Tombstone.
This evening I talked with Jeff and Miss Sugar about how Jeff was a pirate and stole stuff and killed people. I told him that he would have to do work like Payton and he went on about the pirates. Sabi came over and she said she’d been away for a while. She moved back in with the orphanage and I said to her, “I sorry bout your aunt. Miss Trin told me I hadta be nice to you cause you was sad and in Native clothes.”
“I sawed her after she was.... yanno…” Sabi frowned.
“But you not in Native clothes now.”
“Yah Nora maded me change.”
“Ohh… I woulda liked to see em. Ma’s been talkin’ bout her Native history lots lately.”
“They was real nice. My auntie in Iowa gaves them to me... and my natives name too.”
“Ooh. What native name you have?”
“She calls me Little Dove. Cause in her tribe all folks come tagteher to form one big tribe of people. And since I gots blood of both native and white folks I kinda was special like.”
“Oh I see. That like Ma Trin.”
“It was her mommy’s name when she was a kid too.”
“She been tellin me stories but I not at part in her journal where her brother tells her ’bout it yet. But she told me on the train when we went to her brother’s wedding.”
“Oh wow. Ain’t it neat learning about family? Makes me wishes I had one again.”
“She teaching me how to talk Apache.”
“Ohhh Dago Te Nat!”
“Me too... it ain’t my family... It Ma Trin’s.. Dago Te!!” I giggled. “I kinda wish I could be Apache like her. Or like full Apache.”
“Ya dun wanna be part.... I am part and the Apache here calls me haff breed and dont likes me.”
“Ohh… Sabi you ever been to Apache village?”
“They don’t let our kinds in,” she shook her head.
“How come?”
“I guess cause other white folks was mean to em.”
“Oh. But Miss Trin helped ’em. Maybe they be nice to me.”
“I think it depends on tha person I been Miss Dancin Clouds friend since I gots here.”
“Oh… I not know her.”
“But I is still a haff breed in her eyes so she wont let me do nothin.”
“I wanna learn more ’bout em,” I nodded. “They all over there and I wanna know why we can’t just all trust each other.”
“I heer they cans be real mean folks.”
“Outlaws live around near us and we let ’em wander ’round. No worse than Mr. Garth or Mr. Lot.”
“Yeaaah I agrees.”
“Maybe we jes have to be nice to em.”
“Oh yes. Remember dey is our brothers and sisters too.”
“Then they see not all white people bad. I have no brother or sister.. Jimmy closest thing to brother I has.”
“Poppy is stills my sister. And Ruby kinda seems like it too.”
I looked down then and asked, “Why you all mean to me in school?”
“Mean? When?”
“When Mr Finesmith made us trade baskets no one would trade. And you guys said that you’d just get me to do all the work.”
“Ohhhh. Really, I wasn’t payin that much attention, neither was Poppy I tink. We was sad.”
“But you was mean to me. Then Payton started to do bad stuff and then gave me bad looks cause I live with Miss Trin.”
“I didn’t mean ta be Nat, I is sorry.”
“That why I no like sitting with girls at school. They always mean to me. Just like in Mississippi. And I jes wanna sit beside my bes friend but dey won’t let me.”
“See I was real sad.”
“Just cause you sad don’t mean you gotta be mean.”
“Some teachers is nice, others is welll... not.”
“Miss Traci pulled my hair. Cause I was sittin beside Jimmy. She didn’t even tell me to move.”
“Yah I know Nat, but I is only 6.... and I is a bad kid.”
“I ran out of school and I not going back.”
“I dunno if I goes back neither,” she nodded. “Are you going to story time?”
“I dunno. I not live at orphanage.”
“So?”
“Thought it was for orphans.”
“I dunno. Not like they are gonna charge you or somethin.”
“Yeah I guess. Maybe I just go home to bed. I don’t wanna be somewhere I not supposed to. I talk to you tomorrow, Sabi. And Sabi...? I forgive you.”
“Thankies Nat. Sleep tights.”
“I not have many friends that are girls,” I hugged her tight and said, “Cause usually they mean.”
“I won’t be mean to ya Nat,” she promised.
“Thanks. Have fun at storytime. I go home,” I said and headed home.
No comments:
Post a Comment