The Cost of Sugar(57)

When the family went to Joden-Savanna two weeks later for the Feast of Tabernacles, she saw upon arrival, among all the other guests, Julius Robles de Medina. He had been a widower for five years now. That was a suitable candidate. Oh, she knew well that she and Elza had always laughed at him in the past and had called him ‘Noso’ because of his large nose, but that didn’t matter. Well, she would use all her feminine cunning to ensure that he fell in love with her and would ask her to marry him. All this must happen during these days that they were here at Joden-Savanna.

Julius didn’t know what had hit him when Sarith A’haron suddenly showed so much interest in him. She was always near him, spoke really sweetly and pleasantly to him and was oh so interested in his two daughters, who were now twelve and fourteen. It had begun with her sitting next to him on the very first day, and telling him how good he looked, as always. He had asked her how things were with her stepsister in Holland. He expected that Sarith would be very pleased that Elza was returning soon, for she must miss her sister a lot. He still remembered how they were inseparable as growing girls, always together, smiling and giggling, yes, he remembered it well. And how this lovely pair had grown up to be such beautiful ladies, especially she, Sarith, was particularly enchanting. Sarith had sweetly and charmingly answered that of course he himself had such a lovely twosome in his daughters Miriam and Hannah. Wasn’t it difficult for him to bring up these two lovely children alone, without a mother? Julius had sighed that it was indeed difficult, but that they were mostly in the town at their aunt’s, their mother’s sister. They attended the French school. Was it not dull for him, alone on the plantation, Sarith had asked, and Julius could only reply in the affirmative. Yes, it was often dull, alone on his plantation, Klein Paradijs, on the Boven-Commewijne River.

Time and time again Sarith was at his side, full of interest in his plantation, in him, in his daughters. She also talked a lot with his two daughters, who soon came to regard her as a really pleasant person. Within a week Julius Robles de Medina could no longer think of anything but Sarith A’haron. How wrong he had been. He had always thought that she was a frivolous girl, rather too merry and too easy, but she wasn’t like that after all. Now he had come to know her better, he realized what a noble and honourable person she was; a good woman. Should he ask her to marry him? But he didn’t dare, for she appeared to be very fond of going out, and how could he ask such a beautiful young woman, who loved to go out and about, to marry him and go to live on Klein Paradijs, a two-day journey from Paramaribo? When, however, Sarith said to him that there was nothing better than the peace of a distant plantation, he thought that he had better try it, anyway. Timidly, he asked her whether she would like to share the peace with him on such a distant plantation. And he couldn’t believe his luck when she agreed. She had said ‘yes’! This fantastically beautiful young woman, who could set all men’s heads spinning and all male hearts beating, wanted to marry him, Julius!

Uncle Levi and Ma Rachel couldn’t believe their ears when Julius spoke with them and told them that Sarith had agreed to be his wife. He wasn’t exactly the man that Ma Rachel might have had in mind for her prettiest daughter, but, well, Sarith was twenty-one and had been so moody and surly of late. Rather Julius Robles de Medina with his large nose than no man at all. The engagement party was held immediately there at Joden-Savanna, and Sarith herself said to Julius that there was no point in waiting too long to marry. Why should they? A long engagement was usually needed for the partners to get to know each other better, but that wasn’t necessary in this case. They had known each other for years. And so it was decided that the wedding would take place in four weeks’ time at Klein Paradijs, and all the guests at Joden-Savanna were immediately invited.

The next four weeks passed quickly. Everything was hastily prepared, and in the third week of November the tent boat left Hébron. Sarith departed from the plantation where she had lived for almost fourteen years. Mother and Uncle Levi went along, as did Kwasiba and Mini-mini.

Sarith had managed to persuade her mother to let Kwasiba remain with her as well. She had never been to Klein Paradijs and was in fact a little afraid of the unknown. With the familiar Kwasiba and Mini-mini she would feel at ease more quickly. Kwasiba was simply happy that she could be with her daughter Mini-mini in the future, too. They remained in the town for a few days, where the rest of the family joined them, and then they all left for the plantation that would be Sarith’s home. Klein Paradijs was a coffee plantation. The house was pleasant but not all that large. Far too small, thought Sarith, disappointed.