Sarith was surprised. She had never seen the girl together with a man. Mini-mini herself was very beautiful, but not the provocative type, in fact rather shy. Sarith had noticed often enough how men looked at Mini-mini, and she knew that some of Uncle Levi’s guests at Hébron had on occasion asked whether they might not receive that beautiful slave-girl in their room. Uncle Levi had always answered that he had no authority over Mini-mini because she was his step-daughter’s slave-girl. Sarith had occasionally asked Mini-mini whether she would like to sleep with such a person, and Mini-mini had always replied, “Me? No misi, I don’t want to.”147
Now, of course, Sarith was really curious as to who was the father of Mini-mini’s child. Mini-mini told her that around the beginning of the year, when Sarith was staying so frequently in the town, she had got to know a young man. Also of mixed race, but a free man. He was called Hendrik de Mees. She had initially seen him frequently around the Saramaccastraat, where the De Ledesmas lived, and later he had admitted that it was for her that he was so often there. He was the child of a white man who had bought his slave-girl into freedom and kept her as a concubine in a small house in the Gemene Weide148 area. The father had cared well for mother and child, but had died when the boy was four years old.
The mother had managed to raise the boy by selling small cakes. They were poor but they were free. Hendrik had also learnt to read and write, and at the age of fourteen he became apprenticed to a cabinet-maker. He was still working there and didn’t earn very much, but enough to be able to keep himself and his mother and also enough for a wife. After their first meeting he had visited her on many occasions and had secretly spent the night with her (secretly, for it was forbidden for free mulattos to consort with the slaves). She had also visited him on occasion, on Sunday, when his mother wasn’t at home. He had promised that he would save up so that he could buy her into freedom and then she could go to live with him, but that would take some time yet.
“And now you’re already expecting his child?” said Sarith, when she had heard the whole story. “Yes, misi,” said an embarrassed Mini-mini, and Sarith realized with a shock that she would lose Mini-mini if she were bought into freedom by her beloved. But, come now, that was still a long way off, and she generously promised the girl that if she were freed, she could take the child with her without having to pay for it.
Mini-mini was glad she had told all this. Perhaps that misi of hers wasn’t so bad after all. The new masra was really nice. He was crazy about his wife, that was obvious to Mini-mini. She could also see that her misi did not love the masra. She could only hope that the misi would not do anything stupid, as she had with Masra Rutger. The masra sometimes gave her and Kwasiba a coin. Kwasiba usually bought tobacco, but Mini-mini saved everything she received so as to be able to help towards buying her freedom.
At the beginning of February 1770 it was announced that Governor Crommelin would retire and that the interim governor, Jean Nepveu, would now be appointed governor. The official installation would take place on 8 March. To mark the occasion an extensive dinner would be held in the palace that evening, with a spectacular ball the next day.
When the invitation for this arrived, Sarith was beside herself with joy. Something at last! Finally a party at which Sarith could make her mark. She would have to go to Paramaribo as quickly as possible to make all the necessary preparations. Bemused, Julius wondered why that all had to happen right now, since the festivities were still five weeks away. But Sarith managed to persuade him that it was absolutely necessary. After all, she needed to see to her clothes and have her ball gown made. He certainly wouldn’t want her to be going in an old ball gown that everyone knew already? People would be sure to make remarks and think that he didn’t want to give her a new gown. Julius had not thought of that, and so Sarith departed for the town four whole weeks in advance of the festivities, installing herself as before in the De Ledesmas’ house.
Mini-mini was also pleased to be going to the town. She would be able to see her beloved Hendrik. Hardly had they arrived in the town when she asked Misi Sarith’s permission to send an errand boy to Hendrik. He came to her that evening. Was he pleased to see her? Was she expecting a child, he asked. Already? He’d not really reckoned on that. Yes, he was already saving up, but it was a slow business.
A few days before the eighth of March Julius came to join his wife in the town. How exuberant and merry she was! She joked with him, laughed a lot. He couldn’t tire of looking at this lovely creation that was now his wife. Ecstatic, he bought her everything she wanted.