Miss Annie done gone away for the weekend up North to visit her sister n ‘em. Says she be back come Monday. That mean its jus me and John and this big ‘ol plantation for the next coupla days. Its not that I don’t like John much. It’s just that he makes me so uneasy sometimes. He look at me like he’s tryna read a book, ya know? Tryna figure me out. I ain’t no damn story to be read and I ain’t tryna be figured out by a damn soul.

Since Miss Annie gone, I have to spend the day with John. He wanted me to sit with im on the porch for some lunch. I’m a lil hesitant, not cause I got a issue with the space, but cause I don’t like being around John for too long if I don’t have to, even with Miss Annie around. But I couldn’t come up with a good excuse to miss the meal so here I am. Maybe this can be good.

While I sit with John I can’t help but think back to the days this really was a planation. I could just see massa sittin on this ol porch, watching us work. I remember one time when I made the mistake of lookin massa in the eye.

“What you lookin at boy?”

“I ain lookin at nun massa.”

“Sure does look like you looking at me. Right in my eyes like we’re equals.”

“No massa I’s jus lookin’ roun.”

“Do I look stupid to you boy?”

“No massa.”

“Get over here disrespectful nigger.”

I ain never received a whippin so bad as I did that day. My back bled for hours and it took me 2 whole days to be able to stand up straight again. Truth be told I wanted to test my limits and see how far I could go with massa.

Now that I think about it, John got the same eye color as my old massa did. He bout the same height too. I knew there was somethin’ I ain’t quite like bout him I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I don’t trust him one bit. But of course he can’t know that. I gotta bide my time and play my cards right. One day, this ol plantation gon be mine and I ain’t gon pay a single cent for it.

“You okay over there Julius?”

I look up and John’s lookin at me like he know everything I was just thinkin of.

“Yes suh, I wuz jus a lil los in ma head fo a lil bit.”

“It happens to the best of us. What were you thinking about if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Ain nun too serious. Jus thinkin bout them ‘ol days when dis really was a plantation.

“Well what’s the good in that? Those days are over, forget about them and live in the present.”

I look at John and nod my head, agreeing with him for the sake of my sanity.

Man I can’t wait for Miss Annie to get back.

 

 

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