The Sleeping Tiger Wakes; Her Name is Maggie
This a based on memories of things that happened, perhaps not exactly this way, but very similarly when I was growing up. Integration was difficult in a lot of places across the country, but particularly in the deep South.
Scoobie
slapped the erasers against the large pine sending a white cloud of
dust into the air. It was Friday and she had made it through the first
week of school. She was happy that nothing bad happened, happy to take a
deep breath for the first time all week. From hearing the muffled
conversations of the adults around her, she had expected the worst. She
wasn't exactly sure what "the worst" was, but she was relieved it
hadn't happened.
Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She
finished her chore and took the erasers back into her homeroom. Mrs.
Grant smiled thanks as she looked up from her stack of papers and
grading book. Scoobie was sure that was probably the spelling test from
this morning as she grabbed her books and lunch box and headed to the
far side of school and the playground. She might be able to play a game
of marbles or swing a little before the buses came to pick them up.
As
soon as she rounded the corner of the building, the sight that greeted
her eyes drew a tight knot in the pit of her stomach. For just a
second she felt sick, like she was going to puke. There, by the slide,
was a circle of children around Joseph.
Maggie
Bell stood directly in front of him, smirking her plump lips, smeared
with her mama's lipstick, into a smile that genuinely revealed her
spiteful nature. She stood with her hands on her hips, head cocked to
one side, rocking slightly to and fro as she spoke.
"Well,
looky here, as if it ain't bad enough that they are a-sendin' coloreds
here to our school," she paused and glanced around the crowd of
children as if to solicit support, "they had to make matters worse by
sending a damned retard! Ain't that a goofy-looking face, looks like he
just woke up and cain't even open his eyes wide from being so sleepy!"
"Yeah, Maggie B., you're right, he shore does look crazy!" yelled Tate, Maggie's younger brother. "What you grinnin' at, you stupid little retard?"
Joseph
flinched at the raised voices directed at him. The smile slipped from
his mouth and he lowered his head like a dog being scolded. He raised
his eyes just enough to glance around the group of children for a
friendly face when he caught sight of Scoobie striding toward the group.
"You'd
best leave him alone, Maggie Bell Hoover! He ain't nothin' but a
little boy and he ain't doin' nothin' to you. Just back off, you
hateful old cow!" Scoobie was mad as she had ever been in her life, but
even so she couldn't believe the words coming from her mouth.
"I'd best do what? Why, I can beat the hell out of you, little Miss Goody Two Shoes, so YOU better turn around right now while you can still walk away, 'fore you have to crawl!"
Maggie's eyes flashed fire and she had balled her right hand into a fist, shaking it in Scoobie's direction.
"You
ain't never been nothin' but a little smart-ass teacher's pet your
whole life and I'm jest 'bout sick of you. Course, I ain't surprised,
you takin' up for this little retard, since all you ever had to play
with out there in the sticks where you live is them niggers!"
By
now Joseph had tears streaming down his face and snot running out of
his nose. He was frightened and looked timidly up at the big blond girl
who was arguing with Scoobie. He attempted to walk out of the circle
and to safety, but he was halted by Maggie's hand on his shoulder.
"Just a minute, Retard, I didn't say you could go nowhere, now did I? Come on, Sco-o-o-obie,
walk over here close enough so I can jack your jaws for you, you
little chicken-shit!" Maggie drawled Scoobie's name mockingly and
jerked Joseph closer to her by grabbing his overall strap.
Scoobie
walked towards Maggie and her hostage, trembling with each step, but
trying to look brave. As she walked past Martha she heard her friend
whisper, "Scoobie don't, she'll hurt you and him."
Then, Martha abrubtly turned and bolted toward the school office.
"Martha
Hendley! Don't you run your skinny little ass in there and tattle on
me girl; I'll get you, too. You just wait and see!" Maggie hurled her
threats at Martha's fleeing back.
Scoobie
stopped just short of Maggie's reach. She looked around the circle of
children. There were ten there, and three of them were Hoovers. She
looked each one of the other children straight in the eyes.
