4/17/19

     "You mean you lookin for a job?"
     "Well, no Mam, not exactly. You see I was already told I would be workin in Mr. O'Brien's employ. It was a matter of reportin here today at this hour. I got my papers right here." Obadiah reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sealed brown envelope. He pulled another paper out his pocket. "You see Mam, it says right here."
     "I can very well read it myself thank you very much boy." She snatched the envelope and paper out of his hand, opened the sealed envelope, browsed over the papers , and gave it all back to him. "Well, now you just sit right on back down there on that crate. Mr. O'Brien will be along shortly. He had a delivery."
     "Thank you Mam." Obadiah put the envelope back in his pocket and sat back down.

     Within the next hour, a wagon with a spirited chestnut-colored mare out front, pulled up near where Obadiah was sitting.
     "Whoa Nelly." A lanky, gruffy-looking white man stepped down off the wagon and tied the reins to a hitching post by the shop's entrance. The horse, sweating profusely lowered his head to drink from a watering trough nearby. The man, dressed in a long-sleeve, red flannel shirt, with the cuffs turned to the elbow, pulled a bandanna out of his back pocket wiped his brow. He looked up at the sun. "Whew." He beckoned to Obadiah. "You must be Obadiah?" O'Brien glanced and nodded his head up and down.
     "Yes sir, I am one and the same." Obadiah rose to his feet and handed the envelope to the white man now in front of him. "I'm ready to start work whenever you ready, sir."
     "Good boy," the pale-skin  man said, pushing the bandanna back into his pocket. "You can get started by helpin me to unload this wagon here and gettin those chairs you see inside the shop. I can see we gonna get along jest fine. What's your last name boy?"
     "Creole is my last name sir." The two of them started unloading the wagon.
     "Then what's your first name?"
     "Mister! I'm Mister Obadiah." O'Brien jerked his head up in astonishment. "My mama named me just like that. Mister Obadiah Creole."
     "Well I'll be damned." O'Brien shook his head vigorously and proceeded to join Obadiah in removing chairs from the wagon.