How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch : The First Novel in the Morrow Girls Series (9780985751616) by D. Bryant Simmons Page B
Authors: D. Bryant Simmons
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wondered how your day was is all.” The girls stared at us like they’d never seen us talk before. I guess it was pretty rare. “What’d you do?”
“What I always do. Train.”
“Why?”
“What you mean why? Because. If I don’t then how I’m gone win? What kinda question is why?”
“I just mean...” I felt real stupid but it had to be said. I couldn’t just sit there and say nothing. So I rushed the words out my mouth like I might chicken out at any second and take them all back. “I justmean itdon’t seem tomakeyou no happier.”
“What you talking about, Pecan?”
“Being happy. I’m talking about being happy. You don’t seem...happy.”
“I’m happy enough.” Was his reply.
I felt Aunt Clara take a deep breath, waiting for it. It was my opening. To let out my truth, tell him I wasn’t. That I wanted out. Two words. All I had to say was two words and the rest would just come tumbling out. Two words. Two words. But I couldn’t. I sat there, staring at my plate of cold food. But I wasn’t about to give up on it. I just needed more time.
Love Me
"H OW LONG YOU ’ LL BE having your woman’s time?” Ricky asked. His hands were wrapped around me like my body ain’t belong to just me. My nightgown was all bunched up between us and it was driving him crazy. “Huh, Pecan? How much longer?”
“Few days.” I couldn’t think of a better lie and just hoped that when my real time of the month came around he wouldn’t notice.
“Two days, huh? Well that’s it, okay? I can wait two days but then things gotta go back to normal. You messing with my training. Got me all distracted.”
Ricky rolled over to his side of the bed and all the air I was holding in rushed out. I just couldn’t be with him like that anymore. I ain’t want no parts of him nowhere near me. It was all for Heziah now. Every minute it seemed like I was trying to get to him or planning to get to him. I laid in bed just thinking about what I would say the next time he called, what I would wear the next time he saw me, and all the things I wanted to do with him. Nice things. Dirty things. Like Helen told me once that there was this spot on a man’s nether region that would make him go crazy. That if you pressed it just right he’d be yours forever. I wanted to find that spot on Heziah and see if she was right.
“Pecan. Pecan.” Ricky shook me until he was sure I was awake. “You making noises.”
“Sorry.”
Heziah was even in my dreams. Nasty naughty dreams. I woke up a few times a week all sweaty and outta breath. And it only got worse as time went on. I couldn’t wait for the morning to come because I knew he’d call and I’d feel his voice all over me. Clara ran errands in the morning and had folks to see. So, I’d sit down at the kitchen table and twirl the phone cord around and around my finger. By then the only one of my girls that was at home during the day was Natalie and she wouldn’t tell on me. She loved to run from one room to the other taking things and moving them to where they ain’t belong. She’d take a pan or a plate and put one in the washroom then the other near the door. And as long as she ain’t break nothing I was fine with it. It made her happy so I was happy.
Then one day the phone rang and it wasn’t Heziah, wasn’t even for me. They were calling from down south for Clara. Wasn’t until she got home and returned the call that I was sure it was bad news. Could tell just from the tone of her voice. When it was over she tried to scrub down the kitchen counter but her hands were shaking too bad. I took the rag from her and held her hand in mine.
“What is it? What happened?”
“My sister ain’t doing too good.” Clara said it with the toughness anyone would’ve had if they already lost three of their four sisters. “Doctors say she ain’t in her right mind. That she probably been like that for a while and ain’t nobody notice.”
“Oh, Clara...”
“And her
“What I always do. Train.”
“Why?”
“What you mean why? Because. If I don’t then how I’m gone win? What kinda question is why?”
“I just mean...” I felt real stupid but it had to be said. I couldn’t just sit there and say nothing. So I rushed the words out my mouth like I might chicken out at any second and take them all back. “I justmean itdon’t seem tomakeyou no happier.”
“What you talking about, Pecan?”
“Being happy. I’m talking about being happy. You don’t seem...happy.”
“I’m happy enough.” Was his reply.
I felt Aunt Clara take a deep breath, waiting for it. It was my opening. To let out my truth, tell him I wasn’t. That I wanted out. Two words. All I had to say was two words and the rest would just come tumbling out. Two words. Two words. But I couldn’t. I sat there, staring at my plate of cold food. But I wasn’t about to give up on it. I just needed more time.
Love Me
"H OW LONG YOU ’ LL BE having your woman’s time?” Ricky asked. His hands were wrapped around me like my body ain’t belong to just me. My nightgown was all bunched up between us and it was driving him crazy. “Huh, Pecan? How much longer?”
“Few days.” I couldn’t think of a better lie and just hoped that when my real time of the month came around he wouldn’t notice.
“Two days, huh? Well that’s it, okay? I can wait two days but then things gotta go back to normal. You messing with my training. Got me all distracted.”
Ricky rolled over to his side of the bed and all the air I was holding in rushed out. I just couldn’t be with him like that anymore. I ain’t want no parts of him nowhere near me. It was all for Heziah now. Every minute it seemed like I was trying to get to him or planning to get to him. I laid in bed just thinking about what I would say the next time he called, what I would wear the next time he saw me, and all the things I wanted to do with him. Nice things. Dirty things. Like Helen told me once that there was this spot on a man’s nether region that would make him go crazy. That if you pressed it just right he’d be yours forever. I wanted to find that spot on Heziah and see if she was right.
“Pecan. Pecan.” Ricky shook me until he was sure I was awake. “You making noises.”
“Sorry.”
Heziah was even in my dreams. Nasty naughty dreams. I woke up a few times a week all sweaty and outta breath. And it only got worse as time went on. I couldn’t wait for the morning to come because I knew he’d call and I’d feel his voice all over me. Clara ran errands in the morning and had folks to see. So, I’d sit down at the kitchen table and twirl the phone cord around and around my finger. By then the only one of my girls that was at home during the day was Natalie and she wouldn’t tell on me. She loved to run from one room to the other taking things and moving them to where they ain’t belong. She’d take a pan or a plate and put one in the washroom then the other near the door. And as long as she ain’t break nothing I was fine with it. It made her happy so I was happy.
Then one day the phone rang and it wasn’t Heziah, wasn’t even for me. They were calling from down south for Clara. Wasn’t until she got home and returned the call that I was sure it was bad news. Could tell just from the tone of her voice. When it was over she tried to scrub down the kitchen counter but her hands were shaking too bad. I took the rag from her and held her hand in mine.
“What is it? What happened?”
“My sister ain’t doing too good.” Clara said it with the toughness anyone would’ve had if they already lost three of their four sisters. “Doctors say she ain’t in her right mind. That she probably been like that for a while and ain’t nobody notice.”
“Oh, Clara...”
“And her
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