Samuel stood before Adan and motioned out his left hand. Their surroundings changed until they were in what looked like a small village. The houses were made of wood and stones; the people wore colonial-style clothing. Adan was amazed. "Wh-Where are we?"
"We are still in New York; when I was alive, I lived in a small village near the ocean. My family and I believed living by the waters would bring us good fortune and opportunities."
Adan saw another version of Samuel walking with logs within the village. "Life was hard in my time, but my family and I were grateful for what we had. We had enough to help us get by. However, when I was twelve, my mother died of illness; my father and I were devastated. My father became a changed man."
Adan noticed the sadness in Samuel's eyes.
"My father became a drunkard, and we were slowly getting by. My family had a farm, and I had to keep it afloat. However, it was difficult since I had my father to watch over. When I turned eighteen, my father was killed in a bar fight. He died a destroyed man."
"Oh man, sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine losing your parents like that, especially in a time like these."
Samuel nodded. "Yes, however, I was in the process of losing the lands because of the debt my father left me. That's when I decided to buy slaves."
Adan quickly eyed Samuel.
"You must understand times were different in my time than yours. I didn't want to rely on slaves, but I was desperate to have no choice. It was either that or live in the streets." Samuel waved his hand, and the environment changed where. Samuel worked in the fields with four slaves: two men and two women. "I used most of the money I had left to buy a family. I have witnessed many cries and the misery of slaves being separated throughout my years. You can say I know how it feels to have your family taken away from you."
Adan watched the image of Samuel working with the enslaved family. He noticed that the family didn't look very miserable. "You seem to have treated them well."
"Well, of course. They may be slaves, but they also assisted me in getting out of debt. With their work, I was able to do the harvest. I could buy more slaves, but I didn't want to have more responsibility for caring for many. Yet, I saw them as my family—the two men, twins Issachar and Judah. The two women are a mother and daughter; Rachel and Delilah are also related to the twins."
Adan watched as Samuel and the family worked and talked to one another; they all seemed at peace and happy. "Well, you seemed to get along with them. Why didn't you give them their freedom?"
Samuel sighed. "It was not so simple in my time. Unfortunately, the family didn't have an education, which was expensive then. I wasn't fully educated since I had to work on the farm. Also, I wasn't ready to let them go." The young man cleared his throat. "I-I was also in love with Delilah."
"Woah, you were in love with an enslaved person. I bet Crystal would have loved to listen to this story."
"Ah, your female friend. If I may say, you have feelings for her, do you not?"
Adan tried to hide a blush, but it was futile.
"There is no shame; that young lady seems to have a good heart and ambition. Although you seem to question that ambition, now look where we are."
"Anyway, what happened? Did Delilah know you had feelings for her?"
"She did and felt the same sentiment. However, we couldn't let out feelings known in society; it was looked down upon and could have been dangerous." Samuel was silent for a bit. "However, now I regret falling in love with the wrong woman."
This caught Adan's attention. "Why do you say that?"
"I taught her as many things as possible, and she taught me certain things that would have gotten us hanged."
"Are you saying?"
"Delilah showed me voodoo and dark magic, which was my downfall."
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