‘Does that excuse your lateness?’ She bellowed in an authoritative tone ‘Looks like the Logans are going down in their standards’ I felt cheated and hurt that she had the cheek to criticise my family when she was so horrid. ‘It’s not my family’s fault Miz’. She looked down on me as if I was muck on the classroom floor. ‘Never Never answer back to me Cassie Logan, and you address me properly, I am a teacher not one of your friends, its Miz.Crocker to you not Miz.’ She paused and took in a deep breath of air ‘You better go and get seated in your seat Logan child before you get a whipping. Now get moved.’
You know that feeling, the one deep down in your stomach? The one that makes you feel as if it’s going to be ‘one of those days’? I had that…I’m sure there are a hundred butterflies down there. I decided to get on with my sums and keep a low profile, I pulled out my math book and pencil 7+6=13 So 13 -7 must be 6…these were too easy, I flew through the work and slipped into a blank daydream.
‘See you all after the break. Class dismissed’ All the class stood up and sighed in relief, there were sounds of talking and laughter. Then silence, it was if a thundercloud had moved directly over our heads, I looked up to the front of the room, Mr.Granger and Mr.Jamison were talking to Miss.Crocker. After a few minutes of talking, Miss walked towards the front ‘Cassie. Stacey.Here please, everyone else out.’ The children scampered toward s the door and out, Stacey and I walked to the front, I managed to shoot him the ‘what’s all this about?’ look and he shrugged his shoulders. As we approached the 3 adults, Mr.Jamison took his hat off, and walked towards us, as he held his hat in front of his chest, I am sure I saw a tear in his crystal clear green eyes, I already knew what they were going to say, it was T.J..They didn’t have to speak; I could see it in their eyes. A sort of forlorn stare…Mr.Jamison almost distant.
‘I’m sorry’ Mr.Jamison whispered, I shook my head in despair ‘no! It can’t be, oh please…not T.J.’ Once again my tears of emotion over took me, I broke down in a giant weep on the classroom floor. Stacey just said in a deep voice ‘What has happened?’ This was typical of Stacey, he had to know all the facts before making a judgement or movement. Miss. Crocker cleared her throat ‘Due to the behaviour of a Master.
Avery, T.J., he has to be hanged later on today, you can’t say that good-for nothing don’t deserve it.’ She probably didn’t feel any sympathy or remorse for T.J.She walked out of the classroom with her back to us all while Mr.Jamison put a firm hand on Stacey’s shoulder, Stacey shrugged it off ‘You…You all wanted dis to happen, all you whites. You all ‘ate dat poor ole fellow.’ Stacey paused and sniffed, not letting his tears fall ‘Well, I tell u something that ole nigger who you ‘ate, he he’s my best buddy, and you ain’t gonna kill him. Wait ’til my Papa and his Papa hear bouts you, going round…’
Mr.Granger stopped Stacey from talking ‘Look at that, Jamison, little black kid thinks he’s like his father too! Huh, they all think they own the place. Oh lil kids you mightas well know dat your family have lost the land. Yeah, your decent family couldn’t afford to keep it. Its public property now.’ His tone was sarcastic and hurtful. It was stabbing Stacey and I in the back and he knew it. ‘ You can’t take the land, its ours, you mighta well take everything off us! That’s our livelihood, wait til my Papa hears bout dis…’ Stacey stood in front of Granger, but facing Jamison ‘I…I wanna comes wit you, I wanna see my ole pal, please?’
They looked at him as if he was from outer space. Big Ma’s faithful solicitor nodded his head ‘If you’re sure, it can be awful upsetting for lil ones.’ Stacey looked at the two adults… ‘Its what T.J. woulda wanted’ Jamison nodded ‘Yes, I understand…well we better get you in to da car, Cassie don’t suppose you’re up for comin’?’ Could I cope with seeing one of the best friends I have die in such an explicit way? I thought about, Stacey was right, T.J. needs all the help he can get at this moment in time, and I would go. No matter what it did to me, it was our friend who we should be thinking of not us.
A short and round white man whom I didn’t recognise stood before us all. He was red in the face, I didn’t know if it was through embarrassment or the Mississippi heat. He wiped his brow with a plump hand and began to speak ‘Public people, you are invited hear today to witness four niggers get killed’ a cheer rippled over my head and about thirty adults pushed to the front, knocking me and Stacey to the ground. ‘I don’t think we should delay any longer, these blacks are Mr.Frethor, he knocked a white man to the ground only last week, Mr.Longerd he had the cheek to steal from a good store owner, Mr.Avery he murdered and stole of some good friends of this community’ A huge gasp was heard ‘…and finally Mr.Kijja he refused to move his vehicle on several occasions. Anyway on the with the show…Ladies and gentlemen have fun!’
A smile appeared on his face, and more whites rushed up to the front, I scanned the crowds for any blacks, There was only a family who we didn’t recognise. As the four people who were convicted walked up to the front, I caught T.J.s eye, I mouthed ‘sorry’ but what good was that going to do? T.J. looked even worse than he usually does, he was naked and his bones showed through his almost transparent, thin looking, skin, as they began to put the ropes round their thin necks, I closed my eyes. It was too unbearable to watch. Stacey grasped my hand tightly. We both needed some support. I could sense Stacey turning his head away; he had seen some things in his time-but nothing could even come close to this sickening day.
‘Now for the good bit.’ The white man laughed and pulled away the station on which the four black boys and men stood. T.J. was coughing and spluttering, how could I help him? None of my plans were going to solve this one and I felt completely useless. Stacey kept his eyes locked on T.J., T.J. was fighting for breath like an exhausted athlete. Stacey clenched my hand harder, ‘Lets go.’ He pulled me away from the cheering audience. He led me under a tree, there he collapsed. I stared at him, not knowing quite what to do.
He was banging the sandy ground with his fists, fat tears rolling down his face, like snowballs down a mountain. ‘Why?’ he kept on sobbing, I don’t think it was an answer he was looking for, his dark face was buried in tin the sand while his fists banged the ground. I knelt down to him, the words got stuck in my throat, I was silent. I wish Papa were here to comfort Stacey. He was so alone now and he knew it. T.J. and Stacey were so close. What was the future going to hold out for Stacey? As far as Stacey was concerned, his life was over too. And what about the land? How can we survive without Papa’s work? Now Mamas out of a job, we need all the money.
