pretty baby // h.s

03 | thursday night.

a.

i was sitting out on the porch, enjoying the view outside my house. the sun was close to setting and the sky was a beautiful mix of colour—pinks, blues and purples, all coming together in a beautiful mess. i was just finishing up my homework, reading chapters three and four of a book for my english class.

joey came from around the house, in his arms a large brown paper bag filled with potatoes from our back garden. the back of his neck was wet with sweat, the white shirt he wore was dirtied by the dirt and soil, along with his grey pants.

"hi joey!" I said to him as he walked by.

he turned his head to look at me, a small grin on his lips.

"can you pick me the most prettiest flower you can find?" I giggled.

ever since we were little, I'd always ask joey that question and without a doubt he'd go and find me a flower. he'd given me daisies, buttercups, baby's breath, allium and even a rose from a neighbour's bush. I've kept them all in a book where over the years they've dried and flattened, with all the different dates and places he got them at.

he put down the bag and went to our front yard, littered with yellow wild flowers, and searched for the perfect one. finally after a few moments, he bent down and picked a small bundle for me. he walked my way and pulled himself up the railing of the porch, leaning over to give me the flowers.

"thank you joey, i'll be sure to add them to my collection," I smiled softly.

his smile grew as he looked away in happiness. the front door slammed open, the sound causing me to jump a little in my seat and for joey to flinch.

"stop bothering the boy. joey go bring mr. patterson his potatoes before i wipe that smile off your face," collins spoke harshly.

joey's smile went away and he jumped from the railing, quickly went up to the get the bag of potatoes and went off down the street.

"i wasn't bothering him at all," I said annoyed, "he was just about to leave."

"hey. watch your tone," he snapped at me slowly.

i only gave him a hard stare before turning my head.

"go help mum make dinner," collins said, and he leaned against the porch railing.

"i haven't finished my homework yet," i lied, looking at the sunset, twirling the flowers in my hand.

"so? it wasn't a question. go help mom now," he said.

i sighed in frustration and closed my book. I got up and left him alone on the porch.

i went inside and placed my book on the side table next to the door, the flowers on top of it. I quietly made my way to the kitchen, the hard wooden floor was cold on my bare feet.

"momma, do you need any help?" I said quietly, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen.

"yes, come cut and peel the potatoes for the stew," she said. she was making dough for tomorrow's bread.

I nodded and went to the kitchen sink to wash my hands.

-

"goodnight momma," I said as I made my way down the dimly lit hall to the bathroom.

she was in the kitchen washing the last bit of dishes from our earlier dinner.

after relieving myself and washing up, I saw joey in the hallway. he was heading towards his room.

"goodnight, i'll see you in the morning," I said to him.

on my tip toes, i leaned up and kissed his cheek. he gave me a slight smile and went into his room, closing the door softly.

i headed to the end of the hall, and turned to the right. my room was just across from
momma's and beside collins.

opening the door, I opened the curtains to let as much light as possible shine through. i then went over to my oil lamp and grabbed a match, lighting it up and touching the flame to the lamp's wick, giving the room light. I placed the glass cover over the flame. i closed the curtains as i no longer needed the light from outside.

"oh!" I gasped, remembering the book and flowers on the door side table.

i quickly run out of my room to retrieve the book and flowers. once I've got them I turn around and go back into my room. I shut the door and went to my vanity dresser. sitting in front of it I open one of the drawers and pull out a think book.

i flip through the pages, looking at all the flowers. the older ones were brown and flattened with age, the newer ones still kept their original colours. I went to the newest black page and took out my scotch tape. i didn't want to use too much of it as it was quite expensive thing my momma got me. i tapes it to the page and wrote underneath it:

"joey picked yellow wild flowers that grew on our front yard, march 1oth 1932."

i smile softly and caress the flowers once last time before closing the book and putting it back in the drawer.

next I get up and walk over to my closet, taking out my night gown. i slip off my dress and shivered as the cold air hit my body. quickly I tugged my gown over my head, it's thin fabric covering my body from the cold.

i didn't wear a bra as i had none. momma always said that she was gonna make one for me but she never had the time to do it. when i was in the city, I'd go to the department stores and browse, looking at all the different clothing and appliances. they had bras for women, all different types and styles. I'd admire them and wish I could buy one. and sometimes during lunch break, all the girls in my class would talk about how they got a new bra from the store or say their mommas made them theirs. i longed for one, store bought or hand made.

i went over to my lamp and twisted the knob on the side to extinguish the flame.

quickly walking back to my bed, i pulled the covers back and climbed in. it was cold and i shivered at first, the covers pulled up to my chin. but soon it grew warm and cozy. before i knew it, i was fast asleep and dreaming of a man with green eyes.

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hope you all enjoyed and sorry for the late update, school's been kicking me in the butt lol

this is more of a filler chapter than anything, but the next one will be better, promise! also, i would like to say this chapter is unedited! so there may be little grammatical mistakes ;-)

please vote and comment, thank you! xx

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goal: 2 votes, 1 comment