Flight of Fancy: Cora's Daughters (14 page)

She gave him a sideways glance, and then back to the meadow they were crossing. “Masta’ Gareth spend mo’time pass’d out from his drinkin’ than he do awake. Mama took time t’teach me and mine lots o’thangs.” She informed him, “… them overseers go ‘round, didly here, didly there when he pass out. They know not to didly his bes’ o’masta’ shoot’em.”

“You and yours?” He enquired.

“They not allow’d me and my sista’s. Or otha's master decide they fancy.”

“Your sisters, one name Suga’?” He mentioned, showing her that he had been listening and remembered her cries while whipping her dead ex-master.

She nodded, “One name Suga’. They was six o’us. Ol’est name Nashi, next call Isabel, then Gelila, Rayah - then me, and fin’ly, Suga. I had three brothers too – they all dead. Masta’ Gareth ain’t want that many boys, jus’ some. So he kill what he don’ want.” She imparted, then wished she hadn’t because he was quiet, “You ain’ prob’ly wanna know that.”

“I don’t mind knowing Asiza.” He returned, afraid she wouldn’t tell him anymore. “Tell me more, please?” He asked nicely.

She thought back, “Mama always say t’masta’ when he go’ta' callin' fo'ha –
‘trainin’ m’girls, ‘…want them t’be good fancy’s?’
She say to him –
‘leave me’lone so I do it.’
Sometime he do, sometime he don’t. All depend on how he feel.”

“He let all the mama’s teach they girls what they know, t’make’em worth somethin’. Our mama teach us what she feel, we need t’know.”

“Like what?”

“Lot’sa thangs. Stuff masta’ want us t’know and stuff masta’ don’t. Mama don’ care, she teach us anyway.” Asiza smiled, glancing once more at Broc, “I love my mama, miss ha’ too.”

He nodded, knowing that it was true.

His own mother had died at child birth, and he always wondered what she was like? He didn’t know because his father never brought her back to his people. He had returned to them with Broc only after she died in childbirth. He figured that maybe – he, his father - blamed him for her death. When he brought Broc to his parents, he rode off and never looked back. His rare visits had been the same.

Broc wanted to know why?

His grandparents could never explain why, but his grandmother had said, that his father was a good looking man stuck on himself – vain, selfish. That’s all he knew about him, and as he grew, he was told that he looked like him. They all said, he was better looking, and more white. His father could pass for white, unlike his siblings who were dark like his grandmother. Carrig, was the only one that came out able to pass for white.

Because of that, he took off leaving everyone behind in order to stay white. All his grandparents knew about his mother was that she was French, nothing more. Not wanting to think about his own circumstances he asked Asiza more about hers, “Who taught you to climb trees like you do?” Asiza smiled once more, “Our mama, she teach all o’us t’climb trees.”

“Why?”

“When she a lil’girl, she try and keep up wit’ha older brother and the boys. They challenge each other – who can run the fasta’, who can jump farthes’, who can climb higher.” Looking bashful, Asiza smiled shyly, feeling strange for talking so much, she never knew she’d be with a man who would want to hear her talk.

“Go on, don’t stop.” He encouraged.

She sighed, thinking and went on, “My mama say, she try t’run fas’ – but they fasta, she try t’jump far, but they fartha’, and ha’ brotha’, he climb higher than all the res’ an’ she say he tell her, ‘you can do this, can go higher even than me. He teach her t’go waaaay up high.”

“She wanna do that betta’ than all the res’ so bad, she learn t’climb any tree she see,” Asiza smiled, proud of her mother, continuing, “...my mama see it, she clim’it! She love it, she say - she feel high as the sky and …
free!
Safe and special, cause she say sometime, she can see where the eagles lie.”

She paused as if taking a breath, thinking some more, she went on to say, “When they come up on her tribe – killin’ off s’many… soldiers attackin’ – lot’s of’em – killin’ men, old folks – taken women, kids – mama say she ran and ran right into the forest and climbed a tree. She say she went up that tree so fas’, so high – they ain’ see her. Long as she up that tree – she know she safe. But… she – come down too soon – a soldier seen’er…”

She paused again, thinking about it, seeing it in her mind. After inhaling long and deep, she finally went on to say, “…she been a slave eva’ sense.” Again, quiet and then, “…mama beat us – we don’ climb that tree. She make us go way up high – make us stay, ‘til we hungry – and then stay longa’. I always went the highest, stay the longest. Suga, she go up the fastest, oh you gotta see Suga go up a tree, she fas’ oooh-wee, she fas’.” She smiled again. “Suga’ can go way high too, but she always let me go higher, ‘cause she thank I wanna go higher.” She was lost a moment in a melancholy smile, “I miss Suga.” Her eyes grew moist.

“I can tell.” He murmured softly, “Maybe one day, you’ah see her again.”

Asiza shook her head, wiping at her eyes, trying to block her tears, “She gone, ain’ never gone see her again, mama either. Neva’ see nobody again, I’m all by myself now.”

“No you not Asiza, I’m with you. I’ah never leave you, not ever.” He swore and meant it. Her moist eyes glanced his way, she gave a sad smile as if she wanted to believe it, but didn’t quite think it possible. He saw it in her eyes and felt his need to protect her grow. Not until Asiza, did he even know who he was. He knew where he came from, but he’d been wandering around without a compass for himself or his life.

He used searching for his father as a direction to go in. Now that he had Asiza, he was going in another direction.

After all, his father felt no need to see him, his own son. Broc thought, it didn't make sense to him now, that he'd been driven to find Carrig.

