Young 18 year old Viola is in love. She plans to make way up North to Harlem. Set in the 1920's she is faced with difficult decisions. Leaving Alabama with the love of her life she is faced with hardship and is forced to grow up while still a kid.
We boarded the train to Harlem around 7. Viola was so tired I felt for her, she had deep bags under her dark brown eyes.
The wait had her sleeping at every possible moment.
She laid her head on my left shoulder lightly snoring. I was too tired to continue to observe every little twitch she made.
We sat on the velvet back car for colored people.
I looked out the window as the images flashed before the windows.
I've been planning this trip for a while now and I was glad I finally did it.
It was about 6 years ago I was 14 when my father left to go off with a white woman.
Now taboo isn't it a colored man and a white women? Same thing the whole town said.
But he didn't get far he was found on a tree...hanging, just beaten to the pulp and hanged. Bad to say I didn't feel remorse,but to be honest I didnt.
I didn't feel sympathy because when he was alive I didn't have any good memories what so ever to look back on and cry about.
My father was the first negro man to be lynched in my town. Not too proud of that.
I wanted to be free and not have to worry about crossing the white man.
My father was a good example although he set him self for self destruction by sleeping with that woman.
I slouched down in my seat a little while stuffing my hands in my pocket to get comfy.
Viola's head slid down my chest as she wrapped her arms around me. I chuckled to myself while shaking my head and I slowly closed my eyes.
|Viola|
I woke up in the 4th hour of the train ride to find William sleeping. I lifted my head so that my chin was on his collar bone.
I looked at him closely for the only real looking we ever had was at church.
I looked at him in awe. His pink full lips up to his straight nose then his closed small eyes. I could already tell William was the type of person you could read.
His eyes were puffy and black as if he hadn't eaten or slept in a couple hours.
I forgot I was lurking and I placed my small hand and traced his strong jaw line. I felt him clench them, I quickly pulled away and sat up.
I was sitting up fixing my dress when I found a colored woman sitting across from me staring.
I placed a curly strand of hair behind my ear in embarrassment. She looked around maybe 56.
She had a hat and a coat on. She was holding her purse to her chest. She had a press and curl and a worry some look in her face.
"Oh baby you must not know." she finally said.
"Know what?, what is it I don't know?" I asked in a confused voice.
"It's December."
"I know what month it is" I said nonchalantly
"Obviously not cause this trains going to New York...it gets really cold this time of year." she replied indicating I & William only had a thin layer of clothing on without a coat.
"Well it's too late now." I said looking back at snoring William.
What exactly was I to do it was too late and I only had so much money on me.
2 hours later
We stopped at a break stop to switch drivers.William was still sleeping.
This was the time to buy hot chocolate, food, post cards, and all of that at this little store.
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I pulled out my wallet and started counting money. 17.58$ in change.
"Will that be enough?" I asked.
She replied in a simple head nod. I ran off the train as other passengers walked into the bathrooms.
I was hit with this cold breeze with a frost to it. Never felt a thing like that in my life.
I walked into a the store and bought myself a black button down coat with fur collars. I was looking at coats for William still having 4 mins until I should get back on the train.
When I was looking at the sizes it then hit me that I didn't know his size. My soon to be husband, I didn't know his size.
I got a 20 long since he was tall and some what skinny.
I paid the man and got a set of blankets and got back to my seat on the train.
"Beautiful." she said lowly.
I laid the blankets in Williams lap as he continued to dream.
I only smiled.
I cuddle up on his arm as the train started to move again.
-------- So I made the chapter longer knowing that I now have a person reading.
