“Gigi, girl, its bad enough if my folks ever catch us in those woods they will kill me for sure. Now imagine if they catch us in the woods with boys then I will never ever be able to leave the h...
ouse again.”
Candy teases me, but I don’t like her teasing.
“Well, they don’t let you leave the house now, so that won’t be so much different.”
Old nasty Candy puts in her two cents then picks up the short cigarette butt that Gigi thumbs away. She takes a drag then starts to complain.
“Gigi, you never bring cigarettes no more!”
Patty looks back over her shoulder and nervously gives an update on the charging wagon.
“Y’all that white man on that wagon don’t look like he gonna be too happy with us all up in his way! He just may run us all down!”
Patty talks in southern drawl and is always as nervous as a cow in the slaughterhouse. But, she is right. I watch the mule as he gets slaps from the reigns. The owner and the mule show no sign of slowing down. Gigi is steadfast and boldly stands right smack in the middle of the pathway again.
The driver pulls back on the reigns and screams at the mule.
“Whoa! Mule! Whoa!”
Gigi stares at the white driver with her eyebrows raised, hands on her hips and a naughty look on her face. I look from her to the driver and from the driver to her. I should have known they know each other. This white guy looks to be in his early to middle twenties. His hair is black and curly. He is tall and quite muscular. I never rightly look at white people as attractive, but I have to admit, he is a looker. It turns out Gigi does indeed know the guy. He looks at Gigi with confidence. It is like a look of certainty in knowing this girl for some time.
“Why it’s you Devil Lye. So why are you all up in my way, girl? I saw a bunch of beautiful spades in the middle of the road, but I had no idea you was in the deck. I had no mind to slow, just knowing y’all blacks had some sense enough of moving out my way. But Gigi, girl, you make my mule drool. Hell, you make me drool!”
I notice his deep southern accent. A nasty wad of chewing tobacco shows as he speaks. He spits out a slew of black tobacco juice, it seems, without parting his lips. It barely misses my foot. I check for spills. He never stops staring at Gigi.
Gigi courageously walks toward the wagon to climb on. White dude grabs her arm and assists her up. She stands beside him. She puts out her hand and he kisses it. I look for a puddle of tobacco juice on her hand, but there is none. So, I guess he doesn’t leave his tobacco juices around or pass liquid tar out too freely.
Dumb Gigi says some dumb stuff to him.
“Italian Stallion, it is my pleasure to stop you and your mule from running us down. You know how special you are to me,” Gigi says talking but not in her usual her northern accent.
She moved to Georgia from New York, so she talks northern. But, at this moment and to impress her white friend, she’s talking like one of them white girls from the plantation. She is using the type of drawl as was in the movie Gone with the Wind. Italian Stallion’s face turns as red as an apple, so he is smitten with her flattery.
“Gal, get on over here, sit close to me and ride on to that there school of yours.”
Gigi looks over at us and asks him a question.
“Can you take my girls here and drop them off at the school, too?”
“I can do, Devil Lye. I will do just about anything you ask of me gal. Tell them gals to hop on in here. You sit right here side me.”
That old fast Gigi sits right close to him.
Infuriation is how I feel of her actions, but a ride to school is nice. There is another mile to walk and I am still sleepy.
After we hesitate, Gigi looks at us and asks in smart tongue.
“Well, are y’all riding or what?”
The crew climbs aboard. I hesitantly move to join them. But because of my hesitancy, he slaps the reins on the mule’s back and the wagon moves away. I run and try to jump on. My crew helps me up. As we ride by, I stick out my tongue at my oldest siblings.
I happily tease them.
“Na! Na! Na! Na! Na!” Then, I call for my youngest – Timmy and Nattie to run and climb on.
“Timmy! Nattie! Run on up here and climb on!”
They run to catch up and the girls and I pull the kids inside the back of the wagon. I can see my older siblings aren’t too pleased with the situation. I wonder if they will tell our parents because they tried to keep the kids away from the ride. I know they fear them being on the wagon with a white man, but I trust Gigi and so should they. So, they are looking angrily at me as we speed away.
We pull up to our barn of a school, a structure of old gray boards nailed loosely together. The old school barn stands alone in the middle of an open field. We call it Community Education. Believe me, Community is the best name because all ages attend from four years old to eighteen years and older. I could see sunlight through the cracks of the building shining in from one side and out from the other. This is one reason school is only attended in spring, summer and fall months. We will actually freeze if school is held in the winter.
