Little Girl Lost 6: The Return of Johnnie Wise (12 page)

A few minutes after the driver pulled off, the woman laughed a little, turned another page, and then continued reading for another minute or so. Then, she dog-eared the page she left off on and stood up. She looked at her potential guest over the cateye glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose and said, “Double or single occupancy?”

Johnnie offered a bright energetic smile, determined to be as friendly as humanly possible, wanting to make a good first impression. She took a couple hurried steps forward and said, “Hello. My name is Johnnie Wise, and I’d like single occupancy please. I’d also like the biggest room you have, preferably one with a kitchenette. As you can see, I have a lot of bags. I’m planning to stay awhile.”

The woman removed her glasses and let them dangle by a silver chain against her burgundy blouse. Then, she quickly examined Johnnie, looking her up and down, judging her appearance, her femininity, and her articulation, before saying, “Are you married, Miss Wise?” Her voice was strong, commanding, and midrange in tone.

“No, ma’am, I’m not.”

Still looking Johnnie up and down, she said, “I don’t condone fornication in my hotel. Are you expecting a boyfriend? One of those college boys, perhaps? Hmm?”

“No. I’m here alone.”

“Trying to get away from your man, are we? Is he beating you? Is that why you’re here alone, young lady?”

“Ma’am, I don’t have a boyfriend . . . not anymore. We broke up yesterday. He’s in the Army now. Just starting boot camp, I guess.”

“Um-hmm. You don’t say. Were you running around on him or something?”

Johnnie hesitated for a moment, looking the woman in the eyes for a fleeting second, knowing she was never supposed to make eye contact with white folk. When she wasn’t angry, she generally adhered to the social norms of the south. But in this particular case, she needed a room and the woman standing before her had the power to turn her away. Therefore, staying in Negro character, giving the respect expected, and swallowing her pride whole was necessary to gain access to a world that paid no attention to the historic documents that brought about its existence. Racial protocol notwithstanding, she felt the need to examine the woman’s motives in the fraction of a second that she’d looked into the windows of her soul. Unable to discern her thoughts, she said, “No. I’m not that kind of woman.” She returned her eyes to the floor.

“Why did he join the Army then? You’re a pretty girl, wonderfully built. No man in his right mind would leave you unless you’re damaged goods. Are you damaged goods, Miss Wise?”

She lifted her eyes and said, “No, ma’am, I’m not.”

“So, then you’re still a virgin? No pickaninnies runnin’ around without a nigger father to speak of?”

Feeling the sting of the insult, Johnnie smiled to maintain control, looked into the woman’s eyes and said, “Ma’am, I just need a place to stay for awhile. I just drove in from New Orleans, and I’m very tired.”

“So, you’re a virgin?” the woman repeated, staring directly into Johnnie’s eyes, into her soul, if it were possible, looking for any signs of emerging anger or an imminent lie.

Johnnie lowered her eyes to the floor before saying, “Ma’am, I’m really tired. It’s not my intention to disrespect you, but are you going to rent me a room, or do I have to call another cab?”

“There’s a phone booth about a mile and a half south from the end of my property. That’s a long walk for someone as tired as you say you are. And to carry all those bags, too?”

Johnnie’s mouth fell open, and she inhaled deeply before saying, “Excuse me, ma’am, but it only costs a nickel to make a call.”

“You heard me. Five dollars a call. If the line’s busy, and you need to make another call, it’ll be another five dollars.”

“Ma’am . . . again . . . I mean you no disrespect, but I’m no fool. Now, I’m willing to pay you fifteen cents, but no more. If the use of your phone costs more than that, I guess I’ll have to walk the mile to use the phone booth then. May I at least leave my bags here until I return?”

“Sure. Five dollars a bag per hour.”

Johnnie exhaled again, but she kept her mouth shut. Then, she started picking up her bags.

The woman said, “You can’t be too tired if you’re willing to carry twelve bags a mile up the road and had time to shop at Woolies.”

“I had no choice. My house burned down last night. I’ve lost everything. And I’ll walk ten miles before I pay you five dollars to use your phone.”

“And you just happened to come to Jackson, Mississippi, on the way to where?”

Johnnie exhaled again. “I was going to East St. Louis, but now I think I’ll be staying in Jackson for a while. Now that I’ve answered your questions, may I at least use your restroom before I go? I’ll gladly pay you.”

The woman smiled, and then said, “You’re good . . . very good indeed.”

Stunned by the woman’s sudden reversal, Johnnie frowned and said, “Excuse me?”

