Good Fortune (9781416998631) (28 page)

“If anybody asks that much, it's safest to stay quiet and pull out your passes.”

“But, sah, ain't you puttin' real life mastas on that paper who ain't eva known us in our entire lives? If so, wouldn't they find out soona or lata we ain't really from those plantations, that you didn't really buy us?”

He was silent for a few seconds. “Anna, you are on free land. If it does so happen people question you, free passes would do the job of keeping you here, in freedom.”

“Yea, but sah—”

“Sarah.” Daniel tried to end my questions, but Dr. Billingsworth was intent on settling my fears.

“Anna, you needn't worry about the names of the people I put on your passes. They are all friends of mine involved with my work. They help people like you and Sebastian here.
Now, I can't promise that nothing will happen; there's always an escaped slave who is found and taken back. But you two have come this far and reached this place called Freedom. So, embrace it.” Dr. Billingsworth looked sincerely into my eyes.

“In the meantime though, here, take these.” Dr. Billingsworth handed us the passes and certificates in neat envelopes. “Do not lose these, and carry them with you every time you come to Dayton or any other public place like this, you hear?” We nodded.

“Well, then, on to our next matter of business. The state of Ohio requires that any free Negro post a bond of five hundred dollars upon arrival into Ohio.” My eyes grew wide with concern. Five hundred dollars! Did the doctor know we had no such amount? Would he send us away, to another state? Perhaps our journey had not ended! Daniel simply sat, awaiting more of an explanation. “The money is of no concern, however. It's been posted on your behalf. The bond takes care of families; therefore, you two must be brother and sister.”

Flooded with relief, I said, “That's not too hard to remember.”

Dr. Billingsworth smiled and rose from his seat. “With that, all legal matters are settled. Now I want you two to wash off, and then I will give you your clothes. You, Miss Anna, won't need a man's disguise any longer.” After we washed off, Dr. Billingsworth handed me a faded blue dress and Daniel a simple shirt and full-length pants, something Daniel had not had since he was a boy.

As we approached the door, Dr. Billingsworth placed a few coins in Daniel's hands.

“It's nothing much, but you may need some on your way out of the city.”

“Yessah. Thank you, sah.” Daniel said. With that, the doctor and Mr. McCarthy nodded their good-byes to us and the back door shut. As we made our way into the street, I took a whiff of the air and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, sunlight illuminated my vision as I stared out at the world stretching before me. I was a free black woman on the streets of Dayton, Ohio.

CHAPTER
 
28 

“C
AN YOU FEEL IT TINGLIN'?”
I
ASKED MY BROTHER AFTER WE
had walked at least a mile from Dr. Billingsworth's place, each listening to our own thoughts in silence. I had peeked over at my brother and seen hints of a smile playing with the sides of his mouth. Daniel looked over at me and caught my contagious grin.

“Ya, you can feel it, that freedom feeling,” I said. He laughed—a sound I hadn't heard from him in so long!

“It's funny, I feel so light, I could jus' float up an' away!”

“Well, don't float too far, brother. You'll get spotted quick as lightnin' with these woman holdin' their chins so high,” I said, throwing my sack down. Daniel stopped and watched as I straightened out my make-believe full skirt, lengthened my back as tall as I could, tossed my chin high in the air, and sauntered down the empty street as if no one greater ever lived. Daniel chuckled loudly and lifted my sack from the ground.

“Don't do that. You ain't like that,” he scolded, though he was still smiling. I looked down at my shoes and rubbed my feet against the dirt.

Free land. We were . . . we were free—free folks!

I watched as a tear soaked into the soil next to my left foot, and another fell on top of that. He walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. We stood quietly, more serious now.

“Daniel . . . Daniel, we in freedom. All them years, we slaves on a plantation, an' suddenly, we jus' . . . we jus' free!” I covered my mouth with my hand, laughing and crying with elation.

“Daniel, we . . .,” I started, seeing him stand there simply as if he didn't get it yet. But suddenly, he had embraced me in his arms like he used to when we were much smaller, spun around once, and fell into my arms. I laughed as he backed away, every line creasing his face bathed in a joy I thought had left him. I pulled my arm around his waist, and we fell into step, our hearts lighter than they had ever been.

But soon enough, a solemn, subtle feeling raced past my joy. I stared at the sky, wondering, silently, why John and Mary and Tucker couldn't have been there to share that moment along with us. I looked over at Daniel. The same expression had fallen over his face.

We neared the busy section of town, and everywhere I looked, I saw signs with words scribbled across them. I admired the place with interest. Unlike Daniel, I hadn't been to a town since I had been brought to America as a small child.

I pointed to a sign and whispered to Daniel, “Look, it say
shop
and
fish
and
townhouse
.” I digested the letters like a hungry child, reading every written word I could. I hadn't read anything in so long!

Daniel pointed in the distance. “See those taller buildings?” I nodded. “They's factories, I b'lieve.”

I contemplated that. “Sebastian, how hard you think it's gonna be to find us jobs?” I asked, making sure to use his new name.

“Can't reckon, sista. We ain't got a place to stay yet.”

“You think they got large schools here?”

“Don't know that, either. But I think first we should worry 'bout findin' an makin' a livin'.”

