I work to live.

My given name is Aibileen Clark. I am black; Or "colored" as some of 'em white folks might say. I been taking care of 'em white babies and working for them white families ever since I was a youngin'. I am part of The Help. This is my story.

[aibileen-clark]

"Maybe I ought to keep writing...about all the people I know and the things I seen and done" (Stocket 444).

The day I left the Leefolt home was the day my life ended, but then I came to realize I had only just began. 

One day I came in to Miss Leefolt's house cause it was my time to get to work. Baby Girl was already at school so I was just wonderin' if Li'l Man was up and going for me to give him his dinner, cause I know Miss Leefolt don't like being around her children, specially when they as young as Ross. I came in and it was real quiet, so I suppose that Li'l Man was probably sleeping. I went back to the kitchen to get all the food ready for tonight and that's when I see Miss Hilly, standing there as if she own the house. Miss Leefolt was standin' next to her and she look kinda nervous. I begin to get nervous cause I thought something had happened to Minny or something happened to another black person, like what happen to Louvenia's grandson. So i just stand there, waiting for some of them to tell me something. Hopefully, it would be Miss Leefolt the one who talked because I didn't have time for Miss Hilly's nasty words. But no, neither of them said anything about any black person or Minny. They told me something worse.

Miss Hilly began saying how she was missin' three pieces of her silver that I had returned to her yesterday. I ain't even worry cause I know I returned everything so I just tell her that I'm gon go look in the kitchen and see if I left anything behind, just in case. But then Miss Hilly begin callin' me a thief, telling me she gon "press charges" if I don't return her silver. Law, then and there, I was beginning to get more worried cause if she call the police, it was gonna be a black maid's word against a white lady's word. Miss Leefolt try to calm Miss Hilly down but I know Miss Hilly just want to throw me out and maybe, she will get what she wants. In that instant Miss Hilly tells me, "it behooves me to inform you you are fired, Aibileen...I'll be calling the police. The know me" (Stockett 440). 

But then I tell her somethin' she will never forget. I tell her that I know somethin' bout her that no one else does, and she stay quiet. I also tell her I can write about her and all she does in jail because if she do send me to jail, I'll have plenty of time to write. I also tell her I've been told I'm a good writer, and I tell her, "the paper's free" (Stockett 441). 

Then come Baby Girl, telling me not to leave. That truly broke my heart. Baby Girl, I loved her, I raised her. I taught her to be respectful. I told her to always believe she was kind, smart, and important. I tell Baby girl to remember everything I ever told her, then I leave. 

In such a short time, all my life ended. But then, as I was walking down the street, I realize my life was just beginning. I could continue writing all the stories my boy, Treelore, never came to write. 

[aibileen-clark]

Dr. King's Words

Dr. King Said It: I'm Black and I'm Proud!

This man really say all I want to say. He say that all white people have the wrong meaning of the word "black." Them white folks go around sayin' we negroes have strange diseases, just cause we have different colored skin. I bet them white peoples catch the same diseases us blacks get, or even more. Not just cause they white they pure. Black people can be pure too. Even more than them nasty white people that the only thing they know how to do is boss around they help and criticize all black people. I been talked around behind my back so many times by white folks I was startin' to believe all their silly lies. But then, through Martin Luther King, I realize he say all of what us black people want to say. We want to be equal, we don't want to be judged just by the color of our skin but we want to be judged by what we have inside. By our feelings. Law, If i judged as all them white peoples do, I'd say ALL white peoples are nasty and foolish and mean. But that wouldn't be true, with exception of Miss Hilly. Look at Miss Skeeter for example. She treat the help as if we were one of them white folks. She respect us. She know we suffer from cruelty and injustice. And if it take me tellin' my stories to Miss Skeeter for there to be justice like Dr. King and all black people do, I'm gon do it. I'm gon do it for us in Jackson. 

[aibileen-clark]

First time Miss Skeeter told me she want to write a story on the help, and what we, as maids think, I was scared. Scared cause I worried them white ladies would find out I was sayin' stories bout them behind they backs. But then I thought, it's my only chance to let everybody know the truth bout how them white folks do to us, and say to us. Law, I was scared to even tell the truth. I wasn't ready to tell my story. I ain't even know if was ever ton be ready in my life to tell a white lady a black woman's opinions. I was even surprise when Miss Skeeter actually sound interested in what I do. Even though she was always one of them nice white ladies, I still was surprised. I was surprise that Miss Skeeter didm;t care bout no white folk's opinion, she was gon do something she wanted to do. Cause after all, no white person had ever in my life asked me how it felt like to be me. How it felt like to be a black maid, raising them white people's babies and working for them white families. 

