Family (14 page)

Loretta bristled like them ladies did in the South, and tried again. “Then you will get off my land … and stay off my land. This is no longer your home! And you will leave … that child for me to raise. She is no longer yours. She was born on this land. She belongs to us … the owners of this land.”

Always laughed. “This land isn’t not all yours. This land is mine, Miz Loretta. My sold babies bought most all this land. You ain’t bought nothin!” She put her hand on Apple’s head. “This child’s daddy bought all that part of the left acres and part of the bottom land. It’s more hers than yours.”

Loretta screamed, “I will have Jason put you off!”

Always stepped back down the last step. “This is my land. I ain’t goin nowhere, no time, no how. She started off, stopped, said, “You want them potatoes peeled, you peel em, eat your own dinner. I’ll eat at my own house.” She grabbed Apple’s hand and walked calmly to the corner of the
house; once around it and out of Loretta’s sight, she broke into a run and ran all over the plantation screaming, “We free! We free! We free!”

My heart, or whatever it is, was shouting for joy too. Oh, if I just coulda been there with my babies. I thought of how my other children would be takin this and fore I knew it I was gone where Peach was.

Peach was just poring over one of many newspapers what hadn’t got this final news yet. Her white maid was tryin to help her dress for some ball or nother. When I was leavin, she was askin her husband for any news from America. He just held her tightly, then Peach forgot America and went on to the ball.

I flew to Sun. He was alone, by hisself, lookin off toward the southland. A newspaper laying at his feet. He was a man, but he was cryin. He was wealthy now, and loved, no need for me watchin him. I fled back to Always.

All this was quick as a cinch, so I found Always at the church. Ohhhh, but all the singin and shouting them people was doin! Glad! Happy! Out of their minds! Then, some of them still didn’t blive
it! Just couldn’t hold such a big thought in their minds! It was unblivable! They all was huggin and kissin each other and strangers too! They had all them white folks’ food there, for the homeless that been goin on a long time. Wasn’t no real church buildin, just a shack, but God didn’t get no greater praise from the biggest cathedral buildin in the world! Not that night! That’s right!

People was runnin round in the roads, grabbin strangers, askin them where they came from, where they been, who they were, who they mama was. Folks was lookin for their kin, their blood. Some just sat cryin. Some couldn’t stop laughin. Some just held themself and rocked to the songs as tears run down their faces, nary a sound comin from their lips. Scarred hands shook, scarred backs bent to give thanks in prayer. Scarred souls wept in prayers of gratefulness. Even in all this, there was dis-blivin in this freedom. Is it true? … Can it be true? Freedom? Freedom? Blong to yourself?

The scissor-sharpner man was there, sharin the joy cause now, he knew, he could stay free. He hadn’t never been always sure just what would happen. Always looked at him differently and
hard. She also noticed another man, quiet, off in a corner, tired, sore and underfed, new here at this place. He wasn’t sayin nothin, but you could see he was feelin great big feelins.

Always, and Apple, had never been lowed to go to church before. They just hugged everybody, laughed or cried with them, strangers and all, askin where they come from and did they know a Peach or a Sun, or her little children grown big now. Nobody, not one person, knew nothin!

Finally, returnin to her shack, she lay down and cried, thinkin of her family, her blood, as gone. All spread out and gone, all but that blood of hers in the main house, Loretta, and her son, Sephus, therefore, her blood in Apple. She hugged the child tight to hurtin, fell asleep and dreamed of me, sweet Jesus. Me and Doak Jr. and the land got all mixed up in it. She woke to the sound of big, heavy, fat raindrops on her tin roof, down on the land. She lay there thinkin, wonderin bout freedom.

She looked for Poon to come, to talk. But Poon stayed in that little house with Masr Jason, doin all the things she ever had, no change at all. You
see? She loved Masr Jason. He was hers, place of all her children gone. Yet … yet, her mind kept pricklin up, to go to see could she find her sold children. Mayhap they was lookin for her. They was free now. Freedom, freedom. The word would ring round in her head, then her heart would like to start bustin for joy, then her fear, or somethin, would come to make her fraid. Freedom, the word rang in her head. She did not know just what to do with this freedom. But, one thing she did know, she was glad, was happy, to have it come at last, before she had died and gone. But how to mix freedom and Masr Jason? Would he leave cause she was free? Should she leave cause she was free? But, where to go? She didn’t know what to do bout this freedom.

Always layed round and dreamed and thought big thoughts for bout a week, then her garden called to her and she went back to carin for things, outside of freedom, but part of freedom. Loretta looked, from the house she had done locked herself in, through the windows at Always workin, and decided she had won. However, somethin in her mind said, “Watch careful now. Watch careful.”

NOW, AT LAST
, the inevitable war was over. Doak Jr. came home, and not long after, Soon came. They had fought different wars. Both were stronger, larger, but different in every other way.

Doak Jr. had a good tan that seemed to just linger on him. Didn’t go away. Soon was now free, again.

Doak Jr., a young, weary, thin, bitter man. He did not like Soon at all now. But it really wasn’t Soon, it was just Black. Black against white. His
mind didn’t clear it that it wasn’t Soon that had won, it was Black, North, and justice that had prevailed.

