Storm Clouds Rolling In (13 page)

Rose moved gracefully down the dirt road toward the slave quarters, whistling quietly to herself as she walked. Sunday nights were her favorite time of the week. After six long days under the watchful eye of Master and Mistress Cromwell, it was good to have a free night. Gazing around, she took a deep breath. The sun had just started to dip behind the towering oaks lining the road she now walked on. The crystal clear air seemed to shimmer with the golden glow the sun was leaving in its wake. The sky, still a brilliant blue, was beginning to take on the purplish hues of dusk. The evening swirled around her with all its delicious freshness as she strode the last few yards to her mama’s house.

“Hello,
Mama.” Rose smiled as she moved forward to plant a soft kiss on Sarah’s wrinkled, leathery skin. She peered into her eyes, until, satisfied with what she saw, she stepped back. She was always afraid of what she would find. Her mama was old. At fifty, she had already lived far beyond the average lifespan of a slave. Rose didn’t know what she would do when her mama went home
ta be wid de Lawd
, as Sarah put it. Her mama was her rock.

Sarah returned her smile and reached up to pat Rose’s cheek.
“We be havin’ comp’ny t’night.”

Rose nodded and settled down on one of three crude chairs in Sarah’s tiny clapboard cabin.
She wasn’t surprised. Sarah was known as the whole slave quarters’ mama. She was too old to work the fields anymore. Every day, when the men and women departed to work the tobacco, they left their children in a central area of the quarters. Sarah’s job was to watch over and supervise the
chillun
, as she called them. The children adored her, and the other slaves had learned to respect the old woman.

“Who’s coming,
Mama?”

“His name be Moses.
He be one o’ de marse’s new ones.” Sarah turned back to poke the glowing coals baking her sweet potatoes. “He be needin’ a friend t’night.”

Again Rose just nodded.
“What can I do to help, Mama?” She asked every time. She knew the answer by heart.

“Not a thin’.
I have every thin’ ready. Just waitin’ for these taters to be done cookin’.”

“I brought you something,
Mama.” Rose reached into the deep pocket of her brightly colored calico dress and pulled out a carefully folded linen napkin. She pulled the corners back to reveal a half dozen freshly baked rolls. Laying them out on the rough table, she dug into the other pocket. “Miss Carrie sent these to you. She said to tell you she hopes you’re doing well.” Her second digging movement brought forth a small jar of plum preserves. She smiled and deposited it next to the rolls. Everyone knew how much her mama loved rolls and preserves.

“Bless her
.” Sarah’s response was quick and fervent. “She be a good chile’. You tell her thanky fer me.” Her eyes rested with pleasure on the gifts laid out before her, but she didn’t move from her place at the fire. Moving her hand deftly, she flipped the taters one last time, and poked them to pull them from the coals. “Dey be just right now.”

Rose smiled.
“Everything is always just right, Mama. There isn’t anyone that can cook like you. I may eat fancier food up at the big house, but it’s never as good as yours.” Rose gave her mama a quick hug and kissed the top of her head tenderly.

Just then a tentative knock came at the door.
Rose swung the door open and took a startled step backward. She had never seen anyone the size of the young giant who filled the doorway. For a moment she was speechless, and a little frightened. His huge form blocked out all sunlight trying to squeeze through the door.

“Welcome, Moses.
Come on in, boy.”

Still silent, Rose stepped aside to let him enter.
Rose watched him carefully as he moved gracefully into the cabin. She liked the tender way he looked at her mama. She recognized the pain in his eyes. She had seen it many times in the faces of new slaves. Moses might be a giant, but his heart was just like theirs. She felt her heart begin to calm.

Sarah took control.
“Sit over dere, Moses. Like you to meet my girl. This be Rose.”

Rose smiled gently as Moses nodded his head in her direction.
“Howdy.”

“Hello, Moses.
It’s good to meet you. I’m glad you could join us for dinner.”

