Passage
Rewrite Pages 10-12
Rewritten
from the Perspective of Nanny
I knew
something was going on before I even saw Janie and Johnny Taylor
kiss. It was a late, spring afternoon when I saw the two of them
together. Of course my suspicions were confirmed as soon as Janie let
that boy kiss her over the gatepost. Janie had recently decided that
she liked to spend her afternoons laying under the pear tree in the
back yard and that day was no different. Every spare moment she had
was spent day dreaming under that tree. For some reason the tree
intrigued her. Whether it be the pear blossoms just starting to open
or maybe the tree whispered some sense of mystery to her young ears.
Either way she loved that old pear tree. Every once and a while when
I wasn't doing a chore I would look out at her and remember what it
was like when I was her age. My childhood was nothing like Janie's.
No freedom. If I ever got a moment alone it was a treasure. Maybe
that was why I never stopped Janie from spending her spare moments
there. As Janie stretched out underneath the tree, I realized that
she was growing up and would soon be looking to marry. I never had
the chance to marry into a good family. All I wanted was for Janie to
have the best life she could possibly have. I went to lay down. My
deep thoughts had started to plague me with a horrible headache. As
soon as my head touched the pillow I was asleep. Suddenly I was
awakened by Janie making a ruckus in the kitchen. I thought nothing
of it and fell back into a restless sleep. While I was sleeping I
dreamed of voices. The voices were coming from somewhere far away,
but they kept coming closer. Then in my dream I knew it was Janie's
voice. Janie's voice whispering to a man. I was instantly awake. I
quickly peered outside just in time to see Johnny Taylor kiss Janie.
I was so shocked I couldn't do anything but say her name. I
couldn't even say her name with command and reprimand. I couldn't
believe that she had grown up this fast. Of course I always knew she
would eventually become a woman, but I never imagined it would be
like this. We both knew that in that single moment Janie's childhood
was gone. I was upset, but I couldn't look at her with eyes filled
with anger. I couldn't help but look at her with love and
understanding. In that moment I wasn't looking at Janie, I was
looking at her mother. I couldn't help but think that she was the one
who was supposed to be here. She was the one who should be hearing
about Janie's first step into womanhood. Although there was nothing I
could do about it. Janie's mother had chosen to leave, which meant
that I was the one who had this responsibility. I needed
to tell her that now that she had reached womanhood it was time that
she married. I knew that telling her this would upset and confuse
her, but it was something that needed to be done. A million thoughts
racing through my head, I told her that she was now a woman. She
refused the thought, just like I knew she would. After assuring her
that she was now a woman, I told her that I wanted to see her married
as soon as possible. Even though I knew she might resent me for
saying this, she needed to hear it. In that moment I almost started
to resent her mother. I should be the Nanny not the mother. The one
that Janie would come to for comforting, not the one she should be
hearing hard things from.
