Beauty of Man and Woman - Volume 13: Bomaw Page 4

  She nodded, tried to find a comfortable way of sitting, but there was none to be found. The occasional pitching to and fro, side to side, unseated her all over the place. Fearing that her girls would end up on the floor, she glanced back at them and couldn’t see a thing. It was too dark. Noticing her need to check on them, Jacob gestured towards the floor between them, “There’s a flashlight there, here…” He reached down and switched it on for her, handing the heavy square battery powered lantern over.

  Taking it, Virginia turned the beam towards her daughters. They rocked a bit, but so far, both were still lying across the backseat, dead to the world. Jacob looked back checking on them as well, then laughed out, “See, the key is to relax and roll with it.”

  Virginia’s eyes went to him, accepting that he might be right, she exhaled, nodded and turned back, switching the powered lantern off and tried to do the same; relax and roll with it.

  Jacob winked, “That’s it.” Just as he said it, they hit something in the road that startled them both, giving such a jar it caused everyone to bounce high. Virginia was pitched over to Jacob, landing against him, as he came down against her. They both exclaimed at the same time, “Whoa!” And then laughed out. “Sorry about that.” He apologized. She gave a nervous nod, trying to move back to her side after their bodies had collided. Once back in her spot, they simultaneously turned to check the back seat. Virginia switched the lantern back on only to find Tara, the youngest missing off the seat. Jacob carefully pulled the running motor car over to the side to stop. Looking back as Virginia went to her knees, leaning over the back of the seat, to check the floor. There she was, blinking up with sleepy eyes, quiet as a mouse.

  “Oh Tara, my little honey, you okay?” She crooned gently, and then to Jacob, “Hold this while I get her, please?”

  Nodding, he took hold of the lantern, holding it high as Virginia went over the back some more to pull her daughter off the floor and place back on the seat. He loved the sound of her voice as she checked her daughter, telling her that they were sorry. He wished that she would speak more often, but it seemed, she had little to say, unless prompted to speak. While waiting for her to correct her little girl, his mind played her in this well-lit vehicle. She was a woman with stunning looks and a shape that was well developed. At the same time, she was too preoccupied to realize that her curvaceous rear was up high right in line with Jacob’s face and eyes. Talk about temptation. Such divinely created womanly wonders and perfection right next to him, along with the urge to lay his large hand over the rounded rear. He needed to speak in order to break such thoughts, surely a thought if followed through would get him slapped.

  “She okay?”

  “Yeah, she tough, my Tara - she’ll be right back to sleep in no time.” Virginia replied, a bit breathless from the task. She’d had to move Josephine back into place as well for Tara to fit back on the seat with her. When finished, she returned to her seat, turning the lantern off.

  “You okay?” Was his next question.

  “Yeah - I’m okay.”

  “Good, I’ll try and be more careful,” He promised putting the vehicle back on the road. “Won’t be so bad when they lay the new roads here. Some of the larger cities are getting them already.” He tried for conversation.

  Virginia nodded and then, “Could you maybe, not go so fast.”

  “Sure, my apologies - I’ll slow it down some.”

  “Thank you - f’takin’ me an’ mine home.”

  “My pleasure - anytime. So uh, where is he, their father, your husband?” He asked, trying to take her mind off of the ride, maybe then she would relax a bit. At the same time, digging for things he’d like to know.

  “He…” She hesitated a bit, reluctant, and then remembered he was the McPherson’s son, if he was anything like them, that made him trustworthy. “…up north - Chicago.” She answered sitting back now, but still holding on.

  “Oh yeah? What’s he doing up there?”

  “Work.”

  “Seems to me, he should have taken you, and his little ones along with him.”

  “He didn’t have enough money. Nor, a place for us to stay. Soon as…” She paused once more, because she already knew that something wasn’t right. In his letters, he’d stopped saying how much he loved her. He’d stopped signing, ‘Your Husband’ - and he wasn’t sending as much money as at first.

