can be a flower girl at the funeral?â
âYes, maâam. I would be real proud to carry flowers for Mr. Bro. Wiley,â Pole said as we rushed in the dining room. Her face lit up and she pushed me in the side for a reaction.
âThatâs real good, Pole.â
âMaybe Ma gonna include me too,â I whispered.
We went back in the kitchen to celebrate. I be doggone if Pole wasnât walking different. Walking like she had won a teddy bear at the state fair. Nobody in the Low Meadows was as sassy as Pole, and being a flower girl just turned her up a notch or two. From that moment on, I knew it was gonna be a long week around my best friend.
âPapa said flower girls walk right behind the casket. Are you gonna be scared to walk behind Mr. Bro. Wiley?â I asked Pole.
âNope, I would never be scared of Mr. Bro. Wiley. Ma has been a flower girl at a lot of funerals, so sheâll tell me what to do.â
Sassy she might be, but I was some kind of proud of Pole.
I laid my fork down so that she could eat the last piece of pie.
âThank you, Bean.â
After we finished our dessert, Pole and me stayed in the kitchen. Papa and Mr. Jabo went for a walk while the womenfolk talked about what songs would be heard at the funeral.
It wasnât long before there was a knock at the front door.
âAnswer the door, children,â Ma yelled.
I just couldnât believe my eyes as I got closer. It was Miss Remie all dressed up in a navy blue suit with matching shoes and bag. Her silver hair was pulled back in a bun and her nose was turned up like our clean front porch did not smell good. Her blue eyes were not kind like Miss Margieâs were. I wanted to take a piece of funeral fabric and wipe some of that makeup off her mean-looking face. She was holding a pretty chocolate cake in a glass-cover plate.
âYoung man, is your mother home?â she asked.
I was speechless, so Pole answered for me. In all the years Mama had worked for her, she had never stepped foot in our house. Never!
âMiss Magnolia and my mama here, Miss Remie. Iâll get them.â
Before Pole could get the womenfolk, they were standing behind us.
âEvening, Miss Remie,â they said.
âWould you like to come in?â Ma asked.
âNo, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about Mr. Bro. Wiley.â
Miss Remie had no intentions of coming in because her colored driver, Mr. Jack Faison, never even turned the car off.
âWell, thank you. I feel some kinda bad that I canât come to work this week. You know we were all the family Mr. Bro. Wiley had, so the sittinâ up is here. Folk been in and out the house since Saturday.â
âMagnolia, you come back when you can. You have ironed enough clothes for me to wear for a year.â
âYes, maâam. I didnât want you to think I had lost my mind,â Ma said as we all joined Miss Remie on the porch.
âNow, why would I think that? Death is a horrible thing, even for coloreds. Take all the time you need.â
I could hardly hold my tongue when she said âeven for coloreds.â Didnât she know that colored folk have hearts too?
ââEven for coloreds,ââ Miss Lottie Pearl shouted out. Pole got her sassy ways from her mama for sure. Ma pushed Miss Lottie Pearl in the side with her elbow so she would shut up. I wanted to push her in the other side so she would keep talking. Miss Remieâs eyes got big like she had never heard a colored person talk smart to her before.
âI brought you a cake that I purchased from Mr. Taylorâs grocery just this morning. You can keep the cake plate,â Miss Remie said as she turned her back to us.
âOpen the door, Jack,â Miss Remie said to Mr. Jack Faison. She should be shame of herself calling her eighty-year-old colored driver by his first name.
âAfternoon, ladies,â Mr. Faison said as he got out of the
âYes, maâam. I would be real proud to carry flowers for Mr. Bro. Wiley,â Pole said as we rushed in the dining room. Her face lit up and she pushed me in the side for a reaction.
âThatâs real good, Pole.â
âMaybe Ma gonna include me too,â I whispered.
We went back in the kitchen to celebrate. I be doggone if Pole wasnât walking different. Walking like she had won a teddy bear at the state fair. Nobody in the Low Meadows was as sassy as Pole, and being a flower girl just turned her up a notch or two. From that moment on, I knew it was gonna be a long week around my best friend.
âPapa said flower girls walk right behind the casket. Are you gonna be scared to walk behind Mr. Bro. Wiley?â I asked Pole.
âNope, I would never be scared of Mr. Bro. Wiley. Ma has been a flower girl at a lot of funerals, so sheâll tell me what to do.â
Sassy she might be, but I was some kind of proud of Pole.
I laid my fork down so that she could eat the last piece of pie.
âThank you, Bean.â
After we finished our dessert, Pole and me stayed in the kitchen. Papa and Mr. Jabo went for a walk while the womenfolk talked about what songs would be heard at the funeral.
It wasnât long before there was a knock at the front door.
âAnswer the door, children,â Ma yelled.
I just couldnât believe my eyes as I got closer. It was Miss Remie all dressed up in a navy blue suit with matching shoes and bag. Her silver hair was pulled back in a bun and her nose was turned up like our clean front porch did not smell good. Her blue eyes were not kind like Miss Margieâs were. I wanted to take a piece of funeral fabric and wipe some of that makeup off her mean-looking face. She was holding a pretty chocolate cake in a glass-cover plate.
âYoung man, is your mother home?â she asked.
I was speechless, so Pole answered for me. In all the years Mama had worked for her, she had never stepped foot in our house. Never!
âMiss Magnolia and my mama here, Miss Remie. Iâll get them.â
Before Pole could get the womenfolk, they were standing behind us.
âEvening, Miss Remie,â they said.
âWould you like to come in?â Ma asked.
âNo, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about Mr. Bro. Wiley.â
Miss Remie had no intentions of coming in because her colored driver, Mr. Jack Faison, never even turned the car off.
âWell, thank you. I feel some kinda bad that I canât come to work this week. You know we were all the family Mr. Bro. Wiley had, so the sittinâ up is here. Folk been in and out the house since Saturday.â
âMagnolia, you come back when you can. You have ironed enough clothes for me to wear for a year.â
âYes, maâam. I didnât want you to think I had lost my mind,â Ma said as we all joined Miss Remie on the porch.
âNow, why would I think that? Death is a horrible thing, even for coloreds. Take all the time you need.â
I could hardly hold my tongue when she said âeven for coloreds.â Didnât she know that colored folk have hearts too?
ââEven for coloreds,ââ Miss Lottie Pearl shouted out. Pole got her sassy ways from her mama for sure. Ma pushed Miss Lottie Pearl in the side with her elbow so she would shut up. I wanted to push her in the other side so she would keep talking. Miss Remieâs eyes got big like she had never heard a colored person talk smart to her before.
âI brought you a cake that I purchased from Mr. Taylorâs grocery just this morning. You can keep the cake plate,â Miss Remie said as she turned her back to us.
âOpen the door, Jack,â Miss Remie said to Mr. Jack Faison. She should be shame of herself calling her eighty-year-old colored driver by his first name.
âAfternoon, ladies,â Mr. Faison said as he got out of the
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