Tommy Douglas knew the lady that ran the place well and used it many times over the years when he was broke and between apartments or homes. Right now he was in great shape, new car to drive and cash in his pocket, but never mentioned to Rudolph his situation often changed. In his line of work it was generally either chicken or feathers and right now just happened to chicken. The work was coming in on a regular basis and Tommy had the type of personality that always saw the glass as half full and for now things were going great.
It took almost forty-five minutes to drive from the diner to this house in an older and somewhat rundown part of Pittsburg. Two men, one black and one white, both probably in their late fifties or early sixties sat on rusted lawn chairs on the front porch as Tommy and Rudolph walk up the steps. “Where’s Maxine,” Tommy ask to neither man in particular as they made it to the top of the steps and walked onto the porch. “She’s in there somewhere,” the black man responded, “we just got through with lunch about thirty minutes ago so she’s probably in the kitchen cleaning up.” “Where you been Tommy,” the older looking of the two and the white guy ask, “mak’in that big money now and don’t need ole Maxine or this old dump now, do ya,” he was laughing now as Tommy and Rudolph eased through the screen door and into a dark and heavily curtained foyer. Tommy continued down a small hallway, leading Rudolph like someone who knew his way around. When he came to a closed door in a large room where Rudolph saw a large dining table, cover with a white table cloth and surrounded by chairs pushed close to the table, Tommy went directly through the door and into a brightly lit kitchen. Standing next to the sink, washing and drying dishes, were two women, both black and wearing aprons, much like Rudolph’s mother wore around his old home in Matewan. Tommy turned to Rudolph and said in a louder than usual voice, “Rudolph, these two were kidnapped from the Playboy Mansion just two days ago and they are being held for a huge ransom here in the palace.” Both women broke into a big laugh and moved toward Tommy. “Mister Tommy, where you been,” said the smaller of the two, “this place is like a funeral home when you gone,” she grabbed Tommy and planted a big kiss on his cheek. “Are you coming home child,” the second one said as she collected her hug and big kiss. “I would if you two would let me get any sleep and quit sneaking into my room all hours of the night,” Tommy said as all three laughed and hugged on each other. “Rudolph, these two are the greatest women in Pittsburg,” Tommy was really laying it on and Rudolph was trying to figure out how to take everything being said. “Girls, I want you to meet my little brother, Rudolph, I going to leave him here for you to take care of but I don’t want him moving in on my territory”. Rudolph having never been around such an exchange didn’t believe everything Tommy was saying but also didn’t know what to believe. “Agnes and Roxanne, this is Rudolph Crumpton, Rudolph, these two beauties are Agnes and Roxanne”. The two ladies immediately turned to Rudolph grabbed him and hugged him like he was long lost family. “How you get messed up with a crazy man like Tommy,” Agnes asked Rudolph laughing all the time. “He been crazy long as I can remember,” she continued, “we tried but we can’t do nothing to make him right”. Rudolph did not know how to act; he had never seen or been around black people or anyone this friendly and outgoing. He was almost in a state of shock. “Where’s Maxine”, Tommy ask. “Who’s looking you good looking hunk of trouble”, Rudolph heard the voice coming through the same door he and Tommy had just come through. Turning to face the voice Tommy almost shouted, “Max, your still the most beautiful woman in the world, how much have you missed me?” The older woman with bright red hair and a lot of make-up met Tommy about half way into the kitchen and the two hugged each other the way Rudolph had seen people do one time in a movie when they had not seen each other for a long time. “You can’t be looking for your old room”, the lady said as she turned Tommy loose, “your still driving that expensive car which means you’re in the money this week”. “Not me beautiful”, Tommy said, “I want to enroll my little buddy in your finishing school for wayward boys”. “Maxine Little, I want you to meet Rudolph Crumpton, a friend of mine that needs a place to stay like a dead man needs a coffin”. Rudolph was stunned by it all and just stood there trying to be as still and quite as possible, “Rudolph, you just call me Maxine and do what I say and I promise to do a better job on you than I did on this fool”, pointing to Tommy. “Seriously Max, the kid needs a place to stay and I will be responsible for whatever it cost”, Tommy said as Rudolph nearly passed out. Rudolph could not remember Tommy ever mentioning being responsible for the rent and food. Rudolph wanted to say something but could not think of anything he could add. He had the $20.00 in his pocket and the clothes on his back, what could he add to the conversation. “We’ve got a room, not that you bothered to ask”, Maxine said mostly to Tommy, “and we need a young stallion in this stable again”, she finished. “Where’s his stuff, I’ll help him get moved in”, Rudolph thought it was Agnes who made the offer and that him not having anything might be a deal breaker. “We’ll have to get him some ‘stuff’ first”, Tommy said, emphasizing the ‘stuff’. “Agnes, you and Roxy get his room ready while I take him to get that ‘stuff’ you mentioned and we’ll be back in a couple of hours”, Tommy said. Rudolph’s head was spinning with everything he was hearing. What had he done or said to make this guy, who he did not know, open his wallet to get him settled into Pittsburg. Whatever he wanted or whatever he needed to do would not be a problem.
