Life’S Intersections

By Bill Womack

Follow young Americans, a nurse, a pro baseball player, a fashion reporter. and an auto mechanic, to name a few, as their lives intersect and are altered by war, love, and major events. All are influenced by the meetings with others during this critical period of American history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491740453

Bill Womack

Bill Womack is a native born Georgian, and a graduate of Georgia Tech. He lived in Texas for over thirty years where he practiced and retired from his profession of Business Brokerage. His first book, THE OWLS OF THE OSS has been well received. Bill is actively working on his next fiction book, THE RABBI DOUBLE FAULTED. HOW SMALL US BUSINESSES ARE BEATING THE IRS is a work of non fiction that is also in progress. Bill spends his time with friends and family in Atlanta. Bill would love to hear your comments about his work. Contact him at [e-mail].

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

NITA TAYLOR

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

APRIL, 1936

He was passed out on the sofa, again. There was one other fraternity brother passed out in a chair. Orson had evidently gone to the restroom, because his fly was still open, Nita eyed him with distain. The party at the Georgia Tech, Kappa Alpha House was winding down. Nita had enjoyed dancing with several guys who didn’t bring dates to the party. Her date was too drunk to dance by nine o’clock. Chuck Hershey had really snuggled up to close during the slow numbers, but she figured that since she had a voluptuous bust line; why not let him rub his chest on it. Nita was a vivacious brunette. She had been voted most beautiful in the Jonesboro High School Senior Class. She had on a new light gray skirt and navy blue blouse. She felt that she was really pretty. She had worked hard to look especially good tonight. She was not used to being abandoned by her date. She had met Orson at a mixer held between the new nursing class at Crawford Long Nursing School and two fraternities, Sigma Nu and Sigma Chi. Nita felt that the Sigma Chi boys were to prim and straight laced. However, she felt like the Sigma Nu guys were a lot of good time fellows. She was immediately attracted to Orson, However, now she was exasperated with him. He came from a prominent family in Decatur, Georgia. His father owned a car dealership, and they seemed to be prospering in spite of the Depression. He made good grades, and when he was sober, he was very sweet and attentive. But every Saturday night he drank until he passed out. Nita decided that there must be a valid reason that the nickname for the KA house was the Knights of Alcohol. Tonight had solidified her decision. She was going to break up with Orson. In spite of several months of good times and deep affection and physical attraction, the last two months had been really bad. He had always apologized, and begged for her forgiveness with promises to do better. Nita decided that she was not going to wrap her life around an alcoholic or even a recovering alcoholic. Fortunately, another nurse from Crawford Long Nursing School had come with her Kappa Alpha date, and he was going to let Nita ride with them back to the nurse’s dorm,

She got back to the dorm and tossed her purse on the bed. Her roommate had gone home to visit her parents in Marietta for the weekend. Nita was still sweaty from all of the dancing, so she decided to get a quick shower before she went to bed. She took off her clothes and wrapped a towel around herself. As she went into the bathroom, she noticed that Jody Barrett was brushing her teeth. Nita playfully goosed her in the butt as she passed by her. What does a girl have to do be able to brush her teeth without being molested? Jody spewed droplets of toothpaste as she complained. Jody was short and wiry. But she was very strong. The nursing school did some strength testing of all of the nurse candidates. Nurses are called upon to do some activities that require strength to lift beds and move patients. Jody was tops in her class.

It’s one of the occupational hazards of being a nurse Nita laughed as she stepped into the shower. The water was warm and soothed her mood. She felt very relieved that she had made the decision about Orson. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Seeing Jody reminded her of the experiences of the past Christmas season.

Nita stayed to make additional money as a nurse’s aide over the holidays. Jody was from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the long distance travel was too expensive, so she stayed as well. There was an ice storm on Christmas Eve, and the precipitation was not predicted to stop until the day after Christmas. Since they were the only ones in the dorm, they moved in together. By noon on Christmas Day there was a two inch sheet of ice on everything, and it continued to fall. Electric power lines were breaking all over town. The electricity in the dorm and the hospital went out. There was a coal furnace for the dorm, but they couldn’t make it work. The janitor couldn’t get in because of the ice. The hospital had a generator. Nita and Jody slipped, slid, fell and crawled the fifty yards to the hospital for their meals. They were told to go back to the dorm room and pile on the blankets to stay warm. The head nurse said that they would be paid, but they should stay in the room because the patient load was reduced by the weather, so they wouldn’t be needed.

