Every day following, for the rest of the week, Daniel kept himself out of trouble and away from any crime that happened in colored neighborhoods. Instead he visited Annie's window, sat at her desk, and they talked for up to two hours before he had to get back home and go to bed.
He honestly felt bad when he upset Annie. He didn't know why. He'd harassed a colored boy before and didn't feel an ounce of sympathy. But when she was disappointed in him...It was a feeling he didn't want to experience again.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Annie's family shouted as she entered the kitchen.
"Thank you!" she smiled happily.
Her mama made pancakes and bacon for the celebration. Annie's favorites.
Besides Christmas, Annie's favorite holiday was her birthday. She expected everybody to go all out when it came around. And her mama always did because Annie was her only girl. Decorations hung around the kitchen, Diana would make the biggest homemade cake she could, chocolate just like Annie liked it. Annie wore her best dress in the color blue and even had her hair curled and pinned beautifully, perfectly framing her face.
"Go on and take a seat, I'll have your plate ready in a second." said Diana with a kiss to Annie's head.
Annie took the head seat at the table.
"Ohhhh, so birthdays make us cocky?" Sirius joked.
Annie laughed. "Just for breakfast."
Sirius sighed. "You're lucky I like you."
"How come I never get to sit at the head on my birthday?" Marshall asked.
"Cause I don't like you."
Annie and her mama snickered to themselves.
"When we finish, DeDe and Samuel are coming over so we can take my truck and get you some shoppin' done." Marshall stated.
"You mean it?!" Annie replied excitedly. Diana set a plate in front of her.
"Yea, you're lucky I got paid recently."
"My little girl is 20 years old. Ain't so little now." Sirius stated.
"It's 'bout time she start lookin' for a husband ain't it?" Marshall asked.
"Annie?" Diana called.
"Well...I always thought it would be Johnny. Since I was a little girl I thought he was handsome." she replied as she cut her pancakes.
"And now?"
"Well...I still think he's handsome, but...you gotta be awake to get married, don't you?"
"Annie!"
"I don't mean no offense, mama, it's just...I have to take him off the list for the time being. What if he doesn't make it?"
"Now don't you talk like that. Johnny'll be alright. He'll be up and at 'em before it's too late. You two can have the wedding y'all wanted." Diana promised.
She'd set plates in front of her husband and son then set her own and took a seat.
"Well...if he doesn't, then who?" Sirius asked.
"She don't talk to many boys." Marshall stated.
Annie thought about Daniel. He wouldn't marry her. He wouldn't even be allowed to. Plus, they were just friends and she'd never thought of him that way but she had to admit she thought he was really handsome.
"Are Samuel and DeDe gettin' married anytime soon?" Diana wondered and ate a cut of her pancakes.
"Samuel says he's planning on proposin' this weekend."
"That's nice."
"What if I can't find anybody to marry?" Annie asked her family.
"Well, that's impossible." Diana spoke up.
"How?"
"A lot of families would want you to marry their sons. You're a beautiful girl and you come from a good family." Diana answered.
"Well what if I don't wanna marry them?" Annie asked.
"What're you sayin', Annie Denise?" Sirius pondered.
"I don't know..." she looked down at her food and ate.
"Is there someone you do wanna marry?" Diana asked.
She thought about Daniel again. But once again she remembered that it was impossible. She couldn't even get a hug or a kiss, much less a wedding.
She wasn't even sure she wanted to marry him. He was just the only boy she really spoke to at the moment.
"No, mama. I'm just thinkin' out loud."
The family accepted and continued eating.
•~~~•
Annie and DeDe walked around a boutique while Samuel and Marshall sat outside talking like men.
"So...how are you and Samuel?" Annie asked her.
"Oh we're great!" DeDe smiled. "He's the sweetest thing and my mama even says she thinks we'll get married."
"That's good." Annie replied.
She continued searching through the dresses.
"Is there anybody you have your eyes on? You're 20 now after all. Marriage should be right around the corner, don't you think?"
"Oh, I don't know."
"Really? Hm. I'd hate to be a old maid. I'm glad I found Samuel when I did."
Annie thought for a second.
"Okay, there is somebody but you can't tell anybody what I'm about to tell you." she told DeDe quietly.
"Okay, who is it?"
"Oh, you don't know him. He's real quiet like."
"Quiet like?"
"Shh. That don't matter."
"So you like him?" DeDe asked.
Annie smiled. "Maybe just a little. I don't know. He's funny and we like the same things. He pays me a visit every night at my window and we talk for hours until he's gotta get back home because he works in the yard sometimes. But sometimes he doesn't and he's only busy in the evenings."
"I see."
"And he's sweeter. He didn't used to be. He used to be pretty mean when I first met him, but...he's much nicer nowadays. And he makes promises to me and always keeps 'em."
DeDe smiled as she listened.
"And...he's real handsome." Annie added and the two giggled. "He's got a pretty smile and his eyes sparkle. He's tall and he's strong."
"Well the way you're lookin' just thinkin' about him tells me he must be real good lookin'." DeDe snickered.
"He is!" Annie agreed. "And...he smokes cigarettes."
"He smokes cigarettes?"
"Mhm."
"Oh you got a real man."
Annie gave a nod. "That's what I say."
"Well, what's stoppin' you from marryin' him?" DeDe wondered.
Annie froze.
"Um...His family wants him to marry someone else." she answered.
"Someone else? Why? You're beautiful and you can cook and clean. Ain't nothin' else they need." DeDe argued.
Annie shrugged.
She looked towards the window of the boutique and saw the mannequin had changed dresses. She frowned and continued looking for something else instead.
~•~
They all finished their shopping and instead went on a nice walk, talking, each with their own ice cream cone.
Annie froze in joy.
"What happened, Annie?" said DeDe.
"What is it?" Marshall asked.
Annie walked over to it. Mouth agape in awe.
She looked out at the field of lavender.
Marshall, DeDe, and Samuel followed and stood behind her.
"She likes flowers." Marshall told them.
Annie began walking through the field.
"Almost as much as she likes dresses." he added.
"She'll have a garden once she's married." said DeDe.
"Better find a man that likes flowers." Samuel stated.
"Mhm." they each replied.
YOU ARE READING
The Boy She Illegally Brought To The Lavender Field (bwwm)
Romance(If you read 'Bunny' then you know that towards the end there is a movie plot. I came up with it just so the movie Willow would be in sounded realistic and good but I couldn't let it go so I wrote this book based off of it but with a few changes add...
