Layla jumped up with Sam in surprise. his sudden departure left her confused and flustered. she wanted him to come back as she watched him run back home. what'n tha heck just happened? she wondered if his dad was going to be mad at him, if that's why he took off all of a sudden. then she stood there and thought about everything he had just said to her. he had called her pretty! he thinks im pretty?! she couldn't help but stand there and stare after him lost in her bewilderment. after a few seconds she finally collected herself and realized that it was getting late and that she should probably get back home as well. her attention was brought back to the porch swing, she saw that Sam, in his rush, had left his cardigan. for a moment she considered bringing it to him but thought otherwise. she didn't want him to get in more trouble if he wasn't supposed to be hanging out with other kids. her solution was to take it and deliver it to him tomorrow after school. it gave her a good excuse to come and see him again. Layla snatched up his sweater, bounded off of the porch and started off in a sprint toward her family's plantation.
As she ran home, her thoughts kept going back to Sam. she was so excited for school now. she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep well. all she wanted to do was to keep talking to him. it was funny to her that he had tried to cover up confessing that she was pretty to him. the memory made her giggle out loud. that was when she almost ran right into a firefly. she let out a small scream and dodged it. if that didn't snap her back into reality she was sure that nothing else could. UGH! i hate those things! Layla had an irrational fear of fireflies. she was convinced that if one were to touch her it would burn and infect her skin. The fear was brought on by countless nightmares she'd had of that exact scenario. unfortunately for her, she lived in a part of the country where they were very prominent.
Nearing the house, Layla slowed to a walk. she didn't want to be out of breath when she walked through the door. turning the door knob slowly and as silently as she could, she tip toed through the threshold and closed the large door quietly behind her. The smell of Maggie's cooking hit her immediately. Layla made her way deftly to the kitchen. she was parched. "where on gods green earth has you been chil'?", Maggie's familiar voice chided her. Maggie was Layla's life long nanny, she was more like her mother than her own mom had been. Maggie was a large black woman, she looked rough from the outside and could almost sell it with her voice but inside she had one of the biggest hearts. Her eyes were wise, like she had seen it all and definitely knew it all. Maggie had a way with people. It took her about .2 seconds to figure out what your soul was like. Her smile had always made Layla feel like she was home. Her hair was up in her usual bun, graying on the sides and down one streak in the front. she was sporting a skirt and blouse with an apron, covered in whatever she was making for dinner. "Hi ya Magg!" Layla replied with a big smile. "You gon' answa me or ya gon' jus' stan' there like uh foo'?", she questioned with her hands on her wide hips. Layla successfully avoided the question by asking what was for dinner. "mmmm! mmm! Cajun fish and mah special wil' rice. now go on upstairs and start thuh bath. yous a mess chil'. yo' momma gon' die if she catches you like this. i'll be up in uh minute tuh help ya Layla." Layla nodded and grabbed a glass of water, she chugged it and wiped her mouth. "is daddy home?" she asked with hope. "nuh uh. not yet sug'. now get."
Layla ran upstairs hoping that her feet didn't leave too much of a mess behind her. she was grateful that Maggie hadn't noticed the cardigan in her hand. she could hear her mother on the phone in her bedroom. that was a good sign, it meant her mom surely wouldn't be coming out of there before dinner. Layla went into her bathroom and started the water. After dipping her fingers in to make sure it was warming she moved into her bedroom. she sat his cardigan down on her bed and smiled. i like him. i don' know if he likes me and i don' care. when she finally finished day dreaming about her encounter with Sam, she hopped in the tub.
