MULATTO (Iyila) (Editing)

chapter thirty seven ~ Dedicated to God

Half of Gabriel desired to turn back and return to his father’s plantation. To forget about the necklace and Anne. To pretend as though nothing happened, but the other half of him urged him forward. Anne’s plantation appeared rather further than the usual. It was because of the fear that lurked in a corner of his heart. So many thoughts were flying through his head like birds being disturbed by a persistent hunter. He feared that she must have been careless and misplaced him, or possibly, her negro had stolen it and gave it to a negro at his father’s plantation but he knew it would be unwise for a man like him to believe such frivolous excuse. Although she had told him; it was kept safe, not to be worn until the day of their wedding, she had said when he asked of it. He couldn’t believe she lied to him, still his greatest fear was confirming his plenty assumptions.

Angrily, he rode into the plantation and hopped than from the horse. Not turning to either of the negroes that were staring at him, he made his way to the door and knocked. It creaked, quaked and a  female negro appeared, smiling.

“Where is your mistress Anne?” he rasply spoke while he tried to supress his laboured breath.

“Nor inside sah.”

“Then where is she?” he tried to sound cordial, but the tone of his voice scared the negro. He saw it in her eyes.

“Ha, will geh ’er sah” the negro answered already turning but Gabriel quickly stopped her, he wasn’t sure he could wait another minute.

“Please wait, where is she, I would like to meet her there, as long as she is not in a lavatory_miss?” said Gabriel. The negro was reluctant for a while but she  agreed. “ Shes ad dah backyard sah.”

He sighed, “Thank you miss” he thanked and rushed away. As he proceeded he heard screams and the noise continued to grow as he moved closer until he saw  group of negro womenstopped he made his way to the stairway too but Anne followed him.

“Gabriel, please listen to me” They fell on deaf ears.

“Gabriel please will you listen to me, please wil__”.

“No Anne” he yelled as he turned to face her. She shook with at voice. He saw that she was in a new dress but her face was without its normal glory.

“Go home Anne, I will not listen to any of your lies, I donot need a glass to confirm your cruelty”

“The negro disobeyed me”

“Enough!”

“No Gabriel,” she pleaded and tried to take his hand but he bluntly withdrew it. “Go home Anne” he stated and continued but she followed him.

“I am sorry about my behaviour but the negro did something I could not easily forgive, she ruined my dress and”

“That is not an excuse Anne” he abruptly admonished and walked into his room. She again followed him inside. He raked his hair, “Anne you tricked me, you made me believe your notion about slavery was nuetral, yet you whipped than girl as though she was an animal”

He watched her wipe off some tears on her face, he was angered by her pretence. “Gabriel I am deeply sorry about everything, I apologise about....”

“My mother’s necklace where is it” he angrily asked. Her contanance immediately changed. Her eye lids fluttered and a corner of her lip twitched and she feigned a grin but he could see that she was uneasy.

“Why do you ask?” she walked closer to him. “ It__ it__” she stammered, uneasily swallowed and continued.

“It is like I said, in my jewery box to be worn on our wedding day” she explained. Gabriel nodded and brought out the necklace from his pocket. Anne gasped, she couldn’t believe it. She instantly began to sob.

“I do not know how it left my house, my chamber, where did you see it, I swear to you Gabriel that I didnot hurl it away like a worthless thing”

Gabriel laughed, she had given the explanation he wanted.

“I appreciate your explanation Anne but I am no damm fool to believe your cheap lies, I am__”

“Gabriel I pray thee, do not push me away” she tearily rushed, moving closer to him and at thesame time trying to kiss him and seduce him but he pushed her away.

“Do you think a petty waist as yours can deter my reason!” he barked. Anne moved back sobbing, “You would need more than your body to convince me”

She sighed, “What may I do to remedy the situation”

“Nothing” he said and walked to the window, she followed him. Stretching to touch his shoulder, she spoke admist sobs.

“I beg you, Gabriel” he knew she wouldn’t let go, angrily he turned and roughly gripped her shoulders. She shuddered. “You irritate me Anne, I consider you repulsing and dirty and__”

He didnot finish before she broke free and screamed at him. “Yes Gabriel” she angrily spoke wiping her face with her palm.

“Yes Gabriel.  I detest negroes and as you said I do not see them as humans but fortunate animals to be upright standing. Negroes smell, they stink and they are mostly disgusting, I cannot stand the sight of them, they make my stomach rumble with hate and I would do to them as I please because they are my property”

Gabriel at her, suprise and anger on his face, he wanted to strike her but the consequences were worse than he could imagine. He had to control himself.

“I pity you Anne, because these people you call animals are like you, created in God’s image and __”

She interrupted him “ Enough of your absurd notions Gabriel, negroes will always be animals and that is the way the law sees them”

“ You may try to justify your actions by the law but it remains babaric and you may be sitting on wealth Anne, but your soul is wretched, it is poor and penniless and__”

“No! You are wrong, I am a daughter of a wealthy planter” she disagreed, took a breath and continued.

“I may not know how to read, I may be cruel and perhaps so many things but I am certainly more than a million negro all put together”

Gabriel couldn’t believe his ears, she couldnot read!

Chuckling, he raked his head and walked to the table to sit and stare at her. She was breathing hard and devishly staring at him. Indeed he didn’t know her and Collete was in trouble. She had lied to him in all her letters. None she said about Anne was true. He would reprimand her in the mornig for playing with him.

“Get out Anne, I do not have anymore to say to you” he said after thinking about all she had said.

“I am a beautiful woman Gabriel, the most beautiful and I will not beg a man, I would live but I must tell you that I loathe that useless thing you gave me. It is ugly, cheap and__”

“Get out!” he barked, quickly rising on feet. She rushed out sobbing. The nerve of the woman!

Clearly spoilt ans over pampered but he had expected more, he picked a glass and threw it on the wall. Minutes later, his mother arrived to see the room in a mess. She stared at him while he sat on his chair a glass of whiskey in his grip.

“What is the meaning of this Gabriel” she asked, scanning the room. He didnot reply but continued to sip his drink. “Gabriel!” she sternly called. He gulped down the drink and walked out without a word to her.

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