Sarah's Roses, Book I: Roses of Blue

Chapter IV

Chapter IV

Elsie had quite the trouble finding me the next morning. She ran about the room calling my name and nearly jumped when I peeked out of the closet.

“Miss Sarah! What are you doing there?”

“Just being as close to mama as I can,” I replied in a sad voice.

“You must never give me such a fright again, I came to the room and you weren’t here. Why, if I had lost you Massa would never have forgiven me.”

I said I was sorry and she made me promise never to sleep in the closet again. She washed and dressed me and took me downstairs for breakfast with my aunt and uncle. After breakfast aunt Helen went off to the drawing room.

“The tailor will come soon,” my uncle informed me, “he will measure you up for a new set of clothes. But I don’t want you waiting around in the house for him. You are pale, I want you to get some fresh air. Why don’t you go out into the garden and play among the flowers. I think the sun would do you a lot of good. Only mind what I said about picking the flowers. Your aunt will be very upset.”

I nodded my head, I would not touch a single flower. My aunt seemed unhappy with me as it was, I didn’t want to make her mad at me. Elsie led me out to the garden, then went back inside, leaving me alone among the flowers. The flowers were in full bloom and the garden was filled with a thick and sweet fragrance as the different scents blended together. The sun was shining and I felt a little joy creep into my dark soul. Here, alone, among the flowers I felt safe somehow. A lot safer than in that house. I walked down the little path, intently studying all the different types of blossoms and never saw him coming at me. All at once I collided into someone and the two of us ended up in a tangled mess on the ground.

“What the!” I heard a boyish voice say. We quickly untangled ourselves and I found myself staring into the dark face of the boy I had bumped into.

“Who are you?” I asked, staring at him.

“Thousand apologies Miss,” he stated in a rather fearful voice, “I didn’t see you coming.”

“The fault is partially mine,” I reassured, “I wasn’t watching where I was going. What’s your name? Who are you?”

“Samuel Climb. I’s a slave here.”

Right, I should have guessed. It was beginning to dawn on me that all people with dark skin were slaves.

“You’s the niece of the Massa and Mistress?” he asked me.

“Yes, my name is Sarah, Sarah…Rose.” I had almost said Sarah Beverly but caught myself in time. No one was supposed to know my real name.

“Pretty name.” He said with a smile.

“Thank you. I like yours too.”

“Most people calls me Sam for short, you can as well.”

“I don’t like the name Sam,” I wrinkled my nose, “I think it spoils the way Samuel sounds!”

“I can’t help that," he said with a bit of a smirk.

I giggled. “Would you mind very much if I called you Sammy? Samuel is too long and Sam sounded dreadful."

He shrugged, “I wouldn’t mind very much.”

“Good, then that’s settled, and you may call me Sarah.” I was excited about making a friend. When you’re alone, making a new friend is like fresh cold water to a thirsty man. “What were you doing here in the garden?”

“Nothin’” he got a bit on the defensive, “what were you doing?”

“I was looking at the flowers.” I didn’t quite understand what exactly I had said to offend him. “You know, I’ve never seen so many together at once. To tell you the truth, I haven’t seen such a grand flower garden before either. Such things aren’t grown on my side of Boston.”