Historical Fiction 一 ❝Nothing in this world worth having comes easy❞
一Diana Gaertner, a southern belle from South Carolina, was destined lead a life of adventure. Following the aftermath of the Civil War, she relocates to San Francisco in an attempt...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
In the days that followed, Diana's mind was adrift like ship lost at sea. Only she wasn't drowning in the ocean, she was being swallowed by the repercussions of the war. As sun rose and the moon fell each day, she became increasingly distant to the land she'd once called home. She felt like a stranger walking a path towards an unknown destination. There was a restlessness within her which grew more and more unbearable as she contemplated her next step and weighed her options.
Thankfully, the others had given her a fairly wide berth as she mulled over her decision. Not a word had been spoken to her since the makeshift funeral service and Diana was thankful for their silence. She didn't need anyone to feel sorry for her or pity her. She needed time. Time to think, time to progress, and time to understand. Even though, she felt as if there wasn't any measure of time that could heal the gaping rift in her soul she wasn't sure if she wanted to mend.
Stepping out of a temporary hut the evening of the seventh day after her family had been laid to rest, she made her away over to the gathering of free people. Dressed only in the plainest clothes with her hair unbound, she felt humbled as she approached the fire pit. The reddish-yellow glow cast off by the flames highlighted their curious gazes as she stepped into the light. With a deep breath, she greeted them with a small tilt of her head,
"Good evening."
Murmured responses echoed through the chilly night air. From their ranks, Ms. Henrietta rose from her seat with a warm, tender expression on her walnut colored face, and with the grace of someone born into the upper echelons of society, she embraced the flaxen headed woman, "Ms. Diana, we are pleased to have you join us for supper. Why don't you have a seat and stay for a little while?"
"I would be honored to spend time with you." Diana smiled as she leaned into the elder woman and allowed Ms. Henrietta to guide her over the latter's previous seat.
Once she was seated, Ollie and one of the boys, named Todd, offered her food and drink. It was a simplistic meal of warm biscuits and hardy grits accompanied by a strong mug of coffee. Bringing the cup to her lips, she inhaled the rich, earthy scent wafting from the dark liquid before sipping on it daintily.
"We know it's not much, but we hope it is satisfactory, Ms. Diana." Ollie said as she claimed the seat beside her.
Diana waved off the other woman, offering a gentle smile as she began to nimble on a biscuit, "Ollie, anything is more than enough when you're among friends. Call me Diana, we are equals now."
As the words left her mouth, the young woman watched as the faces of her companions transformed from uncertainty to awe. The notion of being equals hadn't been cross their minds until the war brought it into fruition. Not that Johann Gaertner was a cruel master by any standard, he was benevolent and looked out for his slaves well being. He, himself, had freed many negros over the years in seven year cycles of servitude, which he supported by quoting verses from Deuteronomy in the old testament to justify his actions to his peers. In his daughter's mind, it only felt right to follow in her father's footsteps and allow them the freedom they truly deserved.
