by Mary Monroe
Since I was always late paying my poontang tab with Aunt Mattie, I didn’t think she’d be willing to lend me no fifty dollars, let alone a hundred. “Shoot!” I hissed, shaking my head. “I can’t tune up my mouth to ask that woman for such big money! Especially since she usually turn me down when I try to hit her up for just a dollar or two.”
“Look-a-here, buddy. I’m ahead of you. I already considered that. I’ll borrow it from her and lend it to you. You can pay me back whenever you can, no matter how long it takes. After all, she is the one that loaned me the down payment I needed to buy my truck so I know she can be right generous. The only thing is, she always makes me pay her a twenty percent interest fee every time I borrow from her.”
“Willie Frank, if you borrow money from Aunt Mattie and don’t pay her back on time, she might put a hoodoo hex on you,” Yvonne warned. “Don’t go to her unless we can’t get it from nobody else. And if you do get a hundred from her, what about the other two hundred we need—not to mention her ‘interest’ fee?”
“Well, Mr. Cunningham might help. And what about that nice Dr. Patterson that invited y’all to have Thanksgiving dinner with him and his family?” Willie Frank added. “Between the three of them, y’all shouldn’t have no problem.”
“We’ll see about that.” Yvonne let out a loud sigh and stood up, waving her hands in the air. “We still got that other thing to worry about. When whoever it was that set us up—and gave Milton that beating—find out their plan didn’t put us out of commission, they might try something else,” she whimpered.
I was just as worried as she was about “that other thing,” but I didn’t want her to know it. “Baby, we need to set that aside for now and focus on getting the money to pay Lamar back,” I replied. “That’s way more serious.”
“Milton is sure enough right,” Willie Frank agreed.
“Sweet Jesus!” Yvonne waved her hands again. “I can’t talk about all this no more today. I’m going to go wash up, fix me a mighty big drink and a baloney sandwich, and crawl into bed with my Bible.”
“You go right ahead, sugar. I’m going to do that same thing myself. Don’t you worry your pretty little head too much. Me and Willie Frank will come up with something to help us straighten out this mess,” I told her.
Yvonne blew out a loud breath before she stumbled out of the room. I exhaled and gave Willie Frank a serious look. “Ain’t no telling how long it’s going to take to get our business back to where our regulars will feel comfortable enough to start visiting again. So our money is going to be real tight for a while. Aunt Mattie will probably give you whatever you ask for, but I doubt if Mr. Cunningham will pay me and Yvonne for missing work yesterday and today. And, I don’t know Dr. Patterson too good. He might be the type that don’t lend money to nobody.”
“Don’t throw in the towel just yet. I know of other sources,” Willie Frank tossed in with a wink. I was pleased to see him looking more hopeful. “Me and my brothers done hit a few big houses in Mobile. We swiped a heap of stuff that made us some serious money—jewelry, silverware, and even cash left out in the open. We even took the tires off some fat cat’s brand-new Ford. Other than heists like that, there ain’t too many other choices.” Willie Frank’s face suddenly froze. His eyes got big and he snapped his fingers. “What about Joyce’s daddy? Mac is kind of aloof, but he is one of the richest colored men in town!”
“And the last one we should approach. He done made it clear he ain’t got no affection for bootleggers, so I know he wouldn’t give us a plugged nickel!”
“Then get it from Odell,” Willie Frank suggested.
I done such a hard double-take, my neck felt like it was going to twist up in a knot. I stared at Willie Frank for a couple of seconds with my mouth hanging open. “Get it from Odell?” I asked dumbly.
“Sure enough. Mac would probably lend it to him and never have to know he was borrowing it to lend to y’all.” I couldn’t believe how excited Willie Frank was now. I had to play this just right so he didn’t get suspicious.
Not only could I hit Odell up for three hundred dollars, I wouldn’t have to pay him back! I didn’t want Willie Frank to know that so I said, “I doubt if that would work. Mac and Millie pay Odell to run the store, and I know they ain’t paying him no chump change. Joyce got a good paying job so Odell ain’t got no excuse to be borrowing money from her folks.”
