Addy's Story

I was combing Reesa’s hairwhen Jacoby burst into our room. I remember how I used to sit on mama’s lap getting my hair brushedwhen I was little. People say I look like mama. My sister’s and I all have the same hair as mama. It’s dark black, short, and dry. Mama always tells me, we ain’t so lucky with our hair but we got pretty faces. I’m only 12 years old but everyone says I look so grown up. Mostly, mama says it. She also tells Jacoby he looks so handsome but I’m the only one that see’s him after he walks home from work everyday.1

When Jacoby came into our room he looked beat up, as usual.2

“What’d you do this time?” I asked, not at all surprised by Jacoby’s appearance. These white boys have been beatin’ him up for some time now. 3

Jacoby threw his hands up in the air,“I ain’t done nothin’ you know that Addy! They just no I won’t touch em’”4

He was right, anyone would rather get a beatin’ then give one to a white boy. Jacoby would have been dead before he even got home. Here in Sundry, South Carolina there’s a lot of beatings going on. The white men aren’t so happy with us african americans living here. They act like we’re still slaves and I’m starting to believe it. Mama got a job doing the same work she did when she was owned. She still works for a white family, taking care of their house and what not. It’s not even a pretty town. I don’t know why all these rich white people want to live here. It’s all dirt, except for Mr.Tally’s house (that’s who mama works for), he has some fruit trees and he even planted some grass. 5

_____________6

It was early morning the next day when my dad came out of his bedroom. All the kids were outside playing except for me and my brother. I was at the fire cooking in a small, cast iron pot. Since I’m the oldest girl I always have to cook the family meals. My brother, Jacoby, who is fifteen year old,was sitting on the floor next to me.7

“What’s for breakfast Addy?” Daddy asked.8

“Grits and gravy, as usual” I said without looking up and continued stirring the pot.9

Daddy stopped, “Did your mother leave?” 10

“Yes, an hour ago. It’s done where do you want it?” I put the grits on a plate and waited for an answer.11

“Just give it here,” I gave dad the plate but he didn’t move, “What’re you waiting for J? C’mon we’re leaving early today”. 12

“What about my food?” Jacoby looked over to me, which was my queue to start fixing him a plate. 13

“Your sister’s got you some already see, we’ll eat it on the way,” Dad walked outside 14

Jacoby ripped the plate from my hand and ran to catch up with daddy. A few hours later the kids were working on their chores. Cleaning the house, sweeping the porch, and keeping the fire going were daily tasks they were all used to doing by now. I don’t clean as much as I cook, and baby-sit. I’m in constant charge of the youngest children; Reesa is only two years old and just starting to learn basic chores so she doesn’t do much. Ray, who is five, likes to watch me cook. The only reason I let him this time is because he finished his chores. That leaves Laurel and Ina. Ina is nine; she’s in charge of sweeping the house and porch. Laurel, seven, picks up our bedroom and the living room. All of this happens after school, of course.15

Jacoby works with dad on the farm so he doesn’t go to school anymore but the rest of us do. We only go for a little bit, until lunch at least. We never went to school before when we lived in Florida. Colored people weren’t allowed but when we moved my mama made sure to get land real close to a school. She said we needed an education ‘cause then we might grow up to be rich like the people she works for. I doubt it though; she just says that I think so the little ones are happy to go. I’m almost done with school now. I learned how to read and I know multiplication. I asked mama if that meant I could work with her. But she tells me I got to stay home with the kids until Ina is ten years old. I tell her it ain’t going to matter if she a year older she's still gonna be dumb. Mama hit me and told me I shouldn’t say that about her ‘cause she’s my family.16

I was cooking dinner when mama came home for lunch. I have to start making dinner early so it’s done for Jacoby and Daddy when they get home.17

“Mama, why do you have lunch so late? It’s already one o’clock!” I asked when mama walked in the door.18

“That’s when they let me, you know that,” She grabbed a piece of bread and some jelly.19

I thought for a while, “I wish they weren’t so strict with you mama.”20

“Child, that ain’t strict, it’s work. All I got to do is cook, clean, and watch the children. Mrs.Tally pays well and respects us. It’s Mr.Tally that’s the problem.” Mama sat down in the chair next to the fire.21

