Authors: Mercedes Keyes
“
No. I have a wife to inform and calm down. She
is no doubt waiting with a blade to slit my throat.” He chuckled. “She thinks you were a gift to me, and…so you are.”
“
Now get inside…I will come for you in the morning. There is water there, in that bucket to wash up. Close this curtain, and stay inside…you will not be bothered. Within my dwelling, you will be safe.”
She stood looking up at him, finally with a silent nod she turned within. “Close it.” He reminded her. She reached up and pulled the make shift curtain across the doorway. “Goodnight.” He said once again from the other side. “Goodnight.” She returned softly. Turning back to the room, she sighed and went to the table, opening the water; she sniffed it and took a drink. Setting the bottle down, she looked around her and remembered her reticule; she sprinted immediately to the cot where she had lain, there was her small purse with her important papers.
“
I will have to show these to him tomorrow.” She spoke to herself, looking for a safe place to put it. She chose a top shelf under a pottery jar. That done, she turned back to the trencher, she was famished.
* * *
Mike stood a moment outside the dwelling, with his sister safely within. He leaned against the outer wall, his mind reeling. Still full of disbelief, he looked around him, at the world that was now his home. On his mind, all the possibilities of what might have taken place at Webster Fields. More important than anything, how had his baby sister been separated from their mother? How had she come to be in the possession of gypsies?
‘Hmph, so it seems Miss Katherine, your bitter jealousy of my mother has once more struck where it would do the most damage - taking my mother’s children from her.’
As the thought simmered, it ignited the bitterness he felt towards the man who had sired him.
Refusing to waste time dwelling on that, he turned his thoughts to his mother.
‘Where are you? What have you suffered? Are you still with him – even to this day, after all the hell he has caused you, has caused us?’
Sighing, he dismissed such thoughts from his mind. He would not dwell on it to find himself sinking into a frustrated depression. This was not the time to feel self pity, but instead – joy. God, for some reason saw fit to deliver his sister to him.
He turned his attention toward the crowd near the huge burning fire. Juan and Eugene stood watching him. A beckoning toss of his head brought them quickly to his side. “This young girl, the gypsy...” He started saying. They both nodded. “…she is to be protected as if she were one of my daughter’s …understand?”
Both sets of eyes widened in confusion and curiosity. “But Miguel…what is it with this one?” Juan asked, relishing the idea of having her, knowing that Miguel did not want her in that way. His imagination had taken off with the many ways that he would approach her, to stake his claim on her, keeping her for himself.
Just as he knew his friend, Eugene, was entertaining the same fantasy. Yet, it seemed because of what Miguel had just said to them, neither would be allowed a chance with her. He had to know why.
“
Yes Miguel, we understand, but I thought you said you did not wish to be burdened with another, having Maria was enough?” Eugene added, also feeling disappointment at having heard his declaration.
“
Look, I must go and deal with my wife. As for what I’ve just said, the girl you have brought to me - the gypsy - she is my, baby sister.”
They both gasped, shocked.
“
Her mother is my mother. Her father is the same man who sired me. Any man, within this camp, who dares to touch her, or treat her as they would the others, will answer to me.” He informed them, looking from one to the other with a threat they dare not test…they knew to take him seriously. “See that no one dare enter my dwelling. No one…understand?” Both swallowed nervously, nodding.
He pushed himself away from the wall and made his way towards the dwelling where his wife and children resided. The group of rowdy drinkers were starting to thin out, heading off to their own dwellings. Only a few remained sprawled about the fire, one strumming a guitar as others dozed. Mike entered Maria’s abode, holding the lantern to light his way to the back room where she lay among the tangled arms and legs of their children; all except for Esteban who slept on a cot against the far wall.
Maria had taken over Esteban as her own, long before Jessie finally deserted him completely. Ever since he was a baby of seven months, she had seen to the care of him. That is – when Jessie was not in the mood to play, “Good mother” which was actually a disposition she slipped into out of spite. Mike would have to bring him to Maria to be fed and bathed, daring Jessie to mutter a sound in protest. There were also the many occasions when Jessie would disappear during the night to be gone two or three weeks at a time. Returning, she felt no need to give him a reason or an excuse as to where she had been. She knew that he would see to his son and felt no need to warn him. This infuriated Mike, especially if Juan would catch her about to slip out on them again.
Mike would chase her down and a shouting match would ensue outside the camp walls, ending with him throwing his hands up. “Fine – leave! My only favor that I ask is that you don’t come back!”
He had reached the end of his rope with her and for the first time felt the need to strike a woman. He was lost to understand her, how she could reject and neglect her own son…their son. Only when he shamed her before the others, would she turn towards her motherly duties. It never lasted, within a week or less, she was back to ignoring the child and leaving Esteban to fend for himself
. Mike would find his son once again crying, wet and hungry.
Her behavior was foreign to him, coming from a mother whose love and care was everlasting. Yet Maria had showed all of the love, care and attention to him that Jessie withheld. She eagerly loved Esteban, bathing him, sewing clothes for him, washing them to make sure he was always clean and neat. Often, she would be seen carrying him on her hip as if he were
her
son, with Jessie there in the camp, whose first reaction was to snatch him from her arms. Then, when it occurred to her that Maria was doing her a favor, she began ignoring them completely. This went on for sometime, until not long after his tenth birthday, Jessie left the camp, never to return.
