Caged Bird Screaming

The mistress

Harriet wanted him to leave but knew he wouldn’t. She wished he would disappear, but there was nothing known as magic. It was all fairytales. She felt stupid at that moment thinking of fairies and magical worlds.

“Harriet.” George whispered stroking her head. Harriet wanted to run. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She smiled sweetly as she looked up at him. It was her role to play the good wife; the loyal wife; the wife who obeyed her husband and submitted to him. She looked at his cold loveless eyes and shuddered. She felt like vomiting over him. He was the devil disguised as an angel.

“George I’m not feeling too well.” She said in a throaty whisper. George raised an eyebrow. Harriet held her breath too afraid to breathe.

He stood up “Your son is dying and this is what you do? You spend your day sleeping like an old dog!” Harriet was too afraid to speak. She was too frightened to move. Trying to defend herself was never futile and just hardened George’s heart even more. “Get up!” He grabbed her by the arm and forced her up. Gritting his teeth, he pushed her outside their chamber and forced her into the small room Henry was kept in. “Look at him.” Harriet looked away. “I said look at him!” George forced her to look at Henry. This was the reason why she didn’t want to be with Henry. He was in agony and nothing the physicians did, made him feel better. Her little boy was as white as sheet. Seeing him in such a horrendous state made her feel helpless. There was nothing she could do but stand by and watch him slowly slip away.

 It wasn’t her fault. No it wasn’t her fault. It was George’s fault. She grew angry and spun around in his arms freeing herself from his grasp.

“It’s all your fault!” She seethed. “You were the one who whipped him. You were the one who threw him over your shoulders and tied his hands to the wooden post. You were the one who lashed him until he was half dead.” She screamed angrily, not caring whether the slaves could hear her. “You’re the one who’s killing him George. Not me! You were the one who forced me to give him to the Negroes to be looked after when he was born. So don’t you start casting the blame on me!”

“How dare you?” He slapped her. Harriet slapped him back. They stood looking each other eye to eye breathing hard. Harriet refused to fade away. He was the root of all their problems not her. Yes she had made her own mistakes and accepted it. Now it was George’s turn to face his own mistakes and problems. “You bitch.” He hit her so hard she fell to the ground. “How dare you talk back to me?”

“A preacher does not hit his wife.” Harriet told him, her green eyes blazing with fury. George yelled, grabbed a handful of hair and tore it from her scalp. Harriet whimpered but refused to let him see her pain. She would not give him any satisfaction with what he had done. George threw the back of her head to the wall and she passed out.

Harriet turned her head slowly when she felt a small amount of pressure on it. She groaned at the pain at the back of her head and tried touching it but was stopped by a gentle hand.

“Please mistress don’t touch your wound or it might get infected.” She said gently.

Harriet laughed “What good does it do? Leave me alone.”

“But Miss....” The slave started to protest.