Sisters

•Chapter 5•

I try and make the walk over to Daddy as long as I can. Miss. Lucy leaves my side and walks back into the house and I fear she's going to get into more trouble for taking me than I will for going.

"Yesir?"

"What was ya doing over there?"

"Attending Church sir".

"After I told ya not to go there?"

I swallow, "you said I couldn't go to the funeral, not Church service".

"You getting smart with me girl?"

"No sir", I mumble.

"Let me make it clear so next time ya aint got an excuse...I don't ever wanna see you with the slaves again".

"If I can't stay with the slaves or whites, who do I stay with?"

"Ya itchin' for a switchin'?"

This is the first time he's ever threatened to beat me so of course it steals the breath from me.

"No sir", I mumble.

"Git inside, it's lunch time-"

"I'm not hungry".

He raises an eyebrow at my defiance.

"Yessir", I grit out.

We walk inside the house and to the dinning room where the food has already been brought out and served. We always eat Sunday lunches together and then they leave for Uncle Joe's for dinner. I ignore Daphne's cold eyes and stare down at my plate filled with oysters soup and rice.

Just as I'm about to take a bite, the sound of children playing by the window catch my attention. I turn around and watch as little brown kids run by with legs and arms skinny as twigs.

"What do the slaves eat?"

Mrs. Jones shrugs, "grits, I suppose".

"While we feast on oyster soup, white rice and key lime Pie?"

She looks up at me, "they don't mind...you don't mind do you Beth?"

Beth who was only doing her job of refilling Daddy's watter shakes her head, "no mistress".

It's obvious to me that she was just saying what she had to.

"Well...It's not a matter of what they like. It's a matter of what is fair. The Bible says that Masters must be fair to their slaves".

Everyone blinks at me, even Beth.

"We should give them what we eat-"

"We don't have enough food for all of them Delilah", Mrs. Jones says.

"Oh okay, I'll give them my portion. It won't be enough for everyone but at least it'll feed some of the children-"

"And what will you eat?" Daphne questions.

"Jesus said man cannot live on bread alone, right?", I stand up and pick up my plate. "I've got enough fat in me to survive without one meal-"

Daddy slams his hand down on the table,"Stop this nonsense Delilah! I've had it up to here and I ain't gonna take it no more. You sit back down and finish that food!"

"You can't force me to eat-"

"You ain't leaving this table until all of that food is gone. Mark my words".

I look to Mrs. Jones for help but she only lowers her eyes in submission to her husband's command, "eat your food Delilah".

Setting my plate down on the table, I slowly sink into my chair. I refuse to eat even when Daddy finishes and leaves the table, even when Mrs. Jones followed by Daphne leave.

I remain seated with untouched food and resist as hard as I can when my stomach growls in protest. I stay at the table for so long that my butt begins to hurt and my eyes start to drop.

"Phillip I told you not to get attached to her-"

I blink at the sound of footsteps and voices coming near.

"My ga Maureen! She was a baby, how I could I not love her? And you wanna tell me you ain't love her once?"

The footsteps and voices stop right outside the dining room door.

"I did but then I realized that we'd only be setting her up for a miserable life. Look at her now, she's confused! You should have left her with her kind-"

"How dare you compare her to one of them, when we raised her as if she came from us!"

After a few quiet seconds pass, someone opens the door and walks. I remain in form, pretending that I'm asleep.

"Not even one bite? I forgot how terrible you are when ya git stubborn. That's from ya Mama, I know it".

My eyes blink open at the mention of my birth mother whom I've never been told about.

"My Mama?" I whisper to Daddy who pulls a chair next to mine.

He smirks, "I knew that would git ya to wake up".

"Tell me about her, I wanna know".

He looks down at my untouched food before sighing and pinching my cheek, "she was stubborn but unlike you she was stubborn all the time. Always puttin' up a fight...till her last breath".

I've always know she was dead but not where she is and who she was.

"Is she buried here?"

A dark look crosses his eyes and he blinks before standing back up.

"Ya want Lucy to reheat ya food? I think ya outta eat then take a nice nap. Whatcha think bout that?"

I look away from him and to the window where two teenage girls are braiding hair. Hair just like mine which Miss. Lucy corn rows every other Sunday.

I turn back around to face Daddy, "I wanna know how to do my own hair".

He frowns, "why so when Lucy does it for ya?"

"Cause she ain't always gonna be here to do my hair. I gotta learn".

He nods slowly, "alright, go on ahead and ask her-"

"Well I was thinking about asking girls my age, don't ya think I'd learn more recent styles from them then Miss. Lucy?"

Daddy narrows his eyes and holds my stare, "don't go playin with fire Delilah".

"Whatever do you mean Daddy?"

He takes his hat off and sighs, "alright but you got twenty minutes, don't make me come git ya"

I grin and kiss his cheek before sprinting out the house to where the teenage girls are seated on the grass.

And just like I thought, I can see Wesley chopping firewood from this angle. I take the time to admire his bare back and the scars that mark it. Lines overlapping each other are scattered all around it as if someone scribbled it with pen. Although he's a bit thin, he's still got some muscle on his back which flexes with every swing.

As if sensing my presence he turns around and gives me a wide grin.

"Watcha doin' out here Miss girl?"