Out of the Easy

Josie only has five days left to pay the debt. She received mail from Patrick and Charlotte, and Sweety and Dora showed up at the bookshop with their dates after a raid of Willie’s house. Josie feels sick watching Sweety with her john, thinking Sweety “[doesn’t] have to do this” (297), and maybe she does not either. While cleaning the bookshop, a letter is dropped off for her. She becomes energized when she sees it is from Smith. But all her dreams are crushed: She is not admitted to the college. She does not know why she ever had any hope about changing her life. The letter from Smith says her application was rejected because it was sent too late. Josie dreads telling the news to Charlotte and Cokie. Another letter is included, from a Smith professor, a friend of Miss Paulsen. She offers Josie a room and weekly salary to come work as her live-in housekeeper and assistant. The letter hurts Josie because she believes it shows that she is “good enough to clean their bathrooms and dust their books, but not to join them in public” (302).

Josie uses the $50 from Lockwell to buy a gun, a new dress, a pair of black heels, a manicure, makeup, and gets her hair done. After her transformation, she does not recognize herself in the mirror. She remembers her mother saying that she pretends she is somewhere else when she must sleep with a client, and Josie wonders if she can do that. On the street, she feels nauseous from the way men look at her. She passes a mechanic shop and panics when she realizes that one of the boys out front is Jesse. When his friend tries to hit on Josie, Jesse looks up and sees her. He stares at her but does not leer like everyone else. His friends press him to ask her out, but Jesse observes that “obviously someone else already has” (305). Josie continues toward Lockwell’s apartment, angry about Jesse’s assumptions of her.

Lockwell waits for Josie outside his apartment. He looks her up and down, lets her inside, and stands close behind her. Josie is nervous and sweating, and says she does not want anything to drink, but he pours them champagne anyways. He makes a toast “to new beginnings” (307) and Josie only pretends to take a sip. He compliments her and puts his hand on her thigh. She gives him the change from her shopping trip, stating that she is “not a thief” (308). Lockwell says she is one because she is “stealing [his] heart” (308). Josie is not amused and reminds him about their deal. He hands her the $1,500 but takes it back and orders her to dance with him. He pulls her close into him and tries to teach her how to dance while pushing himself closer against her. She tries to think of other things the way her mother mentioned, but it does not help. She remembers how she swore she would never turn into her mother and stops dancing. Lockwell grows impatient and says, “Come on, Josephine. Earn your money. Be a good little whore now” (310). She punches him in the face and aims her gun at him. She tells him to put his hands on his head and when he does not listen, she fires a bullet into the wall. He complies and begs her to put her gun away. She makes him sit and he says they can act like nothing happened. She throws her shoes at him and says, “Don’t ever call me a whore. Ever” (310). She then makes him close his eyes and runs away.

Josie finds a piece of paper with a black hand in her door, a reminder that she has one day left to give Tangle Eye the money. She plans to tell Willie about a shipment that needs to be paid for, and to take $5,000 while she is already getting money out of the safe. She feels terrible that she will have to do this and knows she will be in New Orleans for several more years trying to pay Willie back. Willie gives Josie her black book and asks her to keep it at her apartment because the police have been around. Suddenly, Willie confronts Josie about what has been going on, irritated that Josie thought she could hide things. Willie knows that Josie’s mom and Cincinnati “marked” (312) Hearne, bought an alibi, and now owe Marcello. She also knows that Josie has been threatened and is incensed that Josie did not ask for her help. Willie says she will give Josie the money but is livid that Josie’s mother allowed this to happen. She says that Josie needs to bring the money to Marcello and should bring a mix of small bills and coins so they do not think she has more money to give. After taking $4,000 out of the safe, she asks, “How much did you get for screwing Lockwell last night?” (314). Josie explains what happened and Willie calls her a “good girl” (315); she gives her the last thousand.

Josie takes the bills to the bank and exchanges them for several bags of change. She brings them inside the mob’s restaurant and puts them on Tangle Eye’s table. He makes Josie count it all out in front of him. She tells him they are square now and he states that they will be square when Marcello says, and that her mother is still in danger if she is caught. Josie is unperturbed, repeating that she paid him what she owed.

Josie receives mail from Charlotte and Patrick, as well as a letter from Ms. Mona Wright, the professor at Smith, asking for a reply to her offer. Josie is not sure what the title “Ms.” means. She is determined to tell Willie the truth about both her watch and Hearne’s watch, and to tell Cokie about his money. She brings Willie the newspaper, who is ranting about the police giving her a hard time. She sincerely thanks Willie for giving her the $5,000, and Willie says that Josie will work until the debt is repaid. She remarks that Josie does not wear her gold watch, and although Josie nearly lies, she tells Willie what happened. Willie is overcome with rage and she collapses. Sadie and Evangeline help Josie pull Willie into her bed. Josie calls the doctor and then tries to make Willie comfortable; Willie is struggling to breathe and vomits. She warns Josie, “The vultures will come. Don’t let them in” (321). Josie hums and holds Willie, who whispers “salted peanuts” (322) and dies before the doctor arrives.

