Passage Rewrite
Chapter 10
When Tea Cake realized the ball game was at Winter Park and not Hungerford, he knew there would be no game watching for him that day. Instead, he made his way to the general store in Eatonville. Maybe he would run in to that Mrs. Starks. He’d heard the mayor died. Now it would be just her.
It was near five thirty when Tea Cake peeked through the front window. Sure enough, Mrs. Starks stood at the counter running a pencil listlessly over some wrapping paper. She looked up when she heard the door click shut. For a moment he smiled, watching her glowing eyes.
“Good evenin’, Mis’ Starks,” he said with his warm, playful smile.
“Good evenin’” she answered in a cheerful voice. “You got all de advantage ‘cause Ah don’t know yo’ name.”
“People don’t know me lak dey would you.”
“Ah guess standin’ in uh store do make uh person git tuh be known in de vicinity. Look lak Ah seen you somewhere.”
“Oh, Ah don’t live no further than Orlandah. Ah’m easy tuh see on Church Street most any day or night. You got any smokin’ tobacco?”
He watched her open the case. “What kind?”
“Camels.”
He took the cigarettes and gave her the money. She had gentle hands. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth.
“You got a lil piece uh fire over dere, lady?”
The two of them laughed and he took two kitchen matches from her. She looked uncertain as to what was supposed to happen next. He leaned in a bit closer.
“Why ain’t you at de ball game, too? Everybody else is dere.”
“Well, Ah see somebody else besides me ain’t dere. Ah just sold some cigarettes.” Again, they laughed.
“Dat’s ‘cause Ah’m dumb. Ah got de thing all mixed up. Ah thought de game was gointuh be out at Hungerford. So Ah got uh ride tuh where dis road turns off from de Dixie Highway and walked over here and then Ah find out de game is in Winter Park.”
They both found this funny.
“So what you gointuh do now? All de cars in Eatonville is gone.”
He gave her another one of his smiles.
“How about playin’ you in some checkers? You looks hard tuh beat.” She did too.
“Ah is, ‘cause Ah can’t play uh lick.” This was surprising to Tea Cake.
“You don’t cherish de game, then?”
“Yes, Ah do, and then again Ah don’t know whether Ah do or not, ‘cause nobody ain’t never showed me how.”
Tea Cake was ready to remedy the situation. It wasn’t everyday Tea Cake got to see a woman with her grace and spunk all in one.
“Dis is de last day for dat excuse. You got uh board round heah?”
“Yes indeed. De men folks treasures de game round heah. Ah just ain’t never learnt how.”
He set the board up and began to teach her. She watched him intently with a slight smile on her face and he found himself tingling inside. What a woman she was with her silky hair and beautiful eyes. She had a slender figure, but not too skinny.
He moved his piece to take her king and she squealed in protest, and grabbed his hand. Her skin was soft and warm, and he struggled gently in a mock effort to free himself.
“Ah got uh right tuh take it. You left it right in mah way.”
“Yeah, but Ah wuz lookin’ off when you went and stuck yo’ men right up tuh mine. No fair!”
“You ain’t supposed tuh look off, Mis’ Starks. It’s de biggest part uh de game tuh watch out! Leave mah hand.”
“No suh! Not mah king. You kin take another one, but not dat one.”
Mid-struggle they upset the board. They laughed at this too.
“Anyhow it’s time for uh Coca-Cola,” he said. Another reason to stay. “Ah’ll come teach yuh some mo’ another time.”
“It’s all right tuh come teach me, but don’t come tuh cheat me.”
“Yuh can’t beat uh woman. Dey jes won’t stand fuh it. But Ah’ll come teach yuh agin. You gointuh be uh good player too, after while.”
“You reckon so? Jody useter tell me Ah never would learn. It wuz too heavy fuh mah brains.”
“Folks is playin’ it wid sense and folks is playin’ it without. But you got good meat on yo’ head. You’ll learn. Have uh cool drink on me.”
“Oh all right, thank yuh. Got plenty cold ones tuhday. Nobody ain’t been heah tuh buy none. All gone off tuh de game.”
