a terrible mess of his shirt and coat, but he let me cry until I couldn’t anymore, all the while stroking my braided hair and shushing me softly.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Lily,” I said without any hesitation.
“Comment joli.”
“What?” I asked when I didn’t understand what he’d said.
“How lovely,” he translated. “Lily… comment joli. ”
It felt so good to hear my name on someone’s lips – my real name, the one given to me, in love, by my mama. I wanted him to say it over and over again until the end of forever.
“And yours? What is your name?”
“Beau,” he told me in his raspy, deep voice.
I craned my neck to look up at him, and kept my eyes fixed on his until his lips came down closer to mine. He kissed me once softly and my eyes fluttered closed. I felt the pain that Caesar caused start to melt away, and I placed my hand behind his head to pull him down to kiss me again.
When he did, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and hugged him to my body tight while I laid down beneath him. His kiss grew with passion, yet remained so reverent and tender and as he lifted my dress and began to make love to me, I welcomed his touch. He was careful and loving, never once breaking the kiss or taking his eyes off of me. For the first time in my whole life, my body was given rather than taken. He used his body to claim mine, and I knew in that moment that even though Julian owned me, I belonged to Beau. Afterwards, we parted ways and I wasn’t even halfway back to the barn before I longed for his touch again.
It had been hours since I’d left to go down to the pond. I steeled my nerves in preparation to face Vivian, and was even ready to explain myself for being gone for so long. I thought she’d believe me if I told her I passed out on the banks. I’d already blacked out once after the events that took place that morning, so falling into another sleep wasn’t completely out of the question. But when I got back inside the barn, not only did I not find Vivian there, I saw that my sugarcane had already been stripped, stacked, and bundled – all of it. I looked to the other girls for an explanation, but they were all frowning at me with contempt; all except one, that is – Number 9.
Just then the barn door opened, and Vivian walked through it with Julian right behind her.
“Well well, my lovelies. Haven’t we been a busy bunch today?” Julian’s eyes were set straight on me, and his tone was rich with mockery; as was Vivian’s grin. “I’d say our girls here must have worked especially hard today. Everyone’s load is already cleaned and ready for press. I must say I’m very impressed. Aren’t you, Vivian?”
“Yes, it’s quite impressive, indeed. I’ll go and prepare for tonight, Sir. Girls, I will see you all at supper.”
“Very well, then. I will escort them to the pavilion, and you can come collect them when you’re ready.”
Under the pavilion that night I sat next to Number 9, and for the first time since we’d arrived at the plantation, I talked to someone as a friend.
“Thank you,” I said to her in between bites of sweet corn.
“It’s no trouble, Number 10. We’re all in this together, and I know how much Miss Vivian hates you. I just didn’t want to see you get into any more trouble.” She placed her hand over mine and smiled at me gently.
“Yes, she does… but I rest at night knowing the feeling is mutual.”
“My name is Hannah, by the way. I’d like it if you called me that.”
Hannah was a petite Mulatto girl, very pretty and demure. I remembered picking her up at a slave auction just before we crossed the Mississippi River. She had a pleasant disposition even then, and I admired her indomitable spirit.
“Well Hannah, I’m very pleased to meet you,” I told her sincerely.
I thought about whether or not I should tell her my name. Only three people had ever called me by it,
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Lily,” I said without any hesitation.
“Comment joli.”
“What?” I asked when I didn’t understand what he’d said.
“How lovely,” he translated. “Lily… comment joli. ”
It felt so good to hear my name on someone’s lips – my real name, the one given to me, in love, by my mama. I wanted him to say it over and over again until the end of forever.
“And yours? What is your name?”
“Beau,” he told me in his raspy, deep voice.
I craned my neck to look up at him, and kept my eyes fixed on his until his lips came down closer to mine. He kissed me once softly and my eyes fluttered closed. I felt the pain that Caesar caused start to melt away, and I placed my hand behind his head to pull him down to kiss me again.
When he did, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and hugged him to my body tight while I laid down beneath him. His kiss grew with passion, yet remained so reverent and tender and as he lifted my dress and began to make love to me, I welcomed his touch. He was careful and loving, never once breaking the kiss or taking his eyes off of me. For the first time in my whole life, my body was given rather than taken. He used his body to claim mine, and I knew in that moment that even though Julian owned me, I belonged to Beau. Afterwards, we parted ways and I wasn’t even halfway back to the barn before I longed for his touch again.
It had been hours since I’d left to go down to the pond. I steeled my nerves in preparation to face Vivian, and was even ready to explain myself for being gone for so long. I thought she’d believe me if I told her I passed out on the banks. I’d already blacked out once after the events that took place that morning, so falling into another sleep wasn’t completely out of the question. But when I got back inside the barn, not only did I not find Vivian there, I saw that my sugarcane had already been stripped, stacked, and bundled – all of it. I looked to the other girls for an explanation, but they were all frowning at me with contempt; all except one, that is – Number 9.
Just then the barn door opened, and Vivian walked through it with Julian right behind her.
“Well well, my lovelies. Haven’t we been a busy bunch today?” Julian’s eyes were set straight on me, and his tone was rich with mockery; as was Vivian’s grin. “I’d say our girls here must have worked especially hard today. Everyone’s load is already cleaned and ready for press. I must say I’m very impressed. Aren’t you, Vivian?”
“Yes, it’s quite impressive, indeed. I’ll go and prepare for tonight, Sir. Girls, I will see you all at supper.”
“Very well, then. I will escort them to the pavilion, and you can come collect them when you’re ready.”
Under the pavilion that night I sat next to Number 9, and for the first time since we’d arrived at the plantation, I talked to someone as a friend.
“Thank you,” I said to her in between bites of sweet corn.
“It’s no trouble, Number 10. We’re all in this together, and I know how much Miss Vivian hates you. I just didn’t want to see you get into any more trouble.” She placed her hand over mine and smiled at me gently.
“Yes, she does… but I rest at night knowing the feeling is mutual.”
“My name is Hannah, by the way. I’d like it if you called me that.”
Hannah was a petite Mulatto girl, very pretty and demure. I remembered picking her up at a slave auction just before we crossed the Mississippi River. She had a pleasant disposition even then, and I admired her indomitable spirit.
“Well Hannah, I’m very pleased to meet you,” I told her sincerely.
I thought about whether or not I should tell her my name. Only three people had ever called me by it,
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