“It depends on whether you decide to remain, my wife, after we get out of here. You can’t go back to your life or touch your bank accounts or return to your old job. They will be looking for you to resurface and they will come for you,” he said thoughtfully.
“You didn’t answer my question. Are you expecting me to have sex with you to repay you for all of this?”
“No, I am not expecting you to have sex with me to repay me for anything,” he said flatly.
“Zeke, you are avoiding my question,” Tameka said with an intensity. “How must I feed the lion?’
“I’m not avoiding it, I just don’t know how to answer it right now. You have experienced a severe traumatic experience. We are being forced to marry. I am, in a few hours going to officially become your husband and a father all in one week. I can’t wrap my head around most of this, so sex is the last thing on my mind,” he said. “Why are you asking this? After what you have been through, sex should be the last thing on your mind. I mean unless you wish to have sex with me?”
Tameka’s eyes widened as if he’d just asked her to take a poop on his chest. Zeke chuffed as he stood up, taking the baby with him.
“I’m sorry if the thought of doing me disgusts you so much,” he said, moving over to the couch to change the baby.
“No, you misread my reaction. I only thought about it since, you know, you are a man with a working penis. You would want to eventually stick it somewhere,” she said under her breath.
“Can we drop this subject, Tameka? I’ve had more than enough talk in the last two days about vaginas and penises,” he said scowling twice. Once at her topic of conversation and secondly at the contents of the diaper. It was milk. How could milk produce so much colorful, stinky poop from such a tiny little butt?
“No, if we don’t come to an understanding, it will become this thing between us. My entire life has been spent around men who want to use my body as some sex toy. All my life, from my teen years, I’ve had to fight off predators. I just want to know ahead of time, in my own...,” she said looking around the cabin. “...home, for lack of a better term, would I have to fight you off as well?”
“You are safe from me. However, we will need to become affectionate with each other. Tameka, you will need to become comfortable touching me and receiving my touch. I will not invade your privacy or your space or violate your person. I will treat you with respect and I ask the same in return,” he told her.
“How affectionate are we talking here? Am I going to have to blow you, give you a hand job every morning and once before bed? Forgive me for being crass, but I require you spell it out for me, Zeke,” she said, her eyes wide.
To her surprise, he left Michelle on the couch and in three purposeful strides he was across the small space, standing toe to toe with her. He pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly. He placed a small kiss on the top of her head as he held her thin body against his.
“I am so sorry for what Jimmy Don did to you. The healing is going to be long and painful at times and I will do what I can to guide you through this, but never, ever will I expect you to provide me any service other than conversation and a hand in raising this child,” he told her.
Tameka’s arms hung to her side, afraid to hug him back. Hugging men was a no-no. The hug was often mistaken for something else which led to something else. Her trust in him only went so far.
Zeke stepped back, taking her face into his hands. “I’m not a bastard, Tameka,” he said.
“That’s what all men say until two in the morning when that thing fills up with blood and you want relief,” she mumbled into his hands.
“Stop this right now!” he demanded. “Stop talking this way.”
Tameka didn’t want to stop talking. She’d been quiet for too long. For too many years she’d be silent about the unwanted advances and subtle hints for sexual encounters by horny men wanting an easy ride. Eleven months she’d been quiet. Today she needed to be heard.
“I tried six times to kill that fucker Jimmy Don and he resorted to drugging me. He wouldn’t give me anything to drink and at times I was so thirsty that I was ready to drink my own urine, and that’s when he gave me the water. Water laced with something that knocked me out. That’s how he made that child. He took my unconscious body on at least three occasions, but after that, I did drink my own urine to keep him from drugging me.”
Zeke was mortified by what he was hearing.
“I’m telling you this Ezekiel Neary so that you understand that I am a survivor. If it means that one night you decide to sneak in here and try me, you have been forewarned that I will slit your fucking throat,” she said to him.
He didn’t have a chance to respond as the sound of a small engine was coming their way, the sound growing louder each second. His heart pounded in his chest, hoping that it was Man coming back with more supplies. If it were anyone else, they were going to be in a for a fight. No one was going to take the woman and child from him. They were under his care. His watch. His protection.
“Take Michelle, head to the bedroom, get in the closet. My weapon is on the nightstand. It’s loaded. Move,” he said, pushing her towards the couch.
Zeke moved with caution over to the front window, peering out as the lights from the ATV moved closer to the front door. Two cloaked bodies sat on the ATV as a voice called out. “Hey Zeke, it’s me and Sharon,” the voice said as the vehicle came to a stop.
The rain hadn’t yet ceased and two wet ponchos walked onto the front porch. He opened the door, letting them inside. The black hood came down and Zeke had never been so happy to see anyone in whole entire life. Sharon’s smile was so radiant, he wanted to hug her.
“We are your wedding party! Where’s the little missus?” Sharon asked.
“HONEY, COME ON OUT, we have company,” Zeke yelled over his shoulder to Tameka. She clambered out of the closet, Michelle bundled to her chest. God bless the child who remained quiet during the whole situation, sleeping soundly, nestled close to her mother’s heart. For the first time, she looked down at the baby, planting a small kiss on the child’s head.
