Entering her kitchen, she put her teapot on. Waiting on it to come to a boil, she organized and laid out her sewing. Without the distraction of the children, she could spend the evening in peace carefully hand stitching the tiny pearl beads she found for Bonita’s gown. Soon, she was rocking, humming, sipping tea and doing one of the things she loved so much doing. While working on the gown, there was a bit of desire wishing that Jacob could be there. Immediately she shook her head dismissing that notion. Somehow, some way, what lie between them needed to be ended. She knew that, but it was hard to do. On the tail of that thought, his father’s face appeared in her mind. “Lord please, not him, I don’t need to be thinking about that man, not him.” She pleaded. If she were to focus on either, it needed to be on Jacob. Her feelings for him were deep. But how deep? And what kind of feelings were they really? He was such a wonderful man - in fact that best man that she’d known. It made her smile to know that he would marry her if he could, that is, if she weren’t already married. Thing was, no images of Reginald popped into her mind. Following that thought, she hoped to hear from the reverend who married her and Reginald. Perhaps soon she might get news that her marriage to him had been dissolved, and then… well, maybe… (she shook her head of the nonsense going through it) dismissing the fantasy immediately. If Jacob married her, it would ruin his life. One thing was certain, he deserved better. He was building his life and it would be a good one. Especially if he could get over her - she knew that she was in truth, his Bathsheba. Therefore, it was a good thing that he didn’t know she was there alone that night.
Considering who might be plotting against her, he didn’t want to be caught there with her. The discovery would be the cause of him having to go back home and possibly may even endanger him. Regardless of her life path, she was accustomed to this world and what it would do to her, but Jacob - she wouldn’t wish this on him. Even though he assured her that everything was under control - so no reason to worry, she wouldn’t risk it.
Having worked deep into the night, unable to sew another bead into place, Virginia carefully folded the precious gown away - making sure to carefully place the box of beads in a safe place. Happy with what she’d gotten done, she went and ran herself bath water to soak a bit. Getting out, she pampered herself with her oils and Lilac Eau de Toilette. Feeling fresh, smelling good and relaxed - she donned her night gown. After checking her front and back door, she was in bed cozying down for the night.
The smell of smoke woke her.
The same moment her eyes opened, a hand tightly covered her mouth.
Fright on the wings of adrenaline shot clear through her body from head to foot - rapidly she broke out in a cold sweat. She tried to scream against the strong hand kicking her covers off. Next a strong arm was around her hauling her from her bed. She tried to fight, but her feet were held by her sheet and blankets and her arms were pressed against her body, which was being lifted, shifted and turned in order to carry her.
“Shhht! It’s me, GM - gotta get you out of here! Stop fighting me - making noise! Keep quiet! Shush it now!” He ordered briskly.
“My kids!” She squealed in horror.
“They’re safe! It’s you they’re after - now stop fighting me and come on!”
“Not without my kids!” She cried, her heart was beating madly, so hard it hurt.
“Blasted - you wanna die this night? You lookin’ to hang? You don’t come with me, they’re gonna kill you, and me as well because I’m not leaving without you!” He stood large looming before her, insistent that she follow him. GM stood in a rough and gruff manner she’d never witnessed before - his forceful presence showed he was unwilling to let her go. No time to wait for her to make up her mind, he tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of cotton and with incredible speed, made it back out of her bedroom window she’d cracked open. She slept better at night with the cool air blowing in on her. That let him in to get her. Virginia felt the world swirling and spinning around her as he dumped her out onto the ground and was quickly there next to her. Looking up, she saw orange flames lighting up the night sky - coming off of a flaming cross. She could make out the top of it and one of the side arms. Also, she could hear yelling nearby, a number of white sheets, hoods… Ku Klux Klan - they were rallying right out front of her home. Her head began buzzing, she grew dizzy as GM’s voice faded as she was lifted once more and jostled with his rapid speed of departure away from her home. Lights were shinning towards her house - Virginia felt a sensation of fainting along with a panic to take flight, at the same time she bit back sobs wanting to know where her children were. Her spacial awareness was off accompanied by a buzzing in her ears. Their voices were warbled in sound, she couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she knew they were there for her. Tears streamed from her eyes as she was jounced about on GM’s solid broad shoulder. He was strong and fast, moving through the trees out back as if he held no extra burden against him. The shouts from the house grew faint and the sounds of a running engine grew clear. Wasting not a moment, GM pushed the open door of his Cadillac wide and dumped her within.
“Move your feet!” He growled.
She curled into a ball on the spacious front seat as he slammed the door and made his way to the driver’s side. Before she settled into place, he was in beside her and they were off like a shot. He drove like a man possessed to get her away from there.
“My kids!” Virginia shrieked and cried, “I want my babies! Where they at!” She blazed in tears.
“I told you, they’re safe! I had that Bonita and the kids taken away before they came, as well some of the others, but there was no one left to get you, but me! I got there as fast as I could, now calm down - you’re safe, they’re safe.” He informed her, his voice and actions urgent as the heavy large vehicle cut down the dark road almost floating above ground. He prayed no deer jump before him, if so - it would certainly be cut in two this night, the Cadillac was almost flying.