“Why’d he do mama? Tell me, why is he a problem?” I put the lid back on top of the kettle and sat next to mama’s feet. 22

“Nothing, we don’t even see much of him it’s just his rules. We got to use different stairs, so his guests don’t see us, and we’re never allowed to go into his game room under any circumstances. Once, one of the other ladies was asked to bring Mr.Tally his pipe. When she brought it to him, he was in his game room. I never saw someone get so angry before. Mr.Tally fired the poor woman right then and there.” Mama was shaking her head.23

“Why he do that?” I was amazed. How could anyone be so cruel?24

“That’s just how it is Addy, white men think they control us just ‘cause they’re invincible.”25

I didn’t know what she meant ‘bout white men being invincible but that was before daddy got put in prison. I know now how horrible that Mr.Tally really is, and what she meant ‘bout being untouchable.26

It was real late by the time mama got back. Jacoby and Dad had already been home and even finished their supper. I ain’t even ask what’s wrong ‘cause she seemed to mad to talk. My dad just sat there starin’ at her while she went on storming around the house like she was looking for something. 27

“What’s wrong with you Nora?” Dad asked mama, “What you need so badly this late at night?”28

“Nothing, it’s nothing Myron.” Mama sat down in an empty chair next to Jacoby, “I was just seeing if the kids were okay.”29

“Ray and Reesa have been sleeping for a while now. I think the girls are in their room talking,” Daddy said.30

Jacoby looked at mama, “you all right mama?”31

“Yeah I’m fine, just today while I was working; I don’t think I did so good. Mr.Tally went crazy today.” 32

That’s when I looked up from my crocheting. Mama has been teaching me how to make a blanket and I was almost done so I’ve been real concentrated on it. Not so much that I ain’t hear mama though. Mama say that she been asked to get some coffee for Mr.Tally. She was still mad at him for firing that one lady so she put dirt right in his coffee on purpose! At the time her and the other women laughed like crazy and can’t believe mama gone did a thing like that. When mama gave Mr.Tally the coffee though she stayed and waited to see what he think of it. Mr.Tally didn’t think it was funny though. He asked mama if she think he's a fool. Mama tell him she got no idea what he talkin’ about, she made the coffee just like she always does. Mr.Tally didn’t care. I guess he just got so much anger in him, going around yelling and firing people all the time. Mama started laughing, she ain’t too good at keeping a straight face. That’s when Mr.Tally went insane. He ask if she think it’s a joke, going around putting stuff in other people’s food, and for all he did for her. I don’t know what that meant ‘cause Mr.Tally ain’t done nothing’ for my mama.He tell her to watch it, ‘cause mama will be sorry next time she messes with him. 33

I don’t think that’s right. All she did was make a little joke. It’s not like mama put poison in his food, just a little dirt. It doesn’t matter with white men, mama tell me. They all think us out to get them. Anytime a black man does something wrong he gets put in prison, or hung. Then a white man goes and does the same thing but nothing ever happens to him. I thought now since we’re free, we supposed to be equal. I don’t think thats very equal. Now we got these black codes that make us like slaves again. Daddy told me that our courts ain’t even the same. He tells me that they give you a different judge and black men always lose, but the white men always win. 34

“If you gonna be sorry, Mr.Tally going to be even more sorry” I heard daddy say.35

“Why you still work for him then mama? If he’s so bad just quit” Jacoby made sense to me, but mama didn’t think so.36

Mama just looked at Jacoby all confused, “Boy, you know I can’t do that! You want to eat?”37

That’s when I got up and went into my bedroom. Ina and Laurel were still awake and I yelled at them asking why they weren’t asleep. How they gonna get up for school tomorrow? It’s hard enough to wake them even when they do sleep. Ray and Reesa were asleep but I don’t know how with all the giggling their sisters were doing. I heard my parents go into their bedroom and then I saw Jacoby walk into our room.38

