Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2014 13:34:04 -0700 From: Macout Mann Subject: In the Great Depression 7 This story is designed to show what life was like in the rural Southeastern United States in the 1930s. It covers several weeks during the summer of 1934. I have researched as carefully as I could to make the dialogue and events as authentic as possible. It does contain examples of homosexual sex, so please be warned! The events depicted are totally fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. Actual places and products are referred to for the sole purpose of adding authenticity to the story. Please also be aware that nifty.org could not exist without contributions from readers. Please donate. Donate what you are comfortable giving. It doesn't have to be a lot, but it means a lot to have each reader contribute something. It also means a lot to us authors to know that our work is being read and appreciated...or not. Please contact me at macoutmann@yahoo.com and let me know you are enjoying or hating the story. Copyright 2014 by Macout Mann. All rights reserved. IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION by Macout Mann Part 7 Andy Gump's Confrontation Normally Uncle Luke would have gone to town on Saturday, but today he wants to take his linen suit to the laundry and dry cleaners. He has three suits, a worsted for winter and linen for summer, both of which he bought in Vicksburg many years ago, and a seersucker suit he ordered from the Sears & Roebuck catalog. None get a great deal of wear. He invites Jason and Christopher to accompany him to Port Gibson and they eagerly accept. The gravel road to U.S. Highway 61 is muddy in places due to yesterday's thunderstorm. The federal highways are not always much better. It will be years before most roads are completely black topped. After visiting the cleaners they go to Uncle Luke's lawyer's office. There is only one attorney in Port Gibson, Zach Ward, and he often finds himself representing both sides in a matter. To his credit conflict of interest issues rarely arise. Jason had not known before that the Osbornes leased their home from Uncle Luke. The property had belonged to the Baucums, an old family whose line played out. When the last Baucum died, Luke bought the Baucum house and one and a half acres that surrounded it. He was thinking that if he outlived his ability to manage the Cromwell Plantation, he and Mary would always have a place to live. When the Osbornes bought the remaining Baucum property, Luke leased the house to them to save the expense of building a new one. The Osbornes are far from wealthy. "I'm worried," Uncle Luke tells his attorney. "Oborne has been a month behind with his rent on the Baucum house for some time. But now he's two months behind. I know times are tough, but I don't want to see things get completely out of hand." "I know," the attorney replies. "Mr. Osborne is very concerned. He tells me he's even behind on his bill at the grocer's." It's customary for grocery stores other than the national chains to extend credit to almost all their customers, at least to the white ones. "Can't he sell some cattle?" "You know as well as anybody that livestock prices are down," Mr. Ward counters. "He's hoping that prices will improve in the fall, and his steers also should be heftier by then." "Maybe he could put up a steer or heifer or two as collateral," Uncle Luke suggests. "I can suggest that. But in the meantime, perhaps you might be willing to take partial payments each month. He could let me have the money, and I'd be happy to keep track of the total he would still owe you. You could pick it up the next time you're in town, or I could deposit it for you." "I would agree to that, if he would also put up collateral. I sure don't want to put anybody out of their home." "I'll talk to him," the attorney says. "Jason," his uncle tells him after they leave the office, "you want to be sure never to let things get out of hand." It still doesn't occur to Jason that he is being groomed to take over the running of the Cromwell Estate. They next go to the grocery store. Cook needs oranges for the Fourth of July barbeque. They buy a dozen. Finally, they stop at the ice house. Christopher can remember when they had ice delivered in Brooklyn, before they bought a Frigidaire; but he is still impressed by the way the black men handling the tongs can toss around five hundred pound chunks of ice like they were feathers. When they return to the plantation, Aunt Mary tells the boys she has accepted another invitation for them. To have dinner with the Willises on Wednesday. "I think Sharon Willis may be sweet on Christopher," she says. Sharon is on the verge of her sixteenth birthday. Christopher takes some ribbing from Jason as they go in to dinner. Afterward, the boys decide to go swimming. As they approach the creek they are greeted by angry voices. "Boy, you get outta there...right now!" "Who says?" "I say, nigger! This swimmin' hole's for white folks!" Jason and Christopher realize that the confrontation is between Will and Andy Osborne. "Hold on!" Jason cries. "I've told Will we have no objection to his swimming here." Andy's wrath is now turned onto Jason and Christopher. "I can see how your Yankee Cousin can be a nigger lover. But not you!" he shouts. "I can't wait to tell everybody how yall tell niggers they can swim in our swimmin' hole." "First of all," Jason replies, "this part of the creek is Cromwell property..." Jason is interrupted by Will. "And I knows sompthin' about you that I can tell everbody," he threatens. "What?" Andy answers. "That I fucked your sister. You think I give a shit who knows that. I already told Jason." "Not that," Will says. "That I saw ole Jacob, fucking you...over by the schoolhouse the other day." The expression on Andy's face leaves no doubt that Will is telling the truth. Andy had let a negro man penetrate him. "Shit, motherfucker," Andy sneers. "You think anybody'd believe you sayin' I'd let a nigger fuck my ass." "Maybe not," Christopher speaks up, "but you can bet they'll believe Jason and me. "Jason and I were just out taking out afternoon stroll in the woods today, and we stumbled