Authors: Lynelle Clark
disdain towards him. He slapped her and dropped her on
the deck. Every eye was on us. I felt so ashamed.
Alfonso came and helped me with her and led me to
our cabin. Cisco disappeared and Faro went back to the
Captain's cabin, no doubt.
The next day I heard the rumours that some of the
slave girls entertained them during the night. One woman,
robust and ample in her curves, sneered at me today. High
and mighty, she looked down at me as if I am beneath her.
Her dress revealed everything. Her yellow teeth
were a sharp contrast against her pale skin. She reeked of
alcohol and tobacco, Faro's favourite vices besides women.
No doubt she was one of the favourites.
How could he embarrass me like this? He has no
respect for me or Rosa-Lee.
I saw Kayla again, briefly. She looked down at me
and refused to speak to me. What I did to her I don't know.
†††
September 22, 1621
I cannot believe what I saw today. The captain
flogged Cisco like an animal. My heart was ripped in
pieces as I watched in horror, that giant of a man sprawled
out against the ropes and flogged like a common criminal.
They all laughed and joked about him, and like the
man I know he is, he took it silently. His skin split open as
blood seeped from his wounds. He was covered in his own
blood from the shoulders down. How could he endure it?
I tried to run to him but someone held me back.
Sobs wracked through me as he arched in pain
when the salt water splashed over him. He roared in agony
and four men carried him away. He was limp between
them. He had to be unconscious. When I wanted to go to
him the captain refused my request.
How can I sit here and know that he is in pain? I
must do something.
I need to find away.
I am just glad that Rosa-Lee did not witness this
brutality.
My heart aches for her and for him. She searched
for him all day but I simply had no heart to tell her the
truth. It would break her heart.
†††
September 23, 1621
Finally Alfonso managed to get me to Cisco. When I
reached him he had a high fever. I brought some ointment
and tended his wounds. He was delirious, calling out my
name. I made him as comfortable as I could. For a long
time I sat next to him and watched as he slept. Several
times I calmed him down when the fever-induced dreams
made him want to get out of the bed. The moment I spoke to
him and told him how much I love him he was peaceful and
slept. I wanted to stay but Alfonso convinced me it would
not be wise for the captain to find me there.
At least I know he will be all right tonight. Alfonso
promised me he will stay close and let me know if anything
changes.
I miss Cisco.
†††
September 26, 1621
Today the sea was stormy. The clouds formed over
us, dark and menacing. But at least Cisco is better. He had
his first meal in three days. Alfonso assured me he would
be all right. I could only see him for short intervals in the
last few days. Alfonso guarded the door at all times.
Cisco is strong. I know that. But I cleaned and
tended the wounds the best I could.
Soon he will be up. I actually loved this time. I
could attend to him and touch him often. I know I love him.
Somehow I will find a way to be with him always.
But I must admit the weather has me worried. Even
the captain is not his usual confident self. I really hope the
ship will hold up.
It took a while to get Rosa-Lee to sleep. The motion
of the ship where more fierce than what we are used to. It
rolls from side to side, the upper decks swaying into the
waves. My stomach churns with every motion.
Oh Lord, keep us safe. Help us to find a way to be
together.
1
December 25, 1623
It has been two years since our journey of survival
began in Africa. Two years since I have written anything
down in my diary, the only book I was able to save on that
hopeless night of September 29, 1621.
But before I capture those terrible events, I want to
pen down my love's reaction to the estate we will be living
in for the rest of our lives.
In the end it became possible for us to be together.
The price was high but we have survived and I know with
Cisco at my side I can face anything else.
As a Christmas gift I gave him full ownership of my
estate. It has been handed down from generation to
generation of
Artiagas
. I knew he would be the perfect land
owner to continue the legacy my family started, and that my
inheritance was safe.
When Rosa-Lee climbed on his lap to give him a big
wet kiss he smiled down at her and gave her a bear hug.
The last few days he had been extremely emotional. We
both felt a deep compassion for him. I feel proud to know
this man, my husband, Cisco Almaida. When I handed him
the papers he was shocked. Disbelief shone clear in the
blue depths of his eyes. He had the same expression when
we first arrived two days ago.
He could not believe the large estate or the castle,
built by my great-great grandfather all those years ago.
