by Londyn Skye
“Oh, you’ll love it! Mama always used to make my baths when I’s just a girl. She adds in a little honey and milk and some ‘a the finest fragrances. And she always knows how to make the temperature just right! Now come on and get them clothes off!” she smiled, pulling Lily’s arm to get her out of bed.
Lily followed along with Isabel’s wishes. She went down the hall to soak in the warmth of the bubble-filled bath water while Isabel and Anna Mae washed her hair. She found it hard to sit still and let them do all the work, though. It was normally she who was in such a position, so it was difficult for her to make the adjustment.
“I didn’t know you was hidin’ all this hair unda’ yo’ scarf. Sho’ wish my hair was this long and soft,” Isabel confessed. “Me and mama gonna have a fine time fixin’ it up.”
“Y’all gonna do my hair too?”
“Nails, make-up, and all!” Isabel told her.
“Y’all bein’ so kind to me. I-I really can’t thank ya’ enough. I wouldn’t know what in the world to do without the both of ya’. I ain’t neva’ wore make-up in all my life,” Lily laughed. “Come to think of it, I ain’t neva’ really done my hair eitha’.”
“Well believe me, when we finished with you Elijah gon’ be sorry he couldn’t be here to see you again tonight,” Isabel blurted. Her mother nudged her again. “What Mama?! It’s true! Elijah told me how pretty he thinks she is.”
“Hush up girl! Quit tellin’ business that ain’t yours to be told.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“It’s okay, Ms. Anna Mae, the feelin’s mutual. I must admit, you and Mr. Ben make fine lookin’ children. Isabel’s so beautiful and Elijah is awfully handsome.”
“Well, thank you baby. But Isabel still needs to learn how to hold ’er tongue sometimes.”
Isabel was not saying something that Lily did not already assume about Elijah. His attraction to her was blatantly obvious in the lustful way he gazed at her. The attraction was mutual. Lily found Elijah’s chocolate-colored smooth skin, his tall muscular frame, and his smile difficult to turn away from. But oddly, Isabel’s mention of her brother suddenly made Lily curious about what a certain someone else would think of her with make-up and a new hair style. Lily let her mind drift away as she leaned back with her eyes closed in the enormous garden tub, washing herself slowly with a loofah. Suddenly forgetting that there were two other people there with her, she began pretending that her hands belonged to the man whose face and shirtless body she saw in vivid detail behind her lowered eyelids.
Lily then began reflecting on the weeks since her and James had fished together. From that day forward, the awkwardness they once felt around each other quickly faded away. It was replaced by a familiar ease and comfort. More and more, Lily found herself wanting to speak to James when the small windows of opportunity would arise. James relished every second of those precious moments with Lily. Their meetings were always playful and silly and were the escape they needed from their daunting show preparation. Each time, though, they were always called back to their duties sooner than either of them wanted. Every conversation was left lingering, leaving them both eagerly awaiting the next time they could exchange a few words. Lily walked away from every encounter with a crack in the wall that she had erected to keep James from trampling on her emotions. However, she still remembered to proceed with great caution while allowing him temporary access to her vulnerability.
Lily was so absorbed in her thoughts and at ease in the warm water that she did not want to get out when Anna Mae and Isabel finished washing her hair. With reluctance, she emerged from the wonders of her soothing bath and wandered back into her room with them and locked the door. After drying off, Anna Mae gave her a bottle of the homemade lotion that she had been making for decades. Anna Mae swore every woman needed to use her secret formula if they were going to keep their skin looking youthful and feeling soft. Anna Mae’s supple skin was silky smooth proof. She looked nowhere near her actual age.
As Lily applied her new lotion, she once again imagined that it was a set of strong hands gliding down the length of her legs, across her abdomen, up her arms, and into a light massage of her shoulders. She literally had to shake herself from the image to stop her body from reacting to the mere fantasy of it all. She then suddenly tried to hand the lotion back to Anna Mae, feeling as though getting rid of it was the only way to put an end to her erotic visions.
