Madame Claudette (Revisited)
I started working on a story last year about a black brothel owner in the 1800's called Madame Claudette Becquette, who was also a freed mulatto slave who passed for white. The story consumed most of my time because it was a topic that fascinated me (race and sex), and it still does today. Well in the middle of writing the 2nd part, I got writers block due to the fact that I wanted to be historically accurate, so I’d usually stop writing to do research on slavery, which turned out to be emotionally and physically draining, so I stopped writing.
In the mean time, I got so many requests to finish the story that I think I’ll resurrect Madame Claudette Bequette, and begin writing her story again. The idea of Claudette is still fresh in my mind, but executing it into a story is the hard part, but I’m going to make some revisions and finally finish it!
Enjoy the Introduction…
The Story of Madame C
By Erika Jones
The Introduction
The year was 1921, and the weather was a sweltering hot heap of a mess down here in the Louisiana swamp lands, but goddammit my brothel was the hottest ticket in town. Everybody who was anybody had strolled through these halls and had a taste of the finest black asses to ever walk across a plantation.
The girls were exhausted from working all night while the white men stumbled about the hallways drunk with laughter. This was the only place in the South where whites and blacks could co-exist in a peaceful manner, and not feel the strains of prejudice and separation.
The local voodoo priestess had just finished giving 4 bootleg abortions to some girls who had become "In the family way", and afterwards we sat and drank cold lemonade spiked with Gin.
Luckily for me, Tambo was a Voodoo priestess with a weakness for whiskey, so as a payment, I would simply give her an entire case of bathtub Gin and whiskey!
Tambo had been a friend to the family for over 50 years, and now well into her 80's she doesn't move about as fast as she used to, and I'm not sure if it's because of the whiskey or her age. She got the name Tambo from her late husband who was also heavily into voodoo, and would often use a Tambourine in her spells and rituals, hence the name Tambo.
Lord chile, that woman would shake that Tambourine over my girls when she thought they had a demon or was hexed and it would drive me absolutely crazy.
I myself was getting too old to be trying to keep up with these 20 and 30 year old gals. Hell, I'm 64 years old and I surely didn't want to be peddling pussy and bootleg liquor for the rest of my life. I've done it for 40 years already, and the girls today ain't nothing like the girls I managed back in the 1880's when I first began.
But I can't complain though. I've had a good life considering that I'm the daughter of slaves. Both my parents were Mulattos that could pass for white, and so could I, which benefited me greatly.
To my girls I was just another white woman who they only knew as Madame C. Only a select few knew my real name or that I had black blood pulsating through me veins.
Only a select few know anything about Madame Claudette Becquette, and that's how I liked it. I've participated in some of the worst activities known to man, so keeping my identity a secret is not only important, but my life and safety depends on it!
To be continued.......
In the mean time, I got so many requests to finish the story that I think I’ll resurrect Madame Claudette Bequette, and begin writing her story again. The idea of Claudette is still fresh in my mind, but executing it into a story is the hard part, but I’m going to make some revisions and finally finish it!
Enjoy the Introduction…
The Story of Madame C
By Erika Jones
The Introduction
The year was 1921, and the weather was a sweltering hot heap of a mess down here in the Louisiana swamp lands, but goddammit my brothel was the hottest ticket in town. Everybody who was anybody had strolled through these halls and had a taste of the finest black asses to ever walk across a plantation.
The girls were exhausted from working all night while the white men stumbled about the hallways drunk with laughter. This was the only place in the South where whites and blacks could co-exist in a peaceful manner, and not feel the strains of prejudice and separation.
The local voodoo priestess had just finished giving 4 bootleg abortions to some girls who had become "In the family way", and afterwards we sat and drank cold lemonade spiked with Gin.
Luckily for me, Tambo was a Voodoo priestess with a weakness for whiskey, so as a payment, I would simply give her an entire case of bathtub Gin and whiskey!
Tambo had been a friend to the family for over 50 years, and now well into her 80's she doesn't move about as fast as she used to, and I'm not sure if it's because of the whiskey or her age. She got the name Tambo from her late husband who was also heavily into voodoo, and would often use a Tambourine in her spells and rituals, hence the name Tambo.
Lord chile, that woman would shake that Tambourine over my girls when she thought they had a demon or was hexed and it would drive me absolutely crazy.
I myself was getting too old to be trying to keep up with these 20 and 30 year old gals. Hell, I'm 64 years old and I surely didn't want to be peddling pussy and bootleg liquor for the rest of my life. I've done it for 40 years already, and the girls today ain't nothing like the girls I managed back in the 1880's when I first began.
But I can't complain though. I've had a good life considering that I'm the daughter of slaves. Both my parents were Mulattos that could pass for white, and so could I, which benefited me greatly.
To my girls I was just another white woman who they only knew as Madame C. Only a select few knew my real name or that I had black blood pulsating through me veins.
Only a select few know anything about Madame Claudette Becquette, and that's how I liked it. I've participated in some of the worst activities known to man, so keeping my identity a secret is not only important, but my life and safety depends on it!
To be continued.......
I am happy you decided to finish this. I was so happy to learn about Madame C through your first post about her. Her life would make a great movie and based on the intro I think you would be great for the screenplay. Keep writing I love reading :)
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