look.”
We still didn’t say nothing. All that nothing was makin’ a big noise. And all the good dinner smell turn sour.
“I don’t understand,” Lizabeth say.
Biddy look at Lizabeth and nod her head.
I been trying to hold back my bad mouth, but when I saw that beat-up look on Biddy’s face, I couldn’t help myself.
“Lizabeth, I don’t got the right words, but this is like telling us we’re stupid.”
Biddy had her face all twisted up like she was puzzling something out, but when I said that, she seem like she understood what was wrong now.
But Lizabeth didn’t.
“What? I gave you a present.”
Biddy’s voice sound like she was talking through a stack of pillows. “No, Miss Lizzy. This ain’t no present.”
Lizabeth got mad. “I know your teacher gave you a dress for graduation. You weren’t so particular then.”
Biddy looked like she been hit in her stomach.
My mad boil right over.
“Don’t you talk to Biddy like that. You want to be mean about Biddy not havin’ a graduation dress — you go be mean to her granny. And Biddy’s teacher let her pick out her graduation dress. She didn’t say, ‘Here, dress up like I think you should.’ ”
Biddy wiped tears off her face. She used her fists and knuckles like a little child. That hurt me inside my heart some kind of way.
Lizabeth folded the paper back over one of the dresses. She looked a little shamed but she still had some mad in her.
“I don’t see that —”
“Biddy and me earn money now. We bought our own clothes. But you think we’re too stupid to dress proper for your friend. You didn’t give us these dresses for us. You bought them for you. To make sure when you trot us out we don’t embarrass you. Like we was your pet dogs.”
“Quincy! I’ve told you before that you must keep a civil tongue —”
“Lizabeth, Biddy and me ain’t your pets. We ain’t your good deed. You done been mean to Biddy and me and I’m telling you about it. Now you been told.”
Lizabeth turnt to Biddy. “Biddy, surely you don’t . . .”
“Quincy’s right. This ain’t a present.”
“Fine, if you feel that way, I’ll send the dresses back.” Lizabeth pull herself up and into her walker. “Please be in your ‘good dresses’ tomorrow evening to meet my guest.”
“You still don’t get it, do you, Lizabeth?” I say.
“What now? If you don’t want the dresses, fine. I told you that.”
“You don’t get to tell us. If we don’t want the dresses, we don’t need you to tell us it’s OK. And we get paid to cook and clean. You cain’t tell your retarded girls to parade out and show what a good woman you are.”
Lizabeth gasped and Biddy dropped the glass she was holding.
That pretty glass broke all into pieces.
I looked from the glass pieces on the floor. I saw tears in Miss Lizzy’s eyes. It give me a start to know I was crying too. Then I looked over at Quincy. Tears was running down her face.
“I thought you two liked me,” Miss Lizzy said real quiet.
“We thought you liked us,” I said.
Miss Lizzy pushed out the kitchen. Quincy run past me out the back door. I picked up the sharp glass.
The next morning, Quincy fixed breakfast like always. Everybody sat on the edge of they chairs with straight backs. But we wasn’t sitting like princesses.
Miss Lizzy ate her fruit. She sipped her tea. Then, without looking at me, she asked would I please meet her friend tonight.
“Yes, ma’am. You made all the plans.”
“Quincy, would you mind serving the tea and dessert? It’s important that Biddy talk to my visitor, and I can’t handle the cups and plates.”
Quincy nodded her head about half a nod.
“I’ll pay you extra, of course, for your time.”
I ’spected Quincy to blow up like a big bomb, but instead she got that hurt-to-the-bone look.
“Lordy, and folks think me and Biddy the ones that be ‘challenged.’ ” She put her fork down on the edge of her plate. She stood up. “I’ll be here.
We still didn’t say nothing. All that nothing was makin’ a big noise. And all the good dinner smell turn sour.
“I don’t understand,” Lizabeth say.
Biddy look at Lizabeth and nod her head.
I been trying to hold back my bad mouth, but when I saw that beat-up look on Biddy’s face, I couldn’t help myself.
“Lizabeth, I don’t got the right words, but this is like telling us we’re stupid.”
Biddy had her face all twisted up like she was puzzling something out, but when I said that, she seem like she understood what was wrong now.
But Lizabeth didn’t.
“What? I gave you a present.”
Biddy’s voice sound like she was talking through a stack of pillows. “No, Miss Lizzy. This ain’t no present.”
Lizabeth got mad. “I know your teacher gave you a dress for graduation. You weren’t so particular then.”
Biddy looked like she been hit in her stomach.
My mad boil right over.
“Don’t you talk to Biddy like that. You want to be mean about Biddy not havin’ a graduation dress — you go be mean to her granny. And Biddy’s teacher let her pick out her graduation dress. She didn’t say, ‘Here, dress up like I think you should.’ ”
Biddy wiped tears off her face. She used her fists and knuckles like a little child. That hurt me inside my heart some kind of way.
Lizabeth folded the paper back over one of the dresses. She looked a little shamed but she still had some mad in her.
“I don’t see that —”
“Biddy and me earn money now. We bought our own clothes. But you think we’re too stupid to dress proper for your friend. You didn’t give us these dresses for us. You bought them for you. To make sure when you trot us out we don’t embarrass you. Like we was your pet dogs.”
“Quincy! I’ve told you before that you must keep a civil tongue —”
“Lizabeth, Biddy and me ain’t your pets. We ain’t your good deed. You done been mean to Biddy and me and I’m telling you about it. Now you been told.”
Lizabeth turnt to Biddy. “Biddy, surely you don’t . . .”
“Quincy’s right. This ain’t a present.”
“Fine, if you feel that way, I’ll send the dresses back.” Lizabeth pull herself up and into her walker. “Please be in your ‘good dresses’ tomorrow evening to meet my guest.”
“You still don’t get it, do you, Lizabeth?” I say.
“What now? If you don’t want the dresses, fine. I told you that.”
“You don’t get to tell us. If we don’t want the dresses, we don’t need you to tell us it’s OK. And we get paid to cook and clean. You cain’t tell your retarded girls to parade out and show what a good woman you are.”
Lizabeth gasped and Biddy dropped the glass she was holding.
That pretty glass broke all into pieces.
I looked from the glass pieces on the floor. I saw tears in Miss Lizzy’s eyes. It give me a start to know I was crying too. Then I looked over at Quincy. Tears was running down her face.
“I thought you two liked me,” Miss Lizzy said real quiet.
“We thought you liked us,” I said.
Miss Lizzy pushed out the kitchen. Quincy run past me out the back door. I picked up the sharp glass.
The next morning, Quincy fixed breakfast like always. Everybody sat on the edge of they chairs with straight backs. But we wasn’t sitting like princesses.
Miss Lizzy ate her fruit. She sipped her tea. Then, without looking at me, she asked would I please meet her friend tonight.
“Yes, ma’am. You made all the plans.”
“Quincy, would you mind serving the tea and dessert? It’s important that Biddy talk to my visitor, and I can’t handle the cups and plates.”
Quincy nodded her head about half a nod.
“I’ll pay you extra, of course, for your time.”
I ’spected Quincy to blow up like a big bomb, but instead she got that hurt-to-the-bone look.
“Lordy, and folks think me and Biddy the ones that be ‘challenged.’ ” She put her fork down on the edge of her plate. She stood up. “I’ll be here.
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