Nathaniel smiled softly as he watched Lillie-Rose cuddling up to Ms. Rose Esther, Ms. Rose E as she preferred to be called. The two sat on a rose patterned loveseat flicking through photo albums and sharing history. Lillie-Rose with one arm draped around the older woman's shoulders was obviously whispering words of comfort, every once in a while using the tissue in her hand to wipe the tears sliding down the old woman's chunky cheeks. It saddened him a little to realize the old lady barely recognized him from the few trips he had made to do errands around her little house. They'd spent many hours talking about Lillie-Rose and she was one of the main people to influence his feelings for the girl.
Blowing air hard to untangle some of the stale mixture of the mothball/rose potpourri odor from the hairs of his nostrils, he lifted the steaming cup of coffee to his lips, the action causing him to chuckle with the remembrance of Rose Esther's remark when she put the cup in front of him.
"Drink this slow, boy. Coffee makes you black and I don't want you to die from the culture shock." Her loud burst of laughter was the tickle to his funny bone and he laughed along with her.
"Too late Ms. Rose E, I was born Black."
"Sure you were boy. You just have way more cream in your coffee than either of us." She grabbed Lillie Rose by the hand. ‘This girl here didn't take any of the color from her lovely Momma. Just the hair and the beauty, thank God she took her giving sweet nature from her momma. You'll be doing yourself the best favor in life if you marry this girl, Son." Ms. Rose pointed her tubby finger in his direction. "Let her go and you'll be a fool regrettin' your existence for the rest of your life. If she had turned into anything like that evil, ‘scuse my French, bastard like her dad, I would've drowned her in the bathtub. You ‘member I used to keep you as a baby Lillie-Rose?" She caressed her hands down both sides of Lillie-Rose's cheeks. "She named you after me, you know. I used to talk to you in her belly. Calling you my lil rose. I used kept your mom too when she was little and when that charcoal fool came around sniffing at her like she was the last piece os sweet bread, I wanted to cut his tiny over cooked little weiner off." Her abrupt burst of laughter invited them to join in. "Y'all can laugh, but he was just color struck. Wanted him a high yella gal with pretty hair so he good parade her around like a trophy or somethin'. And when he got her, what did he do? Smack her around damned near to death. I used to be so glad when you would sleep over with that sweet Ivy and her cousin. Real nice family. They helped your mom out a lot, but that's another story.
I wanna get this talk about that mess with all those White people over with. To me, that riot was one of the worst things to happen in Beaumont. I was about eight or nine. Horrible, horrible days. My ma was never the same. She was scared all of the time. Wouldn't let us girls outta the house for nuthin'. She wouldn't even go out to hang laundry. Heard tell a couple little girls came up missing, I don't know if thats true though. But I do know them people burned down some mighty fine houses and stores. Black people worked hard for that stuff. Weren't easy for us to get ahead and some people had done real good and they lost a lot. Daddy hid for a few days in the attack and Ma had to tell the men who came to the door that he was gone. They spit in her face and shot our dogs. My oldest brother was twelve years old and he was never right in the head after they attacked him when he went to save a puppy. Forever after, all he wanted to do was kill him some people. My parents finally sent him to Louisiana to live with my Momo. I missed him a lot. Eventually, he went in her woods and killed himself." Sighing deeply, Rose-Esther stopped talking for a moment.
"Let's talk about something different. I'm really glad you're doing this book for me, Sweetie." Patting Lillie-Rose on the back of her hand, she smiled. "In my old age I can barely remember my present let alone the past. My past I would like to forget. That's the same thing I want for you in life Lillie-Rose Esther." She called the younger woman by her full name, a sure sign she was getting tired and slipping into her memories. Pulling Lillie-Rose close to her chest she whispered in her ears. "I want you to give this man a chance, girl. I've talked to him many times and I can tell he loves you to the bone. You've made one mistake in life, don't act a fool and let him get away. It would be your biggest mistake."
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