Chapter 23: Chapter 19 There is always a Choice

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

June 11, 1911

2 Months after the Charleston Incident

[3rd Person POV]

[Warning: Child Abuse, Mutilation, Racial Slurs, and Hate Speech. Please read at your own Discretion]

"Ahh! Ahh!! Pls stop!! Pls I won't do it again!!" The child cried.

"You think you're smart, don't cha you little black whore. You're lucky you're alive because of me. Or else you would've been killed like your mother!" The man who was supposedly the father of the child kept whipping the child until she bled from her arms and legs as the man got tired and scoffed.

"Hmph. Now go to your fucking room before I kill you too and I'll have to pay someone to clean up the mess you made." 

With that, the child crawled ever so slowly leaving the apartment entirely as the man whose father was the child just watched with satisfaction as he finished his cigarette and stubbed it into the leg of the child.

The child screamed and begged her father to stop as the child knew she would die if she doesn't escape her father's clutches as she summoned all of her strength to stand up, ignore her pain, and leave the apartment whilst grabbing a pen to use as a weapon in case her father tried to approach her again. She could hear her father laughing as he shouted.

"Ho ho ho look what we have here. A brave girl! Running away like her mother. How sweet."

As the father tried to follow her whore daughter, the child looked back and in front again as she kept limping but running in an awkward and painful way until she encountered another person and hesitated to call for help.

But at this point, it's either do or die as she summoned all of her strength to awkwardly and painfully sprint in the direction of the man she saw and screamed "HELP HELP!"

The man stopped to look around and glanced at a child whose bleeding Alla round and quickly walked up to her and grabbed her "are you ok? Who did this to you?"

The child was secretly relieved that the man, although an American, was not racist at all and begged the man "please, you have to save me from my father. He's going to kill me"

As she said that, her father arrived to see a stranger grabbing his daughter and shouted

"Hey you, unhand my daughter as I have to discipline her since she disobeyed an order. As fellow Americans, you should know whose side you're on." The father said, as he grinned.

The said stranger frowned as he was raised Catholic and was taught by his parents that all races are treated equally. And that's including the African Americans who deserve to have a new life after years of slavery and oppression. 

Plus, he was an and still an officer during the civil war and was taking a vacation in Jacksonville to see his relatives when he stumbled upon this situation.

"You call yourself a fellow American when you're still killing our fellow Americans? Slavery has ended years ago. Why still cling to it?" The off duty army officer said.

The father was pissed at the man who didn't know his background yet shouted "you think it's ended? Years of heritage and legacy of our forefathers? We still own them. We have the right to treat them this way as they're still second class citizens in the eyes of the law last I checked. So what makes you judge me huh?"

"Well for one if you don't leave my sights, I'm gonna shoot you. How's that for a judge?" The stranger Sadonically, but sarcastic reply as he did carry a firearm in his waist.

"You're bluffin" the father challenged.

"Oh I ain't bluffing." As he draws his service pistol at the father, who went from pissed to terrified in a second as he dares the stranger to shoot him. And he'll be imprisoned for it.

The stranger then acknowledged the father's threat and shot the father's leg out of empathy as the father screamed bloody murder

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER YOU SHOT ME!!!"

"You asked for it didn't you? So I just obliged and shot you. Shouldn't you be grateful?"

"SHUT UP YOU BLACK WHORE LOVER! YOU THINK YOU'RE SMART! ONE DAY HISTORY WILL PROVE THAT WERE RIGHT!" As the father screamed as he tried to stand but failing completely as he tried again and successfully stood up and limped as he shouted one last time.

"YOU CAN HAVE MY BLASTED USELESS OF A DAUGHTER. SHE COULD'VE BEEN MY MONEY MAKER! I could've sold her body while she has a young body. Men love young children heh don't cha girl?"

The stranger was disgusted and decided that this father was a lost cause and proceeded to think about the consequences of his actions and then grabbing the said child and bringing her to his home.

"I-im sorry mister…you're gonna be in big trouble now that you've helped me…"

"Heh it's no big kid. Back then, I used to think like that as well. But my time in the army has changed all that and realized you guys can be the nicest people I've met. Considering I have a lot of black friends than most white Americans."

He laughed as he grabbed a first aid kit and proceeded to clean the girl's wounds all around her body.

"What's your name if I may ask?" He inquired.

"Rebecca Foster. But with father abandoning me…I don't want to take on the foster name anymore. What about you mister? Who are you?" Rebecca was still a curious girl after all.

"Me? Well…let's just say I'm an American soldier, that's here on a vacation. And maybe it's that both of us met. My name is Richard Jackman." He introduced himself after explaining what he was to an 8 year girl he assumed. But felt she matured a bit as she lived a rough life with her father.

"Say, I know this is weird. But do you have anywhere to go? Any more relatives?"

"No Mr. Richard. They have all abandoned me. My father has also now abandoned me…" Rebecca teared up as she hoped that her father would still have a sliver of love for her. But just because of her skin color and where she came from, she was ostracized, beaten, and nearly raped. She felt traumatized to be even with people as well as she watched her mother got raped and then killed by someone and her father didn't even bat an eye to which made rebecca angry as she swore revenge someday but still held on to a naive hope that her father could redeem himself.

But It was a naive thinking that made rebecca collapse on the floor and cried as Richard just hugged her tightly and soothed her as best as he could.

"Don't worry, no one's gonna hurt you here anymore. Not on my watch."

