening ritual.

  The rain had eased and it was a pleasant night. Alec sat in his old

  rocking chair, and puffed on his pipe. George was comfortable on the

  steps. There was another, empty rocker next to Alec, but no one ever sat

  in that, for it had been Tennie's chair.

  They talked for a while about George's day, and the prospect of a

  plentiful crop that year, then lapsed into reflective silence.

  "Dey's need a mammy," George said after a while, and Alec nodded.

  "An' you need a wife," George said after another small silence.

  Alec knew that was true, but wasn't quite ready to admit it yet.

  "Watch yo' mouth," he told George, affectionately cross.

  A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 733

  George grinned, Alec was more than his employer, his boss; he was like

  a father to George, who had never known one.

  "Y' cain't leave it fo'ever," he said, untroubled by Alec's admonition.

  "You's gettin' old, an' one day you gwine wake up and be too old."

  "Hush yo' mouth, I said," Alec told him again, for George had hit a raw

  nerve. "Y'ain't so big I cain't whump you."

  George grinned again, for he was already bigger than Alec. "Like to see

  you try," he said. He got to his feet, said his good-nights to Alec, and

  went to the shed.

  Alec sat alone, puffing on his pipe and staring at the night. It was bad

  enough that Dora was always telling him to find another wife, and Massa

  Cherry, and most of his friends, but now even George was on about it.

  The image of a tiny, frightened woman with a child on her hip came into

  his mind, and he felt protective toward her, and intrigued by her, and

  wanted to know more about her.

  "Dadgummit," he said softly.

  He saw her the following aftern
oon, back from a shopping expedition into

  town with Dora, to buy new clothes, and he smiled and waved, but she

  ignored him. Dora looked at him knowingly and shook her head. Alec

  decided not to speak to Queen for a few days, until she was in better

  temper, but he thought about her often when he was steering his ferryboat

  across the river, and once was in such a reverie that he almost forgot

  to slow down the boat and came close to smashing into the jetty. Only the

  shouts of his passengers brought his attention back to the business at

  hand.

  Mr. Cherry returned from a business trip to Memphis, and was introduced

  to his new housemaid. Usually his wife handled all the domestic matters,

  but she was visiting relations in New York. Wearing a smart black dress

  and white apron and cap, Queen looked lovely, fit and rested, but she was

  still suspicious of kindness and generosity. Mr. Cherry bade her welcome

  to his house, and hoped she would be happy with them. If she worked hard

  and well, she could be with them for a long time.

  "Oh, I ain't staying," Queen said, to Mr. Cherry's surprise.

  No, sir, Massa. Soon as I's back on my feet, I's going North, to start a

  flower shop."

  734 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  It was the dream that she clung to, her defense against the world.

  "I understood from Dora that it was to be a more permanent situation," Mr.

  Cherry said, slightly offended by her manner.

  " No, sir," Queen insisted. "I ain't planning to be a kitchen skivvy all my

  life."

  The edge to her manner was so sharp and dismissive, she managed to rile

  even the tolerant Mr. Cherry. He nodded as if in approval of her ambition,

  but sent her back to work.

  "Be that as it may," he said, "I'm paying you as a maid, so perhaps you

  should be about your business."

  "Yes, suh!" Queen snapped impudently. "I's going now, suh! "

  Mr. Cherry very seldom lost his temper, but he came close to it, briefly.

  He went into his study and rang for Dora to find out if the new maid was

  always so bad-tempered.

  She was. She worked hard and well, but no one, except occasionally Dora,

  could get a smile from her. She snapped at everyone else for imagined

  slights, and spent her free time in her room with Abner. She kept him there

  when she was working, and sat him on her knee when she was eating her meals

  in the kitchen. Gradually, she began to trust Dora sufficiently to keep an

  eye on the boy, but otherwise she would not let anyone near him. Especially

  not Alec.