After the precipitation stopped, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. It was miserable. Nita and Jody decided to snuggle in the same bed to let the shared body heat help to keep them warm.

It was all very innocent. There was some rubbing to increase circulation. There was an accidental touching of a breast. They were both under the covers, in total blackness when there was an accidental touching of lips. It shot a bolt of electricity through Nita. She reached out for Jody and repeated the kiss. When Jody responded they began two days of enjoying each other sexually without any regard for the taboos of society.

The weather broke, and they were recalled to duty as the electricity came on. Jody was pulling on her white hose, and she snapped the hose with the stays to her garter belt. Well, I guess that we’re officially lesbians. She stood as if she anticipated an agreement from Nita.

Nita was putting on her lipstick, as she cocked her head and said, I don’t think so, I still like to be with guys too.

Jody shrugged on her coat, Well, that makes us bi-sexual and we have the worst of both worlds.

What do you mean the worst of both worlds?

Jody locked the door as the left the room, Bi-sexual people want to screw everyone they meet. They both laughed heartily at the joke.

As Nita got out oh the shower, Jody was brushing her hair. Jody my room mate is gone for the weekend. Do you think we might need to keep each other warm tonight?

Jody cocked her head, I’m positively freezing right now.

That night Nita found out that Jody already had a job lined up at the main hospital in her home town. Her mother was the secretary for the hospital administrator, and she had manipulated her daughter into the plum nursing position.

Nita had absolutely no job prospects, so she had accepted an appointment to the Naval Nursing School, and she was to report to Long Island, New York two weeks after graduation. Nita and Jody had promised to stay in touch after graduation.

It was interesting to Nita that the sex was so casual and without any love or commitment. In addition there was no threat of pregnancy. All in all, it was completely enjoyable.

After graduation, Nita went home to Jonesboro to visit her parents before she left to go into the Navy. She had a date with her high school sweetheart, Charles Nowell. Charles was a great athlete, the star of three sports, but had no discipline to succeed in the classroom. He had only been able to get occasional farm work. He had been accepted to learn electrical work at a technical school in Chicago. He would leave in September.

They went to the movies. W. C. Fields was hilarious, but Nita felt that he mumbled his lines too much. Some of his best stuff was drowned out by the laughter of the audience. After the movie they walked hand in hand to the drug store on the square. They shared a chocolate malt. Nita enjoyed getting caught up on all of their classmate’s activities. Some of their friends and double date partners were married.

Charles said that he had only been on two dates since they went together to their graduation dance. That night they had sex, a first for them both. Nita, we’ve stepped lightly around how we feel about each other. Why don’t we get married and move to Atlanta. I’m sure that I can get a job there, and you could work as a nurse. I’ve loved you since we were twelve years old. When I kissed you at Mary Ellen’s party; when we played spin the bottle, I’ve been hooked ever since.

Nita was afraid that this situation would arise. Charles, I’ve committed to be an officer in the Navy Nurse Corps. If I don’t show up for the school, I’ll end up in jail at Fort Leavenworth. She reached out to pat his hand in assurance. She had not actually been sworn in yet, but she knew that Charles didn’t know that.

Her parents were very proud of her. Her father kissed her before she got on the train. He used her full name of Juanita when he asked that she write often. Nita hated her full name. She thought that it sounded like a Mexican floozy. She saw that both her parents had tears in their eyes as she stepped onto the train.

On the long ride to New York, she mulled over her life. She thought about her pre-teen crush on Charles. She revisited the memories of their make out sessions. She thought about how they held hands during the services at the First Methodist Church. She had tried out to be a cheer leader, but didn’t make it. She was really jealous when the squad would do the cheer where they held up the last names of the players. The cheer was, Nowell, Nowell, he’s our man. If he can’t do it, Smith can. Nita was jealous that Mary Ellen Foster held the placard with Charlie’s name on it. Mary Ellen had a crush on Charles, and had tried to lure him away from Nita. Nita laughed because Mary Ellen had to get married to Fred Sparks because she was pregnant. She was terrified that she would get knocked up because of the session with Charles on graduation night. She had actually cried with relief when she got her period. She vowed to never get in that predicament again. She was going to concentrate on her nursing career. If something happened in the romance department, she would be very careful, but it was not a top priority with her. She knew that the school was a lot more about how to act and dress as an officer than specific nursing methods.

Nita was very comfortable with the Navy nursing program. She was surprised how much emphasis was on the proper documentation and paperwork of everything having to do with every patient.

