G-O-D,

Two of his sister come to visit. They dress all up. Celie, they say. One thing is for sure. You keep a clean house. It not nice
to speak ill of the dead, one say, but the truth never can be ill. Annie Julia was a nasty ’oman bout the house.
She never want to be here in the first place, say the other.
Where she want to be? I ast.
At home. She say.
Well that’s no excuse, say the first one, Her name Carrie, other one name Kate. When a woman marry she spose to keep a
decent house and a clean family. Why, wasn’t nothing to come here in the winter time and all these children have colds,
they have flue, they have direar, they have newmonya, they have worms, they have the chill and fever. They hungry. They
hair ain’t comb. They too nasty to touch.
I touch ’em. Say Kate.
And cook. She wouldn’t cook. She act like she never seen a kitchen.
She hadn’t never seen his.
Was a scandal, say Carrie.
He sure was, say Kate.
What you mean? say Carrie.
I mean he just brought her here, dropped her, and kept right on running after Shug Avery. That what I mean. Nobody to
talk to, nobody to visit. He be gone for days. Then she start having babies. And she young and pretty.
Not so pretty, say Carrie, looking in the looking glass. Just that head of hair. She too black.
Well, brother must like black. Shug Avery black as my shoe.
Shug Avery, Shug Avery, Carrie say. I’m sick of her. Somebody say she going round trying to sing. Umph, what she got to
sing about. Say she wearing dresses all up her leg and headpieces with little balls and tassles hanging down, look like
window dressing.
My ears perk up when they mention Shug Avery. I feel like I want to talk about her my own self. They hush.
I’m sick of her too, say Kate, letting out her breath. And you right about Celie, here. Good housekeeper, good with
children, good cook. Brother couldn’t have done better if he tried.
I think about how he tried.
This time Kate come by herself. She maybe twenty-five. Old maid. She look younger than me. Healthy. Eyes bright.
Tongue sharp.
Buy Celie some clothes. She say to Mr. ____.
She need clothes? he ast.
Well look at her.
He look at me. It like he looking at the earth. It need somethin? his eyes say.
She go with me in the store. I think what color Shug Avery would wear. She like a queen to me so I say to Kate, Somethin
purple, maybe little red in it too. But us look an look and no purple. Plenty red but she say, Naw, he won’t want to pay for
red. Too happy lookin. We got choice of brown, maroon or navy blue. I say blue.
I can’t remember being the first one in my own dress. Now to have one made just for me. I try to tell Kate what it mean. I
git hot in the face and stutter.
She say. It’s all right, Celie. You deserve more than this.
Maybe so. I think.
Harpo, she say. Harpo the oldest boy. Harpo, don’t let Celie be the one bring in all the water. You a big boy now. Time for
you to help out some.
Women work, he say.
What? she say.
Women work. I’m a man.
You’re a trifling nigger, she say. You git that bucket and bring it back full. He cut his eye at me. Stumble out. I hear him
mutter somethin to Mr. _____ sitting on the porch. Mr. _____ call his sister. She stay out on the porch talking a little
while, then she come back in, shaking.
Got to go, Celie, she say.
She so mad tears be flying every which way while she pack.
You got to fight them, Celie, she say. I can’t do it for you. You got to fight them for yourself.
I don’t say nothing. I think bout Nettie, dead. She fight, she run away. What good it do? I don’t fight, I stay where I’m told.
But I’m alive.