Sally of Monticello: Founding Mother the story continues...

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Thomas had reasoned correctly that because of Nancy West’sposition in town she and I would be allowed to attend a play at theSwan Tavern. For the performance of Sunday, 20th of August, 1820,he’d given us tickets to see Animal Magnetism, the comedy byElizabeth Inchbald attacking medical quackery.“How’s your hearing?” Nancy asked while scanning seatstoward the back.“There are two chairs over to the side,” I pointed out. “I thinkwe’ll offend few people there, maybe none.”“Offend.” She snorted. “I’m losing patience. I’m a free woman,and you’re the President’s lady.”I set my lips firmly and shook my head as we took the side seats.“Thank you for letting me stay tonight with you and David after theshow. He was kind to take my horse to the livery for boarding.”She waved her hand in dismissal. “That was nothing. DavidIsaacs is an unacknowledged saint.” She nodded to an acquaintancewho touched his hat brim. “You like the way we built onto his house?Wings on both sides? Now big enough for all our children and aboarder.”“And have you sold your house across town?”“Finally got a buyer, yes. And I’ve been putting money intomore properties and renting them out. You know, of course, theuniversity will make Charlottesville prosperous. Just the fact that it’scoming has helped make last year’s financial crisis come down on usless severely.”I feared Nancy might be moving too fast as the town’s leadingbusinesswoman— a woman of color now living openly with a Jew. Ifought with myself against expressing that, but the situation washazardous.She turned to me, leaning forward to catch my attention fully.“You think I’ve gone crazy, don’t you?”“What do you mean?”“Tempting fate. Thumbing my nose at the whites inCharlottesville, not to mention the law.”“Not crazy, Nancy. No. Full of what your David calls chutzpah,maybe, but not crazy.” I glanced away, then turned back. “All right.Yes, crazy.”“I thought so.” She sighed heavily. “Just remember, Sally, rightis right. I’m not going to change, so long as I stick to that principle.”“I hope your principle doesn’t rise up and hurt you—or David,or any of the children.”Nancy leaned forward again to look me in the eyes. “After theplay, when we get back to the house, I’m going to tell you something Iexpect will startle you.”“Oh? It takes a lot to startle me these days.” I snickered. “I canhardly wait to hear.”“You’ll love it.” She leaned back. “And if there’s any part of thisplay I have trouble understanding, I expect you to explain.”“If I can, I will.”The performance of Animal Magnetism by the traveling actors—members of the Caldwell Company in town for three weeks—broughtraucous laughter. I was sorry Thomas wasn’t here, though he’d said hewould try to catch another showing of it in the coming week.As I watched the satire unfold, I couldn’t help but wonder whatNancy would tell me later that might surprise me. Though she wasn’tso well-read as I, she wasn’t unenlightened. Along with the courageand business ability she’d shown over the years to accumulate wealth,she possessed wisdom in large part from confronting prejudice with aneven disposition.“You know,” she said softly during a brief intermission, “Mr.Jefferson should have applied his anti-slavery sentiments against theMissouri thing. The country can’t get rid of slavery by admittinganother slave state.”“He has reservations, but a compromise will bring in Maine as afree state.”“The papers printed his entire letter to Senator Holmes—thatslavery was like having the ‘wolf by the ear.’ Can neither hold it norlet it go. Then that claptrap about sending freed slaves back to Africa. Imean, this is Eighteen-Twenty. Aren’t we all past that nonsense?”“Pish-posh, Nancy. Be fair. He didn’t mention Africa.”“Well, where else would he expatriate us? His word,‘expatriate’.”“Let’s you and I not bicker over that. I’ve told him a thousandtimes he’s muddleheaded on the subject.”“‘Wolf by the ear,’ indeed. Next time he enters my pastry shop,I’ll come from behind the counter and wolf-bite his skinny backside.You can tell him I said that.”I doubled over laughing, causing a few playgoers to turnaround—and frown at seeing two colored women having a good time.A bell rang to signal resumption of the play, so we shushedourselves and paid attention. That is, I paid as good attention as Icould, wondering what could any longer startle me.