She almost smiled when his friendly gaze faded
and was replaced with dark suspicion. Rose understood. She didn’t talk like the rest of the slaves. Her speech distinguished her as being one of the house slaves and as such, she was open to suspicion. It was not uncommon for house slaves to spy and tell on the lower field slaves.

Sarah read his look and moved closer to put a hand on his shoulder.
“Moses come from de Smith place.”

Ro
se felt compassion but understood when Moses looked down. He didn’t want their pity.

Sarah’s leathery hand tightened its grip on his shoulder.
“She be alright, Moses. She can be trusted.” Her words, soft and tender, hung in the air for just a moment, warring with the fear and doubt that was an everyday part of plantation life.

Rose watched closely as the final bright rays of sun streamed through the still-open door of the cabin.
Her mama had the magic that could always find a crack in the walls people put around their hearts. She smiled as Moses relaxed under her soothing touch.

It was enough to satisfy Sarah
, who clapped her hands together in delight and moved back toward the fire. “Food be ready. I’se sho nuff hungry.”

Moses smiled then
—a big smile that lit his face and brought his pain-filled eyes to life. “My mama used to say de same thing. Ever’ time it be time to eat.” For a moment the pain welled in his eyes and cracked his voice.

Rose, watching from the fireplace
, didn’t know what to say. She was too busy feeling something, but what? When the big man smiled it seemed to explode right into her heart. She wanted to make him smile again. She wanted to make him laugh with enough joy to squeeze the unbearable pain from his eyes, and she wanted to cradle his head close to her bosom. Suddenly the room was too small. She could do nothing but stand still as the confusion of feelings swept over her like a sudden spring squall. Where were these feelings coming from? Was she going crazy?

“Rose?
You all right, girl?” Sarah’s concerned voice broke in on her thoughts.

Rose shook her head slightly and tried to bring the room back in
to focus. “I’m fine, Mama.” Forcing herself to smile lightly, she moved to where Sarah was laying supper on the table. “I’m hungry enough to eat half of this myself!”

“Moses might hab sumpin to say bout dat, girl!”

Roses glanced up into the big dark eyes regarding her just as a deep chuckle rumbled from his throat. Confusion gripped her once more as she looked quickly back at the table. What in the world was going on? She had never responded this way to someone before. Taking several deep breaths, she forced herself to regain control. She managed to keep her hand from shaking as she reached for the rolls laid out on the napkin. “Care for some rolls, Moses?” She was relieved that her voice sounded natural.

Gradually the tension in the cabin subsided.
The warmth of the fire cast a soft glow over the room that seemed to bring a spell of peace as well. No one spoke as the food rapidly disappeared. Outside, day retreated as night staked its claim. The songs of birds abated and were replaced by a chorus of tree frogs heralding the newly arrived spring. Even when the last crumb of food was gone, no one spoke. All were loath to break the spell.

Moses stared deeply into the flames of the fire.
Where was his family? Were they eating tonight? Had his sisters found any friends? Was his mama okay? Not knowing was tearing at his soul, yet he was aware of a strange peace soothing the raw pain. He didn’t understand it, but he welcomed it. He needed it.

“You need ta be careful here, Moses.”
Sarah’s gentle voice finally reached out to break the spell. Moses said nothing, just turned his dark eyes to question her. “Dat Adams be a mean one.”

Moses just nodded.
He’d known that from the moment the overseer’s calculating gray eyes had fixed on him. “Meanness ain’t nothin’ new ta me.”

Sarah had more to say.
“Dis place ain’t like where you come from. Marse Cromwell be a good man. We be slaves, dat be fo sho, but we get treated good. We eat good. There ain’t be no beatings around here either. Least, not many...” Her voice trailed away.

“Then why you be telling me to be careful?”

Sarah stood up to poke the coals of her fire and add another log.
She seemed to be choosing her words while her back was turned to them. Finally she swung around. “De overseer at Smith. His name be Joe Adams?”

Moses nodded, sudden understanding making his stomach clinch.

“Our Adams be his brother.”

