what you did?” Mama says. “You woke him up, and he ain’t going back to sleep.”
Daddy comes across the floor and sits down on the side of the bed. He looks down at me and passes his hand over my face.
“You love your daddy, Sonny?” he says.
“Uh-huh.”
“Please love me,” Daddy says.
I look up at Daddy and he looks at me, and then he just falls down on me and starts crying.
“A man needs somebody to love him,” he says.
“Get love from what you give love,” Mama says, back in the kitchen. “You love your car. Go let it love you back.”
Daddy shakes his face in the cover.
“The suffering a man got to go through in this world,” he says. “Sonny, I hope you never have to go through all this.”
Daddy lays there ’side me a long time. I can hear Mama back in the kitchen. I hear her putting some wood in the stove, and then I hear her lighting the fire. I hear her pouring water in the tea kettle, and I hear when she sets the kettle on the stove.
Daddy raises up and wipes his eyes. He looks at me and shakes his head, then he goes and puts his overalls on.
“It’s a hard life,” he says. “Hard, hard. One day, Sonny—you too young right now—but one day you’ll know what I mean.”
“Can I get up, Daddy?”
“Better ask your mama,” Daddy says.
“Can I get up, Mama?” I call.
Mama don’t answer me.
“Mama?” I call.
“Your pa standing in there,” Mama says. “He the one woke you up.”
“Can I get up, Daddy?”
“Sonny, I got enough troubles right now,” Daddy say.
“I want get up and wee-wee,” I say.
“Get up,” Mama says. “You go’n worry me till I let you get up anyhow.”
I crawl from under the cover and look at my feet. I got just one sock on and I look for the other one under the cover. I find it and slip it on and then I get on the floor. But that floor is still cold. I hurry up and put on my clothes, and I get my shoes and go and sit on the bed to put them on.
Daddy waits till I finish tying up my shoes, and me and him go back in the kitchen. I get in the corner ’side the stove, and Daddy comes over and stands ’side me. The fire is warm and it feels good.
Mama is frying salt meat in the skillet. The skillet’s over one hole and the tea kettle’s over the other one. The water’s boiling, and the tea kettle is whistling. I look at the steam shooting up to the loft.
Mama goes outside and gets my pot. She holds my pot for me and I wee-wee in it. She dumps the wee-wee out the back door and takes my pot to the front.
Daddy pours some water in the wash basin and washes his face, then he washes my face. I shut my eyes tight. I feel Daddy rubbing at my eyes to get them clean. I keep my eyes shut tight so no soap can get in. Daddy opens the back door and pitches the water out on the ground. We go to the table and sit down, and Mama brings the food. She stands there till I get through saying my blessing, then she goes back to stove and warm. Me and Daddy eat.
“You love your daddy?” he says.
“Uh-huh,” I say.
“That’s a good boy,” he says. “Always love your daddy.”
“I love Mama, too. I love her more than I love you.”
“You got a good mama,” Daddy says. “I love her, too. She the only thing keep me going—’cluding you, too.”
I look at Mama standing ’side the stove, warming.
“Why don’t you come to the table and eat with us?” Daddy says.
“I’m not hungry,” Mama says.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Daddy says. “I mean it.”
Mama just looks down at the stove and don’t answer Daddy.
“You got a right to be mad,” Daddy says. “I ain’t nothing but a’ old rotten dog.”
Daddy eats his food and looks at me across the table. I pick up a piece of meat and chew on it. I like the skin because the skin is hard. I keep the skin a long time.
“Well, I better get going,” Daddy says. “Maybe if I work hard, I’ll get me a couple tons.”
Daddy gets up from the table and goes in the front room. He comes back with his jumper and his hat on. Daddy’s hat is gray and it got a hole on the side.
“I’m leaving, honey,” he tells Mama.
Mama don’t answer Daddy.
“Honey, tell me ‘ ’Bye, old dog,’ or something,” Daddy says. “Just don’t stand there.”
Mama still don’t answer him, and Daddy jerks his cane knife out the wall and goes on out. I chew on my meat skin. I like it because it’s hard.
“Hurry up, honey,” Mama says. “We going to Gran’mon.”
Mama goes in the front room and I stay at the table and eat. I finish eating and I go in the front room where Mama is. Mama’s pulling a big bundle of clothes from under the bed.
“What’s that, Mama?” I ask.
“Us clothes,” she says.
“We go’n take us clothes down to Gran’mon?”
“I’m go’n try,” Mama says. “Find your cap and put it on.”
I see my cap hanging on the chair and I put it on and fasten the strap under my chin. Mama fixes my shirt in my pants, and then she goes and puts on her overcoat. Her overcoat is black and her hat is black. She puts on her hat and looks in the looking glass. I can see her face in the glass. Look like she want to cry. She comes from the dresser and looks at the big bundle of clothes on the floor.
“Find your pot,” she says.
I get my pot from under the bed.
“Come on,” Mama says.
She drags the big bundle of clothes out on the gallery and I shut the door. Mama squats down and puts the bundle on her head, and then she stands up and me and her go down the steps. Soon’s I get out in the road I can feel the wind. It’s strong and it’s blowing in my face. My face is cold and one of my hands is cold.
It’s
