Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Pink Lady Apple Yeggs and my friend, and brother-in-law, Deviled Yeggs suggested that I record each project that I set up in the hopes of reforming the people who continue to work for Lily the Pink Enterprises.  If for no other reason, it would show how God is at work.

In rescuing Missy’s children from Missy’s mother, we found out a lot.  Missy’s mother was guilty of a lot more than just child abuse and fraud.  While Angus MacDougall was trying to legally adopt the children, changing their names to MacDougall, I had gotten Menzie tested.  She had finished sixth grade two years ago, but she had not attended school since.  I bragged to Mildred Aufdringlich that we would have Menzie in high school by the next Fall semester.  That would give us nine months to get her caught up.  After seeing her scores, I wondered if we needed more time.  It was not just her poor readiness, but it was her attitude.  So much had happened that was positive for her, but change can be stressful, even good change.

I prayed.  If I could just hear her laugh.

Menzie sheepishly came into the office.  Missy soon followed.  The babies were in the nursery.

“Ms. Yeggs, I heard you wanted to talk to me.  Is something wrong?  Do I have to go back to the old home?  Grandmama may be in jail, but Uncle Jasper would let me in.”

She did not know that Uncle Jasper was in jail for administering the drugs that Grandmama had required him to administer.

I replied, “Nothing is wrong.  You are here for better or worse until you fly the nest.  I am sure your mother has talked to you about boys, no fooling around with boys until you are older, then only dating, holding hands, and kissing until you are married.  And we have designated spots in the greenhouse to bring your boyfriend.  This used to be a brothel, and none of the ladies who are here now want anything that looks like their former life on the premises.  It keeps me in good with the media outlets also.”

Menzie shrugged, “Yeah, I guess that is okay.  I have given birth to children with two different fathers without ever dating.  I will see how that goes when Mommy says that I am old enough.”

I asked, “Menzie, usually teenagers call their parents Mom and Dad.  Why Mommy?”

Her eyes got wet.  “Mommy ran away near my first birthday.  I never knew her.  And anytime Grandmama would talk about her she said ‘Mommy’ like it was a cussword.  All I had was Mommy’s and Aunt Claire’s bookshelf full of books and an old cassette player that fell apart about the time the cassette tapes fell apart.  At least by then, I had memorized the songs on the cassettes that I liked.  Otherwise, I had no idea who or what Mommy was.  And here she is a big boss here.”

Missy corrected, “An intermediate boss of a small department.”

I smiled, “Missy, if your daughter has pictured you as a big boss, you are a big boss to her.  That is a good thing.  You planning the security for the Sandy and Boaz wedding is a very big deal, and being the Maid of Honor at that wedding is a big deal also.  But you and Angus are under the gun to throw a wedding into a New Year’s Eve party.  That and getting to know your own children.  That is a big order.”

Missy said, “That’s why Angus is taking on the bride role, so to speak.  He knows I have little money saved and that money is going to college funds.  So, he is planning everything and running it by me before he starts buying.  The wedding dress will be a pale pink with the MacDougall tartan sash and family crest.  He’s making it as Scottish as he can, maybe shipping things from there.  We still have time, but not a lot.  But since I was measured for the Mayor and First Lady wedding, Angus already has the information.”

I muttered, “I will love seeing Jemima.  We will have so many weddings, at least I hope we will, without white gowns.  But I am sure you will be a lovely couple.”  Then I turned to Menzie.  “And young lady, have you ever given any thought to what you want to do when you grow up?”

Menzie looked at the floor, “I had no hope of growing up except that as a mother of two, most of those folks have been grown up.  I guess I just want to be an octoroon.”

My heart stopped, “Where did you hear that term?”  I heard Missy swallow really hard.

Menzie said, “Grandmama said that an octoroon could pass for a white person and get whatever privileges that white people get.  I just want to be free to do what I want when I get old enough.”

I turned to Missy with a questioning look.

Missy said, “Mama Pink, I have no idea what ideas my mother put into Menzie’s head.  Menzie is an octoroon, one great grandparent being black and the other seven Europeans, if people still use that term.  Of my grandparents, one was black and the others were white, mostly Scottish, but definitely European.  That makes me a quadroon, and Menzie’s father was definitely a white boy, about eighteen years old.  And he was Scottish, so I can confirm Menzie is an octoroon.  She has red hair, very curly, but not kinky.  She has the lightest tan.  She could pass as white, but I know how you feel about all that.  Everyone here at Lily the Pink is pink.  Now, Mama Pink, I have seen you try to tan and you are about the pinkest of all of us, but everyone except security wears pink, and we have pink epaulets.  But remember that Menzie came from a mostly black neighborhood, near where Mabel has her bakery extension.”

