Shining beneath the Moon

Part 1

Momma left us a long time ago. It was just my daddy and I in Franklin County Virginia now. He didn't know much about raising a kid, let a long a little girl. But when he picked me up from our neighbor Miss Hattie, he made sure I had something to wear, something to eat, something to sleep on, and water to be clean. He's a farmer and has lots of animals down the road from our house. He traded with the other colored farmers and we kept to ourselves on our small side of the county. I learned how to be a woman from Miss Hattie. She liked to sing. I would listen to her while I ate corn bread and green beans from the kitchen. I was about ten or eleven helping her around the house. I was sweeping the back porch one day, listening to the rumbling of the sky.

I couldn't wait for the rain. As I swept, I could hear distant laughter coming from the other back yards of the neighbors. Miss Hattie lived between both poor colored and poor whites. She was always friendly to all the neighbors, but extra friendly to her white neighbors. I glanced up to see some of the neighbor kids now bothering some of the pigs that were roaming their pen. There were three boys laughing and swatting at the pig's bottom.

"Velvet, mind yo eyes looking over at them Bondurant boys." Miss Hattie replied making me jump and look at her from inside the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am." I replied and kept sweeping. She looked ahead and just shook her head.

"I got some lemonade ready for ya when ya done." I nodded respectfully.

"Thank you." I replied as she closed the door behind her. As I swept the back porch I heard a high squealing and looked up to see one of the pigs running wild across the field.

"GET IT HOWARD!" one of the boys yelled as he chased behind a curly haired boy.

"Daddy's gonna be real mad!" the smaller of the three yelled unable to keep up.

"Jack stay in the barn!" the same boy commanded."

"Ah shucks Forrest!" he said hitting at the ground. The two young boys ran across the small field after the plump pig. I watched carelessly. The curly haired boy in the front saw me and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"Come on Howard keep moving!" the boy, Forrest, called as he kept running. Howard just stood there as if he had seen something amazing. His eyes were wide and I just stared back. It's impolite to stare at white folks like this, but Howard didn't seem to mind. I heard the back door open again and Miss Hattie was beside me in seconds.

"Boy don't you run cross my flowers and ruin them now!" she said placing her thick fists on her hips. Howard's face shook some.

"S-sorry Miss Hattie… our pig got loose down yonder onto Mr. Glen's field!" he said. Miss Hattie shook her head.

"Well you best go and get it 'fore your daddy finds out and beats yall senseless. I don't want to hear no crying now on the lord's day." she said. Howard nodded swiftly.

"Yes ma'am." he said and hurried off after the other boy. I blinked and watched him run off. He looked back at me a few times quickly looking away each time.

"Who are the Bondurants, Miss Hattie?" I asked looking up at her. My caretaker shook her head beaming at the boys.

"Trouble makers. Heard they got injun blood in them which makes them wild as hell fire. You mind yourself around them, Velvet. You don't want to get caught up in their foolishness." she told. A crack of thunder made us both look up as the rains came. "Come on in, cool lemonade is waiting for us."

I'd like to believe I tried my best to stay from the Bondurants. Lord knows I was never putting myself in their world, more like them putting them putting themselves in mine. Once I turned seventeen, I found myself helping daddy around the house when he needed it which was very rare.

"You just focus on yo school work." he would say. He wanted me to go to college, but I didn't see it happening. Not for someone like me. For the time being I cleaned houses for some of the neighbors on the other side of our town. Sometimes I was paid in cash, other times I was paid in clothes and goods that could help my dad and I stay afloat I was walking down the street now, carrying a small bag of groceries. My brown over alls was pale and old from wearing it so much, but I didn't mind. The shirt I had underneath it was short, stopped over my belly button. It was clean. My hair was braided back in two and the sun shined heavily today. Some trucks passed me on the road. Sometimes the drivers would look back others would keep driving.

However, a truck was slowing down beside me and I looked over my shoulder to see it was none other than Howard Bondurant. He was in a brown shirt from what I could see. His hair was greasy as was his forehead. I could tell he had been working. He gave a kind smile.

