“Bella!” He shouted, then bellowed in an ear-shattering deep throat, “Bel-laaaa!” His stomach was empty, his face beet red, and his temper was on the rise, if he had a chimney on top his head, fire and lava would erupt.
Paula ran from outside into the kitchen. Harry was standing in the middle of the room when Paula entered, she nervously asked, “what be wrong Massa?”
“Where is Bella?”
“I's thank' dey’ gone, Massa.”
Paula was four feet ten and small, Harry bent down to her level and asked, “Why do you think that?”
“I's cain't' find dem' no whar’s Massa.”
“Git breakfast ready,” he snapped before storming out the Kitchen, he leaped off the porch and ran into Charles and a girl kissing. Harry watched the girl get on her horse. He grimaced when she reached down and ruffled Charles’ hair and kissed him again. Charles lifted her dress to her knee, and kissed the side of her leg, she giggled. Harry watched the two in horror. Charles slapped the horse backside and said, “giddy-up.”
Harry stood in disbelief. When the girl galloped off, he asked Charles, “what time did she come here?”
Charles said, “last night, pops.”
Harry could not believe his son answer was so candid. He said, “Young man stop bringing your women in my house.”
“Okay pops.” Charles leaped up the porch stairs two at a time, he turned and winked at Harry, and then said, “I’m hungry, where’s Bella?”
As Harry wrestled with the raggedy barn doors, he said out loud, “did that silly boy wink at me.” Once inside he saw that two horses and his largest wagon were gone. Anger surged through his twisted mind. Harry did something that he had not done since running away and leaving Elijah behind. He did slave work, got the horses and wagons ready. He went to the slave quarters and let Baerbel out the shack. “Clean up and help Paula with breakfast,” Harry demanded.
Baerbel sprinted past Harry, she ran up the porch steps, into the house breathless. When she entered the kitchen she humbly said, “Paula, I's be back down ta’ help.”
Paula was so shocked she froze for a few seconds. She was already sad and lonely, now she had to put up with the mean misses. “I should’a gone wid’ dem.” Paula whispered to herself.
Harry stumbled in the house like a drunkard, he looked at Paula who was cooking and said, “I'm getting you help.”
Paula slumped. When Harry left the kitchen, she said under her breath, “is da' misses my help, I’s hoppin’ ta git’ a huz’ban.” She delicately cried, wiping the tears away she prepared breakfast.
Bella [RL28]had taught Paula how to cook but being only seventeen years old, her culinary skills were no match to her trainer. Paula felt so alone; it was overpowering. Charles saw Paula working around the house with tears rolling down her cheek, he had seen her use her apron hem to dry her face. Charles thought she looked so sad and hapless; he wondered the reason Bella left her behind. He went to Paula and said, “when we get back from town, we will have several people to help you.” He began to leave but turned and said, “you are going to get paid and no longer work for free.”
Paula looked up at Charles and sheepishly said, “thank you, Sir.”
“Cheer up little one, life is going to get better for you,” Charles said before going outside.
Charles pulled the horses and flatbed wagons that his father had gotten together, around the front of the house where he met his dad, Drew, and Vance. Harry told the men, “It's six in the morning, make your last round to town no later than five o'clock this evening, I want all hired hands standing in the back of the house. Baerbel and Paula are preparing food for us, eat between drop off if you get hungry. Leave the hired hands and return to town and pick up any stragglers. If we find Bella and her family, they’ll be beaten unmercifully and returned to the plantation.”
Harry looked at Vance and said, “I need your wife’s help, after your last run, go get her and return tomorrow with all your things. You’ll be staying for a while.”
Before Vance could reply, Harry pulled off saying, “let’s go.”
Vance watched Drew and Harry's forms grow smaller, as their horses trotted down the long pathway with their empty wagons noisily rumbling behind them. He wondered if Harry recognized him as a grown man. Vance whispered to himself, “my wife will not be a part of this.” Vance’s heart was heavy as a sack of bricks, something didn’t feel right to him. Still, he began to pull off.
Charles saw the expression on Vance’s face, he rode over to him and asked, “are you feeling okay?”
Vance replied, “No.”
“If I see Bella, I shall wish her well,” Charles said.
“Me too.” Vance said and then asked, “How do you feel about your father’s plans? Building a museum like slavery was a good thing.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Something's not right. All the gates, so tall and thick.”
Charles asked, “I wonder, why?”
“Yeah, why? I have never been to a museum; do they have gates?” Vance asked.
“No, they have doors not gates.”
“I feel like I need to escape like Bella.”
“Me too,” Charles looked at Vance and continued, “at first dad said he was keeping slaves in the gates, then he changed and said they're not actually slaves only actors.”
“If they're actors, he won’t need the gates.”
“Well,” Charles began before continuing, “dad said nothing about locking the gates.”
“Hum, no he did not. We’ll see.” Vance looked at Charles and said, “let’s go.”
Despite their disagreement with Harry, the two men pulled off towards town.
