Papa remained silent, I looked up at Mama, she smiled at me, ‘Papa is going to see T.J.s father soon, to sort some things out.’
‘I will go now, will you too be alright?’ Papa piped up he then patted my head, kissed Mama on the cheek.
I let out a little chuckle ‘We will be fine’
Mama nodded in Papas direction. He left the room and closed the door quietly behind him. Mama remained tranquil for a while, I interrupted her moment ‘Mama’
I took a deep breath ‘Do you think T.J. will be hung?’
‘Oh Cassie, no. No. He’s only a child. They wouldn’t do that to him, he will probably be put in the town cells for a few weeks at the most, if that.’
Something deep down made me suspect that Mama was lying to me, she seemed to be covering something up. Why would she be so upset at the idea of T.J.being arrested for a few weeks? And what did my Papa and Mr.Avery have to ‘sort out’?’ I was beginning to worry myself with the thoughts that filled my inexperienced mind.T.J should be able to get himself out of this one I hoped, T.J. was the best at talking his way out of things, probably the best in the world. Then I started to think-what if T.J. couldn’t he himself out of this one, what if he gets the punishment, instead of the Simmes. Stacey would be heart broken if T.J. did go to prison or even worse…die. I don’t want my brother to go through losing his closest friend, our closest friend. It’s as if T.J. is just another brother, to us, he has been there since I can remember, and we can not lose him. Stacey and I will fight to our deaths to save T.J., I want Stacey to wake up so we could start to plan something, to save T.J. nevertheless I also want Stacey to carry on sleeping softly so he doesn’t have to find out about T.J.
Monday morning, first day back at school, since the incidents of the weekend and I didn’t know if I could face it, but I just remembered Mama’s words ‘Smile and put your brave face on’. Stacey is feeling the same as me, we are both thinking of what to say to people when they ask how T.J. is and they will all want to know hat happened, and oh no! I just realised I have to face ‘Miss’ Lillian Jean, she will probably try and start an argument, she will be shouting some abuse at me no doubt about. I let out a little whimper ‘mama do I have to go today?’ Big ma looked up from her stitching she was doing on Christopher Johns’ trousers, she looked up and flashed me a glint of her chestnut deep brown eyes. ‘Cassie girl. You have to go to school; you need dat good education girl, like your mama got when she was a just a kid, you hear me? Now no more whining, girl.’
I hung my head, still looking at my tattered shoes ‘Yes ma’am’ I walked out of the room, there was no way I was going to be allowed to stay off school today, I would have to face them all…
‘Little man, hurry up’ He stood a few yards behind us,
dusting his perfectly clean trousers. He shouted something back but I didn’t hear, well I did I just didn’t take it in. My mind was absent; it had more important things to think
about.
‘I I I’m sorry Miz.Crocker’ I stuttered
‘Does that excuse your lateness?’ She bellowed in an authoritative tone ‘Looks like the Logans are going down in their standards’
I felt cheated and hurt that she had the cheek to criticise my family when she was so horrid. ‘It’s not my family’s fault Miz’.
She looked down on me as if I was muck on the classroom floor. ‘Never Never answer back to me Cassie Logan, and you address me properly, I am a teacher not one of your friends, its Miz.Crocker to you not Miz.’ She paused and took in a deep breath of air ‘You better go and get seated in your seat Logan child before you get a whipping. Now get moved.’
You know that feeling, the one deep down in your stomach?
The one that makes you feel as if it’s going to be ‘one of those days’? I had that…I’m sure there are a hundred butterflies down there. I decided to get on with my sums and keep a low profile, I pulled out my math book and pencil 7+6=13
So 13 –7 must be 6…these were too easy, I flew through the work and slipped into a blank daydream.
‘See you all after the break. Class dismissed’ All the class stood up and sighed in relief, there were sounds of talking and laughter. Then silence, it was if a thundercloud had moved directly over our heads, I looked up to the front of the room, Mr.Granger and Mr.Jamison were talking to Miss.Crocker. After a few minutes of talking, Miss walked towards the front ‘Cassie.Stacey.Here please, everyone else out.’ The children scampered toward s the door and out, Stacey and I walked to the front, I managed to shoot him the ‘what’s all this about?’ look and he shrugged his shoulders.
As we approached the 3 adults, Mr.Jamison took his hat off, and walked towards us, as he held his hat in front of his chest, I am sure I saw a tear in his crystal clear green eyes, I already knew what they were going to say, it was T.J..They didn’t have to speak; I could see it in their eyes. A sort of forlorn stare…Mr.Jamison almost distant.
