Divided

Chapter Six

Lizette slept in longer. It was Sunday. Her only break and perhaps her last. She felt herself shiver at the prospect of receiving a new master. Would he abuse her ? Would there be no days off whatsoever ? How likely was she to die of yellow fever or overwork on another plantation ?

Lizette was unsure and tried to just focus on something else. Anything else. That distraction came sooner than she thought.

" Ay , wake-up !" Alice demanded, nudging the woman in her side with a foot. Lizette grabbed her foot before it could go on for another kick and pushed Alice away. Hard. The woman nearly fell on her behind before catching herself.

" Man , I hope you get it today."

Lizette just narrowed her eyes , sitting up. She rubbed her side, now sore and tender thanks to Alice. Gosh , Lizette wanted to punch her out again like at the prank for the worms. But it wasn't worth wouldn't have to see Alice's ugly face again. Lizette looked around for Timothy but saw no one.

" He waitin' for us. We gotta go to mass, " Alice answered , seeing Lizette's confusion.

. She hated it. Another thing about Master Tucker was that he was religious. A religious slave owner was even more maddening than a secular one.

God said slaves shall obey their masters. Slaves should love their masters. It was all terrible. She remembered her mother struggling to reconcile that with the fact that she believed in Jesus and that was one of his commands.

Lizette followed Alice, Timothy was already sitting amid other slaves on the grass, all surrounding Mr.O , a preacher.

" Hurry on up! You's late, " screeched Mr. O at the two. Lizette ran across , pulling up her skirts with the grass crunching under her bare feet. Alice just trudged behind, despite being so insistent that Lizette quicken her pace. Lizette sat near Timothy and Alice finally arrived , plopping right next to them.

Mr. O then opened his little black Bible and started reading about the creation of the world.

" And God said let there be light and there was light -"

What light ? There had never been any. Not for her or anyone else.

" And he said let there be darkness and there was darkness."

There was darkness alright. Always darkness. She could hear a child wheezing away behind her, its mother whispering words of comfort.

" You gonna be alright John, I promise."

Those were the words, no LIES Lizette had been told by her own mother , as she held Lizette in her arms , tears streaming down her face. Something warm dripped down the side of Lizette's face and she reached a hand to wipe it away , but Beatrice held her arm.

" No ," commanded her mother , " leave it 'lone."

Lizette would have said yes, but her head was throbbing and her vision blurry. She was seeing in two. There was so much commotion and the bark of the overseer as she laid in her mother's arms in a white sea of cotton.

She didn't quite remember what caused that pain in her head or the warm substance dripping down the side of her face. She had dreams but they were not memories just mere fantasies conjured by her mind. Her world would never have any light in it. That was the privilege reserved only for white people. They could pursue their dreams while she toiled for them.

Lizette remembered asking why they were slaves if Jesus or God was so merciful.

"That's cuz they worship a evil God," Alice proclaimed , rather loudly.