Hesitantly, she entered the main room of the cabin, staring at the man who had come through the door and the black woman with him. The woman wore a smart outfit complete with matching rain boots that she removed along with her rain slicker. The smile she wore was bright and welcoming, yet the man’s eyes were cold, taking her in as if he were assessing her for potential threats.
“Goodness gracious, let me see that baby,” Sharon said, handing her wet rain slicker to Man. “I’m Sharon Mann, your new best friend. I brought gifts, chicken, and my homemade strawberry preserves picked from the berries in my own garden.”
“Thank you,” Tameka said, taken aback by the openness of the woman. The pink aura surrounding her, radiating she was a loving and giving individual.
“I know you have been through something horrible, but I came today to be a part of your wedding party and to personally let you know that my husband and I are going to do everything within our power to get the three of you off this mountain in one piece,” Sharon said.
“The Macklemores are pretty tough characters,” Tameka told her suddenly feeling dowdy in the cotton dress.
“Well, they are not tough enough to tangle with my husband or yours for that matter, but hey, let’s err on the side of caution,” Sharon said, taking the baby. “Hello, Michelle, you adorable bundle of cuteness.”
Zeke added two logs to the fire. The crackle of the embers was the only sound as Sharon took a seat on the couch, staring at the baby.
“I’m so glad I could put those little girl clothes to good use. I thought I was having a girl and out popped little Nate, who peed on the midwife,” she said to Tameka.
“So, it’s you I have to thank for the clothes. I am very grateful,” she told her.
“Good. Good. I brought you a dress to get married in. Nate, baby, don’t just stand there! Give her the bag. Zeke, get that chicken out of
there as well and put it on the stove. It still should be warm,” Sharon said.
“Does she go everywhere issuing orders to people?” Zeke asked.
“This is a good day. She’s being polite,” Man mumbled.
Man handed Tameka the bag as if he were caught stealing from the grocers and had to give back his loot. She took in the tall man. The voice she recognized. What caught her attention was the powerful orange aura which surrounded him. He was a man of action. He got things done. She lowered her defenses momentarily. Thanking him in a quiet voice, she opened the bag to pull out a white dress trimmed in lace, a jewelry box with two golden rings, a bouquet of artificial blue flowers, and a strand of pearls with matching earrings.
“Something old, which is my wedding dress, something new, the wedding rings, something borrowed, which are my pearls that are going home with me and the blue flowers for something blue. I brought rice, but considering you just had a baby, I know you aren’t wishing for fertility to have another. Well, not just yet anyway,” she said with a waggle of her brows.
“May I ask where your baby is...considering you are here?” Tameka said, holding the dress close to her chest.
“My mother-in-law is here visiting,” Sharon said, opening her eyes wide, making Tameka almost smile. “As soon as the roads are completely open, I am personally driving that woman to the nearest airport. Her and her little backpack of ‘let me get that for you’.”
“Hey now! You are talking about my mother,” Man said. “She is only trying to help out.”
“I am going to do my damnedest to help her out onto the next flight to Florida,” Sharon said, winking at him.
“Your mother-in-law is a less than helpful?” Tameka asked.
“Oh no, she is overabundant in her helpfulness and getting on a sister’s nerves. I was so excited to know you were here. As soon as you are able, I am anxious to have you guys over for dinner, but I know you are trying to get well and it is too wet to take this little angel out,” Sharon said. “Go, get changed so we can get this wedding moving. Zeke, there is a jacket and tie in the bag for you as well.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Zeke said, taking the chicken wrapped in foil to the stove. Sharon used her free hand to shoo Tameka to the bedroom to change and Zeke followed her in, pushing to door closed. He turned his back to her as he partially removed his shirt. “Our conversation is not over. When they leave we will finish it.”
“I’m done with the conversation, however, in a little bit, I will be your wife and expected to do my duties to you in that role,” she told him.
He turned quickly, making her jump. His hand came up but the pain in his shoulder made him wince from the sudden movement. Gritting his teeth, he took a seat on the bed, waiting for the pain to abate.
She moved to his side. “Zeke, are you injured? What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
“I’m healing too, Tameka. I came here to get well in my body and in my head. You are safe from me in all aspects. If and when the time comes for you to be my wife in every sense of the word, no matter how long it takes, then it will happen. Not a minute before and not by force. I’m not expecting you to do anything other than heal and in the process, hopefully, you can help me as well,” he told her.
She helped him remove the rest of the shirt, taking note of the ugly, jagged scar on his shoulder. The skin was still red, puckered, and mending. The cut went all the way around the shoulder as if it had been sliced open and sewn back together. Picking up the white shirt, she slid a sleeve up the injured arm, bringing it around his back as he placed his good arm inside the shirt. Not thinking, she buttoned it for him, reaching for the tie, placing it around his neck, making a Windsor knot, securing it at the base of his throat. The jacket was next as she helped him put it on then grabbed his hairbrush from the dresser, placing it in his good hand. No words were spoken as she removed the dress she wore, standing in front of him in her panties, putting on the dress.
“I can’t wear a bra yet, it is too itchy on my skin,” she told him.
