The Cost of Sugar(39)

Every time Sarith considered that Elza was married, Rebecca was married, and so were all the other girls of her age, she got annoyed. How was this possible? After all, she was more beautiful than all the others. Men had always considered her attractive. Right from an early age she was admired by everyone for her beauty, and look now – twenty years old and unmarried; an old spinster. The coming week, on the twenty-second of January, she would be twenty. Was there ever a woman of twenty in this colony still unmarried? And that it should be her of all people, she, Sarith A’haron, the most beautiful of them all. When all this crossed her mind she became angry and defiant. This must change. But how? – she herself had no idea.





Three days later they were in Paramaribo. Uncle Levi’s luggage and that of her mother was taken to the De Ledesmas’, but Sarith’s was taken on a wheelbarrow from the De Ledesmas’ to the Wagenwegstraat where she would naturally be staying. What a surprise to find the whole family there. The room was suddenly full. Everyone just had to admire the baby, and Elza felt tears welling in her eyes when she saw Ashana. To think that Ashana had travelled to the town specially to see her child. Maisa proclaimed triumphantly that Misi Elza was doing really well, exceptionally well, almost indecently well. A new mother was supposed to be ill for at least two weeks, but this was not so in Elza’s case. In fact, if it were left to her, she would be up and around, but Maisa and the midwife would not hear of it. All new mothers stayed in bed for at least two weeks. Who had ever heard of a white woman being out of bed only a week after giving birth.

When Ma Rachel asked whether a good wet-nurse had been found, Maisa laughed. No question of a wet nurse – Misi Elza was feeding the baby herself. She had enough milk, was insistent on doing it herself, and Masra Rutger was in total agreement. There we go again, interfering in everything, saying that Elza was so well and that there could be nothing better for his son than the milk of a healthy mother, and who knows what diseases could be passed from a wetnurse to the child. And that Masra Rutger there, so pleased with his son. Did Misi Rachel know that he went to lie on the bed with mother and child and found it marvellous to see how the baby was fed? Maisa’s dark face was beaming while she was recounting all this, and Sarith got a strong impression that she told it so proudly in order to stress to her, Sarith, that everything was fine between her misi and masra.

Sarith herself hugged Elza warmly to congratulate her on her son’s birth. She stood next to the cot and turned to say, “Oh Elza, he’s beautiful.”

Mini-mini came in a little later bearing a large bouquet with a label, ‘Wishing you all happiness on the birth of Gideon Rutger’. With the family around, she just shook hands with Rutger, saying, “Congratulations on your son.”

But in the evening, when she met Rutger in the passage on the way to his bedroom, she said, “So, you’re a father then.” She had intended to make a more sarcastic remark, but that was unsuccessful, for Rutger, with his hand on the doorknob, replied, “Yes, isn’t it wonderful?” and went into the bedroom, where Elza was lying with her baby in her arms, and closed the door behind him.





ELZA


Pa Levi could not stay in the town for long. He had come by to see Elza a few times, but had to return to the plantation after a few days because it would be overseer Meker’s annual holiday. Of course Ashana returned with him. When Sarith had been in town for a few days – the baby was then ten days old – Rutger said that he had to go to a party that evening. The invitation had arrived two weeks previously. Of course Elza could not go, but he would go with Sarith. Elza had said nothing. Of course she would not be going and she knew that Sarith would be only too pleased to be going alone with Rutger.

When they came home, Elza listened nervously whether Rutger would go to Sarith’s room. She rather expected this, but she had heard the front door open had heard the footsteps on the stairs, and had then heard how Rutger said at Sarith’s door, “Well, good night then,” and the next moment was in their room. She heard Sarith downstairs calling, “Mini-mini, where are you?”76

“Oh, you’re still awake,” Rutger said, and began to describe how nice it had been, that the Lobo sisters were there, girls of fifteen and sixteen. Elza knew them well. Now, they had sung so beautifully. All kinds of songs – French, English, Dutch and especially Portuguese folk songs, and all so sweetly and charmingly. Well, he, Rutger, had thought that it would be good for them to throw a party, too.

In two days’ time, on the twenty-second, it would be Sarith’s birthday. She would be twenty, and wouldn’t that be a good occasion for a party, and everyone could see the baby.