Her room mate was a red headed; freckled faced farm girl from Iowa named Florence Hendrix. They became fast friends. She knew so much about live stock that she nearly went to Veterinary school, but that was pretty much a man’s world. She was really smart, and Nita and Flo were ranked number one and two in their class.

At graduation, they were both assigned to the Naval Hospital at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Most of the girls were envious of their assignment because everyone else was assigned to cold weather locations.

The train trip to San Francisco and the ocean voyage were boring and uneventful. The only interesting thing was that the stars were very visible at night aboard the ship. They were beautiful. One night they saw several shooting stars. Flo said that they should make a wish on the shooting star. She closed her eyes and made her wish. Nita asked what her wish was. She said that it was unlucky to tell.

Nita was able to read and relax. There were plenty of books to read. And there was a new movie shown every two hours all day long. In the bar they played games. Nita’s favorite was Twenty Questions, patterned after the popular radio show. She did very well and won a prize which was a coupon for something from the gift shop. The orchestra performed every night, and Nita and Flo were very popular dance partners for several fellows. They didn’t have to pay for a single drink during the trip. Nita was asked by two different fellows to go to their cabin for a drink. She refused nicely, but again reaffirmed to herself that she was not going to get serious with any fellow. If something romantic did develop, it would be alright as long as it didn’t interfere with her nursing. The arrival at Honolulu was an event to remember. The view of Diamond Head and the Aloha Tower from the ocean liner was magnificent.

CHAPTER TWO

RICK FERRIS

DECATUR, GEORGIA

AUGUST, 1936

All rise! the bailiff shouted as Judge Harold Crispin entered the court room. Rick stood with the rest of the people in the court room. The judge’s calendar was light for the morning session. He started a messy divorce case after lunch, and he was not looking forward to it. Not only were child custody questions to be resolved, he was suffering from a recurring bout of hemorrhoids. He had a small inflated donut ring to sit on. It had been placed in his chair for him by his bailiff.

Please be seated. The judge looked out over the court room. There were sixteen people present. What is the first case?

The bailiff cleared his throat. Civil Case number 382071; Lulu Harrington vs. Frank Sweet.

A distinguished looking black man in a suit and tie spoke next. Marvin Harris for the plaintiff. Harold knew Marvin. He was one of the few black attorneys in the county. He had received his law degree in Michigan.

Standing beside him was an attractive black girl.

A muscular black man with a swatch of gray hair stood behind the defendant’s table. He wore black slacks and a white shirt with no tie.

Are you Frank Sweet? The bailiff handed the plaintiff’s petition to Judge Crispin. The black man nodded. Do you have an attorney to represent you in this matter?

Naw sir, I can’t afford no lawyer. Frank Sweet shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor.

Judge Crispin didn’t like these kinds of cases. It was blatantly unfair to have one side without legal representation. However, he had handled them before. He had to be careful, and help the indigent party as much as he could, within the limits of the law.

Mr. Harris will you please outline the plaintiff’s case? Judge Crispin motioned toward the black attorney.

Thank you, your honor. The plaintiff, Lulu Harrington is seeking a permanent financial support arrangement from the defendant, Frank Sweet, for the minor child Leroy, fathered by the defendant. Mr. Sweet has openly admitted to several people, including me, that he is the father. Since there is no question of paternity, the normal weekly payment of four dollars is sought by the plaintiff. This is the standard child support presently being awarded in this county as represented by these cases. The attorney handed the bailiff the copies of the cases which validated the amount.

Judge Crispin looked at Frank Sweet. What do you have to say in this matter, Mr. Sweet?

I been givin’ her more than that as long as she kept on fucking with me. If she ain’t gonna fuck me, I ain’t gonna pay nothing. Frank Sweet stated his case in a voice that was heard all over the court room. There were titters of laughter from some of the people who had come into the court room.

Judge Chrispen pounded his gavel. Order in the court! He looked at the plaintiff and asked, "How old is this child?

Lulu spoke up. Leroy is five years old.

The judge was taken aback. "How old are you, Miss Harrington?’

I’m eighteen. She responded.

Mr. Sweet, did you know that you committed rape when you had sex with a thirteen year old, and fathered this child? The judge didn’t like the way this was going.

"Nawsir, t’was’t no rape. She was willin’ then and she’s willin’ now. Frank Sweet responded to the accusation.

Mr. Sweet, sex with a minor, any girl under eighteen, is considered rape in the State of Georgia. I am bound to enforce the laws of the state. Mr. Sweet, you are going to jail for rape. Bailiff, put your handcuffs on this man and take him in for booking. Judge Chrispen motioned to the bailiff.