“Forgive me, Johnnie, but I had to see if you could keep your cool under pressure. It is essential if you are to be a guest of Hotel Clementine.”

“What do you mean?”

“I purposely ignored you for about ten minutes or so to see how you would respond,” the woman said. “Then, I asked you questions that don’t really concern me and you handled those questions well, too. I don’t mean to offend you, but from personal experience, a lot of Negro women in your position would have made a number of incendiary remarks and stormed out, but you didn’t. They would have felt good that they told a cantankerous white woman off, but they wouldn’t have a place to lay their heads. And I know you wanted to do the same thing. I’m impressed, Johnnie. The point is, you never lost control, and if you persevere, you’ll go far in this world because you are not easily shaken.”

“May I ask why you were testing me—Miss—”

“Gloria Schumacher. You met my sister-in-law, Linda, over at Woolies.”

Chapter 24

“
Even if they call a you nigger.”

J
ohnnie’s heart sank as the memory of what happened at Woolworth’s flooded her mind. In an instant, the whole scene replayed itself. Now it all made sense to her. She realized that the woman wasn’t giving her a hard time because she was colored. She was giving her a hard time because of what her sister-in-law had told her. In the instant that the incident flashed, she imagined that Linda Schumacher probably had embellished the story, making it more sensational than it was, all in an effort to justify her racist attitude. She had met people like Linda in New Orleans, and she knew what they were capable of. Without another word, she started picking up her bags to leave.

“I don’t particularly care for my sister-in-law,” Gloria said, extending her hand. “So, don’t worry about the incident at Woolies. If you’ve got the money to pay, and I know you do, you’ve got yourself a room—the best room I have. And I won’t charge you one cent more than I would if I didn’t know you had five thousand dollars.”

Johnnie took her hand and shook it. “So, you know about my check?”

“By now the entire town knows. Linda couldn’t wait to tell me what happened when you were there, and she knows I don’t like her. She called a few hours ago. If she took the time to call me, knowing I have very little regard for her, I’m sure she told everyone in Woolies. I never expected you would be coming to my hotel though. That is until your brother Benjamin called.”

“Benny called?”

“Sure did. He called about an hour ago, wondering if you had made it here, and if you were alright. Your brother sure knows how to charm the ladies, I’ll bet.”

“That’s one of his problems, Mrs. Schumacher. He’s got a great wife, but he’s too stupid to realize it because he’s always got a lady that needs charming.”

“When I told him I wasn’t going to let you stay here because of the Woolies incident, he told me who he was and that you were the sweetest girl he knew and that Linda had probably provoked you in some way, which was very easy to believe.”

“So, he told you he was a prize fighter, huh?”

“Uh-huh. I love watching a good fight, in or out of the ring. I’m too much of a lady to tell you why. The only time I don’t like fighting, whether it’s verbal or fisticuffs, is when it has even a remote chance of affecting business. And business is synonymous with money—my money. Understand?”

“I understand on both counts—money and charm. My brother has that affect on lots of women. He always has. Did he leave a number where I can get a hold of him?”

She held up the book. “Agatha Christie.
Death in the Clouds
. I let Mr. Saunders talk me into buying it the last time I was in Woolies. Didn’t take much to convince me though. I just love her books.”

Gloria said, “Of those three, I’ve only read,
Murder on the Orient Express.
Great reading. Great ending.”

“I was thinking of starting with,
And Then There Were None.
”

“I’m sure that’s a good choice as well. Perhaps I’ll pick it up, and we can read it together. I’m here all day by myself with nothing to do but read and watch television.”

“Don’t be sorry. Good riddance. Anyway, I know you’re tired after all you’ve been through. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to put you on the second floor. I think my guests will give you less of a problem up there. But you’ll have the best room in the hotel. It has everything you’ll need.”

“Thank you, Gloria. I really appreciate it.”

“Just remember one thing. I’m running a business here. If one of my guests gets out of line, keep your mouth shut and bring the matter to me. Let me handle it, even if they call you a nigger. Don’t say a word. Just go to your room and call me. Most of my guests are out-of-towners, and I can kick ’em out without too much of a backlash. They’ll just move on to the next town, and that’s fine with me.”

“What do you mean a backlash?”

“If white folks in Jackson knew that I kicked a white guest out for mistreating my Negro guest, they would burn down my hotel. I’d all of a sudden be what they call a nigger lover. To them, that’s worse than committing murder. That’s how primitive my neighbors are. That they would equate southern hospitality to murder boggles the mind. I guess the thing that kills me is every last one of ’em will be in church praising the good Lord the following Sunday while my hotel is still smoldering.”