A Long Day in November

by Ernest J. Gaines

  “Come on, Daddy,” I say. “Let’s go burn up the car.”

  Me and Daddy walk away from the fence.

  “Let me get on your back and ride,” I say.

  “Can’t you walk sometime,” Daddy says. “What you think I’m educating you for—to treat me like a horse?”

  5

  Mr. George Williams drives his car to the side of the road, then we get out. “Look like we got company,” Mr. George Williams says.

  Me and Daddy and Mr. George Williams go over where the people is. The people got a little fire burning, and some of them’s sitting on the car fender. But most of them’s standing round the little fire.

  “Welcome,” somebody says.

  “Thanks,” Daddy says. “Since this is my car you sitting on.”

  “Oh,” the man says. He jumps up and the other two men jump up, too. They go over to the little fire and stand round it.

  “We didn’t mean no harm,” one of them say.

  Daddy goes over and peeps in the car. Then he opens the door and gets in. I go over to the car where he is.

  “Go stand ’side the fire,” Daddy says.

  “I want get in with you,” I say.

  “Do what I tell you,” Daddy says.

  I go back to the fire, and I turn and look at Daddy in the car. Daddy passes his hand all over the car; then he just sit there quiet-like. All the people round the fire look at Daddy in the car. I can hear them talking real low.

  After a little while, Daddy opens the door and gets out. He comes over to the fire.

  “Well,” he says, “I guess that’s it. You got a rope?”

  “In the trunk,” Mr. George Williams says. “What you go’n do, drag it off the highway?”

  “We can’t burn it out here,” Daddy says.

  “He say he go’n burn it,” somebody at the fire says.

  “I’m go’n burn it,” Daddy says. “It’s mine, ain’t it?”

  “Easy, Eddie,” Mr. George Williams says.

  Daddy is mad but he don’t say any more. Mr. George Williams looks at Daddy, then he goes over to his car and gets the rope.

  “Ought to be strong enough,” Mr. George Williams says.

  He hands Daddy the rope, then he goes and turns his car around. Everybody at the fire looks at Mr. George Williams backing up his car.

  “Good,” Daddy says.

  Daddy gets between the cars and ties them together. Some of the people come over and watch him.

  “Y’all got a side road anywhere round here?” he asks.

  “Right over there,” the man says. “Leads off back in the field. You ain’t go’n burn up that good car for real, is you?”

  “Who field this is?” Daddy asks.

  “Mr. Roger Medlow,” the man says.

  “Any colored people got fields round here anywhere?” Daddy asks.

  “Old man Ned Johnson ’bout two miles farther down the road,” another man says.

  “Why don’t we just take it on back to the plantation?” Mr. George Williams says. “I doubt if Mr. Claude’ll mind if we burnt it there.”

  “All right,” Daddy says. “Might as well.”

  Me and Daddy get in his car. Some of the people from the fire run up to Mr. George Williams’s car. Mr. George Williams tells them something, and I see three of them jumping in. Mr. George Williams taps on the horn, then we get going. I sit ’way back in the seat and look at Daddy. Daddy’s quiet. He’s sorry because he got to burn up his car.

  We go ’way down the road, then we turn and go down the quarter. Soon’s we get down there, I hear two of the men in Mr. George Williams’s car calling to the people. I sit up in the seat and look out at them. They standing on the fenders, calling to the people.

  “Come on,” they saying. “Come on to the car-burning party. Free. Everybody welcome. Free.” We go farther down the quarter, and the two men keep on calling.

  “Come on, everybody,” one of them says.

  “We having a car-burning party tonight,” the other one says. “No charges.”

  The people start coming out on the galleries to see what all the racket is. I look back and I see some out in the yard, and some already out in the road. Mr. George Williams stops in front of Gran’mon’s house.

  “You go’n tell Amy?” he calls to Daddy. “Maybe she like to go, since you doing it all for her.”

  “Go tell your mama come on,” Daddy says.

  I jump out the car and run in the yard.

  “Come on, everybody,” one of the men says.

  “We having a car-burning party tonight,” the other one says. “Everybody invited. No charges.”

