fire in the cook stove, then dug out the makings for corn biscuits. “The tall one must be the oldest, R.D., and the blond with the singed bangs had to be Joe Bill.”
Edwina found a waste barrel by a door leading out the back of the house to a fenced garden area and beyond that, a big, rambling barn. She emptied the dustpan, propped it with the broom in the corner, and went to help Pru, who was working the pump lever at the sink. “I’ll wash the dishes, if you find us something to eat. I’m famished.”
Soon the smell of onions and frying fatback filled the kitchen. Edwina scrubbed listlessly as she stared out the window above the sink at the wagon track stretching down the valley. That sense of isolation and alienation tugged at her again. Was this what her life was to be from now on? Endless chores, a lonely marriage to an unapproachable man, raising another woman’s children, and staring out of this small window, hoping to see a visitor come down that road?
“Pru,” she said in sudden panic. “Promise me you won’t leave.”
“I’ll have to someday.”
“Don’t be silly.” When her sister didn’t respond, Edwina turned and watched her spoon cornmeal batter into a muffin tin, then slip it into the oven. “You know you can stay here as long as you want, Pru.”
“And if I don’t want?” Without meeting Edwina’s eyes, Pru pulled several cans from an open shelf, then rummaged in a drawer for away to open them. “What if I want to do something on my own?”
Dread uncoiled in Edwina’s chest, rising to constrict the muscles in her throat. “Like what?”
Working at the cans with a knife, Pru managed to get them open enough to pour the contents—beans—into the skillet of onions and fatback. “Maybe I’ll teach. Start a school for freedmen and women.”
Edwina stared at her, dread building to heart-thudding panic. What would she do if Pru left her? How would she survive without the sister she had depended on for all of her life?
And how would Pru survive without her? To be a woman alone was risky enough. But to be a beautiful mulatto woman, who was neither white nor Negro, left Pru prey to both races. “But, Pru,” she argued weakly, her mind still unable to grasp what her sister had said. “Where would you go? How could you be on your own and be safe?”
“I’m not helpless. I can take care of myself.” She sent Edwina a chiding smile. “I’ve been watching over you all this time, haven’t I?”
Edwina started to point out that she watched over Pru, too, which was one of the reasons they were out here in the back of beyond in the first place. But Pru would only laugh. Her sister didn’t see the danger posed by the drunken gangs in Crappo Town or the white night riders. Pru thought if she didn’t cause a ruckus and kept her head down, trouble would pass her by.
But Edwina knew different. She had heard the talk and seen the resentment in the eyes that followed Pru. And the hunger. Pru was a beautiful woman of mixed blood—an unforgivable thing to some. She was also better educated than most white men and carried herself with a quiet dignity that roused spite and envy—in whites and blacks.
That girl doesn’t know her place. She’s uppity. She needs to be taught a lesson, and if Edwina doesn’t do it, someone else will.
It was sickening. Edwina’s instinct was to lash back, show them such evil talk didn’t matter, brazen it out. But she didn’t dare. She wasn’t about to risk her sister’s life, or her own, just to stay in a place that held no meaning for them anymore. There had to be a better way, a better life waiting for them somewhere.
Was this it? Here on this lonely ranch with this unruly family and awkward man? Edwina didn’t know. But for now, at least, she and Pru were safe. It was a start. But if Pru left her, it would all be for nothing.
“I worry about you, Pru. And about me. What if I made a terrible mistake?”
After stirring molasses, a can of
Edwina found a waste barrel by a door leading out the back of the house to a fenced garden area and beyond that, a big, rambling barn. She emptied the dustpan, propped it with the broom in the corner, and went to help Pru, who was working the pump lever at the sink. “I’ll wash the dishes, if you find us something to eat. I’m famished.”
Soon the smell of onions and frying fatback filled the kitchen. Edwina scrubbed listlessly as she stared out the window above the sink at the wagon track stretching down the valley. That sense of isolation and alienation tugged at her again. Was this what her life was to be from now on? Endless chores, a lonely marriage to an unapproachable man, raising another woman’s children, and staring out of this small window, hoping to see a visitor come down that road?
“Pru,” she said in sudden panic. “Promise me you won’t leave.”
“I’ll have to someday.”
“Don’t be silly.” When her sister didn’t respond, Edwina turned and watched her spoon cornmeal batter into a muffin tin, then slip it into the oven. “You know you can stay here as long as you want, Pru.”
“And if I don’t want?” Without meeting Edwina’s eyes, Pru pulled several cans from an open shelf, then rummaged in a drawer for away to open them. “What if I want to do something on my own?”
Dread uncoiled in Edwina’s chest, rising to constrict the muscles in her throat. “Like what?”
Working at the cans with a knife, Pru managed to get them open enough to pour the contents—beans—into the skillet of onions and fatback. “Maybe I’ll teach. Start a school for freedmen and women.”
Edwina stared at her, dread building to heart-thudding panic. What would she do if Pru left her? How would she survive without the sister she had depended on for all of her life?
And how would Pru survive without her? To be a woman alone was risky enough. But to be a beautiful mulatto woman, who was neither white nor Negro, left Pru prey to both races. “But, Pru,” she argued weakly, her mind still unable to grasp what her sister had said. “Where would you go? How could you be on your own and be safe?”
“I’m not helpless. I can take care of myself.” She sent Edwina a chiding smile. “I’ve been watching over you all this time, haven’t I?”
Edwina started to point out that she watched over Pru, too, which was one of the reasons they were out here in the back of beyond in the first place. But Pru would only laugh. Her sister didn’t see the danger posed by the drunken gangs in Crappo Town or the white night riders. Pru thought if she didn’t cause a ruckus and kept her head down, trouble would pass her by.
But Edwina knew different. She had heard the talk and seen the resentment in the eyes that followed Pru. And the hunger. Pru was a beautiful woman of mixed blood—an unforgivable thing to some. She was also better educated than most white men and carried herself with a quiet dignity that roused spite and envy—in whites and blacks.
That girl doesn’t know her place. She’s uppity. She needs to be taught a lesson, and if Edwina doesn’t do it, someone else will.
It was sickening. Edwina’s instinct was to lash back, show them such evil talk didn’t matter, brazen it out. But she didn’t dare. She wasn’t about to risk her sister’s life, or her own, just to stay in a place that held no meaning for them anymore. There had to be a better way, a better life waiting for them somewhere.
Was this it? Here on this lonely ranch with this unruly family and awkward man? Edwina didn’t know. But for now, at least, she and Pru were safe. It was a start. But if Pru left her, it would all be for nothing.
“I worry about you, Pru. And about me. What if I made a terrible mistake?”
After stirring molasses, a can of
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