Cokie, Josie, Sweety, Dora, Sadie, and Dr. Sully convene in the kitchen and plan for the funeral. They agree that they should have the reception at Galatoire’s instead of inviting people to the house. Dr. Sully says he has known Willie since they were little and asks Josie to take care of the rest of the planning. Dora agrees that Josie in charge is “what Willie would want” (325). Josie is filled with guilt for Willie’s death, regretting that she did not help her, even though she saw signs of Willie’s illness. She sits with Willie’s body and tells her about Hearne and the hope he symbolizes for her. When the undertaker comes, she walks home, crying, thinking about all the things she will never do again now that Willie is gone. Outside her door is Jesse, who silently pulls her into an embrace.

Josie rides in Cokie’s cab to the funeral. He mourns for Willie and the respectful way she treated him. The funeral is packed with people from different pockets of New Orleans society. The service, however, does not feel right, especially because the funeral director refers to Willie as “Miss Woodley.” Dora interrupts the director’s speech and talks about the Willie they all knew, who “was about life, and she grabbed it by the balls” (329). Although she makes the crowd laugh, she is emotional and requests that others tell their stories about Willie, breaking the tension in the room. The afterparty at Galatoire’s is full of energy. Evangeline asks if Josie will become their madam, which shocks Josie. She claims she is “nothing like Willie” (330), but Evangeline retorts that she is “a lot like Willie” (330) and it is what Willie would want. Jesse arrives and Josie leaves with him.

After quietly walking together, Jesse surprises Josie by showing her his nearly finished remodeled car. Josie is impressed, and Jesse promises to take her on a date in it when it is fully done. Sitting inside, they pretend to drive to Swindell Hollow, Alabama, Jesse’s hometown. Josie relishes the quiet until she breaks it to apologize to him. She tells him about the debt to Marcello, but Willie already told him. She tells him everything: about her meeting with Mr. Lockwell, her fascination with Mr. Hearne, stealing and later burying his watch, her rejection from Smith, and her belief that Charlotte knows the truth about her. Josie is relieved from the release, and Jesse jokingly asks if she is “likin’ Alabama so far?” (335). She adds that she was named after a madam and Jesse replies that he was named after the outlaw Jesse James, so they both “have hand-me-down names of the ill repute” (335). Jesse does not want to change his name, but Josie thinks she will. Jesse says she should keep Josie even if she changes her last name. Josie rolls his sleeve and touches his arm, and he tells her he wants to kiss her.

Cokie, Sadie, and Josie nervously ride to the office of Willie’s attorney, who sent a letter asking them to come. They tell the attorney, Mr. Rosenblatt, that Willie would not want them discussing her private matters. Mr. Rosenblatt explains that he and Dr. Sully had been friends with Willie since childhood. He says that at age 12, Willie “would do anything to keep from going home” and they “suspected her father” (340). They took different paths from her but reunited 25 years ago. He shows them a picture of the trio as children, Willie flexing her arm. He then breaks down Willie’s estate: Willie’s house goes to Cokie and Sadie; Shady Grove, Mariah, and the guns go to Josie; Willie’s jewelry is to be split between Josie and Sadie; the girls and scouts who work for Willie will receive $100 for every year served; and after debts are paid the rest of the money is for Cokie, Sadie, Josie, Dr. Sully, and Mr. Rosenblatt. Mr. Rosenblatt tells them not to make this information public. Josie, overwhelmed by everything, asks him to help her change her name.

Josie stands outside Jesse’s car in Alabama. When a man asks if it is hers, she says it is her boyfriend’s. She thinks back on giving Mariah to Cokie and the way he cried of happiness. Jesse emerges from the post office and quietly tells Josie that he successfully mailed Hearne’s watch to his widow. He puts Cokie’s map on his car and examines it while Josie glances at the sentimental things she has packed in the car. She tells Jesse that she is concerned she will lose everything from home. She has an interview at Smith thanks to Miss Paulsen, he reminds her, and staying with Miss Paulsen’s friend will give her security. He is confident she will get into Smith and promises she will not lose him because he will come to Massachusetts once he finishes college. He calls her by her new name, Josie Coquard; she has taken Cokie’s last name. She writes a letter to Charlotte, who now knows the truth about her after a 12-page letter Jesse encouraged Josie to send. Charlotte has no issues with Josie’s life and still wants to be friends after learning her true background. Josie drinks from the thermos that Cokie gave her, and she and Jesse continue their road trip to Smith.