Authors: Ashley Ryan
"Maggie" I responded.
"Very good. I'm Ms. Rebekah, I think I've seen you a time or two when I visited my brother. Once things have calmed down I expect you and Thomas will leave?" Ms. Rebekah asked.
"I don't know Ms. I will do whatever I need to." I replied.
"Let's just play it by ear" Ms. Rebekah replied.
I slept on a sofa in the den that night. There were no spare rooms available. Alice had one room to herself. Ms. Rebekah's friend and second housekeeper Sissy and her husband Henry shared another room, though Sissy was sick and didn't come out of her room. Thomas had his own room though it wasn't proper for me to stay with him. Of course Ms. Rebekah had the fourth and final bedroom.
The next day, Ms. Rebekah did as she said and gave me a letter granting me my freedom as if I were her slave.
"If anyone asks, you've worked for me all of your life." She said as she handed me the papers.
That afternoon as I worked on turning Ms. Rebekah's Reading room to a bedroom for myself, a wagon crept slowly up the drive way to Ms. Rebekah’s house. I knelt down by the window at the front of the house and waited until the wagon had stopped. I expected to hear Master Wilson's voice but it wasn't him. I recognized Master Mark's voice immediately.
"Where is she?" Master Marked asked Rebekah.
"Whatever are you talking about brother?" Ms. Rebekah replied.
"You know damn good and well what I'm..."
"Don't you use that sort of language with me, brother or not." Ms. Rebekah replied sharply.
"Where is Mary?" Master Mark asked.
"There is no one here by that name!" Ms. Rebekah said. She wasn't really lying since I was now going by the name Maggie.
"Step aside" Master Mark demanded as he tried to walk past Ms. Rebekah.
She quickly stepped in front of him and blocked her door."
"You are not coming into my house until you've learned some manners." Ms. Rebekah scolded.
"One of your pet niggers is causing all sorts of trouble. Thomas went to Mister Wilson's plantation last night and stole Mary. Now I know he's at work, I saw him. But I am absolutely certain that she is in here!" Mark said.
"And what if she is?" Ms. Rebekah asked.
"If she is then I am returning her to Mister Wilson before I try to smooth this over without getting Thomas hanged!" Mark yelled as I ventured to peek out of the window.
"You need to leave this alone brother" Ms. Rebekah said as she placed her hand on Mark's shoulder.
Ms. Rebekah went on to assure Mark that everything was under control. She told him that the less involvement he had the better as assured him that the only thing he needed to know was that Mary had run away. After talking for a while Mark agreed and left.
That evening Thomas returned home.
"I spoke with your former master" He said as he entered the kitchen where Alice and I were finishing dinner.
"Well?" Alice said a slip second before I was about to.
"Well, he accused me to stealing. He said that I took Mary from his property and that if I didn't return her, he would see to it that I was hanged." Thomas said.
"What did you tell him?" I asked.
"Nothing, I didn't get the chance. Mister Mark cursed him and told him not to come into his home and place of business accusing his employees with proof." Thomas replied.
That seemed quite the opposite of what I'd observed through the window earlier, but I suppose Mark's fury might have gotten the best of him.
"Mark listened for a few more minutes and then asked Mister Wilson to leave." Thomas said.
After dinner Thomas and I decided to go for a walk. Alice said that it was a bad idea and that I needed to remain in the house for a few days. I think she was just afraid to leave me alone with her son.
Thomas of course ignored his mother's request and he and I went for a walk. We headed toward the western field where he and I had so often watched the sun set. It was much further walking from Ms. Rebekah's than it was from the slave quarters. As we passed a creek Thomas told me a story about Ms. Rebekah that I would have never guessed. He said that he overheard Sissy telling Alice one day that Ms. Rebekah had a black lover when she was young and that they would come to that spot on the creek to have relations. I found it hard to believe at first, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made. Maybe that was why Ms. Rebekah was so fond of niggers and why she freed all of her slaves.
We finally made it to our spot under the pecan tree, just as the sun was setting. The sky was beautiful, full of orange and pink with wisps of blue and white throughout. As Thomas and I lay there looking at the sky Thomas rolled over on his side and began looking at me.
"What are your intentions?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Do you intend to be with me or move on?" He asked.
"I wouldn't be laying here beside you if I didn't intend to be with you." I said.
Thomas leaned down and pressed his soft lips against mine. My heart began racing just as it did the last time he kissed me. He placed his strong arms over me and before I knew what had happened, I found myself beneath him. His body hovering slightly over mine as he rested his weight on his knees and arms. I could feel his chest lightly kissing mine as our lips opened slightly to taste the breath of the other. I felt his hand move and soon he placed it on my side. Slowly he moved his hand upward to my breast before he gently began squeezing my chest. I could feel myself becoming aroused at his touch. It was as if there was an itch between my legs that only Thomas could scratch. The butterflies in my stomach gave way to the desire in my heart as all rational thought left my mind. I knew better than to give in to my wants but I also feared that I would be caught and forced to return to Master Wilson's plantation. I wanted Thomas and no matter what happened to me later, at that moment I would have the man that I wanted.
Thomas slowly unbuttoned my dress. The absence of an undershirt became apparent to him as my large breasts nearly burst through as he unhooked the last button. My dark black areola's contrasted the slightly lighter color of my skin. My hard nipples stood fully erect as a testament to my excitement and submission to my lover.
Thomas gently slid his hand under my dress as his mouth latched onto my right nipple. He gently began suckling my tit as his clumsy free hand attempted to remove my underpants. After a while I realized that he'd never removed a woman's undergarments before and I lifted my dress higher and removed them myself. Thomas smilingly resumed his suckling as his free hand glided slowly and gently from my knee to my thigh and then between my legs. My arousal was apparent to us both when he slid his thumb along my vertical entrance. The cool air was turning cold as the sun had all but disappeared which made the cold air chill my wet excitement.