Frank Sweet spoke up, Judge, when you white folks changes the rules, you need to let us Niggers know. I been fucking under the old rules. He was led out of the court room, and there was open laughter from the spectators.

Attorney Marvin Harris spoke up immediately. Your Honor, Miss Harrington is not pressing any rape charges. All she wants is the support money for her child.

Judge Chrispen motioned for the attorney to approach the bench. The judge whispered to him, "I know that. I’m scaring the hell out of Mr. Sweet. We’ll book him, and then I’ll drop the charges. The statute of limitations has run out anyway. We’ll have a meeting in my chambers where I’ll tell him that the only way he doesn’t go to jail is to make his child support payments to Miss Harrington every Saturday morning. I’m going to tell her that if she has consensual sex with him, that the child support will be terminated. Judge Chrispen winked at the black attorney, who smiled and nodded in agreement,

Call the next case please. The judge shifted to reposition the donut to lessen the pain of the hemorrhoids.

The bailiff handed the judge a folder, ‘Your Honor, this is criminal case number 367894, The State of Georgia v Richard Ferris for Grand Theft Auto.

Rick was petrified. He had waived his right to any of the preliminaries, arraignment, or an attorney. He felt that his actions were not criminal, so he wanted to get it all over with. Rick had never been in court before. He had heard that it was a white institution that was designed to keep the black race down. He noticed the American Flag on one side of the court room. He then noted the flag of the state of Georgia. It was the state seal beside the old Confederate Battle flag, the Stars and Bars of the Old South. He mused to himself. That poor Nigger came in here about child support, and ended up going to prison, He wondered if the rape law applied to him. He was thirteen when he had sex with his thirty year old aunt. He wondered if the age applied to the fuckee or the fuckor. His aunt was a school teacher, and she looked at it as part of his education. She had seen him naked and marveled at the size of his penis. She decided that she would be the first to take advantage of it. Rick decided that he should stay quiet about it.

Rick was six feet tall and had a very muscular build. He didn’t work with weights, but the auto mechanic work kept him fit. His skin was the color of exquisite chocolate, and he had dimples and a winning smile.

Assistant District Attorney Bob Brownlee rose and spoke, If it please the court, this is a pretty simple case. The auto was reported stolen. The defendant was driving it, and openly admitted that it was not his vehicle. It is his first offense, and the people would not oppose a minimum sentence of five years.

Judge Chrispen looked at Rick who was seated at the defendant’s table.

What do you have to say for yourself?"

Rick stood to speak. He guessed that he should be open and truthful. Your Honor, I was going up to the Piggly Wiggly Store to get some beer for the weekend. As you know that’s the closest place to get it because Dekalb County is dry. I went with my friend, Junior Tybee, in his car. Junior was driving. We saw this Chevrolet sitting beside the road with its hood up. I’m a mechanic at the Chevrolet dealership, so I stopped to see if I could help. There was no one there. The keys were still in the ignition. I reconnected two wires, we took Junior’s booster cables, and I got it going. I thought that it wouldn’t be safe to leave it on the side of the road, because now it was fixed and someone could steal it. I decided that I would take it to the police station and turn it in. However, we were only one block from the Piggly Wiggly, so I decided to go get my beer first. It was late Friday afternoon and a lot of people were buying groceries. The lady in front of me bought nine dollars worth of groceries and paid for it with nickels, dimes, but mostly pennies. It took forever for me to get out and head back to Decatur. I was headed to the Police Station when I was stopped by the police. I wasn’t stealing the car; I was just turning it in. I guess that during my delay at the Piggly Wiggly that the stolen car report was sent out, and the policemen saw the tag number and arrested me.

Judge Chrispen was impressed with the demeanor and appearance of the young black man. You are very well spoken. How much education do you have?

I went part of the year in the fourth grade. I had to start to work to help out my family because my father left. One of my jobs was sweeping out Mr. Pope’s barber shop. Every night he would give me the papers and magazines to throw out. I took them home and read ’em all. I guess that was where I did a lot of my learning. Rick had determined very early that the people who counted in the world did not speak like his parents, friends and neighbors. He tried to talk like Pastor Thatch, or like the white people he heard on the radio.