Mr. Stallion pulls to a stop and we all jump from the wagon. The kids rush to the playground. The slimy white guy grips and pulls back the reigns to control the restless mule. To my surprise, his eyes take a hold on me. I am uncomfortable under his stare, and I think Gigi’s noticing his admiration for me. Her look of annoyance and jealousy is burning my skin. She rolls her eyes and snuggles closer to him which is her hint. Her eyes say that I should ignore his attraction to me and stay away from her man. She doesn’t have to roll her eyes twice because I quickly move on.
It’s early and not many students are on the yard. The few students who are present are thinking that it’s strange that Gigi’s snuggling up with a white man in public. The school kids may also think it strange that my crew and I got a ride to school on the back of a white man's wagon.
Student population increases on the yard and the couple manages to linger around for even more attention. The crowds stare at them in amazement and confusion, but they wouldn’t dare take on Gigi about what she does. Yet, the stares do not stop them from snuggling up in the least. Now we wonder if Gigi and Stallion are playing with a full deck of cards. They both may have a slight mental condition. If they were at a white school, the KKK would swarm and lynch the both of them by nightfall or possibly during their careless actions. That is just how fast those white folks would be calling up their KKK buddies, and that would be immediately. This is just too much tension for me, so I call the girls and we inch over to the playground.
I look back to see Gigi whispering something in the Stallion’s ear. While she’s whispering, her eyes land on me. Surprisingly, she jumps from the wagon changing her mind to play hooky from school. I’m thinking she will address the issue of Stallion's attentive and long stare toward me in one way or another. Even so, none of it is my fault. I mean, I can’t help it if I’m so gorgeous. I don’t like the man’s attentive stare in the least, but I guess he knows beauty when he sees it. To me, he’s not worth us girls losing our friendship. So, Gigi will just have to accept it or put him in his place. I would love to put him in his place, but I know when to stay in mine. As long as he does not touch me, I am totally nonviolent.
When I get the girls together, we can feel the tension. We all know the results of a white mingling with a black. We don’t want the likes of the KKK coming around our school. I wonder how Gigi and Stallion keep them off when they are together at other times.
Anyway, I could feel the sting of my parents’ switch now. When they find out I was on the back of that wagon, I’ll really get it good. But, I will not have to worry about that until later because here comes Gigi and she don’t look too friendly.
She stares at me while she’s talking to the crew.
“Well, well, well, my girls were fortunate to get a ride this morning,” Gigi says and follows her comment with a stern look toward me.
See MoreCandy teases me, but I don’t like her teasing.
“Well, they don’t let you leave the house now, so that won’t be so much different.”
Old nasty Candy puts in her two cents then picks up the short cigarette butt that Gigi thumbs away. She takes a drag then starts to complain.
“Gigi, you never bring cigarettes no more!”
Patty looks back over her shoulder and nervously gives an update on the charging wagon.
“Y’all that white man on that wagon don’t look like he gonna be too happy with us all up in his way! He just may run us all down!”
Patty talks in southern drawl and is always as nervous as a cow in the slaughterhouse. But, she is right. I watch the mule as he gets slaps from the reigns. The owner and the mule show no sign of slowing down. Gigi is steadfast and boldly stands right smack in the middle of the pathway again.
The driver pulls back on the reigns and screams at the mule.
“Whoa! Mule! Whoa!”
Gigi stares at the white driver with her eyebrows raised, hands on her hips and a naughty look on her face. I look from her to the driver and from the driver to her. I should have known they know each other. This white guy looks to be in his early to middle twenties. His hair is black and curly. He is tall and quite muscular. I never rightly look at white people as attractive, but I have to admit, he is a looker. It turns out Gigi does indeed know the guy. He looks at Gigi with confidence. It is like a look of certainty in knowing this girl for some time.
“Why it’s you Devil Lye. So why are you all up in my way, girl? I saw a bunch of beautiful spades in the middle of the road, but I had no idea you was in the deck. I had no mind to slow, just knowing y’all blacks had some sense enough of moving out my way. But Gigi, girl, you make my mule drool. Hell, you make me drool!”
I notice his deep southern accent. A nasty wad of chewing tobacco shows as he speaks. He spits out a slew of black tobacco juice, it seems, without parting his lips. It barely misses my foot. I check for spills. He never stops staring at Gigi.
Gigi courageously walks toward the wagon to climb on. White dude grabs her arm and assists her up. She stands beside him. She puts out her hand and he kisses it. I look for a puddle of tobacco juice on her hand, but there is none. So, I guess he doesn’t leave his tobacco juices around or pass liquid tar out too freely.
Dumb Gigi says some dumb stuff to him.
