Here's the third chapter. It's short, I think.
Deeper Secrets chapter three: Hard Day's Work, Cool Night's Surprise
Everyone set to work in the cotton fields that afternoon. Sarah and several of the young children were on the wagons with water ready. All of the stronger men followed the wagon throwing the sacks of cotton on. Ro and Will and several of the younger, not as strong men lined the rows filling bags, leaving the full ones. The sun, at its highest point, was heating the land. Checking the shadows cast by the sun, Ro determined it was well near noon. A second later, she sensed the sweet smell of apple pie and chicken. After hearing her stomach rumble, she called a lunch break.
She had already carried two buckets of water to one of the wagons, and was carrying more to the other team when she began to wonder where Remy had gotten to. She had seen him when they first started in line, Jeffery showing him the ropes. She wondered how he was doing.
"Sturdy team, chere." There he was. Standing beside her, rubbing one of the horse's faces. He stepped away and pulled an apple from the wagon. That's when she took in the view of him. Topless, his sun kissed skin glowing in sweat from a hard day's work, splotches of dirt in various places. The leather work gloves tucked into the waist of his pants, the abandoned shirt in his back pocket. 'He has a ponytail?' she questioned. 'Didn't see that before.' "Problem, chere?" he interrupted.
"Huh?...No, Ah, uh. Heat must have got me." She hoped she recovered quick enough.
'Too quick, chere.' he thought as he walked over and handed the horse the apple. He gratefully accepted it. Together they walked toward the lunch wagon. "I noticed dat Jeffery dere has whip marks. What he do?"
She answered, hoping it wouldn't betray their trust. Jeffery never hid the fact. "He stood up for what he believed in." she answered.
"So, who whipped him? Your father?"
"No." They were stopped now. "The man who previously owned him didn't believe in God and thought slaves too stupid to know."
"And you don', chere?" He gave her a funny look.
"Ah'm not saying they do or they don't, but Jeffery stood up for his family's right to own a Bible."
"So what happened?"
"He was taken and whipped and his wife and child killed." Remy moaned at this. "His owner yelled that now he had no family to own a Bible. My father bought him a broken man. We nursed his wounds back to health. Over the next two months we lost Joseph, them daddy. All we had was each other. He's been here ever since."
"Are all da slaves you have now da ones you father owned?"
"We've lost some and some have been born, but most are the same." Now they had started walking again and received their lunches. Ro left his side to join Jeffery, Will and Jerome. Remy went and sat away from the rest. Quietly viewing the others around him.
That evening, after the sun went down, Ro decided to wash up. After carrying several buckets of heated water she laid out her clothes to changed into. This done, she lit a few more candles to see and settled into the warm water.
Remy had followed Jeffery's instructions, all of them. Including mucking and stacking bags full of cotton in the barn. His muscles ached. He hadn't worked this hard physically for a long time. "Remy, ol' boy, you're gettin' soft." he told himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ya smell bad, too. Guess I know what dat means." He laughed and walked into the house. He went up stairs to lite some candles and found the door shut. Not thinking, he stepped in.
Ro noticed this and screamed, "What the...Remy!"
"Ro, I'm sorry. I didn't know ya was in here." He was standing with the door half open.
"Well, come in or leave. Don't just stand there."
"Sorry." he apologized, stepping in.
"You might as well be useful." She said holding up a wet sponge. He walked over and took it. Settling in behind her on his knees, he said, "Anything t'help, chere. Where ya need it?"
"Muh back." she stated matter-of-factually, leaning forward. He softly ran the sponge over her back. He moved the long hair back, lightly caressing her neck, and ran over it.
"So where'd ya get da skunk?" he asked, finally finding time to mention it.
"Ah was born with it. Started out as just one spot, then grew."
"Do you want me t'wet your hair?" he asked.
"Yeah, sug." and she brushed it back over her shoulder. "Ah've got a question. There's something different 'bout your eyes. What is it?" She looked straight up at him. She couldn't tell in this light.
"I have a...unique color of eyes. Least dat's what dey tell me." He poured the water lightly onto her head, stroking it down with his hand. He was very gentle she noticed. He poured another pitcher. "Where's da soap?" he asked wringing the excess water. She reached up and grabbed his hand.
"Don't worry 'bout that. Ah can handle it." She walked him around to the side of the tub. "Thank you." She wanted to see his eyes more clearly, but couldn't. Instead, she was almost lost in his touch. The soft hands that had stroked her hair so gently, in her hand, now felt rough and tested, but yet smooth. He had obviously had a hard life.
"No problem, chere. Remy only here to serve." With that, he left. The whole talking in third person thing finally stopped bugging her. Now, she found it kind of cute. And she missed the feel of his stroking hands.
End chapter three. Four coming. Please keep reading.
