All But One

by Sandra LaVaughn

  Liza said, “boy, do that again, I’ll beat you good.” She laughed as she hugged him a second time. Henry and his wife joined the small group, Henry said to Billy, “I am going to triple the salary you made as the supervisor. Will, you come back as the manager?”

  Billy laughed and said, “I’ll take it.” He looked at Liza and grinned.

  Liza smiled back and said, “I see.”

  *******

  Harry graduated from college when he was twenty-two which is where he met Stella, a beautiful young woman that had a year left to graduate. Harry got a job working at the Brown Steel Mill, on weekends Harry met Stella, he took her on carriage rides, they walked hand in hand in the park. On Sundays, Stella made them a picnic lunch where they sat on blankets and talked. Stella talked about becoming a teacher, Harry just wanted to be the richest man in Boston. Stella desired to have children; Harry pretended he wanted them. Stella said, “Oh, Harry life would not be worth living if we're not together.”

  Harry scratched his head and wondered how rich her parents were. Stella asked Harry about his family, he could not talk in detail about the Browns, only the mill. Stella, on the other hand, talked about her mother being from England, and her father from Vermont, her family alternated their travels between England and Vermont every two years. She talked about her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Harry sat listening as he remembered his family on Jeb plantation.

  After Stella’s graduation from college, her parents discussed, with the Browns, their daughter marrying Harry. Mrs. Brown wanted to tell Stella’s mother that Harry was dangerous, he was a slave, he had a temper, he hit her, he was not her child. She began to say to Stella’s parents, “that boy is not fit…”

  Henry stopped her and said, “ignore my wife, she doesn’t want to lose her son.” He then agreed with Stella’s parents, “they would make a fine couple.”

  Mrs. Brown stood shaking her head, no. Stella’s parents and Henry ignored her. Leaving Mrs. Brown out of the preparations, the three planned an elaborate engagement party to be held the following year on Harry’s birthday. But first, before the festivities, Henry sent Harry and Stella, with two chaperones to England where they stayed for two months. Stella introduced him to her British relatives. They were not impressed with the young man; however, Harry was flabbergasted and awe-struck. He never thought he would get off the plantation, let alone out the country.

  Harry hated the Browns but loved their money, in England he flaunted it everywhere he went. He noted that the British manufactured steel in tons, while the US was at a much lower base. He listened and learned from the British companies; he saturated every instruction he received. He asked questions about their machinery, their workers, their profit and loss. While Harry was learning to better The Brown Steel Mill, Stella spoke with college professors about their teaching methods.

  On several occasions, the couple visited Harry’s favorite place, standing outside looking at the King’s palace. He treasured history and historical buildings, such as the structure that house the King. Harry said, “the first palace was built in 1703. It was rebuilt and named Buckingham Palace by King Charles, for his wife Charlotte in 1761.” Harry looked at Stella and said, “I am going to build you a castle, and name it, The Boston Palace.”

  Stella said, “a hundred years from now, people will visit and say, Harry Victor Brown built the palace for his wife, Mrs. Stella Brown,” she giggled like a young school girl.

  Upon their return home, Harry’s gained knowledge tripled The Brown Steel Mill’s capital. Within a year he raised the company’s year-end profit to over a million dollars through the increased steel that was being manufactured. Harry and Billy worked closely to turn The Brown Steel Mill into the largest in the north.

  Harry argued with his father; he wanted the company to grow beyond Boston. Henry said aloud resounding, “no.”

  Henry was disappointed in his son, he went home and told his wife, she simply said, “still want him to marry Stella?” Mrs. Brown could see that Henry was filled with rage, even so, she continued, “he will destroy her like he’s doing you.”

  Henry left very angry at his son. Meantime, Harry took matters in his own greedy hands. He literally caused two small companies, that was in another county, to go out of business. Harry paid the men wives twenty dollars, to tell him anything about their husbands. The women were bought and purchased with pocket change. Though the women did not know each other, they told Harry the same lie. They claimed that their husbands used inferior material and sold the steel for top dollar. Within a few months, he owned their company.

