by ML BINELLI
He pointed a finger at her and his gaze was accusing. His eyes were purple, his mouth spit dirt at her. His figure began to fade away into blood until it disappeared completely. She then realized that her feet were trapped and the blood was rising around her. She tried frantically to run but could not move. The level of the blood reached her mouth, she raised her head in disgust and despair and screamed, but no sound came out. The liquid then touched her nostrils, she smelled the rank odor and it covered her entire face and filled her lungs.
She woke up screaming, as if she was drowning. She was drenched in sweat from head to toe and saw terror in her face when she ran over to the mirror to see if her dress was covered in blood. She was a tiny bit hopeful that maybe none of it had actually happened. Maybe it was all a dream. But Vidal's blood was there. She quickly ripped the garment off her body and threw it in a corner. She sat in the middle of the bed, bent her legs towards her body and folded her arms around them. She hid her face between her knees and her body rocked like a pendulum back and forth. She raised her eyes and looked at the bloodstained dress. The images of what had happened came back to haunt her. Vidal's aggression, the captain falling, Athena's bust in her hand descending on Vidal's head, the blood spurting in her direction, the horror of having to face the consequence of the unthinkable act.
"Why did you attack him, Vidal. Why?"
"Because he loved you, girl," Jonas's voice whispered to her. She jumped and looked around to see if anyone was in the room with her. She was not sure if she had really heard it or if it was a fabrication of her mind. Guilt and regret washed over her, she felt she was carrying an immense weight on her shoulders. Vidal's image came back to her in waves. She remembered their stroll in Mercado da Ribeira and how he made her laugh with his comments about the people doing their shopping. "Look at that, she is so bent over she looks like an anchor ... and what about him? He's more interested in the vendor's melons than in the oranges she is offering." She smiled for a moment, but her expression suddenly changed. She remembered an old gypsy leaning against a wall begging for alms in exchange for fortunetelling. Vidal walked her over to the gypsy, but when she saw them, the gypsy made the sign of horns using her index finger and her little finger and ran off as if she had seen a demon. She didn't understand it and asked him why the gypsy had done such a thing. When she looked into Vidal's eyes she saw fear but he changed the subject and took her to eat sardines. All of this had been forgotten, but it had left its mark on her.
She continued reminiscing their moments, the nights they lay together and their trip. Until the moment she saw James and then she lost herself. She was aware that she did not love Vidal. She had thought of getting rid of him by paying him off, but he had grown on her and she was getting used to his presence. They had become accomplices in life. He was her support base, someone to talk freely to, for he knew all her sins, at least the most recent ones. Now he was gone and it was because of her. She assessed her feelings and remembered clearly that before they arrived, she was enjoying Vidal's company, his way, his scent. The idea of being separated from him no longer existed, she had already forgotten about it. She felt an emptiness in her chest as if her heart had been ripped out. She felt as if she'd lost part of her body. Her repentance started to make her feverish, the heat rose your legs until it reached her head which seemed as if it was going to explode. She struck her head with both hands in despair screaming, "Why? Why did I do this? Why?" She pulled at her hair and scratched her face until her head seemed to explode and she collapsed.
The day after the tragedy, James was awake at the front of the house waiting for Marie.
"Good morning, Mr. James. How was your weekend?"
Good morning, Marie. A lot of work, a body to bury, you know how it is, don't you?
"Good morning, Marie. Look, we're going to spend some time at the mill and the captain leaves today."
"What about the couple, will they stay in the house?"
"No, the lady will accompany me to the mill. As for her husband, he will return with the captain. The captain sent you this money so you can take some time off to rest. Come back next week, all right?"
Marie, who was finding James' instruction odd, forgot all about her suspicions when she saw the money.
"Thank you, Mr. James. Please thank the captain and the couple. Do you not want me to fix breakfast for today at least?"
"It's not necessary Marie, we can do it ourselves. Now go and rest."
"Until next week, Mr. James!" she turned and walked towards the door.
"What do you plan to do today, Marie?"
"Go to the shops, Mr. James, to the shops!"
James closed the gate and entered the house. The Captain was ready and Barbara was standing next to him in the living room.
"She's gone, captain. She suspected something at first but as you said she soon forgot about it as soon as the money made an appearance.”
"I know my people like the back of my hand. Do you agree to go to the mill, Mrs. Barbara? The air will do you good and it is best for you not to be alone. It is a country house that we own there, but it is comfortable. You can stay there to recover."
"Gentlemen, I think we should tell the authorities what happened. I must pay for my crime," said Barbara in a shaky voice, staring at the floor.
"It is too late now, ma'am. We'll be accused of getting rid of the body which makes it look like all three of us were in on it. We will all go to the gallows! No, we are going to keep the matter secret. No one else saw you here except for Marie. James has already dispatched her. There is no reason to give ourselves in. Let us not look for more problems than those we already have."
