He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 103

< Juba's Wedding >

Late November 1777, Theo’s Coffee Plantation.

“Wow—no, what on earth is that? Samson built that himself?”

Theo’s surprised voice echoed from the back of the plantation early in the morning.

Scratching his head, Samson replied,

“I just made it bit by bit whenever I had time after work. I just need to finish up the last touches, but I wanted to show it to you first, Master.”

Two months prior, Theo had conceived the idea of creating individual residences for the slaves and had conveyed his thoughts to Samson.

Even with a complete renovation, the existing slave communal residence offered little to no privacy due to its structure.

Theo firmly believed that improving the quality of life for the slaves was paramount for the coffee plantation to thrive in the future.

Therefore, he planned a new individual residence in the spacious area behind the plantation, which would be more comfortable than the existing communal residence.

The existing communal residence would be used as a temporary space for external slaves who came to help during the harvest season.

With that in mind, Theo instructed Samson, who was getting married, to build an individual residence on a trial basis, also serving as a honeymoon home.

Samson, along with a few male slaves, began to build new residences whenever he had time.

It was unimaginable for a typical colonial plantation to build such individual houses for the welfare of black slaves.

However, Spencer agreed with Theo’s belief that black slaves were also part of the plantation family and that their happiness would lead to good quality coffee, so the work proceeded smoothly.

However, Theo, who had been busy with coffee tasting sessions and green bean contracts lately, had completely forgotten about the plan for the new residential area.

“Huh, my. This friend Samson… he was more capable than I thought? When did he build a house so quickly? Really amazing!”

“No, it’s thanks to the help of other colleagues, and Mr. Spencer made things convenient.”

Theo, who came without much expectation, stared at the small and pretty house standing far away, unable to close his mouth for a long time.

It wasn’t just a great house.

The entrance, which had been overgrown with bushes and weeds to the point where it was difficult to pass, was well-organized for easy access, and the messy, overgrown trees had been neatly trimmed, turning it into a garden perfect for a stroll.

And at the end of that path, a picturesque wooden house was completed.

It seemed to be the honeymoon home where Samson and Juba would live.

Next to the completed house, two more wonderful houses of different shapes were taking shape, with only the roofs remaining to be finished.

“Huh—already three houses were being built while I forgot. Didn’t Noah get surprised when he saw it?”

The only people who knew about the construction of this communal residence were Samson, the working slaves, Spencer, and the plantation manager, Noah.

“Yes, Manager Noah did say something. He envied it and joked about renovating the manager’s quarters soon, haha.”

“That’s understandable, haha. Well, shall we go inside the house?”

“Yes, Master.”

Clunk-

Opening the door, various furniture and amenities were neatly arranged.

The existing communal residence was already much better than other slave plantations, but it paled in comparison to the house Samson had built.

It even looked better than most white managers’ houses in Jamaica.

“I knew you were skilled, but, my… you’re really amazing, amazing.”

It was so wonderful that it wouldn’t be inferior to a cabin in a 21st-century resort.

Theo was touching and knocking on this and that, wondering how he had put all this together with wood.

Because he had a good eye and manual dexterity, the furniture was built-in to fit perfectly into the space of the house, making the house look wider and cozier.

While looking around the kitchen and rooms, a large window in the living room caught his eye.

Clunk-

“Wow-”

Opening the cover of the wooden window, Theo was greatly impressed once again as a wonderful view of the Blue Mountains unfolded before his eyes.

Samson seemed to have designed and built the house by meticulously calculating the scenery visible from the house when the window was opened.

“Is such a house really possible with the amount you charged?”

He was such a skilled carpenter that he could save a lot of money, but Theo couldn’t believe that he had built such a wonderful house with the amount Samson had charged.

“I think we were able to save a lot of time and money because Peter and other colleagues helped whenever they had time.”

“Yes, yes. Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s the house we’re going to live in. I’m just grateful to the owner for bearing the cost and allowing us to build such a house.”

However, although furniture and large structures were in place, there were almost no curtains, blankets, or various household items, making it look empty.

Theo asked Samson.

“Juba hasn’t come here even once, has she?”

“No, that’s right. We kept it a secret among the men who worked on it, that we were building a new residence to show her on the wedding day. None of the other colleagues, including Juba, will know, haha.”

“Really? That’s good. Then I’ll buy the necessary items such as blankets and curtains from the store on the harbor side tomorrow and put them in, so decorate it well.”

Samson was startled and waved his hands.

“No? Master… you don’t have to do that. The good blanket you gave me at the beginning is still clean. I’ll wash it…”

Theo interrupted Samson.

“Still, how can a newlywed couple use an old blanket?

Besides, you’ve been working hard for months to create a new residence, and you’ll have to work hard in the future. Think of it as my little gift.

