The Fancy (7 page)

with his men friends. She and her mother, had had

no people to return to, for the Powhatan tribal people

were no more. Scattered, their lands taken, their

honor destroyed – few remained, those that did –

ended up as slaves to those who owned plantations.

Miakoda, her mother's name when with her

people, meant
power of the moon, it
became Cora,

when she became a slave to Gareth Kuiper. She

was used to have daughters with an African slave

Ishmael, because their daughters had a look about

them that was breath-taking to behold and thus were

deemed as fancies, Suga was one of them – their

last daughter. The three sons born to them had been

kil ed. Ishmael, her father – it was said, had gone

mad – had run off, never to be seen again. Her

mother, Cora, became Gareth's bedwench.

Cora's other job, was to raise her daughters to

become valuable fancies. She taught them the ways

of her people, as wel the ways of surviving in the

new white world that was growing around them; their

taking over the land was like a plague out of control,

with no way to stop it - taking over lands that once

belonged to them and their forefathers, the African.

Cora had taught them how to survive off the

land, how to hunt, fish and how to find edible greens,

roots, fungi and herbs the tribes used to make

medicine that was also their food – their diet that

kept them strong, only for them to fal under the

sword, the cannon, the armies. She equipped each

of her daughters with these skil s, and then sent them

off with a prayer to her gods that they survive and the

blood of the Powhatan not end – but grow stronger

with the blood of the African and yes, eventual y, the

white man. “Wel ? Let me hear it.” He brought her

back from that place her mind had wondered off to.

She gulped, said a bit of a prayer, and then

spoke, “I – I do not – want you – to share me, wit’

otha' men.” She looked up, straight into his eyes, “I

belong, to you – you keep me, but – for you – nobody

but you. Please masta' – ah – Quinton.”

His body suddenly drained of the lust fil ed

energy of moments before, seeing the look in her

eyes, and the request she would have his word on –

it was the last request he expected to hear. “You

have my word, Suga, I would not consider, sharing

you with another.”

She nodded, “And you keep me, 'til the day I

die, or, the day you die?” She bravely added.

Quinton threw his head back howling with

laughter, he couldn't help himself, “Suga, if I didn't

know any better, I'd think you were setting me up for

a vow of honor, holding me to a pledge of marriage

before God!” He chuckled, however she didn't share

his humor, she was serious; regardless of how he

saw it.

“You keep me, like I say?”

Because she was serious, he sighed once

more, sobering to give his consent, “Al right, Suga,

I'l keep you – as you said. For me and only me –

until the day that I die – you have my word of honor

as a gentleman.” He smiled, “You happy now?”

She gave her hesitant slight smile and nodded.

“Now that I've made such a vow, it would bring

me pleasure to see a brighter smile – wil you honor

me with such a treat, yes - Suga?” He coaxed gently,

smiling himself.

She nodded, and smiled wider, licking her dry

lips, she showed straight clean teeth, for him.

“Ah, that's better – much better. How much

longer wil you be here? I have studying to do,

journaling, I can't very wel find my mind focused on

those things with you out here.”

“Don't worry 'bout me masta' – uh – Quinton, I

take care myself.”

“That very wel may be, even so, I'd just as soon

you be inside, where I can hear you about, know that

you're okay.”

Suddenly they heard a growling sound, Suga's

gown was shifting and twisting below the waist, they

looked down to see the puppy tugging at it, growling

and playing with her skirt hem.

“Ah, now then! Stop that you!” Quinton bent and

picked the puppy up, looking into his multi colored

face, split in half by brown and white, a black thin

strip separating the two colors.

“What are we to cal you?” The pup began

grunting and whimpering, its thick legs and massive

paws flailing to get down.

“The man whom gave him, said he was to be a

moose.” He informed her, smiling. “What would you

suggest?” He asked Suga,

“He is yours after al ; he wil protect you when

I'm away and cannot.” He further explained to her.

“Moose-Taima – we'ah cal him.”

“Moose-Taima is it? Sounds fine by me, why

Taima?” Quinton asked, sitting him back to the

ground.

“To the Powhatan, Taima – is thunder. He gone

be big one day, like a moose, and when he bark,

gone be like thunder.”

She smiled after saying that, as if proud,

because the smile was bright, unafraid. Seeing her

face right then, made Quinton's heart take off

beating so, it felt as if reacting to the sound of

thunder.

“Powhatan? They are legendary, the tribe of

Pocahontas, she went to England, sat before the

queen, and sadly died upon her return here. You are

from that tribe?”

“My mother.” She answered simply.

He found that it was hard at times to look away

from her, “Who are you, Suga? Where have you

come from?” He asked in a curious whisper.

“My mama say, child o'the earth, to live on it,

and sweetin' al the places I go, like sugah. She say,

always leave, a sweet taste behin' for those, who

know me. She say, my name remin' me, what she

always want me to be, sweet – like sugah.”

