Page 43 of Under the Tulip Tree
I barely acknowledged him before turning away. I wasn’t sure why, but I disliked the man greatly. He was too courteous. Too handsome. Too... everything.
“Frankie has agreed to become the laundress for the officers,” Illa said, pleasure in her voice.
I didn’t look at her or Sam.
“That’s mighty fine news. I’m sure they’ll appreciate your work.”
It seemed rude to completely ignore him, so I gave a quicknod without looking up. I stood and dusted off my hands. “I best get inside, out of the sun.”
“I’ll meet thee at the officers’ quarters at dawn.” I found a smile on Illa’s face. “The morning air will do us good after all this heat.”
Without meaning to, my gaze shifted to Sam. His grin revealed teeth as straight and white as Hank’s. I guessed he was mighty proud of them since he showed them off all the time.
Before he could say anything else, I ducked into the tent, belatedly remembering why I’d abandoned it earlier. The air was stifling. I’d wait until they walked away before going outside again.
I lay down on my cot, thinking it’d be cooler if I could just be still awhile. I closed my eyes, feigning sleep should anyone peek inside the tent. My mind, however, whirled like a twister.
I had a job. A real job. For the first time in my life, I’d be paid for my work.
My eyes flew open. Panic surged ahead of my elation.
I’d never dealt much with the soldiers. They weren’t too friendly, and Nell and I determined it best to keep our distance. Would the officers be demanding and cruel like a master? What if I ruined their clothes? Lye soap wasn’t always dependable. And what of their blue jackets? Surely the wool they were made from couldn’t be washed. How would I ever get them clean?
Sweat broke out on my forehead.
What punishment would I receive if I couldn’t do the jobproperly? Would they beat me like an unsatisfied master? Send me to prison with Hank?
My heart hammered.
Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted the job. I’d never tended a white person’s laundry before. Not even for Mr. Waters. He and his family had house servants who took care of their personal needs. I’d simply cleaned the warehouse and offices and run an occasional errand.
“You’re a smart girl, Frankie. Ain’t nothin’ you can’t do if you set your mind to it.”
Mammy’s voice in my head stilled my racing thoughts.
Mammy’d always said things like that, trying to teach me even though I was so hardheaded. I couldn’t recall what I’d been trying to accomplish on that long-ago day, but her encouragement returned to me as clear as the blue sky above. In the short time I’d had with her, she’d tried to instill in me a confidence that seemed in direct contrast to our position as slaves. I knew she’d been an obedient servant to the Halls, but her desire for freedom and hope for a better life for her children never waned. Maybe confidence in oneself had nothing to do with what other folks thought or did. Maybe it was deep down inside you, just waiting to be let loose like a spring of water gushing to the surface.
What would Mammy think of me hiring myself out to wash Yankee officers’ drawers?
I chuckled, then sobered.
I’d been thinking about Mammy a lot lately. When I first came to the contraband camp, I searched for her. Every dayI’d ask newcomers if they knew Lucindia from the Halls’ plantation, but no one ever did. I dreamed of finding her once we were truly free, no matter how long it took.
I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out.
Mammy would want me to take the job. “I’ll make you proud, Mammy,” I whispered into the hot breeze coming through the flap.
The next morning, I was up long before the sun. Snores came from Nell’s side of the tent as I tiptoed outside to greet the day. I hadn’t left the contraband camp too many times in the months I’d been here. I had nowhere to go. While we weren’t required to carry a pass as we’d needed to when we were slaves, the soldiers guarding the entrance to camp made certain to ask me my business before letting me go any further. Miz Illa said the soldiers were there to keep us all safe from our former owners and those who’d want to steal us away to sell us, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was doing something wrong by leaving camp each time I passed their stony faces.
The soldier camp was located between the contraband camp and the fort. I made my way there, feeling the outsider. No one bothered me, and some of the men even tipped their heads politely as I walked past, but mostly I was ignored. I saw several women from the contraband camp already busy cooking over fires or carrying baskets of laundry.
True to her word, Illa met me at the far end of the soldier camp where the officers lived. Those men didn’t sleep in canvas tents like the enlisted men. Cabins and a number of larger buildings had been constructed for their use.
“Good morning, Frankie.” Illa’s bright smile rivaled the sun just peeking over the eastern horizon, tinging the sky with shades of pink, blue, and gold. “I’m happy thee did agree to this job. I think thee will find it rewarding in the long run.”
I followed her to the back of one of the larger buildings. Several big kettles hung over bricked circles where the remains of fires lay. I counted five in all. Beyond that, lines were strung in rows for clothes to dry on.
“There are baskets in each of the men’s quarters where they leave their laundry.” She pointed to the cabins. “Thee will want to make note of which basket belongs to whom, to avoid getting them mixed up.”
