spoon away from her body. Then she dip her spoon into her soup and held the spoon up. Biddy turnt her grip on the spoon so that she wasn’t holding it in her fist, but on her fingers, and spoon her soup just like Lizabeth did.
“And a princess brings the spoon to her mouth, not her mouth to the spoon,” Lizabeth tole her. Biddy tried. Her head kept pulling down to the bowl, and she look like one of them toys that duck in and out of a water glass. When she finally got how to keep her head up, the soup slop off the spoon.
“A princess fills her spoon half full so she can take dainty princess sips.”
A smile march right ’crosst Biddy’s face. She try the whole thing again, and this time got her some soup into her mouth.
Lizabeth kept up her chatter, showing how a princess would use a salad fork and how to break the bread into little pieces rather than tear at a whole slice with her teeths. Biddy was having herself a high ole time pretending she be some kind of fancy lady.
I got me good table manners. Mr. Hallis show me all that when he taught me cooking. He didn’t talk no stuff ’bout no princess.
I ain’t White Trash. Miss Lizzy said I’m a princess. And a princess don’t wear a coat full-up with food. I’m going to push it in nextside the hangers at the back of my closet. I’ll just wear it if I have to go in the world.
We went back to our little apartment and I tole Biddy we need to have us a talk. She nod her head and plop down on the couch. More like she set perched on it with a straight back, like Lizabeth just taught her. Got to admit, the girl hold tight to things oncet she learn ’em.
“Biddy, we got to have us some rules.”
Biddy nod again. She even got that Lizabeth smile on her face.
“It’s about menfolk.”
That smile drop off her face like — I don’t know the word, but like you drop a rock into a bucket.
“Menfolks?”
“See, the whole world know about you and menfolk. What you do with men is your bidness — but I got me a right not to want ’em ’round here.” I point to the dent in my head. “Sometimes folk get hurt from other people’s men hanging around.”
Biddy surprise me then. She didn’t start no crying or snatch up a cleaning rag. Her look sat with a backbone inside it.
“Quincy, when you see me with boys or menfolk?”
My mouth open, but my words seize up. I thought hard a minute. Since seventh grade, I ain’t never seen Biddy having no truck with boys. They call her names, but she don’t talk to none of them. In fact, she don’t even look at any kind of man. My brain got addled.
“I guess I hasn’t.” I kind of jut out my chin and sound mad, so she don’t think I’m wrong or nothing.
Biddy stand up. “Well, then.” And she turnt her back and walk off into her bedroom and shut the door.
Seems to me, other peoples in this world got as much trouble learning as I do.
Biddy march off to her room and shut her door. Left me there with my mouth hanging. Back in school with people watching or poking at her, Biddy would have thrown some kind of fit, or get her feelings hurt and run off crying. But after Lizabeth tell her she a princess, just one little time, Biddy be a whole ’nother person. It like she and Lizabeth be some kind of team together.
I stomp off to my room, but thinking ’bout Biddy’s straight princess back and how Lizabeth pet Biddy’s hand and be all gooey with her piss me plumb off. I slammed my door hard enough for Biddy to hear.
I thump down on my bed. My clock say it just six thirty. I ain’t got no new comic to read. We don’t got a TV. What I’m supposed to do? Knit like some ole lady? I don’t know how to knit, and who need a sweater in Texas?
Then it catch up to me. It ain’t just seein’ Biddy with boys. Everybody know she a ho because she done had that baby. Biddy got me all confused talking about not seein’ her with no boys and acting like a princess and . . . now I feel like snatching somebody’s head off
“And a princess brings the spoon to her mouth, not her mouth to the spoon,” Lizabeth tole her. Biddy tried. Her head kept pulling down to the bowl, and she look like one of them toys that duck in and out of a water glass. When she finally got how to keep her head up, the soup slop off the spoon.
“A princess fills her spoon half full so she can take dainty princess sips.”
A smile march right ’crosst Biddy’s face. She try the whole thing again, and this time got her some soup into her mouth.
Lizabeth kept up her chatter, showing how a princess would use a salad fork and how to break the bread into little pieces rather than tear at a whole slice with her teeths. Biddy was having herself a high ole time pretending she be some kind of fancy lady.
I got me good table manners. Mr. Hallis show me all that when he taught me cooking. He didn’t talk no stuff ’bout no princess.
I ain’t White Trash. Miss Lizzy said I’m a princess. And a princess don’t wear a coat full-up with food. I’m going to push it in nextside the hangers at the back of my closet. I’ll just wear it if I have to go in the world.
We went back to our little apartment and I tole Biddy we need to have us a talk. She nod her head and plop down on the couch. More like she set perched on it with a straight back, like Lizabeth just taught her. Got to admit, the girl hold tight to things oncet she learn ’em.
“Biddy, we got to have us some rules.”
Biddy nod again. She even got that Lizabeth smile on her face.
“It’s about menfolk.”
That smile drop off her face like — I don’t know the word, but like you drop a rock into a bucket.
“Menfolks?”
“See, the whole world know about you and menfolk. What you do with men is your bidness — but I got me a right not to want ’em ’round here.” I point to the dent in my head. “Sometimes folk get hurt from other people’s men hanging around.”
Biddy surprise me then. She didn’t start no crying or snatch up a cleaning rag. Her look sat with a backbone inside it.
“Quincy, when you see me with boys or menfolk?”
My mouth open, but my words seize up. I thought hard a minute. Since seventh grade, I ain’t never seen Biddy having no truck with boys. They call her names, but she don’t talk to none of them. In fact, she don’t even look at any kind of man. My brain got addled.
“I guess I hasn’t.” I kind of jut out my chin and sound mad, so she don’t think I’m wrong or nothing.
Biddy stand up. “Well, then.” And she turnt her back and walk off into her bedroom and shut the door.
Seems to me, other peoples in this world got as much trouble learning as I do.
Biddy march off to her room and shut her door. Left me there with my mouth hanging. Back in school with people watching or poking at her, Biddy would have thrown some kind of fit, or get her feelings hurt and run off crying. But after Lizabeth tell her she a princess, just one little time, Biddy be a whole ’nother person. It like she and Lizabeth be some kind of team together.
I stomp off to my room, but thinking ’bout Biddy’s straight princess back and how Lizabeth pet Biddy’s hand and be all gooey with her piss me plumb off. I slammed my door hard enough for Biddy to hear.
I thump down on my bed. My clock say it just six thirty. I ain’t got no new comic to read. We don’t got a TV. What I’m supposed to do? Knit like some ole lady? I don’t know how to knit, and who need a sweater in Texas?
Then it catch up to me. It ain’t just seein’ Biddy with boys. Everybody know she a ho because she done had that baby. Biddy got me all confused talking about not seein’ her with no boys and acting like a princess and . . . now I feel like snatching somebody’s head off
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