And since you’re doing it, you should decorate it properly so that Juba will be more impressed on the wedding day, and you’ll save face, right? Haha.”

Samson, moved by Theo’s thoughtfulness, repeatedly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you, Master. Thank you so much.”

* * *

A few days later, on the wedding day.

Slave weddings in this era were extremely shabby, but Theo didn’t want that to be the case for at least his plantation family.

Theo asked Spencer to take a day off when there was no work so that all the plantation people could rest and enjoy themselves, and he told Noah to prepare plenty of food and refreshments suitable for a wedding party.

It was his hope that everyone would have a good time and celebrate together on such a day.

The event was held in the large open space in front of the warehouse, and the slaves were able to prepare various performances and flower decorations, making it a pretty decent wedding.

In addition, the weather was so clear that it was a perfect day to hold a wedding outdoors.

“Mr. Sanderson, it’s just a wedding between slaves, but I’m getting nervous, haha.”

Spencer was specially chosen to be the officiant at the wedding of the two today.

He was the oldest person on the plantation and, in a way, the chief person who would lead the coffee plantation after Theo went to London, so he thought his congratulatory remarks would be meaningful in many ways.

“Just think of it as an older person in life giving a lighthearted story that will help the two of you live a happier life in the future.”

“Haha, yes. I will.”

Then Noah came and announced.

“Mr. Sanderson, Mr. Spencer? Now everything is ready, let’s go?”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Dung-du-du-dung-♪ Dung-dung-♬

The slaves, who had somehow obtained traditional African drums, announced the start of Samson and Juba’s exciting wedding.

Delicious food was served on a dozen tables covered with luxurious tablecloths, and a carpet was laid out in the middle of the venue for the two to walk on.

It was all Theo’s idea, but it was actually a partial adaptation of a modern wedding.

It was a setup that had been decorated quite plausibly with a lot of money, with the idea of using it whenever there was a wedding on the plantation in the future.

At the end of the carpet, a platform was set up, and Spencer was standing there, very nervous.

“Samson and Juba look really great today, haha.”

As Noah said, the two, dressed up differently from usual, looked as handsome and beautiful as models.

Spencer’s officiating immediately followed.

Spencer was a little nervous at first, but he soon gave a congratulatory speech in his original outspoken and uninhibited tone.

“…And everyone, please take a look at the stairs at the entrance to the residence over there.”

Spencer pointed to the small staircase at the entrance to the slave residence.

“Those stairs, which are always frequented by many people, have always been maintained as strong and clean as they were at first in my eyes.

At first, I didn’t pay much attention to it as if it were natural, but after a few months, I felt strange one day that it was always maintained in the same condition without being broken or damaged.”

The slaves and Theo looked at the stairs that Spencer was pointing at.

“But I happened to find out the reason. The reason why it has been maintained in such an unchanging state is thanks to Samson, who is standing in front of me.

It turned out that Samson was wandering around the plantation alone when everyone was asleep, checking and fixing places that seemed to have problems.”

Samson was a little embarrassed and shy, but the plantation slaves, who learned about this fact for the first time, were greatly impressed by his actions.

Spencer paused for a moment and continued.

“Life cannot always maintain the good-looking appearance of the beginning. As you live, things break down and fall apart, so I think that how well you repair and fix those things will determine whether your married life can maintain its initial happiness.

In that respect, I am sure that if Samson leads his married life with the same sincerity he has shown on the plantation, he will be able to lead a happy married life with Juba with the same heart as at the beginning.”

Spencer took a sip of water on the podium and continued his officiating.

“Besides, who is the person who recognized and connected these two people? It is none other than Mr. Sanderson, the owner of our plantation and famous for his marriage brokerage business in London!

I have heard many times that high-ranking British aristocrats are lining up to wait for consultations with Mr. Sanderson.

Samson and Juba, who were connected by Mr. Sanderson, who took the lead… I have no doubt that these two will live well as a couple, cherishing and loving each other in the future.”

Wow-

Clap clap clap-

When Spencer’s officiating was over, a pleasant and exciting atmosphere continued while eating the prepared delicious food.

As the wedding reception was coming to an end, the manager Noah exchanged glances with Samson a few times and then got up from his seat.

And he announced to the people in a loud voice.

“Okay—please pay attention for a moment. Now that we seem to have finished eating to some extent, there is a place where the plantation family should go together. So everyone, get up!”

Except for a few people who participated in the construction, they were puzzled by Noah’s words, but when Noah took the lead, everyone got up and followed him.

*

“Oh my! When was this pretty road made here?”

Jenny said in surprise as she followed Noah.

The road they were going on was only a 5-minute distance from the slave communal residence, but it was behind the plantation, so they had hardly ever passed by it.