Moses closed his eyes and groaned.

Roses turned to her
mama in protest. “But it’s different here, Mama. They don’t do things the same way the Smith Plantation does. It’s better here.”

Sarah nodded.
“Yeah, girl, it be better, but men be men. And pride be a right powerful thing. Joe Adams was a big man what wid all dem slaves he controlled. He done lost all dat. Lot of people gonna figure it ta be his fault. Blood and hate be a mighty strong link. Dem two brothers share that link. So far the marse has kept Adams here under control. De hate be growing in his heart tho. One day it gonna spill on over. You can be sho he knows where Moses done come from. Just be careful, boy. You done had too much hate spill out on ya.”

Moses nodded wearily.
He was used to hate spilling out into his life. He had known little else. He certainly didn’t know what he could do to stop it. It was just part of being a slave. It would never change.

“There has to be a way to make sure nothing happens,
Mama. I can talk to Miss Carrie. We’ll figure out something.” Rose’s voice held a hint of panic.

“Miss Carrie ain’t found her own self ‘nuff yet to take on de likes of Adams.
Someday, if I don’t miss my guess, she will. But she ain’t ready yet.” She turned to Moses. “You just be careful. Ya needed to know.”             

Somber silence filled the room until Rose began to tell him about life on the plantation.
He pushed aside thoughts of Adams and listened closely. The more he knew, the easier it would be to adjust to his new existence.

It was almost time to put a new log on the fire when Moses broke into her recital.
“You don’t talk like de rest of us. Don’t much talk like a house servant either.”

Rose shook her head shyly.
“I don’t guess I do.” She hesitated. “I can read and write.”

Moses couldn’t hide his surprise.
“But...but...dat be—” He stopped, not sure how to continue.

“Illegal?” Rose asked with a smile.

“Well, ain’t it?”

“Yes.”
Rose allowed the silence to linger for a moment and then leaned forward to talk in a conspiratorial tone. “I learned with Miss Carrie. The marse thought I quit learning a long time ago. I still feel like I’ve just begun.” The glow in her eyes was not a mere reflection of the fire. Moses watched quietly as her heart and soul came to life, aflame with the heat of her passion. “It didn’t always used to be illegal, Moses. There was a time when most slave owners made sure their slaves could read and write.” Rose read the look of disbelief on Moses’s face. “It’s true! It all stopped, though, when the North started sending down literature about setting us free. The white people were afraid that if all of us started reading that material, we would all run away or fight for our freedom. So they made it against the law to teach your slaves how to read and write. And they made it against the law for slaves to have anything written.”

Moses felt a bit of admiration
, but he shrugged. “So what? Reading and writing ain’t gonna do nothin’ fer me. I ain’t never gonna be nothin’ but a slave. What reason I got to learn dat stuff?”

“You don’t always have to be a slave, Moses.”

Moses stared at her, wondering if she wasn’t quite right in her mind. “What you be talkin’ bout, girl?”

Silence filled the cabin as Rose hesitated.
Was it his imagination or did he see fear in her eyes? The silence stretched into the deep corners of the cabin. Finally, Rose looked up at her mama. The calm, steady gaze and gentle nod was all she seemed to need.

“I have a school, Moses.
A small school that meets secretly on Sunday nights. I can teach you how to read and write.”

“Why fer?
Why do I need to know that stuff fer? You ain’t answered dat question yet.”

Rose hesitated again.
“I can’t answer that question yet, Moses. I trust you enough to tell you about the school. You’re going to have to trust me when I say you don’t always have to be a slave. When that day comes you’re going to have to be ready. Being able to read and write will mean everything to you.”

Moses stared into her flashing eyes.
What he saw there reassured him. She wasn’t crazy. And she believed what she was saying. “I don’t know if I can learn dat readin’ and writin’.”

Sarah spoke from the shadows.
“I didn’ think I could learn either, boy.”

Moses swung to stare at the wrinkled old lady in wonder.
“You know how ta read and write?”