  Henry hired a lawyer to undo Harry’s treachery and returned the money to the two company owners. The men took the money, kicked the women out their home, gave them nothing, the women were penniless.

  After the incident, Henry told Harry that he was going to cut him out his will, leaving him nothing. Harry boiled, he told his mother who said, “now son, your father will never do that. He loves you more than I do.”

  Harry said through clenched teeth, “you think I care how you feel about me.” He left the house.

  A criminal plan brewed in Harry’s heart. He hushed his rebellion for a while, he was waiting for the right time. Until then, he lived in a world of pretense around his parents. Henry and Harry became fake friends, father and son would have won an Oscar for their performance. It was all perfect hate; love was absent in their feelings for each other. Henry began the paperwork to omit Harry out of his will, the day after the birthday and engagement party Henry was going to sign the final papers. He was also, going to empty Harry’s bank account.

  On Harry’s birthday and engagement party which was to be a happy occasion, turned out to be a horrific night. The party was held in an elaborate hotel ballroom. The Governor, Mayor, and all the socialites from surrounding counties were invited. That evening, Harry was working at the mill to finish auditing the books; at five o’clock, he changed into his fancy dress suit.

  Harry’s parents were picking him up at six o’clock. Harry’s mother was dressed in all black, instead of going to a celebration she looked as if she was going to attend a funeral. Henry, on the other hand, looked handsome in his tux with bright silver buttons, dark red cumberbund, and bowtie. Henry planned to announce at the party that on Monday morning he was signing the papers to cut Harry out his will. He looked at his wife sad face and said, “cheer up my lovely wife, after we drop Harry off at the party,” he paused before continuing, “I asked the bank manager to open the bank tonight.”

  “Why?” She asked annoyed and confused. Henry’s wife was not in agreement with Harry marrying Stella or her husband giving the white slave thing that lived in her home, so much money. She said, “I am against this whole evening.”

  “But my dear,” Harry began and finished saying, “tonight I am emptying out his bank account.”

  Harry’s wife looked at him in total astonishment and joy, she asked, “you don’t want this wedding either?”

  Before he could answer the wheel on the carriage fell off. Harry’s wife shouted several times, “Harry did this!”

  Within thirty minutes Harry was dressed and working on the books again. An hour later, “finished,” he said to himself as he looked up at the clock, it was six thirty. He ran around his office and blew the candles out, and then sprinted outside only to run into two police officers. They were coming towards the door of the Steel Mill; one of the officers told Harry that his parents had been killed in a horse and buggy accident. The other asked Harry to accompany them to the morgue to identify the bodies.

  When they arrived Harry could not believe the state of his parents, some of their body parts were ripped off, their faces slashed, his father’s forehead was bust open, one of his mother’s eyes had popped out. “What happened?” Harry inquired.

  A police officer told him that one of the wheels came off, the buggy flipped over, which spooked the horse making it run faster dragging his parents on the ground. “The carriage sh
ould have dislodged,” an officer said more to himself.

  To everyone standing around it appeared that Harry’s world had stopped.

  At the funeral, Harry put on a good show, he cried that he was downtrodden, he wanted his mom and dad back, he wanted happiness. Harry screamed, “please pluck these weeds of sorrow.” He sobbed loudly. After the funeral, he said to the minister that officiated the funeral, “I am so sorry.”

  “It's not your fault young man,” the minister replied.[RL18]

  While Harry put on a good show at the funeral, a man went to the police station and reported that he had seen the wheel come off. He claimed that Mrs. Brown yelled, “Harry did this. Harry did…” “And then the carriage flipped over, it was all over.” He stood in silence before stating, “I’m thinking the horse and carriage should have dislodged. Maybe saved their lives.”

  An officer said, “you are correct Sir.”

  The police and several other men went out to the scene where the man claimed, he had seen where the accident had taken place.

