Finding Bluefield
be better if Leroy stays down on the back floor till you get into Richmond.”
    “Sure,” Nicky said. “Whatever you think is best.”
    The men helped Leroy lay down across the rear floor.
    “Has he seen a doctor?” Nicky asked the reverend. “He looks bad.”
    “He’ll be okay once he gets on the bus. Someone will meet you at the station.”
    “How will I recognize them?” Nicky asked.
    “He’ll find you,” he said. “Thank you again for your help.”
    “Should I call you?”
    “Better if you don’t. I’ll get a call from Richmond.”
    Nicky took a deep breath and turned the key. I love this car, she thought as she shifted into gear, let the clutch pedal up, and took off. She turned right on Summer Boulevard, took a left onto Jefferson Avenue, and headed east.
    “You okay back there, Leroy?”
    “I’m okay.”
    “Want a cigarette?” Nicky asked.
    “It might look odd to see smoke rising from the rear seat that has no passenger.”
    “That would look funny.”
    Nicky pulled the lighter out of the dash. “What happened, anyway?”
    “I guess I upset some people.”
    “What were you doing?”
    “Nothing,” Leroy said.
    “Nothing?”
    “The less you know, the less trouble you could get into.”
    “Too late for that, so go ahead and tell me,” Nicky said.
    “Okay. You’re right,” Leroy said. “I was helping to register voters.”
    “That’s it?”
    “That’s enough,” Leroy said.
    “Not what I heard.”
    “What did you hear?”
    “That you tried to rape Norma James, that you pulled a knife on a couple of white boys when they tried to stop you.”
    “That’s a good story, but it’s a story. I’m guessing that you didn’t believe it since you’re driving me.”
    “Where are you going?”
    “New York City,” Leroy said.
    “Till this blows over?”
    “This won’t blow over. At least not for me.”
    Nicky drove along farmland and through small towns as she made her way east. She had never driven with this kind of pressure. She never worried about being stopped, never cared. She’d always talked her way out of it. She knew talking wouldn’t do much good this time.
    “You have people in New York?” Nicky asked.
    “Cousins,” Leroy said.
    “They grew up around here?”
    “I’ve never met them.”
    “You know, Leroy, I’ve been working with you for two years and I don’t even know if you’re married.”
    “I am.”
    “Any kids?”
    “My girl is eight and my son is five. They’ll come up to New York after I get settled.”
    “New York is sure going to be different than Bluefield,” Nicky said. “The longest I ever lasted in a city was two weeks when I stayed with my sister out in L.A. Course I wasn’t crazy about living with my sister, so who knows? You have any brothers and sisters?”
    “Two brothers and a sister,” Leroy said. “And a nephew.”
    “Nice. A big family is nice.”
    They reached the city limits and Leroy sat up. Nicky asked him if he wanted to get some ribs with her. He preferred to go directly to the bus station.
    “Is Leroy Ellison your full name?”
    “Leroy Turner Ellison.”
    “It’s a nice name.”
    Nicky pulled to a stop and opened her door.
    Leroy pushed the front seat forward and climbed out the passenger side door. Nicky unlocked the trunk and Leroy put his bags on the curb.
    “I’d better go in myself,” Leroy said.
    “You’re going to manage with all these bags?”
    “I’ll be okay. Besides, you’re way too pregnant to carry anything.”
    An elderly man came over to the car. He looked at Leroy. “Can I give you a hand with those packages, son?”
    “No, thanks, sir.”
    “I’m not a porter, son,” the man said. “You’re Leroy Ellison?”
    “Yes, sir,” Leroy said.
    “Reverend Peters called,” the man said. “I’m here to help you get on your bus.”
    “Thank you, sir,” Leroy said. He turned to Nicky and extended his hand toward her. “Thank you, Nicky Stewart. All the best to you and your

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