*******
At the turn of the century, Charles had two buildings in the slave town torn down and rebuilt. At first, Charles was going to destroy the Church, fortunately, the building was well preserved, it received a paint job inside and out, plus a new roof. He had the shacks repainted and brand-new poles made for the porch. In addition, each shack received a new roof.
The slave’s toilets had not been updated since 1920, some of the male slaves tore down the old outdoor toilet and filled the hole in with dirt and weeds from the tobacco fields, while several other men dug deep holes for the new toilets. Ben, Charles father, traveled to the partying town of Ogville, purchased new outhouses from a company that supplied the toilets for big events. Charles, his dad, his son, watched and supervised the slaves as they struggled to get the buildings set up. The women had six stalls and three sinks, the men had three urinal, three stalls, and three sinks. All the sinks had mirrors above them. Once a month Charles supplied paper towels, toilet paper, and large containers of hand sanitizer. The men smelt like lemon or lime, the women strawberry or roses. Too often the men and women after washing up would spread the hand sanitizer on their arms and clothes as a perfumed lotion. [RL72]Charles purchased three one thousand gallons of rain harvesting tanks for the slaves to bathe, take care of their daily needs, water their garden, and tobacco fields. They were overjoyed with their new modern-day water supply, and toilets.
In the General Store were powdered milk, powdered eggs, lard, flour, beans, sugar, salt, meal, yeast, corn, and vegetables from their garden, and clothing that the women made. the store opened every first and third weekend. Originally the overseers ran the store, but Barbara found flaws in the overseers bookkeeping. The slaves purchased supplies from the store with their work performance and quality of work. If the slave's labor was sufficient, according to the overseer’s, they received enough ration to last two weeks. If not, they received nothing. Sometimes the overseers would tell the truth, too often they lied just to have an opportunity to beat a slave or watch them struggle as they worked in the fields due to hunger. Still, the less the slaves got the more food the overseers took for themselves.
Barbara noted that the weight of the tobacco that Charles wrote down, and what the overseers reported to her, did not match. She sent her son and daughter to investigate. Together, Harriett and Henry took over running the store, the overseers got one week’s ration that they had to make last for two weeks.
Charles was all about running the tobacco business, so he let Harriett and his wife take care of the overseers. Harriett left the castle to go shopping, she was a resurrected Duke from the dead. She went to other cities in search of new overseer’s, she also studied the women for their personality and looked for possible slaves of all races. In a city twenty miles outside Ogville, she met a young man that was all alone on Valentine Day. Harry II went to Titleburk, with both kids gone for the day, Charles said to his wife, “I want to take you to California.”
Barbara ran into Charles’ arms and said with joy, “you have hundreds of millions of dollars, let’s burn this place down and go.”
Charles asked, “what about the slaves.”
“Burn them up,” Barbara replied.
During Valentine’s Day, folk from across American shopped for Valentine Day cards, flowers, and chocolates; Harriett was people shopping, her mother was ready to kill folk, Charles wanted to abandon the plantation, and Harry was getting drunk.
The only holiday the slaves knew about was New Years, Easter, and Christmas. On the day violence was brewing in the Brown family household, Lillie and her sister-in-law, Sophie, was relaxing, talking, and making quilts on the general store porch. Lillie said to Sophie, “mighty nice of Massa let us come ta’ town ta’day,” One of the male slaves walked past, Lillie spoke to him, “good afta' noon Harvey.”
Harvey lifted his hand in a wave, and said, “afta' noon Miss. Lillie.”
Sophie looking in the opposite direction, said to Lillie, “yonder comes Bo.”
Lillie said, “I's' sees him a ‘comin,' he old Massa tall-tail slave, his mouth always yappin' tellin' Massa what us slaves done. Likes we's doin' somethin' wrong.”
Sophie smiled and said, “yeah, I's' hears' yah’ talkin,' but old Massa treat him good.”
Lillie said a little too loud, “Massa don't know how ta' treat nobody good or bad.”
Sophie bellowed, “God made us to obey Massa and Massa obey the Good Book.”
