The senator spoke quietly to Erica for a few moments, asking about her school and what grade she was in. The more he talked, the more Erica loosened up. India held on to her yarn-haired doll, and I saw the senator glance at the doll more than once. Lou had obviously informed Senator Kennedy that India wasn’t verbal, because he did not ask her anything directly. He spoke to both of them but directed his questions at Erica.
A young woman brought in a small tray with several glasses and a pitcher of iced tea.
“We drink tea up here, too.”
The tea was a nice gesture, but it tasted bland, despite the pretty glasses and fresh slices of lemon. We sipped politely as he told us how the proceedings would go the next day. As he spoke, I took in the office. There was a fireplace and a model of a sailboat on the mantel. Two people stood quietly in the back, taking notes. The office warmed with all of us in it.
“Tell me, Mr. Williams.” He turned to Mace, lacing his hands together. “What did the nurse say to you the morning she came to your house?”
“She tell me and my mama to sign some papers. We ask her what was the paper for and she just say . . . federal government.”
“That’s all she said?”
“She say she taking the girls to the clinic for some more shots.”
I wanted to interject, tell the senator that the family didn’t speak out of turn to the government workers. They depended on us too much. They did what we told them or they didn’t get their benefits that month. They let the girls go with Mrs. Seager because they were told to. They signed those papers because they were told to. He probably did not understand all of that. He seemed like a nice man, but he was undeniably part of that system.
“Then what happened?”
“I ask her where was Miss Civil.”
I moved around in my seat. I was having a hard time keeping my mouth shut, but I reminded myself that the senator had not asked to interview me.
“What did she say?”
“She say Miss Civil ain’t working today.” Mace imitated Mrs. Seager’s voice.
The senator turned to the girls. “Do you know what happened to you?” he asked, and before I could interrupt, Erica answered.
“They do surgery on me. It hurt real bad.”
“Yes, I understand you were in a lot of pain when Miss Townsend came to your room.”
Looking into the senator’s intelligent face, I understood the charisma of a good politician, the ability to respond with empathy.
“Do you know what kind of surgery it was?”
“Me and my sister can’t have no babies.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I want babies. My friend Dinesha got a baby. I want one just like her. I pray every day God change what happened to me and my sister.”
She had told me about this new friend Dinesha, but I had no idea the girl was already a mother. I placed my glass down. There wasn’t a coaster, and I worried it might leave a ring on his wooden desk. I uncrossed my legs, crossed them. There was a run in my pantyhose.
“Mr. Senator,” Mace began. “Ever since my wife died I been trying to make a way for these girls. I do the best I can.”
I could see from the look on Mace’s face that he was ashamed of what the girls were saying. He had signed those papers, and he would never live that down.
India picked up a tiny sailboat from the desk in front of her.
“India,” I whispered.
“It’s okay,” the senator answered. “She can have that one. If you like it, it’s yours.”
India made a noise and tucked the boat under her fingers.
“Mr. Williams, are you ready to testify under oath tomorrow?”
“Under what?”
“With your hand on the Bible.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you, Mrs. Williams?”
“That’s why I got on that steel bird and come up here, ain’t it.”
The senator explained how the hearing would go, how many people would be in the room. “Nurse Townsend, you’ve done an excellent job with these girls,” he added in a raised voice. “I’m going to try to do the right thing by them tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Senator. I believe you will,” I said and I meant it. There was an earnestness to him. I studied the pictures on the wall as we walked out, hoping to catch a glimpse of John F. Kennedy. I paused before a framed handwritten letter. I didn’t have time to read it, but I saw that it was signed Jack in curly script.
“His brother was the president,” I told the girls as we walked down the hall.
“He not president no more?”
“No, he was killed.”
Erica whispered, “By who?”
“A crazy person.”
Erica looked stricken, and I instantly regretted telling her that.
When we got back to the hotel, the girls watched television on the bed in my room, their eyes fixed on the screen. I sat beside them, thinking I’d let them hang out until dinnertime. I wanted to give Mrs. Williams some time to be alone and enjoy the trip.
India pointed at the television and laughed. They sat very close to each other, their arms touching. At least they have each other, I thought. Thank God for that.
THIRTY-ONE
He’d warned us there would be a lot of media, but photographers rushed us when we arrived at the Capitol, and as much as Lou tried, they were hard to hold back. The senator had sent two more aides, but the young men didn’t look like they could protect a lampshade. Mace did a better job holding his hand out in front of the girls so we could make it through the crowd. I wrapped an arm around India, shielding her. Erica wore a blank face, even when the flashbulbs went off in her eyes, but once we were inside the building she started to cry. Mrs. Williams called out to her granddaughter. “Come here, baby.”
The aides led us through a rotunda with soaring ceilings. We could barely see where we were walking because we were so busy looking up. Finally, we reached a room that resembled an amphitheater. Paneling scored the walls, and the ceiling dovetailed in period molding. There were a lot of white people in that room. It felt strange to be the lone brown faces in the place. They seated Mrs. Williams and Mace next to Lou at a long table. The girls and I sat together, six rows behind them. In the back of the room, bright lights shone from hooded tripods. Everyone was talking at the same time. Men in suits mingled, walking in and out of the room. I couldn’t tell who was a senator and who wasn’t. Finally, Senator Kennedy saw us. He gave a nod to the girls before calling the room to order.
“Today’s hearing is on the issue of sterilizations occurring in federal clinics across the country. This is an important issue because some of these sterilizations are of minor children, and this subcommittee hopes to get to the bottom of the process and procedure by which these surgeries are occurring.”
He began by calling government officials from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, who were all seated at various points at a second long table. The secretary. The assistant secretary. And so on. Finally, it was Lou’s turn.
“Now we will hear from Mr. Louis Feldman, an attorney representing the family of India and Erica Williams in Montgomery, Alabama. His testimony before this subcommittee will help to shed light on the kinds of things happening at the local level in regards to our federal clinics. Mr. Feldman?”