[00:00.00]Text Thank You,Ma'am
[00:05.38]She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails.
[00:13.24]She carried the purse slung across her shoulder.
[00:17.92]It was about eleven o'clock at night,dark.
[00:22.96]She was walking alone when a boy ran up behind her
[00:27.92]and tried to snatch her purse.
[00:32.08]The purse strap came off,but he pulled so hard that he lost his balance.
[00:39.55]He fell on his back on the sidewalk,and his legs flew up.
[00:45.48]The large woman turned around,
[00:49.32]picked him up by his T-shirt and shook him hard.
[00:54.78]After that,the woman said,"Pick up my purse,boy.Give it to me."
[01:01.34]She held him tightly."Now aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
[01:07.40]Held up by his T-shirt,the boy siad,"Yes'm."
[01:12.72]The woman said,"What did you do it for?"
[01:17.77]The boy said,"It was a joke."
[01:21.82]She said,"You lie!"
[01:26.05]"Lady,I'm sorry,"whispered the boy.
[01:30.78]"Um-hum!Your face needs washing.Don't you wash your face at home?"
[01:37.85]"No'm,"said the boy.
[01:41.41]"Then it will get washed this evening,"said the large woman,
[01:46.97]starting up the street,dragging the frightened boy behind her.
[01:52.54]He was thin and looked as if he was fourteen or fifteen.
[01:58.70]He had on tennis shoes and blue jeans.
[02:03.45]"You should be my boy.I would teach you what is right.
[02:08.91]All I can do for you right now is to wash your face.Are you hungry?"
[02:15.76]"No'm.I just want you to let me go."
[02:20.20]"When I get through with you,sir,
[02:24.25]you are going to remember Mrs.Luella Bates Washington Jones."
[02:31.61]Sweat bathed the boy's face and he began to struggle.
[02:37.96]Mrs.Jones continued to drag him up the street.
[02:43.42]When she got to her door,she dragged the boy inside,
[02:49.06]down a hall and into a room at the back of the house.
[02:54.50]She turned on the light and left the door open.
[03:00.06]The boy could hear people laughing and talking in the house.
[03:05.70]She said,"What is your name?" "Roger,"answered the boy.
[03:11.76]"Roger,you go to that wash basin and wash your face,"said the woman.
[03:19.63]She let him go--at last.
[03:23.57]Roger looked at the door.He looked at the woman.
[03:29.32]He looked at the door--and then the went to the wash basin.
[03:36.48]"Let the water run until it gets warm,"she said."Here's a clean towel."
[03:43.84]"Are you taking me to jail?"asked the boy,bending over the wash basin.
[03:50.01]"With that face,I would not take you anywhere.
[03:55.57]Have you been home to eat yet?"
[03:59.54]"There's nobody at my house,"said the boy.
[04:04.30]"Then we'll eat,"said the woman."I believe you're hungry.
[04:10.54]So you tried to snatch my purse."
[04:15.69]"I want a pair of blue suede shoes,"said the boy.
[04:20.83]"Well,you didn't have to snatch my purse to get some suede shoes,"
[04:27.91]said Mrs.Jones. "You could have asked me." "Ma'am?"
[04:34.08]With water dripping from his face,the boy looked at her.
[04:39.43]There was a long pause.
[04:43.56]After he dried his face,he turned around,wondering what to do next.
[04:50.19]The door was open.
[04:53.54]He could make a dash for it down the hall.
[04:58.21]He could run,run,run,run,run!
[05:03.86]The woman was sitting on the bed.
[05:07.70]After a while,she said,"I was young once.
[05:13.26]And I wanted things I couldn't get."
[05:17.70]There was another long pause.
[05:21.96]The boy's mouth opened.Then he frowned.
[05:27.81]The woman said,"Um-hm!You thought I was going to say but,didn't you?
[05:35.46]You thought I was going to say,but I did not snatch people's purses.
[05:42.73]Well,I was not going to say that.
[05:46.98]"Pause.Silence."I've done things,too,which I wouldn't want to tell you.
[05:54.64]So you sit down while I find us something to eat."
[05:59.68]In a corner of the room behind a screen was a small gas stove and a refrigerator
[06:06.76]Mrs.Jones got up and went behind the screen.
[06:11.72]She did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now,
[06:17.29]nor did she watch her purse,which she left behind her on the bed.
[06:24.13]But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room,way from the purse,
[06:31.50]where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye.
[06:37.95]He did not trust the woman not to trust him.
[06:42.91]And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
[06:48.35]"Do you need somebody to go to te store?"asked the boy.
[06:53.60]"To get some milk or something?"
[06:57.57]"Don't think I do,"said the woman."Unless you want fresh milk yourself.
[07:05.43]I'm going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I've got here."
[07:10.99]"That'll be fine,"said the boy.
[07:14.83]She heated some beans and ham,made the cocoa,and set the table.
[07:21.60]The woman did not ask about where he lived,
[07:26.28]or about his family,or anything that would embarrass him.
[07:32.34]Instead,as they ate,
[07:35.99]she told him about her work in a hotel beauty shop that stayed open late.
[07:42.76]She told him what the work was like.
[07:46.73]Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.
[07:52.19]"Eat some more,"she said.
[07:55.95]When they had finished eating,she got up and said,
[08:00.31]"Now here,take this ten dollars and buy some blue suede shoes.
[08:07.58]And next time,don't snatch my purse,nor anybody else's
[08:15.02]--because shoes got by bad ways will burn your feet.
[08:22.39]I've got to go to bed now.But from here on,I hope you'll behave."
[08:29.44]She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it.
[08:34.80]"Good night!Behave yourself!"she said.
[08:39.84]Looking out into the street as he went down the steps.
[08:45.79]The doy wanted to say something besides,"Thank you,ma'am,"to Mrs.Jones.
[08:52.95]His lips moved,
[08:56.32]but he could not even say that as he turned at the foot of the steps
[09:03.37]and looked up at the large woman. |