  I pull Gran’mon’s door open and go in. Mama and Uncle Al and Gran’mon’s sitting at the fireplace.

  “Mama, Daddy say come on if you want see the burning,” I say.

  “See what burning?” Gran’mon asks. “Now don’t tell me that crazy nigger going through with that.”

  “Come on, Mama,” I say.

  Mama and Uncle Al get up from the fireplace and go to the door.

  “He sure got it out there,” Uncle Al says.

  “Come on, Mama,” I say. “Come on, Uncle Al.”

  “Wait till I get my coat,” Mama says. “Mama, you going?”

  “I ain’t missing this for the world,” Gran’mon says. “I still think he’s bluffing.”

  Gran’mon gets her coat and Uncle Al gets his coat; then we go on outside. Plenty people standing round Daddy’s car now. I can see more people opening doors and coming out on the galleries.

  “Get in,” Daddy says. “Sorry I can’t take but two. Mama, you want ride?”

  “No, thanks,” Gran’mon says. “You might just get it in your head to run off in that canal with me in there. Let your wife and child ride. I’ll walk with the rest of the people.”

  “Get in, honey,” Daddy says. “It’s getting cold out there.”

  Mama takes my arm and helps me in; then she gets in and shuts the door.

  “How far down you going?” Uncle Al asks. “Near the sugar house,” Daddy says. He taps on the horn and Mr. George Williams drives away. “Come on, everybody,” one of the men says. “We having a car-burning party tonight,” the other one says. “Everybody invited.”

  Mr. George Williams drives his car over the railroad tracks. I look back and I see plenty people following Daddy’s car. I can’t see Uncle Al and Gran’mon, but I know they back there, too.

  We keep going. We get almost to the sugar house, then we turn down another road. The other road is bumpy and I have to bounce on the seat.

  “Well, I reckon this’s it,” Daddy says.

  Mama don’t say nothing to Daddy.

  “You know it ain’t too late to change your mind,” Daddy says. “All I got to do is stop George and untie the car.”

  “You brought matches?” Mama asks.

  “All right,” Daddy says. “All right. Don’t start fussing.”

  We go a little farther and Daddy taps on the horn. Mr. George Williams stops his car. Daddy gets out his car and go and talk with Mr. George Williams. Little bit later I see Daddy coming back.

  “Y’all better get out here,” he says. “We go’n take it down the field a piece.”

  Me and Mama get out. I look down the headland and I see Uncle Al and Gran’mon and all the other people coming. Some of them even got flashlights because it’s getting dark now. They come where me and Mama’s standing. I look down the field and I see the cars going down the row. It’s dark, but Mr. George Williams got bright lights on his car. The cars stop and Daddy get out his car and go and untie the rope. Mr. George Williams goes and turns around and come back to the headland where all the people standing. Then he turns his lights on Daddy’s car so everybody can see the burning. I see Daddy getting some gas out the tank.

  “Give me a hand down here,” Daddy calls. But that don’t even sound like Daddy’s voice.

  Plenty people run down the field to help Daddy. They get round the car and start
shaking it. I see the car leaning; then it tips over.

  “Well,” Gran’mon says. “I never would’ve thought it.”

  I see Daddy going all round the car with the can, then I see him splashing some inside the car. All the other people back back to give him room. I see Daddy scratching a match and throwing it in the car. He scratches another one and throw that one in the car, too. I see little bit fire, then I see plenty.

  “I just do declare,” Gran’mon says. “I must be dreaming. He’s a man after all.”

  Gran’mon the only person talking; everybody else is quiet. We stay there a long time and look at the fire. The fire burns down and Daddy and them go and look at the car again. Daddy picks up the can and pours some more gas on the fire. The fire gets big. We look at the fire some more.

  The fire burns down again. Daddy and them go and look at the car. They stay there a good while, then they come out to the headland where we standing.

  “What’s that, George?” Mama asks.

  “The pump,” Mr. George Williams says. “Eddie gived it to me for driving him to get his car.”

  “Hand it here,” Mama says.

