Wednesday Morning
September 7, 1955
- Abyssinia loves going to her dad's barbershop and listening to the stories the men tell. Her favorites? The ones her dad tells.
- Strong promised to bring Abby to work with him on her fourth birthday, and when the day comes, Patience gets her all dolled up and asks her what color she wants her birthday cake to be before she heads out with Strong to the shop.
- Abby thinks it's basically magic that her mom can make cakes in different colors. She chooses pink.
- On their way to the barbershop, Strong buys Abby a coloring book.
- At the shop, Strong brags to the other men about how patient and well behaved Abyssinia is, saying she's not like other children. You go, girl.
- Strong's barbershop, the Better Way Barbershop, is "an institution on the black side of Ponca City." Oh, hey there, segregation…
- Men from all walks of life—we're talking everyone from winos to the reverend—come to the Better Way to share news and opinions. As they chat, Strong isn't afraid to share stories at his own expense; he prefers to keep things "lively" in his shop.
- On this day, Strong tells a story about a time shortly after Abby was born. Patience wanted to go out to a party with him and she did all she could to butter him up, cooking his favorite foods, dressing the baby up prettily, and such.
- Strong said he couldn't take her to the party, though, because she was too pretty and he'd wind up in a fight.
- Patience takes it all in stride, playing nice with Strong even though he's rejecting her request for a night out with him.
- At the party, Strong cannot believe how gorgeous the women are, and he winds up dancing the night away with one particular beauty. All the men there wish they could be Strong.
- Strong works up a sweat, but when he reaches into his suit pocket for a handkerchief, what he pulls out is a giant baby diaper. Patience got him good.
- As he reaches the punch line of his story, the barbershop erupts with laughter. Abyssinia loves it.