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Description

Chapter one:
Mrs.
Lilli

”Cathy! Come on ya li'l pest! Get
me my coat or you know what's gonna happen!”   Madame called
coldly. I sighed,” Yes ma’am” I called. Being
yelled at almost became a daily routine ,scratch that it WAS a daily
routine for me. Ever since the day my parents passed away,  Madame
bought the family business, and the warm, sweet hugs my mom used to
give had disappeared, along with the happiness and color of the shop
we once were surrounded by. Now Me, Madame, and little Sarah are the
only ones who still live here. Recently, the paint is starting to
fade off the walls and it’s starting to feel really plain and
austere. But, actually, I thought, was it ever really exciting?  I
stared at the walls and wondered that if this old shop would ever be
abandoned by us and that the next owner would even bother to paint
it. I looked to the ceiling, closed my eyes, and pretended I could
see what was on the other side. “Mama?” I said faintly,
“Papa?” I said this time.  “Mama, Papa, can you
hear me?” I stood quietly for a while until  soft, gentle
voices seemed to say “yeah baby,were here” I opened my
eyes and looked around. No one was there. Deciding I imagined it all,
I reached for Madame’s rouge red coat.

             I cherished that moment,
my parents’ soft voices, or at least what I remember of

    them,  was soothing during these
dark times of segregation, and though they weren’t really
there, I could still feel their presence inside me.

The next morning
as I did my usual chores, I thought about Madame’s spool of
thread and her little,pointy,silver,needle. “That thread like
me ain’t it? “ I said to one of Madame’s scraps of
velvet. I stopped to admire it, and then continued: “The
Madame’s like that needle!” I snickered “Always
trying to control the thread,” I picked up the velvet and
rubbed it against my cheek, it smelled of perfume and it was so warm,
so soft. So comforting.. like mother.


“Cathy!” The Madame hollered in her usual demanding tone.
“Get over here!” I quickly placed the velvet back on the
wooden counter and breathed heavily. I scurried timidly towards
Madame, as I humbly stared at my cold, bare feet. “Y…y…yes
ma’am?” I stood there, still looking down. “Girl,
look at me when you speak!” she spat, eyes sharp as knives. I
quickly turned my head upwards. “Yes ma’am!!” I
said alert and, concentrating hard on what she had to say. “ Go
get li'l Sarah and bring her here!” without asking further
questions, I obediently followed Madame’s directions and headed
toward li'l Sarah’s room. I quietly knocked on the small,
closed, door .


           “H…h…hello?” a Quiet little
voice called. “Don’t worry Sarah, it’s just me,
Cathy.” Slowly the door creaked open. I smiled at it, I could
still remember the time when me and father helped paint it pink.
“Are ya sure that you sis? “  She questioned. “Course
it’s me silly!” I laughed, “Cathy, ..Madame scares
me real bad ya know?” She said, sobbing. I sighed and allowed
Sarah to run into my arms. “ Come  now, Madame will take out
the whip if we don't get to her soon!” Quickly, I picked Sarah
up and rushed to Madame.


Madame said nothing and paced back and forth as we stared at her
nervously. I could hear the clock ticking.  Me and Sarah squinted at
the thought of Madame and her heavy bulk whip that stung like a
hornet, Sarah was terrified just if you spoke of it. We looked down
dismally just as we always do when we wait for Madame's words to come
out. She didn't speak so we assumed she forgot but suddenly, a gentle
and beautiful knock at the door came. Madame looked very surprised .
We were puzzled at Madame's strange reaction to the door. Madame
immediately instructed me to open it and there was no other reason
not to, so as usual I did as I was told. As the door creaked open
from it's rusty hinges I imagined what was to happen. I just hoped
for the best and it opened to reveal a face as sweet as my mother's.

     “Hello,
My name is Mrs. Lilli” the  face said. She smiled so greatly it
felt as if it was contagious. I felt so happy that I couldn't answer,
all I did was smile, After all, I've never seen anyone other than
Madame since my mother died.  Slowly and cautiously

    she entered
but as soon as she arrived, Madame started to bite her nails.

