Read Online Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. by Sammy Davis, Jane Boyar, Burt - Free Book Online Page B

quietly explained how he’d handled things. Sergeant Williams listened, then spoke sharply: “There is only one way we do things here and that’s the Army way! There will be exactly three feet of space, to the inch, between every bed in this barracks. You have sixty seconds to replace the beds as you found them.
Move
!”
    He came over to me. “What’s your name, soldier?”
    “Sammy Davis, Jr.”
    “Of all the men in this barracks did you arrive first or tenth or last or what?”
    “About in the middle.”
    “Did you choose this bunk?”
    “Well, no, I was told …”
    He looked around. By this time the barracks had been re-arranged. “All right, Davis. Move your gear one bunk over.” He turned to Edward. “You do the same.”
    He addressed us all. “No man here is better than the next man unless he’s got the rank to prove it.”
    I sat on the end of my bunk, the shock gone, immense anger growing within me until my legs were shaking and it was impossible for me to keep them still. I couldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing how they’d gotten to me. I saw one of the other guys polishing his boots. That was a good idea. The boots were a brand new, almost yellow leather and we’d been told to darken them withpolish. I took off my watch and laid it carefully on the bed. I opened my shoe shine kit, took out the polish and brush, and began rubbing the polish into the leather, doing the same spot over and over, concentrating on it, working so hard that I could blank out everything else from my mind. Suddenly another pair of boots landed at my feet. “Here, boy, you can do mine, too.”
    I looked up. It was the guy who had the bed next to me, and he’d already turned away. I grabbed for the boots, to throw them at his head—but I didn’t want to make trouble, not on my first day in camp. I put them down beside his bed.
    He looked at me, surprised. “Hey, boy, don’t get me wrong, I expected t’give you a tip. Maybe two-bits for a good job.”
    “I’m no bootblack. And I’m no boy, either.”
    “Whoa now, don’t get so uppity, boy. Hell, if you don’t wanta make the money it’s okay by me.” He shrugged and walked over to Edward. “Here y’are, boy. You can do ‘em.”
    “Yes, suh! Glad t’do ‘em, suh.”
    “Well, that’s more like it. Glad somebody around here knows his place. And you don’t have to call me sir. Just call me Mr. Jennings. Y’see in the army you only call the officers ‘sir.’ ”
    “Yes, suh, Mr. Jennings and my name is Edward. Anything you needs….”
    I wanted to vomit. I was alone in that barracks.
    Jennings was talking to a couple of the other guys. “This may work out okay. One of ‘em’s not a half-bad nigger.” He came by Edward’s bunk with three more pairs of boots. Edward’s face fell for a second but he brightened up right away. “Yes, suh, you just leave ‘em here and I’ll take care of ‘em.”
    “You oughta thank me for settin’ up this nice little business for you.”
    “I
do
thank you.” He smiled broadly. “Oh, yes suh. I thanks you kindly.”
    Edward was avoiding my eyes. Eventually he looked up and moved his head just the slightest bit. For a split second he opened up to me and I saw the humiliation he was enduring because his fear of trouble was stronger than his need for dignity. I hoped he’d look up again so I could let him know I was sorry I’d judged him and forced him to let me look inside him and see the pain and weakness that was his right to hide.
    Perhaps this was how he had to live, but I wasn’t going to take itfrom anybody. I wasn’t going to let anybody goad me into fights and get myself in trouble, either. I was going to mind my own business and have a clean record.
    Jennings flopped onto his bunk. He sat up, reached over and took my watch off my bed. “Say, this ain’t a half-bad watch.” He looked at me suspiciously.
    “Put it back.”
    “Hold on, now. My, but you’re an uppity one.” He stood up.