By the end of the day Harry, Charles, Drew, and Vance had collected over three hundred freedmen and women. Harry called them his hired hands. Harry, Baerbel, Charles, Drew, Vance, and Paula standing next to Baerbel, stood on the back porch while the hired hands were in the yard looking up at them. Anticipation flowed through their thoughts, each hoped to be employed and not returned to slavery.
Harry answered their unasked question, “I have a job for all of you, it will take about eleven years to complete at which time....”
Before Harry could finish, the coloreds and whites hollered with joy, the men danced all over the backyard, some of the women did a little holy dance, the young children and babies didn't understand the reason for the loud commotion, so they cried. Except for one white male that thought he was better than the rest, asked proudly, “will I’s haft’ ta’ work wid’ dem?” he nodded towards the coloreds.
Harry had a flashback of the family that stole his money. His Bostonian accent was so thick when he hissed, “if you want to get paid, you will,” Harry sounded like he was from England.
Through the noise, Harry screamed and yelled out of control, he couldn't get them to quiet down. The louder Harry yelled the more deafening sound they made. Baerbel ran into the kitchen and grabbed two heavy cast-iron skillets. She returned carrying them, her arms tremble as she held the hefty skillets beyond her waistline. She banged the skillets together which caused her to vibrate. Even so, she got everyone’s attention and quiet, even Harry. He looked at her and yelled, “was that necessary?”
Still trying to gather her composure, Baerbel said smugly, “dey quiet ain't dey?”
With Drew by his side, Harry looked down at the large crowd standing before him. He whispered to Drew, “they look like different types of monkeys.”
Laughing, Drew agreed, “they do dad.”
Harry said to his hired hands, “I brought you here because I am employing you to work for me, you will be given a weekly salary.”
The hired hands became silent, “Sir how much money are you going to pay us?” Though a black man, he did not sound like the others.
Harry whispered to Drew, “he asks like he's used to making money and trying to talk proper like an affluent white man.” Harry then looked down at the man and said, “thirty-five cents a week.”
; Cheers from the crowd thundered in Harry’s backyard.
In 1865, thirty-five cents could purchase the same amount of groceries that forty dollars would in 2017.
The proper speaking man said, “thank you, Sir, I use to make six cents a week, you see Sir,” he lied and told the truth all at the same time, “I was born free and attended school, still I was unable to get a job. Sir, thirty-five cents is very generous of you, thank you.” He looked at Paula and smiled.
Cheers rolled through the crowd, Harry looked at Baerbel, she hit the skillets together, except, not quite as hard this time. They quieted down, Harry continued, “the pay scale is like this, the men twenty to fifty years of age salary is thirty-five cents a week, the older men and women fifty-one and older will receive twenty-five cents a week, male and females fourteen years old to nineteen will receive fifteen cents per week, payday is every Friday.”
One of the old slaves yelled out, “fine by me Sir, cause I's' neva' make a cent in my life,” he danced a jig.
Harry continued, “If you can count, you know that you’re about to be rich slav-ah, I mean…,” Harry cleared his throat retraced his words and shuddered, “you-you’re going to be ric-rich pep-folk-people.”[RL29]
Harry choked trying to say the words.
A colored woman said, “thank you, Sir, foe’ the jobs, and foe’ callin’ us people, humans.”
She looked at the white woman standing next to her and whispered, “he almost choked ta' deaf' tryin' ta' git' it out.”
Both women put their hands over their mouth and giggled softly.
The white woman said, “Sir. I’s got no place ta’ stay.”
“I’ll get to that,” Harry told the woman.
The man that was dancing stopped took in a deep gulp of air and whispered, “glory, glory, glory,” he said, “Sir my name be, Zeek.”
Harry sheepishly smiled and said, “let me introduce myself, I am Harry V. Brown, standing next to me is my youngest son Drew Brown.” He looked around for Charles, who was standing by the door, Harry motioned for him to come over. Charles stood next to his mother, “this is my eldest son, Charles, standing next to Charles is my wife Baerbel, and next to her is our ex-slave, Paula. She will show you to your new home. You may clean and fix them up as you please, soon we will build new cabins.”
Paula stepped forward with a big smile plastered on her face, she had become emancipated with the others. She was free, she was going to make money as Massa Charles said, and she liked the educated colored man. Her tears dried up, Massa Charles was right, he brought back a lot of help. A feeling of joy and peace caused her heart to flutter.
Harry looked around and spotted Vance standing all alone, he introduced his best friend, “over there by the door is my good friend, Vance.”
Vance was deep in thought, he did not hear Harry call the first time, Harry called a second time, “Vance.” He startled Vance, he looked at Harry, who waved, then Vance waved to the crowd. He looked down and saw Moses standing in the front of the crowd. When Moses got on his wagon, he showed Vance, his graduation certificate from architect school. Vance could not believe his luck, Harry was going to pay him very well, and he would get Moses to build him a house in Titleburk. Vance was ready to go home and tell his wife that God had answered their prayers.
The arrogant white male asked, “what kind of work we be doin’, Sir?”
“I am turning this place into a huge memorial, a museum showing the joy of the good old South. Years from now, people will come to see our history, the beautiful rolling hills, shimmering sun, glorious green grass and trees, everyone happy and working together.”
