"How was Mister Smith?" I ask outta desperation, though I know the topic is sore. I was sick and tired of the silence that daddy kept tryin' to fill, sick and tired of his voice. It reminded me of what he said last night, and though I know he couldn't be possibly sayin' what I'm hearin' I can't stand to listen.
Mary don't look up as she murmurs a pathetic yeah, her fork clingin' on the plate. So much for bein' a real great sister. I'm really failin' her.
"You excited fo' the possible double weddin'?" Miss. Lizabeth asks. I dunno whether she asked fo' me or herself but either way I thankful. Today she seems real tired, huge bags takin' up half her face. She don't get that way real often, cause usually she real poised as a lady. She must be stressed cause somethin' ain't goin' right and my guess is that that somethin' has gotta do with Mary.
"Yes ma'am. I wanna meet Corinne's suitor real bad." She looks at daddy as she says this. Like normal he ain't payin' no attention. "Whats 'es name again?"
"Lloyd," I say, the same time as Miss. Lizabeth says "Mister Matthews." Mary don't respond to neither of us, seein' that daddy ain't given her any mind.
The Mistress sighs real loud, her way of tellin' us to get to a more interesting topic. She like to hear herself talk, cause she claim her voice is the best thin' 'bout her, but she ain't one to rudely switch topics when daddy 'round. She can be real perfect when he here.
Miss. Lizabeth, who got no choice but to follow her every move, asks somethin' 'bout a baby. It really the only topic The Mistress ever wanna talk 'bout
"Well," she take a dramatic pause, "Well, I do say that I think there may be a boy in my stomach."
We don't care really, cause it ain't nothin' she hasn't said before, but we all pretend to be interested when daddy glances over at us. Mary even jumps in to ask why.
"I was gettin' to that point, don't you got no manners?" At least Mary got the decency to not 'pologize. She don't like The Mistress neither, but usually she polite to her anyway. I guess not today. "I was tellin' Corinne this very mornin' that I was feelin' real hungry. An' when you pregnant you always real hungry."
"I always thought you was sick when you pregnant," Mary whispers so only I can hear. I crack a smile, and reply in the affirmative. The Mistress don't even notice that we ain't payin' attention to her no more. She continues to go on and on ' bout a baby that I sure hope she ain't carryin'. She'd be an awful mother, as bad as a dead one.
Mary don't look up as she murmurs a pathetic yeah, her fork clingin' on the plate. So much for bein' a real great sister. I'm really failin' her.
"You excited fo' the possible double weddin'?" Miss. Lizabeth asks. I dunno whether she asked fo' me or herself but either way I thankful. Today she seems real tired, huge bags takin' up half her face. She don't get that way real often, cause usually she real poised as a lady. She must be stressed cause somethin' ain't goin' right and my guess is that that somethin' has gotta do with Mary.
"Yes ma'am. I wanna meet Corinne's suitor real bad." She looks at daddy as she says this. Like normal he ain't payin' no attention. "Whats 'es name again?"
"Lloyd," I say, the same time as Miss. Lizabeth says "Mister Matthews." Mary don't respond to neither of us, seein' that daddy ain't given her any mind.
The Mistress sighs real loud, her way of tellin' us to get to a more interesting topic. She like to hear herself talk, cause she claim her voice is the best thin' 'bout her, but she ain't one to rudely switch topics when daddy 'round. She can be real perfect when he here.
Miss. Lizabeth, who got no choice but to follow her every move, asks somethin' 'bout a baby. It really the only topic The Mistress ever wanna talk 'bout
"Well," she take a dramatic pause, "Well, I do say that I think there may be a boy in my stomach."
We don't care really, cause it ain't nothin' she hasn't said before, but we all pretend to be interested when daddy glances over at us. Mary even jumps in to ask why.
"I was gettin' to that point, don't you got no manners?" At least Mary got the decency to not 'pologize. She don't like The Mistress neither, but usually she polite to her anyway. I guess not today. "I was tellin' Corinne this very mornin' that I was feelin' real hungry. An' when you pregnant you always real hungry."
"I always thought you was sick when you pregnant," Mary whispers so only I can hear. I crack a smile, and reply in the affirmative. The Mistress don't even notice that we ain't payin' attention to her no more. She continues to go on and on ' bout a baby that I sure hope she ain't carryin'. She'd be an awful mother, as bad as a dead one.