Virginia sat up shivering, scared and not sure what was going on. He was going so fast, she couldn’t stand to look out the windshield.
“You’re going too fast!” She cried out, knowing they would die any moment, sure he would strike a tree.
“Shut up! We’ve got to get away from here!”
“You’re gonna kill us in this thing!”
“They gonna kill us if they catch on!” He barked at her. Noticing that she was cold, George tossed her his coat, “Put this on, you must be freezing.” He went on as if they were calmly out for a Sunday drive.
Fear and the cool night had her teeth chattering. She gladly took the warm coat, shoving her arms into it. It swallowed her up and overlapped and wrapped her within securely. However, because she had no socks or shoes on, her toes were cold, neither was she wearing underwear. She was uncomfortable being with him this way. Not only that, she could smell liquor on him.
“Please slow down - please.”
“I’ll slow when I’m sure we’re not being followed and a distance away from there.”
“Where - where you taking me?” She murmured holding onto the door and seat - her heart felt lodged above her collar bones.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Where safe?”
“You wouldn’t know if I told you - so sit back and shut up.”
Virginia was fighting down hysteria - he wanted her quiet, it wasn’t possible, needing and taking several deep breaths, Virginia looked around at the rapidly passing scenery, he was still going really fast. “Please, no one is following - slow down.” She whimpered low.
Glancing at the rear view mirror, he wasn’t sure about slowing yet, “I gotta be sure - I want as much distance between us and them as I can gain.”
Her guts were in knots, “Lord God please, help me Lord, save me Lord - please!” She prayed out loud as the world continued to spin around her.
“Why you think I’m here? Lord’s done his part, now let me do mine.” GM fired at her.
Virginia bowed her head not
to look at how fast he was moving through the dark night with nothing but his head lamps shining before them. She couldn’t be quiet, “I need to see my kids. You taking me to them?” She squealed, trying not to cry out or scream.
He didn’t answer her right away, saying instead, “Hang on!” and began breaking hard, cutting their speed rapidly so he could turn a corner onto a main road. Virginia threw her hand up to brace against the dash board. The rear end of the Cadillac skidded wide from the momentum, kicking up gravel and leaves. Once he made the corner and the heavy vehicle corrected itself, he went on cutting the speed just a bit.
Still holding on, Virginia asked louder, “We goin’ to my kids?” She almost swallowed her tongue from that stunt.
“No!” He finally growled, “…not yet.”
“Why not? I wanna go where my kids are, I wanna see my kids! What’s happening? My home - is everyone else safe? Tell me something, I don’t like this. Does Jacob know that you have me, does he know where we’re going?”
GM exhaled, watching the road behind them as well the one in front and started communicating with her, beginning to feel they’d gotten away undetected, “Full of questions aren’t you.” He actually chuckled.
She couldn’t believe he found any of this humorous, “Yes, you have the answers, please - I need to know.”
“Em, I have some answers. Like, there are those closest to you from your little village that are safe. I can’t vouch for everyone. I can only be sure of yours - Bonita and a few others. As for the village itself, you may return to find nothing but a pile of ash. But you’re alive - your children alive. Which is better than those who started this mess.”
Virginia stared through the dark vehicle a few moments, her mind all over the place, “What do you mean?”
GM wasn’t going to answer that. He drove on. It was a Friday night - his out of town night. By the time that little group of KKK did their damage and left - it would be their last. They would never make it back home again. To make sure it didn’t get blamed on Virginia’s little village, he set it up for them to drive into a crossfire bootleg war. When their bodies were discovered, they would be laying among others - shot to hell. To all intents and purposes their poor unfortunate deaths would be blamed on lousy timing. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time. His boys would fill them and their vehicles with bullets, and they would leave the other dead and vehicles from earlier there as the perfect set up to show they’d picked the wrong road and the worst of nights to terrorize New-Town Virginiaville.
After this, he doubted anyone would want anything else to do with that little community. By the time Jacob finished helping fill the ear of Rev. Purde, who would relate the news to the members of his church as a lesson to live and learn by - it would go down as a sad misfortune. It would hopefully put a fear in them for terrorizing the blacks out of jealousy - sometimes, you reap what you sow, right away. His son was already writing out the sermon - just waiting for the sheriff’s report which would say what they’d set it up to look like. The next day, he would offer the sermon.
Caught in a crossfire.
He was a man of his word. To keep this woman safe - he would take out more than a few. After all, they in their white robes spouting nonsense, deserved what was about to come to them. It would all take place as soon as they left off terrorizing New-Town Virginiaville. Had they listened and stayed at home, they would have lived to see the rising of the sun on a bright new day.
GM was satisfied with this night, especially considering that beside him, sat Virginia Piercey, his own personal dream come true.
She didn’t like his silence or being at his mercy, all by herself, “I wanna know where we going.”
George took a deep breath, and once again the clean fresh scent of her filled his scenes, “You afraid of me Virginia?” He asked in a soft, low and masculine seductive voice.
