Darkness

May 26, 1812

Homochitto

Moses

The day has come. How? I don’t know, but somehow, I am being allowed to marry my love. Our home is ready, the lawn has been transformed into a wedding bower, all of the slaves on the plantation are gathered together along with most of Gregor’s crew and a number of other guests, and I am about to make Dalila my wife.

I have to find a way not to burst out crying, so intense is the emotion that I feel over this day.

Gregor reaches out and puts his hand on my shoulder. We are standing together under the arch, woven about with flowers and leaves, waiting for the bride. The morning sun is streaming over us, slanting from the east, the sky clear and blue and lovely, the weather pleasantly warm. Everything is perfect. And I am glad that my friend is the one standing here with me.

He gives me a smile and an encouraging nod of his head.

I hear some murmurs from the shockingly large crowd of people gathered around. There must be a hundred guests watching, all the slaves from here, most of Gregor’s crew, the Duncans, the Slavsons, the overseer and his wife, a few others. It moves me to have so many people here to witness our unlikely pairing. They are turning their heads, to watch as Dalila appears at the doorway of the Duncans’ home, accompanied by her daughter and her mistress, wearing a simple yet beautiful white gown trimmed with green, and a red cord wrapped artfully around her waist. A garland of yellow flowers is on her head. Her midnight skin is a breathtaking contrast to the yellow and green and white of her garments, as though the nighttime has come to me cloaked in nature, and the tears that I had hoped to suppress are already threatening to flow. I wipe my eyes as I watch the three slowly walk towards me, Dalila between Ayola and Margaret.

The world can contain no more beautiful sight than the woman I see walking towards me right now, her eyes focused only on me, a gentle smile upon her beautiful lips. The audience smiles as she gently nudges her little girl to sit down on a chair at the front next to Gregor’s wife, and then Dalila turns to me.

She takes my hand. Margaret leaves her with me, and goes to sit next to her husband, and takes his. I cannot believe that I am to be able to call this woman my wife, just as Stephen can call Margaret.

Dalila looks deeply into my eyes, her dark gaze filled with meaning and longing and love.

Rosy

Ayola perches on the seat right next to me, and immediately takes Vernon’s little hand in hers. He is awake, and I know that with her touching him, he will feel good and happy and won’t fuss during the service. I wonder if she did this on purpose. She looks up at me with a darling little smile and nods.

She is so much like Gregor. Always trying to see to the happiness of other people. “Thank you, Ayola,” I whisper down to her. “Now let’s watch.” Her eyes turn to the scene in front of us, the people that she loves the most standing together, Gregor and Dalila and Moses.

Gregor looks as handsome as ever, wearing one of his nicest suits to mark the importance of the occasion. Dalila has the lovely white dress, trimmed in green, and Moses is wearing a matching shirt which Hester also made for him. They look absolutely beautiful together.

My husband gives them a meaningful look and a nod, checking to see if they are ready, then he smiles around at everyone here. There are so many of us, free people, slaves, all sorts of folks. Gregor says, raising his voice a little so that everyone can hear him, “Thank you, friends, for all coming together to watch as Moses and Dalila become one.”

He focuses on the couple before him, looking back and forth between them, and tells them, “As you begin your journey through life together may I offer, for your consideration, some very important virtues? Among these are: Love, Loyalty, Respect, Trust, and Understanding. These are solid foundations for a happy and enduring home.”

This doesn’t sound much like our wedding, or Margaret and Stephen’s wedding. But that seems right - we aren’t at a church, we are outdoors at a plantation on a beautiful, warm spring day. And this isn’t a normal wedding, and won’t even really be a legal marriage. Gregor has explained to me how, since Dalila is a slave, technically her owner could just sell her, and that would be the end of that. How horrifying. But I know that Margaret would never allow that, and I don’t think Stephen would consider it either.

Gregor continues, smiling at Moses and Dalila, “My advice for you is to make sure that every day for at least a little while, no matter how busy you are with all of the many events of life, you spend some time thinking about how blessed you are to have found each other. Always remember to appreciate that wonderful person that you wake up with each morning and go to sleep next to each night. Tell yourself every day at least once, as you look into the face of your beloved, ‘I am so lucky!’”

