Gold Raven (62 page)

She was crying, her
eyes flowing with tears and they saw it but did not notice or care. Acting as if
they were blind to the trauma they were putting her through.

"I go first and then you Rory, if you want. But you have to be
quick about it." He said, so callously he might as well be speaking of
using a toilet cloth to wipe ones rear. "You'll be quick no doubt
anyway, it being your first time."

Rory barely heard his words for staring at the whimpering girl,
feeling anger so deep rise in him he shook. He prayed that
God
forgive him, but the only way out that would save her and help him
save face was to play disgust.

"Well — you go next or-..."

"How - revolting! I thought this might be a joke, but you're
serious!" Rory let revulsion riddle his features.

"What? What's with you?" Anthony asked, he and Randy both
stopped to look at him.

"You can't seriously believe that I would use my cock on...a -
nigger!" He felt the word lodge in his throat and almost choke him;
the way he sounded and looked, was convincing to them, even
though they had no idea his revulsion was not at the girl, but at them
and at having to say such a word.

"You wouldn't catch me sticking it to one of them, if they were the
last things on earth! Just the thought makes my flesh crawl!" He
shuddered again, his face distorted with disgust. "I thought, surely,
they won't, it's just a joke! Yet here you are, desperate to sink into
that! I've always heard of them, but never have I seen one —
and now I see two!"

"Two what?" Randy gulped with wide eyes.

"Nigger lovers, you and Anthony, nigger lovers!"

"That's a lie!" Anthony denied.

"Yeah, what's that!?" Rory pointed at the frightened girl.

Randy turned her loose as if she burned him.

"Wait until the school hears about this. Why, no decent white girl
for miles around would come near you if they knew you two like to
play in the coloreds. To think all this time I've been seen in your
company, well not after today! I want no part of the likes of you. I
swear, you two touch that darkie and I'll let everyone know what
you are!" He snarled, backing away from them; Timothy was a bit
unsure, but followed suit.

"Wait Rory
, hold on, now wait a minute... we was just joking!"
Anthony lied, panicking. "Yeah...it was just a joke to see what you
would do! We would never... ugh! No way, who me, nooo, I
would never — em um!" Randy denied as well.

"Liars! The both of you! You think I'm so dumb I don't know the
difference between a joke and the real thing!?" He eyed them both.
"Besides, she's nothing but a little girl. What, you two got little dicks?
Must do, picking little girls to use it on. I dare you, use it on a
woman...a real woman. A woman with titties and all, or are you
scared she'll only laugh at you?!"

"A real woman?!" Anthony swallowed nervously.

"With titties? Big ones?" Randy's eyes grew huge, he was almost
salivating.

"That's right... a real woman... a white woman... nothing like
that. Let her go! I can't stand the sight of her!"

Anthony and Randy moved to set her free. She stood shaking
where she was, scared to move. Rory looked from her to them. "You
three, head back to the carriage, I want to make sure she
understands not to ever mention seeing me here! And I swear to
God, if she ever does, and it gets out, I'll beat the hell out of you
both every time I do. Go!"

All three took off towards the carriage wondering what Rory
would do to her. Anthony stopped and looked back at Rory, his eyes desperate, a look pleading not to tell anyone. Rory was disdainful,
without a word indicating that Anthony was now on shaky ground
with him.

"Go! Let me deal with her." Anthony turned and joined Timothy
and Randy; as soon as they were out of sight, he turned to the
shivering girl, wondering why she had not fled as soon as they’d
released her.

He was also stunned to see that he was shaking as well;
his adrenaline was ricocheting through his system like crazy. Knowing his eyes
were on her, she whimpered.

"Shhh, don't cry anymore. I won't hurt you but you can go now."
He spoke as gently as possible. She looked up at him, her eyes watery
and wide.

"They won't do anything. I won't do anything, you're free to go."

Still she stared up at him, shaking in terror, unsure of what would happen to run. "Are you — okay?" He asked, she gave no
answer.