She was indeed lovely. A frail wisp of a woman with a rod in her back that told him she may bend, but she would never break. He expected Jimmy Don found that out the hard way as well.
“Come on out of there. It’s time,” Sharon said, knocking on the door.
Zeke handed her the brush as she looked in the mirror at herself. The dark circles under her eyes were not as prevalent as before, but she still looked sick. His hand reached for hers and together they joined Man and Sharon in the living room. The image of Gabriel Neary sat on a small screened tablet.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man, Ezekiel Bartholomew Neary, to this woman, Tameka SheNanay Robinson in holy matrimony,” Gabriel said.
“SheNanay?” Tameka said, staring at Zeke. “Oh, hell no! This marriage is one thing, Snook’ums, Tameka, and now SheNanay?”
“You came through the door saying, ‘Oh my gooooddnesss,’ and all I thought was you sounded like the girl from the show Martin,” he said with a grin.
“Aren’t you just all kinds of funny. Hey, you, don’t print me any ID’s with SheNanay on them, you understand me?” she said to the screen.
“Too late, all the accounts are set up. I can’t redo them,” Gabriel told her. “It can be your private joke you tell your grandkids.”
She scowled at them both.
“She has a fire in her. I like this lady. I can’t wait to meet you in person, Sis,” Gabriel said, going back to the ceremony.
“Who gives this woman in marriage?” Gabriel asked.
“I do,” said Man, stepping forward, taking Tameka’s hand and placing it in Zeke’s.
“Tameka, do you take Ezekiel to be your lawfully wedded husband, honoring and caring for him in sickness and in health?”
“I guess,” she said, pouting. Looking him over in the tie and jacket that was too big and falling off his shoulders.
“There is no guessing, either you take him as your husband in full consciousness and consent or this marriage ceremony will stop right now,” Gabriel said.
She inhaled deeply, looking at Zeke. “I do,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Not good enough,” Gabriel said. “I want marriage vows spoken from your lips and the same from you, Zeke. This may not be a conventional marriage, but it is a wedding ceremony, and I will not allow either of you to enter into this lightly.”
“Oh, shut up and get on with it,” Zeke said, but the screen went black. “Did he just hang up on us?”
“I think he did,” Sharon said. “He married me and Nate, and he took that shit seriously. I think the two of you need to come up with some vows while we get him back on the line.”
Nate worked on the tablet, calling Gabriel, who sat at his desk waiting patiently for his brother and his new bride to get their acts together. “Let me know when you are ready,” he said calmly.
Tameka turned to Zeke, searching his face for words she really didn’t have, but when her eyes met his, the phrasing came to her. The gentle eyes, softened when he looked at her. He is doing this for us. He came to save me. I will save him back.
“I, Tameka, whatever you said my last name was, take you Ezekiel Neary as my husband. I shall care for you, guard your heart, be a good wife, a friend and a life partner for as long as we both shall live,” she said with sincerity.
“I, Ezekiel Bartholomew Neary, take you Tameka Robinson as my wife. I shall honor, protect you and Michelle with every fiber in my being, caring for you, nurturing you both and ensuring you may spend your days in peace and the joy of life,” he told her.
“Excellent,” Gabriel said. “The rings, please.”
Sharon handed them both gold bands. The ones in the bag which Man initially brought over were costume jewelry, but these bands were real gold.
“Repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed,” Gabriel stated.
Zeke slipped the ring on Tameka’s finger, repeating after his brother. She, in turn
, did the same. “By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Leaning forward, he placed a tender kiss on her lips as she puckered up a bit to kiss him back. The intimate moment was ruined by a handful of rice pelting them in their faces and the loud tune of “Here Come the Bride,” blaring from Sharon’s phone. The loud sound startled Michelle, who started to cry at the top of her lungs which brought the happy ceremony to crashing end. Tameka reached for her daughter to console her while Sharon hurried to the kitchen to get a bottle.
The men leaned around the screen of the tablet. “What have you found out on the mail order bride service and her life?” Zeke asked his brother.
“So far, the service is totally legit. They have been in business since the first wagon trains went west. We reached out to the owner, but she is at some conference in Las Vegas. Isiah and I are heading that way next week to track her down,” Gabriel told him.
“What about her life? Any missing person reports, family looking for her, the job saying she was missing,” Zeke wanted to know.
“She was self-employed as a virtual interior decorator, whatever in the heck that is. She has no family outside of a self-absorbed Aunt with two sons and a snake of a husband who cheats on her every chance he gets. From what I understand, she lived with them for a short while in her teens but then moved in with a friend, Cabrina something or other. Now Cabrina is looking for her as well as a DeShondra Leman,” Gabriel said.
Man interjected a comment, “The trail needs to go cold for them both. Give them a breadcrumb to get them to Vegas where you and Isiah can speak to both ladies in person to explain what has transpired. However, make sure they both know their friend is dead. In a month, they can come to DC and hang out with Tameka, okay?”
“Got it,” Gabriel said. “Be safe, Zeke. Mom and Dad are worried.”
“Tell them not to be. I, their daughter-in-law, and granddaughter will be home soon,” he said.
On a Rainy Night in Georgia Page 7
