I was still looking at them when Black Duke called me back to reality.
“Morris, do you support their relationship?” he asked, throwing more bomb shells at me. I quickly gathered myself up into one piece and took a look at him before replying.
“It’s left for you to decide.”
“Morris, I’m in support, all I need now is your answer,”
“OK, to be honest, I’m in support, but let’s wait for them to open up to us first before we can make any decisions,” I replied.
“You’re right, in fact you’re indeed a saint,” he teased.
“Duke, please stop flattering me,” I rebuked him jokingly.
“We’re done man, so now can you please stop neglecting our beloved Catherine and pay her a little time and attention,” he rebuked.
Just then, it dawned on me that since I brought the food from Mr Smith, I haven’t spent time with my beloved. And when I looked in her direction, she was smiling lovingly.
“Pardon me Duke, I’ll be right back,” I stood up.
Mr Smith came as promised at night. I had already informed every one of my family, adopted and real family, about his coming. Everyone was wondering what the Almighty Smith was coming to do in our lonely shack. It was more like a dream and everyone was surprised if not shocked that Mr Smith was coming to our shack.
After telling them about Mr Smith’s impending visit, I could see Boris’ face twisting and smiling at the same time. I could see beyond those brave facial expressions that he was visibly scared. I guess he thought Mr Smith might have heard or found out that he, Boris, called his brain that of pumpkin. I nearly laughed out loudly when such thoughts crossed my mind, but immediately I composed myself.
“Morris, I hope we are safe, that Smith is coming?” Catherine asked.
“Yes dear, we are very safe,” I assured her.
I could see what looked like fear written all over her face, but I just ignored her fears. I went straight to where she was, held her by the shoulders and assured her.
“Yes Catherine, I am very sure, he just wants to pay a visit, that’s all,”
We were still talking about Mr. Smith in hush tone when the door sounded with a knock, we all exchanged glances beforec Boris quickly walked to the door of our shack and opened it for Mr Smith to come in. I became deaf in seconds, deaf to the extent of not even hearing when someone was knocking.
“Hello lads, how are you all doing tonight?”
Mr Smith greeted as he entered the room and sat down on the wooden seat available, not minding that it was uncomfortable.
“We’re doing very well Sir, thank you for the food stuffs you sent.” Boris quickly spoke on behalf of everyone in the room. That was one of the reasons why I loved this guy; he was very smart, extra-ordinarily smart.
“Hello bannies, how are you doing?”
Smith directed his gaze to the girls, both Boris and I took a look at each other.
“We’re doing fine, Sir,” Doris replied.
Mr Smith only nodded as he smirked and rubbed his hands on his head, groaning, and finally closing his eyes. Boris quickly gave me that sharp accusing look which on this occasion I decoded easily.
“Boy, did you just invite a dying man here? Or did the old man just come here to die?”
I just smiled dryly and walked up to Boris, patted him on the shoulder and murmured audibly to him.
“Come on Boris chill, the old man is making a decision, he is deciding whether to tell us something or not.”
Boris replied with his facial expression, relaxing it a bit but not completely. He still wasn’t sure about what I just told him. Just then, Mr Smith opened his eyes, looked around the shack as if searching for something, and murmured.
“Excuse me Sir, you said?” Boris questioned him.
“I said let’s eat first before anything else,” Mr Smith clarified.
“Eat? Which food? Where is it?” Boris asked with a confused face.
Mr Smith and the girls started laughing as if something was amiss. Still laughing, Mr Smith stood up and moved closer to the door where he retrieved a bag he had come with but dropped near the door. I was indeed extra dumb these days, why didn’t I notice it?
Now I remembered why Catherine and Doris were busy eyeing me continually, but I wasn’t paying attention or even trying to decode what they meant. Just then Mr Smith opened his bag and the first thing he brought out was a pumpkin. I was stunned. What can this man ever do without a pumpkin? As if reading my mind, he spoke up.
“A pumpkin is a very nice vegetable, it is good for the health and it works well for the brain, that’s the reason why I love it very much and I also like giving it out.”
He was talking and bringing out the food at the same time. Soon enough, every item was out of the bag and my mouth was salivating, the aroma was hypnotizing. We all sat down to consume our nice dinner for the night. Yeah, it was a great time and Mr Smith was never tired of telling us stories about Virginia throughout the period we spent eating.
Mr Smith was talkative. I always wondered if all white men were bred with one single disease, which was talking during dinner. In fact, anytime that they were on the table it was always a talking session. But out of their talking during eating sessions, breakfast claimed 10 percent because they were always in a hurry. Lunch took up 20 percent, it was only a little break and they used this period to ask about each other’s fairing in the areas of work. While dinner aimed at the remaining 70 percent of the talking as they discussed how their day went and also how hectic or splendid it was, coupled with other family or personal issues and family fun.
I suddenly remembered when we were eating in our home in Africa, nobody said a word or discussed at all. Whenever we were eating, noise was always prohibited. As a matter of fact, it would be suicidal to talk during meals. If you were not ready to accommodate a deafening, thunderous slap on your cheek, the best thing for you was to close your mouth while eating.
But here was different, here people talked as they wanted. It looks like without talking when eating, the food won't seem to digest in their stomachs. We continued eating, with Mr Smith updating us about the latest facts, gist and gossips going on in Virginia.
“Have you heard about the rebels?” Mr Smith asked us at long last.
“Rebels?” Everybody chorused at once.
