Beyond the Cotton Fields

Chapter 20

"Lucy, you put that wood down before you go and break something! That wood weighs more than you, girl!" Boone called from the porch and walked over to the young woman.

"But I was goin-"

"You was goin' to hurt yourself, that's what you was goin' to do!" He began putting the wood back down on the ground. "Now, you go back in the house and get out of this here snow before you catch your death."

"But, I wanna help. I already cleaned, cooked breakfast, an' washed clothes."

"And that ain't enough for you?!" He asked, bewildered.

Lucy just shook her head no. "No, si- Mr. Boone."

Boone let out a deep chuckle and looked down at the small girl.

"Well, that's enough for me and Cora. If you want something to do, do it inside where it's warm. Like I said, I don't want you catchin' your death in this here snow. Now, run along." He shooed her away and she walked back into the house. She closed the door behind her and saw Cora in a rocking chair next to the fireplace. She was quilting while Blue sat at her feet.

Upon hearing the door open and close, Cora looked up and smiled.

"Lucy, come and help me, sweetheart." She waved her over. Lucy walked over and sat on the floor in fron of Cora.

"Pull up a chair from the table, sweetheart. I don't want you sitting on the floor like some dog." Blue raised his head and let out a gruff. "Oh, no need to be offended, Blue." He laid his head back down.

Lucy grabbed a chair and placed it in front of Cora. She sat down and picked up the opposite end of the quilt. Cora handed her a threaded needle and a basket of fabric pieces. She picked one up and began sewing.

"So, tell me, Lucy, why did you run away in the middle of winter?"

"I ran away at tha end of the summa."

"Where've you been staying for the past few months?"

"I set up camp every few days." She lied.

"And no one ever found you?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, Ms. Cora." Was she getting at something?

"Can I tell you a story, Lucy?"

"Of course, Ms. Cora."

"My father was a plantation owner. We lived on a tobacco plantation. He owned about 30 or 40 slaves. I remember when I was little, me and my older sister would play in the fields because the tobacco would grow so big and be taller than us. One day, when I was just a bit older than you, I tried to run away. I was going to go to Pennsylvania, become a seamstress, and open my own shop. I was walking through the woods a few miles away from my home and my leg got caught in an animal trap.The pain was horrible. I could feel the trap's teeth sink further and further into my leg until it was just scraping bone. As I was screaming and crying, someone came and released the trap off my leg. I couldn't even stand on the leg once it was free. The person who released the trap picked me and carried me away. I was too busy crying to see who it was or where they were taking me. I took me an hour to stop sobbing and calm down a little. I wiped the tears away and found myself sitting on a bed, while some older man cleaned my leg and wrapped a bandage around it. When he was done patching up my leg, he stood up and looked down at me,"

Cora smiled to herself as she remembered the event.

"He had the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen. His brown hair clung to his forehead with sweat. His shirt showed some of his chest and the hair that covered it. His face had a little bit of stubble. He was so tall and brawny. He was the most gorgeous man I ever saw. I stood up to thank him and leave but my leg hurt too bad to walk. He sat me back down and asked me why I in the woods anyways. I told him my plan and he said he would help me. He said he would take me to the port so I could get on a boat to Pennsylvania as soon as my leg healed. But, by the time my leg healed, I didn't want to leave. I'd fallen in love with him, and he fell in love with me. After a year together, we found out I was pregnant. After that, we got married, got a dog, had a beautiful son, and we couldn't be happier." Cora smiled as she sewed a patch onto the quilt.

Halfway into the story, Lucy realized that the man in Cora's story was Boone. "Why'd ya tell me that story, Ms. Cora?"

"Because you ran away 4 months ago, Lucy. If you were really trying to get up north, you would've been up there 2 months ago. You and I are very similar. We both ran away, fell in love, and became pregnant." Lucy's head shot up at that and Cora just smiled at her.

"How-"

"That was very first thing I noticed about you. You had a glow."

"But how do you know that I lo-"

"I saw him looking in the window when I came back from visiting my mother. He tried to duck down, but I had already seen him. And, I heard y'all talking last night. He's an indian, am I correct?"

Lucy nodded her head, looking down.

"You've been staying with him and his tribe?" Lucy nodded again.

"Then, why aren't you with him still, sweetheart? He followed you out here, so I know he loves you and the baby."

"It's a very long story, Ms. Cora."

"We have time, sweetheart." Cora smiled.

Lucy took a deep breath and exhaled, starting her story from when she first ran away from the plantation.