The Mindset of Emile Lockery

September 21st, 1855

              I suppose I should tell ya a little about myself. Sarah says I'm loving like a mother is with her children, and I'm the most loyal person she'll ever meet. Jackie (Mamma's best friend) says my stories are vivid and colorful, like when I told Ben (he's practically my grandad) I was a pirate setting off towards the golden sun for a bounty of sparkling candies. He told me I'd tell billions of stories in my lifetime. Mama tells me I'm polite, reliable, and brilliant, things that will help me throughout my life. Ben also says I'm considerate and secretive, and he's right cuz I'll be taking the secret of this here diary to my grave. Tommy calls me obnoxious and a hopeless cause, but he's just a sour lemon. I find joy and hope in writing and if there weren't these stupid and wrongful laws, I'd be an author. I also like to play with my dolls and with Sarah, storytelling, and cooking. Ben's wife Josephine taught me how to read and write at the riverbank before she passed. I'm extremely thankful for it.  I like things to be organized and neat, so that makes being a maid/servant a perfect job for me. Me and Sarah are lucky to work in the house. Most slaves, such as Mama and Ben, have to work in the desert-dry fields picking cotton. It doesn't rain here often. We got some sprinkles last Tuesday, but it hardly made a difference. I sure hope it rains again soon, I worry for Mama and Ben in this heat.

Emile Lockery