Willie Frank’s tone dropped so low I could barely hear him. “Oh. You got a point there, I guess. I hadn’t thought about that.”
We didn’t say nothing else for a couple of seconds. I knew Willie Frank was disappointed, but the thoughts in my head were spinning like a loose wheel. Now I was the one that was excited. It was so hard to sit still I had to cross my legs to keep myself from jumping up and dancing a jig. We could still try to get some money from Aunt Mattie, Mr. Cunningham, and Dr. Patterson, though. I’d pay them debts back with the money I got from Odell. Not only that, I’d demand a extra hundred smacka-roos from him so I’d have a little breathing room, and some play money to have some fun with. I’d even use part of it to take Yvonne on a buggy ride to celebrate our freedom. I wouldn’t tell her or Willie Frank about the money I got from Odell because I didn’t want them to think I was too big of a trickster.
Odell was going to shit a brick when I went up to him and told him I needed four hundred dollars by the end of the month. He could shit all the bricks he wanted so long as he gave me that money. I had all the leverage and he had showed me that he was a push-over, so it didn’t seem like it would be too much trouble getting him to come through. Besides, he had already proved that me keeping his second life with Betty Jean a secret meant way more to him than money. I didn’t think he would get no madder and fuss no more than he did when I put the bite on him for only a few extra dollars all them other times. Shoot!
Willie Frank waved his hand in front of my face and nudged my shoulder. “You still with me? You look like you in a daze.”
“Huh? Oh!” I shook my head, cleared my throat, and grinned. “Um, I was just thinking about how happy I am to be home, and how grateful I am you got your uncle to go to bat for us.”
“Well, I’m glad things worked out the way they did.” Willie Frank stood up and stretched. “I been real busy these past couple of days. I need to get back to my business before I’ll need to scrounge up some money for myself,” he snickered. “I got several orders I’m late delivering. I’ll come back tomorrow evening and we can discuss everything some more.”
“I need one more favor. Can you swing by the grill and let Mr. Cunningham know we out of jail and will be back to work tomorrow? If any of our regulars is up in there, let them know we’ll be back in business as of tonight.”
“Sure enough. After I do that, I’ll make some pit stops at a few other places where some of the other regulars hang out and let them know, too.”
I got up and walked Willie Frank out to the porch, patting his shoulder all the way. The sun was shining so bright but it felt a little irritating beating down on my battered face. That didn’t stop the wall-to-wall smile from spreading across my face, though. I wrapped my arms around Willie Frank and gave him a bear hug. “Thanks, buddy. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
“Well, I only do what a real friend is supposed to do.”
“And you better believe we ain’t going to forget it!” I declared. I sucked in some air and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. My bruises and body stink didn’t even faze me no more. But I was still going to wash myself up as soon as Yvonne finished her bath. Then I was going to put on some clean clothes, eat a decent meal, get drunk, and read my Bible. “Um . . . by the way, you talked to Odell since we got arrested?”
“Nope. When I came over here to clean up yesterday, it was during the day while him and Joyce was still at work. Why?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering.”
“Odell is a good old soul. Christian to the bone. I enjoy his company as much as you do. I know h
e’s been as worried about y’all as the rest of us. He’ll be pleased as punch to knowy’all got out of jail and them charges didn’t stick.” Willie Frank smiled and gave me a thoughtful look. “I hope he comes back over here to socialize again real soon. Joyce, too.”
“So do I.” I glanced over at the spot where Odell always parked his car in front of his house. “I’ll pay him a visit as soon as he come home from work this evening and let him know it’s business as usual.”
READING GROUP GUIDE
OVER THE FENCE
Mary Monroe
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions that follow are included to enhance your group’s reading of this book.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Some criminals blame their misdeeds on bad breaks and miserable childhoods. Yvonne and Milton were raised by wholesome family members and still made bad choices that landed them in prison. Do you think they were born to be bad?
