(An Excerpt From the Book)

It seemed like a thousand years before; a time she thought was long buried in the recesses of her mind. Yet tonight, after a long hard day of work, Carissa relived her life as it unfolded through a dream.

She was only four years old the last time she set eyes on her Papa; much of the story was told to her by her siblings who had the opportunity to know him better. Some of the story dated back to 1921 when Papa was just a lad himself.

She hardly knew her Papa in this life yet he was always with her in spirit; a driving force who gave her solace well into her adult years.

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They were poor, yet they were happy in 1951. That was the year which was forever embedded in Carissa’s childhood memories and the year her dream actually began.

Winchester Forbes was a fisherman. He combed the waters of the local lakes as well as the Atlantic Ocean for Cod; Mackerel, Salmon, and Lobster. He worked hard to make a living, though he felt bad leaving his beloved wife for long periods. Kate Forbes had a heart problem. She was born with a heart murmur and was sickly all her life. It was a wonder she was able to give him the six wonderful children they had. They were simple country folk. They did not question how life turned out for them. They trusted in God.

The families of Winchester and Kate came to Canada through the Underground Railroad where their ancestors had escaped from American slavery. Both families made a new life in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

Carissa had been told that Nova Scotia in general welcomed American slaves, but it was Cape Breton Island which had captured the heart of her grandfather, a man who died many years before her own birth. Her grandfather had the choice to live and work on the northern side of the island in the steel mines immediately upon settlement, but it was the beautiful picturesque coast, the smell of the salt air and the wonder of the sea which appealed to his soul. For him the sea personified the idea of total abandonment; it personified freedom.

Winchester knew the history of his people. His father had told him of many racial slurs and Winchester had witnessed some from a very young age himself. Because of his family legacy nothing was more important to him than freedom and the equality of all men.

Carol Roach