  Mr. George Williams looks at Daddy, but he hands the pump to Mama. Mama goes on down the field with the pump and throws it in the fire. I watch Mama coming back.

  “When Eddie gets paid Saturday, he’ll pay you,” Mama says. “You ready to go home, Eddie?”

  Daddy nods his head.

  “Sonny,” Mama says.

  I go where Mama is and Mama takes my hand. Daddy raises his head and looks at the people standing round looking at us.

  “Thank y’all,” he says.

  Me and Mama go in Gran’mon’s house and pull the big bundle out on the gallery. Daddy picks the bundle up and puts it on his head, then we go up the quarter to us house. Mama opens the gate and me and Daddy go in. We go inside and Mama lights the lamp.

  “You hungry?” Mama asks Daddy.

  “How can you ask that?” Daddy says. “I’m starving.”

  “You want eat now or after you whip me?” Mama says.

  “Whip you?” Daddy asks. “What I’m go’n be whipping you for?”

  Mama goes back in the kitchen. She don’t find what she’s looking for, and I hear her going outside.

  “Where Mama going, Daddy?”

  “Don’t ask me,” Daddy says. “I don’t know no more than you.”

  Daddy gets some kindling out of the corner and puts it in the fireplace. Then he pours some coal oil on the kindling and lights a match to it. Me and Daddy squat down on the fireplace and watch the fire burning.

  I hear the back door shut, then I see Mama coming in the front room. Mama’s got a great big old switch.

  “Here,” she says.

  “What’s that for?” Daddy says.

  “Here. Take it,” Mama says.

  “I ain’t got nothing to beat you for, Amy,” Daddy says.

  “You whip me,” Mama says, “or I turn right round and walk on out that door.”

  Daddy stands up and looks at Mama.

  “You must be crazy,” Daddy says. “Stop all that foolishness, Amy, and go cook me some food.”

  “Get your pot, Sonny,” Mama says.

  “Shucks,” I say. “Now where we going? I’m getting tired walking in all that cold. ’Fore you know it I’m go’n have whooping cough.”

  “Get your pot and stop answering me back, boy,” Mama says.

  I go to my bed and pick up the pot again.

  “Shucks,” I say.

  “You ain’t leaving here,” Daddy says.

  “You better stop me,” Mama says, going to the bundle.

  “All right,” Daddy says. “I’ll beat you if that’s what you want.”

  Daddy gets the switch off the floor and I start crying.

  “Lord, have mercy,” Daddy says. “Now what?”

  “Whip me,” Mama says.

  “Amy, whip you for what?” Daddy says. “Amy, please just go back there and cook me something to eat.

  “Come on, Sonny,” Mama says. “Let’s get out of this house.”

  “All right,” Daddy says. Daddy hits Mama two times on the legs. “That’s enough,” he says.

  “Beat me,” Mama says.

  I cry some more. “Don’t beat my mama,” I say. “I don’t want you to beat my mama.”

  “Sonny, please,” Daddy says. “What y’all trying to do to me—run me crazy? I burnt up the car—ain’t that enough?”

  “I’m just go’n tell you one more time,” Mama says.

  “All right,” Daddy says. “I’m go’n beat you if that’s what you want.”

  Daddy starts beating Mama, and I cry some more; but Daddy don’t stop beating her.

  “Beat me harder,” Mama says. “I mean it. I mean it.”

  “Honey, please,” Daddy says.

  “You better do it,” Mama says. “I mean it.”

  Daddy keeps on beating Mama, and Mama cries and goes down on her knees.

  “Leave my mama alone, you old yellow dog,” I say. “You leave my mama alone.” I throw the pot at him but I miss him, and the pot go bouncing ’cross the floor.

  Daddy throws the switch away and runs to Mama and picks her up. He takes Mama to the bed and begs her to stop crying. I get on my own bed and cry in the cover.

  I feel somebody shaking me, and I must’ve been sleeping.

  “Wake up,” I hear Daddy saying.

  I’m tired and I don’t feel like getting up. I feel like sleeping some more.

  “You want some supper?” Daddy asks.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Get up then,” Daddy says.

