Flight of Fancy: Cora's Daughters (16 page)

Asiza had the cook pan by the handle as it sat on the ground in front of her. She had been turning the fish. That was all forgotten as her eyes devoured her husband’s naked form. She couldn’t look away either and didn’t think to play coy. This was so different from watching him up in a tree at a distance.

Her eyes went to meet his, to see that he was watching her. Wanting to see her reaction to him standing naked – he didn’t have long to wait, to see. 

Curiosity mixed with something more, filled her expression. Biting the side of her bottom lip, her eyes went down to that part of him that made him a man. His thick penis arched out away from his body, lifting and growing in length right before her. 

Dropping and turning her burning face away, she forced her attention back to the fish. Neither of them could find the air to speak, it was enough to try and breathe normally.

Moments passed when his voice broke into her shaken silence, it came low, passionate, begging and filled with a need, “How long, ‘fore your bleedin’ ends?”

She gulped, took a deep breath and stated almost in a whisper, “Two days, a bit onto three.”

“An’ this day… day one?” He asked. 

She nodded, feeling shy and glanced up at him - he had his loin cloth on, and walked by her towards the door.

“Where you goin’?” She asked gently.

“Feelin’ a bit warm in here, just a bit…” he then stepped out into the wind and rain, welcoming the onslaught against his heated skin.

He was right - Asiza took her blouse back off leaving only her chemise and skirt on. 

With the goose on the spit and the vegetables in the cauldron cooking on the stove, the fish was soon done and ready to eat - steaming in the pan, heaps of tender, succulent white meat. Asiza put as much as she could on the one plate, leaving the rest in the pan sitting close to the fire. Going to the door, gazing out through the pouring rain – she spotted him.  

Broc stood not far in the distance - his head laid back, with his mouth open and his eyes closed. She watched him with the storm raging around him, knee-deep in weeds, his arms up in the air as if petitioning the heavens.   

He was glorious to behold, his body being bathed in the rain – his hair slick and sticking to his head. Asiza stood mesmerized, forgetting the reason she’d come for him - to call him in to eat.  

He must have sensed her - his mouth closed - his arms dropped - his head lowered, and his eyes opened to stare straight into hers. Right then, he looked as animal as she sometimes felt – her heart took off thumping so hard and fast - it took her breath away. Every fiber of her being was drawn to this man. He started walking towards her - the muscles of his body were sleek and defined. She wanted to touch his skin, kiss it maybe. Asiza was surprised that such thoughts went through her mind.

He stepped right up to her as she stood in the doorway. Reaching above her head - he grabbed something out of the air, crushing it in his bare hand.

With curious eyes, she looked up, seeing a web overhead. Looking back at him, he opened his hand for her to see a rather large spider crushed in the palm of his hand.

Asiza sighed looking back into his eyes.

Turning his upper body, extending his arm and hand out into the rain – he washed the dead spider clean from his palm. That same hand returned, cool, wet, dripping to gently palm the side of her face.

“I’ah let man nor beast, harm my Asiza. Aye – I will protect you, even from what you cannot see. My beautiful Asiza…” he swore passionately, leaning forward kissing the tip of her nose. She tilted her head back - eyes closed offering him more. Gladly, he took the offering and softly kissed her full lips. His were firm and tasted of coolness, cleanness, and rain.

However, the intimate contact ended too soon. She opened her eyes to gaze longingly up at him, “I’ah have you Asiza, before we leave this place. As a husband would have his wife. You will give to me, as a wife would her husband. Say that you will.”

With her throat so tight with longing, all she could do was nod her head. Broc treasured what he had, with his wife there were no coy games and teasing, one could see all, read all in her eyes. He smiled, “Have you come t’call me in t’eat?” he asked.

Again, with eyes cast downward, she nodded.

“Come on then, let us eat since there is nawt’else t’be done.”

Their secluded hideaway was golden with shadow. Flames dancing and licking away at their goose where fat burst free causing crackles and pops. The walls were alive with the dancing of the roaring fire.

