Page 13 of Under the Tulip Tree
She stomped over and snatched the cat out of my hands. “Get on to the cabin and clean yo’self up. I got some good news to tell ya.”
“Yes’m.” With a last look at the cat, who hadn’t been nearly as much fun to play with as I’d thought, I skipped out of the barn into afternoon sunshine, thankful Mammy’d been more concerned with the kitten and her news than doling out punishment.
The quarter where our cabin was located was just up the cart path from the barn. More slaves lived there than I could count, from cryin’ babies to old men with spittle on their chins. Mammy, me, and my three siblings shared our cramped space with five other people, though two were chillens like me. My brother Saul, two years older than me, had already been sent to work in the tobacco fields, where he and dozens of other boys spent their days picking nasty worms off growing plants that had been transplanted from seed beds. If leftalone, those big ol’ bright-green worms would eat the whole crop in a matter of days, according to the old-timer who liked to tell tales to us chillens at night. Saul and them other boys had to search every single plant, under the leaves and along the stalks, for the critters. If they missed one and the overseer found it, they’d get a lash to their back for every worm he found. Mammy was awful proud Saul hadn’t given that mean ol’ white man cause to whup him yet.
When I arrived at our cabin, empty since everyone was still in the fields, I found a basin of water and a cloth laid out. Why Mammy needed me to wash in the middle of the day, I couldn’t guess. But I’d already disobeyed her about the cat, so I quickly splashed water onto my face and arms, rinsing away any dirt that might have stuck to me in my romping about the plantation.
Mammy always told me I was lucky, because being only six years old, I was free to run and play as much as I desired instead of tromping out to the tobacco and corn fields early in the morning the way most other slaves on the plantation do. Mammy was lucky too, because she worked in the kitchen behind the big house, cooking and cleaning for Master and Mistress Hall. She said when I was old enough, I’d come help her, which suited me just fine.
Mammy soon arrived without the cat. She inspected me from head to toe, frowning at what she saw. “Chile, you got straw stickin’ out o’ your hair and dirt caked on your feet.” As she set about picking hay from my braids, I looked down to my bare toes. Sure enough, they were covered in driedmud, and I remembered the puddle near the horse trough I’d splashed through on my way to fetch the kitten.
“Why I gotta be clean, Mammy? The day ain’t over yet.”
My childish wisdom made her grin despite her obvious frustration as she wiped my feet with the cloth. “Because you is goin’ to the big house.”
I stilled. “Am I comin’ to cook with you?”
While the idea of being with Mammy all day was a nice one for the future, I wasn’t ready to give up my freedom just yet. I had too much fun exploring the plantation and running around with the other children who stayed in the quarter with the old mammy assigned to watch over us.
She met my gaze, excitement shining in her eyes. “You ain’t comin’ to work in the kitchen. Miz Sadie wants you to be Miss Charlotte’s companion.”
I blinked, trying to make sense of the new word. Mammy seemed happy about it, so it must be something good. “What’s a com-pan-ion?”
“It means you’ll be Miss Charlotte’s playmate. She be two years older than you, but I told Miz Sadie you’s a growed-up girl for just being six. Honey, you’ll get to wear a pretty dress and play with Miss Charlotte’s dollies and take your meals with her in the nursery.”
My ears perked up at this. “And all I gotta do is play with Miss Charlotte?”
Mammy smiled. “Yes’m, chile. I been askin’ the Lord to spare you from the fields, and here he done answered my prayers.”
A warm feeling started in my belly. Mammy spent many hours on her knees in the evenings talkin’ to the Lord after we chillens were abed. I was pleased to know he’d listened.
“If you want me to play with Miss Charlotte, Mammy, Iwill.”
She tugged me into her arms, and I laid my cheek against her. “You gotta be a good girl, Frankie. Miz Sadie don’t take no nonsense from her slaves.” She gently pushed me away so she could look me in the eye. “You obey everything they tells you, you hear me? I don’t want to hear you done otherwise, or I’ll take a switch to your backside.”
I nodded. “Yes’m.”
She grasped my hand. “Come on, now. Miz Sadie wants to look you over. If she like what she see, you’ll move into the big house tomorrow.”
I pulled to a stop. “I won’t live here with you?”
“’Course you’ll still live here, but there be times you’ll need to sleep on a pallet in Miss Charlotte’s room. I’ll be right there in the kitchen, so I’ll see you more now than when you was down here in the quarter.”
Satisfied, I continued with her toward the big white house a short walk from the quarter.
As long as I’d still get to see Mammy, I was happy to become Miss Charlotte’s companion.
CHAPTERSIX
Glancing out the curtained window, I determined it was probably a little past one o’clock. Mrs. Washington had dozed off in the middle of a sentence, and I felt it best to let her sleep. Remembering her life as a slave must be wearing, but she’d insisted on continuing with her story the two times I offered to take a break.
The pages of my notebook had quickly filled up. I’d settled into a nice rhythm of writing down her story word for word, spelling out most but also using some of the shorthand I’d learned in school. I had to admit I found her tale fascinating. I could almost see young Frankie romping through the vast plantation grounds, free and unencumbered by the hardships of slavery. Admittedly, I was surprised to learn her brother had been put to work at such a young age.
After a silent stretch, I set my notebook and pencil on thefloor. The hard-backed chair emitted a loud creak as I rose, but a quick glance revealed Mrs. Washington’s chin remained on her chest and her eyes closed.
I needed to relieve myself, so I quietly made my way down a narrow hallway. Two doors opened into neatly kept bedrooms with colorful quilts spread across each bed, but neither held what I sought.
Returning to the sitting room, I confirmed the only other door led to the kitchen. A little desperate now that I’d moved from my sitting position, I bit my fingernail, trying to think through the situation. Obviously Frankie and Jael had access to a bathroom, but where was it? Did it have an outside entrance?
