Antebellum (37 page)

“But just because I've seen it, doesn't mean I agree with it. In fact, I absolutely abhor the idea of niggers getting educated. An educated nigger is no good to anybody. Hell—they're downright dangerous!”

Reverend Lewis interjected as if he was preaching a Sunday morning sermon. “But you see, that's why it's so important that I bring that nigger up to Massachusetts with me. He proves that the niggers aren't dangerous. No matter how much education they get, no matter how much they learn, they will be never be able to gain any power. They just can't. It's not in their blood!”

“And what makes you think this nigger can prove this to your friends?”

“Because he's from...he's from...”

The Governor sat back and placed his pipe in his mouth. “He's from where, Reverend Lewis?”

Reverend Lewis sighed, knowing that the chance of his being taken seriously was slim to none.

“He's from another place.”

“We've figured that out, Reverend Lewis. Do you know where he's from, specifically? A territory we haven't discovered yet, perhaps?”

“He's from a place in the future.”

The Governor almost choked on his pipe. “I'm sorry...did you say the future?”

The Governor burst into laughter, his notetaker following suit. However, they only laughed for a few seconds, before they realized that they were the only ones who found humor in Reverend Lewis' words. Mr. Talbert and Bradley both fell back into their seats, their faces carrying a somber fear. The Governor quickly composed himself, and then turned again to Mr. Talbert. “You believe this nonsense?”

“Honestly, Governor, I don't know what to believe anymore. I just want the nigger out of my hair. Whether Reverend Lewis takes him or we go and shoot him tonight, I want this entire situation done with.”

The Governor stared at Mr. Talbert, a wrinkle in his brow. “What on Earth would make you think that nigger could be from the future?”

Mr. Talbert spoke as if he was telling a secret.

“When we first found him, Governor, he was dressed like nobody I'd ever seen—white or nigger. And the way he acted, it didn't seem like he belonged here.”

“Then why did you take him?”

“Have you ever run across a nigger with no papers on the side of the road and left him, Governor?”

“Touché, Mr. Talbert. I don't believe it for a second, but I'll concede the point for the sake of this conversation. So what if the nigger is from the...ahem...the future? He's still a nigger, and my vote is still to kill him dead and go on with our lives.”

“You can't do that.” Reverend Lewis jumped to his feet. “I've already told you how important he is! You can't kill a nigger that can prove that white folk own the future! And you can't kill a nigger just because he makes you nervous. You can't.”

“Sit down, Reverend Lewis.”

The man of God looked around, and seeing that he was outnumbered by more than one person with wealth, reluctantly took his seat. The Governor moved to the edge of his seat, as if to pounce on the defeated reverend.

“I can do whatever I please, Reverend Lewis, and it's high time you learned that. Just because your father runs the largest corporation in this country of ours doesn't mean I won't go to war over my right to leave a nigger dead in a ditch!”

They stared at one another.

“Uh, sir, you thinks I can have a word?”

Bradley tried to disguise his dialect as he addressed the royalty in the room. The Governor responded while still staring at Reverend Lewis. “Sure, son.”...

“Ahem...well, I been with this nigger lots since we first found 'im, and I agrees with Mr. Talbert that there's always been somethin' different 'bout 'im. But I broke 'im, sir. I broke 'im and broke 'im good. Ask anybody 'round these parts about when that nigger was in a cage and they'll tell you. That nigger over there—” he pointed across the stream where the slave quarters were, not knowing I was right underneath the window—“That ain't no nigger to be takin' up north, Mister Governor, sir. Nigger's got some kinda magic about him...”

“Oh, for heaven's sakes!” The Governor threw his hands up in exasperation. “First he's from the future, and now he's magic?”

Bradley, intimidated by the Governor's outburst, dropped his head. “Well, ain't for me to say, sir...”

The Governor put his hands down and composed himself again. “I'm sorry, son. That was rude of me. Please, continue with what you were saying.”

