Aibileen comes back onto the phone and sighs.

“It was the crack in Elizabeth’s dining room table... that’s how Hilly knew for sure.”

“Law, thatcrack. I can’t believe I put that in.”

“No,I should’ve caught it. I’m so sorry, Aibileen.”

“You think Miss Hilly gone tell Miss Leefolt I wrote about her?”

“She can’t tell her,” Minny hollers. “Then she admitting it’s Jackson.”

I realize how good Minny’s plan was. “I agree,” I say. “I think Hilly’s terrified, Aibileen. She doesn’t knowwhat to do. She said she was going to tell mymother on me.”

Now that the shock of Hilly’s words has passed, I almost laugh at this thought. That’s the least of our worries. If my mother lived through my broken engagement, then she can live through this. I’ll just deal with it when it happens.

“I reckon they’s nothing we can do but wait, then,” Aibileen says, but she sounds nervous. It’s probably not the best time to tell her my other news, but I don’t think I can keep myself from it.

“I got a... letter today. From Harper and Row,” I say. “I thought it was from Missus Stein, but it wasn’t.”

“What then?”

“It’s a job offer atHarper’s Magazine in New York. As a... copy editor’s assistant. I’m pretty sure Missus Stein got it for me.”

“That’s so good!” Aibileen says, and then, “Minny, Miss Skeeter got a job offer in New York City!”

“Aibileen, I can’t take it. I just wanted to share it with you. I...” I’m grateful to at least have Aibileen to tell.

“What you mean, you can’t take it? This what you been dreaming of.”

“I can’t leave now, right when things are getting bad. I’m not going to leave you in this mess.”

“But... them bad things gone happen whether you here or not.”

God, to hear her say that, I want to cry. I let out a groan.

“I didn’t mean it like that. We don’t know what’s gone happen. Miss Skeeter, you got to take that job.”

I truly don’t know what to do. Part of me thinks I shouldn’t have even told Aibileen, of course she would tell me to go, but I had to tell someone. I hear her whisper to Minny, “She say she ain’t gone take it.”

“Miss Skeeter,” Aibileen says back on the phone, “I don’t mean to be rubbing no salt on your wound but... you ain’t got a good life here in Jackson. Your mama’s better and—”

I hear muffled words and handling of the receiver and suddenly it’s Minny on the phone. “You listen to me, Miss Skeeter. I’m on take care a Aibileen and she gone take care a me. But you got nothing left here but enemies in the Junior League and a mama that’s gone drive you to drink. You done burned ever bridge there is. And you ain’tnever gone get another boyfriend in this town and everbody know it. So don’t walk your white butt to New York,run it.”

Minny hangs the phone up in my face, and I sit staring at the dead receiver in one hand and the letter in the other.Really? I think, actually considering it for the first time.Can I really do this?

Minny is right, and Aibileen is too. I have nothing left here except Mother and Daddy and staying here for my parents will surely ruin the relationship we have, but...

I lean against the shelves, close my eyes. I’m going. I am going to New York.

AIBILEEN

Chapter 34

MISS LEEFOLT’S silver service got funny spots on it today. Must be cause the humidity’s so high. I go around the bridge club table, polishing each piece again, making sure they all still there. Li’l Man, he’s started swiping things, spoons and nickels and hair pins. He stick em in his diaper to hide. Sometimes, changing diapers can be like opening treasure.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31