“You oughta be at de next game. ‘Tain’t no use in you stayin’ heah if everybody else is gone. You don’t buy from yo’self, do yuh?”
“You crazy thing! ‘Course Ah don’t. Ah’m worried ‘bout you uh little.”
“How come? ‘Fraid Ah ain’t gointuh pay fuh dese drinks?”
“Aw naw! How you gointuh git back home?”
“Wait round heah fuh a car. If none don’t come, Ah got good shoe leather. ‘Tain’t but seben miles no how. Ah could walk dat in no time. Easy.”
“If it wuz me, Ah’d wait on uh train. Seben miles is uh kinda long walk.”
“It would be for you, ‘cause you ain’t used to it. But Ah’m seen women walk further’n dat. You could too, if yuh had it tuh do.”
“Maybe so, but Ah’ll ride de train long as Ah got railroad fare.”
“Ah don’t need no pocket-full uh money to ride de train lak uh woman. When Ah takes uh notion Ah rides anyhow-money or no money.”
“Now ain’t you somethin’! Mr. er-er-You never did tell me whut yo’ name wuz.”
“Ah sho didn’t. Wuzn’t expectin’ fuh it to be needed. De name mah mama gimme is Vergible Woods. Dey calls me Tea Cake for short.”
“Tea Cake! So you sweet as all dat?” He frowned a little, trying to catch what she meant, but she laughed at her joke.
“Ah may be guilty. You better try me and see.”
He put his hat on, and she tried to frown, but he could see her smile underneath.
“B’lieve Ah done cut uh hawg, so Ah guess Ah better ketch air.” He turned to go, and for a moment she just stood there, so he looked back. There. She laughed when he turned. “You crazy thing!”
It was time to see for sure if she’d had as much fun as him that day. He tossed his hat at her feet. “If she don’t throw it at me, Ah’ll take a chance on comin’ back,” he said, and pretended to hide behind an invisible post. He waited, and she picked up his hat and tossed it back, laughing. “Even if she had uh brick she couldn’t hurt yuh wid it,” he said to a pretend companion. “De lady can’t throw.” He waved to his companion and went back to where Janie was, pretending like he had not just left the store, and was arriving for the first time.
“Evenin’, Mis’ Starks. Could yuh lemme have uh pound uh knuckle puddin’ till Saturday? Ah’m sho tuh pay yuh then.”
“You needs ten pounds, Mr. Tea Cake. Ah’ll let yuh have all Ah got and you needn’t bother ‘bout payin’ it back.”
Their joking continued until other people came in. He still was not ready to leave, so he sat and talked and laughed until it was closing time and everyone else had left. Janie chatted with and waited on the others, but it seemed to him like she was glad he was there. Finally, everyone but Tea Cake had left. “Ah reckon Ah done over-layed mah leavin’ time, but Ah figured you needed somebody tuh help yuh shut up de place. Since nobody else ain’t round heah, maybe Ah kin git de job.”
“Thankyuh,Mr. Tea Cake. It’s kinda strainin’ fuh me.”
“Who ever heard of uh teacake bein’ called Mister! If you wanta be real hightoned and call me Mr. Woods, dat’s de way you feel about it. If yuh wants tuh be uh lil friendly and call me Tea Cake, dat would be real nice.” As he said this, he closed and bolted the windows for her.
“All right, then. Thank yuh, Tea Cake. How’s dat?”
“Jes lak uh lil girl wid her Easter dress on. Even nice!” He latched the door and made sure it was locked, and passed her the key. She took it with a shy smile. “Come on now, Ah’ll see yuh inside yo’ door and git on down de Dixie.”
She linked her arm in his and strolled with him off the porch of the store over to her house. It felt so natural to Tea Cake to be there with her arm in his. Like he hadn’t just spoke to her for the first time that day. He told her good night at her door, and watched her sit down on the porch. Then he walked off wearing his happiness like a blanket.
Janie Starks. What a smart and kind lady. He wondered to himself why no one had taken the time to show her checkers before. Not to worry. He would be back to teach her more.
By: Kaylin Miller
