Chapter 8: Coping

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. Millicent was tempted to lie in bed and do nothing. She was certain the world keep going without her personal assistance. Her tiredness was in her spirit, as well as her body. She thanked whatever god there was that looked over those who mildly believed that she had Buck, Fotheringill and Ed Bowline to fill in her deficiencies, which were all too many. She felt her helplessness.

After a few moments, she realized she couldn't lie there and do nothing. She and the children must get dressed and make an appearance in church. She knew she dare not show any weakness. People were and would be watching, looking close for her to show any display of a lack of strength. No matter how weak she felt inside, she must appear strong to the world. Millicent had a mental picture of Buzzards circling dead prey.

There were decisions to be made concerning the oil properties Martin owned outright and also the lease options he held. She berated herself that she had paid no attention to the workings of her husband's far-flung holdings. "I am such an empty head," she muttered and prepared to meet the day.

After a hurried breakfast the three, Millicent, Billy and Colleen all dressed in proper attire for church. She was vaguely aware the household help went to "that colored church" across town, while Alfred stayed home or visited with his lady friend who lived nearby.

Millicent led the way down the aisle to their pew, Colleen came next while Billy brought up the rear. Colleen was at her imperious best as she followed her mother. Billy kept his eyes peeled for possible danger. In his mind's eye he was their last line of defense when Buck wasn't present.

Everything went well and without incident until Sunday school. Billy and Colleen entered their proper room and sat.

Twelve year old Delmar Colby swaggered over to Billy and said, "You ain't got him to protect you now. My Pa says he's in the hospital and is gonna die. He gave Billy's foot a light kick to give his challenge.

Minutes later, Colleen led the way into the adult class. Millicent looked up and saw her angry daughter come toward her. Billy followed close behind with a belligerent scowl on his face. His hair was mussed, his shirt was half out of his pants and he had the beginnings of a black eye. "Mother, that Delmar Dean Colby and two of his friends hurt Billy."

"Oh dear Billy, what happened?" Millicent asked.

"Aw, it wasn't much," he answered in his off handed way. Ever the "manly man" just like Martin, Billy told her, "Delmar kicked me and his two friends tried to get their licks in. I punched Delmar as hard as I could and made his nose bleed. Then I went after Henry Lee while the princess here jammed Bobby Ray Norton in the hind end with a sharp pencil." Billy grinned, "Boy howdy he lit out of there like someone poured turpentine on his backside. I was watchin Henry Lee run when I should have been watchin' for Norton's fist and he gave me a black eye."

The children's Sunday school teacher came bustling into the room and further disrupted the lesson. "These two caused trouble in my class and injured three other children. They need to be punished." Her eyes blazed with self-righteous indignation as she looked hard at Billy. "This white trash started it all."

Calm, Millicent showed no emotion as she rose up from her chair. She stared at the Sunday school teacher, "Twice Billy, a member of our household, was attacked in this church. The first time caused him to be hospitalized. There was never an apology from anyone over that matter. I believe, since he and my daughter Colleen are such disrupting influences, we shall attend church services elsewhere, if we decide it is necessary.

"Please inform Reverend Patterson I demand our name be removed from our pew because, as of right now it is no longer ours. All financial support we have afforded this church has come to an end." She motioned to Billy and Colleen, "Come children." Head held high, she walked out of the room with Billy and Colleen following. The Sunday school teacher watched their backs retreat and realized the damage her words had caused.

"Does this mean you're not mad at me?" Billy asked.

"Of course she isn't, are you Mother? My Billy and I are a team." She smiled a very un-princess like smile and giggled the way a ten year old girl would giggle.

"Hasn't she got the nicest laugh?" Billy exclaimed as he looked at Colleen with admiration. He sighed.

"Come, Children," Millicent led the two out of the church. The exchange between Billy and Colleen raised her spirits. She had stood firm in her own right and faced down an adversary without help from anyone. Her step became a little lighter as they walked out of and away from the Woodman First Baptist Church.

