Patriots: Boston

Chapter Twenty Six: Escaping The Future

The snow had melted, the sun was shining, the temperature was still a little chilly, but that was you he expected in late March. I went to work everyday as usual, but with less fear of irritating British soldiers, as they had all evacuated. It was pretty nice being able to see the town green where I used to play again. It was not a sea of redcoats and muskets lying around or propped up against tents, or fires built to warm the soldiers hands in the cold. They were never really out in the cold much, for they got to winter in the homes of Tories who welcomed them with open arms. I looked in the windows of taverns and restaurants. They were not the familiar seas of red either. They were like they used to be way back when my Papa would take me out to dinner. I passed the restaurant where he and my mother took me shortly after we moved to America, the day they told me that I was going to have a little sister, Eleanor. I was two years old at the time. That was 1762, before the occupation, before the acts, before the protests, before the war.
   When I got to work, Captain Harold was talking alone with Cordelia in the parlor. I did not mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard their conversation.
   "Cordelia, you are sixteen years old, seventeen this April. It is high time for us to get serious about your future. It is time to finalize your betrothal to Mr. Golden," Captain Harold said.
   "Father, I can not do that!" She whined.
  "And why not?" Captain Harold asked, more patient than my parents had been about the subject of my betrothal.
  "Philip Davis, I'm marrying him," she said plainly.
  "That soldier? He's a fine boy, but we need to find you someone wealthy. Isn't he dirt poor? Besides, he left Boston the other day with the rest of the army," Captain Harold said calmly.
  "First of all, Father, he is not a boy. He is 21 years old. He is a man. He may not have much money, but I have enough of a dowry to fill out the marriage on both of our sides," Cordelia explained, unhappy.
  "You have no idea how to live a poor lifestyle," her father scoffed.
  "I'm sure I could learn," she snapped.
  "I'm sure," Captain Harold chuckled mockingly. "Come on, Delia. Do not be so difficult. You like Mr. Golden, don't you?"
   "He's rich, alright, but he's so old! And he's not as handsome as Philip, nor as wonderful a man," she said earnestly.
   I had never heard Cordelia speak this way about anyone before. She actually had a heart inside of her!
  "I'm sure you could grow to like him," her father chided. "And it's not like you would be marrying him now or anytime soon. This is just a compact for the future. You would not have to marry him until you were at least 18. Your mother and I give consent."
  "I won't marry him, Father," she snapped.
  "You must, Cordelia," he said, growing impatient.
  "Why? What's wrong with marrying such good king-obeying man like Philip?" She whined and continued to pout.
"Being a soldier's wife is difficult, just ask your mother," he said seriously.
  "Mother doesn't mind," Cordelia said quickly.
  "Surely you would miss that boy terribly when he is away," Captain Harold argued his point. "And I was away so much with my naval duties, that's why you do not have any siblings!"
  "Well, I never wanted any anyway," Cordelia snapped.
  "That is beside the point," Captain Harold sighed. "I am just telling you, as of now, you are engaged to Mr. Golden."
  "Father, you can not do that!" She cried, starting to cry.
  He looked alarmed. "Come now, Cordelia, he's not terrible, and it won't be for a long time..."
  I had to stop listening because I heard Mrs. Harold's "dainty" footsteps approaching. I went the kitchen to bid Amaka good morning. The moment I opened the door, she grabbed my hands and pulled me inside. She was obviously bursting with excitement, as she was grinning ear to ear and her brown eyes were sparkling gleefully.
  "Liza! You're never going to guess what happened last night!" She whispered, her hands grabbing onto mine so tightly.
  "What happened?" I asked, curious, but still happy for her whatever had happened.
  "So, I snuck out last night to see Cyrus. We went down to that Liberty tree that you like so much, and sat under it for a while. And he says to me, 'Miss Amaka, do you love me?' And I of course say, 'Yes, why do you ask?' And he says, 'Well, I love you.' And then he takes this pretty thing out his pocket..." She let one of my hands go to raise it in front of my face. On her ring finger was a pretty gold ring with a little ruby on it!
  I gasped with shock and excitement for her, "Amaka! My Lord! Is that?"
  "Yes!" She squealed, "He's asked me to marry him!"
  I squealed too, "Oh Amaka, dear, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! How long have you been seeing him?"