2. Yvonne attempted to walk the straight and narrow after she got released from prison. If Lester Fullbright had not cheated on her with her best friend, Katy, do you think she still would have been attracted to a hustler like Milton?
3. Did Yvonne go too far when she punished Lester and Katy? Did she not go far enough?
4. Even with all their scheming, Yvonne and Milton were still not financially secure. They were greedy and unrealistic. They wanted things they couldn’t afford, and they were determined to have them no matter what they had to do. Do you know people like Yvonne and Milton? If so, do you avoid them or cater to their demands?
5. Do you think Yvonne would have been much better off with a man like Odell? If so, why?
6. Yvonne and Milton truly loved each other. But do you think they were bad for each other?
7. According to Proverbs 21:10–11, there is no honor among thieves. Yvonne didn’t know Milton was blackmailing Odell until Odell told her. Therefore, was she justified in not telling Milton that she was blackmailing Odell, too?
8. Joyce and Odell were basically nice people, but they were insensitive—and didn’t even know it. Their callous remarks caused Yvonne and Milton a lot of anguish. Do you think that if Yvonne and Milton had not spent time in prison and had not come from the “wrong side of town,” Joyce and Odell would have treated them as equals?
9. Milton didn’t have any qualms about blackmailing Odell. He blamed Odell for his own “downfall” by being stupid enough to flaunt his mistress and their children in public. Do you think if Odell knew about Milton’s numerous trysts with prostitutes, he would have used this information as leverage to make him back off?
10. Odell was unscrupulous to the bone. But he was so good at being manipulative and charming, Yvonne eventually started looking at him from a more positive point of view. She still despised his bragging and snooty demeanor, but she admired his good looks and charisma, and she wanted Milton to be more like him. Do you think Milton was justified in feeling slighted and getting angry each time she compared him to Odell?
11. Yvonne and Milton racked up a long list of enemies, so things were bound to boil over sooner or later. Did you think Milton’s beating would be the worst thing they had to face?
12. Did you predict that things would get much worse for Yvonne and Milton?
13. Who do you think set up the phony rape charge against Yvonne and Milton?
Don’t miss the first book in the Neighbors series
One House Over
A solid marriage, a thriving business, and the esteem of their close-knit Alabama community—Joyce and Odell Watson have every reason to count their blessings. Their marriage has given well-off Joyce a chance at the family she’s always wanted, and it has granted Odell a once-in-a-lifetime shot to escape grinding poverty. But all that respectability and status comes at a cost. Just once, Joyce and Odell want to break loose and taste life’s wild side, without consequences . . .
Available wherever books and ebooks are sold.
Enjoy the following excerpt from One House Over . . .
CHAPTER 1
JOYCE
June 1934
OTHER THAN MY PARENTS, I WAS THE ONLY OTHER PERSON AT THE supper table Sunday evening. But there was enough food for twice as many people. We’d spent the first five minutes raving about Mama’s fried chicken, how much we had enjoyed Reverend Jessup’s sermon a few hours ago, and other mundane things. When Daddy cleared his throat and looked at me with his jaw twitching, I knew the conversation was about to turn toward my spinsterhood.
“I hired a new stock boy the other day and I told him all about you. He is just itching to get acquainted. This one is a real nice, young, single man,” Daddy said, looking at me from the corner of his eye.
I froze because I knew where this conversation was going: my “old maid” status. The last “real nice, young, single man” Daddy had hired to work in our store and tried to dump off on me was a fifty-five-year-old, tobacco-chewing, widowed grandfather named Buddy Armstrong. There had been several others before him. Each one had grandkids and health problems. Daddy was eighty-two, so to him anybody under sixty was “young.” He and Mama had tried to have children for thirty years before she gave birth to me thirty years ago, when she was forty-eight. But I hadn’t waited this long to settle for a husband who’d probably become disabled or die of old age before he could give me the children I desperately wanted.
