I wish to ask him more of this girl, find out why he left her or she him. But I already gotta feelin' that it gotta do with me, and the power I offer his family. I feel sort of bad for Lloyd, cause in a twisted way, he like Mary and myself. He don't got no choice in who he marries. Though, if I say so myself, I ain't the worst he can have. And I guess, he ain't as bad as that Mr. Smith.
We keep walkin', now idle chatter, me holdin' on his arm again. Cecile falls even further back that now she only a spot in the distance. She don't even seem to be followin' us no more, and that makes me all curious as to why. But Lloyd don't even notice. So I pretend I don't neither.
He laughs at my story of daddy makin' a fool of himself when he first met the Mistress, chokin' cause he can't get no air to his lungs. I laugh with him, though I don't find it real funny. It ended with him takin' the Mistresses hand in marriage. And that ain't funny. Not at all.
He follows my story up with one of his own 'bout his young sister, but I don't pay much attention to it. It real borin' and don't seem to be goin' no where. I laugh, smile or make some noise of recognition when he does. He don't seem to notice that I don't care.
When I look back for Cecile, I don't even find her in site. She disappeared. I search for her for a couple seconds, but she ain't nowhere in site. I don't think Lloyd will try nothin', cause he a good southern man, but I still feel weird bein' alone with him. Plus it all dark out now, the sun jus' finishin' settin'.
"Maybe we should head back," I say, stoppin'. He stops with me, our arms still connected.
He glowers down at me, 'cause he still in the middle of his story and I've interrupted him.
"You can finish on the way back."
He stares down on me, silent and still. I tug on his arm, toward the way we had come, startin' to walk back myself. Eventually he nods and joins me, blabberin' on 'bout his sitter still.
We run into them, just a mile up from the house, gettin' real close before we even seem 'em. My arm brushes with his. Lloyd knows instantly what they tryin' to do, unlike I had that one night, tellin' me to run inside and get my daddy and his. He says he'll take care of it here. I don't move, frozen at Lloyd's side. I don't know what it is inside of me, but I can't let 'em get whipped. Lloyd impatiently growls at me to go, but I don't, stayin' still and tryin' to think of somethin' I could possibly do.
We keep walkin', now idle chatter, me holdin' on his arm again. Cecile falls even further back that now she only a spot in the distance. She don't even seem to be followin' us no more, and that makes me all curious as to why. But Lloyd don't even notice. So I pretend I don't neither.
He laughs at my story of daddy makin' a fool of himself when he first met the Mistress, chokin' cause he can't get no air to his lungs. I laugh with him, though I don't find it real funny. It ended with him takin' the Mistresses hand in marriage. And that ain't funny. Not at all.
He follows my story up with one of his own 'bout his young sister, but I don't pay much attention to it. It real borin' and don't seem to be goin' no where. I laugh, smile or make some noise of recognition when he does. He don't seem to notice that I don't care.
When I look back for Cecile, I don't even find her in site. She disappeared. I search for her for a couple seconds, but she ain't nowhere in site. I don't think Lloyd will try nothin', cause he a good southern man, but I still feel weird bein' alone with him. Plus it all dark out now, the sun jus' finishin' settin'.
"Maybe we should head back," I say, stoppin'. He stops with me, our arms still connected.
He glowers down at me, 'cause he still in the middle of his story and I've interrupted him.
"You can finish on the way back."
He stares down on me, silent and still. I tug on his arm, toward the way we had come, startin' to walk back myself. Eventually he nods and joins me, blabberin' on 'bout his sitter still.
We run into them, just a mile up from the house, gettin' real close before we even seem 'em. My arm brushes with his. Lloyd knows instantly what they tryin' to do, unlike I had that one night, tellin' me to run inside and get my daddy and his. He says he'll take care of it here. I don't move, frozen at Lloyd's side. I don't know what it is inside of me, but I can't let 'em get whipped. Lloyd impatiently growls at me to go, but I don't, stayin' still and tryin' to think of somethin' I could possibly do.