"Could we go see how Dad is doing?" Billy asked. "I do worry about him, you know." Millicent didn't answer. Instead, when they were settled in the car she drove direct to the hospital.

The members of the hospital staff greeted Millicent with warmth as they entered the grim looking building. Doctor Price hurried to give his personal hello. "Missus Summers, it is good to see you. The x-ray machine arrived late last night and is now installed. They sent their own electrician to hasten things. We even took pictures of mister Summers just an hour ago. Now that I can see where the bullets are lodged, I'm more hopeful they may be safely removed. If you would care to look in on your husband before we take him into surgery, now is the time to do so."

"Is there anything else you require, Doctor?" Millicent asked in a formal manner. She looked around her at their shabby surroundings. The dingy building reminded Millicent of a prison, rather than a place of healing.

"No," the doctor answered. "Madam, thanks to you we now have a functioning hospital again. Our janitor is probably as thankful as any of us. He has already begun work to make this hospital, in his words, "Th' cleanest gol durned one in Oklahoma.' He is thankful to have his job back." He paused and added, "So is his family."

Millicent smiled at the news, then hurried to Martin's bedside. She looked down at his still form. "Please, my dearest one, get better," she whispered to him. Billy and Colleen watched in silence. Almost as if he could hear them, or at least sense their presence, Martin took a deep breath and mumbled something.

"Please let me know the moment there is a change Doctor," Millicent told him as they left. They drove home and Billy went to change into his overalls.

Still in her church clothes, Colleen followed him as he left his room and went outside. "What are you so happy about?" she asked him.

"He's going to get better. I was worried a little there, you know."

"Well, how do you know that? Are you smarter than the doctor?

"Naw," he told her, "But I could feel it inside me. He's getting better. Couldn't you feel it?"

"No I couldn't and you can't either," she sniffed at him. "Billy, you just act like you're so smart sometimes."

"Well, maybe it's because I am smart in some ways, Princess. Maybe not smart like you are, but pretty smart in my own way. Let's go and swing." Colleen followed him to the swing and sat herself down in the seat. Billy pushed her as high as he could. "You know, it's nice to have a sister to do things for." Colleen smiled her agreement. It was nice to have a brother who would do things for her.

Monday began as a dark and gloomy day. Great dust clouds covered the sun. The fine dust filtered in through every crack in the house and covered everything with a fine coating. Outside it was impossible to draw a deep breath without a cloth covering over the mouth. The telephone bell rang and Sissy hurried to answer it.

"This here is the Summers' residence," she said into the mouthpiece. A moment later she hurried to the stairs. "That was Doctor Price," she called up. "He say Mister Martin is out of the surgery and resting well. He call again later, he say."

Millicent almost fell down the stairs in her hurry. "Sissy, tell me again what he said.

"He say some other stuff, Mizz Summers. But the important thing was, Mister Martin is out of surgery an' he is resting well."

"What was the 'other stuff, ' Sissy?" Millicent asked, as she tried to hold onto her patience.

"Well, he say the bullet in the head was easy and the bullet in the spine was not so easy and he is concerned. That's all," the maid answered.

Matilda listened in and decided Sissy had to be woke up to things. Colored help never acted uppity around their white employers. This was especially so when it was the Summers family.

Millicent decided that perhaps a few people needed to know that Mister Martin Summers could shut down the whole town of Woodman if he Became too angry. It was a time to remind people Millicent Summers had teeth as well. She stared hard at Sissy. "This is your only warning. Either show respect or leave our house. Times are hard right now. You will not find a place of employment better than you have here."

"But our preacher, he say..." She got no further.

"Sissy, you don't pay no attention to what some loud mouth nigger preacher say. Now you gets your mouthy self into the kitchen. You better know your place and stay in it or I ask Mizz Millicent to let you go. The Summers is fine folk." She led Sissy into the kitchen. Millicent could hear Matilda lay down the law. A subdued Sissy left the kitchen two minutes later and got busy dusting.

