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“Well now, you kids look nice. What is the occasion?” Lee asked, noticing how their hair were all fixed nicely with ribbons.
“They are going to school today,” Hattie replied with a smile.
“School?” Lee chuckled. “Well now, that’s a very good thing. You’ll enjoy it too. You get to read books with lots of adventures in them, and learn your math, and how to write your name…”
“Bo Daniels says school is no fun.” Daisy frowned.
“Well, Bo Daniels is wrong,” Joe corrected. “You be glad you can get an education.”
“That’s right, everyone needs an education, so they can grow up and be somebody,” Lee insisted.
“We ain’t never been to school though,” Daisy said.
Lee pulled Daisy around so he could look at her. “Now, Daisy. Everyone has a first day at something. But you’ll meet lots of kids your age, and learn a lot of different things. Eventually, as you get to know everyone, you’ll look forward to going.”
“It’s easy for you to say,” Daisy cried, her brows knitting.
“Education can make all the difference in the world,” Hattie cried. “You’ll see.”
Violet stood up. “I want to go, I want to learn to be as smart as Mama, and you, Mr. Lee.” She smiled at them.
Lee smiled too, and patted her head. “Let’s hope you’ll be smarter than me.”
***
However, late that afternoon, Daisy and Violet came home crying.
Hattie reached for them as they walked through the door. “What’s wrong, darlin’s?”
“They jeered at us. Some threw rocks.” Daisy frowned. “They called us names and threw rocks at us and then when the school opened we went in. When recess came they jeered us again when we went outside to play.”
“They were so mean, Mommy. Why were they mean?” Violet cried.
“Where’s your sister?” Hattie cried.
“She’s outside. She didn’t understand anything. She had a good ole time.”
Hattie smiled. “Well, maybe tomorrow will be better.”
“I ain’t goin’ back tomorrow,” Daisy cried. “I ain’t never goin’ back to that place ever again. And you cain’t make me. I’d just as soon go to the colored school as go there; they called us white people's trash.”
“I don’t want to go either, Mama,” Violet said.
Hattie bit her lip, not knowing what to do about this mutiny. Finally she shook her head and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go get your lessons and bring them home and we’ll take them back and forth to the school, so you don’t have to go.”
Lee shook his head. “That’s no answer. They have to go to school, to learn. To make friends. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to make friends with people. But I’ve found if you keep on being nice, then most people will be nice back.”
“I don’t want to go…”
“Fine, then Violet will go and you’ll stay home.”
“You mean it?” Daisy perked up.
“Sure, she’ll learn to be smart and educated, and you won’t. Then I will ask her to do things, not you, because you being the oldest doesn’t always mean you’re the smartest.”
“But that’s not fair, Mama,” Daisy huffed, blowing a tendril of hair back from her face.
“Oh yes it is. It’s your decision, and I leave it with you. Violet will get a pair of shoes and new dress for going, you won’t.”