        Me and Sarah both giggled but Madame shot us a look as cold
as ice, and immediately I shut door. Sarah sat down upon our exotic
eastern rug. She stared up at Mrs. Lilli, her eyes twinkling.  I
overheard Madame say to Mrs. Lilli “ Are ya sure ya wanna take
her' ?” as soon as she spoke these words I was completely
shocked. In my my mind I was asking myself “ What does she mean
by her'?” I thought hard about it for a long time, Then it
struck me. Mrs. Lilli had came to buy one of us . And in that one
moment of realization,I knew Mrs. Lilli was separating us. “
How could she?” I thought “ How could someone, anyone or
anything,  take my little baby sister from me?”

    I pulled Sarah
close to me, tears pouring down my cheeks, rage in my eyes. Sarah
looked confused and Mrs. Lilli knelt down to look at me. I didn't
want to look at her face anymore,so I turned away. She lifted my jaw
with her warm fingers, studied me, and turned to Madame; “is
she wild?”. My jar dropped, the anger consumed me, and just
like that , I let it all out.


                           Mrs. Lilli shrieked and touched her cheek
, it was dark red. I put my hands over my mouth. I realized that what
I just did might have changed everything.  Her smile changed into a
deep grimace. As soon as her smile disappeared I knew the whole time
she was just pretending. I slowly backed away towards the door. She
stared right through me and struck me from behind. I looked down and
thought “No” after all that happened all I could think
was “No”. Not “How could she” or “Ouch!”
but simply “No”.

         Mrs. Lilli
grabbed me and stuffed me in her Dusty old car. I didn't move, I
didn't speak. I saw Sarah burst out the door and run across the lawn.
She pounded her fists at the window and screamed and cried. She
figured it out too.  I turned my head to see her for the last time,
but it was too late for we had already driven away.

Description

Chapter one:
Mrs.
Lilli

”Cathy! Come on ya li'l pest! Get
me my coat or you know what's gonna happen!”   Madame called
coldly. I sighed,” Yes ma’am” I called. Being
yelled at almost became a daily routine ,scratch that it WAS a daily
routine for me. Ever since the day my parents passed away,  Madame
bought the family business, and the warm, sweet hugs my mom used to
give had disappeared, along with the happiness and color of the shop
we once were surrounded by. Now Me, Madame, and little Sarah are the
only ones who still live here. Recently, the paint is starting to
fade off the walls and it’s starting to feel really plain and
austere. But, actually, I thought, was it ever really exciting?  I
stared at the walls and wondered that if this old shop would ever be
abandoned by us and that the next owner would even bother to paint
it. I looked to the ceiling, closed my eyes, and pretended I could
see what was on the other side. “Mama?” I said faintly,
“Papa?” I said this time.  “Mama, Papa, can you
hear me?” I stood quietly for a while until  soft, gentle
voices seemed to say “yeah baby,were here” I opened my
eyes and looked around. No one was there. Deciding I imagined it all,
I reached for Madame’s rouge red coat.

             I cherished that moment,
my parents’ soft voices, or at least what I remember of

    them,  was soothing during these
dark times of segregation, and though they weren’t really
there, I could still feel their presence inside me.

The next morning
as I did my usual chores, I thought about Madame’s spool of
thread and her little,pointy,silver,needle. “That thread like
me ain’t it? “ I said to one of Madame’s scraps of
velvet. I stopped to admire it, and then continued: “The
Madame’s like that needle!” I snickered “Always
trying to control the thread,” I picked up the velvet and
rubbed it against my cheek, it smelled of perfume and it was so warm,
so soft. So comforting.. like mother.


