"You wanna pick up where you left off?"
Miss. Lizabeth is sittin' on 'er chair, holdin' the Holy Book out to me an' smirkin' that real fake smile she hasn't done in a while. It weird seein' somethin' I once saw everyday, it make me feel like no time at all has gone by. But it has, I guess, Mary's engaged to Mr. Smith, an' I gotta choose if I want Lloyd, though it ain't like I gotta choice.
I start to squirm beneath her gaze, though refuse to meet it an' refuse' to take the Holy Book from 'er. Readin' it won't do much good fo' me righ' now, 'specially if daddy comes an' sees me doin' it.
"I think it Mary turn," I say, glancin' over at my sister. She unusual quiet fo' lessons. When it normally jus' Miss. Lizabeth, Mary an' I she talk up a storm, cause she ain't afraid of neither of us. She ain't gotta be subservient to me, an' Miss. Lizabeth don't care too bad. But today, she jus' quiet, starin' down at her feet, her hand with the fan occasionally movin' to keep 'er cool.
When she hear her name, she look up at me fo' jus' a real short secon', then to Miss. Lizabeth then back to 'er feet.
"I dunno," she say, real quiet so I gotta lean in closer to 'er to even hear what words leave 'er lips, "I think I ain't never gonna be so smart as Corinne- I shall jus' give up tryin'."
Normally, or before Mista Smith I guess, I'd be real happy fo' 'er admittin' this. That all I ever wanted before- fo' Mary to admit that I the smarter twin an' she ain't. But now she jus' sound sad an' deflated, like she stopped fightin'. I never even noticed that she had been fightin' to start with, but I guess sometimes you jus' gotta loose somethin' before you notice that you had somethin' to loose.
"That ain't true," Miss. Lizabeth shouts- standin' straight up, before remembein' 'er manners, an' gettin' back in 'er chair, "You jus' as smart, Corinne jus' wanna learn mo' than you- that all."
It like I ain't even in the room with them no more. It all Miss. Lizabeth jus' comfortin' Mary.
"It true- you kno' it. Even daddy know it."
"What's wron'?" Miss. Lizabeth's voice is calmer now, like she finally jus' figure out the puzzle an' don't gotta scramble to fit the pieces no more. But to me, it seem like she doin' the wron' puzzle, cause Mary already say what wron'- she ain't as smart as me. That all.
"Mista Smith is comin'," Mary Whispers, gainst 'er hand.
Miss. Lizabeth is sittin' on 'er chair, holdin' the Holy Book out to me an' smirkin' that real fake smile she hasn't done in a while. It weird seein' somethin' I once saw everyday, it make me feel like no time at all has gone by. But it has, I guess, Mary's engaged to Mr. Smith, an' I gotta choose if I want Lloyd, though it ain't like I gotta choice.
I start to squirm beneath her gaze, though refuse to meet it an' refuse' to take the Holy Book from 'er. Readin' it won't do much good fo' me righ' now, 'specially if daddy comes an' sees me doin' it.
"I think it Mary turn," I say, glancin' over at my sister. She unusual quiet fo' lessons. When it normally jus' Miss. Lizabeth, Mary an' I she talk up a storm, cause she ain't afraid of neither of us. She ain't gotta be subservient to me, an' Miss. Lizabeth don't care too bad. But today, she jus' quiet, starin' down at her feet, her hand with the fan occasionally movin' to keep 'er cool.
When she hear her name, she look up at me fo' jus' a real short secon', then to Miss. Lizabeth then back to 'er feet.
"I dunno," she say, real quiet so I gotta lean in closer to 'er to even hear what words leave 'er lips, "I think I ain't never gonna be so smart as Corinne- I shall jus' give up tryin'."
Normally, or before Mista Smith I guess, I'd be real happy fo' 'er admittin' this. That all I ever wanted before- fo' Mary to admit that I the smarter twin an' she ain't. But now she jus' sound sad an' deflated, like she stopped fightin'. I never even noticed that she had been fightin' to start with, but I guess sometimes you jus' gotta loose somethin' before you notice that you had somethin' to loose.
"That ain't true," Miss. Lizabeth shouts- standin' straight up, before remembein' 'er manners, an' gettin' back in 'er chair, "You jus' as smart, Corinne jus' wanna learn mo' than you- that all."
It like I ain't even in the room with them no more. It all Miss. Lizabeth jus' comfortin' Mary.
"It true- you kno' it. Even daddy know it."
"What's wron'?" Miss. Lizabeth's voice is calmer now, like she finally jus' figure out the puzzle an' don't gotta scramble to fit the pieces no more. But to me, it seem like she doin' the wron' puzzle, cause Mary already say what wron'- she ain't as smart as me. That all.
"Mista Smith is comin'," Mary Whispers, gainst 'er hand.
