Part 16 (1/2)

Sued, ”Hey, you said to accentuate the positive Ain't much positive about writin' down you was in the slammer”

”I don't know,” I said to the class

”You tryin' to get us jobs,” Set us fired?”

I had envisioned this class being helpful But not helpful in disguising our incarceration For future classes I would propose less personal topics Current events, debate, or

Back in my dor My teaned to evaluate h-five days of freedouards would just let o home for a week

The nextafter breakfast, I sat in the patient cafeteria and read a copy of the regulations for inhs Ella rolled up to o hooes back to Abita Springs all the tiht Ella had spent her adult life at Carville

”When did you first get to go back?”

”I always been goin' hoot bad, I walk all over town”

”I thought you contracted leprosy when you were twelve?”

”That's right,” she said, nodding ”That's right”

”But you got to go hooes,” she said

There were so s I didn't know about Ella's life Toparts But at some level it didn't matter Whatever wisdo to share with et home soon,” she said Ella put her shi+ny hands on the cranks of her wheelchair and turned toward the hallways

CHAPTER 55

I waited forwith five other inmates

”Don't expect nothin',” one man told me ”They just fuck with you”

An hour later,roouards Mr Flowers, the tall black

”Mr White here had quite an offensive scheroup

”I see you went to Ole Miss,” he said, staring atat the other tearate”

As I realized I was the only white person in the room, I remembered my first year in an all-white fraternity at Ole Miss I was nauided new initiates through a ritual that had its roots in a secret society in fourteenth-century Bologna, Italy, when foreign students needed protection against the evil Baldassarre Cossa Eventually, I was elected grand master

Prospective fraternity brothers were scrutinized before receiving a coveted bid Any shortcohtly rounds for rejection When passing judgned, two-compartment box was passed in silence from brother to brother Inside one side of the box hite balls and black balls The box allowed us to accept or reject secretly, by passing a white ball or a black ball through a s the two cohteen and twenty-two sat in reverence of the ritual To allow e And that was unthinkable

I dropped a black ball more than once to keep out an undesirable I didn't want to hurt the young men I just didn't want them associated with me, or with my Greek letters

The worthy ones who did pass muster based on appearance or wealth or family reputation seeree, and I didn't hide it Our fraternity T-shi+rts read a kappa sigma: the most wanted man in the country The walls of the frat house were adorned with posters that read ”Poverty Sucks” and ”Greed Is Good”

I felt entitled and iroup of handsome, affluent, prominent men ould eventually be the leaders in our state, or maybe even the country

Now I stared at Mr Flowers and a roouards who could blackball h, and block five days on the outside with Neil and Maggie

”If I remember correctly,” Mr Flowers said, ”the National Guard had to be called in to protect Mr Meredith”

I wanted to point out to Mr Flowers that I o years old during the integration of Ole Miss I also wanted to tell him that many of the students, even in 1962, were supportive of Mr Meredith's enrollration I wanted him to know I cochaired a Racial Reconciliation Co to banish the Rebel flag as an official university sye his view of me I reminded myself of Ella's advice What he thinks of me is none of my business What he thinks of me is none of h?” he asked

I was glad to see him drop the Ole Miss topic ”I don't know,” I said ”But I'd love to see my children”

Then Flowers mentioned that he attended Jackson State University, a historically black institution ”We played our football gaames,” he said ”We had to sit in stands filled with the trash and beer cups left from your party”

I nodded ”We have solad to see you admit this,” he said

Flowers reviewed their policy for furlough approval ”You can leave now,” he said ”In the unlikely event your furlough is approved, one of us will let you know”

CHAPTER 56

I left theand walked to the library As I turned the far corner of the colony, Link joinedThe crackle of the guards' tay radios echoed down the hall, and Ms Woodsen ran toward us ”Get in here!” she yelled, waving her short, fat arency census!”

Link and I waited with about thirty other in Ms Woodsen had us stand in a line against the wall as she counted and recounted us I stood between Link and Big Gene, an in Gene leaned in toward me and whispered, ”Somebody done left”

When a prisoner escaped, all other inmates were detained and counted to confirm the escape To Ms Woodsen's credit, she came up with the sauard in another part of the colony could not get his nu for al Gene said, ”Ms Woodsen, my feets hurt”

”What'd you say?” Ms Woodsen said,into teacher mode