"What are y'all gonna do, just stand there and watch her pick on a little boy," Scoobie asked incredulously.
Joseph
was crying harder now. He had come to the playground, slipping away
from his three brothers, to where the younger children played because it
was the one he was used to when school was in session. He liked this
side because there was a slide and the swings were lower to the ground.
His brothers and the other Negro children were at the back of the
school on the swings or playing kick ball.
Integration
was new here at the elementary school; it was only the end of the
first week of the school year. But already, invisible lines were drawn
on the playgrounds. Everyone knew what was unspoken; it was like a
rotting carcass on the highway that no one would move. They just put up
with the smell and waited for it to pass.
Everybody
was on edge; Scoobie could sense it and told her parents so. When
asked last night at supper about how things were going, she said
everyone was walking on tiptoes like there was a big old mean tiger in
the room and they didn't want to wake it. Her daddy laughed, and then
stopped when Momma shot him "The Look."
"So nobody's gotten in any fights yet?"
"No
Ma'am. But Maggie's been saying things under her breath about Miss
Hodges. She says it just loud enough so those around her can hear, and
some of them start giggling. Miss Hodges had to send her to Mr. Edward's
office this afternoon."
"Scoobie,
at the first sign of any trouble from that girl, you let a teacher
know, you hear me? If she starts talking back to Miss Hodges or heaven
forbid, tries to strike at her, you go straight to Mr. Edward's office."
Scoobie
assured her mother she would. The promise was now ringing in her ears.
She knew she couldn't go get anybody right now; she had to do this
herself. She was hoping Martha found someone soon.
She looked Maggie square in the eyes. Maybe she could reason with her.
"Maggie, let Joseph go, he's only six years old and he ain't hurting anybody."
"NO!"
Maggie shouted. "He should have stayed around there on his side of the
building! They may force us to sit in the same classroom and eat in
the same lunchroom, but school's out for the day and he had no business
coming over here. This is OUR side after school."
She shook Joseph's suspenders roughly, making the child cry out in fear.
Scoobie
lunged towards Maggie and the frightened boy, not knowing what she
would do, except probably end up getting the pure heck beat out of her.
She was stopped short by Miss Hodges' angry voice.
"What
is going on here? Maggie, let go of that child's clothes right now! I
mean it girl, I won't have you picking on anybody, especially a
first-grader!"
Maggie
held Joseph defiantly, the sides of her jaws working as she clenched
and unclenched her teeth. She darted her eyes back and forth from Miss
Hodges to Scoobie, while everyone waited for her next move.
The
early September heat, combined with the tension, stifled their breath.
Had her look of wrath and contempt been a weapon, both Miss Hodges and
Scoobie would be withering in agony on the ground as they drew their
last gasping breaths. She shook Joseph free from her grasp with such
force that he fell to the dirt at her feet. He quickly scooted away
towards Scoobie, whimpering like a scolded dog as he went.
Miss Hodges started towards Maggie and was startled into a dead stop by the scream that spewed from the girl's mouth.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" It was a howl of utter rage and she drew back her hand in the posture of a slap.
"I'd
think long and hard about that, young lady," Miss Hodges uttered in a
low voice that was carefully controlled between her gritted teeth.
"For Gawd's
sake, Maggie B., you cain't hit a teacher, even if she is colored!?
Tate shouted, "'Sides, ain't none of 'em worth the trouble! Come on,
let's go home!"
He
turned and walked away towards the road, glancing back after a few
steps to see if his sister was following. Maggie had dropped her hand
and was looking at the crowd coldly.
"Well,
ain't none of you chicken-shits got nothin' to say? Why don't you back
me up on this, or are y'all all nigger-lovers too?? She looked
defiantly at the group, none of which would return her gaze.
"Bunch
of lilly-livered, nigger-lovin' asses," she muttered in disgust,
cutting her eyes toward Miss Hodges, as she turned to follow her
brother. The other two Hoover brothers slunk away after their siblings.
The crowd watched them disappear around the corner and stood quietly,
only Joseph’s whimpering breaking the awkward silence.
