Pages 94-98 (Paragraph 1) of Chapter 10, taken from Their Eyes Were Watching God, rewritten in the perspective of Tea Cake.
One evenin’, Ah waltzed right intuh Mis’ Stark’s store tuh buy me some smokin’ tobacco. Standin’ in de store behind one uh dem long countahs, leanin’ ovah it an markin’ up some paper was a woman Ah ain’t nevah seed de likes of. Ah knew ‘twas Mis’ Starks, but Ah hadn’t prepared mahself fo’ what Ah saw that night. She had de longest hair Ah’d evah seed an’ ‘twas all done up in a braid, nice ‘n relaxed, just hangin’ down her back like a rope uh black silk thread. She had sech pretty skin an’ a face jes’ like a rose, had Ah not been a grown man an’ she a widow, Ah would uh yelped, “Hawt diggity dawg!” right dere in de store. Ah couldn’t take mah eyes off uh her. Didn’t take long befo’ Ah knew deep down in mah soul dat howevah long it took, dis was de woman Ah wanted. Ah was goin’ tuh do whatevah it took to make her mah baby chile’ fo’ de rest uh mah life. Knew ‘twould be a struggle, but dat wasn’t goin’ tuh stop me. Ah done seen what Ah want, an’ Ah ain’t givin up ‘til Ah done got it in mah own hands. She was de queen uh de world. So, Ah decided tuh start de battle fo’ her heart right den an’ dere.
So Ah says “Good evenin’” whilst grinnin’ mah head off, an’ lookin’ at her hair. She has a look about her dat tells me we is goin’ tuh get along jes’ fine. Dat was de beginnin’. She comes back wid a “Evenin’!” fo’ me in dat pretty voice uh hers, an’ reminds me dat she don’t know mah name, tho’ she knows she’s seed me ‘round somewhere. She was mattah uh fact an’ feminine at de same time. Yeah, dis was mah kind of woman. Not afraid tuh open her mouf but ‘spectful an’ sweet as sugar.
Ah try tuh hint dat it ain’t too hard tuh pick her outta de masses uh vulgar humanity. Tuh dis, she makes some talk ‘bout people recognizin’ her cause all she done fo’ de past twenty yeahs is keep de store up and runnin’. Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! She done gone an’ mistook mah meanin’. Didn’t even bite mah hook. Ah got tuh trah lil bit harder next chance Ah get tuh throw one like dat at her. Jus make it a lil bit mo’ obvious. Push de limits but don’t start de train rollin’ outa control jes’ yet; dat might scare her away. Best get tuh mah business.
Ah asks her fo’ some tobacco. She asks me what kind, so Ah tells her. Ah drops de money in her hand an’ her soft lil fingers closes ‘round it, not even lookin’ tuh count it ‘til she’s got mah tobacco in mah hands. Ah decide Ah’s goin’ to make de most uh dis opportunity even tho’ she jes’ gone an missed dat pretty piece uh flattery Ah prepared special fo’ her. If Ah stay an’ smoke mah tobacco right in de store, Ah can talk tuh her longer, so dat’s what Ah do.
Ah smile an’ ask her fo’ some fire tuh light up wid. Fo’ de fust time she laughs. A true laugh. Ah ain’t givin’ up. Yeah, we’s friends. No doubt ‘bout dat. Ah laugh along wid her as she hands me de fire. Ah ain’t goin’ tuh leave. We jes’ got started. She asks me whah Ah’m not at de game wid all de others, so Ah tells her de story of de lil mixup dat brought me tuh her store.
When she finds out Ah don’t have no ride back tuh Orlandah an’ asks me what Ah’s gon tuh do, Ah tell her Ah’s gon tuh play uh game uh checkers wid her. She don’t even know how tuh play, de beauty. So Ah makes up mah mind tuh teach her. She’s a quick one. Dis girl ain’t no slouch. She got her some mean brains, an’ Ah is takin’ de gamble dat Ah can win ‘em ovah wid mah charm.
When Ah go tuh take her king, she grabs mah wrist wid her slip uh a hand an’ trahs tuh stop me. We get in a bit o’ a hassle an’ I play along wid it, but Ah don’t want tuh hurt de fairy, so Ah jus’ tease a bit. De whole board gets knocked offa de barrel an’ goes slidin’ across de waxed floor. De pieces end up everywheh: in a bag uh flouah, in a crack in de floor, some in de cracker box, an’ some roll out de doh.
Afta’ pickin’ up de pieces wid a good laugh, we settle down tuh a soda. Man a’livin! Soda done nevah tasted so good in mah life! Mah taste buds done woke up. Mah pretty Mis’ Starks begins tuh worry ‘bout me gettin’ home an’ Ah jes’ tells her Ah’s goin’ tuh walk. Somethin’ from anothuh planet turns loose in me an’ Ah start playin’ de fool: shufflin’ ‘cros de floor, pigeon walkin’ through de store, an throwin’ mah hat at de queen uh mah heart. She lobs de hat back at me an’ giggles a giggle dat a man could survive on fo’ months if only he could hear it once a week. Her bein’ fills de room to the rafters, seeps intuh mah soul, heals up de hurt places, an’ gives me somethin’ Ah done nevah had befo’. Ah think it’s called love.