  I get up. I got all my clothes on and my shoes on.

  “It’s morning?” I ask.

  “No,” Daddy says. “Still night. Come on back in the kitchen and eat supper.”

  I follow Daddy in the kitchen and me and him sit down at the table. Mama brings the food to the table and she sits down, too.

  “Bless this food, Father, which we’re about to receive, the nurse of our bodies, for Christ sake, amen,” Mama says.

  I raise my head and look at Mama. I can see where she’s been crying. Her face is all swole. I look at Daddy and he’s eating. Mama and Daddy don’t talk, and I don’t say nothing, either. I eat my food. We eating sweet potatoes and bread. I’m having a glass of clabber, too.

  “What a day,” Daddy says.

  Mama don’t say nothing. She’s just picking over her food.

  “Mad?” Daddy says.

  “No,” Mama says.

  “Honey?” Daddy says.

  Mama looks at him.

  “Why I had to beat you?”

  “Because I don’t want you to be the laughing-stock of the plantation,” Mama says.

  “Who go’n laugh at me?” Daddy says.

  “Everybody,” Mama says. “Mama and all. Now they don’t have nothing to laugh about.”

  “Honey, I don’t mind if they laugh at me,” Daddy says.

  “I do mind,” Mama says.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m all right,” she says.

  “You ain’t mad no more?” Daddy says.

  “No,” Mama says. “I’m not mad.”

  Mama picks up a little bit of food and puts it in her mouth.

  “Finish eating your supper, Sonny,” she says.

  “I got enough,” I say.

  “Drink your clabber,” Mama says.

  I drink all my clabber and show Mama the glass.

  “Go get your book,” Mama says. “It’s on the dresser.”

  I go in the front room to get my book.

  “One of us got to go to school with him tomorrow,” I hear Mama saying. I see her handing Daddy the note. Daddy waves it back. “Here,” she says.

  “Honey, you know I don’t know how to act in no place like that,” Daddy says.

  “Time to learn,” Mama says. She gives Daddy the note. “What page your lesson on, Sonny?”

  I turn to t
he page, and I lean on Mama’s leg and let her carry me over my lesson. Mama holds the book in her hand. She carries me over my lesson two times, then she makes me point to some words and spell some words.

  “He knows it,” Daddy says.

  “I’ll take you over it again tomorrow morning,” Mama says. “Don’t let me forget it now.”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “Your daddy’ll carry you over it tomorrow night,” Mama says. “One night me, one night you.”

  “With no car,” Daddy says, “I reckon I’ll be round plenty now. You think we’ll ever get another one, honey?”

  Daddy’s picking in his teeth with a broom straw.

  “When you learn how to act with one,” Mama says. “I ain’t got nothing against cars.”

  “I guess you right, honey,” Daddy says. “I was going little too far.”

  “It’s time for bed, Sonny,” Mama says. “Go in the front room and say your prayers to your daddy.”

  Me and Daddy leave Mama back there in the kitchen. I put my book on the dresser and I go to the fireplace where Daddy is. Daddy puts another piece of wood on the fire and plenty sparks shoot up in the chimley. Daddy helps me to take off my clothes. I kneel down and lean against his leg.

  “Start off,” Daddy says. “I’ll catch you if you miss something.”

  “Lay me down to sleep,” I say. “I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mama and Daddy. God bless Gran’mon and Uncle Al. God bless the church. God bless Miss Hebert. God bless Bill and Juanita.” I hear Daddy gaping. “God bless everybody else. Amen.”

  I jump up off my knees. Them bricks on the fireplace make my knees hurt.

  “Did you tell God to bless Johnny Green and Madame Toussaint?” Daddy says.

  “No,” I say.

  “Get down there and tell Him to bless them, too,” Daddy says.

  “Old Rollo, too?”

  “That’s up to you and Him for that,” Daddy says. “Get back down there.”

  I get back on my knees. I don’t get on the bricks because they make my knees hurt. I get on the floor and lean against the chair.

  “And God bless Mr. Johnny Green and Madame Toussaint,” I say.

  “All right,” Daddy says. “Warm up good.”