Their-Eyes-Were-Watching-God-rmrju9

72 OAP Zora Neale Hurstonpots and pans. Janie was a good cook, and Joe had looked forwardto his dinner as a refuge from other things. So when thebread didn't rise, and the fish wasn't quite done at the bone,and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringingsound in her ears and told her about her brains before hestalked on back to the store.Janie stood where he left her for unmeasured time andthought. She stood there until something fell off the shelf insideher. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her imageof Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw thatit never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just somethingshe had grabbed up to drape her dreams over. In a way sheturned her back upon the image where it lay and looked further.She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man,neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be. Shefound that she had a host of thoughts she had never expressed tohim, and numerous emotions she had never let Jody know about.Things packed up and put away in parts of her heart where hecould never find them. She was saving up feelings for some manshe had never seen. She had an inside and an outside now and suddenlyshe knew how not to mix them.She bathed and put on a fresh dress and head kerchief andwent on to the store before Jody had time to send for her. Thatwas a bow to the outside of things.Jody was on the porch and the porch was full of Eatonville asusual at this time of the day. He was baiting Mrs. Tony Robbinsas he always did when she came to the store. Janie could see Jodywatching her out of the corner of his eye while he joked roughlywith Mrs. Robbins. He wanted to be friendly with her again. Hisbig, big laugh was as much for her as for the baiting. He waslonging for peace but on his own terms."I god, Mrs. Robbins, whut make you come heah and worry