Color Purple, The - Alice Walker [5]
She go with me in the store. I think what color Shug 21 Avery would wear. She like a queen to me so I say to Kate, Somethin purple, maybe little red in it too. But us look an look and no purple. Plenty red but she say, Naw, he won't want to pay for red. Too happy lookin. We got choice of brown, maroon or navy blue. I say blue.
I can't remember being the first one in my own dress. Now to have one made just for me. I try to tell Kate what it mean. I git hot in the face and stutter.
She say. It's all right, Celie. You deserve more than this.
Maybe so. I think.
Harpo, she say. Harpo the oldest boy. Harpo, don't let Celie be the one bring in all the water. You a big boy now. Time for you to help out some.
Women work, he say.
What? she say.
Women work. I'm a man.
You're a trifling nigger, she say. You git that bucket and bring it back full.
He cut his eye at me. Stumble out. I hear him mutter somethin to Mr.??? sitting on the porch. Mr.??? call his sister. She stay out on the porch talking a little while, then she come back in, shaking.
Got to go, Celie, she say.
She so mad tears be flying every which way while she pack.
You got to fight them, Celie, she say. I can't do it for you. You got to fight them for yourself.
I don't say nothing. I think bout Nettie, dead. She fight, she run away. What good it do? I don't fight, I stay where I'm told.
But I'm alive.
Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr. ___ say, Cause she my wife. Plus, she stubborn. All women good for? he don't finish. He just tuck his chin over the paper like he do. Remind me of Pa.
Harpo ast me, How come you stubborn? He don't ast How come you his wife? Nobody ast that.
I say, Just bom that way, I reckon.
He beat me like he beat the children. Cept he don't never hardly beat them. He say, Celie, git the belt. The children be outside the room peeking through the cracks. It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That's how come I know trees fear man.
Harpo say, I love Somebody.
I say, Huh?
He say, A Girl.
I say, You do?
He say, Yeah. Us plan to marry.
Marry, I say. You not old enough to marry.
I is, he say. I'm seventeen. She fifteen. Old enough.
What her mama say, I ast.
Ain't talk to her mama.
What her daddy say?
Ain't talk to him neither.
Well, what shesay?
Us ain't never spoke. He duck his head. He ain't so bad looking. Tall and skinny, black like his mama, with great big bug eyes.
Where yall see each other? I ast. I see her in church, he say. She see me outdoors.
She like you?
I don't know. I wink at her. She act like she scared to look.
Where her daddy at while all this going on?
Amen corner, he say.
Shug Avery is coming to town! She coming with her orkestra. She going to sing in the Lucky Star out on Coalman road. Mr.??? going to hear her. He dress all up in front the glass, look at himself, then undress and dress all over again. He slick back his hair with pomade, then wash it out again. He been spitting on his shoes and hitting it with a quick rag.
He tell me, Wash this. Iron that. Look for this. Look for that. Find this. Find that. He groan over holes in his sock.
I move round darning and ironing, finding hanskers. Anything happening? I ast.
What you mean? he say, like he mad. Just trying to git some of the hick farmer off myself. Any other woman be glad.
I'm is glad, I say.
What you mean? he ast.
You looks nice, I say. Any woman be proud.
You think so? he say.
First time he ast me. I'm so surprise, by time I say 25 Yeah, he out on the porch, trying to shave where the light better.
I walk round all day with the announcement burning a hole in my pocket. It pink. The trees tween the turn off to our road and the store is lit up with them. He got bout five dozen in his trunk.
Shug Avery standing upside a piano, elbow crook, hand on her hip. She wearing a hat like Indian Chiefs. Her mouth open showing all her teef and don't nothing seem to be troubling her mind. Come one, come all, it say. The Queen Honeybee is back