Before long I was back in the slave quarters on Master Brodas' plantation. I was just skin and bones, and had scars all over my back and neck. It took a little while but my mother was able to get those scars healed up and a little flesh on my bones. As soon as I was better, Master Brodas hired me out again. This time it was to a man that put me to work outside. I never worked inside again. But to me that was good because I hated working indoors. I could tell that my body was developing strength. But even though I was still a child, I was often given work that strong men would have to do. And if I failed at it, I was beaten.
I started wearing my colorful trademark bandana when I was eleven. Among slave quarters, it was a sign of womanhood and that a young girl was growing up. Although life was unusually hard working in the fields, I felt much freer and more peaceful there. I would often pause and watch the birds flying and I could enjoy the fresh smells from the nearby woods. That sense of freedom and peace I felt working outside would cause me to even hum and sing while I worked.