“I’m surprised you two aren’t busy sewing things for Christmas.”
Bessie patted Honoree’s hand. “We’re out on the town. Going to a motion picture after we have lunch.”
Rosie frowned. “Without an escort? Just you two girls, alone?” She tugged the tie around her apron, pulling it snug. “You modern girls don’t have a care in the world.”
“Oh, no. We aren’t going alone. Honoree’s man is meeting us at the movie.”
“He’s not my man, and this is way too much chatter. I’m sure Rosie has other things to do besides listening to us go on and on.” She nudged Bessie. “What do you want to eat? My treat.”
Rosie gestured toward the chalkboard. “Take a look at the Sunday special—roast pork, rice, kidney beans, green beans, peach cobbler.”
Honoree patted her tummy. “I gotta keep my stomach flat. My costumes are skimpy,” she said with a laugh.
“You already a thin girl. With all that dancing you do, you should eat. How about the beef casserole?”
The beef casserole dinner was $1.00. With the price of the cinema and the streetcar, the Sunday outing was adding up. She still had to save for the down payment for the house near Lil.
Bessie groaned. “She’s worried about spending too much money.”
“And you aren’t?”
“I’m not as worried about money as you.”
Rosie placed a cup of coffee in front of Honoree and brought a glass of milk for Bessie.
“You’ll never enjoy life if all you think about is cabbage, and I ain’t talking vegetables.” Rosie slammed her hand down on the bar, chuckling at the joke. “I got a shop full of customers. You two are having the Sunday special, and you’ll both eat every bite of dessert, too.”
Less than an hour later, the girls had eaten heartily, cleaning their dinner plates and splitting an extra dessert when they couldn’t pick between the apple pie, vanilla custard, and peach cobbler.
They left the diner, and Honoree wasn’t sure she could walk to the corner without rolling over. “I ate too much.”
Bessie marched silently ahead.
“How are you?” Honoree called after her.
“A bit queasy. Rosie and I were never as close as she thinks. I saw her once in a blue moon. She wanted to be my friend.”
“She seemed friendly enough.”
“Everyone is friendly in the beginning.”
They arrived at the Majestic Theater and took their seats, ten rows back from the screen.
“Where’s Ezekiel?” Bessie asked.
“If he doesn’t make it, I’m sure we’ll see him later,” Honoree said, but quickly added, “I’m too excited to worry about him, anyway.”
The lights dimmed, and the patrons quieted. The picture had to do with an escaped prisoner pretending to be a minister, hiding out in a small town. He falls in love, steals money, watches his love die, and kills a man. But then there was a twist. One of the characters was dreaming and it turned out the escaped prisoner might never have existed. Paul Robeson mesmerized Honoree.
“That was incredible,” she whispered to Bessie as they headed for the exit. “I’m sorry Ezekiel missed it.”
They walked out of the theater into a dark, snowy evening, and Bessie hooked her arm through Honoree’s arm.
“I love the cinema,” she said. “If I were prettier, I could be an actress. I pretend things all the time, and I’m good at it. I could star in a movie. But Oscar only wanted you.”
“He was all talk. I haven’t heard from him since that first party.”
“He’ll come back around. They always do for you.” Her voice dropped low; Honoree could barely understand what she was saying.
