THE JOURNEY NORTH

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

I woke up to someone slappin my face. Of course it wasn’t someone but Lou who was giggling as she slapped me. I was feelin good that mornin so I felt like chasing her. Chasin her real far then makin her find her way back on her own. I was gonna chase her down the dirt path when Rowe called out stoppin me,

“Louise… Were ya thinkin what I think ya were?” Sometimes, she was scarryier than Mamma when she was mad.

“Na Rowe, I was just gonna chase Lou there ‘n back.” I remember those steely gray eyes she gave me when I first tried runnin Lou off. She had that same look this time, only worse.

“Well if you got time for that you got time to study with me.” I had never been more glad than I was then when I had to count to ten, write my A,B,C’s ‘n some words then. I was better at it than Rowe ‘n timmy were. Every chance I got I would rub it in their faces at how much better I was than them.

Mamma had called us all back when it was time to go, but I could tell everyone how much better I was than them that Mamma had said, “Well If your so good then why don’t you practice how you speak.”

I didn’t like all those fancy big words they used but I tried anyway. Just to give me more things to talk about. It later turned out that they were better than me at talkin all fancy, even teased me. Mamma had said it ain’t gonna get me nowhere if I can only write and count better than anyone else.I gotta learn how a talk if I want a job.

It took me two more weeks to talk all those fancy words and I was able to talk with them, but by then Timmy ‘n Rowe had gotten with better with their writin and countin that we took turns who could teach Lou the best. I had Timmy lost first, then me, an Rowe was the winner. Timmy ‘n I had to make her somethin nice so when we stopped at a town that was a week's journey to where we were goin we got her somethin, Timmy picked the items ‘n I put everything together.

It was a real pretty dress that I had put together for her.  Timmy only got the fabric an I made it to somethin nice. It costed us a dollar. Timmy had the money saved from when he had a job. I don’t know how a eleven summers boy could get a job at that age, but I didn’t care so long as we could get her somethin. It was that same day that snow had started ta fall. It was cold ‘n the pretty dress I made her had extra cloth left over so I made some hats ‘n gloves for everyone. It was funny seein the men in baby blue and black gloves but what was even better was seein Rowe in the dress I had made her.

She was absolutely beautiful. When she wore it she started cryin I had asked her what was wrong but she just kept sayin it was so beautiful over and over again. Even Lou was sayin it was pretty ‘n she wanted one. Mamma said, for once something good about me, ‘well done’. I have never felt so much pride come from her in all my life except then and in the future.

A few days after we had to say our goodbyes. I was sad to have to say goodbye to the only real friend I've ever had that didn’t laugh at me or my sisters. I had hugged Timmy so tight and never wanted to let him go, but Mamma said that they we goin to Chicago and we had to get to New York if we want to be in time. On time for what though? Mamma had only said it was a surprise an we needed to wait.

‘N waited…

‘N waited…

‘N waited until I couldn't no more and had asked her, “Mamma, can you tell us now? Even Rowe wants to know!” She had simply just smiled and told us to wait one more week. By then we were already in New York and walkin up a flight of stairs when he opened the door with a big smile on his face when he saw us.

“Daddy!!!” Rowe ran up to him and hugged him. I was about ta do the same but Lou hugged my leg and whispered, “Who dat?”

“That's daddy. You won’t know him, you was just a baby.” I slowly walked up to him with Lou behind me. I giggled as I hugged Him and pushed Lou ta do the same. “She don’t remember you.”

“Ah, there's my little Rolowesie. How you’ve been?”

“I ‘en fine. Mamma cooks good ‘n Rowe tech me, ‘n Louise been chasin me all da time.”

“Has she now? Well sound like you’ve been having a mighty fine time, why don’t we all get settled in for the night.” That night we played ‘n laughed and had all sorts of fun. I didn’t like not sharin a room with Rowe, but she came in durin the night and we slept together like we always did.