CHAPTER IX: MISTER JJ...AND THINGS AS YET UNSEEN

'TDC-NATCHEZ'

The Willows Weep For Thee

CHAPTER NINE

Mister JJ...and things as yet unseen


Rose & Tess had helped Naomi pack up what she knew she would need, including the dogs and their food, toys, etc...& they had returned.

Beau & Poke helped get her things upstairs to one of the guest rooms and after about a half hour, she came back downstairs where she joined the rest in the library.

"All set, Naomi hawney?" 
"Well, Ah guess'n it's about as good as it's gonna get, thanks."

She and Ofelia grinned at each other. This was NOT gonna be some typical sleep-over of the pajama variety. Not hardly. But even Naomi had to admit, upon reflection, that it was the wisest thing to do under the circumstances they were now in.

"Beau honey?"
"Yeh, Auntie Rose?"
"Would you be a dear and go whip up some hot chocolate, please?"
"Sure thang. Sounds good. Hey Poke, c'mon. You can help."
"Sure Beau," and away they scampered. 

"Naomi?"
"Little subterfuge, Rose?"
"Something like that. Look. I don't know what Beau knows or doesn't know at this point. Like you, I don't want to put too much on him, you know?"

"Rose, listen. Beau is almost a man. Frankly, he's the only man any of us got at the moment. You know, I've been thinking. Maybe we are putting MORE on him by trying to spare him than anything else. For my money, I think he NEEDS to know and WE need HIS help. Besides, girls, it is HIS mama who has just come up missing. So, he's kinda in the middle of this whetha he wants to be or not."

Rose looked at the others and then back at Naomi, and nodded. She had been thinking the same thing. Better to get him up to speed and fast. 

The room turned quiet again as everyone sat mulling over 'things'. Then Beau came back carrying a tray, as did Poke...and everybody oohed and ahhed and took their cups of milky brown nectar which smelled oh so good. Beau had even laced each cup with some of those tiny marshmallows evahbuddy 
alus loves...which by now were little more than slightly gooey melted blobs on top of the hot cocoa.

After a couple sips, Naomi began to get the ball rolling. 

"Beau?"
"Yep?"
"Look Beau. One thing we all know is yo' mama's done gone missin'." 

"Yep. Sho' seems that way," Beau said and immediately got a sad far-away look on his face. 

"Beau? We need to find her, and we are gonna need your help. OK?"
"Course, Naomi. Yah know I'll do anything Ah can to find mama."

"Beau?"
"Yeh, Auntie Rose?"
"Beau, this is really hard I know."
"Yeh, it is...sho'enough. The not knowing. Yah know? But, we gotta try."

Naomi interjected."Beau, I got an idea. Girls? Lissen up. There's a gentleman and trust me he is that. Lives a couple doors down."

"Mistah JJ, right Naomi?" Beau said, suddenly looking a bit brighter.
"Exactly. Rose? Girls? If ANAHONE on this planet knows anahthing about any of this, or can find out? I would bet everything I own Mistah JJ can."

"You said he lives just down the street, Naomi?" Tess asked.

"Yeh, three doors down toward downtown. Bit late now tah bother him, and Ah suppose we should give it a bit more tahme just in case LiliBeth does, and can, come home. But, first thing 
tomorrah mawnin', we go 
ovah there and find out 
if'n he knows anahthing...
and enlist his help."

Everyone nodded. 
"You know him well, 
hawney?"
"Fairly well, yeh. The foah of us have known him foah 
several years. LiliBeth met him at the drugstore downtown and lahked him. She invited he and us foah dinner one naht and we jest fell in love with him.

 Let me tell y'all a bit about him," and she did.

++++++++++++++++++

She began. 

Mistah JJ, actually Mr. Jonathan Jamieson Robertshaw, lives three doors down in a home that has been in his family for generations. 

Way I hear it, the name Robertshaw was the combination of the two names of the owner of one of his ancestors. Yes, he is black and his ancestors were slaves way back when. However, sometime before the Civil War, this Robert Shaw person freed all of his slaves and he also gave a stipend to JJ's ancestors. 

Set them up in business, and backed them financially. That was something virtually unheard of back then, but he did and to his credit he must have seen promise in them. 

As I understand it, JJ's ancestors ultimately became very wealthy, and then bought or built the house he lives in now. Since then each succeeding generation has done better than the preceding one.

JJ got his MBA from Harvard and then went on to a successful career on Wall Street."

"He must be worth some serious money then," Rose interjected.
"I don't know foah sure but yes. My guess is he's worth millions. But, you would nevah know it by his demeanor. Thet man is the nahcest most down 
tah earth human being you would evah hope to come across."

"Most people who come from 'old money' ahre, 
dahlin'. They don't feel the need to put on airs, 
yah see."

"You're right, Feelie. Dead on."

"Ok, then. Tomorrah mawnin' we 'hit the streets' if yah will then."

"Yeh, ain't nothing we can do anymoah tonight, so I think we all oughta get some sleep. Be fresh foah 
tomorrah."

"Sounds good, Auntie Rose," and he winked at her and she reciprocated...and that was the end of that for the night.

     ++++++++++++

The next morning, after a questionably-good nights sleep and a hearty-hi-ho breakfast, the POSSE set off to see Mister JJ Robertshaw. It was a brisk 2 minute walk and they managed it in about a minute and a half.

"Now THAT'S a house," Tess said as they walked up the drive and then on to the front door. Right in keeping with all the other houses on the block, if not a tad bit larger than most.

"It's beautiful inside too, Tess,"Naomi offered...as she pushed the rather large and ornate doorbell. They heard the chimes ringing, sounding about like you would expect BIG BEN'S would...and they waited.

After a minute, they heard the door being opened and then a gentleman in a butler's uniform stood before them. 

"Good mawnin' Edgar," Naomi said smiling at the upper middle-aged negro 
standing before them.
"Mawnin' to you too, Miss Naomi.
"Is Mr. JJ available, Edgar?"

"Sorry ma'am, but he has already left for work."
"Ok, thanks. We'll catch up to him there then."

The butler smiled back at her, and nodded as they turned to leave.

"OKAY. We shall go and accost him downtown. He owns the big old drugstore there. You may have seen it on your way in," and she led the way back to LiliBeths' house and the cars.

"Naomi, let's take my car. Bit bigger than that little bitty thing of yours," Rose said laughing.

"Well, usually it's jest me and sometimes the pooches. I don't normally travel in packs," Naomi laughed back.

"Hawney, we ALWAYS travel in a herd...and perhaps that's the safer way at the moment."

"True that, Feelie." and they all piled into Rose' Mercedes sedan and headed downtown to, as Naomi had put it, accost Mister JJ.

           ++++++++++ 

        CONTINUE TO CHAPTER X