  "Six months last night!" She squealed again.
  "And what a beautiful ring!" I exclaimed. "How did he manage to find such a pretty ring?"
  "He said he knew a slave who 'collected' rare treasures from sailors at the port! He worked real hard for months to earn enough to buy it from 'im! He's a wage slave, you know." She explained. "We're hoping to elope soon, but of course you can be invited!"
  "Thank you! How romantic!" I cried, then checking my volume, "Who will be performing the ceremony?"
  "Cyrus knows a preacher who will do it. Do you think I should ask the captain for his blessing?" She asked.
  "I think you probably should, just to be safe. He will probably say it's alright," I said. "But congratulations!"
"Thank you!" She said, hugging me.
    How interesting as spring came in everyone started thinking of marriage. I went home that night after a hard day of cleaning and happy babbling from Amaka, I found a letter from Isaac in the mailbox. The first letter from him ever! I quickly opened it and read it.
Dear Liza,
     This may be against some big army protocol, but I feel like I should tell you something. Since all the British evacuated, Washington thinks they will move on to the next big city, New York. In order to prevent another several year long mess like we had here in Boston, he is planning to move the army to New York to try to beat the British there. I just thought you deserved to know because I know you worry a lot about us. We'll be fine. Just trust me.
                                                      ~Isaac
   I sighed. Now the army would be leaving too. It would be so boring and sad with the boys so far away and not even any war to keep me preoccupied. I did not mean to look for drama and trouble, but without the boys and the fun they brought, I craved it. I needed to be back in the fight. It didn't seem fair that they were leaving me this way. Sure, I had my family, but I still would not have much time to spend with them with work. Amaka's upcoming wedding was exciting, but because it must be small, it could not really be a big planning event. It would be an even longer time now until I had someone waiting for me to come home late at night. I would not have anyone to wait for late at night either, for they were not coming home.
  The next morning I was awoken by Billy and Ben.
"Wiza!" Ben shouted right in my ear.
"What!" I shouted back, bolting to sit up.
Baby Ben fell on the floor laughing.
I sighed, "What do you need?"
"Can you play memory cards with me? Ben is no good at it!" Billy complained.
"Well, I would expect. He is only a baby. Sure, I'll play memory with you. Is it all set up?" I asked.
   "Yes, at the table," Billy said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me into the kitchen.
   There was a big array of cards facedown on the table. It was not quite even, as there were five cards in 8 rows, and then a few extra cards scattered around on the edges.
  "Let's play!" Billy said excitedly, "I'll go first!"
    He flipped over two random cards. They did not match, so it was my turn. I took little Ben on my lap and flipped over two cards. They were a match!
  "Hey! No fair!" Billy shouted.
  "Shhh!" I laughed, "It's all by chance, it's fair. You get to go now."
  "No, you got a match. You get to go again," he grumbled.
  "Even better," I laughed.
   We played on until he beat me with more matches. I had to grab Ben's little hand away from the cards a few times, but otherwise it was a great way to spend time with my little brothers. I realized how little I had seen them for the past year, and how little I even knew little Benny. When things got crazy last year he was but a baby who was not even walking. Now he was two years old and very active. He laughed at everything and even talked about things that had happened before he could even talk! He was truly amazing and I felt bad I had not been there to really see him grow up.
  "Can we play again?" Billy asked.
  "I'm sorry," I sighed, "but I have to get ready and go to work now."
  "Aw, really? Why do you have to go to work?" He whined.
  "To make money," I said shortly.
  "Why do you need money?" Billy asked. "What sort of things would you buy?"
  "I don't make the money for me, I make it for you, and for the rest of the family," I explained.
"Oh," he said, obviously not understanding. "Why do you have to do that?"
"I just do," I said, "Ma tells me to, so I do it."
"Why?" He asked.
"Well..." I really needed to go to work! "When Ma tells you to do something, you do it. You don't talk back, you don't disobey, and you respect her. She's your Ma after all. I have to go get ready. See ya, Billy!"
"See ya!" He said.
I ran and put on my very shabby brown work dress and tied my frizzy, curly hair back with a ribbon. I slipped into my shoes and ran outside. I walked to the Harold's house in solitude, again noticing the quiet, as I was not used to it yet, and tried not to think of the old Boston I knew with the boys. I guess it had almost been a year since everything fell apart. About a year had passed since Isaac's family died, the first blow to all of our innocence. Mine was not all gone, though sometimes it felt like it was.
