JOHN AND ROSE
Chapter Twenty-Seven
October 3, 1928
Mississippi
John and Rose sat together on the train,
watching the landscape outside their window. It had been two days since they
had received Nadia’s letter begging for their help.
John had sent a telegram to Nadia, telling
her that they were on their way, and the next day they had boarded a train
heading for Mississippi, leaving Christopher in Ruth’s care. Rose had finally
convinced her mother to return to her own house, but she suspected that the
battle would begin again when they returned, since Ruth had returned to the
Calvert home to keep an eye on Christopher.
Neither of the Calverts were entirely certain
of what was going on, beyond what they had read in Nadia’s letter, but they
knew that it had to be bad for her to be so upset. Nadia was usually calm and
collected, at least where her own life was concerned, so the letter meant that
something was very wrong.
John sat up straighter, looking again at
Nadia’s letter. He wasn’t sure of what Nadia’s situation was. He knew that
racial prejudice was a problem in America, but what it was like in the South
was largely a mystery. He had done little business in the South, and most of
what he knew about it came from the newspaper—not always a reliable source.
"What are you thinking?" Rose
asked, breaking the silence. John had been worrying about Nadia since they had
received her letter.
"She sounds pretty upset in this letter,
and it’s not like Nadia to blow things out of proportion. Still, I can’t help
but wonder if things are really as bad as she says."
"They could well be. I went to
Mississippi once to film part of a moving picture, and I noticed how segregated
things were. Most of us came from Hollywood, but there were a few local people
working with us, and a lot of people came to watch the filming and try to meet
the movie stars. One of the cameramen was black—the director didn’t like having
a racially mixed crew, either, but I had insisted upon having this particular
cameraman because he was one of the best I’d ever met, and his race didn’t
matter to me in the slightest. Stars can do things like that—fame brings a
certain amount of power.
"Many of the people who were watching or
working with us didn’t want him there, but as long as he ‘knew his place’, they
tolerated him. But when they saw us talking—I never had a problem with talking
to the people I was working with, unlike some stars, who think far too highly
of themselves—all hell broke loose. People were shocked at me—but as an actress,
I had a certain amount of notoriety, deserved or not. It was what people
thought of him that was more shocking. Black men don’t have conversations with
white women—it simply isn’t done. Some of them were ready to lynch him on the
spot, and it was only after the director made a statement about ‘Hollywood
decadence’ that people calmed down.
"The incident passed, but it did serve
to illustrate how deeply ingrained racial prejudice is there. It’s probably a
holdover from the days of slavery. We see it where we are, but not nearly as
much. Of course, Cedar Rapids is mostly white, but even in cities where there
is a greater mixture of people, like Los Angeles and New York, it isn’t as bad
as in the South."
"But not everyone thinks that way, I’m
sure," John said thoughtfully. "Nadia said in an earlier letter that
she had found some friends, and had even gone out on a date with a nice young
man."
"No, not everyone is like that, but far
too many people are. Nadia might have found friends who are the exception, or
perhaps her friends thought of her as being white. We’ll know what kind of
friends they are if they stuck with her during all this."
"But even if they didn’t stick with her,
that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re judging her for her race. Some
people just shy away when there’s trouble."
"I know…but I still wish she didn’t have
to face this. Maybe it would have been better if she had gone to Coe
College."
"She wanted to try something new, and go
her own way—just as you did."
"I know, but I still worry about her. I
guess that’s what mothers do—even when it’s a grown step-daughter. It makes me
realize why my mother was so upset when I refused to get into the lifeboat with
her on the Titanic and ran off. I knew exactly what I needed to do, but going
back into a sinking ship is dangerous—and in spite of the fact that we were
often at odds with each other, she didn’t want anything to happen to me. Still,
I guess it just goes to show that we can’t protect our children from
everything—and just because they’re young doesn’t mean that they’re stupid, or
that their hearts aren’t in the right place. We parents want to protect them,
but sometimes they just have to find things out for themselves—and we can only
hope that everything goes well for them."
*****
Rose sat up straighter, rocking Jane gently
as the train pulled into the station. John was already picking up their bags
and preparing to exit, leaving Rose with only the baby to carry.
They got off the train, making their way
around the crowds of people waiting in the station. John had sent Nadia a
telegram telling her when they would be arriving, but he didn’t know if she had
received it, or if she would be waiting for them.
Several people stared at Rose as she followed
John towards the exit—the presence of a movie star in the small town was
unexpected. A few people started to approach her, wanting an autograph, but
backed away when they saw the determined look on her face and the squirming
baby in her arms. It was clearly not a good time to try to meet her.
John and Rose went outside, Rose trying to
calm the fussing infant, who was teething and cranky. Having seen no sign of
Nadia, they intended to look first for a hotel or boarding house, and then go
to the university in search of their daughter.
Before they could leave, however, they caught
site of a lone figure sitting on a bench, absently twirling a strand of black
hair around her fingers. A moment later, Nadia saw them and leaped to her feet.
"Dad! Mom!"
A few more people turned to stare as the
olive-skinned girl who had been the cause of so much scandal rushed into the
arms of her famous parents.