"Look, I'm sorry I called you that ugly name. I didn't mean it,
but - well, it was the only way to..." He sighed running his hand
through his thick, neck length wavy hair that hung parted from the
center.

He looked off into the distance where the others had gone,
and then the other way to where he thought she might be walking.
"Don't you have a brother or sister? Someone to walk you back and
forth to school? It's not safe for you to come and go alone. That
stupid teacher should have never kept you. Next time, I may not be
here... so... from now on, don't dally about... head straight for
home...understand? Why do you keep looking up at me like that?"

Finally, her expression changed. Her brows pinched inward as if she were thinking, then her head tilted as she stared up at him. It was
finally coming to him, she didn't understand him. Slowly, very slowly,
she smiled at him, and then nodded as if a light had come on and she
understood. In the tiniest voice he'd ever heard, she responded
hesitantly.

"Oui - monsieur - emm? R - Roa - Ro - ry?"

Rory's eyes widened in shock.

"That's French!?" He exclaimed stunned. "Come on here." He
grabbed her by the arm and pulled her further in the direction she
might have been heading. Afraid the others might come back and see that he was helping her.

Stopping behind a crop of trees, he leaned down to look her in
the face. "Now, you speaking French? And yeah... the name is
Rory... Rory — you got that right."

She stood trying to re-calm her fear, un-certain of him after taking
her arm and leading her a bit further into the woods. "Listen...you go
now...you run... all the way home! Don't stop! Understand? Don't
stop anymore!"

She smiled nodding. Turning to start walking quickly away, then looked
back. "Th - thank - you...Ro - ry."

"No problem, hey! What's your name?" He then tapped his
chest. "Rory...what's your name." He asked pointing at her. She
nodded rapidly, happy because she understood.

"Mai-lon." She enunciated carefully.

"Mailon?" He asked to be sure. She nodded with a smile, and then
waved at him. As he had instructed her, she turned and ran off
towards home, running as fast as her feet could carry her. Leaving Rory standing there, amazed and agape; for he had encountered a
black, Chinese beauty who spoke French.
He felt something strange happen to him, something that brought
a smile to his face.

However, the smile was conveniently gone by the
time he reached the carriage to be replaced with his usual gruff
exterior.

That gruff exterior covering that other strange feeling he was
experiencing for the first time in his life. He had never felt it before
now... but it felt good, the feeling...pride. For the first time ever...
he was actually proud of himself and something he had done, or...not done. The feeling was foreign to him, never had he any reason to experience it, until that day ... until Mailon.

"Everything — taken care of ... Rory?" Randy asked nervously as the carriage pulled off.

"Yes...of course! The things I do with you guys." He shook his
head. "A little black! Well, she won't be telling anybody anything now,
that's for sure." He boasted, thinking,
'Because she can barely speak
English.'

Anthony and Randy both gulped, wondering what he had done to
her.

Timothy saw through it. He knew Rory better than most, and
although he pretended to be big, tough and daring... uncaring, he was not. No one could convince him that Rory had done harm to a little
girl...black or otherwise. He knew he need only wait and the truth
would come out. Rory was more a champion and protector against
bullies... he was not one himself, at least not towards those that
could not defend themselves. If he bullied at all, it was toward those
like Randy and Anthony who themselves would not miss an
opportunity to put someone down.

So, he would wait to find out
what actually happened.

"Um...th-thanks Rory, you know... about not telling anybody."
Anthony stammered, hoping to get the right response.

"Don't be thanking me so soon. Something tells me I ought'ah be
cutting you two loose. If word were, to somehow get around, I can
tell you now, I'll be setting matters straight and it won't go well for
either of you! That kind of reputation I don't need! If it means
blanking the two of you to avoid it... you'll see nothing but the back
of me at a distance from then on, I can tell you that now!"

"Well calm down...it's over. It was just a joke we told you."
Randy mumbled.