  “Yeah? Soon as…” Jacob prompted her to finish.

  “… he finds a place for us, has enough money - he’ll send for us.”

  “How long’s he been gone now?”

  Soft and low she pointed out,“You ask a lot of questions.”

  It was obvious answering might be a little embarrassing to her. “I’m sorry - your turn, you ask me something.”

  She sat a moment thinking, glancing from him to the dark road ahead, with his bold head lamps shining the way.

  “Go on, ask me something.”

  “How old are you?”

  “How old do I look?” He returned, grinning, in a good mood.

  “Emmm, hard to tell, you so tall an all.”

  “Eighteen just this past summer.”

  “Oh my goodness, you just a boy. Thought you were away at college - not high school.”

  “I was away at college - I’m so smart, I finished high ahead of most.”

  She nodded her head accepting that explanation.

  “How old are you?” He asked.

  “Twenty-two.”

  “That’s just a bit more than me, not much. Besides, you don’t look much older than me.”

  She only shrugged.

  “How long he been gone?” He jumped back to asking about her husband again.

  “Why you wanna know?”

  “Got my reasons - you gone tell me?” Jacob Paul was not shy, not in the least.

  Virginia wasn’t stupid - she knew the reason he was asking. If truth were to be told, he wasn’t so bad on the eyes for a white boy. He came from a good family. Lida Bell was always saying what a sweet person her son was. Virginia supposed if she couldn’t have his daddy - maybe she would have his son. She’d like to live the rest of her life taking care of her girls all alone, but she knew better. A Negro woman alone, with no protection of a man, looking the way she did - was asking for trouble if she didn’t fix herself up with someone and soon. She had no local family to turn to, she was it. Her grandparents weren’t big believers in having more children than you could afford to care for or teach things. They had a daughter, Virginia’s mother, who ran off when she was little. Which left her with her grandparents to raise. Then came Reginald when she was the young age of 15. He’d knocked her up and so married her. Their first daughter, Josephine was born not long after her sixteenth birthday.

  “He been gone that long huh?”

  Hearing him say it, made her admit it, well, she nodded her head to it.

  “That’s a shame, real shame. You not the kind of woman I imagine a man being able to easily leave.”

  No comment. She didn’t want to talk about it, not with him anyway.

  “Sure wish you would relax some.”

  “I am relaxed.” She defended.

  He laughed out, “Are you kidding me. I don’t get you home soon, you’ll have a hole pushed through the floor soon enough, plowing up a trench in the road.”

  Finally, Virginia cracked a smile and really tried this time to relax despite the fear in the pit of her stomach.

  “Ah, that’s better now Ms. Virginia, won’t be long - you’ll be home, you and your little ones, safe and sound.”

  True to his words - without much else said between them other than her directions where needed here and there, he finally drove onto her property and up to her faded white, clapboard house. It needed so much work, painting included. However always a gentlemen, he kept that to himself. The heaviest thing weighing on his mind was the isolation - the distance from town. The distance from other homes. Instantly, his gut tightened in fear for her and her girls. He didn�
�t like this location, not one bit.

  “Give me just a minute, to light a few lamps, open the trap.” She pleaded.

  “Light the lamps? No electricity out here?” He asked, stunned.

  She shook her head and took off to do just that. He stood, grabbing his flash lantern and opened the back door to shine it on the two sleeping little girls. They were warm and clean and neat. He smiled at the care their mother gave them. It didn’t take long before a low warm glow came to be seen through the windows between the parted curtains. She brought another and sat it on the porch rail so they would see their way in.

  “Ready… you mind?” She was asking if he would carry one.

  He made a face, “Don’t be ridiculous, of course I don’t mind.” He took Josephine, her oldest daughter, the heavier girl and followed Virginia inside as she carried her smaller one. To his surprise, she lead him toward a trap door and then carefully down it beneath the house. It was lit below as well. In the hidden cellar, there was one big bed, freshly made, with the covers turned back. He was stunned. Hurt. But needed no explanation as to why it existed. To see what she had to do to protect herself and her girls, brought moisture to his eyes. He had always been sensitive and empathetic.

