Adele thought about Mush's story quite a bit in the preceeding weeks, but then she shoved it to the back of her mind and enjoyed her time with her love. Now, she understood what it was like for someone to mean everything to someone else and a possible glimpse of why her father was still such a distraught and depressed man.
One evening, while eating dinner with her aunt, the conversation topic of her mother came up. Adele was always quite fascinated by the woman and her endeavors and was quieter than usual when her aunt brought her up.
"I found such a lovely bouquet of daisies today and it made me think of poor Marie. She loved daisies so much. Before she got sick, she used to spend hours making arrangements of flowers, especially for Miss Adele's room. There's a picture of her with Miss Adele as a baby with a splendid wreath of daisies on her head."
Adele smiled at the thought. She knew that picture well, it was in a box of memories of the woman she never knew which she kept under her bed. Her father told her to take all of the pictures of her mother with her to America, and she did just that, looking at them every so often and completely captivated with her beauty.
After dinner, Adele set upstairs to finish her work for the evening before dashing away to see Nick, as had become the nightly routine. She was sure the maids knew about it, but they were keeping quiet, for now anyway.
She slid the box out from under her bed and opened it, greeted with what seemed like hundreds of photos of this lovely woman from her birth to her untimely death 14 years hence. There was a small diary inside the box, one she kept of her pregnancy with Adele and the years with Adele as a small child, before she got too sick to write any longer. Adele opened the pages and began to read a passage dated four months before her birth. It read:
Dear Diary,
Today was nothing unusual. Otto and I played croquet outside in the yard until his dear mother insisted I rest myself. Otto is terrible at croquet, but he tries, he really does. He doesn't like to admit that I'm better at it, so I always let him win. I guess male pride really does get in the way of most everything, doesn't it?
It was such a lovely day outside and I was surpirsed to hear from Otto's sister in America. She, of course, has her place amoung the New York society there and let me in on a very interesting story. I had met this woman Hannah not so long ago, on my last visit before I had been with child. I loved her dearly and we got along quite well. We still write to each other occasionally, but I had no idea she had been in such a predicament.
Clara tells me that Hannah had been clearly having an affair with their colored stable boy. I had known somewhat of the ill state of her marriage with her husband. I knew he was seeing other women on the side, but I didn't dane to think she would stoop to this with someone like the stable boy. She became with child and told Clara if the baby was to turn out a Negro she would pay off the midwife to tell everyone the baby had died and if it turned out white, she would raise the baby. She gave birth to a beautiful negro boy and Clara had to take it to the local church. She was heartbroken, but what was she to do? It would ruin her family forever! She was said to have named him Nicholas and put that around his neck so the nuns would know...but my word, what a horrible fate! I am so glad that when my baby enters the world, he or she will not know of such hardships.
Well, it is almost tea time and I should be off.
Signed,
Marie
Adele's eyes grew huge. Nicholas...that was Mush's real name. She had to tell him...she just had to. This could change everything and she knew it. They could get married, they could start a family somewhere. She tucked the diary under her arm and headed straight for the lodging house.
-----
"Don't you see Adele? I'se colahed...it don't mattah if my real mudda's some hoity toity lady." Mush said unimpressed by the discovery. " 'Sides, I always knew she was hoity toity."
Adele sighed, angry that he wasn't as impressed as she was with the discovery.
"So, this doesn't change anything?" She asked, waving the diary. "I mean we have a name, we can figure out who she is and track her down."
Mush sighed and looked at her with angrier eyes than she'd ever seen in her life.
"Look, Adele. You jis' don't undahstand. She didn't want me befoah, so why's she gonna want her colahd kid comin' round and ruinin' her life? She gave me up for a reason."
Adele looked at the floor, regretting she even brought it up. "I'm sorry."
He sighed. " 'S alright. But you do know one thing, dontcha? I wanna be wid you forevah, but we can't do it heah...you know dat. Colahd folks and white folks ain't allowed to be married. Dey say it ain't natural."
Adele scrunched her eyebrows up. That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard of in her life. "We're all people. It shouldn't matter where you're from or who you are...That's silly. Its not that way at home, I don't think. Maybe we could get married there...at home. Or live in England. we could buy some property there and have a few kids." her eyes began to widen as she thought of the prospects.
"Yeah...maybe." Mush said seeming unimpressed and perhaps even angry at the idea.
She sat quietly staring at the floor for a few more minutes before hearing a commotion downstairs. The police were shouting at something, nothing new...but it wasn't often police activity came in here.
"Jack's in trouble again. Or Race maybe...Fi's gonna murdah him." he said with a laugh trying to lighten the mood.
Adele managed a smile and walked over to him with a open arms and kissed his cheek. "I love you, you know that." He smiled and returned gesture. "I do. And I love you."
As the two sat in their embrace, they heard heavy footsteps on the stairwell, and Adele couldn't mistake that shrill Irish accent for anyone else's but her maid.
"That's her officer!" she said as the police pulled the couple apart. The maid put her arms around her holding her tightly. "Adele...your aunt was so worried. She finally caught onto your escapes and she's about had a right fit when she found out you were gone. She was about to phone your father all the way in Germany."
Adele seemed unimpressed by this idea. She knew her father wouldn't react in the slightest at having her child caught in a compromising situation with a half-black boy.
"Should we book 'em, ma'am? Did this nigger hurt you?" the police officer asked, handcuffing Mush's hands together.
"First of all," Adele said straightening her back. "He is not a 'nigger', he's a human being. And second of all, I'm here because I want to be. He's my friend...(she dared not say lover). Just let him go, please. He didn't do anything wrong."
The police officer uncuffed him and shoved him onto the floor. Adele looked down at him and with tears in her eyes and mouthed "I'm sorry, I love you." And he shook his head, tears in his own eyes. "I know." was all he could manage.
-----
Adele was on house arrest for several days before she saw her beloved again. She caught him as she walked home from school, escorted by her friend's brother who was to report if Mush showed up to see her. Adele didn't even care any longer and didn't fear her aunt, so she rushed up to Mush and gave him a huge hug, right there for the world to see.
Mush grabbed her hands and shook her off of him.
"What is it, what's wrong?" She asked.
"This, us...Adele it ain't workin'...you know dat. We can't see each udda no moah."
Her mouth stood agape. "WHAT?"
"Me and you goin' ta England, dat'd be nice, but I can't...Adele, I can't. I love you so much, but I can't. Dis is best, it is i sweah."
And with that he ran out of her life, leaving her a mess.