“Don’t get me wrong,” Charles continued, “I like where we live out in Cobb County. I could neverlive right in Atlanta, though. There’s a certain element there I just don’t want to associate with. I think youknow who I mean: the crack dealers, the prostitutes, just all the bla —”
“People who haven’t found Jesus yet,” Mike finished for him.
Of course, Lily thought. You Lieutenants of the Lord are willing to disguise your racism in orderto preserve the patriarchy.
“Well, of course,” Ida said, smiling sweetly, “there are ... undesirables wherever you go. In smalltowns, you get the trailer trash and the Holy Rollers.”
“How’s that?” Big Ben asked, leaning over the table intently.
“What my wife means is, those Church of God people,” Charles said. “You know, the ones thatshout and dance and speak in tongues and act crazy.”
“They’re very unrefined,” Ida said, with a superior simper.
“Some of ’em even drink strychnine and set themselves on fire,” Mike laughed.
Big Ben set down his knife and fork. “I was raised in the Church of God. Now, we wasn’t the kindto handle snakes or set ourselves afire or nothin’ like that. But we would shout and speak in tongues andget happy. And you wanna talk about some fine people ... they was some of the best folks you’d ever meetin that church.” He took a slug of Coke. “Now, I ain’t in that church no more, mind you. Jeanie and Mamajoined up with the Presbyterians a while back, and I joined up with ’em. I don’t hardly go to church there,though, ’cause the preaching and the singing’s so quiet, it seems like I have to start snoring just to make alittle noise.
“I’ll tell you somethin’, though. A few years back I was down in Mississippi on bizness, and Ilooked up this ole army buddy of mine—a black feller. He invited me to a tent revival his church washaving. I was the only white man in that tent, and I swear to God, I don’t believe I sat down once duringthe whole service ... I was too busy standing up and clapping and singing. Them people knew how to havechurch, let me tell you.” Big Ben picked up his silverware and dug back into his steak.
“Well, of course, there’s good people in every group,” Charles waffled. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know what you meant, buddy,” Big Ben said, looking Charles in the eye.
“So,” Jeanie said, with determined cheer. “We got pound cake and chess pie. Who wants what?”
As everyone sat with their coffee in the living room, Lily crawled down on the floor with Mimiand helped her to a standing position. “How about a little after-dinner entertainment, Mimi-saurus?” Lily