Besides, in her memory, this road was a forest path that was overgrown with bushes and weeds, making it uncomfortable to pass by.

But now it was neatly organized as if it had been a road for a long time.

Juba, who came here for the first time, also enjoyed touching the pretty flowers and trees around her with her daughter, Aba.

Then Becky pointed to the front with her hand and shouted.

“Oh! What is that? Isn’t that a house?”

At Becky’s cry, people all raised their heads and looked ahead.

“Wow—what is that really?”

“No, when was there such a house?”

“Oh my gosh, the house is so pretty?”

The male slaves, who already knew, chuckled and enjoyed the reactions of the other slaves.

Noah conveyed the hidden story with a bright smile.

“Well, this is the new home where our plantation family will live in the future. Under the direction of Mr. Sanderson, we will all move out of the existing communal residence and into our own individual residences. For that, Samson and several colleagues have been building houses for two months without the plantation family knowing.

First of all, Samson and Juba’s family, the first married couple on our plantation, will be the first to move in. Samson?”

When Noah called, Samson said, holding Juba’s hand.

“Juba? It’s our own house where we’ll live in the future. I had a hard time building it without you knowing, haha.”

Then he led her to the house, and the people followed them.

As they entered the house, exclamations flowed from the mouths of the female slaves at the spacious and pleasant appearance.

“Oh my! It’s so pretty!”

“I’m getting so excited!”

“Wow—can we live in a place like this now too?”

Exclamations poured out from here and there.

Juba was also bewildered, looking around the house with surprised eyes.

“Juba, I asked you then, didn’t I? If you had a house, what kind of furniture would you want? I thought about what Juba was talking about at that time, so our Aba can play safely…”

Samson, who was about to boast about the furniture he had made with care, suddenly shut his mouth.

Because tears were dripping from Juba’s big eyes.

“No, why are you crying? On this good day? Are you doing that because you’re so happy?”

Juba was just nodding silently, holding Aba tightly.

Then Becky, who was also sobbing next to her, said.

“Uncle Samson! I’m also crying, so Juba must be crying. Sniff.”

“Haha, what if even Becky cries?”

But Becky, who was wiping away her tears, suddenly urged Samson as if warning him.

“But Uncle Samson? You didn’t just build this house so wonderfully to look good to Juba, did you? If so, I’ll come in and live in this house later, so please build the rest of the houses well! Definitely!”

“Haha, okay, I understand. Just tell me the style you all want, and I’ll build it even better. The owner promised to give us a lot of support! Right? Master?”

At Samson’s words, Theo smiled brightly and responded.

“Thanks to all of you working hard at the coffee plantation this year, we have made such a great profit that we can have one of these good houses each. Think of it as a natural reward for all your efforts.

And starting next week, I will double everyone’s weekly wage from now on. Of course, if the plantation does better next year, I will raise it even more. So, you have to work hard!”

Loud cheers and applause erupted from the slaves.

“Wow—you’re the best!”

“Thank you, Master!”

“There’s really only you, Master. Thank you.”

In this era, slaves’ wages existed only in name, and it was natural for most plantation owners at the time not to pay wages.

However, it was clearly a wrong practice.

In 1833, after the abolition of slavery, more than 150 years later, lawsuits were filed in the United States by the descendants of black slaves for unpaid wages.

The descendants of slaves claimed that the amount of wages in arrears between 1790 and 1860 alone was about $40 million.

When converted to 21st-century prices, it was an astronomical amount of money, amounting to 1.4 trillion dollars, that had been exploited.

Theo, who was well aware of such a painful history, had never missed a single wage payment so far.

“Wow—Uncle Samson? The blankets and everything are new?”

“The owner bought this as a wedding gift too.”

“Becky, don’t be too jealous. I’ll buy it for you when you get married too.”

“Oh my! Really, Master? Haha, suddenly I want to get married?”

Spencer, who was slightly drunk, also said a word.

“Becky, should I officiate your wedding like today when you get married? How about it? Hehe.”

“Then I’d appreciate it. Today’s officiating was so good.”

“What? I thought you’d be horrified by the nagging officiating, so I said it as a joke, haha.”

The living room of the newly built house was filled with bright energy.

Spencer, who had warned that being too nice to black slaves would eventually reduce productivity when he first started the plantation, was now busy mingling with them, laughing and chatting.

Theo, with a satisfied expression, walked to the window and opened the cover of the window.

Clunk-

Outside the window, the sunset, which had already turned red, was setting.

‘Yes. Even if I go back to England, I hope everyone will live happily, laughing like now…’

As Samson and Juba’s meaningful wedding, which was full of joy and happiness, was successfully completed, Theo’s life in Jamaica was also coming to an end.