I first saw them when they got off the boat. The year was 1753 and I was working at the docks trying to support myself and my little brother and sister. I was 12 at the time. My dad died as soon as we were settled. Mom followed soon after. But these people they were parents. They had a comforting sense about them. They were young, and friendly looking. They looked to be about 19. The woman had long red hair. The man had short sandy, blonde hair. I stole a glance at their left hands, they were both wearing rings. These people came to start their life together here in the new world.
"We're looking for the closest town." The man said.
"Go down the beaten path and hang a left. That should get you where you need to go." I said.
"Thanks." He said and started to walk away.
"You got a place to stay tonight?" The woman shook her head. "If you could wait ten minutes, then I could lead you there myself." I said and finished loading the last ship to sail that day.
"Reggie, we'll need you to work again tomorrow there's a whole fleet coming in from England."
"Of course Mr. Adams."
"Seven o'clock sharp."
"Yes, sir, I'll be here. See you tomorrow, sir." I bid Mr. Adams goodbye.
"So, your names Reggie?" The woman said.
"Yes, ma'am Reginald Mitchell. But please call me Reggie, everyone does." I stuck my hand out to her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Amelia, and this is my husband Rory." She said shaking my hand, I shook his hand as well.
"Aren't you a little young to be working at the docks?" Rory asked.
"Not when you're the man of the house." I said leading them towards the center of town.
"So, where are we?" Amelia
"Boston"
"Boston?" He said.
"Yeah, Boston, Least that's what Mr. Adams calls it. You guys said you need a place to stay?" Amelia nodded.
"I don't live to far from here you can stay at mine." Rory looked skeptical yet grateful that they could stay somewhere. I led them to the little shack my dad had built.
"Abigail! Brandon! I'm home! We've got company" I shouted when I entered the house. "You can put your stuff there.
"Reggie, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't bring girls home from work." Abigail said coming into the foyer.
"HUSH! They could become our new mom and dad!" I hissed. "Abigail this is Amelia and Rory. They just came over here from…"
"England" Rory said finishing my sentence.
"Mrs. Beckett brought dinner and I've got it on the on the table." She said. "Go and get Brandon, he's outside again." I stepped back outside.
"BRANDON!" I shouted. He came running from over the hill. "COME ON! ABBY'S GOT DINNER ON THE TABLE." He came running up towards the door.
"Sorry, I was over at George's house." He explained as he kicked his shoes off. He walked through to the dining room. I motioned Amelia and Rory to follow me. They sat at mom and dad's old spots.
It still hurt to think about them som times.
"So being from England you must know all about the Navigation Acts huh?" I asked Rory.
"No, actually we don't." Amelia said.
"Well, Mr. Adams says that England is saying that the only kinds of ships allowed here are British ships. And that they can only bring back things produced here. And that when they sail here they can only bring things that were produced there back here." I explained between bites.
"So, where are your parents?" Amelia asked. We all fell silent. I glanced at Abby whom was busy cutting Brandon's meat. She gave me that jerky nod thing, telling me to start talking.
"Dad died a couple months after we got here. Mom got sick and died last year. So I picked up the job at the docks and Abby stays home to take care of Brandon." I explained taking a swig of water.
"If you don't mind me asking how old are you?"
"12, almost 13 ma'am. Abby's just turned 10 and Brandon's 5." They sat back looking shocked.
"You're just kids! And you're out on your own?" Rory said. He glanced at Amelia.
"Rory, can I talk to you?" Amelia pulled him up and out of his chair by his ear. Making me and Brandon snicker. We continued eating and listening intently. They were really good about keeping voices down. Much better than Mr. Adams every time someone gets brought into his office I can hear him yelling. They came back in and sat down.
"We've agreed that we are staying. You need parents. You can't be running around on your own." Amelia said. I felt overjoyed I was going to have a Mum and Dad again.
A year had passed since Amelia and Rory became our Mum and Dad. Dad took over my job at the docks and I started seeing a girl from the homestead just down the road. Dad and Mr. Adams thinks that the French expansion toward our colonies is going to start a war. The French and Indian war they're calling it. The year is now 1759 and I've just turned 18 years old. I'm engaged to the girl I told you about earlier. Her name's Janice. Mum's ecstatic that I'm getting married. Dad and Mr. Adams were right, the war has been going on for 5 years now. I've been to the front lines twice now. So has dad. Were actually sitting in our tent at the moment. I'm just glad Brandon won't have to fight in this war. There are rumors going around that parliament is going to pass an act raising taxes on all paper goods by putting a stamp on it. Dad says that we should join the Sons of Liberty. They're protesting the Stamp Act. I agree, the control Britain is pushing on us is causing an uprising. Just yesterday I first heard of the Sugar Act Which is ridiculous because we already had a Sugar and Molasses Act. Mum thinks that Revolution is pointless, what is it going to do? She thinks that were going to end up dead. Janice is behind me on this. She wants a better universe for us. And any future generations. Abby agrees with mum. That if we kill this king, there will just be a new one and everything will be the same.
The year is now 1765, Janice and I have been married for 5 years now. We've even got a little boy running around the house. Dad and I had a falling out when I was 18 he was all for joining the revolution. Now that the Stamp and Sugar acts have been passed he agrees with mum, revolting is pointless. I'll show them. I'll prove to them that I want a better world for my son, and any other children Janice and I might have. Brandon has joined too. He lives with Janice and I. Dad kicked him out of the house when he came in wearing a patch for the revolution. The military has been here for years. Babysitting us, making sure we're doing what "Mother" says.
