In the chill of the early morning air, Cap and Chyna stood side by side looking up at an towering iron gate. They had come up a lonely road with neatly kept green fields, and willow trees and now felt themselves dumbfounded at that loomed over them.
"I..I wanna go back." Chyna murmured, taking a step behind Cap she shivered. She'd never seen a home so large in all her life. It hadn't been the traditional mansion she had pictured.
No, instead she found herself gazing up at what she could only assume was a castle. Or as close to one as she could imagine. A massive home built of brick and stone. Covered in moss and vines that seemed perfectly placed, through the gates were various fruit trees and roses.
Walking about calmly were women of both white and black skin tending the roses at the bottom of a grand staircase that lead to the front door. Some children tossed seeds to a strange brightly colored bird that walked like a chicken but looked like something out of a fairytale.
Cap tilted his neck back so that he might look at the highest tower of the home, his mouth ajar.
Jon hopped out of the wagon and Cotton followed suit. Cotton ran to the gate with shimmering eyes and a excited grin. "Wow! Do you see that Chyna! Do you see it!" He called.
Chyna snapped out of her fearful trance and scurried over to Cotton. She gently pulled his arm tugging him away from the gates. "Yes I sees it jus' fine. I think we mighta made a mighty mistake." She said with a frown.
Cap glanced over to Jon who held an amused smile. "I'm not sure folk like us belong here..." he said to him.
Jon gave a gentle be it slightly coy smile as he walked to the gate and pushed it open. "This is a place for any sort, Cap. Give it a chance, if it feels wrong no one will make you stay." Jon offered.
Cap looked back at Chyna and then to Cotton "I wanna see, Cap." Cotton said flashing the saddest eyes he could muster.
"Its fine, remember just cause something is different...it doesn't mean it's scary." Cap said to Chyna his words soft as he touched her cheek.
She leaned her face it the warmth of his hand and nodded. "Ok." She whispered. Cap took hand and then Cotton's before following Jon through the gate.
Two men whom looked to be in their late 30s exited after them and hopped onto the driver's bench of the wagon.
"Be care with the black horse, she's not as tamed as she seems." Jon called out, one of the men tipped is bowler hat "no worries Jon!" He called.
"Follow me, it's just through the front garden." Jon said leading the way once more. "What is?" Cap asked his eyes wandering about trying their best to take everything in.
"Don't look so scared my dear girl." A woman said with a kind smile, she had skin nearly as dark as Chyna's and kind brown eyes. Across her face was a welcoming smile. "You must be the family Benny told us to expect." She said stepping away from the roses.
"Benny isn't here yet, when you can break away from the men I'd love to show you around. You like flowers? We got a garden to rival any others." The woman went on.
Chyna stop hidding behind Cap her instinct to snatched her hand from his vanished at the woman's disarming smile. "Ma'am I -"
"Please, honey, you can call me Ronda. It might look like it and if you belive Jon here's proper way of talking - sound like it but we are not to stuffy around here." Ronda said in a light chuckle.
"Nice to meet you Ronda, I'm Cap and that there's Cotton." Cap said the lack of tension told him he could speak plainly.
Cotton smiled and gave an enthusiastic wave. "Hi!" He called loudly causing Ronda to chuckled again. "I'm Chyna Ma' a- I...Um Ronda. Sorry, I'm not used to..." Chyna stammered.
"Talking so freely?" Ronda asked. Chyna gave a sheepish smile "Least ways to folk other than Cap, Cotton and a small few back home." Chyna said.
"Sounds like you had more folk to talk freely with than most people like you and I have had." Ronda said trying to lift the mood back up.
"But, let me stop running my mouth and let Jon show you to your rooms. You've all come a long way and must be tired." Ronda added backing away and walking off up a pathway leading to a small gazeb. Chyna watched as she met up with a group of people and started to chat
Cap strengthened his grip on Chyna's hand and beamed. The group was integrated. Chyna giggled "I know, don't look so weird about it or we'll stand out. "But there's even-" he started in a whisper "shhhh!" Chyna warned.
"Wooooow, they got everybody here, colored of all colors Chyna, and induns and Mexicans and...." Cotton looked thrilled as he happily went on while Cap and Chyna watched him mortified.
Chyna rushed over to him to hush Cotton "shh! Cot that ain't proper..."Chyna warned. Cotton looked down at her tilting his head a bit in confusion. "But miss Ronda said we a it gotta be propper." Cotton said.
Cap laughed "Cotton Top I'm not so sure that exactly what she meant when she told us that. Marveling at everybody's color is rude." He said.
Cotton flashed sad eyes "I ain't meant to be rude Cap, Honest. I'm sorry." He said. Chyna smiled "its ok, you didn't know any better."
Jon stood in the room a signed to Cotton who was eying the large blush bed. "I know, I know exactly what you is thinkin'" called a young vibrant voice.
From behind Jon came a young man, no older than 16 with short but thickly packed tight curls, a glossy head of raven hair and eyes that held the color and sweetness of molasses.
"What do you mean?" Cotton said for a moment a bit of panic flashed on his face as if he'd been found out.
The boy chuckled, walked up to Cotton and reached to rest a palm on his shoulder. "You my very fair friend - wanna jump on that bed over there. No ones ever too old." Said the boy.