I nodded, “I know the neighborhood.  I have asked Mabel to help in Menzie’s reeducation.  She will keep what is good about her culture, her old neighborhood, but she will have to assimilate into Lily the Pink society.  Missy, you have been here too long, so Mabel will take care of that, and she is loving the challenge.  But now for you, Menzie, I wanted to know your career interests, not a vague idea of pretending to be white.  I do not wish for you to do that.  I want you to be the best Menzie that you can be.  Do you understand?”

Menzie shrugged, “I guess so, but I haven’t had enough experience outside a house on Rhodent Road.  I have seen a grocer.  I have seen a doctor.  And I saw teachers.  That’s about it, and didn’t know any of them good enough to want to be like them.”

Missy interrupted, “And there is something you might not be aware of, Mama Pink.  After a child made three or four children for my Mama’s uses, she often sold that used up child to human traffickers.  Thinking of Menzie’s comment about octoroon, I bet Mama learned that octoroons had a higher sale price.  Menzie is convinced it was good for her, but it was only good for Mama.”

Menzie kept looking at the floor.

I pulled out Menzie’s file.  “Menzie, I have your readiness test scores.  I bragged to Mildred Aufdringlich that we could have you ready for high school by next August, but that is going to take a miracle.  Your math is below sixth grade, by quite a bit.  I will teach you math.  Sandy will teach you English grammar that is even worse behind.  Your reading is about eighth grade level, just with a poor vocabulary.  We have our work cut out for us, but we do not wish this to be torture.  First, we need to know that you want to learn.”

Menzie said, “Ma’am, I have no desire to go back to my old home.  The school took attendance and they tried to teach between all the fights and the drugs and people like me, pregnancies.  I do not know how to live this life, but Mommy says she will teach me.  I want to learn so I don’t have to go back there.”

I nodded, “Now, for the non-educational part of the next nine months, I have more classes for you to attend.  When you leave here, your mother will take you to Zuzka’s office.  She will take you to get you the proper swimsuit.  You will start taking swimming lessons today.  I hope you will test out of swimming classes before we have to close the pool in freezing weather.  That way, in the Spring, we can add you to the water polo tryouts.  Does that sound interesting?”

Menzie smiled, “I never heard of water polo.”

I laughed, “We can arrange a demonstration on Saturday.  Half of our middle school team advanced to high school, so we don’t have enough for either school to have a demonstration team at this point.  We might have our adult team play the mixed kids team, middle school, high school, boys, and girls.  And we might have a beach volleyball demonstration.”

Missy asked, “Are we finished here, Mama Pink?”

I nodded, “I think so.  We can get her fitted for the swimsuit, and then she might get back to the nursery before her kids awake from their naps, but when this school work starts in earnest, Jochebed and her staff need to take care of the children as much as possible to give Menzie time to study.  But wait, one more thing.  How is your reading score so high?”

Menzie shrugged, “I don’t know.  I never had a television, but Grandmama never removed Mommy’s and Clair’s old books.  When I did not know a word. I tried to figure it out by reading the whole paragraph.  I guess I was self taught.  Like I said earlier, I knew three things about my mother.  Grandmama called her ‘Mommy.’  And Mommy’s books and cassettes.  I just wanted to be like Mommy even though I knew nothing about her.”

I nodded, “There is our motivation.  Hang onto that, and you will be in high school next Fall.”  Then I heard a rumble of thunder.  “Oh, rats!  We can get the swimsuit fitted, but no swim class today.  We’ve got stormy weather.”

Menzie stared out the window, “Don’t know why, There’s no sun up in the sky, Stormy weather. Since my man and I ain’t together, Keeps raining all of the time.” (Ted Koehler, Stormy Weather)

I was shocked.  I looked at Missy and asked, “Your old cassette with Stormy Weather on it must have been a Lena Horne recording.  Menzie sounded just like her.  And that song requires a lot of range.”

Missy said, “I haven’t heard that recording in fifteen years or more, but I think my little girl has talent.”

I said, “I may do something really dangerous, but I want you to meet Emmett Dalton.  If you can be his jazz singer with his band at the Snazzy Taz twice a month, you might just start a career path before you graduate high school.”

Menzie said, “Sophie said Emmett was off limits.”

I corrected that, “Off limits for dating and romance.  Collaborating on music may require Sophie to chaperone, but you have a wonderful voice, young lady.”

Menzie giggled, “Thank you, Mama Pink.”

I looked skyward, “Thank you, Lord.  I heard a giggle.  That is good enough for now.  And praises go to you.  If I had not heard thunder, she might not have admitted that she could sing.  I praise your name.  Amen.”

Credits

Aufdringlich – Officious in German

Rhodent, as in Rhodent Road, was a Dick Tracy villain.

And for a trip down memory lane, Lena Horne singing, Stormy Weather.