"But what about the future, captain?"
"We will do what we planned to do. We will be partners, you will not be able to be alone in this city without anyone to protect you. Stay with us for a while. When I return, we will invent a story for Vidal's death in Europe and everything will be settled."
"It looks like I have no other way out. I'll have to trust you!"
"And we will have to trust you." said James.
She looked at him and one word came to mind – passion. She turned her face to the spot where Vidal fell and another word came to her - love. She realized that Vidal was sowing a field of grape vines that would give them sustenance for the rest of their lives but a force of nature, a flood destroyed the entire field that had been cultivated with such care and it had dragged him along with it.
"Come on, I have to go! Both of you come with me to the ship. I would like to say goodbye at the port."
They followed him to the carriage, all three watching the city come to life. They did not speak, but their thoughts were all the same.
They departed on the pier, both watching the ship disappear from view.
"Now it is just us, ma'am."
"Just us, James. Please, before we go, take me to church."
36. At the mill
They arrived at the mill and James greeted everyone he met along the way.
"Mr. Dupont's sugar cane has arrived, Mr. James."
"At last, François. Ask someone to take the lady to the house and help her settle in. I want to see the cargo. Do you mind if I do not come with you, ma'am?"
"No, get on with your duties! I'll get to know the house and get settled."
"John, come here," yelled François. "Take the lady to the house and hand her over to Matilde. Then return."
"Who is she, Mr. James?" asked François when both had walked well away from Barbara.
"Our new partner. We'll start planting sugarcane now."
"At last! Profits will increase!"
"And our lives will improve!"
At lunchtime, James found Barbara waiting for him. When both were alone, she whispered to him.
"I would like to visit Vidal." she asked tearfully. "Can you take me to him?"
He thought for a moment. "We'll go after lunch. I'll show you the mill and then we'll go." She nodded.
He walked wit
h her to a large building. In the center stood a mill with a large wheel and a mule tied to it.
"How does it work?"
"We place the cane here and the mill crushes it removing the juice. Get the animal moving!" he ordered.
A slave began pulling the mule, which was lead round the mill by a harness. The whole system began to spin and the sugar cane juice began to dribble out.
"We collect the juice and take it to the second phase."
They left and entered another building.
"It is so hot here!" complained Barbara.
"This is the boiler house. Here the cane juice is slowly boiled."
Barbara saw large copper pots full of boiling cane juice.
"The liquid boils down to a molasses. Let's go to the end. See, it's quite thick, isn't it?"
Barbara agreed and lifted her finger to dip it into the molasses. James stopped her by holding her hand.
"It is still hot. You will burn yourself."
James's touch embarrassed her, but radiated heat through her whole body.
"In this other pot, the molasses is stirred and then transferred to molds. Look, there is an empty one here!"
"What's this hole for?"
"For purging. Come, let's go to the purging house."
Along the way James explained to her that the molasses was stirred and then placed in the molds to crystallize. "Whatever does not crystallize flows out and is stored and used to make the distilled drink known as aguardente after undergoing fermentation.”
“What is left in the molds is removed and we call it sugar loaf. It's very dark. It is what we know as Brown Sugar,” he explained.
“This we sell right here to make the demerara sugar and the white sugar, which is sold in Europe, is the brown sugar that has gone through the purging process."
As they walked, Barbara noticed that all the slaves had a black dot on their left ear lobe. The men and the women. When she got the chance, she asked James why.
"The same as this one?" He showed her his own ear lobe, which had the same dots, but in his case, it was on both ears.
"Yes, what are they?"
"It is a long story. I'll tell you when we have more time. Now let's walk." and he said no more about it. At the purging house, James continued with his lesson.
"The molds are washed so all impurities are removed through the hole underneath. At the end of the process the sugar loaf is white, ready to be crushed and bagged. It is only then sent to Europe. The Netherlands distributes it."
James led her to another shed where they were distilling the aguardente.
"But this is our best product! Look how pure it is. Give me a clean mug, let's taste this delicious drink!"
He offered it to Barbara who eyed the contents. It looked like water. She took a large gulp that burned her throat and she pushed the mug away. She forced herself to swallow.
"My, my, that is strong! It seems to have gone straight to my head." She immediately felt a little dizzy. James laughed and drank what was left in the mug.
"Excellent quality! Very pure! We then mix it with water in a proportion of three to one to sell it."
"Why do you mix it with water? Isn't that dishonest?"
"No, it's simply to dilute it. It is more pleasing to the palate."
"That seems impossible to achieve!" she said smiling, but drew back. She swayed a little but James held her.
"Are you ill?"
"No, just a little dizzy. I think I need air."
The two walked side by side. Barbara stumbled and leaned on James's body. He offered his arm and she accepted it.
"James, I want to go to Vidal now. Can we go?"
"Are you sure? We haven't had time to fix up his grave. It's hidden in the woods."
