Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands

It is December, and because it is the busy season in the packing house, Reesa does not notice the passage of time. The bombings continue, and Jewish schools, community centers, and memorials to Holocaust victims are ruined. Another Black community apartment complex is also bombed. The governor orders the FBI to begin an investigation for the first time, but few believe that the orders will make a difference. Meanwhile, Lizbeth, Reesa’s mother, appears poker-faced, hiding all her thoughts and feelings from the family. 

It’s Christmas time, and the McMahon family Santa is Doto. She brings a trunk full of presents from all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins and one huge gift for the whole family—a television.

Soon though, happiness turns to more sorrow when Sal and Sophia tell the family of the terrible harassment they have received. Threatening phone calls refer to their being Catholic, and someone even threw a rock through their picture window. They announce that they have finally decided to move to be closer to family in Tampa and that they will have to abandon their store, but Warren has an excellent idea. They will open the store up to the community and sell as much as possible at a discount.