Deeper Secrets chapter three: Hard Day's Work, Cool Night's Surprise
Everyone set to work in the cotton fields that afternoon. Sarah and several of the young children were on the wagons with water ready. All of the stronger men followed the wagon throwing the sacks of cotton on. Ro and Will and several of the younger, not as strong men lined the rows filling bags, leaving the full ones. The sun, at its highest point, was heating the land. Checking the shadows cast by the sun, Ro determined it was well near noon. A second later, she sensed the sweet smell of apple pie and chicken. After hearing her stomach rumble, she called a lunch break.
She had already carried two buckets of water to one of the wagons, and was carrying more to the other team when she began to wonder where Remy had gotten to. She had seen him when they first started in line, Jeffery showing him the ropes. She wondered how he was doing.
"Sturdy team, chere." There he was. Standing beside her, rubbing one of the horse's faces. He stepped away and pulled an apple from the wagon. That's when she took in the view of him. Topless, his sun kissed skin glowing in sweat from a hard day's work, splotches of dirt in various places. The leather work gloves tucked into the waist of his pants, the abandoned shirt in his back pocket. 'He has a ponytail?' she questioned. 'Didn't see that before.' "Problem, chere?" he interrupted.
"Huh?...No, Ah, uh. Heat must have got me." She hoped she recovered quick enough.
'Too quick, chere.' he thought as he walked over and handed the horse the apple. He gratefully accepted it. Together they walked toward the lunch wagon. "I noticed dat Jeffery dere has whip marks. What he do?"
She answered, hoping it wouldn't betray their trust. Jeffery never hid the fact. "He stood up for what he believed in." she answered.
"So, who whipped him? Your father?"
"No." They were stopped now. "The man who previously owned him didn't believe in God and thought slaves too stupid to know."
"And you don', chere?" He gave her a funny look.
"Ah'm not saying they do or they don't, but Jeffery stood up for his family's right to own a Bible."
"So what happened?"
"He was taken and whipped and his wife and child killed." Remy moaned at this. "His owner yelled that now he had no family to own a Bible. My father bought him a broken man. We nursed his wounds back to health. Over the next two months we lost Joseph, them daddy. All we had was each other. He's been here ever since."
"Are all da slaves you have now da ones you father owned?"
"We've lost some and some have been born, but most are the same." Now they had started walking again and received their lunches. Ro left his side to join Jeffery, Will and Jerome. Remy went and sat away from the rest. Quietly viewing the others around him.
That evening, after the sun went down, Ro decided to wash up. After carrying several buckets of heated water she laid out her clothes to changed into. This done, she lit a few more candles to see and settled into the warm water.
Remy had followed Jeffery's instructions, all of them. Including mucking and stacking bags full of cotton in the barn. His muscles ached. He hadn't worked this hard physically for a long time. "Remy, ol' boy, you're gettin' soft." he told himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ya smell bad, too. Guess I know what dat means." He laughed and walked into the house. He went up stairs to lite some candles and found the door shut. Not thinking, he stepped in.
Ro noticed this and screamed, "What the...Remy!"
"Ro, I'm sorry. I didn't know ya was in here." He was standing with the door half open.
"Well, come in or leave. Don't just stand there."
"Sorry." he apologized, stepping in.
"You might as well be useful." She said holding up a wet sponge. He walked over and took it. Settling in behind her on his knees, he said, "Anything t'help, chere. Where ya need it?"
"Muh back." she stated matter-of-factually, leaning forward. He softly ran the sponge over her back. He moved the long hair back, lightly caressing her neck, and ran over it.
"So where'd ya get da skunk?" he asked, finally finding time to mention it.
"Ah was born with it. Started out as just one spot, then grew."
"Do you want me t'wet your hair?" he asked.
"Yeah, sug." and she brushed it back over her shoulder. "Ah've got a question. There's something different 'bout your eyes. What is it?" She looked straight up at him. She couldn't tell in this light.
"I have a...unique color of eyes. Least dat's what dey tell me." He poured the water lightly onto her head, stroking it down with his hand. He was very gentle she noticed. He poured another pitcher. "Where's da soap?" he asked wringing the excess water. She reached up and grabbed his hand.
"Don't worry 'bout that. Ah can handle it." She walked him around to the side of the tub. "Thank you." She wanted to see his eyes more clearly, but couldn't. Instead, she was almost lost in his touch. The soft hands that had stroked her hair so gently, in her hand, now felt rough and tested, but yet smooth. He had obviously had a hard life.
"No problem, chere. Remy only here to serve." With that, he left. The whole talking in third person thing finally stopped bugging her. Now, she found it kind of cute. And she missed the feel of his stroking hands.
End chapter three. Four coming. Please keep reading.
