The Boy She Illegally Brought To The Lavender Field (bwwm)

Page 3

Annie and Marshall got back home and Annie pulled Marshall to sit down on the couch next to her. He looked concerned.

"When mama and daddy get back, you don't tell them about what happened at the tulip field." Annie commanded.
"Why not?"
"Because daddy already told me about goin' over there and I convinced him to let me. I won't go back. But you don't tell him what happened."
"You promise you won't go back?"
"I swear it."
"Alright. My lips are sealed."
"Thank you."

Daniel made it home around three hours later and assumed his parents were gone. He could hear water running in the kitchen sink and thought it was Diana cleaning up to leave.

He walked towards the entrance way and saw his father, Stephen, standing close to Diana with a hand on her lower back as she tried to wash the dishes.

Daniel stared, frozen in shock, watching his father caress the black woman working in their kitchen.
His hand slid down to her behind and Diana froze.

She wanted to react negatively off of principle but that wasn't an option. She took a deep breath while Stephen stood next to her, kissing her neck and shoulder.
"I need to get back to work. You know I could fire you for tempting me like this..." he whispered to her.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ross..." she apologized.
He finally let her go then took the opposite exit to find his home office.

Diana stood there, praying to her God and apologizing to Sirius before continuing her job with the dishes.

Daniel walked over to her.

Diana dried her dish.

She flinched when she noticed him. "My goodness, you startled me."
She put the last dish away. "Good evening. I hope your lunch was okay. Dinner should be ready in about an hour."
He didn't respond, he just looked at the floor.

"Is everything alright?" Diana asked.
He stayed quiet and just walked off to find his room.

"Lord," she looked towards the ceiling. "It ain't gettin' no better." she sighed.

•~~~•

Daniel was dressed and got in his truck to head to the soda shop he told Scotty he'd be at.

He arrived at the parking lot.

Scotty showed up not too long after and they leaned against Daniel's truck as they waited for the women.

"What time do they get here?"
"Usually around 7:30." Scotty answered.
Daniel checked his watch and saw it was 7:18.
"What made you wanna come here?" Scotty wondered. "Needed some action?"
"Ain't see 'em in a while."
"Since we graduated?"
"That's right."
"You should come on Sundays." Scotty smirked.
"Ain't the shop closed on Sundays?"
"Yea, we all hope in two or three cars then go around throwin' rocks in those animals' neighborhoods."
"When they started doin' that?" Daniel wondered.
"Few weeks ago."
"Why?"
"Why not?" Scotty chuckled. "Maybe we'll get 'em to flee outta here. Tryin' to make this city a better place. See that?" Scotty pointed at the 'Whites Only' sign on the window of the soda shop. "That shouldn't even be there. Should be no need."
Daniel read it then looked back at Scotty.
"Because we should be the only ones here anyway." Scotty added.
Daniel nodded like he understood.
"You comin' on Sundays?"
"Yea." he agreed.
"Good."

A car pulled into the parking lot and caught the boys' attention.

The women inside climbed out.
"Hi, Daniel." Mariam smiled.
Daniel's eyes stared at her full chest in the dress Mariam purposely buys a size too small. "Hey..." he replied.
She and her friends walked inside the shop.
The boys got off of Daniel's truck and followed behind.

~•~

Annie moved around the kitchen, helping her mama get dinner ready for their home now.

"Mama..." she called.
"Yes, Annie."
Annie took a deep breath while she stared at the clove of garlic in her hand.
"What's wrong, honey?" Diana wondered and looked at her daughter.
"Mama, you gotta promise that you won't tell daddy what I'm about to say to you."
"Oh, well that depends on how serious it is." Diana argued.
Annie sighed.
"Come on. Out with it then." Diana commanded and took the garlic from her child. She began to peel it.
"Mama, a white man interrupted me while I was sitting in the tulip field and writin'."
Diana stopped and looked back at her daughter.
"He didn't hurt me. I'm alright. Promise. But...I was afraid. And I answered him the wrong way by mistake."
"How did you answer him?"
"He told me to get. And...well I told him I wasn't a dog."
Diana snickered.
"But I gathered my things and I left."
"Well...so long as you ain't hurt. But your daddy told you about goin' to that field across the way from that white man's tire shop."
"But a black man owns the field so I thought I'd be alright...he knows I go there." Annie argued sweetly.
"You fail to remember that all territory is white man territory. You stay as far and out the way as possible. If you can so much as still squint and tell it's a white man, you're too close. If that tulip field wasn't so pretty, I'm sure them white boys would've burned it down by now."
Annie nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Don't you go back 'round there."
"I won't. I promise. I'll find somewhere else to write."
"Good."

"Mama..." Annie called again.
"Yes, Annie?"
"Why do you think they don't like us?"
"Well...that's a question you've gotta ask God. I wish I knew just as much as you do. Maybe they fear what they can't understand."
"What's not to understand? I'm just a little bit darker."
"That's what they don't understand. Fear is a distant cousin of ignorance. Sometimes ignorance runs into fear when it goes in the wrong direction. That's what they're sufferin' from. You'd expect ignorance to form curiosity. That they should want to understand us better and bond over what we don't know about one another. Maybe that's where it leads when it takes the right path. But theirs got lost along the way."
Annie let her mother's words linger.

"Go tell your daddy and your brother to start washin' up. I'll be done by the time they're finished." Diana instructed.
"Yes, ma'am."

Annie left the kitchen to follow instructions.