The dust of winter snow had lifted. Spring was shining through the mountains’ peaks. Months after the Christmas caroling, Louella received friendly greetings from those who remembered the Happy Land Choir when she went into town.
Even John Goodwin came to the house, shook William’s hand, and said, “Things have really improved around here since you Happy Landers showed up.”
Sweet relief also came to them when President Grant finally got tired of the violence the Ku Klux Klan perpetrated against Black people and declared martial law. By December of 1871, about six hundred Klansmen had been arrested. Klan terrorism in their neck of the woods significantly decreased after a few of them were convicted.
William was pleased with the convictions. It felt like this was the perfect time to purchase more land, so he scheduled a meeting with Mrs. Serepta.
That meeting would take place in a few days, but today he told Louella to put on her best dress. He was taking her for a ride. Mama Sue, Mirabel, and Ruby were spending the day knitting and helping Miss Saddie boil cloth in indigo and madder root to add some color to it, so she asked Elmira to watch the children for her.
“Of course I will, Auntie.” Elmira pointed toward Robert’s house. “Let me go check on my dad while you get dressed.”
Louella hugged her niece, then went to her bedroom and took out a yellow dress that had white frilly lace at the top. Miss Saddie told her this dress was for sunshiny days. Louella even had a yellow-and-white hat and gloves to match.
She got dressed and walked back into the keeping room. The kids were seated at the table, and Elmira was fixing them a snack. “I thought you were visiting with your daddy for a spell.”
Elmira rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t home.”
“He was there yesterday. I saw him talking with Harold.”
“I know. I told him I’d come see him today, but I guess he had more important things to do.”
Louella frowned at that. Nothing was more important than a child, even one who was full-grown. “If you’re frustrated, you should talk to your daddy.”
Elmira huffed. She put bowls of berries in front of Waties and Joshua. “It doesn’t make sense that I have to tell my own daddy he should spend more time with me.”
Louella’s daddy had been there for her. William was there for Waties and Joshua. She didn’t understand why Robert preferred spending so much time outside of the Happy Land instead of being here with Elmira.
“I mean,” Elmira continued, “he left me when I was a baby. You’d think he’d spend time getting to know me. But honestly, I have a better relationship with you and Uncle William than I do with my own father.”
William walked in as Louella was searching her mind for something that would bring comfort to her niece. He took one look at Louella, then put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.
“I’m a lucky man. Yes, I am.” He took her hand and twirled her around. “Boys, is your mother not the prettiest woman in all the South?”
Louella put her hands on her hips. “What about the North, East, and West?”
William bowed to her. “I stand corrected.” He turned to their children. “Your mother is the prettiest woman in the whole world.”
“I hope I’m at least second.”
Grinning, William bowed to Elmira. “You most certainly are, princess.”
Elmira nudged Louella. “See what I mean?”
“Stop fretting and speak your mind to your daddy.” Louella kissed the boys on their cheeks and left the house arm in arm with her king.
Sitting next to him in the buggy, breathing in the fresh scent of spring, Louella set her mind on enjoying the day and appreciating all that was to come. “Where we riding off to?”
Holding on to the reins, William glanced over at Louella. “I was told about a lady selling fine fabrics outside of a general store in Spartanburg.”
Louella touched the lace of her dress. “What kind of fabric do you think this dress was made of?”
“You’re my queen, Louella. I want to give you more than the few pretty dresses you possess. You should have a month or two of fine Sunday dresses.”
She put her hand on his arm and let it slide up and down. There weren’t many easy days in the Happy Land. There was always land to be cleared, fields to be plowed, children to teach, and on and on.
Today, there was only time to enjoy with her husband. She leaned back in her seat, head resting on William’s arm as the sun beat down on them. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a day as beautiful as this.”
“You deserve a thousand days like this.”
“And you deserve all the love I have to give.” After all these years, Louella was ashamed that this was as close of a declaration of love her mouth could give. But she prayed that he felt her love in every way she tried to show it. Why had she ever given a second thought to marrying this man? She was surely blessed by God when William Montgomery took a shine to her.
