keeping the food from going to waste.” Ma surely was a wonderful woman.
Sometimes she made special things for Mrs. Kovaks like beef tea or custard, then pretended she’d fixed them for everybody else. She told May Anna she had a little money put aside for emergencies. “I want you to take this, May Anna, since you’re family. It would relieve my mind. Just pay it back when you can. There’s no hurry at all. You know if you don’t take it, Effa Commander will just pester me to spend it on pretties.”
May Anna said thanks to you, Mrs. Commander. “We’re doing just fine. We don’t have any need of money, but we thank you just the same.” May Anna wouldn’t take it, even as a loan. She was too proud. I asked Ma why didn’t she just pay the Kovakses’ rent or the doctor bill herself, but she said there was a limit to how much you could interfere in other people’s lives.
Me and Whippy Bird know the final straw was the food basket. Some ladies from the Blessed Sacrament Church found out about Mrs. Kovaks and brought a food basket. They didn’t just leave it on the porch and slip away. No, they got all dressed up and bustled up to the front door where everybody could see them. Me and Whippy Bird were there with May Anna when they rang the bell and handed the basket to her like she was supposed to fall on her knees and pretend they were the Doublemint version of the Virgin Mary.
One of them said, “My dear, we like to do this for those less fortunate. We hope you appreciate it and are grateful to the Lord. The Lord is only punishing her for her sins, but He will be merciful.”
Then the other woman looked May Anna up and down like you do a used car and added, “I’m looking for a kitchen girl and might consider you.”
Me and Whippy Bird were so mad, we could have knocked them down the stairs. The Kovakses needed that basket. We thought May Anna would either say thank you very nicely or else scream at them to get the hell out, but she did something me and Whippy Bird would never have thought of.
“Why, ladies, whatever is this about?” she asked. “Mother and I have no need for a food basket. You must be mistaken. But won’t you sit down? My friends and I were about to have tea.” So those women had to sit right down there in May Anna’s house and drink tea and be in her debt then slink back out with their basket. Even in
The Sin of Rachel Babcock,
May Anna was never as gracious and as much a lady as she was pouring tea for those two busybodies that day.
When they left, May Anna stood there clenching her fists, her face white. “I’ll never take charity,” she said. “Never! Never!”
Later on, when we saw
Gone With the Wind,
Whippy Bird asked, “Do you think Scarlett O’Hara would take a charity basket before going hungry again?” It wasn’t more than a week after those two biddies called that May Anna was working out of a house in Venus Alley.
Ma tried to talk her out of it. She went to see her and invited the Kovakses to live with us until May Anna finished high school. May Anna shook her head and said her mother was her responsibility, and she’d made her decision. Then Ma hugged her and said she loved her and she was always welcome at our house, anytime. May Anna told her that was the nicest thing anybody ever said to her, and it probably was. May Anna said Ma was a saint. When Ma died, May Anna sent Pig Face money for enough candles to burn down Blessed Sacrament.
A few days after she’d gone to work for Nell Nolan, who was the biggest madam in Venus Alley, me and Whippy Bird ran into May Anna on the street. It was over by where the Ben Franklin is now. She worked all night, then she came home during the day to be with her mother. Or sometimes she worked the day shift so she could be home at night. “You know what I’m doing now,” May Anna said. “You can pretend you don’t know me. I’ll understand.”
Me and Whippy Bird looked at her like she’d gone crackers. “See
Sometimes she made special things for Mrs. Kovaks like beef tea or custard, then pretended she’d fixed them for everybody else. She told May Anna she had a little money put aside for emergencies. “I want you to take this, May Anna, since you’re family. It would relieve my mind. Just pay it back when you can. There’s no hurry at all. You know if you don’t take it, Effa Commander will just pester me to spend it on pretties.”
May Anna said thanks to you, Mrs. Commander. “We’re doing just fine. We don’t have any need of money, but we thank you just the same.” May Anna wouldn’t take it, even as a loan. She was too proud. I asked Ma why didn’t she just pay the Kovakses’ rent or the doctor bill herself, but she said there was a limit to how much you could interfere in other people’s lives.
Me and Whippy Bird know the final straw was the food basket. Some ladies from the Blessed Sacrament Church found out about Mrs. Kovaks and brought a food basket. They didn’t just leave it on the porch and slip away. No, they got all dressed up and bustled up to the front door where everybody could see them. Me and Whippy Bird were there with May Anna when they rang the bell and handed the basket to her like she was supposed to fall on her knees and pretend they were the Doublemint version of the Virgin Mary.
One of them said, “My dear, we like to do this for those less fortunate. We hope you appreciate it and are grateful to the Lord. The Lord is only punishing her for her sins, but He will be merciful.”
Then the other woman looked May Anna up and down like you do a used car and added, “I’m looking for a kitchen girl and might consider you.”
Me and Whippy Bird were so mad, we could have knocked them down the stairs. The Kovakses needed that basket. We thought May Anna would either say thank you very nicely or else scream at them to get the hell out, but she did something me and Whippy Bird would never have thought of.
“Why, ladies, whatever is this about?” she asked. “Mother and I have no need for a food basket. You must be mistaken. But won’t you sit down? My friends and I were about to have tea.” So those women had to sit right down there in May Anna’s house and drink tea and be in her debt then slink back out with their basket. Even in
The Sin of Rachel Babcock,
May Anna was never as gracious and as much a lady as she was pouring tea for those two busybodies that day.
When they left, May Anna stood there clenching her fists, her face white. “I’ll never take charity,” she said. “Never! Never!”
Later on, when we saw
Gone With the Wind,
Whippy Bird asked, “Do you think Scarlett O’Hara would take a charity basket before going hungry again?” It wasn’t more than a week after those two biddies called that May Anna was working out of a house in Venus Alley.
Ma tried to talk her out of it. She went to see her and invited the Kovakses to live with us until May Anna finished high school. May Anna shook her head and said her mother was her responsibility, and she’d made her decision. Then Ma hugged her and said she loved her and she was always welcome at our house, anytime. May Anna told her that was the nicest thing anybody ever said to her, and it probably was. May Anna said Ma was a saint. When Ma died, May Anna sent Pig Face money for enough candles to burn down Blessed Sacrament.
A few days after she’d gone to work for Nell Nolan, who was the biggest madam in Venus Alley, me and Whippy Bird ran into May Anna on the street. It was over by where the Ben Franklin is now. She worked all night, then she came home during the day to be with her mother. Or sometimes she worked the day shift so she could be home at night. “You know what I’m doing now,” May Anna said. “You can pretend you don’t know me. I’ll understand.”
Me and Whippy Bird looked at her like she’d gone crackers. “See
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