Brianna Newton: Tobias Jones (2001)
The first time I saw Tobias, I was positive he was a giant. Until that very moment, I was sure that the Bible stories they told us in Sunday school were just stories they made up to keep us minding our Ps and Qs. But there he stood Goliath. He completely filled the doorframe of the little house he lived in with his wife and five kids. His eyes seemed too big for his face his ears, too big, and I knew with a certainty only a five year old has, that he could squish me with just one of his huge hands. His arms and legs were as big around as I was, but when he opened his mouth, Tobias had a small voice, even when he fussed.
Darcy Mae Jones you git your butt on up in dis house, and help your mama with dem dishes in da kitchen.
She giggled when his massive hands scooped her up, tickled her, and carried her through the door. Sometimes, Id just stand there, long after she went inside and listen to the singing coming from their house. We never sang at our house. We only sang on Sundays in church, and only then when mama pinched us to wake us up.
Darcy was my best friend. Back then, there were no black families in our neighborhood, cause our governor, Mr. Wallace said it wasnt fittin. Darcy lived in the neighborhood next to mine, and wed meet in-between to play baby dolls. Darcy was taller than me, mostly due to the fact that she had legs bout the size and shape of the beanpoles in their backyard. She skipped everywhere she went. When I couldnt keep up, she was quick to inform me that it was because she was five AND A HALF, and I was only five. I ran most of the time, just so we could stay side by side. She had big eyes, just like her daddys, but usually you couldnt see them because the mass of black curls all over her head stayed in her face.
Her skin was as dark as the mud pies we made to feed our babies. I had to be careful when we played, cause I wasnt spose to get my baby dirty. Darcys had been well used by her two older sisters, and her mama had carefully sewn one of the legs back on when their dog chewed it off. I asked her once how come her baby was white like mine, but she just shrugged, and stuck her tongue out at me. She did that a lot. I told her I thought she was just jealous cause we had pretty blue shutters on our house, and they didnt. The fact was, I was jealous of Darcy, cause she always got to go barefoot, and mama made me wear patent leather shoes that pinched my toes. I had two pair. White for after Easter, and black for after Labor Day. We met every Saturday that summer, least til my daddy caught wind of it, and he switched my legs all the way home. Reverend Wright preached, spare the rod, and spoil the child, and the way I saw it, I had to be the least spoiled child that ever lived in lower Alabama.
Tobias did odd jobs for my daddy. Daddy would drive his car over to their house, honk his horn, and then holler if he didnt come out immediately.
Toby, you best hurry on up, now I dont have all day, boy.
At our house, hed wash the car, cut the grass, trim the hedge, weed the flowerbeds or whatever else mama was havin a conniption fit about. When mama called us kids in for lunch, Tobias sat out on the back step, and ate whatever Miss Ruby had packed for him in his little brown bag. It gets awful hot in the summer in Alabama, and when the sweat rolled down his face, sometimes mama would call out the backdoor, and tell him to help himself to some water from the hose.
One day, when daddy went to fetch him, their house was empty. When daddy asked Mr. Davis, down at the gas station what happened to him, I stretched my ears from the backseat of the Buick, so I could hear them.
That uppity nigga done gone and moved up north. Says hes gonna git hisseff a college education. And you know what else? The day he left, he pulled that ole truck of his in here, like he thought I was gonna pump his gas. He said fer me not to be calling him Toby no more, that his name was T O B I A S. I told TOBIAS to get his gawd damn black ass on up da road, and good riddance.
Daddy gave him a look, motioned towards me in the back seat, and told him to watch his big mouth. I didnt hear much of it, anyway. I cried for my friend, and knew we would never get to play baby dolls again. When daddy asked me what was wrong, though, I just said I had a toothache. I never saw Darcy Mae Jones again.
The next time I saw Tobias, he was right there in our house, on the new RCA television set. I reckoned that they must not have good clothes up north, cause he had on old overalls with no shirt, and he was barefoot. The men Tobias was walking arm in arm with, though; all had on black suits and ties just like my daddys. I sat cross-legged on the new wall to wall carpeting mama had gotten, eating a Dreamsicle, over mamas warning that I best not let it drip on her carpet, I heard the man holding the microphone talking about a peaceful demonstration. It didnt look very peaceful to me, though, cause Bull Connors boys were holding back big dogs who were barking and snapping at Tobias and the others. I didnt see a fire, but they turned on those big hoses. I saw Tobias get knocked down over and over again. It sure didnt look as much fun as playing in our sprinkler. People were shouting, some were crying, and everyone looked scared. One lady yelled at Tobias that he and the other monkeys should just go back home to Africa.
The last time I saw Tobias was in the newspaper on our kitchen table, just a day later. Seems Tobias went home that night to Montgomery, Alabama, not Africa, and when Ruby forgot and accidentally called him Toby, he split her lip with his fist. The paper said Darcy and the others often wore his frustration on their backs, but this time, when he broke several of Rubys ribs, they ran next door, and the neighbor lady called the police.
I guess Tobias had finally gotten what he wanted, cause when the police came and handcuffed him, nobody called him Toby, just
Mr. Tobias Jones youre under arrest.
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12 revisions, this draft. Editorial A.O.R.
