Could she have shown terror to her master? He might have whipped her.
A crazy thought came to me. Alexander and this actor looked similar. They could have easily been brothers.
Is that how his body looks when he’s naked? Wait. Stop it.
The slave master ran his fingers through her short afro. “I would do anything for you, Fanny.”
Fanny? Is this about Tom Fullbrooke and his slave? No wonder everyone around here is going crazy.
I sat down on the bed and turned the volume up.
“Everything changed, when I bought you.” Tom kissed each of her fingers. “I’ll do anything for you, my love.”
Her bottom lip shivered and then she whispered, “Would you set me free?”
The passion in his eyes disappeared within seconds. Rage entered. He sat up in bed. “Don’t you ever ask me a thing like that again. Don’t I treat you right?”
“Yes, master.”
“Don’t I look after you, girl?”
“Yes, master.”
I shut the TV off. “What kind of craziness is this? We can’t think of a better topic than this for television?”
Annoyed, I set the remote control down, took off my clothes, and headed into the shower.
The colors of love my ass.
Chapter 11
A Brutal History
Alexander
After leaving Haven, I took a shower, threw on some jogging pants and settled on the bed. The Fullbrooke Six’s files were spread out in front of me. Although I knew all of the details by heart, I wanted to go over everything again.
Haven was the key today.
I would keep her close for the rest of the week. I still wasn’t sure if I should send her next week or not. I’d meant what I told her earlier. I didn’t want any new nightmares from her being harmed.
She’ll stay by my side for now.
Her being so close to me could cause other problems.
Why the hell does she have to be so enchanting?
As soon as I thought about her scent and that gorgeous face, all productivity left me. I put the files away and lay back on my pillow.
Like I said. She’s a goddamn distraction.
That soft voice filled my head.
Stop thinking about her. Find something else to focus on.
I pulled out my phone and turned it on. A bunch of ads came up for the Colors of Love. Apparently, the network would be allowing everyone to look at the first three episodes for free.
I read over the summary.
This is about the town founder. It could be interesting.
I pressed on the first episode. When I spotted the slave auction, I skipped through it. Although I had majored in Criminal Studies at my university, I minored in American history. Unfortunately, slavery played a significant role in the country’s past. And none of it was bright and cheery.
How much will they get right?
On the phone’s screen, Tom Fullbrooke sat at the head of the table.
I sighed.
I guess I do look like him a little.
His wife Jane Fullbrooke was on his left. His sons Tom Jr and Michael were on the right.
Fanny held a porcelain bowl in her hands and brought it over to the table.
The wife glared at her.
This must’ve been the first night Fanny served them. Last weekend, I’d gone to the Fullbrooke Museum and checked out some of the artifacts within that bricked space. From there, I’d learned a lot about this town’s founder and dark history.
Fanny may have started as a scared slave, but soon she gained some small power on that plantation. Not enough to free herself and others, but enough to survive. Historically, female house slaves formed very close attachments to their mistresses. Many of the mistresses used the house slaves to act as informants on the other enslaved. Daily, the house slaves reported back all activities.
But for the women that cooked and waited upon tables, they served the slave community as rich sources of information, gossip, and warnings.
Fanny had been the same figure on that plantation. I wondered if they would show that part too.
Why did they decide to show this part of history, instead of another? Surely, there are more uplifting multicultural romances than this.
On the phone, a young black child stood near the wall and played the violin while Tom and his family sat at the table and listened.
They’ve got this part wrong, but I understand why the show would change it.
Usually, the kid would have played naked. The master distributed clothing once a year and it was often at Christmas time. These items were apportioned according to sex, age, and labor. Children often went unclothed entirely until they reached adolescence.
Granted, house slaves tended to be dressed in more modesty, sometimes in the hand-me-downs of masters and mistresses. Most slaves lived in similar dwellings; simple cabins furnished sparely. A few were given rooms in the main house.
I knew from the museum visit that Fanny had remained in the Fullbrooke home. Not only did she cook and serve all of the family’s dishes. She was forced to take care of the master’s sexual needs late in the evening.
Did his wife Jane know? She must have. How much will they put on the show? How much did Fullbrooke’s actions shape the people of this town?
I watched as Fanny walked to the end of the table where other trays of food had been laid out.
In the past, dinner was the largest meal of the day for the owner’s family. The mistress always stopped her work in the house or garden. The children quickly finished any schoolwork. And the plantation owner hurried out from his fields or departed from his office. Together, the family gathered at the table as the house slaves served the meal.
Many mistresses required their slaves to whistle while they carried trays of food to the table. The theory was that a whistling slave could not take a bite of food. The mistresses feared that the meal would entice the cooks to sample because none of the house slaves ate the same food. They merely cooked and served it.
In the show, Fanny whistled and carried dishes to the table.
They’ve got this right.
Tom’s mouth curved into a wicked smile. “And what do we have today, Fanny?”
His wife Jane spoke up, “I selected your favorite darling—oyster stuffed quails. This should be mashed potatoes. Where’s the gravy, Fanny?”
“I’m sorry. I will get it, mistress.” Fanny set the porcelain bowl on the table and hurried away.
Tom watched Fanny rush to the kitchen. “Thank you for dinner, Jane. You have done well.”
Smiling, Jane unfolded her napkin.
It was clear the show had made Jane the villain, but there were more that should be labeled. Tom Fullbrooke was no hero. Neither were his sons. According to the museum, they grew up and followed in their father’s footsteps, raping and impregnating slaves all over their plantation.
Colors of Love? This should have been called the Tragedy of this Country.
I shook my head and considered shutting the episode off. But for some reason, I forced myself to watch to the end. I never had to be a slave or experience these injustices. The least I could have done was witness the atrocities of other white men, and do my best to never walk down that dark road.
And would they show the truth of Fanny? The reason why many of this town’s black men and women celebrated her?
Fanny had done more in her life than serve the family dinner and even have sex with her master late at night.