“Naw, baby, you keep that,” Anna Mae told her. “That’s my gift to you in celebration of your first show.”
“Thank you, Ms. Anna Mae,” Lily replied, sounding truly appreciative. When Anna Mae stepped away, Lily looked at the bottle again and smiled devilishly while imagining all its pleasureful uses.
Isabel stepped up beside Lily and snapped her out of her trance. “Now yo’ skin gon’ be nice and soft unda’neath yo’ new dress!”
“New dress?” Lily replied, surprise evident in her tone.
“Yeah! You didn’t think we’s gon’ let you wanda’ up on that stage wearin’ this ol’ rag, did ya’?” Isabel asked, holding up the dress she wore daily.
Anna Mae rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated breath, wondering how to fix her absent-minded daughter. She was convinced that her mindlessness was a trait she had inherited from Benjamin’s side of the family.
Still oblivious to her insulting comment, Isabel wandered happily over to the closet and pulled out the dress she was excited to show Lily. Knowing the laws about the sort of generic fabric that slaves were limited to wearing, Lily assumed that her new dress would not be too far different from the one James had given her on the journey to Ohio. What Isabel revealed, though, completely obliterated her expectations. “Oh my,” Lily gasped, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful gown. She stepped closer to it and reached out to feel the sort of fabric a slave would normally never be allowed to wear. “This can’t possibly be mine.”
“Well, sho’ it is!” Isabel assured her. “You like it, don’t ya’?”
“Like it? Like ain’t the right word. It’s the most gorgeous dress I’ve eva’ laid my eyes on!” Lily took it and walked over to the mirror and placed it in front of herself, trying to imagine what it would look like when it was finally on her body. She got just as giddy as Isabel at the prospect of being allowed the honor of wearing such a beautiful piece of clothing. “Oh, I love it!” She turned and hugged Isabel. “Thank you both so much!”
“Don’t thank us!”
“No, well, who else then?”
“James!” Isabel said excitedly.
“Good lawd,” Anna Mae mumbled, shaking her head again at her silly daughter. Isabel was not supposed to tell Lily about the hand that James had in any of their affairs that morning.
“James?” Lily asked curiously.
“Yeah!” Isabel confirmed. “He say he knows red’s yo’ favorite color. He brought us the fabric and asked if we could fix you up a real nice dress. He gave us a catalog filled with all kinda pictures ‘a fancy dresses in it, so we could pick the one we liked best! He sho’ do want you to look pretty!”
In fact, all the morning’s events were requests that had come from James. Even if William had not told him about the powers of relaxation, James planned to bombard Lily with an array of pleasantries to help ease any lingering fears or worries leading up to her performance. William’s words of wisdom simply confirmed that it was a wonderful idea. However, James knew nothing about primping and styling a woman. For that, he had called on Anna Mae and Isabel to meet the call of duty, feeling that women would be more suited to handle all of Lily’s personal needs. After mother and daughter happily obliged, James gave them money and a list of things that Lily might like. He then swore them to secrecy about the hand he had in their arrangement. He wanted it to seem like a genuine gesture from Anna Mae and Isabel, rather than making Lily feel as if it was just another chore he had added to their to-do list. After sworn silence from both ladies, James handed them the insurmountable task of distracting Lily’s mind
from the night’s coming events.
“That dress is gonna look even more beautiful when we get it on ya’,” Anna Mae told Lily after joining her and Isabel in front of the mirror. “Go ahead and try it on, so I can see if I’m needin’ to take it in an inch or two.”
While Anna Mae worked on fine-tuning the dress, Isabel started working on styling Lily’s hair. In the process, Lily asked to hear stories of what it was like living with William for all the years that they had. Anna Mae took the opportunity to inundate her with embarrassing and funny tales of her children, especially stories about Isabel; it was her way to retaliate for all of Isabel’s unintended rude comments. In between stories, wild outbursts of laughter, and working on the fine details of Lily’s makeover, Isabel would sneak food and wine in from the kitchen to help further relax them all. The scene was less like the preparation for a major show and more like that of a mother enjoying the simple pleasures of having two daughters. It was exactly the sort of escape that James was hoping Isabel and Anna Mae would provide for Lily.
