His was a very charming smile with the whitest teeth. He was wearing a chocolate-brown suit with a matching tie and shiny brown loafers. The loafers had a bit of dust on them, but you could still see the fresh shine on them gleaming through the dusty layer. He looks a bit cartoonish, Joseph thought. He was reminded of a character he had once seen in a comic at the Kingsleys—Droopy the saggy-faced dog. Because of this likeness, the man no longer seemed that scary to Joseph. He gave off an impression of warmth, although Joseph still felt unease.
“Come here, boy! Come closer so we can talk. Do you need something? I would be happy to help you with whatever you need.”
Joseph hesitantly started walking toward the man. This was exactly how Joseph imagined things going, but he couldn’t help but feel that something was not right. Maybe it was his gut, or maybe it was just William’s words continually echoing in his head. Nonetheless, he was uneasy. He dragged his feet every step up that driveway.
When Joseph reached the top of the driveway, there stood “Droopy,” smiling. “Hello there, boy. I am Senator Westridge. What’s your name?”
Joseph was fidgeting, and he stuttered a bit, muttering, “J-Joseph, sir.”
The senator nodded his head and said, “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Joseph. Don’t be afraid, boy. We can be friends. Now, what brings you to these parts of Mississippi?”
Joseph started to tell him the whole story, as he had done with Sarah, but then he stopped himself before blurting it all out. He needed a good read on this character before divulging his life story. “I came in search of my mama,” Joseph said shakily.
“Why would you think your mama is here, boy?”
“Well, sir, I come from Clarksville, and when I was there, I read a piece of paper that said my mama was sent here to work for you years ago.”
Senator Westridge touched his chin with his finger and thumb in a slow stroking motion. “Huh? Well, isn’t that the darnedest thing. Have you ever met your mama or seen a picture of her?”
“No, sir, I haven’t,” Joseph said, his head hanging.
You could see the wheels turning in the senator’s head. “Well, let’s see what we can do about that, Joseph. I am sure we can fix that. What is her name, boy?”
“Claudia Dove,” Joseph said with a hint of confidence in his voice. As Joseph spoke her name, his spirits lifted and the unease started to fade. The more they talked, the more Joseph’s level of comfort with the senator rose.
“Claudia Dove, you say? Yes, I believe there is a woman by the name of Claudia Dove that lives here,” the senator said, boosting Joseph’s level of comfort a bit more.
Joseph felt he was going to leap right out of his skin. His level of excitement was almost uncontrollable. “Can I see her? Can I?” Joseph said in a childlike tone, almost shrill from the excitement.
The senator shook his head with disappointment. “If it were up to me, we would run out there and let you meet your mama right now, but she is not here,” the man said. “She has been on a trip for a couple of days, but don’t you worry. I expect her back any day now.”
Joseph was disappointed to hear this, but he reasoned that, considering how far he had come and how long he had waited, what was a few more days? He decided now was as good of a time as any to tell the senator about his plan, so he took a deep breath and whipped out his inner businessman.
“Senator, sir, I have saved some money, and I was thinkin’ that maybe I could give it to you, and when my mama comes back, she could come with me, so we could get our own place.”
The senator didn’t miss a beat. “Well, I couldn’t take your money from you, boy. It’s illegal to take money for folks these days. You can’t just buy and sell folks like you could in the good ole days, and I have to uphold the law here, son. I am a senator now. But when your mama returns, if she would like to leave with you, you will both have my blessing.”
Joseph couldn’t believe it. It was all as he had envisioned, but the feeling was even greater than he could have imagined. Maybe people in these parts were a bit nicer than what he was used to, even though it was just thirty or so miles from where he grew up. Those thirty or so miles were starting to feel like a lifetime.
Joseph was gripping his moneybox in his hand so tightly that the tips of his fingers were turning white.
The senator looked down and saw the box. “What’s in the box you’re holding? It looks like some damn fine cigars you got there.”
Joseph smiled and said with a hint of pride, “No, sir, it’s my money.”
The senator nodded with a smile. “Well, would you like me to hold on to your money for safekeeping until you are ready to leave with your mama? I would be obliged to do that for you, boy.”
Joseph hesitated just for a moment, but then he thought to himself, What would this man, a United States senator, want with this little bit of money I have? Joseph had already been told that he could keep his money and leave with his mother. As the senator’s hand was already reaching for the box, Joseph hesitantly said, “Oh . . . OK,” while he handed his box over to the oddly ready hand of the senator.
The senator eagerly said, “Good. It’s settled, then. You will stay here until your mama returns, and I will hold on to this for you for safekeeping until you leave. Now, let me show you to your room.”
Joseph nodded and followed the senator around the corner.
“Now, I have many people that live here, but for now, you can stay in your mama’s house.”
My mama’s house, Joseph thought.
Oh, how wonderful and mystical it all felt. It was so surreal to him.
12
Crazy or Controlled?
A gravel pathway next to the mansion led to a quaint little house beside it. This smaller house was offset by modest-sized, meticulously kept flowerbeds in the front on each side of the steps leading to the tiny front porch. It was picturesque. Everything looked so well kept—almost too well kept. There was no chipping paint, no rotting wood, not a single weed to be found in the flowerbeds. There was not even a speck of dust on the porch. This was an odd occurrence, seeing as there was a nearby gravel path and a gravel driveway. The level of perfection was almost eerie. The Kingsleys’ house was well maintained, but this borderline perfection was achieving another level.
The senator walked up the steps to the front door, motioning for Joseph to accompany him. He opened the door and walked in while Joseph stood back in the threshold, looking around the room. The first thing he noticed were flower paintings hanging on all four walls. The inside reminded him of something that Mrs. Kingsley would have decorated, which gave him an odd sense of comfort.
This little house was a studio-style home. There were no walls besides the exterior ones. This space was where all the house’s belongings were located. To the right of Joseph was a brass bed with a flower-patterned bedspread, keeping with the paintings’ theme. The only thing not pristine in the house was the brass bed, which had several tarnished imperfections, but even that seemed a perfect fit.
The house was particularly lovely for its being help’s quarters. From what Joseph had seen before, this was not even comparable. This house had an unfamiliar level of arrangement, detail, and style. It reminded him more of a place the Kingsleys would have used to host their guests, not their help.
“This is where you can lay your head and your bag. I hope you like it,” the senator said while smiling.
“Like it? I love it!” Joseph said.
He couldn’t help but think that his mother must love