Uncertain of what to do, Bradley looked at Mr. Talbert, who gave him a nod of approval before turning back to the Governor.

“Well, like I say, sir, it ain't for me to say, but I was out there
today when he got to speakin' some crazy nigger voodoo talk, and I swear before God, he put all the other niggers under some kinda spell. I seen it with my own eyes, Mister Governor, sir. And I was sittin' there with my gun pointed at his head...and... and I couldn't pull the trigger. It was the damnest thing I ever felt in my life, sir.”

Reverend Lewis threw Bradley a look of pure incredulity, but Bradley didn't catch it. Instead, he bathed in contentment, knowing that the Governor, who nodded his head reflectively, had taken his words seriously.

“Yes, I heard about this afternoon before I arrived. It seems that everything concerning this nigger manages to get around the town like wildfire. Do you think they would have revolted if Reverend Lewis hadn't showed up?”

Bradley looked earnestly at the Governor. “I think they woulda done whatever that nigger told 'im to.”

The Governor turned to Reverend Lewis.

“You arrived in time to see this event taking place. What did you think of it?”

“I think Bradley lost all control of the slaves—simple as that.”

“Bradley has been my lead overseer for over ten years now,” Mr. Talbert said. “I've never known him to lose control of the niggers in the field. In fact, he's killed so many of my niggers for insubordination that I had to start taking it out of his wages.”

“Reverend Lewis,” the Governor said directly to him again, “was there a clear leader of the event that you saw this afternoon?”

“Yes, but I—”

“And who was that leader, Reverend Lewis?”

Reverend Lewis sighed and sat back in his chair, defeated.

“That's what I thought.” The Governor placed the end of his pipe back in his mouth. “Gentlemen, this seems like a straightforward decision. We hang the nigger in the morning. We'll do
it over by the post office, so everybody can come out and see. This way, we'll take care of the scared townspeople, and all of our issues will be resolved as well. Now...” He turned again to Reverend Lewis, who had his arms crossed in defiance across his chest. “We are all aware that your father's business buys up most of the cotton in this area. Is there any way we can convince you not to run home and tell your daddy about what's happened here?”

“No,” Reverend Lewis said clearly and definitively. Everything was quiet in the room awhile, all the men looking back and forth amongst one another.

“Mr. Talbert, can you call your house wenches in here, please?” the Governor said after a moment.

Mr. Talbert, shocked by the request, fumbled his words. “Uh... umm...su...sure...we...I can...umm...”

“It's okay, Mr. Talbert. We're all men in this room. Send for your young wenches, please.”

I knew Ella would be coming into the room. Against all my better judgment, I turned and peeked up through the window.

Five seconds later, Mr. Talbert returned with Ella and two other young female house slaves. He put them side-by-side in front of the Governor, who looked extensively at each of them. “Mr. Talbert, it seems you've been hiding your candy store...”

Mr. Talbert turned as red as a stoplight.

“Do you all know who I am?” the Governor said to the three young women.

Two of them shook their heads. Ella was the only one who responded. “Nawsah.”

“I'm the Governor around here. I run this state...and most of the people in it...”

The Governor began groping on the first woman, saving the most beautiful for last.

Ella, obviously uncomfortable, diverted her gaze to certain landmarks
around the room. Eventually she looked to the window. She saw me at the same time the Governor reached back and grabbed her behind, and she inhaled sharply.

“Ooooooooo, I like this one, Talbert...”

I wanted to cut the lust out of his throat.

Ella turned around quickly to face her owner.

“Massa Talbert, I'se wonderin' if I can get the flower tools from da shed in the back? Missus done said a few times she want da flowers fixed up nice.”

Hints of jealousy had begun to appear at the corners of Mr. Talbert's eyes. He was all too happy to release her.

“Yes, go and fetch them. The rest of you go on back to work.”

The three women scattered back behind the doors once again.

