My Dear Sister,
Father decided I was untrustworthy and couldn't stay alone at the house anymore. He said I had to come to work with him. I'd never seen anything so heartbreaking as what I saw today.
Father took me by the arm and we walked into the carriage. "Today we are going to trade some of William's slaves who are weak and get better ones in return," Father told me.
"Trade them? Like jewelry?" I asked.
"Quiet Lorraine," Father told me. I knew this was going to be ones of those days when Father doesn't let you speak. We rode in silence for a while. I looked out the window as all the fields went by. America was such a big place. Much to big for me.
The carriage stopped at a large brick building. "Come, Lorraine," Father said. "This is really no place for you but you left me with no choice. Just stay quiet."
I was prepared to spend the afternoon invisible. I was prepared to sit in a corner alone and count floor boards and pimples until it was time to go. It started out that way too, but then something happened that made me leap from my chair and shout.
The building was packed with African slaves. I sat in a corner while Dad stood at the front of the room with the other traders. One by one different slave owners came up with their slaves and traded with other slave owners. They were all shouting in English. It was hard to figure out what was going on. These people looked angry and mean. I tried to go unnoticed.
Then I saw a familiar face in the crowd. Keeya. She had her sister wrapped under her arm. She looked terrified. I wanted to talk to her. I wish everyone in the world spoke the same language.
There was more shouting. I wanted to go home. It reminded me of being back on the ship. I kept my eyes fixated on Keeya. After a while it was William's turn to make his trade. He looked over his slaves and nodded. He grabbed the shoulder of a older woman, a little boy, and Keeya's sister.
He talked to another man in English. I think he said something like "I'll give you these three for that one."
The man seemed to agree with this and gave William a young man. Then he grabbed his trade and put them with the rest of his slaves. As he dragged away Keeya's sister, Keeya screamed. She knew what was happening. They were trading away her sister. She tried to grab her sister's arm but she got hit with a whip.
I couldn't take it. "Father they can't do that! They are sisters!" I shouted.
"Quiet Lorraine," Father snapped.
"No!" I said. I knew what it felt like to lose your sister. I didn't want that to happen to my friend. Keeya hollered. Her sister cried. I cried too. Life isn't fair. Nothing is fair.
William had two men drag away Keeya. "No!" I shouted. Father glared at me but then went about his job. I hate living in a world with so much terrible. Just when I think things are going okay, the terrible comes back.
I flashed back to the day I found you dead. I ran back to my house and cried. I broke a hole in the window of our apartment with my pillow. I picked up the glass and didn't care when I bled. Mother tried to console me but made everything utterly worse. I miss mother. It stung when she died. It stings now. The terrible makes a sting.
Things were less terrible with you,
Your Sister, Azelma