at her and touch it with my finger. A little shiver go through me. Nothing much. But just enough to tell me this the right button to mash. Maybe.
She say, While you looking, look at your titties too. I haul up my dress and look at my titties. Think bout my babies sucking them. Remember the little shiver I felt then too. Sometimes a big shiver. Best part about having the babies was feeding ’em.
Albert and Harpo coming, she say. And I yank up my drawers and yank down my dress. I feel like us been doing something wrong.
I don’t care if you sleep with him, I say.
And she take me at my word.
I take me at my word too.
But when I hear them together all I can do is pull the quilt over my head and finger my little button and titties and cry.
DEAR GOD,
One night while Shug singing a hot one, who should come prancing through the door of Harpo’s but Sofia.
She with a big tall hefty man look like a prize fighter.
She her usual stout and bouncy self.
Oh, Miss Celie, she cry. It so good to see you again. It even good to see Mr. ____, she say. She take one of his hands. Even if his handshake is a little weak, she say.
He act real glad to see her.
Here, pull up a chair, he say. Have a cold drink.
Gimme a shot of white lightening, she say.
Prizefighter pull up a chair, straddle it backwards, hug on Sofia like they at home.
I see Harpo cross the room with his little yellowskin girlfriend. He look at Sofia like she a hant.
This Henry Broadnax, Sofia say. Everybody call him Buster. Good friend of the family.
How you all? he say. He smile pleasant and us keep listening to the music. Shug wearing a gold dress that show her titties near bout to the nipple. Everybody sorta hoping something break. But that dress strong.
Man oh man, say Buster. Fire department won’t do. Somebody call the Law.
Mr. _____ whisper to Sofia. Where your children at?
She whisper back, My children at home, where yours?
He don’t say nothing.
Both the girls bigged and gone. Bub in and out of jail. If his grandaddy wasn’t the colored uncle of the sheriff who look just like Bub, Bub be lynch by now.
I can’t git over how good Sofia look.
Most women with five children look a little peaked, I say to her cross the table when Shug finish her song. You look like you ready for five more.
Oh, she say, I got six children now, Miss Celie.
Six. I am shock.
She toss her head, look over at Harpo. Life don’t stop just cause you leave home, Miss Celie. You know that.
My life stop when I left home, I think. But then I think again. It stop with Mr. _____ maybe, but start up again with Shug.
Shug come over and she and Sofia hug.
Shug say, Girl, you look like a good time, you do.
That when I notice how Shug talk and act sometimes like a man. Men say stuff like that to women, Girl, you look like a good time. Women always talk bout hair and health. How many babies living or dead, or got teef. Not bout how some woman they hugging on look like a good time.
All the men got they eyes glued to Shug’s bosom. I got my eyes glued there too. I feel my nipples harden under my dress. My little button sort of perk up too. Shug, I say to her in my mind, Girl, you looks like a real good time, the Good Lord knows you do.
What you doing here? ast Harpo.
Sofia say, Come to hear Miss Shug. You got a nice place here Harpo. She look around. This and that her eyes admire.
Harpo say, It just a scandless, a woman with five children hanging out in a jukejoint at night.
Sofia eye go cool. She look him up and down.
Since he quit stuffing himself, he gained a bunch of weight, face, head and all, mostly from drinking home brew and eating left-over barbecue. By now he just about her size.
A woman need a little fun, once in a while, she say.
A woman need to be at home, he say.
She say, This is my home. Though I do think it go better as a jukejoint.
Harpo look at the prize fighter. Prizefighter push back his chair a little, pick up his drink.
I don’t fight Sofia battle,
She say, While you looking, look at your titties too. I haul up my dress and look at my titties. Think bout my babies sucking them. Remember the little shiver I felt then too. Sometimes a big shiver. Best part about having the babies was feeding ’em.
Albert and Harpo coming, she say. And I yank up my drawers and yank down my dress. I feel like us been doing something wrong.
I don’t care if you sleep with him, I say.
And she take me at my word.
I take me at my word too.
But when I hear them together all I can do is pull the quilt over my head and finger my little button and titties and cry.
DEAR GOD,
One night while Shug singing a hot one, who should come prancing through the door of Harpo’s but Sofia.
She with a big tall hefty man look like a prize fighter.
She her usual stout and bouncy self.
Oh, Miss Celie, she cry. It so good to see you again. It even good to see Mr. ____, she say. She take one of his hands. Even if his handshake is a little weak, she say.
He act real glad to see her.
Here, pull up a chair, he say. Have a cold drink.
Gimme a shot of white lightening, she say.
Prizefighter pull up a chair, straddle it backwards, hug on Sofia like they at home.
I see Harpo cross the room with his little yellowskin girlfriend. He look at Sofia like she a hant.
This Henry Broadnax, Sofia say. Everybody call him Buster. Good friend of the family.
How you all? he say. He smile pleasant and us keep listening to the music. Shug wearing a gold dress that show her titties near bout to the nipple. Everybody sorta hoping something break. But that dress strong.
Man oh man, say Buster. Fire department won’t do. Somebody call the Law.
Mr. _____ whisper to Sofia. Where your children at?
She whisper back, My children at home, where yours?
He don’t say nothing.
Both the girls bigged and gone. Bub in and out of jail. If his grandaddy wasn’t the colored uncle of the sheriff who look just like Bub, Bub be lynch by now.
I can’t git over how good Sofia look.
Most women with five children look a little peaked, I say to her cross the table when Shug finish her song. You look like you ready for five more.
Oh, she say, I got six children now, Miss Celie.
Six. I am shock.
She toss her head, look over at Harpo. Life don’t stop just cause you leave home, Miss Celie. You know that.
My life stop when I left home, I think. But then I think again. It stop with Mr. _____ maybe, but start up again with Shug.
Shug come over and she and Sofia hug.
Shug say, Girl, you look like a good time, you do.
That when I notice how Shug talk and act sometimes like a man. Men say stuff like that to women, Girl, you look like a good time. Women always talk bout hair and health. How many babies living or dead, or got teef. Not bout how some woman they hugging on look like a good time.
All the men got they eyes glued to Shug’s bosom. I got my eyes glued there too. I feel my nipples harden under my dress. My little button sort of perk up too. Shug, I say to her in my mind, Girl, you looks like a real good time, the Good Lord knows you do.
What you doing here? ast Harpo.
Sofia say, Come to hear Miss Shug. You got a nice place here Harpo. She look around. This and that her eyes admire.
Harpo say, It just a scandless, a woman with five children hanging out in a jukejoint at night.
Sofia eye go cool. She look him up and down.
Since he quit stuffing himself, he gained a bunch of weight, face, head and all, mostly from drinking home brew and eating left-over barbecue. By now he just about her size.
A woman need a little fun, once in a while, she say.
A woman need to be at home, he say.
She say, This is my home. Though I do think it go better as a jukejoint.
Harpo look at the prize fighter. Prizefighter push back his chair a little, pick up his drink.
I don’t fight Sofia battle,
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