Moving In: Rose Eight

The Northern Virginia subdivision where this experiment would take place had recently been built and was ready for the Spartan Housewives on February 9, 1953. Here are their letters and diaries from when they moved in.

A letter from Eight to his “auntie”, Sugar Roberts, an older African-American woman who was his co-worker and mentor at the Florida Keys bar where Eight worked pre-marriage, dated February 11, 1953:

Dear Auntie Sugar,

See the new address? Well, Benji been afraid if we done stayed in his hometown, folks was fixing to figure out I am part colored.^[1] So he built another barbershop in Northern Virginia and done moved there.

The chillun been doing fine. Susan been loving playing the piano now that we got that moved in. Patricia done got real into Cowboys and Indians but unfortunately also into wondering if there be Indians in my genealogy. Benjamin Jr., my husband’s male heir, be hearty and healthy. I don’t get much time with them, Aunt Ruth done been monopolizing them, like always^[2].

I met my neighbor down the way Mary Eleven and she seemed too boring to be real. She dressed in a navy sweater with a jewel neckline and three-quarter inch sleeves and a pleated mid-calf beige skirt with silver and turquoise from New Mexico. However, her maid Elona Kitch (however it spelled?)^[3] done got on very short dress that showed off her lacy knickers and blue-and-pink stockings. She all been kneeling on the floor and staring at me as she breathed heavily. I was fixing to say something but I was pretending I was a white woman. I guess white maids get it on differently than colored maids. That’s why they paid more. Mary just ignored the maid and calmly talked about chess.

Then I met Betty One. She is a statuesque woman, looks like she be could be a model and was one. She done dressed in a periwinkle and cream dress by Dior with a red coat with fox fur lining over it. However, her personality don’t match her outsides. She paranoid as all get out, been telling me about all the people in this cul de sac she distrusts. But I don’t think Negroes are really on her radar. I don’t think there be a Negro anywhere in Wisconsin and even with all the years she spent in California she seems she been a cheesehead all this time. Still a huge bitch I don’t want to spend my limited time on Earth around.

However, my day wasn’t nothing special until I met my neighbor Roxy Ninn (A Greek name, I don’t know how it’s spelled). I know you say I don’t have no heart but I think I have caught feelings finally. Roxy is this fly five by five girl with beautiful hazel eyes. She dressed in this brown and tan houndtooth skirt with a yellow sweater and a brown beret. Our eyes met through the kitchen door window. I could hear bells ring. When she let me into the kitchen, the radio was playing some opera. We made some small talk about our husbands both being small business owners and our shared religious backgrounds. She made me some tea in her new kitchen and apologized for not having cookies yet. We drank tea and smoked cigarettes and at a pause in our conversation I leaned over and kissed her. Kissed her! I ain’t kissed a girl since getting married and here I kiss a girl I done met fifteen minutes ago! And I wasn’t stealing a kiss. She was into it too. However, we did break apart just seconds before my husband came banging on the kitchen door, wondering where Aunt Ruth’s coffin full of New Orleans soil went. (The movers done move it to the basement like we done told them to! Why didn’t you check there first, Navy man?) ^[4]

I don’t know anything will come of it. Benji would be fixing to beat me if he knew what happened. I’d rather have a garden than a girlfriend.

Well, so here I am pretending to be a white housewife in suburbia, pretending I love my husband and he be remotely attracted to me. Folks did always say I was a good at mixing drinks but I was too much of ice queen to be a bartender. Hell, you always said that. But maybe I can make this work.

Hugs and kisses to everyone at the Hidden Cove Inn,

Yellow Rose of Florida