I was tempted to stay quiet and keep my eyes on the ads for scarves in the new Sears and Roebuck catalog that I had set next to my plate. But I knew that if I didn’t say something on the subject within the next few seconds, Daddy would harp on it until I did. Mama would join in, and they wouldn’t stop until they’d run out of things to say. And then they would start all over again. I took a deep breath and braced myself. “Daddy, I work as a teacher’s aide. What do I have in common with a stock boy?”
Daddy raised both of his thick gray eyebrows and looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. “Humph! Y’all both single! That’s what y’all got in common!” he growled.
“I can find somebody on my own!” I boomed. I never raised my voice unless I was really upset, like I was now.
Daddy shook his head. “Since you thirty now and still ain’t got no husband—or even a boyfriend—it don’t look like you having much luck finding somebody on your own, girl.”
“Mac is right, Joyce. It’s high time for you to start socializing again. It’s a shame the way you letting life pass you by,” Mama threw in. They were both looking at me so hard, it made me more uncomfortable than I already was. I squirmed in my seat and cleared my throat.
“Anyway, he said he can’t wait to meet you. He is so worldly and sharp, he’ll be a good person for you to conversate with.”
“I hope you didn’t say ‘conversate’ in front of this new guy. That’s a word somebody made up,” I scolded. “The correct word is converse.”
Daddy gave me a pensive look and scratched his neck. “Hmmm. Well, somebody ‘made up’ all the words in every language, eh?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“What difference do it make which one I used as long as he knew what I meant?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then I’ll say conversate if I want to, and you can say converse. It’s still English, and this is the only language I know— and it’s too complicated for me to be trying to speak it correct this late in the game. Shoot.” My Daddy. He was a real piece of work. He winked at me before he bit off a huge chunk of cornbread and started chewing so hard his ears wiggled. He swallowed and started talking again with his eyes narrowed. “I got a notion to invite him to eat supper with us one evening. He is a strapping man, so he’d appreciate a good home-cooked meal. I even told him how good you can cook, Joyce. . . .”
My parents had become obsessed with helping me find a husband. My love life—or lack of a love life—was a frequent subject in our house. One night I dreamed that they’d lined up men in our front yard and made me parade back and forth in front of
them so they could inspect me. But even in a dream nobody wanted to marry me.
“What’s wrong with this one? Other than him being just a stock boy?” I mumbled as I rolled my eyes.
“Why come you think something is wrong with him?” Daddy laughed but so far, nobody had said something funny enough to make me laugh. If anything, I wanted to cry.
“Because he wants to meet me,” I said with my voice cracking. My self-esteem had sunk so low, and I felt so unworthy, I didn’t know if I’d want a man who would settle for me. “He’s probably homelier and sicklier than Buddy Armstrong.” I did laugh this time.
“I met him and I sure didn’t see nothing wrong with him,” Mama piped in. She drank some lemonade and let out a mild burp before she continued. “He ain’t nowhere near homely.”
“Or sickly,” Daddy added with a snort.
“And he’s right sporty and handsome!” Mama sounded like a giddy schoolgirl. I was surprised to see such a hopeful look on her face. Despite all the wrinkles, liver spots, and about fifty pounds of extra weight, she was still attractive. She had big brown eyes and a smile that made her moon face look years younger. Unlike Daddy, who had only half of his teeth left, she still had all of hers. They were so nice and white, people often asked if they were real. She was the same pecan shade of brown as me and Daddy. But I had his small, sad black eyes and narrow face. He’d been completely bald since he was fifty and last week on my thirtieth birthday he’d predicted that if I had any hair left by the time I turned forty, it would probably all be gray. I’d found my first few strands of gray hair the next morning. “I know you’ll like this one,” Mama assured me with a wink. She reared back in her wobbly chair and raked her thick fingers through her thin gray hair. “You ain’t getting no younger, so you ain’t got much time left,” she reminded.