"Ruin and Redemption"

Derrick Accedes to Scarlett's demands and Gives Lizzie a New Necklace

They weren’t free as long as they were on his plantation, damnit! He felt his eyes spark! No negros on his plantation were going to call themselves free! As long as they lived here, there was work do be done.

“Yeah, What about it?” He snarled.

Scarlett took a step back from him; She couldn’t help the involuntary response that pushed her backwards. He had whipped her, and the fear she had had of white people after her first whipping by Lizzie had returned.

Scarlett looked behind herself for a place to hide. She found herself leaning on the dresser, ready to dash behind it should she need to. He had her cornered. But maybe if she hid and crouched low behind the dresser, he could only get her back, not her face. She could cover her fce and head with her hands.

Finally, the anger seemed to drain away from him, and Scarlett regained her power of speech. She had to force the words out of her mouth for the sake of her children.

“Well, Derrick, honey, it’s jus’ that they was used to readin’ an’ writin’--- an’ they miss learnin’ sometimes. An’ they might be needin’ it someday. Supposin’ they leave here?”

“They can leave now, if they want, Scarlett. But as long as they’re here, they’ve got to work! They can’t be sitting around all day with their noses stuck in a book.”

“They know they have to work, Derrick; My kids ain’t spoilt! They work hard in the garden, and you always get what’s best and freshest for your table, don’t you?”

“Yes, we do,” he admitted grudgingly. Those two had green thumbs when it came to working the soil. There was always something growing, no matter the season. He wasn’t sorry to have them on the plantation, so long as they stayed out of his way and kept working the garden. Michael’s children were good for something after all.

“All I’m askin’ for is a few old books. Anything they can read, and maybe a pad of paper and pencils. That’s all they need. There’s still a little time before bed, even after they’ve done all their chores here, Derrick. Just let ‘em read.”

“It’s illegal for slaves to read, Scarlett... You expect me to just leave books lying around here?”

“But, Derrick, honey, they ain’t slaves anymore. Mr. Henderson freed them.”

“I’m tired of hearing about that, Scarlett! If they want to be free, they can go live somewhere else. If they want to stay here and work the land, they can do that, too. But I’m tired of hearing about it!” He put his hands on his head. It was just too much to deal with: Slaves that weren’t really slaves, Michael’s children, a mulatto wife, a lover who was a slave! How had he ever gotten himself into this mess?

He hoped things would unfurl more smoothly with Lizzie later on tonight.

“Derrick, honey, just somethin’ old. One or two they kin hide under they beds. They won’t even take ‘em out during workin’ hours or when anybody’s visitin’ the Big House. Just in case. Nobody will know.” She looked so pretty with her big eyes and full lips. Maybe he could let them have a few. Nothing in French, of course. He wasn’t going to let them get full of themselves like their father. But he supposed he could deal with them having a basic education, as long as it didn’t incur any expenses for himself or the plantation.