“You see, Reverend Lewis,” the Governor began as he took a handkerchief from his coat pocket and dabbed his forehead and neck, “we do things a little different down here in the south. Now you can run home and tell your daddy about all that's happened with this nigger we got down here, and nobody will stop you. Your family is much too powerful for that. But, if I'm not mistaken, you've never owned any slaves before, have you?”

Now it was Reverend Lewis' turn to sweat. “No, I haven't.”

“Well, you decide that you want to keep this little situation as our little secret, then I'll see to it personally that you get your pick of any three slaves in this entire town. Buck or wench, it doesn't matter. Nobody in Massachusetts has ever got to know about it. Hell, nobody in town has got to know about it. They'll be commissioned as slaves of the church, and that'll be that. Now, if that's something you would consider, let me know now so I can begin setting it up. If not, you can be on the first train out of here. What do you say?”

Reverend Lewis suddenly found it impossible to sit still. He
shifted around in his seat as if there were hot coals under the cushions. “Uh...yes...that is something...something I would consider...”

“Good! Then our business is done. I expect to see a hanging bright and early tomorrow morning. Until then, I bid you gentlemen a good evening.”

The Governor stood up quickly, with his notetaker directly behind him, shook each man's hand in the room, and exited through the front door.

I had once experienced a fear that seized my chest whenever white men entered the room. Now, I knew they planned to hang me in the morning and I didn't take an extra breath. I stayed there under the window, thinking about all I had heard, when something hit me that did cause my breathing to quicken.

The toolshed!
Ella said she was going to the toolshed in the back!

I ducked down low and quickly scampered down the side of the house. When I got to the back corner, I squatted down as low as I could and peeked my head around the corner. Sure enough, Ella was standing there, shining in front of the shed. It was clear she had no intentions of getting any tools to work on flowers. Instead, she paced back and forth, looking all around her. When I stood up from where I was hiding and made myself known, she let out a cry that almost made my legs give way.

She ran up and hugged me like I was a returning veteran. She hugged me like we had been long lost loves—separated by time and space—and had just now found our way back to one another. And then she touched her lips to mine, and wouldn't pull them back.

I had expected a hesitant embrace—a longing stare in each other's eyes, maybe, but not this. This was a love that was meant to be in the future, but had found its way to the past. This was a
destination, not a journey. We had somehow skipped all the steps needed to successfully connect two souls, as if we knew there wouldn't be much time.

At the moment, and from now on, I didn't care whether she was called SaTia or Ella. It was the same person. And I loved her.

When she finally pulled away, we were both sweating.

“I...I don't understand,” she began. “I don't know how...”

“Don't worry,” I said, wrapping my hands around her waist and pulling her close to me. “It'll all make sense soon.”

She nodded and moaned simultaneously, and I bit down on my lip to contain myself.

“They gonna hang you in the mornin'.” She wasn't trying to sound seductive, but she couldn't hide her passion as she spoke. She ended up making death sound like an orgasm.

“You let me worry about that,” I softly responded. “If it's meant for them to get me, then they gonna get me no matter what. But I ain't goin' without no fight.”

I was pushed back against the side of the house, and Ella stepped up and closed the space between us. She slid her hand down to my crotch and wrapped her fingers around me.

“It ain't fair,” she whined and moaned. “We's just findin' out this is real...”

“Naw...” I managed to choke out in between inhalations. “I knew this was real years ago...”

I grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away from me so I could look in her eyes.

“I just...I wasn't ready for you. I couldn't handle you. And I ain't realize it until now.”

She looked back at me, searching my face as she spoke.

“You talkin' so strange...but I understands you in a funny way. Like how you recognized me when you first seen me—it's like I
finally recognize you. And now I can't stop thinkin' 'bout you. I can't help it.”

“You don't have to,” I said and pulled her back to me. “Not no more.”

“It ain't fair,” she said again, but this time her words filled with sadness. “They say you gotta die tomorrow mornin'...”

“I told you, let me worry about that,” I said as I hugged her close. “I got a feelin' it's all gonna be okay; just let me worry 'bout it.”