"Yeah, well - that was just a lie."

"Well only we know. Who's gonna talk? You had better keep your
mouth shut, Timothy!" Anthony blasted him, needing someone to
lash out at to take the heat off himself.

"Yeah, Timothy — you keep your mouth shut! You hear?!" Randy
seconded.

"To hell with you both! If I don't talk, it'll be because of Rory, not
you two!"

"Yeah, lay off him! He won't be saying anything... so drop it
already, your whining is getting on my nerves." Rory broke in.

Everyone quieted down for the moment, letting the issue drop,
when Randy piped up again asking, "So Rory, what about this real
woman thing?"

"Yeah, what about it, you had one or something?" Anthony
asked, testing him.

"As a matter of fact, I have, a full grown woman big titties and
all!" He bragged. All three sets of eyes bucked at that, then
turned doubtful.

"You have not, a full grown woman?!" Anthony
prodded.

Rory nodded his head looking to each as he did,
emphasizing it further by repeating it. "A full — grown — woman!"

"Oh yeah...well what's her name? Quick!" Randy fired off.

"I'm not telling you pee pees her name! She's well known...rich."

"Ohhh." All three exhaled the word. "How old is she?" Randy
asked recovering.

"I don't know for sure, but I would guess, ohhh, bout — in her
thirties maybe."

"Thirty years old!!! Wo-o-oe!" Randy exclaimed
impressed, but not Anthony.

"He's lyin'! You're lying! What thirty year old woman would let
you do it to her?!"

"You think I care if you don't believe me? Just for that, I'm not telling you about it. I was going to, but not now.”

"I believe you, I believe you! Tell me... I'll believe it!" Randy
rushed ahead; he would believe any juicy story as long as it was about
sex and naked women.

"It's not true, that's why he won't tell us. If it was, he would,"

Anthony quipped, crossing his chest with his arms, secretly hoping that would edge him on to tell, not believing, didn't mean he didn't
wish to hear about it.

"Shut up Anthony, you don't have to listen. Go ahead Rory, tell us!" Randy coaxed. Shaking his head, Anthony agreed, "Yes, do tell, I have
to hear this, tell us."

Rory sat back thinking what the heck. As long as he didn't tell
them her name, what harm could it bring? So he settled back to relate
the true story as it happened, altering a few things here and there in
his own favor.

"Well, two months ago, one afternoon, I was messing around at
the docks. Old man Hamilton saw me and got all worked up, cussing
and carrying on. An-n-nd, I kind'dah told him what I thought about
him too. Well, that made him even madder and he sent his goons out
after me. Well I tore hell bent for escape, running as fast as my feet
would carry me; his goons behind me. Then low and behold, I'm
blocked with no escape as I come to this street. Man I could feel the
hot breath of them right on my neck — they were so close. There were
two more closing in to my left and a jam of people to my right, and carriages crowding the street in front..."

"Yeah yeah, then what happened?" Randy asked, swallowing and wide
eyed, Timothy hanging onto his every word, because he knew how
Rory had been at the docks, so he figured it must be true...so far
anyway.

"Well I was trapped see, with only one way out...so I took it!
There was this fancy coach driving past with the curtains aside and as
they were just about ready to grab me, I jumped on the side runner
and leapt right in the window."

"You jumped into a coach and you didn't even know the people
inside!?" Timothy asked incredulously.

"Had no choice, it was either the goons, or that coach... so in I
went."

"Okay okay, then what happened?" Randy rushed him on, always
a sucker for a good
story
.
"Well if you shut up long enough, maybe he
could tell us!" Anthony snapped, wrapped up in the tale himself.

"Yeah, well — there I was, on the floor of this coach that was still
moving. On my hands and knees, when slowly, I look up. Sitting right
there beside me was this lady, with one hand on her chest, and the
other over her mouth, like she wanted to scream...but she didn't. I
guess I kind of took her by surprise.”