I'm not entirely what inspired me to write this. Maybe it was my visit to a civil war monument yesterday. Or possibly the reproduction engineer's cap from the 1860s I picked up while I was there. Or maybe the folk music I was listening to today and yesterday. Either way, I got to thinking about what happened before the events of Leviathan-as in, way before. Like, before our dear 15 year old characters were born. Or even thought of. So, here, named after a horse, we have a oneshot-Black Gold. And no, I haven't abandoned my other stories-I just wanted to write this.
Black Gold
CLICK. He turns his wrench, twisting the bold into place. Picks up screwdriver, drills screw into the steel. Lays it down beside him, slides out from underneath the Walker. Stands up, tries to clean his hands on his already-dirty pants. It doesn't help-if anything, just makes them dirtier. She doesn't mind. He wipes sweat from his forhead. She smiles as the former slave accepts a glass of iced tea from her.
"thank you," he says to her with a kiss.
"you're welcome. How is it coming?" she asks, nodding at the Walker.
Husband shrugs. "Pretty well. The engine was just jammed-idiots need a real engineer on the field."
wife shakes her head. "Don't they have any Germans to help them?" but she doesn't mind. He needs the work-not many will hire a black man, even when he can fix anything. Hell, he'd fixed her heart-if he could fix that, he could fix anything.
He doesn't look like much-not with his old, patched trousers, large hands, calluoused from working on the tabacco plantations, and then as a mechanic. Not with his dirt and oil covered brown-gold arms, black hair.
But that's not what she sees when she looks at him. Instead she sees a man who loves to work for his family as much as he loves his wife and the 3-month old child she holds on her waist. He smiles with both his mouth, revealing oddly white teeth, and his deep brown eyes that sparkle whenever he looks at a Walker, or his wife or child.
He reminds her of the oil he puts into the Walkers he cares for-dark, doesn't look like much. Most think of him as worthless. But he's hers. Her black gold.
Woohoo! my..*counts on fingers* third successful romance oneshot. I think. At any rate...