I arrived at the Harold's and went in through the back door. Captain Harold was in the kitchen with Amaka and a very handsome young man, who had to be Cyrus. He was a little taller than Amaka, who was already tall. He had clear dark brown eyes and a very nice dark complexion. He looked strong and capable. His clothes were not the nicest and most comfortable looking things in the world, but that made sense if he was a slave without a lot of resources. Something about him just made him seem nice and perfect for Amaka.
"Of course you two have my blessing," Captain Harold said with a smile. "As long as your master is alright with it, young man."
"Yes, sir. I have his blessing too," Cyrus said with a smile. "I can't thank you enough, sir."
"Yes, thank you, Captain!" Amaka exclaimed joyfully.
"I'm glad you two have found each other. I hope you will be very happy," Captain Harold smiled and left the room.
"Congratulations!" I exclaimed. "I don't believe we've met," I said to Cyrus.
"Oh yes, this is little miss Liza, the gal I work with! I cook, she cleans," Amaka said.
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Liza," Cyrus said, shaking my hand. "I'm Cyrus, Amaka's fiancé."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too," I said with a smile.
"Well, dear, I've got to get back over to the tavern. See you soon," he said to Amaka.
"Goodbye, darlin'," Amaka said grabbing his hands.
The kissed quickly and he left to go next door.
"Oh he is wonderful!" I said once he had left.
"Isn't he?" Amaka said, not really asking a question. "He's on his way to freedom. He'll buy it from his master when he has enough money. Either he'll be free that way or join the British army. I hope I may be free someday so we can be a free couple and have free children." Her smile turned sad, "But that's just a fantasy. It's too good to be true."
"No it's not. I imagine Captain Harold could free you someday!" I said, trying to make her feel better.
"I don't even care if I'm a slave or free, as long as I have him!" Amaka exclaimed wistfully.
"Gee, you sure are in love," I laughed.
"I am," she smiled softly, "I really am! I know I sound stupid right now, but I've never been so happy in my entire life."
  "I'm glad you're so happy," I said.
Work was quite pleasant that day, listening to Amaka talk about Cyrus and where she wanted her wedding, and how she was happy she would not have to elope. I had to clean a lot that day, and was not done until about 9 o'clock.
When I arrived home, my parents were still sitting up in the parlor by candle light.
"Oh, come in, Liza. We haven't seen you lately," My father said.
"Yes, sir down, dear," My mother said absentmindedly. She was sewing on something pretty made of white lace.
"How was work?" Papa asked as I sat down in a chair.
"It was nice. My friend Amaka is to be married soon. She gets to choose who she marries," I hinted, "and she is awful excited about it! I've met her fiancé. He is very nice and very handsome."
"Your fiancé is both of those things too," Ma laughed.
"Yes, but I didn't choose him," I muttered. "And he sure as hell didn't choose me."
"Liza, don't swear. It's not proper," she scolded.
"Sorry," I apologized, "just tying to make a point."
"Isn't your friend a slave?" Papa asked.
"Yes, and she at least has the freedom to choose who she loves," I said sharply.
  "Well, you two have two different roles in society, by no fault of your own, but each role has its responsibilities. Your responsibility is to seal this deal on passing down the shop," Papa explained. "I'm sorry."
  There was a knock at the door.
  "You ought to go to bed," my mother said quickly. "Goodnight!"
  "G'night," I said, walking off to the children's room.
   I put on my nightgown, but I did not go to bed. I heard the door open and light footsteps walk in. I tiptoed quickly closer to the parlor kitchen where my parents and this visitor were.
  "Evening, Mr. And Mrs. Byers."
  "Evening, Zebulun," I heard Papa say.
   I was offended no one told me he was coming and had sent me to bed when he arrived, but instead of bursting in, their hushed voiced indicated that this was a matter that I should not be hearing. All the more reason why I should just listen in from here!
   "So you got our message?" Ma asked.
   "Yes, you got mine?" Zeb asked.
   "Yes, and I'm a little worried for you," Ma said, sounding a little playfully pouty. "I don't like the thought of the boy I practically raised going off fighting far away."