Then,
the sound of the high school bus horn, blowing to warn the elementary
school children that it was coming, startled them into action. They
scattered like squirrels towards the front of the school to gather books
and lunch boxes and assemble in a line to board the buses.
Scoobie
squatted down to help Joseph. She patted him reassuringly on the back
as Tyrone came running around the corner of the building. He stopped in
his tracks for a moment when he saw Scoobie and his baby brother.
He
rushed over to them. "Joseph, I'm so sorry I weren't here to help you.
Why did you leave? You knows you 'sposed to stay on that side with
us." He extended a hand to help Joseph off the ground.
Looking at Scoobie he smiled. "Thank you for standin' up for him Scoobie, he cain't hardly take up for hisself."
"Well,
she did a fine job of taking up for him, so don't you worry about
that!" said Miss Hodges as she walked toward the children. "And, I
intend to let Mr. Edwards know everything that went on here so don't
y'all worry about any trouble from Maggie."
Scoobie
sighed heavily. Miss Hodges didn't know Maggie very well at all,
having just started teaching this school year. She didn’t know any of
the Hoovers, they could be real mean.
She
tried to explain, "Well, those Hoovers ain't exactly the kinda people
you want to make mad, Miss Hodges. I appreciate your tellin' Mr.
Edwards but I'm gonna have to watch my step around here for a while
with her as it is, so I hope she don't get in too much trouble . It'll
just make her that much madder at me."
Scoobie turned and started towards the buses.
Miss
Hodges caught up with her, laying a hand on her shoulder, "You did the
right thing Scoobie. I know it was hard, but you listened to your
heart."
Scoobie
nodded her head in understanding; her eyes were filled with tears. "I
know, I know and I'm glad I did, but it won't make this year any easier
for me."
The
bus ride home seemed to take forever. Scoobie sat on a seat at the
back staring out the window, her mind racing. This was not the way she
had planned for the school day to end. Maggie could make life miserable
for her and she knew it.
She
didn't relish having to be on her toes all year as a means of
surviving the wrath of a Hoover. They had been known to hold grudges
for years, sometimes even to the point where the other person had
forgotten the argument, and then strike back.
Just
going to the bathroom would take a lot of thought and planning,
because the last thing Scoobie would want is to be caught in that
bathroom at the same time as Maggie Bell. She was sure that girl would
beat the living daylights out of her first chance she got! Maggie would
be willing to face the consequences just to get even, Scoobie had no
doubt of that.
Scoobie
felt weary, she was glad it was Friday. At least she had the weekend
to shield her from Maggie's wrath. She heard someone walking down the
aisle towards her. They stopped short of her seat. She looked from the
bus window to see who it was.
It
was Joseph. His eyes were swollen from crying, and he wore a tenuous
smile. Scoobie patted the seat beside her and he slipped in.
"Are you alright Joseph?"
"I okay. Tank you Coobie."
Scoobie
was used to Joseph's limited speech due to his impediment. His momma
worked for Scoobie's family and she had known him and his brothers ever
since she was a little girl.
Living
in a small turpentine village, as the only white family, Scoobie grew
up having all the colored children as playmates. She didn't understand
the big to-do about integration. She didn’t understand why so many
people were so mad that they were all going to go to school together.
"I'm
glad you're okay, Joseph. I'm sorry for the awful things she said to
you. She's a mean girl; her whole family is that way. She had no right
to treat you like that." Scoobie reached out and patted Joseph's small
hand.
The child looked up at Scoobie and smiled, his face soft with gratitude. He leaned his head against her shoulder.
Scoobie felt her breath catch and her eyes tear up. She wondered why the world had to be so hard and hateful sometimes.
Outside
the pine trees whirled by as the bus rolled along the highway towards
their little village. She took a deep breath and sighed. Today she felt
much older than her twelve years. Momma and Granny often told her she
was an old soul.
Today, for the first time, she thought she finally understood what they meant.
It was going to be a long school year. She would have a tiger stalking her every move.
Rose S. Williams
©Southernstoryteller~2008