"I have to go and be alone with him a little while."
James did not argue further. He walked with her to a horse-drawn cart. He helped her climb on and they set off. When they reached the end of the property he swerved and headed towards a wood. They went through the trees and it got darker and darker, until there were only a few rays of sunlight shining through the dense canopy.
"Let's walk from here."
He helped her climb off the cart. She shuddered every time he touched her.
"Give me your hand. Be careful not to stumble, there are many roots above ground here.”
They walked until they come across a fig tree. Behind it lay Vidal's grave.
"You're here, ma'am."
Barbara approached and saw the newly opened grave and the little cross made by the captain.
"Leave me alone here for a while, James.”
"As you wish."
She lifted her dress and lay her bare knees beside the grave. The tears streamed down her cheeks. She cleaned them with the back of her hand.
"Vidal, forgive me. I did not mean to do this. Before I came here, I asked James to take me to a church so I could bring some holy water."
She opened her purse and pulled out an ampule. She dumped the contents on the grave.
"You are not on consecrated ground. I brought this water to rest your soul. You did not deserve this fate. I want you to know that I loved you my way. I still love you, Vidal!" She started crying. James stood behind the fig tree listening to her words. He felt a share of the guilt but pushed it away. He told himself not to feel guilty for what happened because there was nothing to feel sorry for but he was not convinced.
"I realized too late that you loved me too. It's a pity Vidal, a p ..." she suddenly noticed a figure moving behind a tree. "James, is that you?"
James emerged from behind the fig tree. "Did you call me?" But the figure had appeared in the opposite direction from where James stood.
She became frightened, she heard rustling in the vegetation as if something were moving away.
"James, let's go!" she said standing up and cleaning her knees. He walked towards her.
"What is wrong? Did you see something?"
"I think there was somebody watching me over there."
James walked in the direction she pointed to but saw nothing or anyone and returned.
"Maybe it was an animal."
"No, I'm sure it was a person!” Could the person have heard what I said?
"Let's go, the sun is setting fast. I don't want to be here when night falls."
When they returned to the house, Barbara tripped on the first step and twisted her ankle. James took her into the living room. She was not able to put her foot on the floor because it was too sore and she moaned with pain.
He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. She lay down, still moaning. He took her shoe off carefully and saw that it had started to swell. With both hands, he pressed the spot to stop the swelling. She continued moaning. He let go of her foot and touched her calf. She wriggled. His other hand touched the back of her thigh and she stretched like a cat. The tone of the moaning changed. He reached up to her and kissed her. She did not push him away.
37. News from the captain
Time went by. Barbara's passion was reciprocated and fueled by her encounters with James. She lived in the captain's city house while James divided his times between the house and the mill.
One day they were informed that James had to go to the port to speak to a captain of a newly arrived English ship, who had news for him.
" Captain John, I am James. I was told to find you. Do you have a message from captain Edward?"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. James. Please sit. The news is not pleasant."
"What happened?"
"I was commissioned by captain Edward's wife to inform you that on his trip back to England, the captain had the misfortune of being caught in a storm. He attempted to seek shelter on the island of Funchal, but his ship was thrown into the rocks. The ship went down."
"And the captain? Is he alright?"
"No one survived Mr. James. This is the sad news I have to give you!"
James sat down. He collapsed into a chair. He liked the capt
ain very much and had a lot of respect for him, mostly because the captain had made him his partner regardless of his skin tone. He had never looked down on him and had always treated him as an equal.
He lifted his hands to his face and realized that a tear was starting to squeeze out of the corner of one of his eyes. He wiped it away to spare himself the embarrassment of crying in front of a person he had never met before.
"Is there no hope that he may have saved himself?"
"No boat reached the beach and if anyone tried to swim, those waters are shark-infested. No, there is not the slightest chance anyone escaped."
"How are his wife and daughter? Are they taken care of?"
"They will receive part of his wages for the rest of their lives as compensation from the company and it is my duty to ask you to sell the property he had in this region, take a ten percent commission and surrender the rest to them, through me. Here, it's all in this letter written by the lady herself."
James took the letter and read it. The woman thanked him and all the help he had given his late husband, regretted not having ever met him in person and told him that Edward admired him very much. She also wrote that he said that if God were to have given him a son, it would have been him. James could not hold back his tears. The captain touched his shoulder in support. James folded the letter and put it away. He stood up and assured the captain he would get all the matters resolved as requested. They arranged to settle the accounts next time the captain came to New Orleans.
"Don't worry, I'll always be here. I will take on the trips that were Edward's, may he rest in peace."
The men said goodbye to each other and James left, walking aimlessly. He did not have the money to buy the captain's part in the mill. He would have to sell it and keep half the money. He would not be able to use the house in the city anymore. And then, what would he do? He was lucky to have worked with the captain, but he did not think he could get the same position with any other person in the city.