on a clearing, where Jacob was pumping you for all he was worth. We watched until he dropped his load, we could sure tell that you weren't minding what he was doing either. So we snuck away without either of you knowing we were ever there. "Isn't that how it happened, Jason?" "Yeah. Both of us saw it all. And we really ought to tell Uncle Luke what we saw, don't you think, Chris?" "Andy, if you know what's good for you," Christopher says, "you'll forget everything that happened here this afternoon, and you'll stay away from here in the future. "And to make sure you do, and that you don't go spreading any lies about Jason or Will here, before I go back home, I'm going to write down what I said, put it in a sealed envelope, and give it to Jason. "Now go!" "Goddamned Yankee Motherfucker," Andy hisses. Will is still in the water, and the other two boys quickly strip and jump in. "How come you be helpin' me out lak dat?" Will asks. "Well, to start off with, it aint Andy's place to be carrying on like that. If he was pissed off about you being here, he should of told Uncle Luke and let him do what he wanted to do. After all, it is our creek. "Second of all he'd boasted to me about fucking your sister. I don't know if that was true or not, but we could sure tell what you were saying about him taking it up the ass from Jacob was; and if he did that, he sure don't have any cause to bitch about havin' to swim in the same place you do." "And if he ever gives you a hard time," Christopher adds, "just let Jase know. He'll put out the story about our seeing Jacob put it to him." "I'll sho nuff do dat." Jason and Christopher begin roughhousing in the water, and soon Will overcomes his reticence and joins in. Christopher's hand "accidentally" collides with Will's monster sausage a couple of times. Between Jason and Christopher the collisions aren't so accidental. When they get out the white boys head one way, Will another. "Can you believe the size of Will's prong?" Christopher muses. "I told ya," Jason laughs. "What's the matter? You want to swing on it or something?" "God, I might. I got half a hard-on in the swimming pool." "And I thought that was for me," Jason teases. "Well, if Andy is, why can't I?" "'Cause Osbornes are goddamned white trash. Still, blacks and whites have been known to get together. There're plenty of "high yellows" around here. And I guess Andy aint the first white guy that's been with a negro man." Jason thinks back to those years ago and wonders what could have happened. He's not about to say anything about that though. "I wonder what led Andy to get with Jacob?" "No telling," Jason answers. "Curiosity maybe. Maybe Andy's really a queer that can't get satisfaction anyplace else. Like none of his brothers'll fuck him anymore. Like I said, they gotta be white trash. I used to give `em benefit of the doubt, but I don't anymore." "Well, I know one thing. I'm so horny my cock's about to rip a hole in my pants." Christopher vigorously claws his crotch. "Poor Chris," Jason teases. "Goanna get hot rocks?" He gets on his knees. "Let me help." Christopher pulls his throbbing boner out and points it at Jason's mouth. "Will may be watching over in the bushes somewhere," Jason laughs. His lips surround Christopher's beautifully shaped dick. It's a wonderful size with a mushroom head that Jason's tongue slithers around. "Oh fuck," Christopher moans, "I wish you would go back to New York with me." Jason interrupts his task to reply, "And I wish you were goanna stay down here with me." Soon Christopher receives the relief he is seeking, and they continue on. They encounter Uncle Luke, when they reach the house. He is on the way to get the mail. "You boys want to go?" They race to see who could get to the Chevrolet first. As usual, Christopher got the front seat. Lorman is on a "Star Route," so designated by the U. S. Post Office because it is one of the most difficult places in the country to deliver the mail. Christopher, of course, would know nothing about that sort of thing, but in such places as Vermont and New Hampshire, Star Routes are associated with massive snow drifts and ice covered bridges. In Mississippi, they are places where the postman's pickup truck can sink down to its axel in mud. Each morning, Kenneth Brogan picks up twenty sacks of mail at Port Gibson and sets out. He drops one of these at the Willis's store and goes on his way down the poorly graveled country roads until he reaches the end of his route. At each stop he picks up the mail that has been deposited and takes it back to Port Gibson. Mrs. Willis, the duly appointed Postmistress of Lorman, opens the bag she has received and sorts the mail. Everyone whose mailing address is simply Lorman, Miss. then comes to the Post Office, and Mrs. Willis gives them what has come for them. Today Uncle Luke has an outgoing letter from his wife to Christopher's mother, telling her how delighted they are to have him visit. Luke picks up a Sears & Roebuck Catalog, a copy of "The Progressive Farmer" magazine, and a letter from his brother, Earnest. Mrs. Willis seems very pleased to see the boys and tells them how much they are looking forward to having them for dinner on Wednesday. She has someone to tend the store for her at dinner time, but the Post Office has to be closed. Luke offers to buy the boys a "drink." That is Southern for what Christopher would have called a "soda" or a "pop" or what many Southerners would call a "coke." Jason opts for "an R. C. Cola," (Royal Crown), which he tells Christopher "is just as good as a Coca-Cola, but twice as big for a nickel," Tasting it, Christopher has to agree. Before they leave, Sharon comes down from the Willis house to the store. Yes, it is quite apparent that she is taken with Christopher. Jason may as well not be there. Something that he will torment Christopher once they are abed. Luke also decides to buy gasoline. He says how many gallons he wants, and a negro pumps that amount up into the globe at the top of the gas tank in front of the store. He then sticks the nozzle into the Chevrolet's tank and lets what's in the globe flow down. When they arrive back at the plantation house, Aunt Mary is ready to serve supper.