Leon had been missing from the fields quite a bit over the last few months. Mark said that this was the second time he’d received a whipping because of his absence at work. Last time he’d caught Leon returning to the field after missing for several hours. This time he was caught red handed in the barn “cooling off” as my brother put it. I suspected that he’d been in the barn with Anny and that she’d left prior to him being caught or that Leon had just arrived and Anny hadn’t yet arrived.
“So he was just sitting in the barn?” I asked.
“Yes” Mark replied. “I can’t tolerate a lazy nigger or they’ll all be sitting in the barn and no work will ever get done.”
When we arrived at the house I saw Sissy watching Mark and I as we made our way to the kitchen.
“Sissy, fix me a glass of lemonade” Mark said before making his way up the stairs.
I remained in the kitchen for a moment as I looked through the cupboard for an afternoon snack.
“Something I can get you miss?” Sissy asked.
“No, I’m just looking to see what’s here.” I said.
Sissy looked as though she wanted to say something else.
“Something on your mind?” I asked.
“No ma’am I’s juss…” Sissy stopped.
“Just?” I asked.
“It aint my concern miss” Sissy said.
“Sissy, I’ve known you all my life. I don’t understand why you’re afraid of me now.” I said.
“I aint fraid of you miss. I juss know my place and it aint to axe questions” Sissy replied.
“You want to know what was going on at the slave quarters?” I asked.
“ Yes’um I heard the whip” Sissy replied.
“Mark caught a nigger in the barn cooling off without permission instead of working in the field.” I said.
“You knows who is was?” Sissy asked.
“Leon was his name I think”
“Oh lord. They gonna sell him if he keep on with that girl” Sissy replied.
“What girl?” I asked.
“Oh miss, I done said too much.” Sissy said.
“Anny?” I asked.
Sissy got a shocked look on her face. “How you know bout Anny?”
“I’m a better listener than my brothers are” I replied.
“Yes’um you surely is” Sissy replied.
Sissy opened up a little more than she had before. I guess she saw that school hadn’t changed me as much as she’d thought it would. If anything I think the opposite was true. I was older and more aware of what was happening than when I’d left. She told me all about Leon and Anny. She said that not only had Leon been whipped once before because of her but Anny’s daddy had beaten him up pretty good the first time they got caught fornicating. Sissy said Anny’s daddy left some bruises on her too when he found out.
“If masa Mark don’t beat him to death, Anny daddy will. Either way that boy gone get it one day!” Sissy said.
She went on to tell me about her daddy dying. He’d been kicked in the chest by a horse that he was trying to shoe. She said it didn’t just break his ribs but his messed him up inside. She said he lay in the bed for almost three weeks before finally passing away. She said that her mother had told her that I might return from school and not want to be friends anymore. A proper lady was rarely friends with a house nigger after all. It wasn’t like that with Sissy and me. Living on a plantation so far away from anyone else left me wanting for social interaction. My mother died when I was four years old and although I played with my brothers, a girl needs other girls to play with. With sissy and I being the same age we were a perfect match.
After talking with Sissy for a long while I went out on the porch to sit in the swing and hopefully not be disturbed by the cracking of another whip. I took a book with me that I’d purchased just before returning home but hadn’t had the chance to read. I sat in the swing and then put my feet up in what father would have called and unladylike manner. I began reading my book. The next thing I remember was waking up to the sound of
“So he was just sitting in the barn?” I asked.
“Yes” Mark replied. “I can’t tolerate a lazy nigger or they’ll all be sitting in the barn and no work will ever get done.”
When we arrived at the house I saw Sissy watching Mark and I as we made our way to the kitchen.
“Sissy, fix me a glass of lemonade” Mark said before making his way up the stairs.
I remained in the kitchen for a moment as I looked through the cupboard for an afternoon snack.
“Something I can get you miss?” Sissy asked.
“No, I’m just looking to see what’s here.” I said.
Sissy looked as though she wanted to say something else.
“Something on your mind?” I asked.
“No ma’am I’s juss…” Sissy stopped.
“Just?” I asked.
“It aint my concern miss” Sissy said.
“Sissy, I’ve known you all my life. I don’t understand why you’re afraid of me now.” I said.
“I aint fraid of you miss. I juss know my place and it aint to axe questions” Sissy replied.
“You want to know what was going on at the slave quarters?” I asked.
“ Yes’um I heard the whip” Sissy replied.
“Mark caught a nigger in the barn cooling off without permission instead of working in the field.” I said.
“You knows who is was?” Sissy asked.
“Leon was his name I think”
“Oh lord. They gonna sell him if he keep on with that girl” Sissy replied.
“What girl?” I asked.
“Oh miss, I done said too much.” Sissy said.
“Anny?” I asked.
Sissy got a shocked look on her face. “How you know bout Anny?”
“I’m a better listener than my brothers are” I replied.
“Yes’um you surely is” Sissy replied.
Sissy opened up a little more than she had before. I guess she saw that school hadn’t changed me as much as she’d thought it would. If anything I think the opposite was true. I was older and more aware of what was happening than when I’d left. She told me all about Leon and Anny. She said that not only had Leon been whipped once before because of her but Anny’s daddy had beaten him up pretty good the first time they got caught fornicating. Sissy said Anny’s daddy left some bruises on her too when he found out.
“If masa Mark don’t beat him to death, Anny daddy will. Either way that boy gone get it one day!” Sissy said.
She went on to tell me about her daddy dying. He’d been kicked in the chest by a horse that he was trying to shoe. She said it didn’t just break his ribs but his messed him up inside. She said he lay in the bed for almost three weeks before finally passing away. She said that her mother had told her that I might return from school and not want to be friends anymore. A proper lady was rarely friends with a house nigger after all. It wasn’t like that with Sissy and me. Living on a plantation so far away from anyone else left me wanting for social interaction. My mother died when I was four years old and although I played with my brothers, a girl needs other girls to play with. With sissy and I being the same age we were a perfect match.
After talking with Sissy for a long while I went out on the porch to sit in the swing and hopefully not be disturbed by the cracking of another whip. I took a book with me that I’d purchased just before returning home but hadn’t had the chance to read. I sat in the swing and then put my feet up in what father would have called and unladylike manner. I began reading my book. The next thing I remember was waking up to the sound of
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