One of the women from the crowd commented, “that's mighty nice of you Sir, this is work I believe we all be proud of.”
One of the men yelled out, “I agree wid' her, I's' mighty proud to work foe’ yo’ Sir, I's' thought we be pickin' cotton or sugarcane.” He then turned and said softly to the man standing behind him, “I don't know ‘bout da good old souf,’ rollin' hills, and happy.”
A white male whispered, “he should say, whipped if don’t obey, left ta’ die or starve to death.”
One of the women that stood next to the men said, “Dat's what I member bout da' good old souf.”
While the hired hands deliberated softly among themselves, Harry pushed Drew in front of him, and said yelling, “my son Drew, will explain the work you'll be doing.”
Drew stammered and stuttered as he made a clumsy attempt to give them their instructions. “Grou-gro-group on-on-one.”
Harry softly whispered in Drew's ear, “calm yourself, son, they are nothing but animals, talk to them like you talk to the horses.”
Drew looked over the crowd and smiled, he remembered how he talked to the animals, he pulled his shoulders back, held his head high, closed his eyes and bellowed in a rough voice, “I'm dividing you up into five working groups.” He opened his eyes and gave them their instructions according to Harry's plan. Afterward Drew told them that it will take about nine to eleven years to complete the job.
Another hired hand asked, “afta dat, den' what?”
Charles stepped forward and said, “dad, may I?”
“Sure son.” Harry scratched his head, pulled Charles close to him and chuckled, “leave the woman alone.”
Charles whispered. “not my kind pops,” he laughed. “I like them clean and rich.”
Harry pat Charles on the back and said, “son after my own heart.”
Drew listening said, “everybody know Charles has women stretched from one end of the county to the next, let’s get on with this.”
Charles unique deep soft velvet voice caused everyone to pay attention, especially the women. Harry looked on with pride and a smile plastered on his face. Charles said, “You may leave, so save most of your money, after all, you’re staying on this land for free. When the work is completed, you can go anywhere you want.” He looked throughout the group and said to the coloreds, “To all the coloreds, slavery is over, you too can go anywhere you want.”
They mumble among themselves, then one of them stepped forward and said, “Mr. Charles, Sir. I speak foe’ all us, we's gonna' stay and work foe’ you Sir. You’s got’s a find family.”
Harry noticed they addressed Charles, not him or Drew. He decided; he was going to hand the plantation over to ruthless Drew. He wanted Charles to enjoy life which was something he nor Drew, knew how to live.
Another slave asked, “how much of our money will we have ta' payback to you?”
This time Drew jumped ahead of his brother, he pushed Charles aside and hollered in an agitating raspy voice, “none, the money is all yours.”
Harry watched the hired hands ignore Drew, they looked at Charles, Harry got their attention when he asked, “can any of you build furniture? Are there ladies that can sew?”
One woman yelled out, “I’m a candle-maker.”
Other hired hands raised their hands in answer to Harry’s question.
The man who spoke so eloquently and was born free said, “Sir my name is Moses, thank you for your generosity.”
Harry dismissed them, “you're dismissed, you may start cleaning the old cabins. Tomorrow I’ll give you some money to purchase supplies for your different tasks.”
The white arrogant white man asked, “do I have to stay with them?” He pointed at the coloreds.
Charles looked at the man and said, “we do not want your kind here, leave now.” He looked over the crowd and said, “you are asking too many questions, follow Paula,” he gently took Paula's elbow and led her to the porch steps, he concluded by saying, “she will take you to the shacks where you're staying.”
Paula took the lead, Harry’s hired hands followed her, Moses ran past the others and caught up with Paula. He wanted to get to know her better, in his mind she was important, she stood on the porch with the family, and a white man helped her off the porch. As soon as he saw her standing with them, he began making plans to woo Paula and make her his wife
. The fact that Paula was petite with a sparkling personality and very beautiful, was not what he was looking for. Moses wanted to rise above all others, he wanted power, he wanted to stand on the porch with the family and be introduced. Paula was his ticket to make it happen.
As the hired hands were on their way to the slave shacks, the arrogant man was following them, Charles jumped off the porch and stood in front of the man and said, “you’re going the wrong way.”
Several males, coloreds, and whites stood united on Charles side. The man looked around and saw that he was outnumbered, he left.
Charles said, “thank you all.” As they were going to the shacks, he shook each man hand.
Harry and Drew joined Charles in the yard, Harry said to Charles, “normally, men with many women, are not fighters, you have bravery I’ve never seen before.”
Charles said, “It’s no big deal pops.”
Vance was still standing on the porch in a happy daze. He was hoping Harry would let him use a small wagon and horse to go get his wife, Deb.
Harry said watching the hired hands, “there’s no difference between race’s when poor.”
Charles replied saying, “there’s no difference no matter the situation. If a colored, Chinese, white, or any person cut themselves, we all bleed red blood. When we’re hungry and our stomach growl, it’s in the exact same place, our hearts are in the same place, legs, arms, eyes, ears, nose all in the same place. Only the skin color is different, God created mankind in an array of colors like a beautiful rainbow.”
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