Beyond the Cotton Fields

Chapter 6

"What were ya doin'?! Rollin' 'round on the ground?! Don't make one a bit o' sense!" Lucy griped, as she picked and combed bits of grass, leaves, and twigs from Koi's long hair. Lucy continued to grumble and work on Koi's hair, while he sat silently on the floor of his hut. Although he sat silently, he had a smile on his face as he listened to her low grumbles of exasperation.

He only stopped smiling when he felt his head being tugged back. He looked and saw Lucy standing over him with a handful of his attached hair in her hand.

"C'mon. I need to wash the dirt outcha head." He stood up and followed out of the hut and into the forest. They approached a creek that ran down the middle of the forest floor. Koi kneeled down and stuck his head in the cool flowing water. Lucy kneeled down beside him and began to work the dirt out of his hair with her fingers.

"What were ya doin' that got ya all dirty?" Lucy asked.

"I was hunting from the top of a tree and the branch broke." He said, explaining no further.

"Are ya okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. Just a few scratches."

Lucy brought his head up out of the water and squeezed the excess water out of his hair. She moved behind him and combed through his hair with her fingers.

"How is your leg doing?" Koi asked.

"It's good. It don't hurt no more." She replied.

"Will you ever leave us?"

Lucy's hands stilled, unsure of how to answer the random question. Of course, her initial intentions were never to encounter and live with an Indian tribe, but once fate threw her onto a different path, she continued to follow it. She knew that she would be seen by a white man if she stayed, and that's when problems would occur.

"Why?"

"Because I do not want you to leave."

"I ain't got no business stayin' here." She began to weave his hair into one long black braid down his back.

"The white men will never find you. They never venture this deep into the forest."

"Koi, I'on wanna talk 'bout dis." She continued to braid his hair, until he whipped around and was looking straight into her eyes.

Lucy backed up, surprised at his sudden motion. "Koi, wha-" The pressing of his lips against hers silenced her immediately. She tried to pull away, but Koi's hand flew to the back of her head, keeping her lips tight against his. He began to move his lips against hers, prompting her to return the gesture. As they sat on the forest floor in a lip lock, Koi wrapped his arms around Lucy's torso and pulled her into him, making their chests touch. Lucy moved her arms up around Koi's neck, as his hands traced small trails down her back.

Lucy pulled away in order to get air back into her lungs. She looked up at Koi, who looked at her with intense eyes.

"We... should... go back." She struggled to find her voice and form a coherent sentence.

Koi nodded and stood up, still holding Lucy in his arms. She looked down at the ground, which was no longer beneath her soles.

"Are ya goin' to put me down?" She asked, giving him an incredulous look. He chuckled and placed her back on the ground, looking down at her as she straightened out her dress.