For James, however, the morning had been a far cry from relaxing baths, pampering, and pleasantries. From the moment he woke up, he had been going full steam to finish every last-minute detail for the show. With a little over an hour left before the show was set to begin, he finally had a chance to shave, cut his hair, take a much-needed bath, and get into his new suit, in preparation for the few minutes that he would be onstage. When he was finished, James glanced out the window and watched Benjamin and some hired helpers guiding anxious audience members from their carriages to their seats. Parades of people in flowing dresses, fancy hats, and expensive attire began quickly filling the freshly finished amphitheater seats. James stood there for a moment to admire his work of art. Before long, though, his nerves began to toy with him again. He had already been incapable of eating, and despite how tired he was after weeks of labor, he had gotten very little sleep the night before. His worries had nothing to do with his own well-being, but with that of Lily’s. Since he and William had been so busy, he had not seen Lily all day, which left him worrying obsessively over the state of mind she might be in. After making a few minor adjustments to his hair and his attire, he planned to finally head to her room, hoping to learn that she was doing much better than he was at that moment.
As James was leaving his room, William had just come in from backstage to retrieve something from his desk. William took the free moment away from the madness to collect himself. He paced nervously in his den, stopping to look out the window every so often at the crowd that steadily gathered. For the three weeks since the debacle with his students, William had been highly stressed while expending all his efforts to make the necessary changes to bring Lily’s show idea to life. It had taken twelve-hour days, and damn near an act of God, to turn something relatively simple into something that was now going to be extremely elaborate. Where Lily was concerned, William was not surprised at her level of creativity and innovation. But he was surprised, however, that they had pulled off her extravagant idea in as little time as they had. With everything completed on schedule, William’s stress and worry had now shifted to the unpredictability of the audience and their reaction to what they were about to see.
As William was pacing in his den, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He peeked his head out and startled James, who was in a hurry to see Lily. “H-how is Lily? Is she alright?” William asked, talking fast and fidgeting with his spectacles. “I haven’t bothered to go up and see her. I’m a nervous wreck, and I was afraid I would just end up stressing her.”
James was surprised at William’s demeanor. He was used to seeing him so calm and collected. “I tried to go up and see her earlier, but Anna Mae caught me in the hallway and shooed me off. She assured me Lily was fine, though. I’m headed back up there again now. I’m sure Lily’s dressed by now.”
“Perfect. It’s less than an hour before showtime. She’ll need to warm up a bit,” William explained, rubbing his sweaty palms together. “Everything from the list I gave you this morning is prepared and ready, correct?”
“Yes, William, everything is in place.” James noticed the jittery sound in William’s voice and the way he was continuously smoothing his hands over his clothes and looking everywhere but at him. “Listen, are you gonna be alright?”
“I just … I just hope I’ve done enough.”
James realized that William was beyond being just a nervous wreck. He was in a state of panic. James pulled him into the den and shut the door, hoping to say a few words to him in private to help calm his nerves. “You hope you’ve done enough?” James reiterated. “My God, William, the only thing you’ve yet to do for Lily is snatch the moon down from the sky so she can have a betta’ look. You’ve done so much for her that I don’t even know where to begin thankin’ you for all ‘a this. When I brought Lily to you, I certainly didn’t expect it to escalate to all ‘a this.”
“Be honest with me, though, James. Do you think Lily’s truly ready for this? O-or do you think we’ve pushed her too hard?”
“I assure you, William, Lily’s more than ready for this. I have no doubt about that. This show is all she eva’ talks about now. Besides, I’ve known Lily nearly all my life, and she’s, honest to God, the strongest woman I know. So, no matta’ what her demeanor may show, I know that when the moment comes for her to show ’er strength, she will.” James really believed that despite how worried he was feeling on the inside as well.
