The Forbidden Expedition

Why Are You Crying?

I was working on the field picking cotton with my friends, Jerome and Blanche. I saw the master's daughter run out of the house in her white sundress with a pink ribbon braided into her pretty blond hair. She looked upset, which was odd to me, Blanche, and Jerome, she was never unhappy when we saw her. She ran and sat on the swing that hung on one of the branches of a tree. We all looked at each other, then agreed we didn't want the responsibility of the master whipping one of use because his daughter was unhappy.

I then found myself walking up to the girl sitting on the swing. Jerome and Blanche told me to go talk to talk to her. I stood a few feet away from the girl now I could see her features more clearly. Her blond hair had some dark streaks under it and lighter in top, her skin was very light it had probably seen the sun just a few times in her life. Her lips had the same color of a raspberry, and her eyes where a deep blue color.

She was crying, I had to say something, "hello." She jumped and looked at me. She smiled and dried her eyes, "hello." I looked around at the ground as if the ground should tell me what to say. "What's you name?" She asked I looked at her, "my name?" I repeated and she nodded, "my name is, Hugh, ma'am." She nodded smiling, "that's a nice name." She said looking at the pice of cloth. I looked at the field to Jerome and Blanche but they had gotten back to work. "I'm Avis by the way." She said holding out her hand to me, I shook it. "The master's daughter." She nodded, "I bet you want to know what I'm doing sitting out here like this." I shrugged, "I just wanna know what's wrong." She laughed, "I'm alright. I just need a moment." I shook my head, "my papa always told me that, if a girls cryin' she ain't alright." She laughed again, "your papa's a smart man." She said folding her napkin and putting it in a pocket.

We started walking along a trail close to the woods by the house. "So, why are you cryin'?" I asked. She sighed, "I've come of age, Hugh." I looked at her confused. "Of age for what?" She looked at me smiling, "of age to be sold away to a strange man." She looked at me wide eyed, "sorry." She said quickly, I shrugged "It's fine." Honestly I'd never given thought to it. "Don't you want that? All the other white girls I've seen couldn't wait to be given to a rich white boy." Now I looked at her, "sorry." She laughed, "it's fine." We walked around to the front of the house. "Well, thank you for talking with me, Hugh. I appreciate it." She said holding out her hand and I shook it, "your welcome, I've liked getting away from the cotton field for a while." She laughed, "well I'm glad to have helped you get away from it." I nodded, she sighed, "I should go. I'll see you around, Hugh. Good bye." I nodded, "good bye ma'am." She laughed again, "please call me, Avis." I shrugged, "Ok, good bye, Avis." And with that she went inside.