The day he returned, it was a dark, thunderous lightnin day. Doak Jr. came stragglin in by foot down the road towards the main house. He knew he was Master now of this land, but the large, gray-white house looked wary in the drenching rain, and alone. Just the way he felt. Things looked kinda bleak, but he knew, at least he hoped, there was money there to put him back on his feet, put the land back on its feet. He wanted to be rich again. Well, that’s natural.

He thought of the slaves on the land, howsomever many might still be there. Soon came into his mind, he pictured him as tryin to be uppity now that he was free. He knew Soon would be back cause his mother, Always, was there. But was she there? Probly gone runnin off with all the rest of them no-count niggas who probly flew the coop soon as they heard bout freedom. No more work outta them lessen they paid now.

Doak stamped his muddy boots on the front steps fore he realized wasn’t nobody there to clean
up the mess. He walked to the side entrance to the house. Loretta had heard him at the front and run there to see why the commotion. No one there, she ran to the side door to see Doak comin in. She stopped in her tracks as he looked up. They just looked at each other, these two white people whose lives was in such upheaval. At the same time, for the first time, they knew they was allies. They wasn’t sure who was sposed to be boss of the money, if there was any. Doak knew he would be the one tho. After all, he was the man.

Then Loretta ran to him, hugged him, cried, took his wet things off, made him sit by the fire with a big drink. He dried off as they talked. He brought her up to date. Then she brought him up to date.

He learned Always was still there. His uncle still workin the farm, such as it was, but it was doin alright. The money. The money was gone, moved. She didn’t tell him bout the sum she had put by over the years. Half the slaves gone, half stayed. No tellin who took the money. There was other money in the bank, but heard tell it wasn’t no good no more. Only gold was good. Course,
Always had been one of them that knew where most the gold had been.

He ate a hot meal, the first in a long time. Then he went to sleep, sleep. Restless, but restful.

Loretta stood at the different windows lookin out over the land, thinkin, thinkin, bout how she was gonna make it. She didn’t want to be birthed, live, and die all in this poor southern country. Mainly on her mind was where was the money? Her mind sped to Always. Always to Always. But, she smiled, Doak would take care of her. He was a man now, a strong man, and what he had seen in the war would make him a hard man to deal with. And he was hungry. Hungry for everything, she could see that. She might have to look out for herself sometimes, tho, gainst Doak.

Doak woke barely refreshed, but eager to get on bout the farm business. He inspected the farm, talked at long length with Jason. Checked the measly livestock. Noted with pleasure Always’s garden.

THE RAIN HAD STOPPED SOME
, but was still drizzlin when he went into Always’s chicken house shack, knockin as he went. She looked up and lit up, then her lights went down low, cause she could see he had somethin on his mind sides tellin her he was home safe.

She pointed to her only stool and he sat down in the dim lamp-lit room and watched her closely as they talked. She was still the dear woman who
had helped raise him, but she was also a negress, the enemy.

Always was so proud and glad to have her son back, well, alive.

He spoke softly. “Ah … Always, if I members correctly, you the one person knew everything there was to know bout my father’s plantation, his land and some of his business.”

“Yes suh.”

He shifted on the stool. “It is just right likely you know what happened to the money was buried round here, made and kept by my daddy for the care taken of this here land. For his heirs.”

“Yes suh. I knowed most the place money was buried cause I help bury it with em.”

Doak couldn’t keep that note of anger comin into his voice tho it wasn’t exactly aimed at Always. “Well … it seem that money, that gold, is gone now.”

“Yes suh. I done heard of it.”

Doak waited for her to say more. She didn’t. “Well … as a reliable slave …” He stopped. “… person in my family, you should ought to know more bout what happened to it. I need to
try to get it back where I can fix our house up here and get to work on makin this land pay again. I need money to do that.”

Always moved a few things round on that little lopsided table she had under the one window, thinkin. She had planned this way head of time, should he come home safe. “I know one place where nobody did find, where there is some gold money.” Doak jumped lightly. She said, “I will show you that when night falls.”

Doak stood. “Show me now.”

So, Always got two shovels and took him way down by the creek overhung with the wild trees full of birds, possums and squirrels. They walked in silence, Always steady watchin him from behind where she was walkin, fillin her eyes with her son and her pride. “Thank you God, he safe,” she thought over and over.

Finally she stopped, reached out a hand to touch him. Lookin round carefully, she said, “We digs here.”

They dug in the light rain til a spade hit a hard sound, then Doak got down on his knees and dug with his hands til he uncovered a small chest. He
pulled it up and worked it open with his knife and fists. There was gold and silver. He looked up at Always, who was smilin.

“Is this all my daddy saved? All them years?”

“No such, there was more …”

“Where?” His tone was hard.

“Don’t know where now. Can try to find out. I needs time.”

Doak stood, holdin on to the chest. “You find out and you will never have to worry bout a home the rest of your life. I’ll see to that my damn self!”

Now, Always had been enjoyin the doin of these things with her son. Feastin her eyes on him as they worked together. Her hands wantin to touch him. Her arms wantin to hold him. But now, her mind came to itself. “Yes suh. That’s somethin I wants to talk bout with you.”

“Well,” he declared, “we done talked. You have a home here for as long as you want it … do you find me that gold.”

Always rubbed the mud from her hands. “Yes suh. But I has somethin I wants to talk to you bout. I wants a place of my own. All my own.”