"Afternoon, Velvet." he said. I glanced at him and nodded politely.

"Hello, Howard." I said keeping my voice low. He cleared his throat watching the road and then looking at me.

"You look very nice today." he complimented. I tensed just a bit before smiling in his direction.

"Thank you." I replied and held my bag close to me. Howard Bondurant was a fighter. He constantly into trouble, fighting anyone who said something bad or looked at him ugly. I heard he'd fight girls too if they were ugly enough and looked like boys.

"You bringing home groceries for you pa?" he asked. I looked at the bag of groceries and then at him.

"I am." I responded politely and he nodded.

"Well say, it looks like we're going to the same place, why don't I give you a ride?" he asked. I blinked at the question glancing at him and then down the road.

"You goin' to my pa's?" I asked and he shrugged some.

"Well I'll be passing that way. It's hot and wouldn't want you to pass out from this heat." he said. I thought about it for a second before looking at him with uncertainty.

"I don't think I should take rides from a stranger." I muttered and now he looked offended.

"Stranger? Hell we've basically grown up together! Your pa knows my kin and my kin knows you and your pa. He's helped us out a few times and we've returned the favor. Hell you can basically say we're family." he said with pride.

These were facts, but my father did not like us being alone together for too long, that much was for sure. And to be fair, he was always nice to me. A car was coming up behind him, slowing down some and honking at him. Howard suddenly whipped his head back. "GO AROUND FUCKING IDIOT!" I covered my smile with my hand and looked down watching as the car drove around and sped away. Howard looked at me with dazzling sky-blue eyes.

"Hey got you smiling! So hows bout it?" he asked. I looked at him and he just kept smiling and I just looked ahead. It was hot and I didn't want my groceries to go bad. I looked back at him and nodded.

"Okay." I replied and he finally stopped his truck so I could walk around to the other side. He leaned over and pushed the door open and I got in.

"Thank you." I replied and he nodded. The truck picked up moderate speed. I didn't say anything, just kept staring out the window and such. Howard was looking at me from time to time.

"Boy you sure are a quiet one." he said. I glanced back at him now not expecting him to say that. He fumbled his words some. "I mean you were always quiet as a kid." I nodded looking around some.

"Guess I don't have much to say." I replied glancing down at my groceries to take my mind somewhere else.

"So how is old Ellis?" he asked and I looked at him and smiled politely once more.

"He's fine. Still working. How's Forrest and Jack?" I asked. He nodded.

"Being a pain in my ass as usual." he said.

"Brothers can be that way sometime." I replied. He nodded.

"You're lucky you don't have to find out." he said and I nodded.

"Yes. That is true." I replied. He nodded quietly looking down some and biting his lip

"Hey you want to get a soda, maybe go for a walk?" he asked, and I looked at him my eyes popping some.

"A walk, with me?" I asked and he nodded quickly.

"Yeah. I got to tend to the farm for a few hours, but after that, I can come and pick you up again. I'm sure with this heat anything cool would be greatly needed. We can walk around on some of the trails in the back of your house. That way you're still close." he said. I was a bit nervous, not because of him, but because it wasn't normal for whites and blacks to be around each other like that, not in these parts.

"I don't know Howard. I don't think my dad would like me hanging out with a older boy." I replied. He snorted.

"Shucks. Twenty ain't that old." he said. "Besides… I kind of wanted to get to know you." I shouldn't even be thinking about this. But then again, our worlds weren't too far apart when it came to our social statuses. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just get to know him and make a friend.

"Alright. Why not." I replied and he smiled wide.

"Yeah?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah." I replied.

It wasn't a complete waste of a day either. My dad was still out working and I made sure there was food cooked and the house was clean so he could eat and sleep when he wanted. I thought Howard may have been playing a joke on me when he wanted to get a soda, but sure enough, he was at my back window knocking quietly on it. I was very shocked he came back around.

I was in one of my dresses Miss Hattie gave me from her younger years. It was just a tan dress with brown polka dots. I liked it though. Howard had definitely changed his clothes into something a bit cleaner. Not a lot of pig's blood was on it. He brought me a soda and like we agreed, we just walked into the forest together. I wasn't afraid of the trees, I knew my way around.

