Church Folk - Michele Andrea Bowen [104]
"Precious, I better go."
"But we haven't figured out what we planning on doing to Marcel. Why don't we meet tomorrow? I'm staying with the woman who cooks the food for the club and I know she'll let us meet at her house."
Saphronia didn't respond to this suggestion because she wasn't so sure she wanted to arrange a meeting at the home of a woman who cooked for a brothel.
"Tee Cole is okay," Precious said, guessing the reason for Saphronia's hesitation. "The only reason she working there is to hold on to her house. She lost her other job and needed some good-paying work real fast."
Saphronia remained silent a few more seconds and finally said, "I guess I'll have to take you on your word. But will I be safe in her neighborhood?"
Precious sighed. She had momentarily forgotten how much of a snob Saphronia was.
"Look, Tee is a good woman and she lives around decent folks. Saphronia, education, money, and where somebody lives don't always tell you who is a decent person and who is not. Look at Marcel—if I used your scale, I'd have to say that he was decent. But we know that ain't so, now don't we?"
Saphronia felt ashamed at the truth of those words. "Precious," she said, "I will come by tomorrow if that is okay with you and that lady. The sooner we get together the better."
"You right. And don't worry, I'll have some kind of plan by tomorrow."
Saphronia smiled to herself. A tiny part of her was looking forward to meeting with Precious, even though she was going to have to tell a gigantic lie to get away from her grandmother. And she didn't doubt that any woman who had the nerve to call a man's fiancée and report that he was two-timing both of them, certainly had the ability to work up a brilliant scheme to get back at him.
Chapter Twenty-four
SUSIE JAMES LOOPED HER HAND THROUGH ESSIE'S arm and steered her to a row of seats on the gymnasium floor, with Willis and Thayline following close behind them. Rev. James and Theophilus had met that morning with Booker and Pompey, who had news to fill them in on. Then they would have to race to meet up with Bishop Jennings, who had asked them to march with him in the preelection processional. Any preacher seen in this lineup would be treated as someone who was important enough to keep an eye on.
"Baby doll, you think you gonna get a chance to talk to Baybro before service starts?"
Essie turned around and looked across the gymnasium in search of Theophilus. Like Thayline, she was hoping that either he or Rev. James would find them in enough time to let them know what was going on with this Bishop Caruthers business.
The gymnasium was almost packed to full capacity, though it was only 8:00 and the service wasn't even supposed to start until 9:15. The crowd was looking good, all these well-dressed, good-smelling, smiling, laughing, tall-walking, and proud-to-be-a-part-of-such-a-great-institution Negroes everywhere. The magnificent array of hats on the women's heads alone was something to see. There was one sister standing near them wearing a hat that was so outstanding that she could not help stand out, even in a crowd of more than four thousand people. The hat was made of sheer gold silk, with a silver and gold brocade ribbon around the crisp brim, and a shower of rhinestones on the crown that gave off a rainbow of sparkles every time she moved her head. This sister knew she looked good, as did the four ministers who rushed to hold her folding chair for her when she finally found a seat to her liking.
She spied Eddie and Johnnie Thomas working their way through the crowd, Johnnie's bright red pillbox hat bobbing up and down. She was a good woman, Essie thought, and they all should have known better than to prejudge her. Thayline's friends were bound to be good and decent folks, even if they did have outrageous-looking jeweled teeth in their mouths. Essie watched Eddie catering to Johnnie, making sure she was comfortable and placing his arm protectively around her shoulders