They sat on the two saddle blankets from their horses, before the fire. Broc with his legs crossed - Asiza with hers folded to the side. Between them sat a plate of fish - plenty to fill them as they ate using their fingers. Once more, as he ate, Asiza could tell there was a lot on his mind, “Wha’s wrong?” She softly asked, between filling her mouth with fingertip pinches of white fish.

“My wantin’ you made me decide we would stop here, rest a while – but – not so sure it’s a good idea.”

“Why? Don’ min’ it so much now – I kind’ah like it.”

Broc glanced up offering a smile of agreement, however - “They no doubt paid someone else to track you, bring you in…” he paused as if the idea brought a pain to his system. She could tell that he was done eating - for now, so was she.

“The rain, the storm – is good.” She pointed out.

“It helped - yes – clearing our tracks.”

“…an’ you still sca'ed?” She asked gently.

His intense gaze came up from the floor, peering into her eyes, “I will not be parted from you. You will not be taken from me – you will not. When the rain calms, we should move on, not stay as I thought.”

“How far fo’we out the south?”

“A ways more – days – if not longer, ‘til we make it to where we can board a boat that’ah take us the rest of the way north.”

She thought of his words and smiling, looked up to say, “Got somethin’ t’show you – make you feel betta’.”

“Nothin’ make me feel better but getting’ you somewhere safe - north.”

“Maybe this’ah help.” She lifted the plate of leftover fish, putting it on the table and then walked to their things on the floor by their rush bed she’d made.

He went to the spit, giving the goose a turn when he heard the jingle of coins. He turned to see her kneeling beside him, emptying a sack of gold coins. At first, he thought it was his own but noticed the sack was much larger than the one he had, with double the coins. 

“Where you get that?”

“Cleanin’ that table, I move all that stuff, shake out that tablecloth, an’ see a hole cut in the top, this inside it.” She explained. He couldn’t believe his eyes, picking up the discovered treasure - he examined them only for his mouth to drop open, stunned. 

“How much that - you know?” She asked, curious.

“‘Seeza... you know what you found here darlin'?”

“I's a lot o'money?”

“Asiza...” He paused, pouring the entire contents on the floor, looking over each one carefully, comparing them. “...Eagles... ten dollar eagles in gold. My God!”

“That good?”

“Darlin' this is real good.” From what he could see, there looked to be over a thousand in gold - he was the one smiling now, “We gone do real well Asiza – we get out the south with this and with what I got, we gone be alright.”

Asiza’s moment of gladness seemed to fall as her mind saw what they were up against, “Sho’wish it was you, get me, not that mayor. I would’nah had t’kill nobody…” She started shaking her head, thinking back, “…I ain’ want them touchin’ me, do what they got plan fo’me – I jus’ - I couldn’t…” She shook her head, and for the first time, she looked as if she would cry about it.

“Shhh Asiza, I know… I know – you done right to get yourself out o’that. You done what anybody would do if they wanna survive – not be tortured. Those men, their kind – I see as nothin’ but demons – the devil’s own – dead is the bes’ place for’em. You, stop this crying.” He reached up, his thumb wiping at a tear that had fallen.

“They catch me, they gone kill me – you ‘spose t’kill me. Now, they may kill you too.”

“I swear before the God that made Adam and Eve, they gonna
have
to kill me, to get you Asiza. I mean that as I live and breathe.”

She shook her head in amazement, “I swear I don’ know why you wan’ me like you do – when you can have somebody betta - white.”

“Better?” It was his turn to shake his head, “The Lord don’t see it that way Asiza, no he don’t at all.” He murmured, staring at her, into her eyes, “I don’t believe that. That Reverend Hardy don’t either – reason they do what they do. There’s a many of white folks Asiza, that know right from wrong, an’ they stand up for what’s right. Sad thing is, there’s many who rather do wrong – rather be on the devil’s side. We all know them by their deeds, by what they do – it’s plain to see…”

“Not always. That mayor – don’ thank his wife know what he do. They hide how bad they is…”

“I know…” He thought about what he did for a living, “… I came after you for gold because they said you were wicked, evil – bad. I know that ain’t true. You did what you did because you were trying to get away.”

