In 1867, Texas and the rest of the South was still rebuilding after the end of the Civil War. No one thought it would last that long. 4 painstakingly-long years of dreadful, bloody, war. At the end of it all, one would think we, as a nation, could go back to our normal lives, back to living“The American Dream”. However, for most of us in the South that wasn’t the case. Plantation owners worked around the laws, and created a new kind of slavery called sharecropping. You rent land from the owner to grow crops, you end up in debt, he takes most of your crops as a tax, he owns you and gets free labor. It’s as simple as that, and all they had to do was relabel a wicked practice to make it legal again.
“How long is it gonna take you to move that flour?” my father yelled. As I struggled to pick up the bag of flour that was almost half my size I knew that I couldn’t blame him for treating me like this. He was sick and tired from working to try and keep our family afloat, above the sea of debt, for we too were sharecroppers. I braced the bag with my knee and stumbled my way to the other corner of our tiny shack. It was time for spring cleaning, which took all of a few hours, given the size of our living quarters. We slept in the same bed, my mother, father, brother, and I, there was no room, and yet we made room. Every night I hoped 3 more beds would fall from the sky. But I knew that wouldn’t happen, we wouldn’t even have anywhere to put 3 more beds. Most meals consisted of bland flour cakes and other tasteless, cheap food options. What I would give to have a hearty soup, or a steak at times. Without flour cakes my family would have shriveled away into dust months ago. This is because our debt just keeps getting higher and higher because we don’t have nearly enough crops to sell after our harvest gets taxed. Every day I dreamed of a time where I could start over on my own, and leave all of this behind.
Every time I hear his blood-curdling laughter, a part of me dies inside. I don’t even know his name and I doubt he knows mine, and yet I am forced to treat him like a king, sitting atop a throne of crops and land.
“Having fun moving those hay bales sonny?” he croaks.
“I hope you have fun knowing that your entire life is meaningless, and that nobody ever has, does, or will love you.” I fired back.
“You should watch your mouth, with the amount your family owes me, I could have you arrested, maybe even killed!” The wrinkles on his face like the skin of a dried up potato when he talks. Fueled with rage, I finished the tedious, mechanical task he assigned to me, even though I know he made me do it just so he could watch me work endlessly in the sun. He’s sadistic enough to do something like that. I promise myself that if I ever get a chance to be free, I’ll take it, and if I ever get a chance to wipe that ugly, power-hungry grin off his face, I would take that too.
What would I even do with my own life? I thought to myself. I can’t read, write, and I don’t know much other than the right way to do odd jobs around the plantation. It was at that moment that my dad walked over to say something to me.
“Do you wanna help me out with getting some well water? I would appreciate it!”
“Anything to help you out, father.” I said. I acted like I didn’t care, but deep down I did. I hated working with my father because of how frustrated he gets. But I knew that he deserved some help for all that he did for our family. I also hated fetching well water, because it was hot and dry outside, and we weren’t allowed to drink any of the water so that the rest of our family would have some for themselves. It’s like watching someone pour a glass of lemonade into the dirt when they know you have to use the bathroom. Hauling buckets full of well water as someone my size is a feat in its own. Not spilling it was a complete other challenge. It’s hard to not get furious with someone who is only bringing back half the amount of water they collect, but I’ve never seen my father this mad in my life. What he said next, or rather screamed, is what shocked me the most, however.
“Boy you better fetch me a switch right now so I can beat some sense into you!”
It was such a shock to my system that at first I didn’t believe him. My father had never said or done anything like that before. Nonetheless, I decided that it would be better not to test him and to just accept the beating.
It’s important that you know the layout of the plantation before I tell this next part, so listen up. The plantation is a complex operation designed to keep other people out and us in. A large fence surrounds the place, supposedly put up for “security purposes”. This fence is impenetrable. So many others have tried, and failed, to climb, cut through, and run around the fence. Somehow, the hickory tree where I was to grab the switch was right near a corner of the fence. Luck was on my side that day. I hole, just big enough to fit someone my size, tunnelled under the fence. It looked as if a groundhog or dog had dug it. I weighed my options, I could try and run for it, or I could stay and do what I was told to do. I was scared deathless of being caught escaping, but at the same time, someone would probably see the hole and cover it up if I don’t try right now. I took a deep breath, got and my hands and knees, and crawled under that wretched fence.
It was as if I had crossed over into another world. I was no longer a prisoner of debt. I was free, and yet there was my prison within touching distance of me. I realized I didn’t have long before someone noticed I was missing. I covered up the hole, and then ran. I ran, and ran, and ran until I couldn’t run anymore, until my legs begged for mercy, and the heat was like a whip cracking down onto my sun-burnt skin. The truth was that I didn’t have long before I died, the heat would kill me with no water in sight, but at least I would die free. It was a miracle that I was able to find a road. Roads meant civilization, and civilization meant water, and a new life for me. I never found out what happened to my family, but now I have a family of my own. It felt great to rise from the ashes, and continue my family name.