Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton

Author:Yvonne Battle-Felton [Yvonne Battle-Felton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 2019-10-14T17:14:17+00:00

Chapter 12

August 17, 1857

“Why do we have to go, Mama?” Tempe asks. She sits cross-legged on the floor, stuck between Mama’s legs. She squirms and yelps like Mama’s killing her while she gets her hair plaited. A preacher’s coming. Walker’s taken to going to church and having preachers, reverends, and ministers for Sunday supper but this is the first one I will ever see. Walker sent down new dresses for the women and dungarees and shirts for the men.

We all got hats and headscarves and new shoes. He called for all the slaves, even them from the house, to worship.

“We’re going to hear the word,” I say. Mama done my hair earlier. I stand on the porch, careful not to lean on the new rail Mama built and careful not to dirty my new dress or sweat out my puffs.

“The preacher is going to talk to us about God,” Mama says. She twists and pulls Tempe’s thick hair. Tempe jumps. “Sit still.”

“We already talked about God. What can he tell us that you don’t know?”

“What’s God look like?” I ask.

“Us,” Mama says.

I picture God, his brown face and eyes lit up like stars. He’s long-legged and tall, taller than any man I’ve ever seen, with arms as long as trees stretched wide enough to hold me, Mama, and Tempe too. He’s standing there smiling, with a smile so bright it’s like looking into the sun and he’s waiting, just waiting. “Does God’s Mama make him sit still while she pulls and yanks on his hair too?”

“Tempe!” Mama yells. She laughs. “Ask God yourself.”

“I ask God a lot of things but he don’t never answer,” Tempe says.

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