She looked away from him out of her window at the passing dark scene. That wasn’t her problem - being afraid of him. She was afraid of herself. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was attracted to GM, always had been, from the first time she’d set eyes on him. He made her feel things - things she didn’t want to feel. She had strong feelings for his son, respected him - she didn’t want to be alone with his father.
“I ask if-…”
“No, I’m not.”
“Well then, sit back and relax. Stop acting like you’re afraid, like I’m the boogieman. You know me - and as long as I live, no one will harm you, no one would dare.” He voice oozed with Southern charm and possession.
Virginia didn’t like the tone of his voice, didn’t like how it hit and touched various nerve endings in her body which seem to respond to him. Besides that, he’d been drinking, and she couldn’t relax - she was a bundle of nerves. She went quiet because she didn’t know what to say, nor do. She cuddled back in the seat, warm in the jacket, wishing she could pull her feet up to warm them as well, but was in truth afraid to move.
“You smell good.” He couldn’t help but say it.
Virginia remained quiet.
“Emm - nothing to say?”
“You smell like you’ve been drinking.” She returned softly.
GM chuckled, “That’s because I have been,” he reached over to the jacket she now wore and pulled his expensive silver flask from it, lifting it before her, “Here, have a sip, it’ll warm you up, relax you a bit.”
She shook her head, she didn’t drink and wasn’t about to start with him.
He smiled, “Unscrew the top for me, I’ll take a sip.”
“No - you’on need no more to drink.” She defied him.
He lifted a brow and laughed out loud, “Yes ma’am - I suppose that means I have to wait. I’ll wait, ‘cause God knows, there are some things just worth waiting for.”
Her eyes cut to him and then quickly away. She wasn’t new to the ways of men, and this one sitting next to her was up to something. Under the circumstances, there was nothing she could do about that.
“Sure would be nice if you would relax, not look at me that way. Come on have a little drink.”
“I said I don’t drink… ever.” She informed him again, softly but firm.
GM smiled, nodded and reached over putting the flask back in his jacket pocket, pressing it against her thigh as he did so. Yes, the touch was deliberate - she knew it, and he wanted her to know it. “Class - you know that? Pure class. I’m talking about you - yeah, you. I like that.” He went silent a moment, thinking, contemplating things, and then said, “I ah, didn’t know Lida Bell threatened to uh, take that child away from you.” His voice was thick with his Southern drawl, he sounded like a man contemplating sex - she could hear it clearly - it made her heart take off in rapid beats that was taking her breath away. “Had I known,” He continued on, “I would have put a stop to that nonsense right away - you should’ah known that Virginia. By the time I returned - it was too late - you were gone.”
“Don’t matter, what’s done is done.”
“Not done the way I would have had it done.”
She shrugged and went quiet once more.
“You can come back you know. I ah - own your home now. Just say the word, you can move right on back in, never have to fear being there, or coming to town.” He offered. Virginia knew exactly what he was offering.
“This my home now - I like it here. Ash or not, it’s where I’m staying.” She was clear.
GM went back to thinking as he drove, and tried another approach, “You ever give thought to going North? Things might be better there. I would help you, set you up in no time. You’d make it there, much better than here - you that kind of woman, full of talent.”
“Greenville’s my home. Not leaving. Uh, where are we going, where you taking me?”
“Told you, somewhere safe. A little place of mine where you’ll be able to rest - know you’ll like it.”
Series 13 - Episode 104 - Chapter 314
Virginia could hear her ears ringing, “How will
I get back home if you leave me there?”
“I’m not leaving you anywhere,” He glanced at her with a wolfish grin, “Don’t you worry your pretty lil’head over anything - I’m taking care of everything.”
“We - we not gonna be alone, are we?” She gulped.
He glanced at her once more, “Yes - we will be - will that be so bad?”
Her stomach tightened up so it sent a rush of heat related to panic through her, “I don’t wanna be alone with you - it’s not right - you a married man.”
GM went quiet.
“You hear me - I don’t wanna be alone with you.” She repeated.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“You know what, you married.”
“I’m not happy with her.” He returned low and disgruntled.
“Got nothing to do with me.”
“Got everything to do with you - everything.”
Virginia turned her head to look at his profile in the dark vehicle. “What you mean?”
GM’s eyes cut to her for a moment and then back to the road, “What do you think I mean?”
She didn’t want to go there, trying to avoid it, she shook her head, turning back to her side window.
GM drove thinking, waiting for her to say something more, and because she wasn’t, he spoke up, “You a special kind of woman Virginia Piercey. Everybody that knows you, knows it’s so. You been on my mind a - long - time. You - you should’ve been mine.” He spoke out loud and went quiet a spell, and then after a few moments, “I want you to be mine.”
Silence and tension filled the vehicle.
They finally reached his hidden cabin. She barely saw it as his head lamps caught the dark profile, and then passed it as he parked his car in the carport cutting the engine. “I think you’ll like this place. No one knows about it. Only I come here - now you.” He stated getting out and rushing to her side of the vehicle to open the door.
Beauty of Man and Woman - Volume 13: Bomaw Page 20
