was trapped. "I can start tomorrow, Mr. Lee."
"You got to work hard. If you don't, I can't keep you on. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"All right, then. Report at six. You'll work until three, after dinner is all cleaned up. We ain't open in the eveningsâyet. Agreed?"
"Yes, sir. And thank you, sir."
He beamed at me. Mr. Lee Davis was never happier than when he was doing nice and generous things for "his Negroes." I nodded and thanked him again, and stood and waited while he went back inside. Negroes never walked away from whites. We waited until they left us, and then we were free to go back to our own business.
My business right now was spitting in Mrs. Davis's flower bed and figuring out how to break my news to Pop.
***
I planned to tell him right before supper. If he got crazy mad and wanted to whip me again, I'd leave home, no matter how Ma felt about it.
Pop was at the pump, washing up. "How you?" he asked. "Enjoy your last day o' freedom? I'm ready to put you to work tomorrow. Got a couple big jobs comin' up."
This was it. "Pop, I'm not gonna work with you this summer after all."
He stopped drying his face and looked at me like he hadn't heard right. "What you talkin' about? Course you gonna work with me this summer. We planned it weeks ago."
My insides felt all shaky. "I changed my mind. Today I went over to Mr. Davis's place and asked him to give me a job. I start at the Dixie Belle Café tomorrow, as a dishwasher."
For a moment, Pop looked blank. Then he smirked. "Oh, I get it. This all about you gettin' whipped, ain't it? You got yo' feelin's all hurt, and now you gonna get back at the old man. You gonna teach
me
a lesson.
I'm
gonna pay now, right?"
"That's not it, Pop," I lied. "It'll be better if we're not around each other all day. I just make you mad. You can find a better helper."
"Damn right I can! I was gonna do you a favor, let you come work with me, learn a few things about hammer and nails. You need some lessons, Caleb, 'cause you ain't much of a carpenterâand that God's truth. I thought maybe you'd like to learn somethin' from me. But you the big man now, so suit yourself."
His words stung because they were true. Carpentry and me didn't get along, and I envied Randall when Pop praised his skills with a hammer and saw.
"Get washed up and come on to supper. I reckon you can't wait to crow about this in front of your ma."
"Popâ"
"There ain't nothin' more to say. You made your choice. It ain't no skin off my back. If I can find a helper, fine. If not, no matter. I can work faster and better without always havin' to show someone like you what to do."
That hurt, too.
"I'm goin' in. If you intend to eat, wash up and come on."
He threw the damp towel at me and went into the house.
There hadn't been a shouting match. Pop hadn't made a move to punish me. I'd gotten my way. I'd won.
But it didn't feel like much of a victory.
CHAPTER SEVEN
T HAT NIGHT I kept waking up, sure it was morning and I'd overslept. The first time, the clock in the sitting room said one thirty. Then three. At five twenty I got up. When I came back from the outhouse, Ma was stirring up the fire.
"Morning, hon. You finish getting ready and I'll have something for you to eat in a few minutes. You reckon you'll need a dinner, too?"
"Gosh, Ma. You didn't have to get up."
"A man needs something in his belly before he goes out the door. I'll fry you up a couple eggs in no time."
Neither of us heard Pop coming. "No, you ain't gonna fry him up no eggs," he announced from the doorway. We both jumped at the sound of his voice. "Lucy, you work from dawn to night every day, takin' care o' this family, and I ain't gonna have you wakin' up in the pitch dark to feed this boy no early breakfast. If Caleb need to be on his way this early, he can look out for hisself."
"Frank, he can't go to work hungry."
"If he was doin' what he promised he'd be doin' this summer, he wouldn't have to go hungry. But seein' how he makin'
"You got to work hard. If you don't, I can't keep you on. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"All right, then. Report at six. You'll work until three, after dinner is all cleaned up. We ain't open in the eveningsâyet. Agreed?"
"Yes, sir. And thank you, sir."
He beamed at me. Mr. Lee Davis was never happier than when he was doing nice and generous things for "his Negroes." I nodded and thanked him again, and stood and waited while he went back inside. Negroes never walked away from whites. We waited until they left us, and then we were free to go back to our own business.
My business right now was spitting in Mrs. Davis's flower bed and figuring out how to break my news to Pop.
***
I planned to tell him right before supper. If he got crazy mad and wanted to whip me again, I'd leave home, no matter how Ma felt about it.
Pop was at the pump, washing up. "How you?" he asked. "Enjoy your last day o' freedom? I'm ready to put you to work tomorrow. Got a couple big jobs comin' up."
This was it. "Pop, I'm not gonna work with you this summer after all."
He stopped drying his face and looked at me like he hadn't heard right. "What you talkin' about? Course you gonna work with me this summer. We planned it weeks ago."
My insides felt all shaky. "I changed my mind. Today I went over to Mr. Davis's place and asked him to give me a job. I start at the Dixie Belle Café tomorrow, as a dishwasher."
For a moment, Pop looked blank. Then he smirked. "Oh, I get it. This all about you gettin' whipped, ain't it? You got yo' feelin's all hurt, and now you gonna get back at the old man. You gonna teach
me
a lesson.
I'm
gonna pay now, right?"
"That's not it, Pop," I lied. "It'll be better if we're not around each other all day. I just make you mad. You can find a better helper."
"Damn right I can! I was gonna do you a favor, let you come work with me, learn a few things about hammer and nails. You need some lessons, Caleb, 'cause you ain't much of a carpenterâand that God's truth. I thought maybe you'd like to learn somethin' from me. But you the big man now, so suit yourself."
His words stung because they were true. Carpentry and me didn't get along, and I envied Randall when Pop praised his skills with a hammer and saw.
"Get washed up and come on to supper. I reckon you can't wait to crow about this in front of your ma."
"Popâ"
"There ain't nothin' more to say. You made your choice. It ain't no skin off my back. If I can find a helper, fine. If not, no matter. I can work faster and better without always havin' to show someone like you what to do."
That hurt, too.
"I'm goin' in. If you intend to eat, wash up and come on."
He threw the damp towel at me and went into the house.
There hadn't been a shouting match. Pop hadn't made a move to punish me. I'd gotten my way. I'd won.
But it didn't feel like much of a victory.
CHAPTER SEVEN
T HAT NIGHT I kept waking up, sure it was morning and I'd overslept. The first time, the clock in the sitting room said one thirty. Then three. At five twenty I got up. When I came back from the outhouse, Ma was stirring up the fire.
"Morning, hon. You finish getting ready and I'll have something for you to eat in a few minutes. You reckon you'll need a dinner, too?"
"Gosh, Ma. You didn't have to get up."
"A man needs something in his belly before he goes out the door. I'll fry you up a couple eggs in no time."
Neither of us heard Pop coming. "No, you ain't gonna fry him up no eggs," he announced from the doorway. We both jumped at the sound of his voice. "Lucy, you work from dawn to night every day, takin' care o' this family, and I ain't gonna have you wakin' up in the pitch dark to feed this boy no early breakfast. If Caleb need to be on his way this early, he can look out for hisself."
"Frank, he can't go to work hungry."
"If he was doin' what he promised he'd be doin' this summer, he wouldn't have to go hungry. But seein' how he makin'
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