“That’s right,” Hattie Mae said. “Eat, live, and maybe you might just be able to pay young Massa back for what he did to you and your boy. Eat, gal. You know it was that nasty Minnie what sicced Massa on you. And now she struttin’ her skinny ass around with a new calico skirt, a brand new pair of shoes, and a steady supply of rock candy.” Hattie Mae finally had Flossie’s attention. She would eat. She would gain her strength. She would make Claude Etienne pay for what he did to her if it took the rest of her life. She’d make his old 217 Carolyn Holland man pay for bringing him into the world. She’d make Claude’s sons pay just because they were his, but first she was going to make Minnie pay.