Mosana - Part XV

Hey,

Before we proceed, let's take one minute to think on the life of dearly departed Chadwick Boseman. I know his portrayal of Black Panther blessed me as well as it did you.

#wakandaforever 🙅

EPISODE 15

Like we had been electrocuted, we jumped apart and my heart almost left my chest at the sight of Amy. She looked calm, but I knew she was seething underneath. Topmost of her emotions at that time would have been jealousy. Piping-hot, raw jealousy, to finally find out why Flint didn’t want her. Because he wanted me. And jealousy is fantastic kindle for anger.

We stood still while Amy spoke. She was talking to Flint, completely ignoring me.

‘Of course you chose a slave just like yourself. You’re too stupid to see the rewards of choosing better.’

Flint just looked at her coolly. I on the other hand, struggled to regulate my own heartbeat. Of all the questions to run through my mind, only one stood out: what was she doing near the slaves’ quarters? A much better question to ask would have been: how do we get out of this? But instead, I was wondering at the ill luck that had us kissing while Amy was passing.

Amy turned her gaze to me and looked me up and down, probably wondering what Flint saw in me. I wanted to hold his hand so badly, but that would have been, well… unwise.

‘I’m going to tell Mother I caught you both in the very act. I’m going to tell her that you were trying to make babies.’

What?

At first, I thought I hadn’t heard well, until Flint voiced out my thoughts exactly.

‘What?’ he shouted. ‘You can’t do that. We ain’t done nothing!’

‘Oh watch me,’ Amy cooed evilly. ‘No slave is going to play me for a fool. I will make sure you never see her again.’

And with that, she stormed out.

If I felt I couldn’t breathe before, right then, my lungs were failing me. I couldn’t take in air. Amy’s words swirled around me and I was ready to drop to the ground. Flint caught me and held me to himself.

‘Hey, it’s okay.’

It was definitely not okay. My worst nightmares were coming true. What I feared the most had happened.

‘What did she mean, Flint?’ I mumbled against his chest.

‘She meant nothing. Nothing that a few strokes or blows wouldn’t handle. And you and I have handled more than that now, haven’t we?’

I tried to nod, but I couldn’t believe him. ‘But she said -’

‘Forget about what she said. Nothing’s happening.’

I wished that were true. Wished it with every fibre of my being. But I was not to have my wish.

A few minutes later, we were summoned. My dread spiked as I walked with Flint to the parlour where I was first received when I came to the Manor. In there, we met Madam Russell, Master Wells and Amy already seated, waiting for us. We entered and stood before them like two criminals before the Judge and jury. But this wasn’t a fair trial. Our case had already been decided before we even got there. This was straight to the guillotine.

‘You broke the rule,’ Master Wells started.

‘Master Wells, sir, we didn’t do -’

‘Shut up!’ Madam Russell rapped. ‘He wasn’t asking you, you filthy vermin. Make them a little higher than their fellow slaves and they think they can now talk back!’

Amy spoke up. ‘Let me handle this, Mother.’

She took center stage. ‘I propose we sell him. Somewhere far away. And we make her do his job, work double so she doesn’t have time to spread her legs around for any other man.’

I almost died from panic. Slave owners never told their slaves that they would be sold. This was a classic torture mechanism. To increase the fear of what was to come, the torturer told his victim what was going to happen, sometimes in explicit detail, so the victim could imagine the horror of what was going to be done. It was effective in inducing both mental and physical pain at the same time. And it was working on me.

‘No, please…’ I pleaded. The tears I had managed to hold back in for so long now spilled down my cheeks. And it wasn’t because I was going to be given extra workload.

Flint turned to me. ‘No. Don’t do that, Mosana.’

I could understand why Flint didn’t want me to beg or cry in front of them. He wanted to protect what little dignity we had left. It was like an unwritten code among the slaves to never show our fear or pain before our owners. But I was at my limit. They were going to take Flint away from me.

Amy’s smile was wide. ‘Wells,’ she called. ‘Take him away.’

They didn’t even allow us spend that night together. I didn’t see him for the rest of that day and he didn’t sleep in the slave quarters. I didn’t see him the next day, and the next day, and the next…

I was beaten and sent back to our quarters where I cried my heart out. I couldn’t remember ever crying so intensely. No one could comfort me. By then, all the slaves already knew what had happened. Meg and Mel wept with me, but my sobs were the loudest. My pain was the deepest.

The next time I saw Flint, he didn’t look like himself. He looked beaten, and not just physically. He looked defeated. That was the day he was sold. They had found a buyer and Flint was brought out to be looked at and inspected. A man with a horse attached to a fruit cart came to buy Flint. To buy Flint… the thought made me angry. Master Wells handled the bargaining. I watched from across the farm at him and felt my heart tear once more.

If only I had stopped him…

After the deal was made, they made Flint get into the fruit cart. He turned to look at me across the farm like he knew I had been there all along. And he smiled and waved.

I wrenched my eyes away from the window, unable to watch anymore. I heard the fruit cart drive through the Manor’s back gates and away. I felt Flint leave. It felt like somebody had put out my lights. Flint’s absence was loud and heart-wrenching.

But I held on to his last smile. Even though he had felt defeated, even though he was the one that had been sold, he still found a way to smile at me. If he could do that, then I could do anything.

Flint had been my rock, my mainstay. He had been the reason I had survived like I did in the Russell Manor. Now he was gone, and I had nothing. I thought of what he would say to me had he been around. It’s time to tighten them ropes, Mo. Or, just a little more. All you have to do is push.

All these were said to me while we worked together. But then, they came back to me in a different light. It was time to tighten the ropes. All I had to do was push.

I picked myself up from the hard ground I had sunk to and wiped my tears. I was going to be wiping my own tears from now on.

Because come hell, high water, or the devil himself, I was getting out of there.

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Hey you!

Welcome to another episode. I have received many comments and commendations, and I just want to say thank you to you guys. I imagine y'all reading every time I write and it makes me smile. 

One of these days, I will do a special shoutout. Let me think about it ;)

Thank you for sticking with Mosana and I. We're not done yet!

Till next Sunday,

xoxo,

Ava.