may 2012
CityLight.org 25
for me to gobble them down. We weren't
rich by a long shot, but we ate well on the
farm with three home cooked meals a day.
Cooking was a woman's role in those days,
and there were plenty of women available
to help Mother cook. Seven women lived
together under the same roof. No, Daddy
did not have seven wives, but we did have
an extended family of twelve living in our
old two-story farm home. Besides Mother
and Daddy and the four children, there
were other relatives who lived with us. All
my living grandparents - Mama Martin
and Maw Maw and her husband Paw Paw.
Two old maid aunts, Aunt Ludie and Aunt
Lou as well as Tag, the farm supervisor that
helped Daddy and Chester run the farm.
Tag was living proof that the cooking and
eating in our house was good. He weighed
275 pounds and was already sitting at the
table filling his plate when I slid the rick-
ety wooden chair across the linoleum floor
and sat down to eat dinner with the fam-
ily. Daddy was running a little late for din-
ner, but about the same time, he stepped
through the screen door, tossed his hat onto
a nearby chair and joined us at the table.
Tag bowed his head for Daddy's prayer, and
afterwards immediately looked at me with
a twinkle in his eye.
"Bubba, I thought you said that Little Bubba
could not shoot the BB gun on Sunday." I
knew it was coming. Tag was going to tat-
tle on Louie and me. And sure enough... "
Well, yesterday, I saw both Little Bubba and
Louie shooting the BB gun before you went
to church." I cringed as I thought about the
consequences of being disobedient. Shooting
our BB gun on Sunday was worse than read-
ing a comic book on Sunday. Daddy looked
at both Louie and me and we knew what was
coming. We both had an appointment later
with Daddy and his belt. We had a "snitch"
living under our roof even sleeping in the
same bedroom!
My mind was already coming up with evil
plots to get even with Tag, but it was time to
turn the conversation to another topic. I de-
cided to share Mr. Chester's wisdom with my
family.
"Mr. Chester said it's `posed to rain tomorrow."
A ripple of laughter flowed around the
kitchen table.
Tag spoke up, "Mr. Chester. Did you say
Mr. Chester?"
This was followed by another ripple of
laughter, leaving me confused. Why were
they laughing at me?
It was later that I got my answer from Lou-
ie, my older, wiser brother. He said, "It is
because you said Mister Chester. We don't
call black people mister."
I just didn't understand. Daddy and Moth-
er loved Chester just as much as I did, often
praying with him. I just didn't understand,
but, even at five years of age, I wanted it to
be different some day.