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Authors: Delores Phillips
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insurance man, or the ice man, or Mr. Poppy, or dirty ol’ Mr. Harper who brings the coal.”
“Why they coming?” Sam asked.“You done went and ordered ice and coal, and didn’t tell nobody?”
“Get yo’ clothes on, Wallace,” Harvey said. “You talking ’bout people don’t wanna come when they got to.”
“Bang, bang,” Sam teased, pointing a trigger finger at Wallace. “You gon’ shoot all them people wit’ yo’ cap pistol, Wallace? Make me wanna stay home and watch. I can just see it now. Mr. Poppy come to the door and ask for his rent, and you shoot him through the heart wit’ yo’ cap pistol.They put you on the chain gang for shooting people, boy, and that’s worse than any school I know of.”
Wallace stood up under Sam’s taunting, but finally went back to the kitchen and made a show of getting dressed.
After Harvey and Sam left, I poured warm water into the washbasin and began my morning bath. Tarabelle came from Mama’s room where she had slept for the past two nights. She didn’t say anything, but as she swept by me on her way to the kitchen, she purposely shoved my arm, and water sloshed from the basin.
I turned to stare at her and saw that she was wearing her white, cotton dress—the one with the tiny rose pattern and short sleeves. It was more suited for spring, but no one was going to tell her that.
“Grits,” she grumbled, coming back into the front room. “I’m sick and tired of grits. Oughta be something else in the world to eat besides grits all the time.”
“I want grits,” Laura said.
“You would, ”Tarabelle snapped. “You always want something. I’m glad I’m getting out of here today.Never nobody to talk to but a dummy and two whining brats.”
“There won’t be anybody to talk to at the Munfords’, either,” I informed her.
“Huh,” she snorted. “That’s what you think. Might not be nobody after today, but today you gon’ be talking to me. Don’t tell me you thought you was running off to school.”
“I am going to school. Harvey said we have to go to school.”
“Wallace might be going, but you ain’t. Who you think gon’ show me where these people live? I ain’t never been to no East Grove.You just expect me to walk up to some house and start cleaning? Tangy, you gon’ show me the house, where they keep things, how they like things, and how to do things. I ain’t working today, sister. I’m gon’ be watching you.”
“Come on, Tara,” I pleaded, “I missed school on Friday.Mr. Pace is gonna be upset with me.”
“So?” she asked, moving in to stand nose to nose with me.“Who you think you are? You think ’cause you can read a little bit better than the rest of us that it makes you special or something? You ain’t special, Tangy. Ever’ time you gotta do something, you whine.You just like Laura and Edna, whining all the time ’bout everything.”
She grabbed the undershirt that I was about to slip over my head and tried to yank it from my hands.“You think you special, Tangy?” she repeated, tugging and stretching the shirt.
“Yes!” I shouted, and pulled the shirt with all my strength.
My beautiful sister chose that particular moment to loosen her grip. I stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, bringing the basin of water with me, soaking the undershirt.
Edna began to cry, and Laura shrieked for Wallace who came rushing in from the kitchen.
“I don’t need Wallace,” I croaked from beneath a black oxford that was firmly planted atop my naked chest.Tears sprang to my eyes.“Mama said we don’t fight each other,” I whimpered, and the heavy shoe was immediately replaced by a gob of saliva. I could feel it oozing across my ribcage, and I used the wet shirt to wipe it off.
“Silly, ”Tarabelle said, as she turned on her heels and marched across the hall.
“I’m gon’ tell Mama on Tara,” Laura said with such sympathy for me that I felt ashamed for myself and for Tarabelle.
“Ain’t nothing to
“Why they coming?” Sam asked.“You done went and ordered ice and coal, and didn’t tell nobody?”
“Get yo’ clothes on, Wallace,” Harvey said. “You talking ’bout people don’t wanna come when they got to.”
“Bang, bang,” Sam teased, pointing a trigger finger at Wallace. “You gon’ shoot all them people wit’ yo’ cap pistol, Wallace? Make me wanna stay home and watch. I can just see it now. Mr. Poppy come to the door and ask for his rent, and you shoot him through the heart wit’ yo’ cap pistol.They put you on the chain gang for shooting people, boy, and that’s worse than any school I know of.”
Wallace stood up under Sam’s taunting, but finally went back to the kitchen and made a show of getting dressed.
After Harvey and Sam left, I poured warm water into the washbasin and began my morning bath. Tarabelle came from Mama’s room where she had slept for the past two nights. She didn’t say anything, but as she swept by me on her way to the kitchen, she purposely shoved my arm, and water sloshed from the basin.
I turned to stare at her and saw that she was wearing her white, cotton dress—the one with the tiny rose pattern and short sleeves. It was more suited for spring, but no one was going to tell her that.
“Grits,” she grumbled, coming back into the front room. “I’m sick and tired of grits. Oughta be something else in the world to eat besides grits all the time.”
“I want grits,” Laura said.
“You would, ”Tarabelle snapped. “You always want something. I’m glad I’m getting out of here today.Never nobody to talk to but a dummy and two whining brats.”
“There won’t be anybody to talk to at the Munfords’, either,” I informed her.
“Huh,” she snorted. “That’s what you think. Might not be nobody after today, but today you gon’ be talking to me. Don’t tell me you thought you was running off to school.”
“I am going to school. Harvey said we have to go to school.”
“Wallace might be going, but you ain’t. Who you think gon’ show me where these people live? I ain’t never been to no East Grove.You just expect me to walk up to some house and start cleaning? Tangy, you gon’ show me the house, where they keep things, how they like things, and how to do things. I ain’t working today, sister. I’m gon’ be watching you.”
“Come on, Tara,” I pleaded, “I missed school on Friday.Mr. Pace is gonna be upset with me.”
“So?” she asked, moving in to stand nose to nose with me.“Who you think you are? You think ’cause you can read a little bit better than the rest of us that it makes you special or something? You ain’t special, Tangy. Ever’ time you gotta do something, you whine.You just like Laura and Edna, whining all the time ’bout everything.”
She grabbed the undershirt that I was about to slip over my head and tried to yank it from my hands.“You think you special, Tangy?” she repeated, tugging and stretching the shirt.
“Yes!” I shouted, and pulled the shirt with all my strength.
My beautiful sister chose that particular moment to loosen her grip. I stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, bringing the basin of water with me, soaking the undershirt.
Edna began to cry, and Laura shrieked for Wallace who came rushing in from the kitchen.
“I don’t need Wallace,” I croaked from beneath a black oxford that was firmly planted atop my naked chest.Tears sprang to my eyes.“Mama said we don’t fight each other,” I whimpered, and the heavy shoe was immediately replaced by a gob of saliva. I could feel it oozing across my ribcage, and I used the wet shirt to wipe it off.
“Silly, ”Tarabelle said, as she turned on her heels and marched across the hall.
“I’m gon’ tell Mama on Tara,” Laura said with such sympathy for me that I felt ashamed for myself and for Tarabelle.
“Ain’t nothing to
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