This is a rewrite of the passage when Janie is forced to kill Tea Cake (pg 181-184). It is from Tea Cake’s point of view rather than Janie’s.
By: Austin Woetzel
Tea Cake had had two bad attacks that night. He knew something inside of him was beginning to change. He could no longer think straight as his mind was spinning inside his head. He wanted to believe that everything would be alright, but deep down inside he knew something was very wrong. As he awoke from a restless sleep that had come to him early in the morning, Janie was preparing to leave. Tea Cake was annoyed that Janie would want to leave him.
“Where are you goin’, Janie?”
“After de doctor Tea Cake. You’se too sick tuh be heah in dis house ‘ thout de doctah. Maybe we oughta git yuh tuh de hospital.”
“Ah ain’t goin’ tuh no hospital no where. Put dat in yo’ pipe and smoke it. Guess you tired uh waitin’ on me and doing fuh me. Dat ain’t de way Ah been wid you. Ah never is been able tuh do enough fur yuh”
“Tea Cake, you’se sick. You’se takin’ everything in de way Ah don’t mean it. Ah couldn’t never be tired uh waitin’ on you Ah’m just skeered you’se too sick fuh me tuh handle. Ah wants yuh tuh git well honey. Dat’s all.”
Tea Cake was angry with Jane and he glared at her hoping she would understand. After everything he had done for her, this is how she treats him when he needs her the most. His body felt numb now and he longed for peace within himself. Tea Cake knew he was loosing control, and he fought the feeling but it relentlessly attacked him. “Janie don’t love me no mo’,” he thought. He felt the pistol underneath his pillow thinking that he might need it to keep Janie from leaving him. His mind raced. How could he be thinking of killing the person he loved? Tea Cake got up and stumbled to the outhouse hoping that this could relieve his pain. His mind continued to lie to himself. He remembered all the good times he and Janie had spent together. She had managed to ruin everything. The dog! Why did she ever have to fall into the water, and forced him to save her. He should have just let her die then. And now she wanted him to leave to go to some hospital where they would be separated. Tea Cake angrily headed back toward the house. His sickness was now worse than ever. He swayed side to side, slipping on a section of loose dirt. His vision was blurred and his whole body felt as if it would crumble into a million pieces. Tea Cake longed for Janie to love him. He needed her more than ever now, and she treated him like he was worthless. He collapsed on his bed and awoke to the sound of Janie washing dishes. He spoke to her in a queer cold voice.
“Janie, how come you can’t sleep in de same bed wid me no mo’?”
“De doctah told you tuh sleep by yo’self, Tea Cake. Don’t yuh remember him tellin’ you dat yistiddy?”
“How come you ruther sleep on uh pallet than tuh sleep in de bed wid me?” Tea Cake slid his hand under his pillow and reached for the gun. He held it firmly in his hand. “Answer me when Ah speek.”
“Tea Cake, Tea Cake honey! Go lay down! Ah’ll be too glad tuh be in dere wid yuh de minute de doctor say so. Go lay back down. He’ll be heah wid some new medicine right away.”
“Janie, Ah done went through everything tuh be good tuh you and it hurt me tuh mah heart tuh be ill treated lak Ah is.”
Tea Cake raised the gun and steadied it at Janie’s breast. Even in his confused state he was able to take good aim. He knew something was wrong but he could not control himself. The only way he could find peace was to kill. Tea Cake looked at Janie and her face was filled with horror. He pulled the trigger of the pistol and it snapped once.
“This is yo fault Janie! Things didn’t have tuh be dis way.” Janie reached for the rifle behind her and loaded a shell. Tea Cake pulled the trigger again only to hear another click of the gun. He was in a daze; the pain was unbearable. I just want dis ta end he thought.
“Tea Cake, put down dat gun and go back tuh bed!” Janie yelled at him as the gun wavered weakly in his hand.
He steadied himself against the jamb of the door and once more steadied the gun and once more hearing the click of the pistol. He had a ferocious look on his eyes. A look that Janie knew only meant one thing. To kill her. Janie quickly raised the barrel of the rifle, aiming it at him, but he didn’t care. Tea Cake was unaware of the rifle, nor anything else that was going on around him. Janie was the only living thing around him and he had to end that. Tea Cake stiffened his entire body as he took aim at Janie.
The pistol and the rifle rang out almost together. The pistol just enough after the rifle to seem it's echo. Tea Cake felt something hit him but his mind was unable to produce any more feeling of pain than he already possessed. He knew he had missed and he was relieved by this. She didn’t deserve to die. She never did. Light slowly faded away and he fell into Janie’s arms.