Lillie said, “dat what Massa say, I's' cain't find it in the Good Book, I's' thank' Massa lie ta' us.”
Sophie said, “I's' thank' we's need ta' leave dis' alone Lillie, a foe’ Bo hears us.”
“Did God create white folk to walk about? Did God create colored folk to be locked behind gates until we die?” Lillie asked.
Bo walked up to the ladies and said, “hi ladies, you's keepin' out of trouble?”
Lillie unable to contain herself, and powerless to get control of her trembling voice said, “you's' thirty years younger den' me, you's askin' me iffen' I's' keepin' outta' trouble, I's' gotta' go.” She walked away in a huff leaving Sophie behind.
Sitting at a booth at the bar was Lee, Glaidous, and Ben. Lee had told Ben about their finding of the Essence Magazine. Glaidous asked Lee, “you’s git' da' note by outer gate to Mr. Doo-noo-van?”
Lee answered his uncle nervously, “not yet unk I's' git nervous ‘bout meetin' a walk-about. One-minute I's' feel brave, next minute I's' nervous.”
“I's' won't ta' meet dis’ man, git' da' note by da' gate.”
Ben, a short, chunky man said, “der' be slaves dat' ain't locked behind gates, yaw' sho'nuff know bout' dat?”
Lee whispered, “unk, keep it down, dis be a secret,” he looked at Ben and said, “so's keep hushed.”
Ben said, “you's' thank' I's' crazy? My mouth shut tight.”
Glaidous quieted down and said, “a foe’ I's' die I's' wanna' hear what it be like to lib' on da' other side of dat' gate, whad’ be out dare.”
“Dat book da' walk-about gib' us, gib' me new feelin' I's' neva' had afo,' it changed me, mama, Cush, and you unk, Ben it gonna' change you too. I's' tankin' what iffen da' walk-about wanna help us off dis' here pantation?” Lee said and asked all in one breath.
“I's' tank the same thang,” Glaidous said, “but I's' scared to say anythang.”
Ben looked at the two men, “whad’ it feel like to be outside da' gate? What’s out der?”
“Come by my shack ta’night, I's’ show ya da' mar-ja-zine, you sees' how dey lib' out der.”
*******
While Lee and his family was confused and altering from being caged into wanting out, Donovan and Theenda were relaxed in their home library, Donovan was reading the sports section in the Newspaper, and Theenda was playing the piano. The Bright’s home was quiet with only the peaceful sound of the ivories being tickled by Theenda's gentle touch, and occasional noise from Donovan turning the pages of the newspaper. Peace girdled the atmosphere in their home.
Outside the beautiful deep blue sky was the backdrop for the incandescent sun. Not a cloud in the sky. The lush green grass blanketed and soften the land. The laughter of children playing sifted through the Bright’s closed window. Donovan laid the newspaper down, and asked, “Baby Girl we've been married for two years, when are we going to start our family?”
Theenda abruptly stopped playing and stared straight ahead, without turning to face Donovan, said, “I don't know, where is this coming from?”
Donovan replied with a question, “you don't know?”
Theenda stammered, “I-I-I, ahh, I...”
“Do you want children or not?” Donovan asked then continued, “It's a simple question.”
Theenda replied, “not.”
Donovan yelled out, “not! What do you mean? Not! Before we married, I assumed that you wanted children. I want one or two, maybe three little me running around the house.”
Theenda stood and nervously paced back and
forth, anxiously she rubbed her hands together. Her face was tense and tight, chill bumps ran up and down her arm. She bent over as pain erupted in her stomach, sweat broke out on her forehead. Theenda was jarred from peace and tranquility to having an anxiety attack. She whispered, “I can't have children.”[RL73]
“What? What did you say? Stop pacing, sit down.”