  Alec found some pretext to call at the house almost every day, to discuss

  business with Mr. Cherry, or gossip in the kitchen with Dora. He tried hard

  to find some conversation with Queen but was always rebuffed.

  " You lookin' better," he said to her, as he often did, for he could not

  think of any other opening.

  She would sniff and find something else to do, or walk away, and if Abner

  was near she would pick him up and remove him from Alec's vicinity. Her

  exclusion of them began to get on everyone's nerves.

  But Abner excluded no one. A quiet and reserved child when he first

  arrived, he blossomed into a happy, chubby boy, had a smile and a laugh for

  everyone, and was especially fond of Alec.

  He accepted his mother's absences at work, but was hap- A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 735

  piest when he was near her, or anyone. One warm day, he was sitting on a

  rug in the garden, while Queen put carpets over the line and beat them,

  to get the dust out of them. The sun was shining, the gardener was working

  in the vegetable plot, and Abner was playing happily with a toy that Dora

  had given him.

  Only Queen was immune to the general goodwill, and thwacked the carpets

  vigorously, as if she were beating everyone who had ever done her harm.

  Alec had been working on his land, and was on his way home for the midday

  meal. He had stopped in the kitchen to deliver some fresh beans to Dora,

  and when he came out he saw Queen. He decided to vary his ritual

  approach.

  "Pretty day," he said, for it was the prettiest of days.

  Queen didn't respond.

  "How's the job?" Alec asked. Queen was fed up. It was a pretty day, but

  she had to work, and didn't want to be reminded of it.

  "If'n you're looking for me to say thanks fo' getting me the job, or

  summat," she said, still hitting the carpet, "you can forget it. I'd have

  managed, somehow."

  "Sure you would," Alec agreed, but did not leave. He couldn't work out

  why he felt so protective toward this wretched, ill-mannered woman. His

  continued presence irritated Queen even more.

  "Ain't you got a ferry to run?" she called as she beat.

  "Saturday, George and my boy Freeland do it. I work the land," he told

  her. "Ain't the biggest block of land, but with the ferry, we get by. "

  "How well you do or how well you don't do, ain't nothin' to do with me,"

  Queen snapped, refusing to be drawn by him. Because she wouldn't look at

  him, she didn't see that Abner had toddled over to Alec, and was tugging

  on his jacket for attention. Alec looked down at him.

  "Well, now, young fella," he said, picking Abner up, what's your name?"

  He knew Abner's name but had not been introduced, and wanted to make

  contact with the boy.

  Queen turned and saw her beloved son in Alec's arms, and she panicked.

  She dropped the carpet beater and ran to Abner, grabbed him from Alec.

  736 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  "You leave him be!" Queen shouted at Alec. "He's mine, and no one ever

  going to take him away from me."

  Alec was astonished by her ferocity, and Dora, who had come out to talk to

  the gardener, looked on in amazement.

  "Lord, woman, I was jus' askin' his name," Alec protested, but Queen hardly

  heard him.

  "He ain't no business of your'n," she cried, and took Abner into the house.

  Alec was baffled and hurt by Queen's reaction, and looked at Dora.

  "Abner," Dora said calmly. "The chile's called Abner."

  Alec nodded, for he knew that. "Fine name fo' a boy," he said. "Biblical."

  He walked home to his shack puzzling at the depth of Queen's unhappiness,

  and while part of him wanted nothing more to do with her, part of him was

  determined to discover the reason for her distress. He lost his temper with

  Little Bit, who had taken it on herself to spank Julie for some trivial

  naughtiness, and he sacked her.

  Dora, who was as puzzled as Alec by Queen's behavior, took the gardener to

  task for the scrawny carrots he had picked.

  "Yes, m'm, Miss Dora, dey's the biggest I c'n find," the gardener said to

  placate her. He was used to her.

  But Abner cried, and Queen could not comfort him. Abner didn't understand

  why his mammy had dragged him away from the nice man. But then Abner was

  luckier than Queen. Abner knew he was home.

