Learning English through literature: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Aibileen

Chapter one 01

August 1962

MAE MOBLEY was born on a early Sunday morningin August, 1960. A church baby we like to call it. Taking care a white babies, that's what I do, along  with all the cooking and the cleaning. I done raised seventeen kids in my lifetime. I know how to get them babies to sleep, stop crying, and go in the toilet bowl before they mamas even get out a bed in the morning.

But I ain't never seen a baby yell like Mae Mobley

Leefolt. First day I walk in the door, there she be, redhot (colorada como un tomate) and hollering with the colic (aullando debido a un cólico), fighting that bottle like it's a rotten turnip. Miss Leefolt, she look terrified a her own child. "What am I doing wrong? Why can't I stop it?"

It? That was my first hint: (indicio) something is wrong with this

situation.

So I took that pink, screaming baby in my arms. Bounced her on my hip to get the gas moving and it didn't take two minutes fore Baby Girl stopped her crying, got to smiling up at me like she do. But Miss

Leefolt, she don't pick up her own baby for the rest a the day. I seen plenty a womens get the baby blues (con esa depression post parto) after they done birthing. I reckon I thought that's what it was.

Here's something about Miss Leefolt: she not just frowning all the time, she skinny. Her legs is so spindly (tan delgadas), she look like she done growed em last week.

Twenty-three years old and she lanky (desgarbada) as a fourteenyear- old boy. Even her hair is thin, brown, seethrough (transparente).

She try to tease it up (cardárselo), but it only make it look thinner. Her face be the same shape as that red devil on the redhot candy box (caramelitos de canela), pointy chin and all. Fact, her whole body be so full a sharp knobs and corners, (ángulos afilados y esquinas) it's no wonder she can't soothe that baby. Babies like fat.

Like to bury they face up in you armpit and go to sleep. They like big fat legs too. That I know.

By the time she a year old, Mae Mobley following me around everwhere I go. Five o'clock would come round and she'd be hanging on my Dr. Scholl shoe, dragging over the floor, crying like I weren't never coming back. Miss Leefolt, she'd narrow up her eyes

at me like I done something wrong, unhitch  () that crying baby off my foot. I reckon that's the risk you run, letting somebody else raise you chilluns  (retoños).

Mae Mobley two years old now. She got big brown eyes and honey-color curls. But the bald spot in the back of her hair kind a throw things off (estropea un poco el conjunto). She get the same wrinkle between her eyebrows when she worried, like her mama. They kind a favor except Mae Mobley so fat. She ain't gone be no beauty queen. I think it bother Miss Leefolt, but Mae Mobley my special baby.

I LOST MY OWN BOY, Treelore, right before I started waiting on Miss Leefolt. He was twenty-four years old.  The best part of a person's life. It just wasn't enough time living in this world.

He had him a little apartment over on Foley Street.

Seeing a real nice girl name Frances and I spec () they was gone get married, but he was slow bout things like that (se tomaba este tema con calma). Not cause he looking for something better, just cause he the thinking kind (de esos que meditan mucho las cosas antes de hacerlas). Wore big glasses and reading all the time. He even start writing his own book, bout being a colored man living and working in Mississippi. Law (Dios mío), that made me proud. But one nigh the working late at the Scanlon-Taylor mill, lugging two-by-fours to the truck, splinters slicing (cargando troncos en un camion, con astillas que le atravesaban los guantes) all the way through the glove. He too small for that kind a work,  too skinny, but he needed the job. He was tired. It was raining. He slip off the loading dock, (se resbaló de la plataforma) fell down on the drive. Tractor trailer didn't see him and crushed his lungs fore he could move. By the time I found out, he was dead.

Source: The Help

KATHRYN STOCKETT

Penguin Group USA

Traducción: libre, diccionario: Cambridge Klet Complet