Cotton quickly shook his head "no, my Pa and Aunt Levicy always tol me no jumpin on the bed." He said.
The boy looked to the left in a dramatic sneaky fashion and then to the left. "Well I don't see them here do you?" He asked Cotton.
Cotton peeked around "but-but Cap and Chyna...." he murmured.
Jon cleared his throat "in their quaters," Jon said turning to take his leave, he stopped in the door way "and I won't tell if you don't. " he added slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.
The boy and Cotton glanced at each other before running to the bed. Climbing up they started to jump around laughing.
"These are good for jumping!" Cotton cheered. "As if I was lying? Huck always knows his stuff - and that's me, I'm Huck." The boy said, "folk call me Cotton Top." Cotton said with a grin as the two continued to play.
"This room....its huge..." Chyna muttered as she walked in a small circle in the rooms center taking everything in as best she could.
"And fancy..." She added.
Cap set his satchel down on the bed. "Its nice in a way though. You deserve fancy." He said unpacking a bit.
Chyna eyed him carefully. "I miss home. Our cabin it's cozy...its keeps us all close." She said quietly. She flapped her arms in frustration "hell, I...I don't even know jus' where Cotton even is!" She said in a huff.
Cap smiled a bit to himself, leaving his items scattered on the bed he went to her. His arms found their way around her as he held Chyna close.
With a chuckle he nuzzled the side of her head. "Cotton is just fine. Home is home - sure. But here, here is safe. Here there ain't no McCoy's or bounty hunters trying to get us-" Cap reasoned only to have Chyna whirl around to face him "do we know that do we? But them bounty hunters? They tracked us out on the road, a followin' cross states." She said quickly.
"I don't think anyone would look way out here. Besides that ain't all, this place is safe for you too. Nobody's gonna bother you just cause your darker than them and have different hair and face shapes. An' nobody is gonna say nothin if they see us together neither." Cap reasoned.
"This place is safe, and Cotton is fine." He said again.
Chyna leaned into his arms and hide her face in his shoulder. "This place is strange Cap." She muffled. "Yeah....we're probably pretty strange to them too." He chuckled.
"Come on, let's go look around a bit. Ronda seemed excited to show you around." Cap added letting her lead the way out of the room.
The day pasted a sloe and comfortable speed. It was the first time in a long time Chyna could feel and enjoy how the season was changing. She couldn't help but stare at the bright orange and yellow leaves that remained on the shedding trees. They seemed brighter somehow.
"Its a fine thing you and yours are doing for Benny." Ronda said, taking a sip from a steaming cup of coffee. Chyna found herself sitting under a gazebo in a large garden, many of the women congregated here it would seem as they chatted and relax in the many seating areas surrounded by flows, statues and herbs of all kinds.
"I wouldn't say that. More like him and alla you are going a fine thing for us." Chyna said looking down into her coffee.
"Its a mess back home, it feels Strange being here were things is calm." She added.
"I've read the papers, sounds aweful down there." Ronda said quietly.
"You read?" Chyna asked, the question flew out faster than Chyna could notice she'd even asked. Ronda chuckled "Why of course." She said.
Chyna blushed and fiddled with her hands. "I can't, Cap can. Hell, he's always readin' - reads his books to me sometimes, other times I jus' watch him read or look at the letters on the page. I memorized how some of them look so I know what they mean. But..." Chyna trailed off.
"I wish I could read and write, that way I could read to him too sometimes or Cotton an' I could write my sister while she's off seein' to our Pa." Chyna droned on.
Ronda smiled slowly "you know, we have a class on sundays for the children. Right here in the gardens were we teach them their words a few of our adult residents show up. Many is too proud to come learn with the kids." Ronda said.
"I aint. That's for sure." Chyna said with a grin. "Wonderful I'll go with you if it'll feel less strange. " Ronda offered.
Chyna watched her carefully "you're a god person ain't you? You remind me of a good friend back home." Chyna said with a smile.
Meanwhile Cap followed Jon about the estate he was lead to a fir sized library and his eyes lit up. "Well I'll be damn if this isn't the most books I've ever seen." Cap said.
Jon nodded "Benny's mother loved to read, his father built it for her. Fiction books, non-fiction, biographies, text books, dictionaries, children's books, books of music and poetry and even law." Jon went on.
Cap turned to Jon who smiled "Benny's father is a law man. I'd take this as a chance to further your intrest in the subject." Jon hinted before turning to leave Cap to the books.
The smell of dust, paper and leather covers was a sweet and forgiven one. Cap found himself wandering up and down the shelves, running his hand along a row of books. Out tumbled a thick book with a sturdy deep evergreen color and golden embellishments.
It landed on the ground with a loud thud, it's pages sprawled open. His eyes scanned the page "tie the naval string three fingers' breadth form the belly of the child..." he read.
"As soon as the infant is seperated from the mother it is proper to ascertain, by the hand placed upon her belly, that there is not a twin child; if there be, the remaining bulk will indicate it in a way that can scarcely be mistaken." Cap quickly closed the book, he felt sick yet at the same time he could feel heat slowly creep into his ears.
"What on earth kinda book-" he muttered.
Shutting it's pages closed Cap looked at its side were the pages were bound.
"Gunn's New Domestic Physician."
Cap carefully slid the book back in its place, "boy it must not be no fun bein' a doctor." He whistled before continuing on his way.