Theenda sat in a chair opposite Donovan, she rested her head in her hands, as though it was too heavy for her neck to hold up, she let out a long deep, “ahh.” With her head still in her hands, her eyes closed, she remembered the abuse that she and her sister suffered from the hands of their mother. Theenda remembered her mother pushing her eldest sister down the basement stairs, her hip broke, it never healed correctly. Now she walked with a limp. After her sister thumps and bumps down to the bottom of the stairs, her mother pushed her down the steps, Theenda remembered landing on top of her crying sister. Their mother closed the basement door, leaving them down there for hours, Theenda suffered from mental and physical scars from the incident. Theenda and her sister made a solemn vow to never bring a child into this world of hate. Her sister broke the promise they made.
In the background of Theenda's thoughts, Donovan was asking her a question, she said, “I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, what did you say?”
Irritated Donovan, replied, “stop daydreaming, I was saying, I would like to start a family asap.”
Theenda looked at Donovan, and then away when more bad memories flooded through. She blared out, “I can't have children.”
“Why not?”
Her voice was shaky as she very quietly said, “I've had an abortion.”
At first, silence submerged in the chilly frost of nothingness.
Then all hell broke loose, Donovan's anger mushroomed like a megaton bomb. The Bright’s quiet peaceful home turned into a center of heated discussion, Donovan shouted, “it better be before we got married.” At this point, his chest expanded to its fullest as he inhaled a room full of air. Frost escaped when he growled, “you said that you always used safe sex precautions, now you tell me you've had an abortion.”
Sweat profusely flowed in a steady stream down Theenda's brow like a middle age woman having an intense hot flash. Her hair became limp from the perspiration that seeped through the pores of her scalp, it trickled down her face, her neck, her blouse.
Donovan stared at her through boiling anger as he thundered the question, “what's wrong with you?”
Theenda stood, she sat, she stood, she sat. She looked nervously around, she rubbed her hands together, she rubbed her chin, her forehead, her cheek, she stood. She cried, “it wasn't before we got married,” she sat.
Silence.
A roar louder than a lion rumbled out of Donovan's mouth, “my baby you aborted?!”
He stormed out of the library, through the vestibule, out the front door, when the door slammed, Theenda cried uncontrollably.
*******
Instead of taking Theenda to the fancy restaurant, Donovan went to the Blue Night Club. He entered the club, quickly went through the restaurant to the bar. He ordered a vodka on ice. The bartender said, “hum, you come here a lot but not for alcohol, sure you want…” he stopped and looked at Donovan, his complexion was a mixture of red and brown, his hair uncombed, he gnawed on his bottom lip and his nails, the bartender changed his question to a comment, “vodka it is.”
Haze had seen Donovan enter the nightclub, he waved for Donovan to join them at their table. Instead, Donovan went to the bar. Haze and Timpkin joined Donovan, Haze asked, “why are you at the bar?”
Timpkin apologized to Donovan, he said, “Donovan the other day I was angry, I'm sorry for walking out, Haze set me straight.”
Haze said to Donovan, “we have a table in the restaurant my friend Breeze is playing tonight. For my own peace of mind, I need...”
Before Haze finished talking the bartender handed Donovan the vodka and said, “here you go.”
Timpkin said, “he doesn’t drink.”
As Donovan reached for the drink, he looked at Timpkin and Haze, then said, “go away.”
Haze said, “no you're going to the restaurant with us.” Haze grasped Donovan by the arm and said to Timpkin, “grab his other arm.”
Donovan tried to pull away from the two men, he said, “I am not drunk yet, leave me alone!”
Ignoring him, Timpkin and Haze drug Donovan off the bar stool into the restaurant and slammed him into a chair at the table.
Timpkin said, “what's up with you.”
“None of your business,” Donovan said.
Haze yelled, “you sit at a bar ordering vodka, a drink you've never had in your life, that drink will blow your brain out.”
Timpkin said calmer than Haze, “your lip is bleeding, tears are rolling down your eyes, did you know that?” He handed Donovan a napkin and continued, “if not, I'm making it my business.”
Donovan took a deep breath and said, “I was thinking about the slaves.” He looked a Haze and noticed he had a black eye then asked, “how did you get the shiner?”
Timpkin said a little too loud, “I don't buy there are slaves!” He calmed down and continued, “no slaves in my hometown.”