‘I’m sorry’ Mr.Jamison whispered, I shook my head in despair ‘no! It can’t be, oh please…not T.J.’ Once again my tears of emotion over took me, I broke down in a giant weep on the classroom floor. Stacey just said in a deep voice ‘What has happened?’ This was typical of Stacey, he had to know all the facts before making a judgement or movement. Miss.Crocker cleared her throat ‘Due to the behaviour of a Master.Avery, T.J., he has to be hanged later on today, you can’t say that good-for nothing don’t deserve it.’ She probably didn’t feel any sympathy or remorse for T.J.She walked out of the classroom with her back to us all while Mr.Jamison put a firm hand on Stacey’s shoulder, Stacey shrugged it off ‘You…You all wanted dis to happen, all you whites. You all ‘ate dat poor ole fellow.’ Stacey paused and sniffed, not letting his tears fall ‘Well, I tell u something that ole nigger who you ‘ate, he he’s my best buddy, and you ain’t gonna kill him. Wait ‘til my Papa and his Papa hear bouts you, going round…’
Mr.Granger stopped Stacey from talking ‘Look at that, Jamison, little black kid thinks he’s like his father too! Huh, they all think they own the place. Oh lil kids you mightas well know dat your family have lost the land. Yeah, your decent family couldn’t afford to keep it. Its public property now.’ His tone was sarcastic and hurtful. It was stabbing Stacey and I in the back and he knew it. ‘ You can’t take the land, its ours, you mighta well take everything off us! That’s our livelihood, wait til my Papa hears bout dis…’ Stacey stood in front of Granger, but facing Jamison ‘I…I wanna comes wit you, I wanna see my ole pal, please?’
They looked at him as if he was from outer space. Big Ma’s faithful solicitor nodded his head ‘If you’re sure, it can be awful upsetting for lil ones.’
Stacey looked at the two adults… ‘Its what T.J. woulda wanted’
Jamison nodded ‘Yes, I understand…well we better get you in to da car, Cassie don’t suppose you’re up for comin’?’
Could I cope with seeing one of the best friends I have die in such an explicit way? I thought about, Stacey was right, T.J. needs all the help he can get at this moment in time, and I would go. No matter what it did to me, it was our friend who we should be thinking of not us.
A short and round white man whom I didn’t recognise stood before us all. He was red in the face, I didn’t know if it was through embarrassment or the Mississippi heat. He wiped his brow with a plump hand and began to speak ‘Public people, you are invited hear today to witness four niggers get killed’ a cheer rippled over my head and about thirty adults pushed to the front, knocking me and Stacey to the ground. ‘I don’t think we should delay any longer, these blacks are Mr.Frethor, he knocked a white man to the ground only last week, Mr.Longerd he had the cheek to steal from a good store owner, Mr.Avery he murdered and stole of some good friends of this community’ A huge gasp was heard ‘…and finally Mr.Kijja he refused to move his vehicle on several occasions. Anyway on the with the show…Ladies and gentlemen have fun!’ A smile appeared on his face, and more whites rushed up to the front, I scanned the crowds for any blacks, There was only a family who we didn’t recognise. As the four people who were convicted walked up to the front, I caught T.J.s eye, I mouthed ‘sorry’ but what good was that going to do? T.J. looked even worse than he usually does, he was naked and his bones showed through his almost transparent, thin looking, skin, as they began to put the ropes round their thin necks, I closed my eyes. It was too unbearable to watch. Stacey grasped my hand tightly. We both needed some support. I could sense Stacey turning his head away; he had seen some things in his time-but nothing could even come close to this sickening day.
‘Now for the good bit.’ The white man laughed and pulled away the station on which the four black boys and men stood. T.J. was coughing and spluttering, how could I help him? None of my plans were going to solve this one and I felt completely useless. Stacey kept his eyes locked on T.J., T.J. was fighting for breath like an exhausted athlete. Stacey clenched my hand harder, ‘Lets go.’ He pulled me away from the cheering audience. He led me under a tree, there he collapsed. I stared at him, not knowing quite what to do.
He was banging the sandy ground with his fists, fat tears rolling down his face, like snowballs down a mountain. ‘Why?’ he kept on sobbing, I don’t think it was an answer he was looking for, his dark face was buried in tin the sand while his fists banged the ground. I knelt down to him, the words got stuck in my throat, I was silent. I wish Papa were here to comfort Stacey. He was so alone now and he knew it. T.J. and Stacey were so close. What was the future going to hold out for Stacey? As far as Stacey was concerned, his life was over too. And what about the land? How can we survive without Papa’s work? Now Mamas out of a job, we need all the money.
The whites had won this game, now we had to plan another one, one that we will win. We will win.
