Citrus Florida was a one plant town, and my father Rex owned the plant. He owned the roads, farms, and everything around it for 20 miles in every direction. It was a vast plant called Duck. If you drank orange juice anywhere in the world probably your breakfast juice came from Duck.
The people who worked the plant were not free. They were not called slaves, but they did not go home at night if they were line workers. Thirty three years before I was born, the Duck workers went out on their last strike, then the fifty thousand workers lived in dreadful shacks around the plant.
It took the Florida National Guard to fight the strikers and enslave them (they were not officially in any document called ’slaves’ because that was prohibited in the Constitution), but they were chained at their work posts, ‘For Public Safety’.
From outside, North Dakota, the United States of Brazil, France, South Carolina, anywhere but Florida, three thousand families were brought in and made supervisors for the chained workers. The families were all indentured for ten years to my father.
Citrus High School where I went with supervisor children was a typical rural school. By my 4th year in high school most of the other students were girls because parents tried to get their boys into positions at the plant, or on our farms. Those were 25 year indentures, and there was no pay for the first ten years of training.
Most boys applied and were accepted in our system. Some boys and a few girls went into national military service when they turned age 17. We figured maybe the smarter ones, more rebellious ones would go army, and the others left would make better slaves. The main problem for many of them was our rule, that once they went off to the army they were not allowed back home. Big Rex, my father, was afraid they would bring back ideas of rebellion to our controlled community.
Upon graduation girls could stay at home and help with smaller children or apply to the army, or do something called National Public Service. Many of the N.P.S. volunteers were made into road workers. My father let federal road workers come in and work on our roads, just so the kids could see them do back breaking work, with whip using supervisors. Mostly farm supervisors had cars, but everyone could see young people working under the whip. It was very instructive. Also not much news was published in our local newspaper, but whatever war we were fighting had lots of coverage in our press (a weekly one page affair). All the army deaths were reported, and pictures were put in the paper. The bodies were brought back to Citrus, and buried here. A 50% death rate in the army caused many boys to decide to stay home, and be good slaves.
A few of the girls who had special office skills were given office indentures. Most of them became workers for life in one of our canning plants or farms.
For the most part girls were afraid of me because I was all powerful compared to them. From the 1st grade they had bowed on their knees when I passed them. My questions to the teachers were more important than theirs (because I owned the teachers). I even sat in a padded chair in class. My food was better in the lunchroom and I had a troop of big bodyguards who went around with me.
My last year I got a series of letters from girls asking for a place with me.
When I was age 12 my father had taken me to one of the plants where young girls were worked. That day I picked five and most were probably 13 or 14 years old. That first lot all had light colored hair and budding breasts. They had never been to school and didn’t even know where they were. Some didn’t even know what their last name was, most couldn’t spell the word, ‘cat’. When I had them trucked to my house it was the first time they ever were in a motor vehicle. Some were so scared they messed their pants.
The classmates I had at school were also rather dumb about the world outside Citrus.
It was probably 3 months before high school graduation that i began to get desperate letters. I mean I had always gotten love letters telling me how much a certain girl loved me. But now they were worried about the rest of their lives.
My father Big Rex said, “Son leave the supervisors daughters alone. After they decide not to go in the army and realize they don’t like public road work with a pick and shovel, then they will line up with their slavery papers and you can turn them like pages in a loose leaf notebook. Until that day their fathers are ready to scream and stomp. One little screw and you could get a rebellion started.
Even at my age 60 I got 150 begging letters last year.”
Loretta Peach sent the first short letter. It said, “Dearest Rex Durn” ( My last name is Durn, but I don’t even remember the last time anyone spoke outloud our last name and here it was in the first letter). “I’m Loretta Peach and you watch me walk around every day. Everyone says I have the best legs in school.
I wrote you 20 letters over the last 3 years explaining my love.
My father said it would be best if you just ordered me to your bed tonight! There are 300 girls in our graduating class and I know I want you inside me more than I want the diploma. Please tell me to run over and get in your bed. I love you more than anyone else could! Loretta
Loretta was right about her legs and I was tempted, but instead I went to slave barn number twelve where teenage girls were kept when they were not working in the factory. My father always chained his women and had a driver deliver them to his bed.
That day I walked home with two of them holding their hands. The best one was named Cherry and she had long black hair. She was as tall as I was and said, “I’m so excited.” She jumped and skipped along as we walked. I had looked and handled both their bodies in the barn. They slept naked and I checked them out as they stood by their beds with heads bowed.
