The Prodigy Slave, Book One: Journey to Winter Garden: (Revised Edition 2020) by Londyn Skye

Author:Londyn Skye [Skye, Londyn]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Londyn Skye Novels
Published: 2020-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

After James’s birthday party was over, James was out by the creek with Lily, letting her use the new fishing rod he had gotten as a gift. She was casting the line out into the water as James stood next to her tossing grapes into the air and catching them in his mouth. “So, when’s your birthday?” he had asked Lily casually in between tosses.

“Don’t know,” Lily replied just as casually.

The grape James was tossing hit him in the head when he quickly turned his attention to Lily. “What do ya’ mean you don’t know when your birthday is?!” he asked, sounding baffled by such a thing.

“Just what I said. I don’t know. My mama was neva’ certain of the exact date. She say I’s born on the hottest day she could eva’ rememba’ in the summa’ of 1835, just like you. But ain’t nobody eva’ tell ’er exactly what day it was. She say she was awful sick for days not long afta’ I’s born, from an infection or somethin’. So, she couldn’t hardly rememba’ much ‘a anything from that week anyway.”

“I ain’t neva’ heard ‘a nobody without a birthday.”

“Well, ya’ heard ‘a someone now I s’ppose,” Lily said, reeling in the fishing line and handing the pole back to James.

“You mean you ain’t neva’ had no party, or presents, or nothin’?”

“Slaves ain’t got no money to buy presents, and even if we did, it’d be kind ‘a hard to celebrate when you don’t even know what day to do it on.”

James just sat there staring at his fishing rod, perplexed at how such an important thing could be overlooked. “Well, you would if I gave you mine.”

“Gave me your what?”

“My birthday.”

“You can’t just give your birthday away, James!” Lily told him in a condescending tone.

“Can so! It’s mine! I can do whateva’ I please with it! And I wanna give it to ya’!”

Lily threw her hands on her thin hips and cocked her head to the side. “Well, I ain’t gonna letchya’!” she fired back.

“But I want to. Just don’t seem right that you ain’t neva’ had a birthday. I done celebrated ten ‘a mine already, and I’m almost a man now,” James explained, flexing his arm and squeezing his own muscle. “So, I don’t need no more birthdays anyway.”

“James, that’s awful nice ‘a you ‘n all, but I can’t take your birthday away from you. It’s too special. ’Sides, you ain’t hardly no man yet! I don’t see a speck ‘a hair on your face and your arms are ’bout near skinny as that fishin’ rod!” Lily said, suddenly bursting out in laughter.

James sat on a log nearby and hung his head low, not finding any humor in Lily’s comment at all.

Lily looked over at her friend and could tell he was genuinely hurt by the rejection of his offer, and she suddenly felt terrible about herself. She sat down next to James and put her arm around him. “I’m sorry, James. That’s really kind of you.”

“But you still won’t take it, will ya’?” he asked, truly sounding hurt.

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