“Yes, rebels,” Mr Smith replied.
“Why will there be a rebel?” Boris managed to ask Mr Smith.
“OK Boris, why did you fight Mr Norris the day when he molested Morris?” Mr Smith asked no one in particular but Boris’s name in the question suggested that the question was meant for Boris.
“Hmmm, that was because Mr Norris was cruel, brutal and heartless and he also liked treating people like animals,” Boris answered Mr. Smith's question.
“Exactly, Boris, that’s the reason why there are rebels,” Mr Smith replied with finality.
“But whose house are the rebels from?” Doris spoke for the first time.
“You mean the rebels’ slave master?” Mr Smith asked Doris.
“Yes.”
“It’s the McCumings,” Mr Smith replied while eating a mouthful of pumpkin.
“The McCumings are very brutal and you know they’re good friends of the Cliffords and I am afraid,” Catherine chirped in amid shivering.
“Come on, Mr Clipper is a good man. The person you should be worried about is his son Nerrick. Nerrick is a beast in human form,” Duke choked out.
“Yes Duke, that’s my point. You see, assuming that Mr Clifford dies now and Nerrick took over this plantation, you’ll see that most of the slaves will rebel because of his arrogant manners.”
Mr Smith spoke out, still taking a stern look at Boris’s face. Just then I decided to ask the question that had been bothering me for days.
“Hey Mr Smith, when we join the rebels’ league what will be our role?”
“That’s a good question.”
Mr Smith nodded while tapping me on the shoulder at the same time.
“Boris,” Mr Smith called out. “What have you imaginarily observed lately about the McCumings rebels?” Mr Smith questioned him.
Boris sat, looking into space. I guess he was thinking about a suitable answer to render.
Suddenly he sat up, his eyes blazing red like blood and he opened his mouth and pronounced slowly.
“They kill their oppressors to get freedom, destroy their foes to get liberty, that’s what I’ll do.”
Immediately as Boris spoke those horrifying words, my eyes lightened up in surprise, every one of us, even Mr Smith wasn’t left out.
“Boris, are you sure of what you just said or you are joking?” Duke intoned in a whispering manner to avoid drawing attention from outsiders.
“I am damn serious.”
Boris replied furiously and hit the table with his left fist, sending down cups and spoons to the floor, save only the plates filled up with food.
“Boris, just calm down and take this easy, you know!”
Dorris spoke out, trying to calm him down. Mr Smith just kept a straight face, staring at Boris’s eye-ball to eye-ball. I noticed it but didn’t know if the others noticed it also.
“Boris, the right time will come,” Mr Smith finally voiced out after a long stare.
“Yeah Boris, Mr Smith is right, the right time will come, but right now what we got to do is not to blow things out of proportion but to lie low and get more proof, tactics, formation, people and most importantly weapons. You know the Americans got plenty of weapons and guess what the slave got? Nothing, absolutely nothing other than population.”
I managed to speak up, Boris took a swift look at me, bending a little downwards and finally sat straight.
“Morris, you got lots of points there, we’ll need to learn and discover more about these men we are about to go to war with, so we get our ground and not start a campaign that will lead to our doom.”
Boris closed his eyes after his speech and Mr Smith spoke up.
“Correctly said.”
“But after your campaign, what’s next?” Catherine managed to question no one in particular but looking at me.
I knew she was scared, scared of the unknown, scared of the fate that awaited us if we failed in this campaign. I could imagine her picturing the hangman’s rope, ready to execute the slaves captured alive after the battle that ended up in favour of the Americans.
The entire slave populations hanged and those who escaped execution were made to work twice more than before the campaign, that’s how things were.
I was still lost in thought when Duke’s voice jolted me back to reality.
“It will be a glorious establishment of a free black nation and of course, no white man shall force us to do things against our will.”
“But what if we lose the campaign?” Catherine pressed further.
“Come on Katty, stop being negative. We shall win,” I assured her.
“I am scared, Morris,”
“Please don’t be, everything will be fine,”
I managed to calm her down but deep down within myself, I was equally scared. But I had to brave it and not behave like a coward. Life is all about taking risks, we risk succeeding and fleeing or risk to fail. I thought about the bloodbath that was about to take place. A nasty bloodbath for our freedom, yes!
We were about to fight for freedom from forced labour, for our children and their descendants; they were to live in peace and freedom, being referred to as free people not to as slaves. But what about being called the descendants of slaves? That we couldn’t change but it was better to be called that than to be slaves. But we were free men and women before we were forced into slavery, betrayed by our fellow blacks.
“A time is coming, when there will be a rebirth, the rebirth of a new nation and civilization. A nation free from slavery and a nation with its own government and leadership, ran by its own people,” Mr Smith spoke out.
“You’re indeed right, Mr Smith,” Boris commended Mr Smith.
I just smiled at their silly hope. We were yet to get our hands strong, not to talk about building a strong army to carry out the campaign, and here they were talking about a free black nation? Only in their dreams. Talking about war was simple, starting a war was also simple, but fighting in the war was one thing and dying during the war was another.
“Hello lads, I think an old man needs some sleep. The night isn’t young any longer. See you all tomorrow,” Mr Smith finally announced as he got up to take his leave.
“Funny old bat,” I muttered.
“Sleep warm old man,” Doris said as Mr Smith trotted off. I just sighed as every one of us retired to our sleeping spaces, but the girls surprised us by passing the night with us.