  "She been hurt bad," Dora told Alec. They were sitting in the kitchen,

  shelling peas. "She got a bellyful of anger against the
world. 7'

  Alec nodded, popping more peas into his mouth than into the pan.

  "But Massa Cherry like a happy house," Dora cautioned. "She carry on like

  this, she won't have a job."

  She slapped Alec's hand, for eating too many of the peas.

  It came to a head at a formal dinner party that Mr. Cherry gave. A

  gregarious and hospitable host, he kept a fine table, and enjoyed good

  conversation. Because of his position in the county, his guests were of some

  standing, though not necessarily of good manners.

  A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 737

  Queen was serving, and a female guest snapped her fingers and demanded

  water. Perhaps it was the finger snap that grated on Queen, or perhaps

  she was tired, but when she poured the water, a little of it spilled on

  the woman's dress.

  The woman shouted at Queen impatiently, demanding cloths to clean up the

  mess, and turned to the other guests.

  "These nigras!" she said disparagingly. "Nothing's been the same since

  the war."

  The thoughtless comment made Mr. Cherry angry, and he was about to chide

  his guest, but Queen got there first.

  "I ain't a nigra!" she exclaimed. "My pappy was white, and his pappy

  afore him, all the way back to Ireland."

  Her explosion caused a startled silence at the dinner table, and in the

  silence Queen felt her frustration rising. It was true that she had as

  much Irish blood in her as black blood; she didn't feel Irish, and she

  wasn't treated as Irish, but why was she considered more black than

  Irish? She knew she'd said too much already, but she couldn't stop

  herself from saying more.

  " Just because I got an itty bit of black blood in me, you think you can

  snap yo' fingers at me like a dog and have me dancing to yo' beck and

  call." She was shouting now, unstoppable.

  - Well, if you take yo' family tree, you'll mebbe find you've got an

  itty-bitty little bit of black blood in you," she told the amazed woman.

  "And even if you ain't, that don't give you the right to call people

  names."

  - Queen, that will do!" Mr. Cherry told her sharply. "Since you cannot

  control yourself, go to the kitchen, and send Dora to serve, -

  It was a hard, sharp order, and Queen stared at him for a moment, still

  angry and unapologetic for what she done, but understanding that she had

  gone too far. Although she would admit it to no one, she had come to

  respect and admire Mr. Cherry, and was furious at herself for having

  embarrassed him. Pride would not let her apologize, and she did as she

  was told.

  Dora was as angry with Queen, and would have sacked her if she had not

  needed the help. She went into the dining room, where Queen's outburst

  was the main topic of conversation, and the insulted guest was demanding

  Queen's dismissal. Mr.

  738 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  Cherry promised that he would have strong words with Queen, and looked at

  Dora, but another guest managed to calm things down.

  "She could be right though, Daphne, old girl," he said happily to the

  victim of Queen's wrath. "You never know what your father or grandfather

  might have got up to with those slave girls."

  A few others chuckled, and the atmosphere calmed down a little, but Daphne

  was doubly insulted now, for it was true. Her grandfather had got up to

  some nonsense with a slave girl. It was the shame of her family.

  "Don't be vulgar, Charles," she said.

  After his guests had gone, Mr. Cherry called Queen to him, and gave her a

  stem lecture.

  "She insulted me," Queen said sullenly.

  "Be that as it may, it is not your place to berate my guests, no matter how

  they behave," Mr. Cherry insisted. "Unless you can keep your temper under

  control in future, I shall have to make other arrangements.' I

  Which is what Queen had thought would happen from the moment she got the

  job. It had happened to her so many times before, and she was ready for the

  inevitable.

  "That suits mejus' fine," she said, and left the room.

  Dora was ready to go after her and give her a piece of her mind, for she

  could not tolerate ingratitude, but Mr. Cherry stopped her. As always, his