  The day after Harry’s parent’s funeral, he broke up with his fiancé, whom she thought he was as close to her as her heartbeat. Stella tried to salvage their love and fill the void in Harry’s heart. She fixed his meals, played the piano for him, took him to museums, even carriage rides, be that as it may, Harry broke off their engagement.[RL19]

  Harry met with his father’s solicitors to check if Henry had carried out his plan to take him off the will. Henry V. Brown was in the beginning stage of removing Harry but had not completed the process. For that reason, his adopted son got everything. Harry received the money and ownership of the Steel Mill; he and Billy were in one mind to make the company a huge success. Billy said, “I want to try to produce tons of steel every year.” He looked at Harry and asked, “what do you think?”

  Harry was awe-struck, he grasped that Henry had a muzzle on Billy’s capabilities. Harry trained Billy as Henry had him, thus, Billy’s increased knowledge about the operation of the Steel Mill, increased the incoming revenue. Harry wanted Billy to soar as high as he wanted to go, the company and his pockets would be better for it.[RL20]

  IV

  Harry’s True Color

  By 1843, The Brown Steel Mill had increased in size and was on the verge of making four and a half tons of steel that year. Twenty-eight-year-old Harry constructed two new wings on the Steel Mill to handle the work. He left Billy in charge of the Mill and moved to a southern state, that was not of his birth.

  *******

  Back in the South, Harry did not want to see his family, though he inquired of their welfare. When Harry was six years old, his older brother and sister, Bo and Jo, was sold to another plantation owner for a cook. However, with the aid of an overseer, they escaped slavery. Three months later Bo and Jo arrived in Miami, Florida, they could go no further because there was the largest body of water, they had ever seen blocking their journey. For several weeks they hid in bushes and ate garbage. Fright, loneliness, being so far from home made them closer, it shoved them in each other’s arms. If only they could read, they would have seen a sign that would have welcomed them in the person’s home.

  Harry learned that Bo and Jo made it to Florida, changed their names to Tom and Sally. Seeking a better life, they got jobs, Tom became a janitor in one of the city schools, Sally a housemaid for a wealthy woman. With a little cash in their pocket, they rented a little shack in the outer skirts of town, and then decided to do the unthinkable, they got married. Out of the union, two babies were born three years apart, both had serious birth defects, they died within two years of being born. John and Sally believed it was because of their secret and not due to them being so closely related. The couple lived childfree, maintained their jobs, and stayed together as husband and wife.

  Harry’s two remaining brothers, Toe and So, got married to women on Jed’s plantation, they and their wives worked full time at the shoe factory. Jed had not changed, out of their hard-earned wages he paid them a dollar. On the plantation, Jed gave each of Harry’s brothers a cabin to make their home, he wanted them to have plenty of children. In town, their wives went to a woman who fixes them. The female’s botched job, made the women unable to consive. unfortunately, the women became ill. Both women hemorrhaged for days. To take time off to heal, they told Jeb that they had a woman disease and it was contagious for the first three days. Jeb backed away and let the women take a week off. He knew it was true because his wife had told him that she got the disease three times a year. The women laughed at Jeb’s ignorance.

  Harry’s brothers and their wives were happy, they had a home, and worked in town at the shoe factory. Though slaves, they were free to go to the store to buy food, shoes, and material for clothes. They even purchased furniture and curtains for their shack. They were not working in the hot sun, nor concerned about bringing a baby into slavery. Harry often wondered the reason they didn’t run, but then he remembered Elijah telling him, “when the slave gets learnin, dey get uppity.”

  He learned that Elijah died a few days after he ran away and his mother killed herself on the day he ran. For the first time since his Bostonian parent’s death, Harry smiled. He never contacted his siblings.