Tommy and Maxine walked out through that same door they had entered and into the dining room they first came through to get to the kitchen. “Show him his room”, Maxine shouted back at the three left standing by the sink, “while Tommy and I talk for a minute”. “You hungry honey”, Agnes asked as the other two left the room. “No, I just ate at a diner Mr. Douglas took me to”, Rudolph answered. “Then follow us boy and we’ll show you where you’ll be sleepin’ for a while”. Agnes and Roxy led Rudolph up some stairs that ran from the back of the kitchen past the second floor and on to a third and top floor of the old wooden structure. They first showed Rudolph a large bathroom at the end of a hallway. The only door to the bathroom led to a hallway the length of the building with three doors on each side. The two ladies then guided the kid to the second door on the left where they led him into a small but neatly furnished and clean room. “This is it honey”, Rudolph thought it was Agnes talking, “it ain’t much but I promise you it will always be clean and the light bulbs will work”. It was the greatest room Rudolph had ever seen. The bed was a full size bed and the room had a small table and chair for eating and an upholstered chair like had been in the little living room of his home in Matewan. There was not a closet but a cabinet with doors that opened into an area where he could have hung clothes if he had any. Underneath the area that would be used for hanging things were drawers for whatever clothes he might need to fold. There were drawers for anything and everything he could imagine. There was even a small refrigerator with a coffee maker on top. “Now baby boy there ain’t a lot of rules but the ones they are you better follow or Miss Maxine will get plenty upset”, Rudolph was sure this was Roxy. “Number 1, is you don’t cook nothing in here but coffee, don’t care how drunk you are or whose in here with you, don’t cook, you got that. Number 2 is don’t make no noise after 10:00 at night and damn sure don’t make none after 12:00 o’clock, number 3 is don’t forget number 1 and number 2, you understand them rules”? “Yes mam”, Rudolph was still looking at the bed and the big chest where he could hang clothes if he ever had any. “We serve breakfast at 6:30 in the morning, lunch at 12:00 noon sharp and supper at 6:00 in the evening, we don’t wait on nobody and don’t warm nothing up later, them times and them times only, you understand”, Rudolph was sure this was Agnes talking this time. “Yes mam, I understand and I promise I won’t break a rule and I won’t be late”. “That’s good cause Miss Maxine is the best woman in the world but she don’t give a shit who you are if you break her rules, she even kicked Mr. Tommy out one time and it took him nigh on a year to get back in, you understand”? “I do and I won’t mess up, I promise”, Rudolph was not going to screw this up, he even thought about writing his uncle and aunt about the good life he stumbled onto here in Pittsburgh. As the three walked out in the hallway and headed back down stairs one of the women, Rudolph couldn’t tell them apart, added what Rudolph figure was another rule he’d better remember. “Keep clean, don’t want no stinkin rednecks around here, we ain’t gonna wash them sheets but two times a week”.
(to be cont'd)
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