52
He was taken to Fredrick.
Nathaniel didn’t know what to think of Fredrick. He knew him by name, knew him by his wealth, and had passed him on the streets numerous times yet just like everyone else in town he barely knew Fredrick. What he and everyone else did know though was he wasn’t a kind man. Many hopeful miners had gone to him for employment, hoping to make their fortune off him and he turned down every single one, opting only to buy the children of poor families who would sell their children for a little cash.
One of these unlucky ones was Nathaniel. Although, he didn’t know for sure how much Fredrick paid his father.
On his first day in Fredrick’s house, he didn’t meet the man personally but he met his housekeeper, a solemn Gaboran woman with fizzy brownish-red hair and a large bosom. She took him to a fairly large room. It was sparsely decorated but Nathaniel couldn’t tell when all he had ever known in his life was the walls of the boarding house he was born and brought up in. The high windows looked over the blossoming country. He took in a deep breath of air, the air was heavy with the smell of dirt, poverty, fish, beer, and the saltiness of the ocean. For the first time, he wondered what his mother was doing. Hopefully, with the money Johann received for his sale to Fredrick, he will leave Anja alone now.
Nathaniel gazed at the ocean where the sky met the sea and wondered if freedom was over there. If he ever found that freedom he would take his mother with him and they would never look back.
That night the housekeeper brought fresh bread, butter and some cornmeal mush for him. He wolfed down the first savory food he ever had in his life, licking his fingers and lips hungrily while the housekeeper watched with pity. That evening when he was laying down enjoying the quiet of Fredrick’s mansion, two hefty men entered the room. Nate huddled in a corner and watched them walk toward the windows, shutting them tight without a word, when they were done with those they went out and locked the door. The initial bliss he felt after the savory meal soon evaporated as he remembered he was now a property and those men had only come to lock the windows and doors because they didn’t want him to escape.
But the way he saw it if he was to choose between being a freeman and having nothing to eat or being a slave and having hot bread and butter every day, he would take the former.
It was the next morning, after a good night's rest on the single bed in the room that the door was thrown open again, and this time those two men were accompanied by 3 young Gaboran boys all of whom were Nate’s age or younger.
The hefty men ordered the boys to get dressed to see the diamond farm. Nate obeyed.
Fredrick’s diamond farm was heavily guarded by chain-link electric fences manned by strong muscular men. The news around the town was the fences were always powered, ready to incinerate any unwelcomed visitors. There was a 12-hour rotation of guards who watched the workers from watch towers, making sure none of the workers tried to steal from the farm. Beneath the finely ground white sand of the beach were landmines designated to explode if a worker tried to steal diamonds and make a run for it. If the landmines weren’t effective, the shark-infested water beyond it was sure to be the end of the thief as that was the only means of escape.
The 4 boys watched the procession of the workers – they were slaves, bought and owned by Fredrick – at the gates. More armed guards searched them thoroughly, they searched every inch of their body, there was no respect in the search as no hole of both boys or girls were left unsearched. Nate’s averted his gaze as the slaves stripped themselves down to bare skin to be prodded and searched like cattle - dehumanization. After the searching session was over the slaves were allowed to go to work, digging and polishing diamonds.
“Watch and learn,” the men ordered Nate and the 3 other boys. They watched and when evening came the same routine of searching was carried out. The slaves stripped down and were subjected to the dehumanizing process again.
The boys were silent as they followed the men back to Fredrick’s house, each lost in their own thoughts.
For Nate, he thought about the next day and how he would have to bare his skinny body to the searching men.
The next morning he would realize that Fredrick had other use for the boys he kept in his house. Fredrick himself arrived that morning after a trip overseas where he foresaw the sale of jewels and invested some money into new ventures like the casinos opening in Las Vegas.
Nate and the other three boys who barely said a word at all were given new clothes and asked to come downstairs to meet their master, Fredrick. While they were dressing the door opened and Tshepo, the boy from the orphanage was brought in.
“Tshepo!” Nate shrieked excitedly, glad to see a familiar face.
Tshepo shared his sentiments. Both boys hugged each other.
“I thought your father was going to kill you the other day at the orphanage,” Tshepo said.
“Even worse, he sold me for money,” Nate remarked bitterly. He felt his friend’s hand on his shoulder and saw the pity in Tshepo’s eyes. Both boys understood the depth of their unfortunate childhood without words. Nate smiled sadly. “At least I get fed better here than I would have at home. How is my mother? Have you seen her since I left?”
“She is alright. But your father…”
“I don’t have a father,” Nate said firmly. “Anyway, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at the orphanage or at your job? I know Mr. Kopano will never sell any of the orphans.”
“He didn’t, Mr. Fredrick came to the orphanage and made a deal with him, he promised to fund the welfare of both staff and children if Mr. Kopano will let him take the older boys into his care and he chose me.”
“That is good, right?”
“Better than being thrown out of the orphanage at age 18. This way I get to make and save some money for my freedom.”
“Me too,” Nate said, his dreams of leaving Gabore blossoming again. “Let’s leave together, me, you, and my mother.”
Both boys shook hands making a life pact of friendship and loyalty.
“Hurry up!” a bark resounded from outside the door.
They quickly put aside their plans and dressed in the cotton shirt and black pants the men gave them. When they were dressed, they followed the men to the living room, and there standing by the never-used fireplace was Fredrick, his face was shielded by the shadows. The tall, fit, aristocrat from a place unknown who made his wealth off the shores of Gabore. His sharp eyes and nose were his best features. He watched the boys come in, his eyes zeroing in on Nate.
With him were half a dozen gentlemen dressed in expensive coats, boots, and hats.
Fredrick pushed away from the fireplace. “Boys, I am sure you have seen the diamond farm. Now is the chance to choose between working on the farm or pleasing my friends here.”