  In the eyes of the townspeople, Harry’s Boston accent, elegant behavior, and expensive clothes made him someone to be revered. It was as though, they worshiped him in everything he did, Harry had become a demigod. According to the townspeople, Harry could do no wrong, they embraced his every word. He was short, stocky, and affluent. The women swarmed around him like honey bees around flowers, they treated him like he was a rock star. Harry ignored them. The men idolized him, they invited Harry to join their club; he was a guest speaker for special occasions. Of all the women that flirted and lapped after Harry like a dog in heat, he chose quiet, refined beautiful extremely rich, Baerbel MacCall. Her father owned most of the stores, houses, the refinery, and buildings in the small town of MacCall. Harry’s heart belonged to Stella, his pockets wanted to be filled with the MacCall money. Two years after moving to MacCall, Harry married Baerbel.

  *******[RL21]

  In Boston, Mr. Henry V. Brown had a picture of eleven-year-old Moe sitting on his desk. When Mr. Brown died, Billy took the picture without Harry’s knowledge. He left the two of the family together, something about the pictures looked strange. Mrs. Brown appeared to be very angry, Henry indifferent, and Harry stood off to himself. The families facial expression and stance looked as though they were enemies being made to take a picture together. Billy said to himself, “three adversaries.”

  In 1846, Billy’s wife wrote a book titled, “Then and Now.” It was to debut that year. One of the stories was about Moe, she titled that chapter, Little Moe. Liza added the photo of Moe in the middle of his section. On the front cover of the book was a picture of a slave shack, the back was a picture of their new eleven room house, new furniture, and an indoor bathroom. Liza paid for everything with the large sum of money, she received to write the book.

  Billy wrote a letter to Harry with the updates on the Steel Mill, he also told Harry about Liza’s book. Harry wrote back asking Billy to have the book debut` after his wedding, June 1845.

  In August, Harry left his new bride behind as he traveled to Boston. While there he'd heard that Stella had married the Mayor of Boston. “She married well,” he said to himself.

  Both couples had gotten married the same year. In addition to the news, Billy shared with Harry that a company in New York had put in an order for three tons of steel. With that purchase, the Brown Steel Mill would have produced seven tons of steel within the year of 1845.

  Harry threw an elaborate successful book signing party for Liza. His guest list included reporters from different counties. Harry was a genius, Liza’s book sold like wildfire in and around the United States. Harry was hoping to see Stella, but she was in Europe on her honeymoon.

  Before returning to the south, Harry allowed Billy to continue running the business. He didn’t wan
t Henry Brown’s house, so he put it up for sale and left Billy in charge.

  Harry returned home in November the richest man in MacCall. By hook or crook, Harry was going to get his hands-on Baerbel’s father’s money and businesses.

  March 1846, Baerbel was four months pregnant. Harry had not returned to Boston since his trip in 1845, he packed his bags and returned. By March, The Brown Steel Mill sold six tons of steel across America. Harry was pleased with Billy’s business skills.

  While in Boston, Harry visited his parents’ grave site, he looked around and saw that their other people there. A funeral was taking place close to where his parents were buried. Harry smiled to himself, he fell on his knees and screamed, “mama, daddy, I love you, I miss you.” Adding to his drama, he laid on his stomach and stretched over their graves. And cried aloud, “come back, mom come back.”

  Billy had followed Harry to the graveyard, when he saw Harry lay down, Billy went to him and said, “I’m here with you little brother.”

  Harry’s first child was born in August 1846, while he was in Boston. Baerbel named her son after her father, with Harry’s last name, William MacCall Brown. When Harry returned home, the baby was two months old. He changed his son’s name to, Charles Brown.

  *******

  As a wedding gift, Baerbel’s father built the newlyweds a huge house on seven thousand acres. Harry bought two hundred and fifty slaves, coloreds and whites. To keep them happy he built a little church that doubled as a school on the plantation. He had two sons that were one year apart, he raised them to be kind slave owners. He did not want to be mean like Jeb. Harry lived in a fantasy world; he believed that a church, a school, and being kind to the slaves would make them happy and satisfied. The slaves did not share Harry's love for the delta or slavery.