When he awoke this morning, Talbert had been an indentured servant with more time left to serve than had passed and now he was not just a free man, but one with a generous salary from the man who had bought his service and had proven to be a very good employer. He'd liked him from the start when Jackson had outbid everyone for his service because he had liked the way Talbert had smiled at him, and on the way to the plantation he had ridden in the carriage where they had formally introduced themselves and Jackson had detailed his role as assistant, this had to date been the best position in his life and now he had something to show for it as well. Yes sir, he was a happy man, and to celebrate he was headed to the tailor’s to have a suit fitted and fashioned that would befit his new promotion as Head Overseer of the largest plantation in the state. He caught himself whistling a jaunty tune and realized he was sauntering along and swinging his arms like the day he had met his wife and he abruptly came to a halt at the thought, which caused the man behind him (who was in a hurry and normally would have passed by but this guy was going quickly enough to match his pace) to bump into him and they both took a tumble onto the wooden planks of the walkway. At once they began to apologize for the matter, then accepted each other’s apology together too, and then they laughed and helped one another up. After dusting off, Talbert introduced himself and offered to buy the fellow a drink at the tavern but after shaking his hand and providing his name he turned the offer down, explaining his need to hurry and promising that next time they met he’d take Talbert up on it.
Not terribly upset at being turned down, he continued on his way in a more somber mood thinking about Colleen and Seamus, wondering as always if he would ever see them again. Try as he might, he couldn’t envision a scenario where that would occur, given her thoughts on the subject and the unlikely idea she would change her mind about it - that just wasn’t her way; once she made it up she never turned back, which was one of the reasons he’d fell for her in the first place. Life is ironic, he thought as he entered the tailor’s only to find the man who had bumped into him waiting ahead of him, and he couldn’t help it, he laughed out loud and sat down across from his acquaintance and offered his hand again and then used it to wipe a stray tear from his eye. The gentleman took his hand and joined him in a laugh saying, “It seems fate would have us become more than expected, my friend. What say you to dinner and a drink when we finish here? I recommend the cooking and wine at The Boar’s Head Inn, have you been there?” to which he replied he had and would gladly accept, as he hadn’t eaten lunch. The previous customer was just leaving, the man was called in for his final fitting and Talbert remained waiting his turn, mulling over the day’s events that had led to this meeting and wondering what was going to come of it. One thing for sure though, he was not going to be caught unawares like that again and made a vow to be on his guard at all times when out in public. On the other hand, dinner at The Boar’s Head was always a welcome treat and he felt he deserved something in the way of celebration and besides, it would give him the chance to get to know his new companion better and if he was honest with himself, he actually found that he wanted to do just that.
About an hour later his new friend left, saying he would be waiting at the inn, and he was ushered into the ‘inner sanctum’ where he would have to strip down to his skivvies to be measured. He had never been in a clothier’s shop except to pick up one of Jackson’s suits, so he was a bit nervous about wearing so little clothing in front of a man, especially as he’d heard some stories about some men having their danglies coddled during a fitting so he was standing as stiff as a board with his legs squeezed together as tightly as possible, wondering if it was worth all of this for a decent set of clothes. The tailor came back in after ascertaining he was ready and took one look at him and laughed, which made Talbert feel kind of silly and allowed him to relax. The older man did his job with proficiency and had him hold his own parts out of the way which had him saying a Hail Mary in his head for the rest of the measurements, and when it was finished he went with the fellow to pick out cloth for each piece of clothing, including seven pairs of soft cotton underwear, most likely farmed at his bosses' plantation which gave him a good feeling. After telling Talbert to return in two weeks at the same time for the first fitting, the tailor told him he expected half today and the remainder when it was finished and today’s total was $25, which Talbert gave him and then left to go have some dinner; he was famished.
