Princess Ces'alena (23 page)

Because of the cold weather, they would come together in the attic where Manny set up a room for just the two of them to bond and his son to learn. The rest of the day he met with his overseers and cattle hands using this time of the year to build more fences and secure ones in need of repair. They built cabins, did cabin repairs and toured each and every one for whatever upkeep or maintenance needing to be done.

Katherine noted that some days he came in for a mid meal, and some days he didn’t. At least that’s what she thought; not yet figuring out that most of the days were spent in Lena’s cabin with her and his son enjoying a mid meal, that Lena prepared in the mansion after seeing to her mourning duties. Then she would bring the food back to her cabin, by his request.

Many of those times were also spent in her bed when Mikey joined Leon and Johnnypoe and the older men, Jordan and Amos on cabin repairs and working in the smithy shop. After his return, Lena noticed that Manny came to her more…made love to her more passionately than before, often displaying a reluctance to leave her, or her cabin. The mansion that had once been a haven of pride for him; he now stared at from her cabin window with contempt. Her silent approach from behind; her gentle touch and soft spoken reminder of the time, spurred him to returning to his duties…reluctantly.

It wasn’t long before Katherine began feeling alone in the mansion, boredom and neglect was setting in. The fleeting times that her husband was present, now turned into constant arguing because he treated her as if she were not there. Most of the time this took place, he passed her as she complained without rising to the bait…until after following him to every room, he’d bark.

“Find something to do with yourself! Do what you women do, sew needle point, what have you! I don’t have time to entertain you! If that is what you wanted, you should have married someone else!” That would be followed by a slamming door in her face.

Charles would stop over and visit sometimes and even take Katherine into town to shop and have lunch, which eventually led to more gossip.

At times she resorted to playing little games with the two trying to ignite some kind of response from Manny, hopefully jealousy. Adding to her building anxiety was his display of disinterest. More often than not, he seemed thankful to Charles for taking her off of his hands. Who also noticed this, and in private moments asked, “What are you doing Manny? I thought you said you’d try?” In return he would get a resentful glare with the comment, “My wife’s waiting…I have things to do. See that she has fun.” And he’d walk away, with Charles standing there feeling caught in the middle. If that wasn’t enough to drive her crazy, Morris was pestering them about her inability to conceive, ending usually with her screaming.

“How can I possibly conceive when I never see my husband?!!” She felt as if she were suffocating under his constant pressure and obsession with having a grandson. More and more each day she faced obstacles that assured her, this marriage was doomed. The silent murmurs of,
“I told you so,”
were reverberating through her mind. Everything within her forced her to stay and try to work it out, she loved him. In her eyes, there was no man more beautiful than her husband; she’d felt it the moment she spotted him from across the platform. It was she, who persuaded Mildred to take her over and introduce them and she did what it took to get him, surely she could find a way to make him love her. Just five weeks since their return and she would awaken in the night to find him gone from their bed. His habit was now to retire early claiming exhaustion, as if resting up for the night. Then in the middle of it, he’d disappear and be gone for hours, only to return before dawn.

Even more irritating, there was Kayleen to deal with. Oh she was polite and tolerant of her, but that was it…just tolerant. She treated her like a guest, and not the new missus there. She didn’t inquire from her what the meals for the day would be. But took it upon herself to plan out the menu. When she tried to give her what she felt were the new arrangements, such as new entrees and recipes, the reply had been. “Can’t do that; simply ‘cause, I don’t know what you talkin’ about.” Continuing on to prep what she planned to cook that day, when Katherine would return, “Well then, you shall have to learn what it is I’m talking about – beginning immediately.”

“No…I ain’t got the time to be learnin’ nothing new, more than likely these here men ain’t gone like no way. But you more than welcome to find what you need and get to cookin’. I take you around later on and show you where everythin’ is. But when you get to cookin’, it’ll have to be on the days I’m out doing my cabin checks. That be on Lena’s days… she won’t care about you cookin’ on her day.” Having said that, she went on to do what she was doing as if Katherine was dismissed. Who, bristling, yelled, “Excuse me! I’m in charge here! I will say what will and will not be done here!”

Kayleen stood placing her hands on her hips about to say something to that, when she changed her mind, untied her apron, tossed it on the center work table and left the kitchen, refusing to return.

Katherine stood moments in disbelief…never had she seen such insolence. Turning she marched to the study where Morris sat playing with a deck of cards and informed him of what took place. “What do you mean; she threw off her apron and left the kitchen?” He asked, the look on his face, not a happy one.

“No one? Ah hell! Well what’d you go in there messing with her for anyway.” He fussed shooting up from his seat leaving the room, with Katherine standing there with an incredulous look on her face. Snapping out of it, she followed him into the kitchen arguing her side of it. “Well am I the missus of this plantation or not!” She challenged.

“Why… sure you are, but your job, is to have babies! Leave that kitchen to Kayleen, she been running it all this time, no sense in fixing what ain’t broke!” He marched on preaching, upset now because he was hungry. One thing about the Webster men, food was in the top three on their list of most important requirements.

Katherine felt like screaming, she was tempted to go to Manny; however instinct told her that would be a dead end if not even Morris would support her. Subsequent to the event, that day turned out not to be a good one; Kayleen could not be talked back into the kitchen, and no one on that plantation, Morris included, could make her go back. She had a point to make.

Giving up on Kayleen, Morris went to Cora’s cabin asking her to come cook them something to eat. Of course, she did, holding back her laughter knowing of what had taken place, because Kayleen had already told her. Morris wouldn’t ask it of Lena, because she prepared the morning fare usually and supper. By the time something was prepared however, it was late, and Morris as well Manny were in a sour mood. Hunger was not something they took gracefully. The supper table was quiet that night, pretty much as it had been since their return.

