The Color Of The Soul (The Penbrook Diaries) (29 page)

Andy stopped reading. His eyes scanned
over what he’d read. Rae. Elijah. Andy. Miss Penbrook’s diaries had suddenly
begun detailing
his own
life.

1918

Andy
is the light of my life. He comes to my door often. I’m teaching him to read.
He’s the brightest child I’ve ever seen. His skin is light, but not light
enough to pass. If it were, I’d send him north to a school where he would have
a better chance in life. But then perhaps, God’s will is that the lies end. If
only the people God created could see past color into the soul the way He does.

Andy’s heart pounded inside his chest.

1922

I
have no choice. I must send Andy away or Elijah will kill him in a fit of rage.
Daniel and Lois have readily agreed to take him in. My granddaughter wept
bitterly and clung to the boy when I told her what must be done. But she knows
it is the only way to save him. His life will be spared. And he will have a
future that is worth more than tending fields.

Who
knows if perhaps my little Andy is the very reason God delivered Daniel from
the mouth of the lion?

Overwhelmed, Andy leaned back in his chair
and let the fact sink in that Miss Penbrook was his great-grandmother. Henry
Jr., his grandfather. All of his sketchy memories of childhood seemed clearer
now. He remembered Miss Penbrook giving him cookies and lemonade, listening to
his stories, and applauding his genius. The memories came back with more
clarity now that he knew who the old woman in his mind happened to be.

He had question upon question to ask her.
But more than anything, he wanted to gather the frail old woman, his
great-grandmother, in his arms and squeeze out all the hurt she’d endured in
her lifetime.

He shot to his feet and raced down the
hall to her room. Stopping before her door, he composed himself. His light tap
elicited no response, so he opened the door and slipped inside.

The old lady lay facing the window.
Bathed in light, her face shone.

Andy caught his breath at the expression
of rapture on her face. “Miss Penbrook?”

She remained still. Andy stepped closer.
Tear sprang to his eyes. She stared, but didn’t see. Now he understood the
smile on her lips. Miss Penbrook had seen the face of Jesus.

He took her cold hand and pressed it to
his lips. “Thank you, Catherina. Thank you for everything.”

Laying her hand back on her chest, he
called for Delta.

Andy left the room, his mind still
spinning from the discovery that he had a full heritage.
Black
and white, rich and poor.
Young and old.

Three
days later

The burial took place in the little
cemetery at the edge of the woods behind Penbrook House. In a letter of
instruction, Miss Penbrook had hand picked each of the mourners she wanted to
attend her funeral. She was laid to rest next to Shaw in the old slave
cemetery.

At the old woman’s request, Andy gave the
eulogy. Now he understood the reason for the diaries. He stood at the graveside
and took in the sight of his large family.

“On a hot Georgia day in 1852, a woman
name Naomi stood on the auction block. They were selling her, apart from her
baby. In a moment of desperation, she snatched her four-year-old daughter and
tried to run away. A woman named Madeline Penbrook saw the tragedy playing out
before her and dared to change the lives of a slave woman and a little girl
named Catherina.”

Epilogue

Andy smiled down at his daughter as she
squirmed against his chest and made cooing baby noises. He knew she wouldn’t be
satisfied with him for long. But for now, he relished the warmth of her little
body, the soft scent of her recent bath.

“Let’s let Mama sleep for a few more
minutes, little one.”

At the sound of his voice, the baby
stopped squirming and stared back at him with curious assessment. Wild love
swelled his chest every time he looked at his baby girl.

“Cat’s awake?” Lexie’s sleepy tone spoke
from the bed

Andy smiled and nodded. “Only for a few
minutes.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

The baby let out a hungry wail. Andy
chuckled. “We were just about to.”

He walked to the bed and laid his
beautiful daughter in his wife’s arms. “Catherina Carmichael, you are loved.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and marveled at the sight of the two females in
his life.

He stroked the baby’s satiny head as she
latched on to her mother’s breast. The decision to name the baby after Cat had
been an easy one. He and Lexie had agreed that in many ways the elderly woman
had saved their marriage. To be sure, Andy’s trip south had been
life-changing
. In the aftermath, he’d reconnected with his
wife. Had reconnected with the
Rileys
. And most
important, had reconnected with God.

Though Andy had returned to Chicago after
his great-grandmother’s funeral, his thoughts often turned to Georgia. Along
with several thousand dollars, Cat had willed him the Penbrook diaries, minus
those she’d set aside for Jonas. The inheritance had been more than he ever
dreamed he might receive.

Andy hadn’t been surprised that Cat had
willed Penbrook to Daniel Riley. Indeed, Andy would have been afraid to accept
if she’d willed it to him.
Especially after his run-ins with
the Klan; specifically, his half-brother, Sam.

A year after Rafe and Ruthie’s deaths, no
one had been arrested for their murder. Andy had strongly suggested that his
southern family pursue justice. But in spite of their bitterness, no one was
brave enough to follow through. Perhaps they would, some day. But for now, fear
kept them quiet and a murderer stayed free.

A soft snore captured his attention.
Lexie had fallen asleep with Cat at her breast. His lips pulled into a smile at
his wide-eyed daughter. Now with a fully belly, Cat obviously wasn’t ready to
go back to sleep. She stared up at him with beautiful brown eyes. Her lips
puckered and she cooed as though longing to share all the love in her heart.
Enchanted, he lifted her in his arms and walked across the room to the rocking
chair.

In this baby he saw all that was good
about the world. The innocence of a
child
who had
never known bigotry, who would never have to hide who she was.

He prayed that her soul would stay as
pure and unfettered as it was this day. Only God knew the future for Cat, but
Andy intended to do all he could to see that she lived, loved, hoped, dreamed,
had
all the opportunities to be all she was created to be.
Unlike her predecessor, his Catherina had been born free. And with God’s grace,
Andy would see to it that she remained free.

THE END