“I see him at the club sometimes. I’m going to keep my eyes out for him. I believe you and I don’t like how he makes you feel.”
“That man is a constant reminder of my life in Jefferson County. I wish I didn’t fear him so much.”
“You have your reasons. Everybody has something or someone they fear, but you can’t let him know he is making you feel that way. You’ve got to be strong.”
“I know. I think he is Herman Camm. That man is not dead; he is still lurking around, trying to get my attention.”
“You need to make sure Simon knows how you feel. You’ve got to tell him the man scares the hell out of you.”
“He knows.”
“Why in hell did he go down south knowing you fear this man so much?”
I didn’t know how to explain it all. I hated Simon being gone, but maybe it was better having Adam around to make sure Robert and I were all right. Simon seemed to care only about baseball.
“He loves baseball, Adam.” I found myself defending Simon.
As we turned the corner down through the neighborhood past Jackson Heights’ famous club where Ms. Pearl performed, I desired to peek in to make sure Simon was really away on baseball business. My nerves settled after we had walked several blocks. The thought of Simon being away and Herman lurking around town was disturbing. Adam told me he would handle it.
“I’m going to keep an eye out for you. I’ll be riding down to Petersburg with you too. I want to make sure this man is not following you. If he is, I will have to speak to him about it,” he confidently said.
All the while he was speaking, I could see the concern in his dark eyes. Even though I was scared, I knew I would never let another man take advantage of me, especially now.
Chapter 5
Adam carried the weathered brown leather suitcase I’d borrowed from Aunt Ginny with pride to the train depot. He walked with his chest out and shoulders squared. I noticed some of the younger ladies whispering as we approached the depot. Ginny’s suitcase had come in handy, especially since it contained enough clothes to last me for several weeks. Packed were a black and brown skirt, along with a wool cardigan and a few blouses. I had learned from my roommates in the boardinghouse how to mix and match clothes, and add accessories, so I wouldn’t look the same each day. My wardrobe was minimal, but what I did own was in good condition. I held my head up high, just like Maggie Walker, our banker, did the first time I had seen her at the club. She had exemplified power, and I wanted to emulate her. Besides, Adam made me feel special. He was doing all of the things I had hoped Simon would do for me.
We stood waiting for the train to come, the brisk wind blowing my hair. I pulled my scarf up around my ears. Adam had a wool scarf waving in the wind around his neck. Two young ladies, around my age, maybe older, were waiting along with two older women I’d seen before. They were huddled together trying to keep warm. One of them was a regular on the train, and it appeared we were on the same schedule. The train came around the corner whistling, emitting steam from its chimney long before it came to a screeching halt. The sound alerted the six of us standing and waiting. The two older ladies immediately picked up their suitcases and formed a line. Adam and I gazed at each other and a grin spread across my face. It was time to go back to school and finish my education, and Adam was going all the way to Petersburg with me.
Nadine’s old man, a porter, was the first one off the train. He let down the steps and an elderly colored man and woman stepped off the train. Nadine’s man assisted them with their luggage and afterward, he walked over to me. “Carrie, let me get your bag for you,” he said, staring at Adam.
“I’ve got her bag,” Adam said, reaching down to pick it up.
“No problem, Sir; I’m just doing my job.” Nadine’s husband cut his eyes at Adam as if he had wronged him in some way. He walked back over toward the two women and took their suitcases out of their hands. One of them grabbed his arm and he escorted her up the steps along with the suitcases into the colored section of the train. He came back down the steps and stood. When Adam and I started up the stairs, he asked me, “Where’s your husband?”
I looked back at him and answered, “He is not here.”
“I hope you know what you are doing,” he commented, as if warning me.
I didn’t respond. However, Adam boldly said to him, “Man, mind your own business. She is not your wife.”
A grimace overtook his smile. “I was not talking to you.”
Adam threw up his hands. “Carrie, you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine, Adam.”
We found a seat in the front of the colored car. Adam insisted on me sitting on the inside, which was how we had walked down the street. As the train jolted and screeched, pulling out of the depot and looping around the curve, we noticed a circle of men standing in front of the corner store. As the train got closer, we recognized Kindred Camm standing in the midst of the men. He glanced up at the train, but kept on talking. I couldn’t tell if he had seen me or not.
“There he is again,” I said, pointing in his direction.
Adam put his arm around me. “He didn’t see you, and he is not going to mess with you anyway. I am with you.”
“You are not going to be in Petersburg forever.”
“No, but I plan on making frequent trips to visit you. I will be watching that cat, making sure he does not get in your way.”
I smiled and let my head relax in his arms. I felt secure and maybe too comfortable, knowing he was not my husband. As the train rambled through the woods, I wondered where my husband was. Was he really in New Orleans or was he somewhere watching me?
It wasn’t long before the train was slowing down to a stop. Nadine’s husband waved at me as we exited the train. I threw my hand up too. Adam and I began our trek side by side down the sidewalk to the rooming house. He took my luggage up the stairs and came back down and took a seat on the davenport in front of the fireplace. The kindling was sizzling as it burned, and the room was cozy and warm. There was another couple in the room along with Miriam, my roommate, who was reading a book. Adam didn’t stay long, and we barely talked. We held hands inhaling the scent of burning wood, as the fire popped. About twenty minutes later, he got up to leave.
