Free Billy by Albert French
Authors: Albert French
everythin. Ah ain't scared, Ah ain't afraids, Ah show ya Ah ain't afraids of nothin. Ya fraid, not me. Hey, Gumpy, come on, wait up," Billy shouts ahead as he lags behind.
Gumpy starts running as he sees the Patch shacks. His eyes widen and the tears begin to bubble up in the corners. He reaches the back dirt yards of the shacks and begins to wind down through the paths until he reaches his home, then he runs inside.
Billy sighs as he watches Gumpy disappear into the shack yards, then begi ns to quicken his steps. When he gets to his home, he does as he always does, jumps up on the side of th e porch.
"Thank Jesus, thank ya, Jesus. Here he is, he' s home," Katey shouts as she hears Billy on the porch.
60 I Albert Frenclt
Cinder turns from the cook in table. She had calmly started t h e Saturday meal after Katey came runnin in the house sc r e amin about getti ng all the children in because the sheriff hi t Shorty and was down in the Patch botherin folks.
"G e t in h e re, child, get in here." Katey gets Billy by the arm and pulls him into the house, then ask, "Where's ya been? We been just a worryin about ya. Where's ya get all them scratches on ya face? Let me look at ya, come over here."
Cinder yells above Katey, "Billy Lee, come over here now. Let me see your face. What happened to your face? You and Gumpy get into a fight? He hurt you like this, did he?"
"No, Mama, he ain't hurt me, we ain't fights," Billy an swers his mother as she gently holds his face up in her hands and looks at the scratches and bruises.
"What happen to you, then?" "Nothin, Mama, nothin."
"Billy Lee, did you and Gumpy have a fight?" "No, Mama, no, we ain't fight."
"What happen to you, Billy Lee? Who scratched you?" "Nothin, Mama, Ah fall in the stickin bushes."
Silence.
"Billy Lee, you been in a fight. Now, tell me, who hurt you like this? Somebody scratched you real bad, who hurt my baby?" Cinder ask in a whisper as she leans closer to look at Billy's face and turns it from side to side.
"Mama, A h just fall i n them bushes, them ones down by the Catfish, them real sticky ones," Billy says again.
"You been in town, did you get in a fight in town? I told you not to go in town. Were you in that town?" Cinder ask quickly.
"No, Mama, Ah ain'ts go in the town, Ah ain't goes there."
B I L L y I 61
"Where were you, then? Answer me, where were you, Billy Lee?"
"Lord, what's goin on outs there?" Katey shouts and runs to the door and peeks out, then jerks the door open and runs out onto the sittin porch. Cinder and Billy Lee follow.
"Have mercy, Jesus, have mercy. What's that man
"Some girl, she beat me up, she chase me, gots me down. She beats me up, she bigger too, she won'ts lets me go. Ah stuck her. Ah stuck her for her to lets me go, then Ah runs." Billy's voice is quivering, tears burst from his eyes. "Mama, is the sheriff gits me, huh? Mama, don'ts let him gits me."
Cinder cringes and pulls Billy close to her, but quickly looks towards the door. Everything has its own sound now: Billy's tears, the pounding beneath her breast, the squeaks of the floorboards under her feet, the stillness of the hot sticky air, the fly on the window buzzing to get out, the fly on the screen door buzzing to get in. But it's the sound of Katey's screams that come crashing into her mind.
"Lord, Jesus, Jesus, he comin up here. He throws Gumpy in thats car and he's comin up here. Cinder, Cinder, he' s comin up here," Katey screams.
Cinder firmly grips Billy's shoulders an
Gumpy starts running as he sees the Patch shacks. His eyes widen and the tears begin to bubble up in the corners. He reaches the back dirt yards of the shacks and begins to wind down through the paths until he reaches his home, then he runs inside.
Billy sighs as he watches Gumpy disappear into the shack yards, then begi ns to quicken his steps. When he gets to his home, he does as he always does, jumps up on the side of th e porch.
"Thank Jesus, thank ya, Jesus. Here he is, he' s home," Katey shouts as she hears Billy on the porch.
60 I Albert Frenclt
Cinder turns from the cook in table. She had calmly started t h e Saturday meal after Katey came runnin in the house sc r e amin about getti ng all the children in because the sheriff hi t Shorty and was down in the Patch botherin folks.
"G e t in h e re, child, get in here." Katey gets Billy by the arm and pulls him into the house, then ask, "Where's ya been? We been just a worryin about ya. Where's ya get all them scratches on ya face? Let me look at ya, come over here."
Cinder yells above Katey, "Billy Lee, come over here now. Let me see your face. What happened to your face? You and Gumpy get into a fight? He hurt you like this, did he?"
"No, Mama, he ain't hurt me, we ain't fights," Billy an swers his mother as she gently holds his face up in her hands and looks at the scratches and bruises.
"What happen to you, then?" "Nothin, Mama, nothin."
"Billy Lee, did you and Gumpy have a fight?" "No, Mama, no, we ain't fight."
"What happen to you, Billy Lee? Who scratched you?" "Nothin, Mama, Ah fall in the stickin bushes."
Silence.
"Billy Lee, you been in a fight. Now, tell me, who hurt you like this? Somebody scratched you real bad, who hurt my baby?" Cinder ask in a whisper as she leans closer to look at Billy's face and turns it from side to side.
"Mama, A h just fall i n them bushes, them ones down by the Catfish, them real sticky ones," Billy says again.
"You been in town, did you get in a fight in town? I told you not to go in town. Were you in that town?" Cinder ask quickly.
"No, Mama, Ah ain'ts go in the town, Ah ain't goes there."
B I L L y I 61
"Where were you, then? Answer me, where were you, Billy Lee?"
"Lord, what's goin on outs there?" Katey shouts and runs to the door and peeks out, then jerks the door open and runs out onto the sittin porch. Cinder and Billy Lee follow.
"Have mercy, Jesus, have mercy. What's that man
"Some girl, she beat me up, she chase me, gots me down. She beats me up, she bigger too, she won'ts lets me go. Ah stuck her. Ah stuck her for her to lets me go, then Ah runs." Billy's voice is quivering, tears burst from his eyes. "Mama, is the sheriff gits me, huh? Mama, don'ts let him gits me."
Cinder cringes and pulls Billy close to her, but quickly looks towards the door. Everything has its own sound now: Billy's tears, the pounding beneath her breast, the squeaks of the floorboards under her feet, the stillness of the hot sticky air, the fly on the window buzzing to get out, the fly on the screen door buzzing to get in. But it's the sound of Katey's screams that come crashing into her mind.
"Lord, Jesus, Jesus, he comin up here. He throws Gumpy in thats car and he's comin up here. Cinder, Cinder, he' s comin up here," Katey screams.
Cinder firmly grips Billy's shoulders an
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