* * *
Louella found three bolts of fabric that she absolutely loved. William paid the woman and then put the fabric in the back of the wagon. As he did so, he remembered the day he saw those people outside of the saloon in Mississippi selling fine fabrics. He hadn’t been able to afford luxuries back then but had desired to give such things to Louella ever since.
After shopping, William took Louella to a boardinghouse with a small restaurant on the lower level. “Robert told me this place serves some of the best smothered pork chops he’s ever tasted.”
“You better not let Maribel and Mama Sue hear y’all saying this. We’ll be fending for ourselves, and I don’t cook as well as they do.”
“You cook just fine.” William put a hand on her lower back as they walked into the boardinghouse.
“You folks looking for a room or a meal?”
William smiled at the woman in a brown skirt and white apron. “My brother told me y’all have the best smothered pork chops in the South, so I brought my lovely wife to sample them.”
She showed them to a table. “You’re in luck. I cooked pork chops, rice, and gravy today.”
“You cook and serve the people?” Louella asked as William held out a seat for her.
“I do it all.” The woman held out a hand to Louella and William. “I’m Lidia. I own the place.”
William said, “I’m William, and this is Louella.”
Lidia took a step back, gave them the once-over. “Who did you say your brother was?”
“Robert Montgomery. He raved about your food.”
Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh my good Lord. Are you telling me I’m standing in front of a real live king and queen?” She started fussing around the room, wiping tables off, retucking her shirt in her long brown skirt.
Louella reached out and touched Lidia’s arm. “Please don’t fuss over us. We’re just William and Louella, and we’re so happy to meet you.”
Lidia took a couple of deep breaths and fanned herself. “Ain’t never been in the presence of royalty before.”
William laughed. “Neither have we. Believe me when I tell you, we came out of slavery just as you did. We’re not ones to put on airs.”
Lidia bowed in front of them, then smiled as she left the room. She returned with two plates and a bowl of corn bread. “I wish I had cooked something fancier today. But here’s your pork chop plates.”
William said grace over the food and then they dug in. The smell of the gravy covering the rice and pork chops wafted upward into William’s nostrils. He cut a piece of the chop, scooped some rice and gravy on his fork, and tasted it. “Mmm. Oh my goodness. Is this what I’ve been missing?”
Louella’s eyes were closed like she was taking a moment to savor the experience. When she opened her eyes, she pointed her fork at him. “Don’t be disrespectful. The food we’re served in the Happy Land is very good.”
“It really is,” William agreed, “but we’ve never been served pork chops with gravy like this. This will have to go on the menu.”
Louella was busy chewing. When she finished, she licked her lips and pointed toward her plate. “This thick gravy is so good.” She reached for a piece of corn bread.
Lidia entered the keeping room with some lemon water. She put the glasses on the table.
William said, “Mrs. Lidia, can you give my wife the recipe for this delicious gravy?”
Putting a hand to her chest, Lidia asked, “You really like it?”
“We do. It would be a blessing to serve this in the Happy Land.”
Lidia gave William a quizzical once-over. “If you don’t mind my saying so, King, you and your brother are complete opposites.”
William scratched by his hairline. “We’re not so different.”
William caught the twist of Louella’s lips and the lift of her brow as Lidia said, “You and your wife are humble, but that brother of yours spends his time at the saloon down the street. By the time he comes here for a meal and his room, let’s just say he’s hard to deal with at times.”
William’s eyebrow lifted. He quickly brought it back down as he glanced over at Louella. Robert was selfish and entitled, but now William discovered that his brother was bringing shame to them with his drunken behavior. His emotions were all over the place as he tried to process this information.
After Lidia walked away, Louella put a hand over William’s. “You okay?”
Measuring his words, William said, “Robert worries me at times.” His brother was a poor second-in-command, but he couldn’t admit that to his wife.
When Louella didn’t respond, he added, “I need him for our meeting with Mrs. Serepta in a couple of days.” He rubbed his forehead with three of his fingers. “I don’t understand why he’s down here running around as if he has no responsibilities.”
“That’s your brother.” Louella waved a dismissive hand in the air. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”
Mrs. Lidia handed Louella a piece of paper with the gravy recipe on it. “The secret is the onions and seasonings I use.”
“I thank you for your kindness,” Louella said as she held on to the recipe.
“Now, I don’t go ’round handing out my recipes, but y’all special,” Mrs. Lidia told them.