Mike stood a moment smiling down at his family as they slept. They were unable to share one dwelling because neither was large enough with so many children. In order to share moments of intimacy, Juan stayed with them after they went to bed, as Mike took his wife to his own lodging. With his eyes focused on his dark wife, he noticed she was pretending to be asleep, her actions bringing a smile to his handsome face. He felt his heart soften and fill with joy. He was home, and all he wanted was to look into her dark eyes and feel her arms around him, subsequent to explaining about the Gypsy.
He thought about a time when he could not make up his mind if he wanted Maria or not. He accepted that variety was his strongest interest and that she was not his kind for the time being. She was wholesome, clean, good and worst of all…a virgin. Not just any kind of virgin but one protected by family, even if it was just her cousin Juan. Yet, having reached that conclusion about what he was looking for in a woman, there was something compelling about her, neither did it hurt her case that his son loved her, called her mama.
As for him, it did not help at all that his men were teasing him about her, nudging him that she was setting a trap to capture his heart. He tried to resist her, ignore her, but those eyes, so dark and sultry. Spanish eyes that grabbed him as no others had. Skin so flawlessly smooth, reminding him of golden honey. Hair, jet black and so shiny it glistened in the sun, hanging far past her waist. She came to be within the camp when Juan’s cousin stumbled into their hideout for help. Her father’s home and lands were under attack from marauders.
Jorge
, her brother managed to escape; quickly he went to seek Juan out. He knew of the hideaway having followed him one night without Juan’s knowledge.
This paid off down the road because he was able to bring them back with him in hopes of giving his father re-enforcements.
Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the damage had been done. The bodies of his family lay littered about the yard, their father, mother, grandmother, older brother
Hernando
and many of the ranch hands – all dead. Their home burned to the ground, with Maria and her young maidservant surviving because they hid down in the root cellar. Mike remembered the feeling of déjà vu as he had stood by the burnt out dwelling, taking him back to the day David Lawrence’s home had been destroyed by Ephraim, who took possession of him. On the way back to the camp, Maria’s brother Jorge had died from his wound. He’d been shot; and despite his injury, had made it to Juan for help. Mike’s heart went out to her to hear her wailing cry of anguish; her entire family, save Juan, gone.
After returning to the camp, a little time went by, with him developing a growing desire to bed her – it had not been his original intent to marry her. After all, she was a skinny little thing, with eyes that did strange things to his soul. At the time, her curves were soft and minimal and with Juan keeping him away from her, unless – he married her, he didn’t take her serious, because marriage – he had staunchly resisted.
As she was, with her small rounded bottom, small breasts and an even tinier waist, he felt that she was hardly anything to get stirred up over. His preference was for bustier, more curvaceous women. However, it appeared the fifteen year old was a late bloomer. Within three years, her body matured in ways it was hard to ignore. For some reason, by the time she turned eighteen, her hips blossomed, her breasts filled out a bit more, her face matured into one so sultry, it made his mouth go dry one second, while salivating the next just looking at her.
This young girl sprouted into one of the most desirable women he had ever laid eyes on, it seemed – overnight. Then there was also the way she had with his son…it was as if she was his natural mother – it was only a matter of time, before he caved in and did what was only right to do…make her his own, by marrying her.
To make sure that it was official, Juan, Eugene and Henry went out and fetched a preacher whom they’d blindfolded so as not to give away the camp location. With the vows said, she was now his and Juan stepped aside, no longer playing chaperon. Having never been with a virgin before, Mike tried his best to be considerate on their wedding night, worrying over his size and weight compared to her. She worried as well and with good reason – because nothing prepared her for her wedding night and having her virginity taken by someone so well endowed.
Not only did she have to make adjustments for her new husband
, but in her own character make up as well. She had come to the camp, gentle – as if a delicate flower and
that
had to change.
Jessie played a large part in bringing that change about, as well the other women within the camp. Maria realized a couple of things during the three years she was forced to grow and harden up, that in that camp; it was every woman for herself. There was no room for delicate weaknesses and fear. However, unlike the others that were left to totally defend themselves, Juan, Mike and Eugene protected her. It helped as well that she stayed out of the affairs of those dwelling there and kept herself isolated and apart. What many did not know about her, including her husband, was her possessive nature and extreme love for him. The day he became her husband, there were things she expected from him, such as loyalty, faithfulness and fidelity.
He learned this about his wife the hard way, after she caught him with another woman. To his utter shock, she attacked him. Their twins had been two months old when it happened. At the age of twenty-one Mike had not been ready to settle down and commit himself to one woman – his need to marry Maria came from his desire to make her his.
He loved her - but – he felt there were things he still had yet to learn…and a few more women to try. Unfortunately, his wife taught him something early on in the marriage that made him chuckle just thinking back to it, although it had not been funny at the time. He could not believe his little wisp of a wife had turned into a hellion. Screeching, clawing and fighting like a wild cat – she attacked the woman she’d caught with him, cursing and threatening to slit her throat as she chased her with one of his knives.
He stood laughing until she turned and ran towards him with it. Thinking back, he still could not figure out how she’d been able to get up on his shoulders the way she had. Threatening to slit his throat, but unable to go through with it, she tossed the knife and began beating him up. Slapping, punching and biting him! No matter how it hurt, he could not bring himself to hit her, so he struggled trying to pull her down and at the same time block her rapid-fire attack on him.
He ran into the courtyard yelling for Juan to get her off him. Laughing as hard as he was, he hadn't the strength to remove her nor did his men have the inclination to help him. Most in the compound stood mouths agape or consumed with uncontrollable laughter at the spectacle of their brave leader, being brought to his knees by his petite wife’s waspish attack. Every time he reached up to grab for her, she had snapped at his hand with lips curled and teeth bared, only to bite his head as he snatched his hands back out of danger.