We stood in the doorway gazing into each other’s eyes. Adam didn’t say anything; he pulled me in close. My heart sped up. He kissed me on the lips, and it was sweet, like chocolate icing. One of the girls from the house had her eyes fixated on me and Adam the entire time. I stood in the doorway and watched Adam walk down the sidewalk through the pine trees until he was out of sight. I closed the door. When I turned around, Miriam was standing with her arms folded, shaking her head.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“Aren’t you married?” she asked, as if she was my mother.
“I won’t discuss that with you.”
“I had hoped to get to know him better myself, and now you are taking up with him,” she said, surprising me.
“He is just a friend.”
“Since when do friends kiss on the lips? And, it was a passionate kiss.”
I walked away and headed toward the stairs. “I’ve got to unpack.”
“Wait, I need to talk to you.” Miriam signaled for me to come back. “What is it?” I asked.
“I was just wondering. Is something going wrong between you and your husband?”
I was shocked at her intrusion. “We are fine.”
“Does he know about Adam?”
“Adam is a friend, and it is none of your business,” I said, inhaling to calm myself. She was offending me, and I was about to say some choice words to her.
She chuckled. “I guess I said the wrong thing to you.”
She was reading my mind. “Miriam, I think what is happening in my life is not anybody’s business.”
“I thought after what happened last year, we had established ourselves as friends.”
“We are friends. I just don’t want to discuss Adam with you righ
t now. You are asking personal questions and making me uncomfortable.”
“Is it because you don’t trust me?” We both stopped talking when two girls came in the door and went upstairs.
Once they were up the stairs, I continued, “No, not at all, Miriam. I am not feeling up to such questions tonight. Remember, I am just getting back, and need to unpack and relax before we start classes in the morning. I promise we can talk about it all later.”
“Good. I’m glad you said that, because I could have sworn I saw Simon hanging around last night.”
“Simon, you say?” All of a sudden, I wanted to hear more.
“Well, it looked like him,” she said, letting her eyes roll back in her head as if she was thinking.
“Where did you see him? Was he here at the boardinghouse?”
“I thought I saw him drive off last night when I arrived. Maybe it was someone who looked like him. I am not really sure. Whoever it was drove the same kind of car he has.”
My nerves began to unravel. I inhaled slowly.
Noticing the astonishment in my face, Miriam said, “Maybe it was someone else I saw.”
“Perhaps he came looking for me. I should have taken the earlier train.”
“It seems crazy for a man to come to visit his wife and not stick around until she gets here. And why did you catch the train when he has a car?” Miriam looked puzzled.
“He is traveling with the Colored League; maybe they had a break.” Excuse after excuse for Simon was my only defense. I was exhausted from the thoughts of him. I felt weak at times because I couldn’t seem to get this marriage thing right.
“Carrie, you are lucky to have a man who cares so much for you.” Perhaps Miriam could not read between the lines.
“I suppose you are right,” I said, doubting if it was me Simon was concerned about.
“I’d better get up the steps and unpack my clothes. Do you want to come with me?” I asked Miriam to get away from the two girls listening and snickering as we talked.
“Thanks, but I am going to sit around the fireplace for a while. I never know who I might meet coming through the front door. There are a couple more girls coming back today and both of them have older brothers.” She smiled shyly.
I turned after climbing two of the stairs. “Thank you for letting me know Simon’s in town.”
“Well, it looked like him. And you needed to know he was around here,” she mumbled. “I wouldn’t want him to see what I saw a few minutes ago.”
Shocked, my disposition had certainly changed. All the way up the stairs to my room, I was shaking my head from side to side, baffled about Simon. Why was he in Petersburg? He had been in Jefferson County when Momma came. It was as if he had another job I didn’t know anything about. He should’ve been playing ball in New Orleans; at least that’s what he’d told me. Unpacking my suitcase, I reflected back on Adam. I had to find him. I didn’t want him to cross paths with Simon, because something dreadful was bound to happen.
Chapter 6
Adam came back to the boardinghouse around 7:30 on Tuesday morning. I was in the kitchen washing the dishes from breakfast. All of the girls living in the boardinghouse were either getting ready to make the eight-minute walk to school or go to a part-time job downtown, which was as rural as the country. My job at the boardinghouse was to make sure the kitchen was spotless, which meant putting away all the dishes, mopping the floor and setting the table for the next meal. Most days it was easy because women tend to clean up after themselves.
Adam stunned me when he walked into the kitchen. I turned around twice to make sure it was him. It was customary to receive guests in the parlor, but somehow, he had walked past the girls studying in the parlor straight into the kitchen and was staring me in the face. I was elated to see him because I had tossed and turned and even prayed Simon would not run into Adam. It was past 1 a.m. when I dozed off to sleep. I couldn’t be sure of the time. When I woke up, Adam was on my mind. I was scared for his life.