The Boar’s Head was only a short walk away and he got there in minutes and found his new friend waiting at a table by the back window, which afforded a view (and smell) of the port, which was the last table to be seated and typically his first choice for that reason. Smiling to himself, he again found himself really liking this guy and he took the seat opposite, noticing that he was drinking a draught ale and called for one himself. The barmaid brought his drink and took their orders, both of them ordering large steaks cooked medium rare with all the fixings, and when she left to deliver it to the cook they raised their mugs and clicked them together before taking long swigs to quench their thirst. After returning his mug to the table he started to wipe his mouth on his sleeve but noticed his dinner partner using a napkin and did the same, telling himself he should start practicing now so as not to ruin his new clothes when he got them. As he was about to begin the conversation the barmaid brought their food out piping hot and smelling delectable, and Truman thanked her and gave her a tip. She brought them fresh mugs and left them to their food, and they nodded to each other before gorging themselves on the steak, boiled potatoes and cabbage seasoned with salt and heavily peppered along with a giant piece of peach cobbler, a huge dollop of ice cream melting on it.
Talbert tried to quiet his need to belch and he hid it behind the napkin best he could to no avail, causing the cook to holler “Thanks!” from the kitchen and he and Truman shared a good laugh about it. When the laughter subsided, his companion told him a little about himself and he shared his news with Truman, who congratulated him and bought the next round as well as dinner. Talbert started to thank him but he waved it away, saying “Please don’t fuss about it, my new friend. I am always happy to spend an enjoyable evening out and have few friends here to do it with, so it is an honor. I must be away now, as I was due home some time ago and my wife has likely imagined a hundred things that could have gone wrong and is thinking me dead or dying on the side of the road leading to a long forgotten village in the middle of a dense forest. It has been a pleasure I hope to have again soon. Good night, good sir, until then.” Talbert arose and they shook again and then his new friend left and he finished his ale and did the same, heading to the stables and picked up the carriage that was waiting for him and drove it to the Governor’s office where he waited outside for Jackson.
About half an hour later he saw him coming out and locking up so he hopped down and opened the doors for his now employer for the next to last time before the new man took over tomorrow and he would start as the new Overseer. He nodded to Jackson who nodded back to him in turn, and Talbert told him he'd had supper with a gentleman and would be retiring to his rooms after parking the carriage and stabling the horses, to which Jackson replied that was just as well since he was taking his supper in his rooms tonight since Elizabeth was gone and he had work to do, then he stepped up into the interior with his briefcase. Liking him ever the more for his ease of character, Talbert closed the doors behind him and got up into the seat to drive home. Tomorrow night he would be riding the gelding given to him when he’d been brought here whom he had named Lightning for his speed and coloring, which was black with a long, jagged white slash going down his right side from his shoulder to his flank. Jackson had bought out another owner’s horses when they decided to go back to sunny old England and he had held this one back for himself, but really didn’t need him.
Tomorrow was going to be busy, but he couldn’t wait, and they neared the front entrance where he stopped the horses and got down to let Jackson out, bidding him a good night since they weren’t going to be dining together as usual. He waited until he was alone and boarded the driver's seat to put the horses and carriage away for the night, rubbing them down as always and filling their feed bags and water trough for the night, even though there was a competent stable boy to do it. He just enjoyed the time he spent with them and it eased the boy’s duties which were a bit onerous in his opinion, which he would address as overseer in the morning. He still couldn’t get over his good luck and genuflected towards the roof of the stables before he stepped out into the evening light. He saw that lamps had been lit in the kitchen and main rooms of the house, and went into the side door and down the hall to his room, after stopping and using the bathroom on the way. He brought out his journal and sat writing in it for about ten minutes, detailing the events of the day. He sat back and read through them to ensure it was correct and was nearing the end when a maid knocked and came in to give him a notebook from Jackson with information about his new position and a ledger to keep track of everything in. He thanked her as he took them and sitting back down he finished proofreading his notes and put them away, then he took the notebook and went through it in leisure, making sure he didn’t skip over anything. In the ledger he noted the first expense, the fitting for the suit today which he had paid out of pocket for and was necessary at times for his new position. He knew this from Malcomb, who told him about how he got his new clothes paid for, and Jackson never said a word about it. He put it all away and quickly disrobed, washed up at his dry sink and flopped his clothes over the chair rather than folding them and laid down, falling asleep quickly and sleeping deeply without any dreams for a change.