! When I got home, Mama was at the sink doing dishes and turned her head to view me.
“ Cassie girl, you can’ t just run out like that,” she lectured.“ Look at yourself, you have dirt all over your pajamas! Go upstairs and change... and...” She looked down at the white hat I had found and fear crossing her face.
Startled by her reaction to my findings I asked,
“ Mama? What’ s wrong, Mama?”“ W-where d-did you find th-that?” she stuttered.“ Out back in the fields. What is it?” With her eyes not leaving the object her voice raised,“ Get Mr. Morison, now!”
I was completely confused by her response, but I did as she told and fetched Mr. Morison. Once I brought him home, Mama told me to go into my room because she needed to talk to him in private. I tried my best to eavesdrop, but the low hums of their voices were impossible to understand. A couple minutes later, my mom knocked on my bedroom door and slowly entered.
“ That hat, Mama, what was it?” She walked over to my bed and sat next to me and held me tight between her arms.
“ Honey, have you ever heard of the Ku Klux
Klan?”“ No,” I answered curiously. She looked at me, her eyes big and innocent. Mama began,“ I guess you could say the Wallaces are part of them. The Ku Klux Klan go around, thinkin’ them better than us! Thinkin’ we ain’ t better than them dogs! The KKK, them evil folks go round hurtin’ us innocent blacks!” By the time she finished she was yelling. I couldn’ t tell whether it was from fear or anger
“ Mama, was them KKK watchin me last night?” I asked a little shakily, connecting it to the white blur I had seen outside my window.
She took a deep breath.“ I sure hope them wasn’ t, but I am writin’ to yo dad cause we need him right now and we need him soon!” She pulled me tighter against her, and by the sound of her sniffling, I could tell she was crying.