  "Well, I'm not the only one you practically raised who is going off to fight in New York," Zeb said in a light tone.
  I imagine my parents froze at this, based on the short pause.
  "Well, I'm glad he's living his dream," Papa said shortly. "Anyway, tomorrow should be a good time. Beautiful day, we have the parlor all cleaned and set, Father has a sermon written. It should be wonderful."
  Wait. Zeb was here. A beautiful day. The parlor was clean, like for a special occasion. A sermon? Dear god! It couldn't mean...
  "Yes, it should be a great day!" Ma exclaimed. "I've been sewing on her clothes for weeks now! She'll be absolutely stunning for you!"
  Oh no! I tiptoed to my parent's bedroom and on the bed was my mother's wedding dress! It was rather simple, but she had added lace to it around the square neckline to modernize it. She had also altered it to be narrower in the waist and shoulders, and she had hemmed it a few inches. These alterations seemed to have been made for me. She must have been sewing on the matching veil when I saw her earlier! There was also a pair of little white slippers in the corner, but the most sickening sight was the pillow with two gold rings in it, one small one and one bigger one. I picked up the smaller one and slipped it on my finger. It was a perfect fit! I began to feel faint. I ripped the ring off my finger and put it back on the pillow. I was to be married tomorrow!
   I could not hear a word more that they said. I could not be married tomorrow! I couldn't do that to Zeb or myself! The only way I could for sure avoid it was to run away, far away. Away from Boston, somewhere they would not be able to find me easily. The question was where and how! I knew first I would need some money. I knew my parents kept a little box of savings for each child in case of an emergency under their bed. I found the little box with my name on it and found it to be full of money. However, I decided I should not take all of it. I decided to take 10 pounds, 16 shillings, and 14 pennies. That should be enough to get me somewhere.
I returned the box to its original state, and I dressed quickly in my brown work dress. I packed my nightgown in a suitcase. I also packed my formal light blue frock. I could not get to the kitchen to take any food, as my parents and Zeb were in there, so I dismissed the idea until they all went to bed. As I packed more and more things, such as my hairbrush and a washcloth, a few hair ribbons, and stockings, I did not realize Eleanor had awoken and was sitting up, alert in her bed.
"What are you doing?" She asked in a whisper.
"Damn it, Eleanor! You scared the living daylights out of me!" I swore in a hushed panic.
"Sorry. What are you doing messing around in the dark?" She asked again.
I sighed. I guess I should probably tell at least someone that I was leaving so that not everyone thought I was dead or something. "Ellie, I am trusting you with a big secret. Come here."
Her eyes widened with excitement. "Yes? What is it! I love secrets!"
"Shhh!" I snapped. "It's a very serious secret that you can not tell anyone unless something completely terrible happens like someone threatens to kill themselves. Can you do that?"
She suddenly looked a little nervous, but she said, "Yes, I can keep a secret. What's the secret?"
"I'm getting married tomorrow," I began.
"Really? That soon?" She asked, surprised. "To Zeb, right?"
"Yes, but I'm not actually going to be there to get married because I just can't do it! So, the secret is...I'm running away," I said slowly.
Her eyes grew as big a saucers in the dark. "What? No! You can't do that? Where are you going to go?"
"New York," I decided, "New York City."
"How are you going to do that?" She asked.
"Probably get cheap passage on a cargo ship. I'll go down to the harbor early in the morning and try to bribe a sailor. I'll be alright. I'll get a job and have a temporary, self-sufficient life down there. Besides, that's where the boys and the rest of the army are going anyway, so I'll find them. You can't tell anyone about this though. Not even Zeb, because as good at secrets as he is, he will spill to Ma and Pa immediately if he thinks it's right. Just to be clear, it's not. You can't tell anyone unless something bad happens. Please, can I trust you with this?"
"Of course. But when will you come back?" She asked, her voice trembling.
"Let's see, it's late March now? Hopefully in three months. I'll let things simmer down with time. I'll write to you, how does that sound?" I asked, trying to make her feel less scared about this.
"Please write to me!" She cried.
"Shhh! Alright, but we're going to need code names so that no one knows it's us writing and sending the letters so that the secret of where I am and what I'm doing is safe," I said, thinking in the spot.
"Alright, what sort of code names should we have?" She asked.