After that, I start avoiding Miss Skeeter cause I felt bad that I had told her no when she asked about my story, then I realized I could tell her. Maybe this book she want to write could change Jackson, Mississippi. Maybe even the whole world. So i went and told Miss Skeeter I was doing it. I wanted to let everyone know what I think of them bathrooms and specially what I think o' Miss Hilly. 

[aibileen-clark]

Miss Skeeter is a real nice white lady

One afternoon, I was getting' ready to leave Miss Leefolt's house, I was just finishin' up polishing silver cause it silver polishing day when I hear Miss Hilly talking to Miss Leefolt and Miss Skeeter bout the new bathrooms everybody in Jackson is building for they help. At first, I know I gots to not her they conversation, but I wanted to see what Miss Hilly was ton say about us blacks. I had to hear the lies she had to say so I would not be hurt if I ever heard them again. Miss Hilly begin telling' them that we carry different diseases and we shouldn't be using the guest bathrooms cause we ton give them all tons of diseases cause we colored. Law, I reckon Miss Hilly don't even know what she talking about. She even say she was gon pass "a bill that requires every white home to have a separate bathroom for the colored help" (Stockett 9). This I think was foolish idea. I got as much diseases as them white folks do. But they just begin judging by the color of our skin. I wanted to just scream at Miss Hilly how nasty she is but Miss Skeeter said somethin' that I agree with so I shut my mouth up. She said, "Maybe we ought to just build you a bathroom outside, Hilly" (Stockett 9). This really made me feel better, specially comin' from Miss Skeeter. Miss Skeeter the kind of white person who talk to the help. She really nice for a white lady. 

[aibileen-clark]

You is kind, you is smart, you is important (Stockett 443).

Mae Mobley. She Miss Elizabeth Leefolt baby.She two years old now. Law, Baby Girl won't grow up to be the beauty queen her mama want her to be. Baby Girl have a big tummy, it keep growin' with all the cookies I sneak to her when Miss Leefolt ain't watchin'. When the day come for me to leave Baby Girl, I don't want nobody, specially Miss Leefolt telling' her she can't do things. Cause I taught Baby Girl that she can do anythin she want. I raise Baby Girl. I teach her words, law, I even teach her how to go tee-tee. I always telling Baby Girl something' I ain't never want her to forget. Everyday I tell her, "Baby Girl, what is you?" She reply, "I is Mae Mobley." Then I say, "Yes Baby Girl, but, what else is you?" Law, she always reply to me with that sweet voice, "You is kind, you is smart, you is important." I'm so proud o' my Mae Mobley. I reckon she gon grow up to be one of those smart ladies, like Miss Skeeter, who like to read and write, if her mama let her. 

Sometimes, I feel bad for my Baby Girl, cause, what she do when I go back home? I ain't ever seen her mama touch her except when she "bad" and she spank her. Miss Leefolt ain't ever pay attention to Mae Mobley. But sometimes, she like to brag about her to her friends, specially Miss Hilly. She tell her, "Oh! Mae is SUCH a good baby girl!" I just off to the side say to myself I reckon she wouldn't know cause she ain't ever around her own baby.  

[aibileen-clark]

I know this how it look when my boy went up to Heaven. My boy ain't live long enough. Treelore was twenty-four when his heart stop beating. Law, my boy make me proud 'cause he going around writin' his own stories. He begin writin' a book o' his own. My boy die when was driving his work truck. It was a rainy day. The trailer didn't see him out on the road and crashed. In an instant my boy's heart stop beating. As of my boy's death, something in me change forever. I ain't get to work any soon after that. In my own mind, Treelore was out on a trip. He was comin' back, I just didn't know when. Law, I miss my boy. I miss him comin' home saying' "Mama! I have a story. I'm gon write a book mama, a real good one. Is gon be good mama." I was always proud o' my boy. Always will be. My boy, he was always working' making me proud. Got good grades, was always worried bout his work and school. He was one of 'em good boys you'd want your daughter to marry. So respectful, my boy. But in an instant, he was taken away, far away from his mama. Sometimes, I even wait for my boy after I done with the Leefolts, then I remember, he ain't comin' home to eat. He ain't comin' back. Sometimes, even Mae Mobley, Baby Girl, remind me of my own Treelore when he was a youngin', struttin' around, doing all that stuff babies do when they young. With no care in the world. Sometimes this make me happy, or sometimes sad, to remember my boy. Happy because I got to live with my boy and love him. And sad cause he no longer with me.