Color Purple, The - Alice Walker [55]
Just then a little knock come on the door.
Odessa and Jack look at each other. Come in, say Jack.
A skinny little white woman stick most of herself through the door.
Oh, you all are eating dinner, she say. Excuse me.
That's all right, say Odessa. Us just finishing up. But there's plenty left. Why don't you sit down and join us. Or I could fix you something to eat on the porch.
Oh lord, say Shug.
It Eleanor Jane, the white girl Sofia used to work for.
She look round till she spot Sofia, then she seem to let her breath out. No thank you, Odessa, she say. I ain't hungry. I just come to see Sofia.
Sofia, she say. Can I see you on the porch for a minute.
All right, Miss Eleanor, she say. Sofia push back from the table and they go out on the porch. A few minutes later us hear Miss Eleanor sniffling. Then she really boo-hoo.
What the matter with her? Mr. ___ ast.
Henrietta say, Prob-limbszzzz... like somebody on the radio.
Odessa shrug. She always underfoot, she say.
A lot of drinking in that family, say Jack. Plus, they can't keep that boy of theirs in college. He get drunk, aggravate his sister, chase women, hunt niggers, and that ain't all, That enough, say Shug. Poor Sofia.
Pretty soon Sofia come back in and sit down.
What the matter? ast Odessa.
A lot of mess back at the house, say Sofia.
You got to go back up there? Odessa ast.
Yeah, say Sofia. In a few minutes. But I'll try to be back before the children go to bed.
Henrietta ast to be excuse, say she got a stomach ache.
Squeak and Harpo's little girl come over, look up at Sofia, say, You gotta go Misofia?
Sofia say, Yeah, pull her up on her lap. Sofia on parole, she say. Got to act nice.
Suzie Q lay her head on Sofia chest. Poor Sofia, she say, just like she heard Shug. Poor Sofia.
Mary Agnes, darling, say Harpo, look how Suzie Q take to Sofia.
Yeah, say Squeak, children know good when they see it. She and Sofia smile at one nother.
Go on sing, say Sofia, I'll look after this one till you come back.
You will? say Squeak.
Yeah, say Sofia.
And look after Harpo, too, say Squeak. Please ma'am.
Amen
Well, you know wherever there's a man, there's trouble. And it seem like, going to Memphis, Grady was all over the car. No matter which way us change up, he want to sit next to Squeak.
While me and Shug sleeping and he driving, he tell Squeak all about life in North Memphis, Tennessee. I can't half sleep for him raving bout clubs and clothes and forty-nine brands of beer. Talking so much bout stuff to drink make me have to pee. Then us have to find a road going off into the bushes to relieve ourselves.
Mr.??? try to act like he don't care I'm going.
You'll be back, he say. Nothing up North for nobody like you. Shug got talent, he say. She can sing. She got spunk, he say. She can talk to anybody. Shug got looks, he say. She can stand up and be notice. But what you got? You ugly. You skinny. You shape funny. You too scared to open your mouth to people. All you fit to do in Memphis is be Shug's maid. Take out her slop-jar and maybe cook her food. You not that good a cook either. And this house ain't been dean good since my first wife died. And nobody crazy or backward enough to want to marry you, neither. What you gon do? Hire yourself out to farm?
He laugh. Maybe somebody let you work on they railroad.
Any more letters come? I ast.
He say, What?
You heard me, I say. Any more letters from Nettie come?
If they did, he say, I wouldn't give 'em to you. You two of a kind, he say. A man try to be nice to you, you fly in his face.
I curse you, I say.
What that mean? he say.
I say, Until you do right by me, everything you touch will crumble.
He laugh. Who you think you is? he say. You can't curse nobody. Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all.
Until you do right by me, I say, everything you even dream about will fail. I give it to him straight, just like it come to me.
And it seem to come to me from the trees.
Whoever heard of such a thing, say Mr.???. I probably didn't whup your