"You promise Mr?" Rebecca looked up to him with her teared filled eyes, hoping it's all true and not just a dream.

"Yes. I promise you Rebecca. You can even call me your dad if you like" he teased Rebecca to which Rebecca didn't consider it for now as she has only met this man. But nevertheless she agreed to stay in Richards home and enjoy her newfound freedom and liberation as she was also glad that Richard had a huge backyard with tall fences that she could go out and enjoy.

And so a few months pass…

You are reading story The Future of a Thousand Years at novel35.com

---

September 2nd, 1911

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

House of Richard Jackman. US Army Officer Veteran during the civil war.

[3rd Person POV]

Rebecca observed and looked through the life of Richard Jackman, and she has no arguments that the man lived a good life as Richard didn't do any indecent nor call her any names. Just her name, and get was quite kind and sometimes quirky at times that Rebecca couldn't help but laugh.

One time, Richard brought some friends over, and at first Rebecca was terrified that his friends would not share Richard's views.

But her fears were wrong as 2 of his friends named James and Fred were friendly and also we're in the army.

And after a few months of being with Richard, Rebecca is confident to say that she wants to be adopted to Richard's family as she loved everything about him that her father lacked.

He gave her time, a room, and even a dog which she named Coco as Richard even promised to build a playground just for her in the backyard. To which he fulfilled as he and his friends built a treehouse, a miniature playground that has a slide, a swing, and even a seesaw.

Even shocking is that James, one of Richard's friends, brought his son over that was named Thomas. Fred , his son and daughter George and Cecile joined Rebecca in playing in the newly built playground as James, Fred, and Richard chatted with each other while holding a bear in hand.

"How was Europe Fred?" Richard asked

"It was ok. Although there's a lot of tension brewing in the air. I could feel it. It's like the civil war again but with more nations involved and a lot of men and women." 

"So much for Taft's goal for world peace." James scoffed as he downed his beer with a swig for a moment as he glanced toward his son playing with the other kids and Shaked his head.

"Do you plan to adopt her, Richard?"

Richard looked at Rebecca as Rebecca looked back and waved happily before returning to play with the kids again.

"Yes. Yes I do." 

"You know you're gonna be hated by a lot of people for deciding that, don't you think?" Fred challenged Richards decision

"Fuck the people's opinion. The moment she was in my care, I couldn't help but think of her as my own daughter. And I grew to love her as my own. And I would kill for it." Richard adamantly said while downing his beer.

"What about those boats that Germany is doing? Why not send her there?" James offered another solution.

Richard Shaked his head 

"That's her own decision to make. Plus I think she would rather be with me here. As I'll give the adoption papers soon to Rebecca to officially make her my daughter."

James and Fred looked at each other, and sighed as they raised their beer towards Richard. "Best of luck to you man. But don't forget, we have your back. Come hell on high water."

Richard smiled as he clunked his beer onto his friends' beers and cheered loudly.

After a few hours later, the kids have all gone home and Rebecca was ushered inside the house to prepare for dinner and sleep.

"Mr Richard what's this all about? Why in the rush?" Rebecca was scared that Richard might leave her so she asked quite quickly.

Richard reassured her that it's a surprise. And asked to close her eyes.

She closed them and waited, and heard rustling of papers and she heard a paper being placed in front of her as Richard then spoke.

"You can open your eyes now."

Rebecca opened her eyes and glanced at the paper which read adoption papers. Rebecca quickly looked at Richard, who was grinning stupidly and giving Rebecca pure joy.

"I-i-is this really true?? Are you really gonna be my dad?"

"Yes Rebecca. Although it was a bitch to aquire these papers..I got them. So…welcome to the family. Rebecca Jackman."

Richard said her full name but under his family name which prompted Rebecca to squeal and hugged Richard tightly while bombarding Richard with the words "Dad" multiple times as Richard calmed her down and eventually she did. But she was all smiles as Richard said.

"Now now, come on. We have dinner to prepare and I'm gonna teach you the basics of survival."

"You're gonna teach me how to shoot?" Rebecca was shocked, and was about to be excited. But Richard dampened her mood but she nodded that it was too early.

"No. Not for now as you need to learn how to defend yourself without a weapon and with a weapon. I don't want you to enter the world with no knowledge of what's going on."

Richard said with a serious tone, which Rebecca nodded as they prepared their food.

After eating, and sleeping, Rebecca was prepared to take on the world now that her dad was there to help her and someday take revenge for her mother.

She also promised to herself to which she fulfilled years later that she would join the army to become an officer just like her father. Yes she knew she would face discrimination, racism, and many other things that she may have to face..but she'll take the challenge head on and don't give twofucks as she will take on every challenge along with her father's support.

Cases like her are still happening all around America although in small numbers as America is still in the era of treating blacks as even third class citizens but slowly transitioning out of it as counted by the riots, massacres, and often church involvement. America is slowly devolving to fight itself as President Taft is still silent on the racial issue and just focused on improving the economy of America, which he's failing badly as multiple reforms have come and gone and only worked half assly of the time. 

But one thing for sure, a change will happen. And that change will change america's future forever which will drastically change American society by a large degree thanks to certain events that shaped the world today.

You can find story with these keywords: The Future of a Thousand Years, Read The Future of a Thousand Years, The Future of a Thousand Years novel, The Future of a Thousand Years book, The Future of a Thousand Years story, The Future of a Thousand Years full, The Future of a Thousand Years Latest Chapter