"Let's see. How about our names? You know what your middle name means?" I asked excitedly.
"No. I just thought it was pretty. Moira," she laughed, "So much prettier than yours, Aednat." (It is pronounced "Enit")
  "Well, Moira is Irish for water," I said, laughing. "And you know what Aednat means?"
  "No, but it's neat that my middle name means water," she said with a smirk that I could make out in the darkness.
  "Aednat means little fire. I personally think mine is better," I laughed. "So I think we should use the code names Fire and Water. You sign your letters to me as Water and I'll address my letters to you under that name as well. I'll write you under the name Fire, and you should address me as Fire in your letters. That sound good?"
  She nodded, "But I don't want you to go."
  "I don't really want to go either," I sighed, a lump forming in my throat.
  "Can't you just talk to Ma and Papa about it?" She asked, her voice trembling again.
  "I don't think they would listen. I've protested so much and they just won't give in. We've inherited their stubbornness, you know. Besides, this old city isn't all that exciting with the soldiers gone. I think it's time for me to go find the excitement again. It all moved to New York, and now so must I," I said, keeping my voice steady.
  She made a disapproving sighing sound.
  "What's wrong?" I asked.
  "So you're leaving because your bored? You're chasing that war? Boston isn't good enough for you anymore? You're leaving me and the rest of our family so you can go find some excitement?" She cried, wiping her eyes.
  "No, no! It's not that! I just can't get married to someone when I love someone else, and he loves someone else too!" I snapped.
  "A-alright. I'm sorry. I just don't want you to leave!" She started crying.
  I felt terrible. I pulled her close in a hug for a long time.
  "Hey," I said, also crying, "I'll come back. I promise."
  She sniffed and nodded.
  "Oh, and I need you to be the first to get the mail whenever it comes to intercept my letters. I'll write you as soon as I get to a stable location. I also want you to write to my friend Amaka at the Harold's and tell her where I went. Zeb should know the address. I best be going now so I can catch when the sailors leave early in the morning."
  "Goodbye, Liza," she sniffed. "And be safe and come back!"
  "Goodbye, Eleanor," I choked. "I love you so much. I will always come back."
  "I love you too," she sobbed.
  And with that I picked up my packed suitcase and money purse, gave her one last hug and a kiss on the forehead, and walked into the store and out the door. I took a deep breath, collected my tears, and marched down the wharf into a new beginning. As the sun rose the earliest sailors were packing to ship out of the port. A middle aged man with a fatherly look about him caught my eye.
  I approached him cautiously. "Excuse me, sir? Where are you headed?"
  "Philidelphia, miss. Why do you ask?" He asked me.
  "Do you know of any ships headed to New York that might grant me passage? I need to get there," I pleaded.
  "Um, yes, that fellow over there is headed to New York. It's a cargo ship, but you might have a chance of getting on," he said, pointing me to a poor looking, scrappy sailor in a brown jacket that was falling apart.
  "Thank you, sir," I said to the man I asked.
  I approached the scrappy sailor. "Excuse me, sir?"
   He looked around and then looked down to see me, "What do ye' want, lassie?"
  "How much for passage to New York on your ship?" I asked nervously.
  "How much ya' got?" He asked, reaching for my purse.
  "10 shillings!" I lied quickly, pulling my purse away from his grasp. "That's all I have."
  He frowned, "I'll take the 10 shillings."
  I pulled out 10 shillings quickly and tucked the purse in my suitcase. He took them and hurried onto the ship. I followed close behind. The ship was a small cargo ship, and very worn,  but it would have to do to take me to New York.
   Tears filled my eyes as the ship pulled out of the harbor. So many memories of that wharf, of the store, of Boston, of the farm, of the colony of Massachusetts! My family, my job, my friends, my life was here! And I was leaving it all behind to escape an arranged marriage! I had left my little sister crying in the bedroom. I had left a family to panic about where I was. Would any real good come out of this or anyone? Was I really just being rash and self centered? I tried to tell myself no, but the thoughts still flooded my brain. This was going to be a new start, a new place. I had never left Massachusetts since I moved there when I was a baby of two years. Maybe this was a huge mistake I was making, but it was a choice I had already made. As I was now about a mile away from the shore and the city grew farther and farther away, I knew there was no turning back now. I would have to start this new chapter of my life.