“Italian Stallion, it is my pleasure to stop you and your mule from running us down. You know how special you are to me,” Gigi says talking but not in her usual her northern accent.
She moved to Georgia from New York, so she talks northern. But, at this moment and to impress her white friend, she’s talking like one of them white girls from the plantation. She is using the type of drawl as was in the movie Gone with the Wind. Italian Stallion’s face turns as red as an apple, so he is smitten with her flattery.
“Gal, get on over here, sit close to me and ride on to that there school of yours.”
Gigi looks over at us and asks him a question.
“Can you take my girls here and drop them off at the school, too?”
“I can do, Devil Lye. I will do just about anything you ask of me gal. Tell them gals to hop on in here. You sit right here side me.”
That old fast Gigi sits right close to him.
Infuriation is how I feel of her actions, but a ride to school is nice. There is another mile to walk and I am still sleepy.
After we hesitate, Gigi looks at us and asks in smart tongue.
“Well, are y’all riding or what?”
The crew climbs aboard. I hesitantly move to join them. But because of my hesitancy, he slaps the reins on the mule’s back and the wagon moves away. I run and try to jump on. My crew helps me up. As we ride by, I stick out my tongue at my oldest siblings.
I happily tease them.
“Na! Na! Na! Na! Na!” Then, I call for my youngest – Timmy and Nattie to run and climb on.
“Timmy! Nattie! Run on up here and climb on!”
They run to catch up and the girls and I pull the kids inside the back of the wagon. I can see my older siblings aren’t too pleased with the situation. I wonder if they will tell our parents because they tried to keep the kids away from the ride. I know they fear them being on the wagon with a white man, but I trust Gigi and so should they. So, they are looking angrily at me as we speed away.
We pull up to our barn of a school, a structure of old gray boards nailed loosely together. The old school barn stands alone in the middle of an open field. We call it Community Education. Believe me, Community is the best name because all ages attend from four years old to eighteen years and older. I could see sunlight through the cracks of the building shining in from one side and out from the other. This is one reason school is only attended in spring, summer and fall months. We will actually freeze if school is held in the winter.
Mr. Stallion pulls to a stop and we all jump from the wagon. The kids rush to the playground. The slimy white guy grips and pulls back the reigns to control the restless mule. To my surprise, his eyes take a hold on me. I am uncomfortable under his stare, and I think Gigi’s noticing his admiration for me. Her look of annoyance and jealousy is burning my skin. She rolls her eyes and snuggles closer to him which is her hint. Her eyes say that I should ignore his attraction to me and stay away from her man. She doesn’t have to roll her eyes twice because I quickly move on.
It’s early and not many students are on the yard. The few students who are present are thinking that it’s strange that Gigi’s snuggling up with a white man in public. The school kids may also think it strange that my crew and I got a ride to school on the back of a white man's wagon.
Student population increases on the yard and the couple manages to linger around for even more attention. The crowds stare at them in amazement and confusion, but they wouldn’t dare take on Gigi about what she does. Yet, the stares do not stop them from snuggling up in the least. Now we wonder if Gigi and Stallion are playing with a full deck of cards. They both may have a slight mental condition. If they were at a white school, the KKK would swarm and lynch the both of them by nightfall or possibly during their careless actions. That is just how fast those white folks would be calling up their KKK buddies, and that would be immediately. This is just too much tension for me, so I call the girls and we inch over to the playground.
I look back to see Gigi whispering something in the Stallion’s ear. While she’s whispering, her eyes land on me. Surprisingly, she jumps from the wagon changing her mind to play hooky from school. I’m thinking she will address the issue of Stallion's attentive and long stare toward me in one way or another. Even so, none of it is my fault. I mean, I can’t help it if I’m so gorgeous. I don’t like the man’s attentive stare in the least, but I guess he knows beauty when he sees it. To me, he’s not worth us girls losing our friendship. So, Gigi will just have to accept it or put him in his place. I would love to put him in his place, but I know when to stay in mine. As long as he does not touch me, I am totally nonviolent.
When I get the girls together, we can feel the tension. We all know the results of a white mingling with a black. We don’t want the likes of the KKK coming around our school. I wonder how Gigi and Stallion keep them off when they are together at other times.
Anyway, I could feel the sting of my parents’ switch now. When they find out I was on the back of that wagon, I’ll really get it good. But, I will not have to worry about that until later because here comes Gigi and she don’t look too friendly.
She stares at me while she’s talking to the crew.
“Well, well, well, my girls were fortunate to get a ride this morning,” Gigi says and follows her comment with a stern look toward me.
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