When they finished eating, William helped Louella back into the wagon. While driving up the dusty road, Mrs. Lidia’s words about Robert played over and over in his head. Robert’s near whiteness provided a service to them from time to time, but with it came downright flakiness.
They were about to pass the saloon. Robert’s horse and buggy were outside, as Lidia had stated. William pulled his buggy next to Robert’s and hopped down.
“What are you doing?”
“I need to speak with Robert.”
Louella leaned forward, trepidation on her face. “Wait until he comes back to the Happy Land. God only knows what’s going on inside that saloon.”
“Just stay here. I’ll be right back.” William stepped inside the saloon. There were at least ten tables with four chairs to each table. Men were drinking. Rowdy, boisterous laughs and cheers were heard from one side of the saloon to the other.
William scanned the room. He didn’t see Robert at any of the tables. He walked over to the bar. A dark-skinned man with a long salt-and-pepper beard stood behind the bar pouring whiskey into a shot glass.
“What’s your pleasure?” the bartender asked.
“I’m looking for my brother, Robert Montgomery.” William pointed toward the outside, then raised his voice so he could be heard above the noise. “His horse and buggy are outside, but I don’t see him.”
“Robert Montgomery is your brother?” The bartender gave him a doubting-Thomas twist of the lip.
“He’s been my brother all his life. I need to speak with him before I head home. Have you seen him?”
The bartender handed a man the whiskey glass, then jutted his thumb backward toward a door behind the bar. William figured that was the room where the gambling took place. He opened the door and found Robert seated at a round table with cards in his hand.
Three other men were at the table with him, smoking, drinking, and using language that burned William’s ears. He stepped over to the table as Robert threw a card down. “What you doing here?” Robert slurred his words.
Holy indignation filled William. He took hold of Robert’s arm. “Get up.”
“Hey, let me go. I’m about to win this game.”
William took the cards out of Robert’s hand and threw them on the table.
One of the men at the table looked to Robert, then put a hand below the table. “You need me to handle this?”
Robert shook his hand. “Family business.” He stood and walked over to the door with William. He whispered, “Get out of here. This is no place for you.”
“It’s no place for you either. Why do you come to this city making a spectacle of yourself?”
“Spectacle?” Robert’s eyebrow shot up. “What am I doing wrong?” He stumbled and fell back against the door. “Enjoying a drink every now and then and a few games of chance makes me a bad guy?”
William reached out and caught Robert, steadied him, and then opened the door. He walked Robert out of the saloon. As they stood next to Robert’s wagon, William told him, “You’re embarrassing yourself. You’re supposed to be a leader for the people in the Happy Land. Is this how you lead?”
“You’re the king. I’m just your brother.” Robert looked this way and that. “Who am I leading?”
“Is that what this is about? You’re jealous that I’m leading our kingdom, so you fill yourself with strong drink and throw good money away?”
Robert laughed in his face and then started shouting. “Why would I be jealous of you? I was born free. I owned a farm. I never had to serve my father like a slave.”
William’s head jolted backward as if being punched. “It wasn’t like a slave . . . I was enslaved. And every day I spent serving our father, I thanked God you never had to.” William’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Grow up, Robert. Our mother sacrificed everything so that you could be born free.” Pointing at the saloon, William shook his head. “This is how you repay her?”
Robert flung his hands, lost his footing, then grabbed hold of the back of his wagon. “Our mother is dead, but I still hear her voice telling me how much I owe her. ‘Go out in this world and make something of yourself, Robert. Don’t let my sacrifice be in vain,’” he mimicked.
“She sacrificed for both of us. Why do her words cut you so?” William’s mother had told them that she wanted to run away but had stayed for her children. Took everything Montgomery dished out for her children.
“You weren’t the one who reminded her so much of our father that she couldn’t stand to look at you at times.”
“That was a long time ago.” William patted Robert on the shoulder. “Let it go.”
Robert pointed toward the saloon. “I let it go in there.”
William walked to his wagon. Louella was biting down on her lip as if she wanted to say something. He grabbed hold of the reins, then turned back to his brother. “If you’d rather drink your sorrows away, then stay here and I’ll find someone else to do the job you keep running from.”