“You still up?” Jacoby said real hushed.39

“Of course I’m up I just got in here a couple minutes ago.” I sat up. 40

“You know how mama was talking’ bout Mr.Tally, saying’ he was crazy?”41

“Yeah, I heard her. What about it?” I don’t know why I was so snappy with him. I just wanted to get some sleep.42

“She says she’s scared now, that he’s gonna do something bad to us.”43

“Why would she be scared? He didn’t say he was going to do anything” 44

“No. Mama just didn’t want to worry you. She says that ain’t the first time she done something like that” Jacoby was talking real quiet now, “She said her and a couple of the other ladies been messing with him a lot. They been hiding his socks and moving things blaming it on the kids. But, she says maybe Mr.Tally already know about it. He's been real suspicious; watching them close.” 45

“That don’t mean he’s going to do anything bad to us” I laid back down. Jay just been wasting my time when I could’ve been sleeping46

“But he makes it seem like he will, mama said.” Jacoby always stretches the truth. Maybe he just hears differently, because he wants to. I didn’t believe him any time else, why should I believe him now?47

“You’re full of it” I said.48

Right as I put my head back down I heard some loud echoes coming from outside. I went to the window to check it out and heard mama screaming from her bedroom. Then daddy ran outside, chasing after mama who ran out a little bit ago. Jacoby ran up out of our room but dad yelled at him to “get his self back in the house”. When I did look outside I saw a bunch of white men hollering. They looked like they was smiling and I saw one of them had a stick that was on fire. Then I realize what was happening. It was Mr.Tally and some other people trying to burn our house down! I ran to our front door where mama was standing. She was crying. Daddy was outside trying to fight the men, but there were too many of them and only one of him. He knocked the flame out of Mr.Tally’s hand but then the other men came and beat daddy up and Mr.Tally started throwing’ fire at our house again. Mama yelled at me to go get the kids and I woke them up. We got out of the house real fast and Mr.Tally and those men ran away. Daddy was on the ground and all bloody. Jacoby said not to touch him. Mama just kept crying while she watched the flames devour our house.49

We’re at Auntie Kat’s house to live for awhile now. Until we can get a new house but daddy say we don’t have money to for a long time. Auntie Kat’s older so she doesn’t have any kids living with her. She says we can stay as long as we want. Two days after we moved into Auntie Kat’s house daddy came home real late at night all bloody and beat up. He looked like he was dead. Mama wouldn’t tell me what happened but Jacoby did. He said that daddy got revenge on Mr.Tally. Daddy must’ve gone and burnt up Mr.Tally’s house too! I knew it when some white men came banging down the door and they took daddy. Jacoby said they took him to prison and he’s gonna go to court. 50

That’s when I remembered about the black codes. When daddy said black men don’t get treated fairly in court but the white men are invincible. It’s not fair. Mr.Tally ain’t going to get any punishment. Daddy's going to get in all the trouble just ‘cause he wants to get revenge. I hate Mr.Tally. I hate all white men. They think they still own us; we’re like their little puppets. Always getting treated unfairly. I hope they get Mr.Tally too. That way, daddy’s revenge was worth something. Mama just sits at home, crying mostly. Auntie Kat holds her sometimes, telling her not to cry, but it doesn’t help. I cry too. In secret when no one can hear me. I don’t want Jacoby thinking I’m some little baby. I think sometimes, though, he cries too. 51

Daddy went to court. Mama says they call it a “trial”. Mr.Tally had to have a trial too. The judge is giving daddy the death penalty. Just for doing the same thing Mr.Tally did to us! All Mr.Tally has to do is pay a fine. I don’t understand. If Mr.Tally did the same thing as daddy, then why doesn’t he get hung too? All I do is cry now, so does everyone else. Even Jacoby, and no one teases us. I asked Jacoby, why is this happening to daddy? Why is daddy getting in trouble but Mr.Tally isn’t? That’s when he told me about white men being invincible. He says that’s just how it is, and that’s how it always will be. I don’t think so. White men can’t rule us forever. Everyone thought we were going to be slaves forever but that ended. Why can’t this unfairness, why can’t this injustice just end? I don’t understand now, and I don’t think I ever will. White men don’t own me, and they don’t own my daddy either.