"Sally, get in here!"

"Coming, Mama!"

I ran in the little house me and my family lived at. Today was my 12th birthday. I was almost a grown woman.

"Yes, Mama!"

"Happy Birthday! I got you something."

She took out a large circle shaped box and gave it to me. I opened it, It was a light brown weird looking hat.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's called a beret. It's one of those French hats. It's from a friend of mine. She didn't want it anymore."

I tried the hat on.

"It looks so adorable on you!"

"Thanks Mama."

"You're welcome baby. Now go wake Teddy up for breakfast. Then the both of you get started on your chores."

"Yes ma'am."

I walked to Teddy's room. Teddy was going to turn ten that year.

"Teddy, wake up."

He opened his eyes and looked up at me, then he tried going back to sleep.

"Teddy, come on, Mama said breakfast is ready."

"I don't wanna," he whined.

"Theodore Maxwell Hawthorne, you get up before I make your behind hurt so bad you won't be able to walk again!"

That got him up.

"Yes Mama."

I was just as stern with my big baby of a brother as our parents was.

The main purpose of the chores was for Daddy's store. The crops and livestock was to help stock the shelves of Hawthorne's Farm Goods.

After my share of the chores were done, I ran in the woods. We live in between the woods and the town. I'd rather spend time in the woods than my own family. It was more fun in the woods. Everyone in town knew I loved spending time in the woods. They gave me the name Queen of the Woods. I liked that.

That evening, Daddy came home! We were in the kitchen eating supper.

"Daddy!" Teddy shouted.

"Hey little buddy!"

Daddy walked to Mama and gave her a hug and a kiss. 

"How was work?"

"It was the usual."

What he meant by the usual: He doesn't get a whole lot of customers. We mostly live on customers of our kind which is about 30% of town. White folk rarely shop there, if whites shop there, that meant he or she likes us. People who don't like us either harass the store or just don't bother shopping. I don't know why negroes were hated so much by whites.

Daddy continued to talk about his day at work.

"How come they hate us?" I asked.

Daddy gave me a mean look, then I realized what I did wrong.

"Girl, how many times do I have to say this to y'all!? Don't speak unless you're spoken to! You don't interrupt adults when they're talking! Don't make me have to say this to y'all again! I'll whoop your behind!"

"Yes sir."

"That's right! That's the most disrespectful thing anybody can do! Eat your dinner. Now, what were you gonna say?"

"How come white folk are so mean to us?"

"I don't know. It started since our ancestors were brought here as slaves. Just because negroes are free doesn't mean we're treated like everyone else. It's been worse for us since the stock market crash in the big apple. People barely making money, living off crops and livestock. I think we're doing just fine, for now. People, mostly children are running away from home to look for work. I've been hearing people are riding the rails-"

"Maxwell, don't put those thoughts in her head. No child of mine ain't running away from home! Just don't worry her about what's going on."

We continued to eat.