“Cathy!” The Madame hollered in her usual demanding tone.
“Get over here!” I quickly placed the velvet back on the
wooden counter and breathed heavily. I scurried timidly towards
Madame, as I humbly stared at my cold, bare feet. “Y…y…yes
ma’am?” I stood there, still looking down. “Girl,
look at me when you speak!” she spat, eyes sharp as knives. I
quickly turned my head upwards. “Yes ma’am!!” I
said alert and, concentrating hard on what she had to say. “ Go
get li'l Sarah and bring her here!” without asking further
questions, I obediently followed Madame’s directions and headed
toward li'l Sarah’s room. I quietly knocked on the small,
closed, door .


           “H…h…hello?” a Quiet little
voice called. “Don’t worry Sarah, it’s just me,
Cathy.” Slowly the door creaked open. I smiled at it, I could
still remember the time when me and father helped paint it pink.
“Are ya sure that you sis? “  She questioned. “Course
it’s me silly!” I laughed, “Cathy, ..Madame scares
me real bad ya know?” She said, sobbing. I sighed and allowed
Sarah to run into my arms. “ Come  now, Madame will take out
the whip if we don't get to her soon!” Quickly, I picked Sarah
up and rushed to Madame.


Madame said nothing and paced back and forth as we stared at her
nervously. I could hear the clock ticking.  Me and Sarah squinted at
the thought of Madame and her heavy bulk whip that stung like a
hornet, Sarah was terrified just if you spoke of it. We looked down
dismally just as we always do when we wait for Madame's words to come
out. She didn't speak so we assumed she forgot but suddenly, a gentle
and beautiful knock at the door came. Madame looked very surprised .
We were puzzled at Madame's strange reaction to the door. Madame
immediately instructed me to open it and there was no other reason
not to, so as usual I did as I was told. As the door creaked open
from it's rusty hinges I imagined what was to happen. I just hoped
for the best and it opened to reveal a face as sweet as my mother's.

     “Hello,
My name is Mrs. Lilli” the  face said. She smiled so greatly it
felt as if it was contagious. I felt so happy that I couldn't answer,
all I did was smile, After all, I've never seen anyone other than
Madame since my mother died.  Slowly and cautiously

    she entered
but as soon as she arrived, Madame started to bite her nails.

        Me and Sarah both giggled but Madame shot us a look as cold
as ice, and immediately I shut door. Sarah sat down upon our exotic
eastern rug. She stared up at Mrs. Lilli, her eyes twinkling.  I
overheard Madame say to Mrs. Lilli “ Are ya sure ya wanna take
her' ?” as soon as she spoke these words I was completely
shocked. In my my mind I was asking myself “ What does she mean
by her'?” I thought hard about it for a long time, Then it
struck me. Mrs. Lilli had came to buy one of us . And in that one
moment of realization,I knew Mrs. Lilli was separating us. “
How could she?” I thought “ How could someone, anyone or
anything,  take my little baby sister from me?”

    I pulled Sarah
close to me, tears pouring down my cheeks, rage in my eyes. Sarah
looked confused and Mrs. Lilli knelt down to look at me. I didn't
want to look at her face anymore,so I turned away. She lifted my jaw
with her warm fingers, studied me, and turned to Madame; “is
she wild?”. My jar dropped, the anger consumed me, and just
like that , I let it all out.


                           Mrs. Lilli shrieked and touched her cheek
, it was dark red. I put my hands over my mouth. I realized that what
I just did might have changed everything.  Her smile changed into a
deep grimace. As soon as her smile disappeared I knew the whole time
she was just pretending. I slowly backed away towards the door. She
stared right through me and struck me from behind. I looked down and
thought “No” after all that happened all I could think
was “No”. Not “How could she” or “Ouch!”
but simply “No”.

         Mrs. Lilli
grabbed me and stuffed me in her Dusty old car. I didn't move, I
didn't speak. I saw Sarah burst out the door and run across the lawn.
She pounded her fists at the window and screamed and cried. She
figured it out too.  I turned my head to see her for the last time,
but it was too late for we had already driven away.