"I like your dress." Howard said smiling more, and I looked away hiding my smile some

"Thank you. You look nice too." I replied as we strolled carelessly. I never realized how large Howard was. He was such a small boy. We sipped our drinks quietly and I wondered why we were here together. "So why did you want to get to know me?" Howard looked down at me with a bashful stare.

"Oh well, I don't know. We've grown up together and our friends, what's left of them, were always hanging around. I thought it would just be nice." he said. I nodded.

"Okay… well ask me something." I said sipping my coke and he blinked and ran his hand over his head.

"Okay uhh, you got a boyfriend?" he asked. I shook my head casually.

"No. Not yet at least." I said. He nodded slowly nodded.

"Oh, your pa gonna wed you to a family friend or something?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Not that I know of." I replied feeling bits of the sun's rays trying to get us through the branches. I then looked up at him. "What about you? You got a woman?" He shook his head.

"Nah. Been hearing talk of some war about to start. Pretty sure I'll be drafted soon." he said and I tensed some.

"You gonna fight?" I asked. He nodded.

"If I must." he replied and I gasped watching him down more of his coke.

"You're gonna kill people?" I asked. He nodded giving a dry smile.

"That's war for ya." he said. I nodded looking down some.

"Well if you do have to fight, I hope you stay safe." I said. He looked down at the ground, glancing at me shyly some.

"You mean that?" he asked. I nodded.

"Of course. I could never fight in a war." I replied. He nodded.

"Of course not, you're a girl." he said. I nodded in agreement. We talked our way off the trail now, our drinks long gone. We talked about little things like how long we've lived in Franklin County, and the things we liked to do. Howard was good with his hands. He enjoyed building things and took pride in caring for his parents and brothers. I had my hobbies of swimming and sometimes going to little parties with some of my friends. Sometimes they would drink and we would get drunk under the moon. Howard laughed.

"Now that's my kind of party!" he said loudly. I chuckled some and nodded.

"Yes well why not? It's only a matter of time before some man comes a calling and asking my dad for my hand in marriage." I replied. He nodded slowly.

"I think you'd make a good wife." he said. I smiled genuinely this time at him.

"And you will keep a lucky woman on her toes." I replied. He smiled with pride at my words. I wasn't expecting us to be out here for so long. The sun was still up so we had a little time left. We found our way toward a random tree with low hanging branches. Howard turned and faced me reaching up and holding on to the branch now.

"You know you ain't like other girls." he said staring down at me with a softer gaze. I just stood before him tilting my head.

"Which girls, white or colored?" I asked. His face shriveled up some before shaking his head.

"All the girls. You think a lot and you always got your nose in a book somewhere." he said. I chuckled and nodded.

"Reading is fun." I replied and he nodded looking down some at his toes.

"Who taught you to read?" he asked.

"Miss Hattie. She taught me and I helped my dad." I replied. He glanced up at me shyly some.

"Would you teach me?" he asked. I thought about it for a moment unsure of his question.

"You ain't afraid to be taught by a colored girl?" I asked and he shook his head quickly smiling once more with pride.

"I ain't afraid of anything!" he said. So full of himself, this Bondurant.

"VELVET! WHERE'D YOU RUN OFF TO GIRL!" I could hear my dad calling from the distance. I gasped and looked behind myself. He sounded mad already. I looked at Howard.

"I have to go." I said. Howard let's his hand's go and immediately follows behind me taking my hand.

"Wait, can I see you again?" he asked. This boy was crazy.

"What no!" I said shaking my head and he looked confused.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Why would you want to?" I asked.

"Because I like talkin' to you." he said and I looked at him quickly unsure of what to really say.

"VELVET!" I hear my father call once more. I look off into the distance and then look at Howard's begging face before nodding.

"Okay fine." I replied and he smiled wide before leading me back down the trail, his hand never letting mine's go.

He doesn't smile much anymore, not after the war. He left excited and came back a different person. We didn't speak much when he came back, but the looks he gives me always told me something was there, I just didn't know what.

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