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Forbidden

Running

Charles

I watch Greenlee walk away then I collapse in my chair. For a few moments I almost chase after her, if for nothing more than to be sure that she is all right. She has been at this plantation for ten years now and in that time I have watched her become accustomed to her lifestyle. She has remained intelligent throughout it all, finding ways to make life manageable. Her work always gets finished and she takes care of the library in a way the previous maid, Lisette, never did.

Oh!...Greenlee. I should have realized that it’s Christmas time and that it is harder for her than it is for the others here. I can’t even imagine what I would do if I were in her position. To be free and then have that taken away because someone wanted to have money. I have almost been tempted multiple times into going to her parents’ house and…

I don’t even know what I would do if I went there. I just wonder what kind of parent cares more about their social status than the safety and well-being of their own flesh and blood. Greenlee does not deserve this lifestyle that she has been sold into. If I could get away with it, I would buy her freedom. That is not a possibility though as I know my father would disapprove of it. If I were to free Greenlee, it is likely my father would ship her far away from me and I wouldn’t be allowed to find her.

They are nothing more than slaves to him, only objects for him to order around how he wishes, and then when they are no longer of use he disposes of them as if they are garbage and do not have a life of their own.

I do not see how culture reverted back to this way of life. The Anti-Constitutionalists must not have realized what this meant for so many people in the country. We study what happened the last time America had slavery and few rights for women and I honestly can understand why the slaves ran to freedom back then. This is not a world that seems to be progressing anywhere. Slavery is not the answer and I wish more could see that we would be able to grow if we did not treat those that work the homes and grounds as nothing more than another possession.

Cam walked into the room. “Master Charles?” he inquired from the doorway.

I looked at him for a moment. “Come in Cam, and close the door behind you.”

He nodded and walked into the library. When he reached my chair I gestured for him to sit in the other chair and he did. Then he held out a small box. “I thought I would bring you this,” he said. “It finally arrived.”

I took the box from him and smiled. “Just in time. Thank you, Cam.” I opened the box and looked inside. It was perfect, perfect and beautiful.

“She must be a special young lady.”

“Yes, she is.” Greenlee is everything: intelligent, beautiful, adaptable, giving…and I am so glad that I can call her my own.

“Charles?” Cam sounded slightly hesitant. I looked at him and I could see that there was something he wanted to say.

“Yes, Cam.”

“Did you have anything to do with the gifts everyone has been finding in their rooms?”

Ah, yes, the Christmas presents I purchased under the guise of buying them for my supposed friends. They didn’t deserve anything but those that had worked so hard to keep the plantation running, they did deserve it. “What kind of gifts?”

Cam looked at me. “Tyler and Jenna got permission to get married, Anamaria was given her own set of gardening tools and a few small plants, Beth has a ticket to go visit her sons…” He paused for a few moments. “It just doesn’t seem like the kind of gift that could have come from anyone but someone who knows us well. I mean, you…you took the time to learn our names and you’re always asking about what is going on around the plantation.”

I meet his gaze and for a moment he returns it before casting his eyes to the ground again. “So you believe because I try to get to know you all that the gifts came from me?” I ask.

“Well…yes, sir.”

“Relax Cam. There’s no one around to listen to us.” After a few moments he looks up, almost looking me in the eyes again. “If I am honest with you, will you promise not to reveal anything to the others?”

He nods quickly. “Yes, sir. Anything you wish to remain in confidence between us then no one else will know of it.”

I trust Cam; I know that, especially as he has been with me for years, almost as if we were friends growing up together. For the most part that is how I view him; only in the public eye do I treat him as is deemed appropriate for society. “They are gifts that you all deserve for all the hard work you do on the plantation day in and day out. I trust you will all enjoy actually celebrating Christmas this year.”

“Oh…we will Charles,” Cam said, sounding slightly in awe of it all.

“Good. Thank you Cam.”

He nods and turns, walking out of the library. I sigh and place the small box in my pocket before standing up. I need to find Greenlee and make sure that she is fine. After last night, after being out in the open like that, I know it is difficult for both of us to return to this hidden relationship. And try as I might I cannot find a way to gain approval for this relationship.

I am most bothered by the fact that society expects me to find some other person who is of practically the same social class as I am to be with. To most everyone it doesn’t matter if two people happen to be attracted to each other; society has rules for what can be and what can’t be. If only there were a way for Greenlee to not be a slave, to be free, to make us both free to openly act on our feelings instead of constantly running around and hiding.

I walk out to the small homes the slaves all live in and head straight for Greenlee’s. It is uncommon for one of the Master’s household to go to the home of a slave, but it does happen on occasion. If it weren’t for that fact I would have sent Cam for Greenlee under the guise of some household work. As I knock on the door I hope that she is there and alone. It takes a few moments for her to come to the door and open it.

Her eyes slowly work their way up to look at me and I can see a myriad of emotions being pushed back. Almost instantly I want to pull her close but I refrain since we are standing out in the open. “Greenlee, what’s wrong?” I ask softly.

“Please Charles…not now,” she answers, her voice so low that I feel I need to lean in to hear her properly. “I…I just…can’t.” Her eyes beg for me to just go but I also feel as if there is a part of her that wants nothing more than for me to comfort her. I don’t even know what’s going on, why she’s feeling this way, but I can guess that it has something to do with the letter I gave her earlier.

She takes a step away from me and begins to close the door but I block its path with my foot. “You can talk to me.”

“No…please just go.” Before I can do anything to stop her, she turns and runs back to her bedroom, slamming the door shut on her way.

For several moments I just stand there, unable to move. I can only wonder what is going on, and I can only hope that she will tell me sometime. But it all makes me think of the letter I handed her. What did it say? Why is she running from me?