Then the front door chimes sounded. Matilda hurried to answer the door. A large man in a dark suit stood looking down at her. "Girl, you inform Missus Summers I am here from the governor's office." Matilda gulped and nodded. This was a man who hated coloreds. She could feel the malice he had inside him.

Millicent heard. From the doorway she told Matilda, "Please show our guest into the parlor."

Before she could turn away, the stranger told her, "I am here to offer you any help you may need. He heard about the attempted bank robbery Saturday night and dispatched me to render assistance."

"Yes," Millicent answered and turned away to hurry upstairs and brush her hair and tie it back. Moments later she joined the visitor.

"Missus Summers." He started again as she entered the room. "My name is Lloyd Harter. As soon as he heard of the robbery, the governor sent me here to render any assistance you may need."

Millicent smiled tightly as she answered in a calm voice, "That's strange. I was just on the phone to the governor yesterday and he did not mention a thing about the possibility he might send someone here. Please return to Oklahoma City and convey my gratitude to the governor. We have everything under complete control."

"I have instituted changes that prevent a recurrence of yesterday evening's attempted robbery." She stressed the word "attempted." Millicent continued, "As it is, I personally saw the would-be robbers lying dead in the alleyway behind the bank. Our employees are loyal to us, now that the both of the two bad ones were weeded out."

She walked toward the front door. If there is nothing else, please convey my personal regards to the governor."

"Well, since nice didn't work, here's not so nice. You will take your telephone and call the bank and tell that hayseed you have inside guarding things to let my two men in. I have someone watching those brats. Now you make that phone call.

White faced, Millicent Summers nodded. She walked to the phone in the hallway. As she lifted the receiver off the hook she took a deep breath and told the operator the phone number she wanted. "Buck? This is Millicent Summers. Do you have two people demanding to be let in?"

"Yes ma'am, Missus Summers, I shore do. You want me to let them in?"

"Yes, please do let them in and then shoot them." She got no further as Lloyd Harter slapped the telephone out of her hand.

A shout from the front yard distracted Harter enough for Millicent to try to slip away and run for the front door. Before she could reach the door, Harter grabbed her by the shoulder. She screamed and the front door opened at the same time. An angry looking man limped through the door holding his right elbow with his other hand. blood dripped down from his fingers. Billy followed a few paces behind, holding a gun pointed at the stranger. "Those two kids stole my gun!" he exclaimed. Colleen was right behind Billy, holding her father's car gun. "Those kids lied to me. There wasn't any money bag in that car. That girl used big words and she lied to me."

"Well, this ain't no lie," Billy told Harter, "You get away from my mom or I'm going to shoot you both dead as mackerels."

"Kid," Harter began and got no further. Matilda slipped up behind him and slammed a heavy cast iron skillet down hard on the back of his head with a resounding "Thong."

Millicent staggered as she was released. "Sissy," she called as she hurried to the living room. "Call the police."

"I already did that, ma'am," Arthur told her. He came in from the kitchen with a large butcher knife in his hand.

"Don't you move, you trashy thing," Matilda warned the fallen man.

"I'm afraid he couldn't hear you," Colleen told her. "You knocked him unconscious." She grinned at the woman she considered her lifelong friend.

"Well, he better not move anyway," Matilda said, still angry, "He been warned." She stood over the fallen man and waited for an excuse to swing her skillet again.

"You," Millicent ordered the man Billy and Colleen held captive, "Sit down over here next to your friend." He followed orders.

"Which gun do you want, Mom?" Billy asked. "You want the big one Colleen is about to drop or this little one I took off of old Ugly there?"

"Colleen, dear, please hand that large gun to Alfred that it may be returned to your father's car. Sissy, please bring me my purse. Billy, you keep that gun pointed at this one." She nodded in the direction of the man with the injured elbow and removed the hand gun taken from Trabing. Millicent was surprised at the calm she felt, rather than the feelings of fear and helplessness she had endured when she woke up that morning.