So many of my coworkers had husbands or boyfriends who were their rides home. Men were always trying to flirt with me as I rang out their orders. Ruthie, as I’d feared, observed it all. I fumbled for an excuse, certain that if she continued with her reasoning, I’d find myself fired over some little incident and never able to get a job in Pickens County again. People talk, and news spreads fast. These old white ladies would shut me out and turn nice-nasty.