My heart fills with love, and I feel a hint of tears, as I see him meet my eyes, looking at me deliberately as he says that last part, and I know he is sending me the message that he feels lucky. I’ll still never understand why, but I know that he loves me fiercely, as much as I love him. Watching him sharing his advice with our friends makes me love him even more.

I see Margaret take Stephen’s hand as they continue to listen to Gregor speaking.

“If your highest priority in life is to make sure that your mate is happy, then you will guarantee that your marriage will be a happy one. If the well-being of your spouse is more important to you than anything else, then your marriage is sure to be a healthy one. If making each other’s wishes come true is your favorite activity, then your marriage will certainly be a fulfilling one. And if the safety and comfort of your partner is your greatest concern, then your marriage will always be a secure and peaceful one.”

Everything he is saying is so true. I hope that everybody here is listening.

He looks over to Margaret, and then to Hester who is sitting apart with the slaves, and says, “Ladies?”

They leave their seats to come forward, and unwind a red cord which is wrapped around Dalila’s waist, while she lifts her arms a little to allow them access. Margaret hands the cord to Gregor, smiles again at Dalila, then she and Hester return to their seats.

Gregor holds the cord up so that everyone can see it, then he tells Moses and Dalila to hold hands. He starts winding the cord around their wrists, and says, “This cord, binding you together, as your hearts are bound together, shows that your lives are now forever entwined. Together, through your love for each other, you will find a way to overcome any challenges that you might face.“

Dalila is looking up at Moses, I see, their hands clasped together, their wrists joined by the cord. Her face is full of joy, but her eyes are dry. It is Moses who has to reach up with his free hand to wipe his eyes.

Gregor reaches out and touches both of their clasped hands together, and says, “A traditional wedding blessing of one of the groups of native people who have long lived in this land is:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life together. And may your days be good and long upon the earth. Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.”

He lets go of their hands, and looks back and forth between them again. “Moses and Dalila, you are about to make solemn promises to one another. Today, these vows are beautiful words representing even more beautiful intentions. But you will find that as you live these vows over the years, investing your time and your love and your commitment to one another, the happy times of your life will be twice as joyous, because there will be someone to share the joy with. And when life gets tough, it will only be half as bad, because there will be someone by your side to help carry the burden.”

He turns to his friend, and says, “Moses, do you promise to always love and protect Dalila, every day for the rest of your life?”

Moses says, in a voice so full of emotion that I can tell he can barely speak, “Yes, I promise.”

Gregor smiles at Dalila, and asks, “Dalila, do you promise to always love and protect Moses, every day for the rest of your life?”

Her gentle voice is steady as she says, “Yes, I promise.”

Gregor grins. I know the ceremony is almost over. He had practiced it for me last night, to see if I thought it sounded all right, and I assured him that everything was perfect and beautiful. He says, “In the words of a traditional Irish blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home

And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May God be with you and bless you:

May you see your children’s children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings.

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

May green be the grass you walk on,

May blue be the skies above you,

May pure be the joys that surround you,

May true be the hearts that love you.”

This is all so sweet, watching Moses and Dalila in their happiness, hearing my own husband speaking such beautiful words in this gorgeous setting, that I am feeling very emotional. I think I’m not the only one. I hear a few sniffs coming from the people in the crowd behind me.

Gregor gets a big grin on his face, as he tells them, “And now, turn to face the loved ones who are here supporting you as you begin your life together.” They can’t just spin around with their hands tied together, they have to figure out how to walk all the way around each other to face the other direction. When they have managed that, Gregor says from behind them, “On the ground there in front of you is a humble broomstick, a tool used for cleaning and caretaking, symbolizing service, but also a hope that all problems will be swept away. Your wrists are tied together so that you will face this first obstacle of your married life as one. You must jump over this broom together, and when you land on the other side, joining your friends and family, you will do so as husband and wife.”

They turn to each other, and lift their joined hands, and with big smiles on both of their faces jump up and over the broom. When their feet touch the ground on the other side, Ayola squeals a high-pitched shriek of delight, which causes everyone else in the audience to burst out into cheers and applause.

And it is done. Dalila and Moses are married.