That night in bed, Katherine tried to rouse Manny to discuss it.

Propped up on her pillows, with her arms crossed she opened the discussion. “I think we need to discuss and come to an agreement on how this household is run, and how the menu is planned.” She waited a few minutes, confident that he was not asleep. “Did you hear me Maynard?”

“Why?” Was his gruff return.

“Because, I’m talking to you…that’s why!” She snapped. She could tell his patience was already at its end by the deep sigh he took.

“
Why
- does the running of the household and menu plans need to be discussed.” He returned condescendingly; reminding her of her own opening.

Manny catapulted up so fast she sucked in a scream, throwing up her hands as if he meant to hit her. “Who in hell do you think you are?!”

“I’m you wife!” She squealed back at him.

“What kind of wife, would tell her husband to sell a woman that is the nearest thing to being his own mother?! What makes you so goddamn superior as to think, that you have more rights to run Webster Fields and to such an extent as to tell me who I should sell or whip?! Well let me tell you this madam, I would sooner sell you…whip you! When it comes to Kayleen, you bear that in mind!” Manny shot up from the bed, charged from the room slamming the door behind him, a few moments later she heard other doors slamming as he left the mansion. She sat wondering if she were in a nightmare from which she could not escape; her shock was matched only by her disbelief that Manny was in such a rage, that he would storm off seemingly oblivious to the fact, that he was completely naked.

It was only the cool damp air of the December night playing on his bare skin that gave him the sudden realization that he was in the nude. He paused only for a second then disregarded it without a care, even with the frosty ground on his feet – he did not turn back.

Caesar and Ben, the two ancient characters of the plantation, who had been with the Webster’s longer than anyone could remember, were enjoying their corncob’s full of tobacco; while sipping on their homemade wine; as they sat on Caesar’s porch up close to the terracotta firepot for warmth.

Ben was the first to notice him, surprised - he pulled his pipe from his mouth, jabbing Caesar in the arm with the stem, then gestured with it toward the apparition, “Lord’amercy wud you look at that boy. Bare ass nekkid as the day he born.”

“Look like Christmas done come early dis ye’ah fo’ Ms Lena.” Ben chuckled, showing gums, pausing just long enough to spit in the general direction of the fire. “Boy in such a rush t’give her his gif’…he done fo’got to wrap it.”

“Good thang too, by ‘da time he get it from the mansion to the cabin, it be done bus’out that fancy wrappin’!” They both dissolved into laughter. Ben shouted out to Manny, “
BOY!
You gettin’ that much nookie you ain’t got time t’dress!?” Caesar cracked up louder. Manny heard, but in his mood, he didn’t care to respond. At Lena’s door, he banged on it twice, and then remembered his son was sleeping… thus, knocking once more but softer, as if it would make up somehow for the louder knocks. She opened the door – saw the state he was in, and blurted. “Manny! My God – what…?”

That was the first time Katherine saw and realized that Lena’s cabin was right in view of his room. She felt on fire with the shame of it; angry to the point of wanting to scream to the heavens. It was right then and there, her hatred for Lena took root. The next morning, she entered the kitchen where Lena prepped breakfast. She wanted to attack her for daring to yawn in her presence when she knew that her husband slept in her cabin last night. The whole time she stood in the kitchen, Lena continued on as if no one had entered. It was obvious that she saw no reason for pretence. They both resented the other for their own reasons. Katherine knew this slave woman held his heart. Lena knew that this woman carried his name and held the position she wanted as his wife. What she wanted, could never be…especially now. The tension, the hostility between them, had no place else to go, other than to simmer and grow.

Mikey was the last straw in it all. He drove Katherine mad with envy and spite; he was too much like Manny; it wasn’t fair, she as his wife should have been the only one to bear his son, yet Lena had done so. She wouldn’t care if he were treated as he was, the bastard get of the master. But he wasn’t treated as such… the boy was indulged with all the privileges of a white child.

Her misery was unbearable when she saw them together; every now and then she would come into the kitchen looking for Manny knowing he was back for his lunch, to find the three of them together alone. All three made her presence feel as an intrusion on their family circle, while they laughed at something clever the child had said.

The moment her presence was known, the laughter would stop, and all would grow quiet making her feel the outsider. Day by day, week by week, Manny drew further and further away from her; nothing she did ever seemed to please him. It finally came to the point where he no longer bothered coming to their bed. After dinner, he would disappear and sometime in the wee hours of the morning he would return to catch a few hours sleep and then he was back out into the fields or on the property seeing to the many needs of his slaves.

It seemed to her, that he was more of a slave to them, than they were to him. He worked just as hard as they did…those of the gentry class would never be caught doing the menial tasks he undertook daily. Katherine hated to admit it…but she felt she’d married beneath her station. Now here she was, trudging an uphill battle all the way.

Finally the holidays were upon them, which would be spent pretty much the same for the slaves. They had their choice of turkey or ham, plenty of vegetables that they’d canned for themselves; and fruit as well for their own dinners and deserts. Kayleen, Lena and Cora worked in the kitchen all day, preparing a banquet for the guests visiting Webster Fields. The list included the Hastings, Katherine’s relatives, the O’Brien’s and Charles Wilson.

“Goodness, I be so glad when this evenin’ dinner over with.” Kayleen gasped adding the finishing touches to the turkey platter, garnishing it with parsley and twisted orange slices.