“I thought you went home last night…thought you were going to catch the evening train back to Richmond.” The train came twice a day and it was well occupied by the day workers of maids and lawn keepers. It was convenient having more than one train running between Richmond and Petersburg.
Adam smiled. “I changed my mind. I’ll be going back later today.”
“You are out early this morning,” I said, rinsing the glass in my hand.
“I wanted to check on you before I went back home—make sure everything was good with you,” he said, standing at the sink with me, watching me.
“Well, isn’t that nice of you? You made sure I got here safely yesterday, and now you are back again,” I said, drying the last dish, and swinging the dishtowel over my shoulder. “Would you like a cup of coffee? There is some still hot on the stove.”
He pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.
I poured him a cup of coffee and sat down at the table across from him, mentally admiring his starched appearance. Instead of his usual calm demeanor, he seemed a bit anxious, maybe even a little nervous. He asked me, “Did Simon stop by here to see you last night?”
“What kind of question is that?” I responded.
“I thought I saw him last night when I was walking down the street towards my cousin’s. He drove right past me. I thought he would turn around, but I don’t think he saw me.”
“What? I haven’t seen or heard from him. He is supposed to be down in New Orleans,” I replied, avoiding mentioning what Miriam had said.
“He is in town. I saw him with my own eyes. It looked like he was delivering something. He was carrying a paper box in his hands.”
“That is strange. He didn’t stop by here. I wonder if he knows I am in town. He told me he was going to be in New Orleans for a month or so. Now you are saying something different.”
“Carrie, I hope you realize he is being dishonest with you. A real man wouldn’t tell his wife lies like that. That man is not in New Orleans.”
“It might have been someone else you saw.” I quickly defended Simon.
“I know what he looks like, and I know the car he drives.”
I gazed at him wondering what Simon was really up to. “There is no way Simon would be in this town and not stop by to see me.” I wanted this to be true.
“He would if he was not alone.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“Somebody else was in the car.”
I sat straight up, and leaned in. “Are you sure? How could you see all of that in a passing car?”
“Because I saw him twice in one night: first driving down the street, and again when my cousin and I went to the bar. He came in there with a nice-looking brown woman. It was somebody I’m sure you know. “
Shaking my head, I said, “There is no way Simon is in town. He told me there is a man around who looks exactly like him. He said the man is the same height and color.”
Adam frowned at my comment, as if my explanation was nonsense. “I couldn’t leave you after seeing him. I wanted to hang around and make sure you were all right.”
I became irritated. My eyes felt strange and my chest was heaving up and down. I wasn’t sure what to say. I was tired of the stories about Simon.
“Carrie, the woman is not important. You should be more concerned about him sneaking in town without you knowing, and the secrets he might have.”
“I want to know who he was with!” I shouted.
“Calm down, Carrie,” he said, motioning with his hand as if to calm the waters.
He swallowed, and picked up his cup to sip the coffee. All the time, I could hear the clock ticking away on the mantle. When was he going to say something? I waited, biting my bottom lip. Adam just stared at me without speaking, and then he inhaled as to gain some nerve.
He held out his hand toward me and gestured. “Now, I want you to remain calm.”
“I am calm,” I said, my chest inflating and deflating with speed.
“It was your neighbor, Nadine, the one who lives across the street from you.”
“Nadine, are you kidding me?! Did she see you?”
“No, I didn’t stay in the bar. I told my cousin I’d catch up with him another time. I left before they noticed me and went back to my aunt’s house. I thought about you all night. I didn’t want you to be hurt. I really didn’t know what to say to you. I just knew you deserved to know what is going on.”
I felt a chill go through my body. I wanted to cry. My eyes welled up with water, but I fought the tears away. How could I be sad? I had come back to school with Adam and pretended like he was my man. I cared and maybe even loved Adam, yet my first love was Simon. Now, my fears had come true. He was with Nadine again. He said she was just a friend and nothing she could do would make him fall for her. The lying rascal…
“What should I do, Adam?”
“You will be all right,” he said confidently.
“I think so,” I agreed, wiping away the teardrops sliding down my cheeks with the back of my hand.
He peered at me from across the table and reached for my hand. “You know you will always have me.”
I smiled.
Adam’s eyes were penetrating. Concern had taken over his face. His perfect smile was absent as he held his chin with his other hand. He was in deep thought.
“I am going back this afternoon, but if you want me to stick around another day, I can.”
“I’ll be fine—am too busy to think about Simon.”
I washed the coffee cups we had used and left the kitchen. Adam followed close behind me. He helped me with my coat as I gathered my pad to take notes in class.
“I’m going to walk you to class. Then I’ll head to the depot and wait for the train.”
“The train will not be here for another hour.”
“Waiting for a few minutes will not hurt me. And the cool wind is good for you. The ole folks claim the wind will blow away the germs in the air. I say the wind is good for troubles too.”
“There are so many wives tales.”
“I know, yet they make sense,” he said.
Cranberry Winter Page 4