“I just want this to be perfect for her, James … I really do,” William said, walking over to stare out the window again at the artistically crafted amphitheater sitting in his yard.
“If there’s anybody in this world who knows that already, William, it’s definitely me. It’s one ‘a the many reasons I appreciate you as much as I do.” James walked up behind William and put his hand on his shoulder as a gesture of his sincerity. They were both silent afterward while they continued to stare out into the fields at the grand open-air amphitheater.
“The amphitheater, James. It’s just marvelous. Even better than I imagined it would be. For all your labor, I truly thank you.”
James simply nodded and took in his compliment with silent gratitude and pride.
“Well, I’m headed backstage to be sure everyone is ready and in place,” William said, sounding much calmer. “I assume you’re headed to fetch Lily now.”
“Yes, we’ll be there shortly.”
After William departed from the den, James’s feet immediately began carrying him toward the only person whose company he had wanted throughout the day. He ascended the stairs two at a time, feeling like a child anticipating the opening of a birthday gift. He was eager to see the fruits of Anna Mae and Isabel’s labor. But most importantly, he was hoping to find that Lily was doing fine emotionally. He checked his hair and straightened his bow tie in the mirror at the top of the stairs before he proceeded to knock gently on her bedroom door. Isabel opened it slightly and peeked her head out.
“Hey, Isabel. You ladies decent?”
“Yeah, come on in,” she smiled, stepping aside and opening the door all the way. “Mama’s just about finished.”
Lily was sitting at a vanity table in the corner with her back to James while Anna Mae finished making a few adjustments to her hair. James looked in Lily’s direction, and his eyes immediately fixated on the length of her hair and the way it fell in long spiral curls down her back. James then realized that they were still children the last time he saw her without her hair wrapped neatly in a scarf or bonnet. Underneath Lily’s long curls, James could see a few of the silky white drawstrings that held her brand-new handmade dress firmly in place. Just seeing these small details of her transformation had James’s heart pounding with anticipation.
Anna Mae stepped back and smiled at all of her hard work when she was done. “All finished!” she said, a look of pride on her face.
Lily took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, turning her head from side to side and to
uching her hair. She found it hard to believe it was her own reflection she was looking at. She then stood up and looked at herself from head to toe in the floor-length mirror nearby. Once she absorbed the fact that it was indeed her own reflection, Lily smiled and held back the urge to cry. Nervously, she then turned around for Isabel and James to finally see her for the first time ever with her hair neatly styled, in make-up, and adorned in her beautiful, floor-length, red Victorian dress. The exquisite flowing gown hugged Lily’s waist tight and hung like the shape of a small bell from her hips down. It highlighted the sultry curves of her body that were typically hidden underneath her usual plain attire. Aside from a few wispy bangs hanging neatly across her forehead, the top portion of Lily’s hair was pulled back out of her face and styled decoratively on top, while the rest of it fell in perfect spirals around her shoulders and down her back. She wore eye shadow that matched her dress and thick black mascara that accentuated each one of her long, dark eyelashes. A light application of foundation gave her face a soft glow. Anna Mae added just a hint of shiny color to her lips that easily brought attention to the sensuality of their illustrious shape.
James drank in the sight before him. Lily’s lips, her lines, her curves, her hair, the sparkle in her eyes, all of her accentuated beauty overloaded his mind and temporarily rendered him speechless. The mass amounts of adrenaline coursing through his body had genuinely taken its toll on him. He began sweating, his mouth had gone dry, and his mind remained blank. Lily had always been beautiful to James, but at that moment, her beauty had reduced him to a nervous schoolboy with a crush. He just stood there unable to take his eyes off her, struggling to find words that were worthy of expressing how phenomenal she looked in his eyes.
Lily smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress, suddenly feeling nervous herself. The fact that James had yet to say a word was making her question her transformation. “I-I ain’t neva’ had my hair done before,” she said nervously, not knowing what else to say to fill the silence.
