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He charge on out the door.
    “Good riddance,” Ellen, the bakery lady, say.
    Jen give me a look I didn’t understand. Like she thought I stole sumpin’.
    I got me a knife and chop celery. My hand shake only at first.

Why did some boy name Stephen have to come ruin everything? I might could learn to cut grass. I can pull weeds. He don’t need to be here.
    I peek out the window at him. He’s not looking toward me. I just hear the mower in the front of the house. I skedaddle down the steps crosst the yard to Miss Lizzy’s.
    I clean the kitchen up nice, then I get to work making the bathroom sparkledy.
    I was just starting to feel all right when Miss Lizzy asks could I come make some iced tea and meet Stephen. I turn around. A sweaty boy stand behind me in the doorway. I must of turn white as a ghost. I kind of yelp.
    He smile and say, “I didn’t mean to scare you.” And he smile.
    I don’t like no boys to smile at me.
    I back against the sink. Looking for a place to run out that kitchen. But Miss Lizzy standing there in her walker between me and the door. I couldn’t run her over.
    I took some gulping big breaths. I saw that Miss Lizzy and that boy was looking at me like I gone crazy. I tried to think hard. This wasn’t no barn. And Miss Lizzy was right here. I might was going to be all right. I slid with my back still to the counter so I didn’t have to turn away from the boy. I got the tea. I slid along. Fetched a glass. Slid some more. I came to the fridge. I got some ice. I kept my eyes on him all the while. Then I thump the glass of tea on the table. While I was doing all this, Miss Lizzy was talking.
    “Biddy, this is Stephen. He is in charge of the gardening. He does other landscaping jobs too, but he’s our regular gardener and will be here parts of the day often. Stephen, this is Biddy. She takes care of the house and of me when I need it. She’s a great help.”
    That boy stuck his hand out and say, “Glad to make your acquaintance, Biddy.”
    I didn’t know what no “quaintance” was. But I for sure wasn’t going to touch his hand. I push back harder again’ the counter till I was almost bending backwards. He looked at me kinda sad-like. He took his hand back out the air.
    “I’ve known Stephen since he was practically a puppy,” Miss Lizzy said. “His father was my gardener before, and Stephen used to come help out. He’s a fine young man, Biddy.”
    “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. That’s kind of you to say.” That boy picked up his glass and kind of tilted it toward Miss Lizzy. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take this outside to drink. I need to get the front mowed before the day heats up.”
    Miss Lizzy say something to him, and then he nod to me and say, “Good-bye, Biddy. I hope to see you again sometime.” I didn’t say nothing. I didn’t move.
    He left outside the front door. I could breathe inside my chest again. I felt like I might fall in a heap on the ground. My legs felt so squishy.
    “Biddy,” Miss Lizzy say. “Stephen is a nice boy. He would never hurt you. Has a boy ever hurt you, Biddy? Is that why you were so afraid of him?”
    Miss Lizzy can’t know my secrets. She won’t never let me live in her princess house no more. “I ain’t scaredy. I just don’t mess with no boys. That’s all.” I went back to scrubbing my pots.

All afternoon, people looking at me like I done sumpin’ wrong. Hard to believe Biddy didn’t take a whipping stick to folks that look at her that way all the time. But then, Biddy, she done sumpin’ with them boys. I mean, I know sumpin’ gots done. I’m thinkin’, maybe, since she seem so scared of boys . . . I don’t know what I’m thinkin’. All I know is I didn’t do nothing but try to get my apron.
    I wonder if Biddy done met Stephen or if she was able to keep shut of him all day. I shake my head and wonder why I care what ole Buffalo Butt doin’ and if she wearin’ that raggedy coat. No business of mine.

Miss Lizzy call