Free Rescued (Flowers of the Bayou) by Arlene Lam

she came home. Amelia shook the thought away—the woman would just have to make due herself.
    Lenora pulled Amelia behind her as she called out to her sister. The Jacksons were hosting this year’s cotillion and it wasn’t every day a woman got to dress up. She wanted Amelia to come it had been far to long since they’d all had a chance to enjoy themselves together. Amelia of course had a slew of excuses. Mainly Lorraine and how she might not approve. Lenora knew one thing for sure, if Amelia invited that old prune of a man Lorraine would approve quick enough. The man could spoil any occasion, but not this time. Amelia was going to be at that cotillion come hell or high water, and if she had to come with Morgan they’d find a way to avoid him. “Jessie tell Amelia she gotta come! Last years was so much fun!”
    “You got to come to da cotillion.” Jessie repeated sassily. “Why wouldn’t ya want to anyway?”
    “Lorraine wouldn’t like it. You all know that and if Morgan isn’t going neither am I. Besides I’m not sixteen what do I care about a cotillion.”
    They ignored her. “If mama talks to her she will let you go. You know as well as I do mama can be convincing.” Jessie suggested
    “I don’t see any reason she wouldn’t let you go in the first place you’re a grown woman.” This was Lenora. “You can’t keep letting her make you miserable.”
    “Grown woman or not, Lorraine is Lorraine.” Amelia sighed.
    “Come on girl live a lil’—let us dress you up and do yo’ hair, everyone deserves a treat every once in a while in dis life.” Lenora was pulling her friend into a chair next to the stove and a hot comb all the while. Pulling a pin from Amelia’s hair, thick long hair fell down to her shoulders. “You got all dis pretty hair and you always pull it back, never understood it.”
    “It’s manageable.” Relaxing her shoulders Amelia decided to give in. She did want to see everyone, and she was after all grown.
    “Not too many curls.”
    “So dat a yes?” Lenora asked skeptically, but still letting an idea of a hairstyle run through her head.
    “Yes.” Amelia laughed.
    “Good” Lenora was creating a curl before she finished her statement and within a few seconds pulled the hot iron from her friend’s hair and smiled at the loose coil she had just created.”
    “Do the hair later Lena, let’s take her upstairs and find a dress first we aint got much time.” Jessie reasoned. “We need one dat’s low cut ta drive dem boy’s wild.”
    “Hush up.” Lenora said once again.
    “I don’t want all this fuss done with my clothes and hair. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”
    “But it makes ya look lovely don’t ya want that? Besides you can’t go ta no cotillion looking like wat the cat done dragged in!”
    “I suppose that’s why I shouldn’t be going at all. Your families are important in the negro classes. Lorraine and I  are not. Why do you think we must work hard for all we have. Though the creole blood running through her veins has convinced her otherwise it still remains true—that’s why she wants me to marry Morgan so badly.”
    “I thought you wanted to marry him why you do wat somebody else want ya ta do? Besides you come from respectable folk dat good enough and you talk fancier than anybody else we know so don’t be a spoil sport it’s going to be wonderful.” The woman said heating the comb over the open flame of the stove.
    Amelia for her part finally did give in and let the two have their fun. As each curl fell down to her shoulders she would touch the silken spring, only when Lenora started swatting her hand did she stop.
    “You can’t touch til I’m done—come on smile or somethin’ it ain’t that bad.”
    “I thought I said not too many curls.” Amelia teased. “I just don’t understand all this fuss and buss over a little old cotillion. Besides you know I wasn’t even invited.”
    “You don’t understand cause you ain’t never been.