"Janice, I'm sick of all these taxes. I'm only earning enough to put a small amount of bread on the table, because the use of paper at work is so damn expensive." I said as I sat by the fire holding our son, Robert.
"Then go work at the docks with your father."
"So we can fight at work?" I groaned.
"Reggie, you need to either quit work and Revolt full time or, keep doing what you're doing and stop complaining." She said putting Robert in his crib. I sighed and pulled her to my chest.
"Now, we have to pay for the military's quarters."
"What?" She gasped pushing away slightly to look up at me.
"I know. It's stupid." I sighed.
"Does your dad know about this?" I shook my head. "Go tell him, he might change his mind." She said pushing me out the door.
"They WHAT?" Dad shouted.
"We now have to pay for the military's salary and quarters. They're calling it the Quartering Act." I said handing him a pamphlet for the revolution. "We meet at the pub every night. I'd like to see you there one of these days." I said standing to leave. I felt a little guilty for pushing the revolution onto my dad like that, but he needed to know.
It's now 1768 and the Townshend Acts are in place. They should just stop pushing these stupid laws on us. Brandon says that Dad joined the revolution. He's at every meeting now. I can't go to most of them, between work and my family life. It's hard to make it to every meeting. I slammed my hand down on the table.
"They're taxing glass, paint, tea, lead and oil as well now?" I shouted. Janice smacked my chest
"Hush up, you'll wake Robbie." I shrugged her off.
"They can't do that!"
"Yeah, they can Reg, they can and they did." Dad explained nursing the drink I poured for him.
"Are we just going to wait another two years and see if they push any more stupid laws onto us? We need something to make the rest of the nation rally up! How many tariffs is enough?!"
"Reg"
"We need action we can't just sit back and let them control us anymore."
"Reggie"
"Why are we just letting ourselves be pushed around all they're doing is bullying us!"
"REGINALD!" I stopped dead in my rant. "Calm down, something will happen. When the time is right we'll revolt." And with that he bid us goodnight and went on home.
I was right two years later the Intolerable Acts were pushed on us.
"MUM! They're trying to control us! Creating a new law to enforce the others more!" I shouted
"You're not going to that rally tonight and that's final." She said putting the washing down.
"I'm not a child anymore!" I argued.
"But, you've got a child Reginald, and God forbid that you leave him behind."
"Amy, I'll-"
"You stay out of this Rory. Reg, you're not going end of discussion." She said leaving the house to dump the bucket out.
"Out the back door?" Dad asked
"Yup" I grabbed my jacket and hat and followed Dad out the back door.
I was with the rest of the Sons of Liberty in the town square in front of the mayor's house. They seemed to be taxing everything! My good friend Paul Revere was standing between my dad and my brother. I picked up a rock from the street.
"Reg, what are you doing?" Paul asked
"Standing for what I believe in." I replied looking at him like he was nuts.
"I meant with the rock."
"Just something to keep my hands busy is all." I explained as the sound of the soldier's troop got closer. Someone threw a rock at the soldiers. A gun shot rang out. Paul took off running, I wanted to stay and fight dad grabbed my jacket and pulled me from any danger.
"Do you think this was the best decision?" Brandon asked
"What do you mean?" Dad asked
"I think he means we should have listened to Mum." I said as we made our way home. As I lay in bed that night I could still hear gun fire. It sounded like they were just firing at them because they had guns and all we were armed with is clubs and rocks.
"Janice"
"Go back to sleep."
"I can't. I shouldn't have abandoned them."
"Reg, your father pulled you from there so you could raise your son. Stop dwelling on what you should have done, and go to sleep." She said and rolled over. The next morning Dad came storming in with a paper in his hand.
"Reg, read this!" He said slamming it on the table.
Last night, March 5th 1770, a mob of "patriots" attacked a British squadron repeatedly throwing stones at the squad while they fired into the crowd. 11 were killed.
I was shocked. Eleven people lost their lives while Dad, Brandon, Paul and I lived. Eleven were dead.
"Sounds like this will be known as a massacre." I said to dad.
"The Boston Massacre." He said.
"Eleven died last night and we lived."
"I know."
"I'm glad we walked away, but I feel guilty." I said looking down at the polished table.
"Me too son, me too."
It's now 1773, and I'm 33 years old. Dad isn't as young as he used to be, but he's still fighting. I'm currently standing on the docks with Brandon, my brother-in-law, William, and my son. Janice wasn't happy but Robbie wanted to come. Oh, did I mention that we're dressed as Indians? And that it's bloody cold.
"Dad, I'm freezing!" Robbie complained.
"Hush, Its midnight in December and by water what did you expect?" William said. William, Robbie and I snuck onto the nearest ship. The idiots left it unattended.
"Bill, are you ready for the start of the Boston Tea Party?"
"Oh, yes."
"Robbie, you go and throw it out that side of the boat!" I said and he ran across the deck to the opposite side. "On 3. 1…2…3!" William, Robbie and I pushed the crates of tea out into the water. Next thing I know the rest of them were pushing them out into the ocean. All 342 crates of it wound up into the ocean.