This story is told from the perspective of Roy, a once slave who is now living in his freedom. He begins the scene by sharing the ingredients of this wonderful bowl of vegetable stew that he is making. He is happy and jovial dancing around his kitchen with an energy that lights up the room. But once he begins to share his story about how he got his freedom he takes us back to a time not so long ago for him when he was a slave. Not only was he a slave but he was a slave in Mississippi, at the height of the slave trade. And he was special to his master because he was a boxer. Whatever sport the master was interested in he utilized his slaves to make it come true. So, as Roy began to train to be a boxer the master realized how good he was and started to use him to fight other slaves from other plantations to make money.
But eventually the only thing Roy wanted to do was to live his life, be a father to his children and a husband to his wife but master said no. He forced Roy to train his son to take over for him. Unfortunately, Roy knew that before there can be the next great fighter the present great fighter must die in the ring. This is a story about the unfortunate atrocities that happened to this particular man while he lived on a plantation and the only thing he sought out was freedom. Sometimes we forget to appreciate the simple things in life like being able to make a choice, being able to love and breathe in life as we choose it or being able to share a bowl of vegetable stew and a piece of cornbread with friends and family. A story that reminds us that history happened, and it is our responsibility to honor it as Roy honored his family.