Judge Chrispen cleared his throat. When I saw that you were coming before me today, I did a little research. The second criminal case I had as a judge was your father. He’s in prison for life for murder. That’s why you had to start to work. I have sent two of your uncles, three cousins, and your older brother to prison. I’ve had your mother twice for prostitution. I only gave her jail time because I knew that your grandmother could look after you and your sisters. I guess that I have spent my entire judicial career putting Ferrises in jail. I had hoped that you might be the one success story of your family. He paused to light his pipe. At the Lion’s club meeting last week, Tom Meyers, who owns the Chevrolet dealership, where you work, button holed me and asked me to go easy on you because you were an exceptional mechanic, and a good kid. He paused to enjoy a puff of the aromatic tobacco in his pipe, Mr. Brownlee, I know that you are going to object to my ruling, but your objection is overruled. Rick, I want you to go get out of those jail house duds; put on some clean clothes. I’m sentencing you to five years, but I’m going to suspend the sentence if you will go join something; Army, Navy, I don’t care. I figure that if you get into a strict military routine, they’ll be more stringent about keeping you straight than any parole officer. I want you to be in my chambers at five o’clock this afternoon with proof that you have joined up. If you have, and when your service time is up, I’ll expunge your record. Do you know what that means?

Yes sir. It means that it is erased forever. Rick couldn’t believe his good fortune.

That’s right. Bailiff, take him to process out. Court is in recess. Judge Chrispen rapped his gavel indicating that he was finished for now. He signaled for the Assistant District Attorney to approach the bench.

The Assistant District Attorney smiled as he came to the bench. Your honor has engaged in a little creative sentencing.

I hope it works. Bob, I want you to appeal this ruling, but don’t file the appeal for a month. By then he’ll be long gone in the service. I’d like for the Court of Appeals to agree with me. If they don’t, I don’t want that young man to go to jail because of my mistake. Judge Chrispen tapped out the ashes from his pipe and rose to leave the court room.

Rick put on his regular clothes, and went to the Army recruiting office that was across the street from the court house on the town square.

Sergeant Donald Perkins was resplendent in his class A uniform. His brass was polished and his shoes were spit shined to a mirror finish. He was amused that the Army was maintained by two foreign products: Brasso was made by a Dutch company and Kiwi shoe polish was from Australia. His Sam Browne belt fit him snugly. His hair was smartly parted and in place with a generous application of Wildroot Hair Crème. He had grown a pencil thin mustache ala Ronald Coleman. He felt he was God’s gift to women, although he looked more like a slimy used car salesman.

Sergeant Perkins was a true Son of the South. He didn’t like the idea of allowing Niggers into the Army. However, he had a quota to fill each month, so if one was qualified, he grudgingly accepted him. He greeted Rick with a warm hand shake, and invited him in. Rick said that he wanted to inquire about the application process. Sergeant Perkins said that since we were not at war, the application process was very stringent. He set Rick up to take the written test. He said that there was a forty-five minute time limit. Rick began and finished in thirty minutes. His test grade was ninety-seven. If any applicant got over sixty; Sergeant Perkins would fudge him up to a seventy so he would pass and help fill his quota. The best white kid had made a ninety.

At ten minutes to five, Rick returned to Judge Chrispen’s court room. The divorce lawyers were making motions for the judge to make a ruling. After court adjourned, he noticed Rick and motioned him to come forward. Did you get joined up?

I joined the Army. I report to Camp Blandon in Louisiana in two weeks. I’ll be officially in after I pass the physical. Rick held out his paperwork for the judge to review.

That’s all right. Come with me to my office. As the judge went into his outer office, he spoke to his secretary. Elsie, get your dictation pad and take a letter for me. The judge dictated a letter To whom it may concern. It extolled Rick as being a trustworthy and honorable person. It further stated that he was an excellent auto mechanic; he was responsible and would do well with any responsibility given to him. The letter was typed and signed by the judge and handed to him with another letter. I had Tom Meyers do a similar letter about you. You give these letters to whoever it is in the Army who decides where you will work and be trained.

Your Honor, I can’t begin to express how thankful I am for what you’ve done for me. Rick was amazed. He had never had white person care about him.

The judge reached out to shake his hand. You just do your best, and don’t make me regret my decision.

The train ride to Louisiana was hot and dusty. Rick was one of sixty black inductees who arrived at the camp. The white sergeant barked commands, and they were processed into the infirmary where they were told to remove all of their clothes except for their underwear shorts. Rick was relieved that no one would see his extremely oversized male organ. It always brought forth a lot of comments and questions. The questions were like, What’s it look like when it’s hard? Rick always replied that he had never seen it hard. The next follow up was Why not? Rick would jokingly say that that when it got hard it pulled his forehead skin over his eyes. His other joke response was that it took so much blood, when it got hard, that he