  “Lay her down - I’ll get her dressed for bed.” She instructed.

  Jacob stood with a lump in his throat. Right then and there, he knew what he was going to do. “Anyone, ever - come messing here - looking for you?” He asked. She knew what he was asking, and answered truthfully.

  “Only three times so far. I don’t take no chances. Before dark, we come down and don’t go back up. See that string there…” She pointed to it, coming through a tiny hole in the floor. “…if we down for the night, I lock the trap and pull it. It covers this trap with a rug and the table, so gotta pull real hard. But it works.” She smiled, proud of what her grandparents made to protect themselves against possible middle of the night attacks. The bedrooms upstairs, remained as is, never truly slept in. It dawned on her that she’d just trusted him with a life or death secret. Her expression changed from the smile to fear, “Please don’t - let nobody know about that… please?”

  “Oh my God! Never! I would never be in the company of anyone that would hurt you! Not ever - you hear me? Please believe me, from me, you never have anything to fear. I’m not like some others, nothing like. Please tell me you believe me?” He fretted, his face blushed deep red from the thought. He’d said it with such fervor, she feared they might wake the girls, and so tapped her lips, “Shhh - I best show you out.” She walked around the bed towards the steps leading out of the cellar, and had to walk by him to get there. Suddenly, his strong big hands gently took hold of her shoulders, bringing her close to face him. “You believe me don’t you?”

  Her heart pumped blood clear to her ears that started ringing. He was stronger than he looked, his big hands had a firm, yet gentle grip of her. Swallowing, she nodded. She did believe him, otherwise, she wouldn’t have felt so free in letting him bring her daughter in and down into their secret hideaway. Looking up his tall form, so close to him she gulped down another heavy swallow - it had been a long time since Reginald. Her body was instantly responding to the closeness. In truth it wasn’t hard to understand why. He was good looking, smooth and gentle speaking - a deep voice that made a woman feel real nice inside, like she was speaking with a man. Plus, he smelled good, and that tender nature of his was doing things to her needy place. Following the nod, “I do, I believe you. Come on, I need to lock up.”

  Sighing in relief, reluctantly - Jacob released her. But nothing within him would ever be the same after this night. He’d been around a lot of young women, girls, black and white and never had he felt such attraction as he did at that moment. Instantly, his body, his mind, the pit of his gut - was moved by being in her presence. She smelled wonderful, he noted coming up from the cellar after her. Being close to her had his heart beating in ways he’d never known it could. This was new, what he was feeling for her and more than anything, he felt protective. Before he left, she showed good manners asking him, “Like something to drink before you go?”

  He smiled, looking around the neat home. In truth, he hated the thought of leaving, and needed something to drag it out just a bit more. “You know what you need?” he asked, sincerely.

  “What?”

  “Your own shop, so you can do hair, and sew. My mother loves what you do with her hair, and the outfits she had you make, as nice as out of the catalog, in fact, they look better. That’s what you need, your own shop, in town - where you can live in the back or up top.”

  She smiled at him, “A Negro woman? With her own business, a shop? In town? To be truthful, I’ve dreamed of it, even considered getting a loan from the bank, but they’d burn me out before I opened first day.”

  Jacob sighed, angered by her truth, yet and still, there had to be a way, “There has to be a way! But not through the bank.” He exclaimed, very serious.

  “Your age showing - it’s not that kind of world for someone like me.”

  “Don’t you mind my age - I’m a genus don’t you know.” He winked, not at all offended, going back to what he was thinking, he asked again, “If you had a place, in town, or - close to town, would you do it? Would you give it a go?”

  “It’s not possible Jacob.”