“That undertaker, he told me what they do. What happened to other fancies they buy - like they bought you – he told me. I knew even before I set eyes on you. I knew if I found you, killed you for them – for the devilish deeds they tried, that would make me no better.” He sat thinking some more.

They were quiet a spell, lost in thought. He started picking up the gold coins, putting them back in the sack. When done, he glanced up at her again, “I want you Asiza, because I’m supposed to want you. Truth is, ain’t no such thing as better because white. Wantin’ got nothing to do with me being white, you being a negro. It can’nah be wrong if God Himself chose Moses
after
he chose his wife, Zipporah… a woman from a negro tribe.” Thinking about it made him angry, hateful towards those who had ruined everyone’s life with such nonsensical thinking. “Asiza, what you think is wrong – wrong because it came from those same wicked men, that tried to do with you - what they do.”

“They from the devil and what they do to my ancestors, is the work of the devil. I want no part of that kind of thinkin’ – no part at all.” He smiled again, reached up and caressed her soft cheek, seeing his fairer skin against her dark skin.

“You my wife. I’ah say it again, no man will come between us, or take you away from me. God and all of his angels are a witness that every word I say, I mean.” His large, rough fingers gently touched and caressed all the contours of her features, “You believe me Asiza, what I say?”

She nodded, “I believe what you say.”

“Good, we don’t need to talk about this no more, you mine and I’m yours. Long as it’s okay with the Lord, the rest can go right to hades. In fact, they come messin’ they gone find the way there a whole lot sooner than planned. Lord God-Almighty, I mean every word.” She wanted him to kiss her again. He could tell. His lips barely cracked a smile as he leaned toward her - holding her head firm and still, he kissed her deeply, savoring the surges of tingling delight he found at her lips.

Once more, he backed away with no choice to do otherwise.

As for their evening, until the goose was cooked, they were up. Broc brought out his playing cards and taught her a game to whittle the time away. Asiza had never played card games and was thoroughly enjoying it.

Furthering her delight, she was winning. As for Broc, true to the nature of some men, he began cheating to even things out a bit, but he couldn’t pull anything over on Asiza.

She knew he was hiding and tucking cards away, “Where them cards at – I seen what you did.” She laughed coming to her knees, hands on her hips, accusation in her eyes.

Broc tried to play it off, pretending otherwise, “Asiza Wolf, you seein’ things. See what winning a few hands do – make you see what jus’ ain’t true.” He fought laughter, she was too sharp. Her fingers were strumming at her hips, a slanted brow, lips thinned and fighting a grin, she warned him, “Gimme them cards, or I’mo have t’go in and get'em.” Go in, was beneath his loin cloth.

Broc cocked a brow of his own, and crossing his thick arms over his chest, looking like an auburn haired warrior, he beckoned her on, “You think you gone find a card, or two on me? Come on, I'm anxious t'see what you find.” His inference was clear.

After all, he wore only a rawhide belt low around his waist with the long loin cloth folded over the back of it. That same cloth was brought forward from between his thighs to pocket his manhood and then back up to the belt in front. Pulled underneath it, to loop over the top and hang past his crotch. Needless to say, he was practically naked.

“I’s in there wit’yo’ didly-doo or you sittin’ on it!” She accused. Her words sent him into laughter once more, until he was practically rocking back, and of course, doing so – showed that she was right, as one card was stuck to the skin of his under thigh.

“There one is – I knew it!” She jumped him, knocking him further back as he laughed, snatching the card from his skin.

“Where the otha'? Ain' but one mo'place t'hide it!” She fussed, laying across him as if holding him down, with him laughing so, it wasn't hard, he'd gone weak with his laughter. Sure enough, her hand went in where his privates were pocketed, making him laugh even more, he was ticklish along the thighs there.