When we arrived Cisco only stared at the estate, the
manicured gardens and lawns only yellow due to the cold
weather, and I had to encourage him to step into the castle
as man of the house. This was more than he ever dreamed
of. His mind was stunned and dumbfounded at the
magnitude of the riches he faced.
I had told him about the place, to prepare him, but I
knew he would only appreciate it fully when he saw it.
He stood in the enormous foyer of the castle and
gaped in awe. The magnificent wooden staircase spiralled
to the upper levels. The black and white marble tiles
gleamed in the late sunlight. Fires were already laid all
through the house, for which we were grateful. The staff
had done a magnificent work in maintaining the place
while we were gone.
He felt overwhelmed by it all until Rosa-Lee
reached for his hand and walked with him to the parlour
with its exquisite furniture, tapestries and golden framed
paintings of past generations. She chattered nonstop, even
if it was her first visit. But the difference was she is used to
these riches and he was not.
After we settled in, he walked the estate over the
next two days, and I showed him the inheritance.
Surrounded with a rapid-flowing river with tree lines on
both sides, the castle looked impressive, built out of stones
and brick, standing three stories tall in the Portugal sun.
Each room was filled with generations worth of treasures;
heavy hand crafted furniture, art, and family portraits,
tapestries bought in India, China, Spain and Africa, rich in
colour, hung on the walls.
At first, he could not comprehend the papers, or his
new title as land owner. He struggled for words this
morning, but accepted the responsibilities as property
owner. This was a difficult time for Portugal. The country
was in a transitional phase and landowners were often
unfair dictators. But I knew he was wise and would treat
his people with respect and kindness. He would give them
what was fair, distributing our wealth for the benefit of all.
Cisco is willing to learn. His good, kind heart
draws people closer. Already he and Franco, the manager
of the estate, have a close friendship. His first lesson was to
learn to ride his horse, another present from Rosa-Lee. She
was so excited when the horse was presented to him that
she giggled with pure joy. His face lit up in childlike
wonder at the powerfully-muscled black stallion. When he
approached the animal the horse responded in like fashion.
It took us a while to get him back in the house.
What a delight the day has been. Alfonso will leave
soon on the ship Cisco received from the D.E.I.C. for his
brave efforts during the last two years. Kayla and Derek
will leave for their new home in Spain and the house will
become ours alone. There are so many things I still want to
show him. I can hardly wait.
But tonight I will give him his greatest gift when I
reveal my pregnancy to him. I just know this will leave him
speechless.
†††
It was the year 1641 on the south coast of Portugal.
The lone figure of a young woman looked over the vast
blue sea. A breeze rippled playfully on the water's surface.
To her it spelt trouble, haunting her thoughts with
what if's,
reliving the past as if it were just yesterday, crystal clear in
her mind. Every day for the last two weeks she had looked
at the horizon, hoping to see her father's well-known
merchant ship with his ensign flag appear. But there was no
sign. The foreboding feelings accumulated again within her
heart, making her anxious and troubled.
While she waited she read her parents' diaries, a
present for her eighteenth birthday, and her most treasured
possessions in the whole world, for the umpteenth time.
The leather-bound books were soft under her touch, the
papers already yellowing. She had read them so often that
she knew them by heart, but still they evoked in her a sense
of belonging. They held her past but also her future. At
twenty-four she knew her future would be colourful and
beautiful. She felt safe when reading the pages, and knew if
they had made it, she would make it as well.
Coming on the ship was her eagerly-awaited
younger brother, only sixteen years of age. He had been so
excited about his first voyage as a sailor that they could
hardly stay in the same house with him. Their father had
taught them all about the sea since they could understand
and walk.
He had taught them to read the stars at night, to read
charts, navigating their own way. He sent them on the ship
for countless lessons; lessons they never tired of.
Pedro always had a bigger love for the sea. He was
more like their father in his kind-heartedness, and was a
gentle giant with dark blond hair. He was more excited
about the lifestyle of a sailor, exploring new countries,
loving the openness of the seas. Their father told the stories
of his adventures and especially the time she, Rosa-Lee,
and their mother had met him. He was still a sailor then,
and the tale included the two years it took them to get back
to Portugal after leaving India, where their journey had
begun and Rosa-Lee had been born.
As a birthday gift, her father had given Pedro the
position of cabin boy to Captain Alfonso, his good friend,
to go out to India. He went away for seven months, and by
her father's calculations, he should have already been back.