  Hearing his name roll off of her lips stopped him and paused the beating of his heart. She was a dream, making him long to hang on to her every word - but - first things first. “Answer my question, if I made it possible, would you do it? Maybe, sell this place - put the money down on it, what you think?”

  “I think it’s late. You best get home and I best get locked up for the night.”

  Before he lost his nerve, Jacob blurted, “Let me protect you Ginny - you and your lil’girls. I swear you do, agree that is - I’ll do all I can to make you happy, just say you will - let me, that is.”

  She stood stunned, staring at him. Just like that, the very thing she’d been thinking about, came to her and all she had to do was say yes. But what about Reginald? Her husband, how could she do such a thing to him? Yet, the last letter she received from him, was three months ago, and it had no money in it. She’d written him back right away, asking him what was going on, that she needed something from him. Still, she’d received no reply. She was stuck, with two little girls to see about, and on her own.

  “Think about it Ginny, please give it good consideration. I’d treat you good. You best believe, you’d be safe.”

  “How can you make a promise like that - you jus’ 18 years old.”

  “I’m man enough to go to war if I was inclined to, besides - I’ve got money. And all I have to do, is tell my father - he’d see to it, whatever I ask him, he’ll see to.” To prove himself, he reached into his pocket removing his wallet, and from it he took out a twenty dollar bill, which was like a hundred or more today, for all that it could buy back then.

  Virginia’s eyes grew round, “Put that back in your wallet!” She chastised him.

  “No! In fact,” He took out a second one, and slapped both on the table. “I mean what I say - if he sending you any money, is he sending you that much? That’s yours, just for thinking about it, nothing more.” He turned and speedily made his way out of her door.

  “Jacob Paul McPherson, you come back here and get this money!” She called, her heart was really going now, finger tips to her lips, other hand over her stomach, “Oh no Lord, please don’t temp me like this - oh no - this ain’t right.” She muttered to herself.

  As for Jacob, he ignored her, climbing into his Chevrolet - “Lock down, you hear? Lock down!” He ordered as if she were already his to do so.

  With little choice, Virginia did just that, taking the money with her. As she lay finally in bed with her daughters, her heart beat like mad. Her mind was filled with all she could get with that money. New fabrics, trim, lace, threads. Hair tonics and implements, all of it, would turn over more money for her. She prayed for God
to forgive her because she decided that she would keep that money - she was afraid not to keep it - which meant, she was after all thinking about it, seriously thinking about letting him protect her. Times were hard, and Reginald was drawing away from her, she could feel it. She couldn’t help but wonder, was it another woman? His last letter, he just kept repeating, how hard things were for him there. That he was doing the best that he could and that she would just have to do more hair, sew more clothes, because he had no money to send this time.

  “You all by yourself Reginald Piercey, I got your two babies to see about and myself, this house, the land.” She whispered softly to the dark room as if he were present to hear. Turning to her side, before sleep hit her, she thought about having her own shop - her own place, where people came to her, instead of her all over and dragging her girls along. Could he, Jacob - really make that happen for her? Virginia went to sleep knowing what she had to do - it was now a matter of simply doing it.

  Series 13 - Episode 103 - Chapter 310

  Jacob had seen to his young sister, reading her a story before putting her to bed. They were close - well, when he was home that is. She was having a hard time adjusting to him being off to college, and expressed that she wished he hadn’t gone. Therefore, when home, he passed a lot of his time playing board games with her to make up for his absence. The two were it, she was the baby with no other siblings to occupy her. Compassionate to her loneliness, he gave her all the attention that he could spare, he knew what it was like - he’d always wanted a younger brother, or older for that matter.

  Later that night, pacing in his father’s study he heard his parents return. Anxious, he couldn’t wait to speak with his father about Virginia - Ginny. That’s what he’d begun calling her - and she didn’t seem to mind, because there was no correction when he tried it out on her that night. He was leaning back on his father’s desk when he heard him kiss his mother goodnight, sending her up to bed. A smile came to his face, his father always knew what was going on before they brought him what was on their minds.