Spirit Ran Free
Chapter Two / Page Four

Paul Marceau was rather a more refined, gentler master. His cotton plantation was richly impressive. There were many Black slaves working the fields, while the Marceau mansion was quite magnificent. Christina Marceau, Paul's socialite wife, a modest brunette lady absolutely adored the shy African girl. For that reason, the young Dahomey princess was given the privileged duty of caring for the Marceau's three small children. Christina actually enhanced her slavish role to that of a highly respected nanny. Quite often, she enjoyed having Lyakena dance to entertain her affluent socialite friends. She regarded Lyakena's African dance talent as classical cultural art. More importantly even in going against the inferior slave laws, which forbade educating any Negro, the lady vigorously insisted to her husband that their children's nanny should have a decent education. Christina herself, taught the princess to speak, read and write English. Lyakena loved it. The idea of being allowed a book education really excited her. And while her pregnant stomach swelled with Prince Jaakeem's child, she burned the lantern reading books with a passion.

In March, but only one month after she'd turned seventeen, Lyakena was lying on her bed drenched with piercing pain and childbirth sweat.

"Open your legs, honey," Miss Josie, the old midwife said. "Lord, it near done killed you. But it ain't be long now, child."

One heartbeat later, Lyakena delivered her baby into an icy world of slavery. The very second after her son flowed from her body, she heard a shower of rain falling from the sky and she didn't think about slavery. Birthing her child wasn't about slavery. It was about being a mother. It was about being proud of her child's father. Still, she got angry when Miss Josie took her naked baby and walked out into the falling rain.

A few minutes later, Miss Josie returned. "You ain't gonna have no more babies, child. But this here is your great son. He done been blessed. Done been blessed in the tinctured rain."

Cont. / Page 5

the author


Forest Hairston