by: Lesley Renee Charles

I woke up from a good night’s sleep. When I noticed a sudden heaviness an pulling on my chest. I looked down to find a nice pair of breasts. I also noticed I was not wearing my usual pajamas but I white lace nightgown.

I got out of bed and walked over to the mirror over the dressing table. What I saw reflected back to me was a beautiful young girl of about sixteen with dark hair and emerald green eyes.

Suddenly I heard knocking at the bedroom door. A large black woman, wearing a long, plain, grey dress covered by a white apron came in carrying a breakfast tray.

"What’s my little lamb gonna wear to the barbecue, today?"

By instinct I pointed to a green-sprigged muslin dress which was lying draped over a chair.

"That." I replied.

"No you ain’t. That dress ain’t fitting to be worn in the mornin’. I gonna speak to yer Ma about you."

Well I insisted that I was going to wear that dress. Finally, she gave in but warned me to keep a shawl on my shoulders, she was not about to let me get freckled.

She proceeded to remove the night dress and slip a simple white chemise over my head. Over this she placed a satin covered garment, that I knew immediately was a corset. She proceeded to lace my waist down to sixteen inches. Then I stepped into an underskirt that had several wire rings. Next she slipped over a couple of petticoats that billowed out around my waist. Lastly the dress was placed over my shoulders.

She then brought out a tray that I forced to eat before going to the barbecue. I told her that I was not going to eat a bite.

"Yes, you’se gonna eat every mouthful of dis. I am not gonna have my little lamb eat like a field hand and gobble like a hog."

I replied that "Ashley Wilkes told me he like to see a girl with a healthy appetite."

She replied back that what gentlemen say and do are two different things. Then she said that "I ain’t noticed Mist. Ashley asking for to marry you."

After that I gave in and ate the hot cakes sopping in a rich, thick gravy.

I was putting on a wide-brimmed straw hat, ready to have several conquests over the neighborhood boys.

Suddenly my mother yelled "Jimmy it’s time to get ready for school."

 © 2000
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