No, he had a new and desirable direction because of Asiza. His journey brought him to her, they fit - fit to the very core of his being. With the acknowledgement of that, he started whistling again – they’d been riding for an hour when suddenly he went from whistling to singing a made up ditty…

‘Asiza m’darlin

oh a many’o’men she scare

So delicate a beauty to see her,

but all warn me, beware

Blessid be, the Lord give me,

somethin’ so sweet an’ oh so rare,

Ooohhh bu-u-ut a many’o’man she scare

yes – a many’o’man she scare

Green eyes th’grab yer’soul

lips so full yes I been tol’

will’ya take two fifty in gold

I shout to’da auction man, sir,

here take my money in gold

Aiy, fare trade for a honey so sweet…

Oh but a many’o’man she scare, son

I warn’ya ta beware,

yes I warn you ta beware…

‘cause a many’o’man she scare…’

Asiza gasped in surprise with her mouth wide open and then closed it with a bashful smile and unable to resist, she slapped a hand over her heated face giggling.

Broc threw his head back laughing out loud, winking and flirting with her all the more. He sang the song in a bawdy Irish brogue with such a strong voice, much better than the first time until she too laughed. “Yeah, you one crazy man ah’right, you sho is Masta’ Broc, you sho’is.” Her eyes rolled trying not to grin, but he made her - leaning over tickling her chin and tugging at her ear. “Gone… stop that.” She simpered, and then, “Sang it one mo’time?”

And he did, loud, proud and full of jovial laughter.

Chapter Nine

Days went by, they rode, they talked, with her telling him more stories and he too sharing some of his own. For the time being, it was as if they were the only people in the world. Certainly the means by which they traveled and the route they took made it seem so. They saw little to no one – which was just fine by them. It was during that time, that they began to really enjoy each other’s company. Becoming fast friends when they realized how much they thought the same, delighted by how much they were alike. How much they had in common. Both from a tribe. Both from slaves.

Both determined to be happy… and free.

Broc knew that his privilege of white skin, had already freed him. It was time now, to see that his wife – also be free.

In view of all that, Asiza still found herself wondering why he had not tried to kiss her again. He flirted with her, teased her, joked and played around. He sang more bawdy tunes – many of them making her blush, some had her laughing. She liked that about him – she never knew that a man could be this way, and wondered were other men like him?

He seemed to like to make her laugh - showing how funny he could be – but, no kisses. When they stopped to rest the horses and themselves, replenishing their food and water, once more he took up playing with her. To her surprise, wrestling with her as if showing her how much stronger he was than she. Challenging her as if she were a boy - tossing her about and into the air, making her squeal out - chasing her down, tickling and handling her, but never in a sexual way. His behavior plagued Asiza until the penny dropped in her head. She figured, it was quite possible, that he was using play, rough and tumble to make it clear, that he was the man, to show her how much stronger he was than her.

She supposed he did it because she had shown in the past that if she felt inclined, she could kill. Surely he had to know she would never kill a man that didn’t deserve to die?

Also, he obviously hadn’t considered that she didn’t need to be all that strong to come out on top. All it would take was the right weapon, the know-how and the nerve. Being a woman, it also required speed, all of which she had. Even so - in the time they were together, she was learning. Thus, she kept that part to herself – because something told her, he
needed
her to know
he
was the man in this relationship.

In truth, she found it all fun, but still… no kisses. Once more, he baffled her – because in truth, she now longed for more kisses. Now that her inner desires had been awakened, she wanted to get it right. Since that first time he showed her what a woman should feel when a man makes a move to claim her, she'd been mildly tingling. Truth was she had struggled to breathe – yet, she wanted to make him feel, maybe, what he made her feel.

Besides that, her body was starting to react oddly. She was experiencing funny sensations that fluttered along her nerve endings a lot of the time, now that he was around. Her body set up a longing for something from him, but she wasn’t sure how he could meet the longing and sate it. However, all of that came to a stop when the cramping pains and finally her menstrual cycle came upon her. It was then, that he showed another side to himself by being immediately gentle and caring in his treatment of her.

Feeling the way she did, with him seeing how she cramped and cringed in pain – he left her with nothing to do, as he was willing to do all. This meant leaving her behind while he went hunting. Under the circumstances, it was at the base of a tree he expected her to climb, that he gave a gentle kiss to her brow with instructions, “Don’t come down, until you know it is me come back, understand?”

Asiza caught herself not to make a face at him for telling her something she already knew. She supposed it was that man thing again, he needed to feel like he was in charge of everything, even her
good sense.

She nodded her head in answer to him, saying nothing as she thought back to the ways her mama told her and her sisters that men liked their women to be and act, fragile and quiet.

Asiza thought, if that was what it took to get kissed again, she would do it – for a while anyway.

As he was off hunting for them, clouds began gathering over the area – a good storm was brewing. He'd been gone a while and then returned to inform her that he’d found an old abandoned hovel.

It appeared that no one had lived in it for years. Structured within a bluff as if once a cave that someone painstakingly turned into a hidden retreat. Ivy, weeds, hedges and vine growth had practically buried it – there was also a stable lean-to – perfect for Nik-Nik and Flower. Before the heavens released its fury, Broc moved their camp into the hidden cavity – informing her as they entered it, “It’s well sheltered, stable and strong – I can’nah wait to show you. I went through, chased out the vermin, some spiders…” he hesitated and then admitted, “… a corpse - but it will suit us well until your curse has passed.”

Asiza looked at him funny, “Wha’s a corpse?” she asked, noticing how deep into bluff the cavern went, proving to be a much larger space than one would expect from outside.

He was cleaning and making a place for her to lie down, he had already dragged the tick mattress with the dead, body on it outside, as far from the cabin as he could get it, even before going back to get her.