Donovan said, “well, I'm going to talk about the slaves, had no business dragging me over here.” He pulled himself together by stretching, wiped his eyes, blew his nose on a napkin, took a deep breath, and said, “thank you from rescuing me from a night of drunkenness.”
Timpkin and Haze simultaneously responded, “you're welcome.”
Haze ask, “what's wrong with you Don-man?”
“Honestly Haze, I really don't know myself,” Donovan answered, “but I do know this, I want to help the slaves on the plantation to escape.”
Haze said, “okay if it will make you feel better, let's talk about the slaves, all right with you Timpkin?”
Timpkin reluctantly said, “Mm’ hum, I guess.”
Donovan told the two men that he's going back out to the plantation the weekend.
Haze said, “I'll go with you,” he looked at Timpkin and asked, “Tim-man how bout' you?”
Timpkin looked around the restaurant, Breeze and his band was about to play, he said, “Haze, there's your friend.”
Haze looked across the table, directly into Timpkin's eyes, and ask, “how ‘bout you? Are you going out there with us?”
Timpkin looked at Donovan, and said, “why don't you mention your find at the next NAACP meeting first.”
Donovan said, “I will, hopefully, they will help more than you.”
Haze commented, “I agree,” he looked at Timpkin and said, “looser.”
The three men listened to Breeze and his band, Donovan said, “he ain't half bad, how do you know him Haze?”
“I met him at a Black Business Conference about a year ago in New York. He told me that his hometown had only one janitorial service and they were lousy. He said that the job opportunity was great, so I packed my bags and here I am. Day by Day Janitorial Company is a whopping success. Breeze and I have been friends ever since.”
Still avoiding Haze question, Timpkin mumble, “a stupid name for a company.”
Haze looked at him, and said, “Day is my last name, got a problem with that, take it up with my daddy, no take it up with me,” Haze pushed his chair back as he violently stood, and said, “outside old man.”
Donovan cut in, and said, “yelp, we need a big sip of vodka to calm our nerves.”
Timpkin stood up, the two men stared each other down then looked at Donovan, and together said, “you don't drink.”
Donovan sat up and put both elbows on the table, he balanced his head between his hands, said, “I'm going home.”
As he stood, he looked across the room and saw a black man coming in the door with a well-dressed mousy little white man. The black man was dressed like pictures of slaves that were in his history books.
Donovan said softly, “he looked like a slave from a history book.”
<
br /> Timpkin asked, “what’re you looking at?”
Donovan nodded toward the men that had just come in the bar, Timpkin and Haze looked in that direction. As Donovan, Timpkin, and Haze stood to leave, Harry Brown and the slave Bo, passed by the three men. Harry accidentally bumped into Donovan, Harry said, “excuse me, Sir.”
Donovan replied, “no problem.”
Bo bowed as he passed by Donovan.
Even though Bo’s eyes remained downward, he saw in detailed the three men clothes and shoes. He looked at his Massa’s clothes, and then his raggedy dirty clothes, his shoulders slumped even lower. He didn't only notice the brown men like himself were oh so clean, but his Massa said “Sir,” to the well-dressed colored man, like they were equals.
While passing the men, Bo got a good look at Donovan out the corner of his eye. He wanted to be the young man in looks, dress, and smell. Bo watched the three men leave the club, he longed to go with them, he wondered, where was their Massa? He looked around the club, there were coloreds and whites laughing and talking. A feathery thought fluttered in his head, “is slavery ova?”
Outside the club, Haze asked, “did that black man look like a slave or was it just me.”
Donovan said, “I was thinking the same thing.”
Timpkin argued, “slavery is over, he was probably a very poor black man and the white dude is helping him. Your imaginations are running wild.”
Donovan said, “helping him how, to stay drunk and poor?”
Haze took the conversation a step further, “did you smell the black guy?”
Donovan asked, “did you see the emptiness in his eyes?”
Timpkin said, “they both smelt different, a smell I’m not familiar with.”
Donovan said, “something is not quite right with that man.”
Haze asked, “you mean with his mind,”
Donovan replied, “no, I don’t know what I mean.”
He and his buddies left, Donovan was sad and mad as he drove home.
XXII
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