Color Me Bruised

Chapter 11

Fuh de rest uh de day, Mas'r tole me tuh go pack---lak ah had uh whole lot tuh bring. Only mah rags an mah self. De next day, round 11 in de mornin, ah got intuh Mas'r slave carrier and headed towards Mister Williams' place. Dat wuz de last time ah evah saw de Mas'r who wuz bout 35 minutes away.

His house wuz, lak ah expected: huge. Bigguh than Mas'r's. De rider, roughly grabbed mah feet and pulled me out. He then unshackled mah hands and feet. Then, he grabbed mah arm an brought me tuh de front door. He knocked after. We waited fuh uh couple minutes, till ah saw him open de door.

Ain't no slaves. None. He opened his own door. No wait. Naw, now he had me. De driver finally left, handing ovah mah official sale. De mister pointed his hands fuh me tuh go in. So ah did. Ah wuz so nervous.

Ah walked behind him tuh what seem tuh be de kitchen. Lak evry other room in his house, it was very big. Seem like it could fit ovah 8 shacks in all.

"Would you like to eat anything?" He ask me.

"N--no. I'm fine." Ah kept fidgitin wid mah fingers.

"Are you sure?" He ask me. He had his back turned and when he turned to face me, ah saw him holdin 2 plates. One wid oranges an peaches an grapes de size uh mah fist and ah plate wid bread, meat and gravy.

Ah ain't never seen so much food handed tuh me. Mah eyes couldn't be taken off em.

"Are you sure?" He ask me again.

Next thing ah knew, ah grabbed both plates off his hands, sat an ate. Ah ate so much. And ah ain't no one beatin on me tuh eat faster and go back tuh work. Ah ain't had tuh share no food wid no one but me. Ah ain't had tuh eat in a hurry or none uh dat. But then ah realized. I wuz sittin at ah white man's table, and he jus sat cross from me and smiled.

Ah immediately got up and lowered mah head.

"Is there something wrong?" He ask me.

"Ah ain't mean tuh." I said dropping tuh mah knees and unbuttoning de back uh mah dress, revealin mah back.

"Why are you showing me your back?"

"Tuh whip me. Ah wasn't s'puzed tuh. Ah wuz jus hungry."

"I will not hurt you." He tole me. "I couldn't possibly hurt you just for sitting at a table." He told me wid a smile.

Ah quickly buttoned up my dress.

"W--What do ah call you?" Ah ask.

"Call me?" He paused."Hmm, Mister Williams is just fine."

Ah nodded, still standin up.

"You don't think you're my slave do you?" He ask.

"Ah am your slave."

"No, you're not. In my whole life, I've never purchased a slave."

"You bought me."

Why couldn't ah stop talkin?

"Haha" He laughed."Zachary gave you to me as a gift---more as a consent for investment."

Ah stayed shut.

"How old are you Mercy?"

"Almost 18." Ah responded. "Mister Williams, if ah ain't your slave, what am ah?"

He paused.

"My...My servant. I'll pay you if you want."

"Pay? ain't no need tuh do dat."

"Alright then, onto your first assignment then. A few of my closest friends and business partners are coming for a dinner. Will you be able to cook something?"