In the days that fol owed, slowly, gradual y, he

could tel she was getting more comfortable –

confident – trusting him to keep his word. She began

a routine which involved being as silent around him

as possible – while carrying on with matters within

his home he had once been forced to see to –

matters that waited until he got to them; such as

making order of his home. With each leave and

return, she made a better arrangement of things,

proving that women real y were better at making a

dwel ing a place one could cal home.

Something that also did not escape his notice

was that she had a habit of saying; she had to do her

bit. In view of that, her words, her deeds compel ed

Quinton to do his bit, providing things for the home

and for her – which made it what it should be, even

though he was stil , in a sense - a bachelor; contrary

to that, her presence was slowly but surely, altering

his dwel ing to reflect otherwise.

When the townsfolk had need of his services, in

exchange he received coin, materials, livestock ie;

two goats, one for milking and the other her kid; a

rooster; geese and a mule with cart. Returning with

each new trade, he turned them over to her and

immediately dismissed al things from his mind,

trusting her to take care so that he could continue on

with his studies, his tests…

…his experiments, al necessary in treating and

improving the conditions and health of citizens in his

charge. Oft-times his concentration had been so

intense that he would look up and around to note he

could not hear Suga, or her dog that fol owed closely

by her side. He'd bend his ear to locate her upstairs,

but her tread was so light, he could not be certain

and would have to rise – taking a break to find her.

Another time, he went in search for her,

growing anxious and cal ed out her name, “Suga!?

Where are you?” and to his embarrassment, she had

been tucked away in the same room with him,

sewing, Moose-Taima at her feet – neither of them

making a sound. “Good god, say something, make a

noise! Sneeze, cough, clear your throat, ask me

something!” He'd sputtered - for her to stare up at

him, clearly perplexed. “Why? Don' wanna botha' you

mas-...”

“That's it! That wil be the last slip! Never again

are you to make that error, I am not your master!

Quinton – you hear? I am Quinton and you – are

much too quiet! It is not normal for a woman to be so

silent al the time. Have I asked for such silence?” He

demanded. “No … Quinton.”

“Then why are you?”

“Don' wanna be no botha'.” She murmured low.

“Suga, you've been here now, more than a

couple of weeks, have I ever indicated that you were

a bother to me?”

She stared at him a moment, saying careful y,

“In-di-cated?”

“Means, to point out, to inform one, to make

known – in other words, have I said, Suga – you

bother me?”

“No sa' – don' want you to, I'mma stay quiet.”

He drooped, the air went right out of him with

his shoulders sagging, he moved forward and

dropped to his knees at her feet, beside Moose-

Taima, he stroked the animal’s ear while gazing into

her eyes.

“Suga, you are – a delight...” He announced

sincerely, reaching up, he caressed her cheek, “... I

look forward to – each moment that something you

do – brings my attention to you. I – I know you've

taken to sleeping on the sofa – I so wish you would

not – there was no need.”

Her eyes grew wide.

“I would not hurt you Suga, nor would I force

upon you, something you did not want – this includes

me. When, if – you would al ow it – I would have you

beside me, again.” He asked hopeful y. He did al

that he could to stay busy, to take his mind off the

fact that he wanted her, in his bed, the way a man

does a woman.

He’d made that known to her three days before

– and yet, she stil had not come to his bed, he would

not force her, but it was becoming impossible to

ignore what she did to his peace of mind; the urges

of his body were crying out for the touch of a woman,

not any woman, her touch – Suga's – she was the

one who was now invading his sleep, plaguing his

dreams. This was the first time that a woman had

crept into his slumber, to stir him awake in the night

with a longing that kept him up, for hours. He'd tried

getting her upstairs to sleep in his bed again, but not

since that day they'd been awakened by the banging

at the door; and he'd gone on the cal returning with

goods and with Moose. Her excuse for avoiding him

was that she had to be near when Moose needed to

go outside. He'd grumbled in his mind, keeping it to

himself, but the dog seemed to have taken first order

over him, in his own home, with his own servant – in

truth a position he real y didn't see her in, he wanted

her for the gift to him that she was given. He hated

having to admit that to himself, realizing he was

sinking into the very desires he disdained, using

someone because he could. He had no God given

right to take her, but he wanted to, yes – he wanted

her, and that, he could not deny. However, he would

not cross the line – he would not force himself on her.

Even so, he was doing al that he could to let

her know; subtle brushes against her, standing extra

close when in truth there was no need, staring at her

mouth, into her eyes. If that were not enough, since

that first day he'd carried her home, no longer was

there a worry over her, she bathed often, kept herself

neat and clean, wearing only fresh clothing. She'd

also fashioned a strange looking comb for her hair,

reminding him of a pitch fork with more tines. He

wasn't sure when she combed her hair, but it was

always neat and freshly braided.

She'd taken her hair from the many corn rows,

to a couple of high French braids upon her head,

leaving twirled tendrils to hang and beckon him near

to touch them. The longer she was with him, the

prettier she became in his eyes – the more

desirable, it was getting so he could see no other but

her.

Outside of her denying him her presence in his

bed, he could find no complaint with her, not one -

she kept not only herself and her things clean, but his

things as wel .

In such a short time, she'd trained Moose-