We was even busier than usual at the grill. Some of the folks who came to the house to drink with us came in for breakfast. They was happy to hear that the charge against us had been dropped, and that we was back in business.

Around ten a.m., I went into Mr. Cunningham’s office and asked if I could borrow his truck to go into town on my lunch break. I told him I needed to pick up some medicine for the headache I had had since our release. His thick gray eyebrows lifted high above his cloudy, beady eyes, making him look more decrepit than he really was. He was such a sweet old man, I felt bad about lying to him.

“I declare, that’s a long time for a headache. Don’t you think you should go to a doctor and get checked out? Milton told me how them boogers manhandled y’all with them billy clubs and fists,” he said, giving me a sympathetic look.

“Um, they didn’t do too much damage. We got plenty of bandages and pills at home, and we feel just fine. Except for my headache. I need stronger pills than the ones we got.”

“Well, you can use my truck. But my nephew borrowed it already and won’t be back until later this afternoon. If you can wait and do your business in town then, you welcome to use it.”

“Okay. Thank you so much.” One thing I could say about our boss was that he was one in a million. He never disappointed us. When Milton had to take off time when he got that beating, Mr. Cunningham still paid him half his salary for each day. He had told us, and a few other people, that me and Milton was the son and daughter he always wanted. I didn’t know how our money situation was going to turn out. But I knew we’d be able to count on Mr. Cunningham for something, if it came to that. It all depended on how much we got from Odell.

Milton had told me this morning that Willie Frank was coming to the grill to take him to see Aunt Mattie on his lunch break so he could ask her for a loan. He had decided to see how much we could get from her before we approached Dr. Patterson, Mr. Cunningham, and Odell. He didn’t want me to go with him because he believed that a whorehouse was no place for a lady like me to be. I was flattered so I didn’t argue with him.