Darkness

Sarah

I am waiting in the boarding house parlor for one of the men to escort me up to the Slavsons’ house for my nursemaid work, when I see Gregor leave the breakfast room and walk out the front door. I’m pleased to see that he has a smile on his face. He has seemed very gloomy sometimes over the past couple of months. I’ve never really been able to understand him, ever since he saved Charley and I from the slave market, brought us here, and freed us. At Forks of the Road, he seemed truly terrifying, but at home he always seems so friendly. When I see him here Under-the-Hill I never know what he will be like. Sometimes he seems happy, sometimes strangely sad, sometimes like he feels lonely.

At least I don’t feel afraid of him any more. He saved me from a patrolman that one time, and ever since then I have known that he is safe to be around, no matter whether he seems happy or grumpy. I’m glad he set the escort rotation for the men, so that I don’t have to walk around town by myself. Even with the pretty blue vest that I get to wear now, it still makes me uneasy to think of being unprotected up in town.

My brother Charley comes rushing out of the breakfast room, his mouth full, stops in front of me, and says “Shrrytokeeyoowaing.”

I laugh at him. “What?”

He swallows and tries again. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“I didn’t know you were on escort duty today,” I say. I don’t think he has done that before. He seems too young, really, and besides I think that normally the roster only assigns the white men, just one more layer of protection from the slave patrol.

“I’m not really,” he says, “David was supposed to do it, but he took the overnight shift with the sick crew members and he’s still asleep.”

“Ahh,” I say. Well, it should be safe enough, we’re both wearing our blue vests, and so far we haven’t heard any reports of crew members being accosted by the patrol while wearing them. “All right, you ready to go?”

“Yep,” he smiles. My brother looks quite handsome today, and as I rise from the sofa to join him, I realize that he has grown.

“Do you know, I think you are actually taller than me now!” I say. He’s not a boy any more, I think fondly. But it makes me sad to know that our mother cannot see this. She would be proud to see him growing into a man.

As we start walking towards the street to go uphill, we hear, “Hey, hold up there!” We turn to see Gregor striding towards us from the steamboat.

“You heading to my house?” he asks.

“Yes, sir,” I tell him.

“Charley, you doing escort?” he asks, his brow wrinkled quizzically.

“Well, just this once,” Charley says, “it was supposed to be David, but he’s still asleep.”

“Oh! Now I get it,” Gregor responds. “Well, I’m heading up there right now, I can escort Sarah, you don’t need to do it.” But Charley’s face falls, and I can tell he was looking forward to it. Gregor quickly adds, “But of course you are welcome to come along with us if you like.”

Charley smiles, and says, “Yes please,” so the three of us set off walking up the hill towards town.

Gregor

I’m glad this has worked out this way, for the siblings to get the chance to come to our house together. Charley has only been there once. He really enjoyed being there with Sarah, and he was so cute with Vernon. I’ll never forget him claiming that Vernon looks like me. Impossible, but it absolutely warmed my heart to hear it.

When we arrive, everyone is in the kitchen. Abigail and Rosalind are having a light breakfast at the table, Nadine sitting with them and holding the baby in her lap, while he grabs onto a dishrag that she has propped on the table in front of him. He can’t sit by himself yet, but she has him clasped in front of her so that he can reach out and explore. He has gotten hold of the end of the cloth and is trying to cram it in his mouth, and it is simply adorable.

“Good morning,” I say, and can’t resist going to take Vernon from Nadine. She smiles and relinquishes both the baby and her seat at the table, moving back over to the kitchen work area while I sit down. Tiger comes barreling over to me, wagging frenziedly, and settles down with his face poking at Vernon, who reciprocates by reaching out and tugging on one of the dog’s ears. Tiger tolerates this with heroic patience.

Rosalind leans over to give me a quick kiss, then says with a smile, “Hello Sarah, Charley.” She turns back to me and asks, “How are the sick fellows?”

“Much better,” I tell her. “The doctor says that they seem well again, but he wants them to stay at the boarding house addition for another day just to be sure.”

“She wants to know if it is because you touched them,” Wolk advises. I nod to her with a smile.

In the meantime, Charley has drifted over to where Ben and Jake have been leaning against the kitchen counter, drinking mugs of steaming coffee. “Want some coffee, Charley?” Jake offers.

“Are children supposed to be drinking coffee?” I tease them, and this makes them burst into laughter.

“Who are you calling children?” Jake protests. “You’re holding the only real child here.”

Charley adds with an air of grandiosity, catching on to Jake’s teasing tone, “I believe the right term for us is ‘young men’.” Sarah emits an uncharacteristic guffaw.

“Oh, yes, of course, my apologies, sir!” I say with a grin.

Mmmm. I look around myself with deep pleasure. The people in town might still have some problems with me, but at least here at home I am surrounded by friendship and love. I am content. Wolk nods at me approvingly. Just as he predicted I would be when I arrived in Natchez nearly two years ago.