"ya in ther' girl?" Maggie asked as she opened the door slowly. "yeah im in." answered Layla with a smile. "i'll get yer hair washed. come closa' honey bee." Layla moved her back closer to Maggie to let her wash her wild hair. "sometime' i think you should jus' live in them trees n' bushes." Maggie scrubbed Layla's hair with vigor, trying to get as much grime out as she could. All the while Layla didn't even notice how hard Maggie was scrubbing because she was smiling so much. "whatchu' smilin' so much for sug'"? Layla winced, damn, she caught me. "Magg, can ya keep a secret?" Maggie pretended to seal her lips with her fingers. "won' tell uh soul." Layla smiled and looked at her. "I met uh new friend today. He's uh boy. He lives next door." Maggie's eyes bugged out a little in surprise. "you mean Joe's boy? Samuel? oh hun' ya bes' be carful with him. his dad uh real cruel man. is tha' why ya keep smilin for? ya like him huh?" She let out a loud short laugh. "oh! this gonn' be fun for me n' muh hun' Joe tuh watch." Maggie couldn't stop laughing under her breath. "Who's Joe?" Layla turned to give Maggie a glare. "and stop your laughin'. i don' care 'bout his dad. he's a real nice boy n' hes gonna be muh friend at school too." As Maggie helped get Layla out of the tub she explained that Joe was Sam's ground keeper who also happened to be her husband. "whoa. that's weird. im gonna have tuh tell Sam that tomorrow." Layla went back into her room and threw her P.J.'s on hoping that her friends at school would like Sam just as much as she does.
With her hair wet it made her image appear self-controlled. less like a tomboy and adventurer. She looked the way her mom always wanted her to look. Just like a lady of the good ol' plantation. she thought in disgust. Finally she made her way downstairs to have dinner with the rest of her family, except for her father. it looked like he was going to have another long night at work. Her mom took her spot at the table, dressed in her extravagant evening attire. James, Layla's 5 year old brother came bounding in from the playroom. "Hi ya Layla! Is daddy home?!" he came running over to her and gave Layla a big hug as if he hadn't seen her in days. she looked down at him and smiled, hugging him back. "no he aint home yet. sorry Jamie." his face fell a little. "awh thats ok i guess. Im starvin'!" His attention turned immediately to the food on the table. Layla loved her little brother. she and him spent a lot of time playing together over the summers, just this past one she taught him how to ride one of the horses. he was a natural of course, no different from her or their father. as she was reminiscing on fun memories with her brother, Alexis walked into the room; completely absorbed by her phone. Alexis was Layla's older sister by 3 years and was a spitting image of their mother, not just by her looks either. "Hey Lexi." Layla muttered. "Ew. hey loser." Lexi shot back at her without a glance up from her phone. "Lex, sug' get off the phone so we can eat." Layla's mother had a way about her when she spoke. It was sharp but elegant, she could cut right through you with such finesse. not much was discussed at the dinner table for the most part, that's just the way it was. sometimes it was even worse when her father was present because there was such tension between her parents. tonight she felt like she wasn't even there, Layla's thoughts had her full attention.
After everyone had completed their meals Layla finally went upstairs and got ready for bed. As she brushed her teeth and finished preparing for bed she contemplated about how she would approach Sam tomorrow. Her hands pulled back her bedding and she crawled into her soft sheets, she hadn't realized how tired she was until now. there was a light knock on the door, it opened just enough for Maggie's head to peek in. "goo'night Layla. I'll see ya in the mornin'. you' mama s'takin on the phone n' she told me tuh tell ya goo'night fo' her." Layla nodded and said, " 'night Magg." the door closed softly behind Maggie and Layla reached for the book she read before bed every night. She tried hard to get into one of her chapters in "The Black Stallion" but it wasn't working out. All she could keep thinking was how glad she was to have had the guts to break into his studio. Suddenly she heard the familiar firm footsteps coming up the stairs. Daddy's home! she thought, excitedly. she was trying to decide if she should get out of bed and say hi to him and that's when the harsh whispers of an argument between her parents began to start. her decision had been made. she turned out her light and tucked herself deeper under her covers. the fights between her parents had been worsening lately and she hated it. she wondered if her daddy knew that her mom had other men come over during the day. instead of listening and thinking about her parents she tuned her ears to the cicadas in the trees and croaking of the frogs on the river bed. just like most nights the sounds made her drift into a soft, peaceful sleep. her last thought was of her new friendship and what Sam would be bringing into her life.