I learned from experience that you don’t ask barn animals their ages, they don’t know it. What I ask them is, “Cherry how long have you worked in my factory?”
The supervisors always put children to work when they are ten years old, before that they play at work. So when Cherry answered me, “Three years master,” it meant that she was about thirteen years old.
Another letter I got before graduation said, “Dear Rex, I’m Gretta Spirits the blond girl who sits close to you. You look at me every day during roll call. My father says since there are so many graduating girls, and you are not going to marry any of us, because we all know owners don’t marry their slaves. We’re dependents of indentured slaves and so I’m really your slave, for all practical purposes.
Of course you know my father is not a regular supervisor, but he is in charge of the machinery. He has 3 degrees and says his daughter is a smart as he is. I know boys want a girl’s body, and my body is ready to welcome you Rex.
Last week you walked by my house with the tall blackhaired slave girl and the shorter light haired girl. The tall one just danced along and sang. I think her song was, ‘Rain Come on Down,’ My father had me trained in voice and dance, so I can dance and sing for you master. I was taught at home by professionals to sing and dance for you. naked if you like.
Of course master you want smart children and I know you have children already. Rumors say anything from 25 to 60. We see little children playing on your lawn. Your house is the center of Citra. So anyway you know I beat everyone in math and science classes. The army would take me because of my high marks in standardized tests, but I would like to remain near my family. I am one of ten children.
If you take me master we can have smart children. Of course I know the rules of slavery and they would be your children.
Please pick me master for your bed. Love Gretta.
I think every parent encouraged their girl to graduate and ask to serve me.
The day after graduating I went to the plant and took over a meeting room right next to the main office. It was the room that dad usually talked to and humbled indentured men in. I was often there when he had them crawling and licking. That had been part of my training since I was eight or ten years old.
I had a girl named Corey who I had acquired at age 12. She was maybe my same age. I had owned her 5 years and she stayed where the girls all sat in folding chairs, as I called them in one at a time to interview.
The girls had all arrived with one or both parents. After each girl signed her lifetime indenture Corey sent the parents home, or back to their job.
So 50 waited that first morning.
Corey wore a headset, and I could see the girls fidget in their metal chairs. I had a one way mirror to see the waiting room. I sent for Loretta Peach first. She came and stood in front of me. I sat slouched in a comfortable leather chair.
“What did your father tell you about slavery Loretta? I saw he came with you today.”
“Just what he alwys says about the whole Durn family. He says ‘Be obedient and humble.’
His reason is he’s been a slave for almost 20 years now and his back scars are where your father has laid on the whip.”
“Do you wonder why I let you stand while I sit Loretta?”
“No sir, your the superior person. My father said techincally speaking, when he signed his first indenture paper, none of us were really people after that. We became animals owned by Rex Durn. I just signed another paper, so I guess now I’m a double slave.”
“Do you remember when we were growing up Loretta and I didn’t go to school all day with you?”
“Yes sir.”
“Do you know why I was away from your class?”
“Yes sir, you were having regular classes. We were in obedience school.”
“What were you learning then?”
“When you came at the end of the day we played games about, ‘Master/Slave.”
“I often picked you then didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“What job did I give you?”
“I would run and fetch other boys and girls for you.”
“What if you were not quick enough?”
“You had a little whip, and would blister my hiney.”
“Did I touch you anywhere else?”
“Everywhere, your hands were nearly always on me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why, but you called me your, ‘dog’.
“Do you remember complaining about me touching you?”
“Yes that was in the 5thgrade, my father had explained to me how important it was to remain a virgin and you often held on to me with a hand between my legs. I told the teacher Mrs. Gasbalm.”
“What did she tell you?”
“The teacher said, ‘Whatever our master does to you is allowed.’ Then you punished me in front of the class with my panties pulled down.”
“You were the only almost naked girl I punished in front of the class.”
“You beat 5 boys.”
“I beat several other girls naked after school.”
“I didn’t know about that sir. But today I’m here after being trained in high school and graduating , what do I do?”
“We resume the game Loretta.” I used my intercom and said to the outer office secretary, “Lock my outer door and don’t let any other parents bring children in today Jackie.” Then I turned off the intercom and said “Now Loretta we resume the game. My whips on the table, put your clothes on the little chair just as you were trained and then crawl over to my chair on your belly and humbly give it to me. Do you understand Dog?
“Yes master.”
The author can be contacted at: rcates2@cox.net
Another story by the same author is found at: http://unsightlyteeth.wordpress.com
