Color Purple, The - Alice Walker [18]
At last I git to see Shug Avery work. I git to watch her. I git to hear her.
Mr. ___ didn't want me to come. Wives don't go to places like that, he say.
Yeah, but Celie going, say Shug, while I press her hair. Spose I git sick while I'm singing, she say. Spose my dress come undone?
She wearing a skintight red dress look like the straps made out of two pieces of thread.
Mr.??? mutter, putting on his clothes. My wife can't do this. My wife can't do that. No wife of mines... He go on and on.
Shug Avery finally say, Good thing I ain't your damn wife.
He hush then. All three of us go down to Harpo's. Mr.??? and me sit at the same table. Mr. _?? drink whiskey. I have a cold drink.
First Shug sing a song by somebody name Bessie Smith. She say Bessie somebody she know. Old friend. It call A Good Man Is Hard to Find. She look over at Mr.??? a little when she sing that. I look over at him too. For such a little man, he all puff up.
Look like all he can do to stay in his chair. I look at Shug and I feel my heart begin to cramp. It hurt me so, I cover it with my hand. I think I might as well be under the table, for all they care. I hate the way I look, I hate the way I'm dress. Nothing but churchgoing clothes in my chifferobe. And Mr.??? looking at Shug's bright black skin in her tight red dress, her feet in little sassy red shoes. Her hair shining in waves.
Before I know it, tears meet under my chin.
And I'm confuse.
He love looking at Shug. I love looking at Shug.
But Shug don't love looking at but one of us. Him.
But that the way it spose to be. I know that. But if that so, why my heart hurt me so?
My head droop so it near bout in my glass.
Then I hear my name.
Shug saying Celie. Miss Celie. And I look up where she at.
She say my name again. She say this song I'm bout to sing is call Miss Celie's song. Cause she scratched it out of my head when I was sick.
First she hum it a little, like she do at home. Then she sing the words.
It all about some no count man doing her wrong, again. But I don't listen to that part. I look at her and I hum along a little with the tune.
First time somebody made something and name it after me.
Pretty soon it be time for Shug to go. She sing every week-end now at Harpo's. He make right smart money off of her, and she make some too. Plus she gitting strong again and stout. First night or two her songs come out good but a little weak, now she belt them out. Folks out in the yard hear her with no trouble. She and Swain sound real good together. She sing, he pick his box. It nice at Harpo's. Little tables all round the room with candles on them that I made, lot of little tables outside too, by the creek.
Sometime I look down the path from our house and it look like a swarm of lightening bugs all in and through Sofia house. In the evening Shug can't wait to go down there.
One day she say to me, Well, Miss Cetie, I believe it time for me to go.
When? I ast.
Early next month, she say. June. June a good time to go off into the world.
I don't say nothing. Feel like I felt when Nettie left.
She come over and put her hand on my shoulder.
He beat me when you not here,. I say .78 Who do, she say, Albert?
Mr.???, I say.
I can't believe it, she say. She sit down on the bench next to me real hard, like she drop.
What he beat you for? she ast.
For being me and not you.
Oh, Miss Celie, she say, and put her arms around me.
Us sit like that for maybe half a hour. Then she kiss me on the fleshy part of my shoulder and stand. up.
I won't leave, she say, until I know Albert won't even think about beating you.
Now we all know she going sometime soon, they sleep together at night. Not every night, but almost every night, from Friday to Monday.
He go down to Harpo's to watch her sing. And just to look at her. Then way late they come home. They giggle and they talk and they rassle until morning. Then they go to bed until it time for her to get ready to go back to work.
First time it happen, it was a accident. Feeling just carried them away.