Fandom: The Help

Characters: Aibileen

Author: m_findlow

Rating: PG

Length: 1,350 words

Content notes: Characters are the property of Kathryn Stockett.

Author notes: Written for Challenge 265 - Pin or pen

Summary: Aibileen pens a letter to her dear friend.


Dear Miss Skeeter,

I done been meanin' to write you for weeks, but between all the writin' and the folks writin' letters to me, I just ain't been able to find the time to write one myself. And a course there's still all them prayers ever night. Nobody mind old Aibileen not polishing silver or runnin' down to the Jitney Jungle every day to pick up groceries, she still be the best line to God if ever you need something. I don't mind though. I figure the Good Lord been lookin down on all a us and givin us his favour so I oughta ask him mighty nicely to be sharing some of that favour around.

Thank you for the letters you been sending me, telling us all how y'all doin in New York now that you a fancy writer. I kept a copy of every Time magazine and read every one of your articles. I keep wonderin' to myself when you gone end up on the front cover as the most famous write in all a Mississippi. It gone happen one day, you just trust old Aibileen, and when it does, I'll be buying up every copy and send them all to your momma, she be so proud a you.

Things in Jackson pretty much the same, but I hear things at church that some of them ladies starting to be a bit nicer to the help. It seems they scared they might end up in a another book a stories about the help. I heard a one down the street the other day say it only be a matter of time before someone write a book about Jackson, seein as how it's such a big important place. Those ladies still don't know it be them we was writin' about. They think they gonna show how it ain't like what we said, and that there ain't no injustice. I guess they lucky they don't have to worry about another book.

I been keepin' busy helping out at Miss Celia's house. Minny got me the job after Miss Leefolt done fired me. She said that big ol' house was just too much for one person to handle, and that was without havin' to take care a Miss Celia on top. I know Minny just tryin' to be good to me and that she don't need help, but it's real nice to feel like I'm still workin'.

Miss Celia gettin' really good a cooking now, too. I ain't never thought I'd see a white lady arguin' with her help over who gonna get the can a crisco. Miss Celia make a mean chocolate pie, the kind without the terrible awful, but Minny don't dare share her recipe for her famous caramel cake. That woman do deserve a medal pinned to her chest for not want to kill Miss Celia if you hear the way she talks about that crazy white lady.

Minny still hoppin' up and down like mad every time Miss Celia go out into that garden wearing her fancy white lady clothes. It done took me three nights, but I finally managed to unpick all a them monogram letters on Miss Hilly's hand me down clothes. I gave them to Miss Celia and said she could use them for when she was workin' out in the dirt. Makes me mighty happy to think of all them nice Miss Hilly clothes getting covered in dirt. Law, I almost wish she done come round one day and see Miss Celia standin' there, covered in so much dirt she blacker than a Mississippi water baby. Miss Hilly, she'd be so damn horrified she wouldn't even be able to say to Miss Celia that she not good enough even to wear Miss Hilly's hand me downs. She be mad even worse to know a black lady be givin' away her clothes like they not good enough for her. If word got out, she'd have to go hide in that coloured bathroom a hers. Law, that'd be funnier than all of them commodes sitting out on Miss Hilly's lawn.

Miss Celia finally got herself a baby, too. She and Mister Johnny drove all the way up to Biloxi to visit one of them white babies orphanages, and they done come home with the most beautiful baby girl. She done lost her momma and daddy in a car accident, but she too little to know. She love Miss Celia like she her real momma. Miss Celia even sayin' maybe when baby girl done grown up a bit, they gonna go back and adopt another one. Law, theys got room enough in that big ol' house. Nice to have the sound a babies laughing in the house, and nice to see Miss Celia so happy she done got the family she always wanted.

Minny done had her baby girl too. She called her Skeeter. I laughed at her and said you can't going callin' her by some white lady's name, and Minny said she ain't got no white girl name, it ain't even Miss Skeeter's real name, and she gone call her what she like. I hope you is proud of Minny givin' her baby girl your name. Minny a hard nut to crack but you gone done one over of her real good.

Mister Johnny told her she could live in the pool house out behind they place. Minny done refuse a course, but then Leroy start showin' his face up at her sister's house, beggin' Minny to come on back home, saying he be good to her and not beat up on her. Minny say she don't believe that no good drunkard for a minute, so she accept Mister Johnny's offer. Leroy might come a knockin' on her sister's door, but no ways he dare step foot on some white man's property. Minny and the kids be nice and safe livin' there.

As for me, I want a thank you for putting in a good word for me with them fancy publishers. I finished writing five books now and they lookin' real nice now that they got the pictures in them. The church done bought up a whole lot a copies and they givin' them to the mommas as can't afford no nice picture books for they kids. I even heard some of them white ladies buying them for they kids. The help at the church tell me, they say, Aibileen, it hard not to smile when those chillun beg to be read a story and I say which one and theys pull out your book. Make me mighty happy that Mae Mobley and all the little uns like her reading my stories. With all the money from my story books, we gave some to Louvenia so that Robert could get some of them special books that blind kids can read. Louvenia so grateful to you Miss Skeeter. She say if she done never told you her story, we never be writing books and Robert never get no education part from what Louvenia teach him.

I got a feelin' maybe things is startin' to change, but we couldn't a done that without you Miss Skeeter. Maybe one day you write a book about how you grew up in Jackson and became a famous writer. You be sure to write how you started out with them Miss Myrna columns and how you couldn't a fixed a stain if your life depended on it. You tell them how old Aibileen told you all them secrets and how we kept the biggest secret a all about who wrote that book. The Lord up there be laughin' at all a us for gettin away with it. All because Miss Hilly couldn't resist a chocolate pie.

Be sure to come on back and visit us when you can. I know your momma be real glad to see you. She gone outlive all a us. I'm starting a think maybe she done be the one with the direct line to God.

Take care a yourself, Miss Skeeter.

Yours truly,

Aibileen.