“Been thinkin' about a school, or learning, ever since I left that plantation. I sure do hope they got one.”

Daniel and I walked the entire afternoon pretty much unseen—or, rather, unnoticed. We passed wagons driven by black men. We saw a small fishing dock with boats tied to it. White ladies in large dresses and bonnets made their way past us. Daniel and I laughed in secret at how many of them fit the exact description I had illustrated earlier. Most of the time, however, Daniel was lost in thought, and he spoke only when he needed to point out a landmark Dr. Billingsworth had told us to look for. As the afternoon slipped away, the bustle of people around us died down, and Daniel and his hope seemed to grow wearier as daylight faded. We both tried to dismiss the rain lightly falling upon our shoulders. The prospect of freedom wasn't dimming, but the question of how to manage that freedom seemed to be weighing on my brother's mind.

“We shoulda come to our part of town by now, Sarah,” he said with some irritation.

“Anna,” I responded.

He glanced over at me, the same irritation settling into his eyes, and retorted sarcastically, “Anna.”

“How we s'posed to know when we get there?” I asked Daniel. He shrugged.

“All Dr. Billingsworth said was, we'll know.”

“Well, then, we haven't gotten there yet, Sebastian.” Daniel grunted in response. We walked on in silence for a couple of minutes until Daniel spoke again.

“Sarah—”

“Anna!” I almost yelled.

“It don't matter, Sarah! Ain't nobody round here!”

“We still in town, Sebastian. You don't wanna mess up one day in front of the wrong people.”

He sighed. “Anna, we're gonna hafta stop soon. It ain't safe to walk in the dark, I don't s'pose.”

“Stop where?”

We had walked beyond the boundary of the town, and found smaller buildings and a bit more trees. The rain was now steadier and harder, and darkness had sprung upon us.

“You think we can lie down for the night somewhere, maybe under a tree or somethin'? Then we can keep goin' in the mornin',” I suggested to him.

“I guess so,” uncertainty ringing in his voice.

“We bin doin that all this time. One more day ain't gonna matta much.”

So we walked quickly on until we came to a large tree standing alone in a clearing. Using our old clothes we had insisted on keeping, we made two sleeping spots and dozed
off. We both clutched our sacks and drinking gourds as if someone would come at any moment to snatch them.

I awoke to the feeling of my wet clothes clinging to my skin. It was still raining, and I shivered from the cold, as memories of our escape flashed before me. What was it that had awakened me?

I looked in Daniel's direction and, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, was shocked to see him swinging a sack through the air. Hearing the loud scream of pain that followed, I looked closer and saw a small figure twitching on the ground. Daniel was standing over him in attack mode.

“Daniel?” I whispered, forgetting his other name and not daring to move from where I was lying. “What happened?”

“I dunno, Sarah, it happened so quick!” He raised his voice over the moans and groans coming from the person on the ground.

“Heard a shufflin' sound an' swung at the dark. I hit 'im, but I think he just a boy.”

Daniel bent down toward the figure, but the boy began screaming again, this time yelling, “Get away from me! Get away! Mama! Mama Bessie!”

At that instant, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Sure enough, the boy on the ground was very young and clearly black. Daniel had backed away, but I kneeled by the little boy and, despite his screams, placed a cool hand on his sweaty forehead. He tried to shrink away.

“Sarah, what are you—”

“Shh,” I whispered to the little boy while stroking his hair, interrupting Daniel.

“It's all right, we ain't here to hurt you.” His screams subsided a little. “My brother just thought you was here to hurt us.” The boy sniffed and nodded, wiping his teary eyes.

“Why you out here in the middle of the night, anyhow? Where's your folks?” I asked him.

“Please don't tell ha, please don't tell ha I was out here! Don't tell ha . . .” But he fell silent at the sound of approaching footsteps followed by a woman's voice. Daniel and I both jumped in alarm, and he reached down abruptly to grab our belongings.

“Sebastian, it's all right, we got our papers. We free folks.”

A plump black woman approached the tree. In her left hand she held a lantern that she raised high to see what she had walked up to. The worried expression engraved on her face shifted from the little boy to Daniel and me. Without taking her eyes from the two of us, she spoke to the child.

“What I tell you, boy, 'bout comin' out here this late after dark? It ain't safe, Ned, it just ain't safe.” Ned began to cry, so the woman lifted him up with her free arm. Glancing at him, her eyes grew softer, but the tone of her voice didn't change.

“What business you two folks have out here this late? What happened to my boy?” she demanded. If she was the least bit scared, it didn't show. “Well?” she asked again as I stood still, trying to think of what to say.

“I'm Anna. I done walked here. Me an' Sebastian, here, done walked all the way here from Dayton.” Daniel reluctantly stepped into the light.

“What are y'all doing out here?” she demanded to know in the same harsh tone.

“We was lookin' for the closest black neighborhood we could find so we could settle down. We been freed.”

“Y'all married?”

“Married? No, ma'am. This my brother, ma'am.”

“Well”—the woman paused as if lost in thought, then turned and said—“you betta follow me, then. We can talk somewhere warm where it ain't raining. Bet y'all are a bit hungry, too. It's late, an' you cain't trust folks that closely round here. But a good woman don't turn her back.”