Free Family by J. California Cooper Page B

new Mistress time to fix things for her babies.”
    Poon just looked at her. “You somethin, chile.”
    Still lookin through the darkness, Always said, “And I wants my own garden to work.”
    Poon mused, “This good land. You get a good garden, good fruit from this land. It’s mos puredee new. Ain’t harly worked none. Grow yo own food to eat.”
    Always, still lookin into the darkness over the land, said, “I’ll eat what food everybody else grows and eats. I want silver money to come out from my garden. I wants silver and gold money from what I grow.”
    Poon just sighed. “You somethin, chile. Don’t you know what you is and where you is?”
    Always got up, smoothin her apron, preparin to leave. “They can’t slave my wishin none. I can try.”
    Another evenin, soon after that one, Always went over to sit awhile with Poon again. Always quietly said, “I blive they gonna ask for Masr Jason to sit a horse and watch the workers on the land. They ain’t workin too good without overseein. Can he sit a horse? If’n he tied to it?”
    Poon was alarmed and protective of Jason. “He don’t need to be puttin to doin all such as that! He a sick man! That Masr Doak.” She lowered her voice. “He goin too far now! Sides, them mens doin alright.”
    Always spoke, still softly. “No, they ain’t. They lazy …”
    Poon said, “They tired.”
    Always smoothed her apron, said, “We got to eat and prosper, are we always gonna be livin like this? You in a shed carin for a cripple. And if he die, you be back out in the fields again this time.”
    Poon was thoughtful.
    Always went on talkin. “Some of them mens sleeps in the shade trees when they left alone. Them the ones eats more’n their share of the food I takes out to em. And then, somethin else more, they steals some of the harvest every day and takes it to they own shacks to cook and they already been given rations.”
    Poon rebuked her. “You acts like this is your fields and your food!”
    Always answered, “In a way, they is. Yours too. We depends on them fields for our livin. We could have a betta livin if the land bring in more.”
    Poon never in her life had thought like this and it took time for her mind to grab what Always was sayin to her.
    Always continued talkin. “I wants more. We all wants more. Jason wants more. Mistress is goin to have a baby child. They gonna need more room. I wants to get a start on fixin up that ole chicken house not bein used. It’s big, an can be a one-room shack for me, an I still be close nough to the main house for them to call, do they need me.”
    Poon understood that. “The chicken house?What you gonna fix it up with? Who gonna take time to do it? Sho can’t take them slaves out the field you so busy worryin bout!”
    “Fix it with all what’s left over from you-all’s shack. Fix it myself. Done watched em fix yourn. I can do it. Take longer, thats all.”
    Poon took a disbelieving breath. “I declare on God, you sho is somethin I ain’t never heard of. I blive you think that light skin of yourn make you white as them is! How you gon get Masr Doak to let you make a garden and make money from it? His land!? And just what make you blive he gon let you build you yourn own room, even if it ain’t in nothin but that ole chicken house? Either you a fool or you crazy! If you blive you white, you crazy!”
    Always made a ugly smile. “Naw … I don’t. Least I ain’t that crazy! But, I makes me whatever I can. For my chile, for myself. I think of a way. Lots of slaves has they own shack. And they own gardens.”
    Poon understood that. “To eat on, not to sell and get money on.”
    Always spoke quietly. “Well maybe I start somethin new. But it please me if you don’t talk none bout it til I find my way to it.”
    Poon stirred on her stump, she had been thinkin of tellin it, and laughin, to Masr Jason.
    “Sides,” Always continued, lookin toward Poon out the side of her eyes, “I can share it with Masr