The Mighty Miss Malone

Deza borrows money from the “file cabinet,” now under the mattress, and leaves Mother a note. She takes a bus to Detroit and finds the speakeasy. She stands outside for a long time, debating that such a plain-looking house might even be a speakeasy. Finally she goes in a side door that a vomiting man lets hang open. Full of trepidation, she walks down a narrow, dim hall and pushes hard against a second door.

The nightclub is full of smoky air and a crowd of people drinking and ready to listen to stage performers. Women wear “scandalous” flapper outfits and everyone shouts in support of the local band when they play. Then Deza sees a man come out and begin to sing. It’s Jimmie in a blue suit, two-toned shoes, and a hat. The crowd is wildly cheering for him as he sings. A bouncer sees Deza and tries to escort her out. Deza impulsively tries to punch him in the stomach, but the big man is unfazed. She yells for Jimmie instead. Jimmie stops his song momentarily to greet Deza; they hug and cry. He leads her on the stage and into the wings to wait while he finishes his set of four more songs. Then “a white man smoking a cigar took Jimmie’s hat and walked around the crowd” (258). Jimmie says he lives nearby; Deza leaves the speakeasy with Jimmie and the band and gets into a car as nice as Marvelous Marvin’s.

Deza scolds Jimmie for being only 60 miles away and not writing; Jimmie says he planned to do so soon. Jimmie tells Deza, “I gotta tell you something I’ve been carrying around with me and after I done lots of thinking it’s only fair you know” (260). Deza is immediately nervous when she hears that this news is about Father, but she is also excited to tell Jimmie about Father’s letter and cash. Jimmie tells Deza that Father lied about what happened on the lake. Deza is incensed and tries to walk out, but Jimmie convinces her to stay.

He says Father told him that once the fog covered them, they had a near miss with a big ship whose wake sent a wave that soaked all but one of the four of them, Mr. Williams. The wave sent the oars missing as well. After hours in the cold, Mr. Coulter decided that Mr. Williams must have planned the disaster to kill them all. Mr. Coulter attacked Mr. Williams, and the boat tipped. Father and Mr. Steel Lung managed to hold on for hours, but then Mr. Steel Lung lost his wits too and tried to choke Father with the rope they used to lash themselves to the tipped-over boat. Mr. Steel Lung hit Father many times—and one of his strikes was so forceful it broke Father’s teeth. Father hit Mr. Steel Lung once with an oarlock. Father must have blacked out then; a ship rescued him and took him to a Chicago hospital. Deza tries to tell Jimmie about Father’s letter and money, but Jimmie is unsurprised and barely excited, which confuses Deza. Deza brings up going home to Gary, but Jimmie says he’s going to continue traveling and working.

Jimmie wakes Deza and tells her to hurry and dress because he is taking her somewhere. Downstairs Deza meets Mr. Maxwell, Jimmie’s manager; he is the man who collected the money in Jimmie’s hat. Jimmie says he earns $15 a week plus tips, room, and board for his singing contract. Deza is amazed. Out on the street, it is as if everyone knows Jimmie; those who talk to him know his name and respect him. Jimmie surprises Deza by taking her up an elevator to the 25th floor of a tall building. He convinces her to get her teeth treated by Doc Mitwally, a dentist who filled his cavities. Deza is hesitant, but Jimmie tells her that her rotting teeth are very serious and that she will taste, smell, and feel better afterwards. He says they will telegram Mother so she doesn’t worry about Deza staying longer. Deza trusts Jimmie, and she goes into the dentist’s office.

Deza thinks Dr. Mitwally is very kind. He says he doesn’t know how she did so well in school with teeth that must have hurt very much. He also says he will remove a few and there will be months more work ahead. Jimmie agrees to pay for whatever Deza needs, and Dr. Mitwally says he will recommend a good Flint dentist. Deza sleeps once he administers an injection. Her mouth is swollen and painful when she wakes until she takes some pain pills from the dentist. Jimmie tends to Deza for a day and night, then puts her on a bus back to Flint where Mother collects her. Mother is relieved to see Deza, joking that she’s going to remove all Deza’s teeth with pliers for running off. She asks dozens of questions about Jimmie.

When Deza recovers from her dental procedure, she is amazed that she can chew food again with her whole mouth and not just her front teeth. She looks forward to more dentist visits. Letters and money from Father come every two weeks, postmarked from cities in the South plus New York City. Her Flint report card is all C pluses and a C in English despite having earned As on every test. In May, Father sends a package that contains two keys. An enclosed letter reveals that Father rented a house for six months starting in June in Gary. More money is in the letter: $35. Deza is thrilled, but Mother seems “befumbled” (278).