"You do this every day?"
I promise 'em 'fore that'd I'd stop speakin' ta disrupt 'is job. 'Cause he gotta do a certain 'mount fo' daddy, if he don' meet it- I guess 'e get in trouble real bad. 'E tol' me all this 'fore, when I jus' kept talkin' every second- but real polite like. I think he said sompin', like "I 'preciate you talkin' an' all, but I gotta finish this an you distractin' me some."
So I stopped talkin', but found myself real, real bored. An' so that whole quiet thin' didn't las' lon' at all, an' 'ere I am talkin' 'gain. Starin' out at the window, or the door or that other slave ain't too fun. An' I guess Samuel understand, cause all he do is sigh, an' don' seem mad 'bout it.
"'Cept Freeday, Satday, an' Sunday."
"You work in the house then?" I ask, knowin' already that he do. He in the house then, an' unless he skippin' work out in the field, an' hidin' from daddy- that where 'e supposed to be.
"Yeah, helpin' on chore."
"You never work outta the plantation, then?"
"No ma'am."
"How'd you-" I stop myself from sayin' nothin' bout 'is 'and, crusin' my curiosity with my politeness. Plus, Cecile or daddy probably kno'. I can jus' ask 'em later. "Uh- how'd you get that lucky?"
He shrug- though we both kno' the actual answa. Whatever happened to 'is hand is the reason why- he can't do no real field work with one hand.
We go into silence 'gain, an' I bite my tongue to keep from sayin' nothin'. Gah- today jus' so borin' an' I got nothin' at all ta do. Maybe I could visit them stables 'gain- go ridin' 'gain, but by myself this time. I don't need no help from Mista Johnston.
"I think I jus' gonna go."
He look up, surprised, then nod. He don' look much disappointed like I had wanted 'em to be. He don' look like it bug 'em at all.
"I jus' see ya?" He ask, hintin' at the lessons without actually sayin' nothin'.
"Yeah."
When I leave, I tempted to look back but I don' do that. I jus' keep on walkin'- down to them stables- tryin' to pretend that I glad he didn' care that I decided to leave. 'Sides them horses will actually listen when I talk, even if they big an' scary.
I promise 'em 'fore that'd I'd stop speakin' ta disrupt 'is job. 'Cause he gotta do a certain 'mount fo' daddy, if he don' meet it- I guess 'e get in trouble real bad. 'E tol' me all this 'fore, when I jus' kept talkin' every second- but real polite like. I think he said sompin', like "I 'preciate you talkin' an' all, but I gotta finish this an you distractin' me some."
So I stopped talkin', but found myself real, real bored. An' so that whole quiet thin' didn't las' lon' at all, an' 'ere I am talkin' 'gain. Starin' out at the window, or the door or that other slave ain't too fun. An' I guess Samuel understand, cause all he do is sigh, an' don' seem mad 'bout it.
"'Cept Freeday, Satday, an' Sunday."
"You work in the house then?" I ask, knowin' already that he do. He in the house then, an' unless he skippin' work out in the field, an' hidin' from daddy- that where 'e supposed to be.
"Yeah, helpin' on chore."
"You never work outta the plantation, then?"
"No ma'am."
"How'd you-" I stop myself from sayin' nothin' bout 'is 'and, crusin' my curiosity with my politeness. Plus, Cecile or daddy probably kno'. I can jus' ask 'em later. "Uh- how'd you get that lucky?"
He shrug- though we both kno' the actual answa. Whatever happened to 'is hand is the reason why- he can't do no real field work with one hand.
We go into silence 'gain, an' I bite my tongue to keep from sayin' nothin'. Gah- today jus' so borin' an' I got nothin' at all ta do. Maybe I could visit them stables 'gain- go ridin' 'gain, but by myself this time. I don't need no help from Mista Johnston.
"I think I jus' gonna go."
He look up, surprised, then nod. He don' look much disappointed like I had wanted 'em to be. He don' look like it bug 'em at all.
"I jus' see ya?" He ask, hintin' at the lessons without actually sayin' nothin'.
"Yeah."
When I leave, I tempted to look back but I don' do that. I jus' keep on walkin'- down to them stables- tryin' to pretend that I glad he didn' care that I decided to leave. 'Sides them horses will actually listen when I talk, even if they big an' scary.
