Little Black Girl Lost 2 Chapter 3

THE KITCHEN was too quiet for Sadie. She knew something was bothering her friend and she was concerned about it. They had become instant friends the day they met, when Johnnie brought Marguerite to Ashland Estates to look at her new home. Sadie greeted them and welcomed them to the neighborhood. Later, over coffee, Sadie told Johnnie how she became a kept woman for Santino Mancini, the father of her children, when her dream was to become a Broadway choreographer. After that story, after learning they were both in similar situations, they became eternal friends.

Sadie watched Johnnie eat her breakfast like an automaton, trapped in the maze of her own thoughts, putting forkfuls of food in her mouth, chewing slowing, swallowing, and repeating this again and again. Vacant, absent, far away eyes stared at Sadie, but nobody was home. What's wrong? Is she still blaming herself for the riot?

Sadie said, "Johnnie?"

Silence.

"Johnnie?"

"Huh," Johnnie said, sounding like the sixteen-year-old girl she was.

"What's wrong, girl? What's bothering you?"

"Oh. Well, you know this is my first day at my new job. Thanks for talking to Ethel for me."

"No problem. So what did you think of Ethel?"

Johnnie laughed a little. "She's pretty much like you said. She thinks she the queen of England."

"What about Eric, her husband? Did you meet him yet?"

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that," Johnnie said, a little more excited. I'm going to meet my Grandfather, Nathaniel Beauregard. Eric is supposed to be bringing him to New Orleans. As a matter of fact, they should be there when I get there this morning. I can't wait to meet him. I wonder if he'll recognize me. I recognized him the moment I saw his picture in the library yesterday."

"That's great. I'm happy for you. But, you're not going to tell them who you are, right?

"I might. I'm blood just like they is."

"Just like they are," Sadie corrected. "Johnnie, tell me you're not seriously contemplating disrupting that family, are you?"

"Depends."

"Johnnie, listen, don't do that. We just had a race riot and we're still trying to rebuild. The Beauregards are one of New Orleans' oldest and proudest families. They might kill you to keep their dirty laundry in the closet."

An ocean of silence filled the room.

"Johnnie, be sensible about this. Don't"

"Okay, Sadie. I won't say anything. I just want to get to know them. Is that so wrong?"

"I understand, but be careful, okay? Now, is something else going on? You and Lucas okay?"

Johnnie finished the last of her food, put her fork down, and looked at Sadie. "We're havin' some problems right now."

"What did he do?"

"Nothing," Johnnie replied, clearing her dishes.

"Nothing? Girl, please. He's a man. And as a man, he's automatically into some shit constantly. What? You two got into it about something?"

"Yep." But I can't tell you it was about me going to bed with Napoleon.

"Are you going to tell me about it?"

"No. Not this time, Sadie. We got some things to discuss. As a matter of fact, I'ma call him right now." She went over to the counter and picked up the phone and dialed Lucas' apartment. "We haven't talked since those crackers came here to burn our homes."

Actually, they hadn't spoken since the night Lucas saw how Johnnie looked at Napoleon, like she wanted him to enter her folds again, like she wouldn't mind doing it with him on a regular basis, like he had sexed her all night and again when the sun rose. Lucas was so hurt by that particular betrayal that he slapped her and suggested that she was a whore after all.

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