James hang him head, tears trickling down him face. ‘But I love it,’ he say, and I can hear the torment in him voice. ‘Make me feel good. Make me forget me born a slave.’

James not as strong as me, as Stella, as Sammy. Him have a tender streak. If we not careful, don’t watch out for him, him going get crushed like the cane stalks up in the mill.

Trying to cheer him up. ‘Race you to that crab wood,’ I say.

And then we both start running, like some rolling calf duppie with him big fiery eyes chasing after us.

Visitors

All the oil lamps burning in the Great House. Massa cousin them coming from the Mother Country to visit Rock Pleasant and is all anybody can talk bout. Is the first time we have visitors from cross the seas. It cause Stella plenty upset because Mistress Margaret turn hawk, checking on every little thing she do. Mean Stella snake rear up and she strike left, right, centre, even the extra slave girls she bring in from the fields to help clean and scrub the Great House from top to bottom. Can’t stop work till all the silver them shining like the sun. And every night Stella stay up late making new curtains, sewing cushion covers, to ‘brighten the place up’.

Inside the kitchen, Melon all a-flutter. She have a few extra helpers scrubbing floors and ovens, cleaning up the fireplace where she hang the boiling pots, and she slapping and bossing all of them round just like Stella. Poor Mary, she make her scrub all the pots and pans over and over again till them look brand new. Mistress Margaret been coming down on her too. Most times she know to stay out of Melon kitchen, but since the news reach us bout them cousins, she in and out like she know how to cook.

‘Stupid woman. Get in’a me way,’ Melon muttering. ‘She not know pot from pan. Yam from sweet potato. If she not leave tings alone, me going sit right down, not move a finga.’

Finally the big day arrive. And what a whole heap of ruckus Massa family cause when them drive through the entrance to the plantation in them fancy carriage, till them drive back the way they came. Nothing but a whole heap of ruckus!

Is Massa first cousin on Old Massa William side. Master Jack and Mistress Caroline, same blood, but they talk, walk, act different, look at the world through different eyes. Skin pale like the colour of milk. They even bring two white servants with them from the Mother Country to help them dress when they wake, help them put on night clothes when them ready for sleep. Is funny. Massa don’t need nobody to dress him. And every time Master and Mistress look pon us, they don’t know which way to turn.