Loving and supporting Yulie did not stop him from using drugs.
Yulie was the only man that Mary had been with since her husband had left her, and she was reticent about going with him. But there was something about him she found irresistible. Perhaps it was his vulnerability, or perhaps it was that he was such a beautiful person in spite of his drug use, as beautiful, she thought, or perhaps more so, then was his voice. Maybe, in retrospect, it was that she knew one day he’d check out, that from the start she knew what she was up against. Maybe that’s what she liked about Bill, that he was taken and temporary and just a…
She hadn’t meant to fall in love with Yulie. She certainly hadn’t meant to fall in love with Bill Wynn. Nevertheless, love had struck her both times. She was angry about this, but then despite knowing better, she let it happen anyway. Sometimes she told herself that come the summer Bill would be gone and she’d be free from all the burdens and dangers. The burdens and dangers weren’t from him. They were from her own flesh and blood, from Eddie, her son, who simply did not like her being with a white man.
There were other dangers too. Out in her neighborhood it was dangerous for her to be going with a white boy. Late at night, in his car, if they were stopped, that could be a catastrophe. Not only could Bill be sent back to jail for violating his probation, but she could be who-knew-what? If that occurred, she would be at the police officer’s discretion and that, she knew, was always dangerous. What a screwed up world, she often thought.
The preparations for Mr. Jim’s party were relatively simple. Mr. Bowman had fixed it so that they could buy almost everything in frozen form and all Mary and Alfrieda had to do was heat it up and set it into the serving pans. This way they could attend the party which was important because both of them were favorites of Mr. Jim’s. As well, from church and from outside church, they knew his family.
So the delivery came in, and Mary checked it out, seeing to it that everything was stored away properly. Looking at what came in, she estimated it would take less than an hour’s work to set it all up and have it ready. Every now and then she and Alfrieda might have to leave the party room and head back up to the kitchen for replenishments, but waitresses would be able to carry down the pans and set them into the steam tables. Bill would help out too, as would Robert. Mr. Bowman had promised to open up the bar so that they could all have a good time.
Lunch was very busy. Dinner, like the night before, was gangbusters again. Jimmy had to work late. Bill had to work late and he was late heading out to get Mary. Being late did not deter him. Just about nothing could have deterred him.
When Marie had come in in the afternoon, she’d spent the first half hour with Henry Lee. They messed around in the staff bathroom, which was nothing unusual. Bill stayed in the meat room to cut meat when really he should have been upstairs helping Mary set up for the dinner service. It wasn’t the first time Henry Lee and Marie had caused him to be late going up, and Bill knew it probably wouldn’t be the last. So he drank bourbon and cut meat and worked through until Henry Lee and Marie finished.
“About time you got up here,” said Mary when Bill had appeared in the doorway. “What you been doing down there?” she asked.
“Ain’t me,” Bill had said. “Ask Henry Lee and Marie what they been doing.” He had taken a quick inventory of where Mary was at and jumped in with what he knew had to be done.
