I shake my head with a smile.“Three copies. Miss Skeeter told me on the phone this morning.”

Even Minny look stunned. Just two months ago the white library started letting colored people in. I been in twice myself.

Minny open the book and she start reading it right there. Kids come in and she tell them what to do and how to do it without even looking up. Eyes don’t even stop moving across the page. I already done read it many a time, working on it over the past year. But Minny always said she don’t want a read it till it come out in the hardboard. Say she don’t want a spoil it.

I set there with Minny awhile. Time to time she grin. Few times she laugh. And more an once she growl. I don’t ask what for. I leave her to it and head home. After I write all my prayers, I go to bed with that book setting on the pillow next to me.

THE NEXT DAY AT WORK, all I can think about is how stores is puttingmy book on the shelves. I mop, I iron, I change diapers, but I don’t hear a word about it in Miss Leefolt’s house. It’s like I ain’t even written a book. I don’t know what I spected—some kind a stirring—but it’s just a regular old hot Friday with flies buzzing on the screen.

That night six maids in the book call my house asking has anybody said anything. We linger on the line like the answer’s gone change if we breathe into the phone long enough.

Miss Skeeter call last.“I went by the Bookworm this afternoon. Stood around awhile, but nobody even picked it up.”

“Eula say she went by the colored bookstore. Same thing.”

“Alright,” she sigh.

But all that weekend and then into the next week, we don’t hear nothing. The same old books set on Miss Leefolt’s nightstand:Frances Benton’s Etiquette,Peyton Place, that old dusty Bible she keep by the bed for show. But Law if I don’t keep glancing at that stack like a stain.

By Wednesday, they still ain’t even a ripple in the water. Not one person’s bought a copy in the white bookstore. The Farish Street store say they done sold about a dozen, which is good. Might a just been the other maids, though, buying for they friends.

On Thursday, day seven, before I even left for work, my phone ring.

“I’ve got news,” Miss Skeeter whisper. I reckon she must be locked up in the pantry again.

“What happen?”

“Missus Stein called and said we’re going to be on the Dennis James show.”

“People Will Talk? The tee-vee show?”

“Our book made the book review. She said it’ll be on Channel Three next Thursday at one o’clock.”

Law, we gone be on WLBT-TV! It’s a local Jackson show, and it come on in color, right after the twelve o’clock news.

“You think the review gone be good or bad?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know if Dennis reads the books or just says what they tell him to.”

I feel excited and scared at the same time. Somethinggot to happen after that.

“Missus Stein said somebody must’ve felt sorry for us in the Harper and Row publicity department and made some calls. She said we’re the first book she’s handled with a publicity budget of zero.”

We laugh, but we both sound nervous.

“I hope you get to watch it at Elizabeth’s. If you can’t, I’ll call you and tell you everything they said.”

ON FRIDAY NIGHT, a week after the book come out, I get ready to go to the church. Deacon Thomas call me this morning and ask would I come to a special meeting they having, but when I ask what about, he get all in a hurry and say he got to go. Minny say she got the same thing. So I iron up a nice linen dress a Miss Greenlee’s and head to Minny’s house. We gone walk there together.

As usual, Minny’s house be like a chicken coop on fire. Minny be hollering, things be flinging around, all the kids squawking. I see the first hint a Minny’s belly under her dress and I’m grateful she finally showing. Leroy, he don’t hit Minny when she pregnant. And Minny know this so I spec they’s gonebe a lot more babies after this one.

“Kindra! Get your butt off that floor!” Minny holler. “Them beans better be hot when your daddy wakes up!”

Kindra—she seven now—she sass-walk her way to the stove with her bottom sticking out and her nose up in the air. Pans go banging all over the place. “Why I got to do dinner? It’s Sugar’s turn!”

“Cause Sugar at Miss Celia’s and you want a live to see third grade.”

Benny come in and squeeze me round the middle. He grin and show me the tooth he got missing, then run off.

“Kindra, turn that flame down fore you burn the house down!”

“We better go, Minny,” I say, cause this could go on all night. “We gone be late.”

Minny look at her watch. Shake her head.“Why Sugar ain’t home yet? Miss Celia ain’t never kept me this late.”

Last week, Minny started bringing Sugar to work. She getting her trained for when Minny have her baby and Sugar gone have to fill in for her. Tonight Miss Celia ask Sugar to work late, say she drive her home.

“Kindra, I don’t want a see so much as a bean setting in that sink when I get back. Clean up good now.” Minny give her a hug. “Benny, go tell Daddy he better get his fool self out a that bed.”

“Aww, Mama, whyI—”

“Go on, be brave. Just don’t stand too close when he come to.”

We make it out the door and down to the street fore we hear Leroy hollering at Benny for waking him up. I walk faster so she don’t go back and give Leroy what he good for.

“Glad we going to church tonight,” Minny sigh. We round Farish Street, start up the steps. “Give me a hour a not thinking about it all.”

Soon as we step in the church foyer, one a the Brown brothers slip behind us and he lock the door. I’m about to ask why, would a got scared if I had the time, but then the thirty-odd peoples in the room start clapping. Minny and me start clapping with em. Figure somebody got into college or something.

“Who we clapping for?” I ask Rachel Johnson. She the Reverend wife.

She laugh and it get quiet. Rachel lean in to me.

“Honey, we clapping for you.” Then she reach down and pull a copy a the book out a her purse. I look around and now everbody got a copy in they hands. All the important officers and church deacons are there.

Reverend Johnson come up to me then.“Aibileen, this is an important time for you and our church.”

“You must a cleaned out the bookstore,” I say, and the crowd laugh real polite-like.

“We want you to know, for your safety, this will be the only time the church recognizes you for your achievement. I know a lot of folks helped with this book, but I heard it couldn’t have been done without you.”