I wasn't chilled for long. Thomas eagerly pulled his pants down. I got only a glimpse of his cock in the dim light before he had climbed between my legs. I could see that he wasn't as large as John. I guess it had not occurred to me that men were different sizes until then. Thomas gently guided his member to my waiting entrance. He slowly began pushing himself into me. I expected it to be slightly painful. I remembered talking to Delilah once after she'd married and her saying that it hurt a little the first time she had sex. Maybe her man was larger than Thomas, but I never really felt pain.
Only a slight discomfort that lasted only a moment.
Thomas pushed deeper and deeper until I felt his sack pressing against me. I knew at that point that he was in as far as he could go. I took a deep breath as he filled me with his flesh. Slowly he pulled himself out and then pushed inside me again. The sensation of him inside me was exquisite. I felt full and satisfied, I felt complete.
Thomas's lips only left mine long enough for him to suckle my breasts and then return to my mouth. More than anything I enjoyed his kissing of my neck. The combination of his manhood inside me and his lips on my sensitive neck was almost more than I could stand. I remember wrapping my legs around him and pulling him inside me as deep as he could go as the hard pink marble at the tip of my womanly parts began tingling with the greatest pleasure I had ever know. It felt like a thousand fingers all over my body, massaging me in all of the right places, no it was more than that. It was indescribable.
Thomas continued pushing in and pulling out. I laid still, every muscle in my body still tingling from the experience I'd just had as Thomas finally pushed into me very hard. I watched his face as his eyes looked like they wanted to roll back into his head. The muscles in his neck tightened and he had a look of pain on his face. For a brief moment I thought he was hurt and then I realized that he was now feeling what I had felt minutes earlier. I felt his penis twitching slightly from within me and then slowly Thomas removed himself.
Thomas sat up and quickly pulled his pants up. I gathered my under panties and quickly put them on. With Thomas's body covering mine, I had not noticed how cold it had gotten. I quickly redressed myself as goose bumps rose up on my arms.
"You're cold" Thomas said.
"Yeah, aren't you?" I asked.
"A little" he replied.
We gathered ourselves and began the long walk home. We talked along the way. Neither of us discussed what had just happened. We mostly talked about running away to the north. There had been talk about the new president who'd just been elected freeing all of the slaves when he took over in January, but neither of us believed that. We both agreed that we would be safer in the northern states, maybe New York. We expected that freed slaves wouldn't have to carry papers granting freedom up there, everyone would just know that you were free. I wouldn't have to worry about Master Wilson catching me and we could just live.
Alice was upset when we returned. She gave Thomas what for about having me out so late. She reminded him that I was a runaway and that if I were caught both he and I faced a beating, hanging or worse.
I went out to the washroom and cleaned up before bed. I made sure to clean out what Thomas had left inside me before changing into my night clothes and going to bed. I liked the fact that Thomas's room and mine were next to each other. It made me feel safe to know that even though there was a wall separating us, he was only a few feet away. Alice's room was on the other side of the hall from he and I. Sissy and Ms. Rebekah's rooms were upstairs.
The next morning when I got up I made my way to the kitchen. Alice was already up and I helper her make breakfast. Soon the smell of fried food filled the air and everyone began waking up. Thomas was eager to get over to Mister Mark's house. It was payday for him and he said he always looked forward to payday. After breakfast Thomas left. Alice said that Sissy was getting worse and Henry had been so busy taking care of her that a lot of the chores had been getting neglected. I told Alice that I would help if she'd show me what to do. I felt like it was the least I could do after all that they had done for me.
I began my workday by feeding the horses. Moving hay around seems easy but it's actually back breaking work. After all of the animals were fed, Alice asked me to go to the salt house and get some bacon. I did as I was told. I took a while inside, honestly because I loved the smell of the salt house for some reason and I needed a break, even if it only meant sitting down for a few minutes. I cut off some bacon and stepped outside to which I heard.
"That's her!"
Master Wilson had arrived while I was in the salt house and happened to be climbing out of his wagon as I exited the salt house. He had a slave catcher with him and one of his overseers. I started to run, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. They would likely beat me worse for running. Ms. Rebekah and Alice came outside as the slave catcher was putting chains on my hands.
"What's going on here?" Ms. Rebekah asked indignantly.
"I've found my runaway slave and I'm taking her back where she belongs." Master Wilson said.
"What is your name sir?" Ms. Rebekah asked as if she didn't know who he was.
"I'm James Wilson. I own a plantation on the other side of..."
"I know that name and I know what happened. My brother told me you had a slave run away that he sold you. I can however assure you that Maggie is not your property." Ms. Rebekah said.
I remained as quiet as a mouse. I knew it was in my best interest not to move or say a word.
"Maggie? I think you mean Mary" Master Wilson replied.
"No, I think I know who I mean. This is Maggie, she and Mary are half-sisters." Ms. Rebekah said.
"And I think I know one of my slaves when I see them!" Master Wilson said, appalled that Ms. Rebekah would even suggest such a thing.
As the two of them argued over me, Henry appeared at the door.
"Henry, go fetch Mark.
Quickly!" Ms. Rebekah said.
"This is not your slave" Master Wilson demanded.
"You're absolutely correct Mister Wilson, Maggie is a freed slave and she has papers to prove it." Ms. Rebekah said.
Alice quickly went to my room and retrieved the letter of freedom that Ms. Rebekah had given me as Henry disappeared out of sight.
"I see, you've changed her name and written a letter of freedom." Master Wilson said. "I wasn't born yesterday ma'am"