Gypsy in Black: The Romance of Gypsy Travelers (22 page)

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As the season changed, the days grew shorter and the night grew longer.  More time was spent by the fires as the air chilled and the stars sparkled in the sky.  The man insisted that Amaya sit near him for meals.  His deceased wife’s family took care of the children, including the young baby. 
Amaya recognized her change of status and, for the moment, relished it.  She had spent too long shunned by her father’s people and too long on the fringe of these new people.  If having the seat of honor meant that she had regained some respect, she was willing to sit next to the man. 

“Rom Baro,” someone said from behind. 

He looked over his shoulder at the group of young men and smiled. “What is it that you want tonight?”

“Dance!  Dance with Amaya!”  The rest of the group began to cheer. 

He laughed and started to shake his head.  But Amaya felt alive and stood.  When he saw her before him and heard the group cheering even louder, he rose to his feet. The music changed to a fiery song, full of life and energy.  He watched as she began to dance, her arms over her head, beckoning to him to join her.  And so he did.  He danced with her, his eyes locked onto hers.  He danced as he had not danced in years.  The
kumpania
cheered and encouraged them, the energy around the fire full of daring enticement and unspoken desire.  The night melted around them, the people seemed to disappear.  It was just the Rom Baro and Amaya, dancing for each other.  The Rom Baro danced, reaching for Amaya at one point and, as the music crashed to a halt, he pulled her close.  He stared down into her face and, in that moment of silence, he saw the future and he saw Amaya.  They were one.  And for the first time in years, he, too, felt alive.

“
She is promised to someone else, S'hara! 
I will hear no
more of this!
”

Nicolae
started to turn away
from her but Sahara grabbed his
arm.  He spun around on his h
eel, shoving her away from him.
Quickly, Sahara steadied h
erself and sprung back at him. 
“
Please,
Nicolae
!  You must listen to me!
”
 
Nicolae
stopp
ed fighting and
stood before her, his hands on
his hips.  Something twisted in
his face, making Sahara cringe a
s she recognize the
anger that
raged inside him.  Frightened, sh
e stepped back, leaning against
their tent's post. 

Nicolae
took a deep breath, hi
s face red. 
“
I must do what is
right!  What is tradition, S'h
ara!
”
  He pointed his finger at
her. 
“
And you must learn your place!
”
He turned to walk away from her, the conversation over.

“
Nicolae
, please!
”
she cried o
ut
, reaching for his arm
. 
H
er anger was suddenly
replaced with tears.  In the past month, he had seen her change.
 
Each day, she had tried to adapt
to the gypsy life.  She helped
the women cook the meals.  H
er nimble fingers sewed him new
shirts and her new dresses, all
black against his wishes.  The
other gypsies opened up
to her, trusting her with their
friendship.  The younger children idolized her rebellious ways.  The single men desired her while the unmarried girls envied her.
“
S'hara.
”
  He knelt before h
er, gathering her limp, weeping
body into his arms. 
“
I am sorry, my bori.
”

Sahara wrapped her arms around
his neck, crying softly on
his shoulder.  She hated herself f
or forgiving him so easily once
again. 
Nicolae
tried to soothe h
er pain as he stroked her hair,
rocking her back and forth as
he held her.  Her tears wet his
neck.  Several minutes later, Sahara st
opped crying.  Her
tear stricken
face peered
desperately
into his. 
“
I've tried so
hard to please you,
”
she whispered.

He kissed her forehead befo
re he wiped away her tears. 
“
I
say things when I am angry, S
'hara.  By now, you should know
that.
”

Sahara sniffled.  She rested
her head against his shoulder. 
No, she thought, by now I should
know the breaking point of your
temper.  She breathed wearily,
feeling comforted by his strong
arms holding her. 
“
You hurt me so.
”

He laughed softly, still rocking her. 
“
That is because I love you,
S'hara.
”

Sahara was well awa
re that
Nicolae
loved her.  She was
constantly reminded of it thro
ugh his words and actions.  She
felt his love every day, e
very night.  His possessiveness
infuriated her.  His passion aroused her.  Bet
ween the two, she
wasn't sure if she hated him or
loved him. 
“
Then is it so hard
for you to see that Fi
nny and Locke belong together? 
They love each other so.
”

Nicolae
sighed. 
“
You
want me to go against our ways?  J
ust because Locke loves Finny? 
And what of the girl Locke is to m
arry?  When we meet up with her
vista, what am I to tell her? 
Her intended wed another?
”
  Her
silence answered him. 
Nicolae
shut
his eyes, shaking his head from
side to side as he held his dis
traught wife in his arms. 
“
You
have my heart in your claws, S
'hara.  I will speak to the
Rom Baro
.
”

At first, Sahara did not
respond.  Every day, Sahara had
noticed more and more how Finny
gazed at Locke whenever he was
near.  How Locke showed off whene
ver Finny was around.  Sahara managed to discover that,
indeed, Locke had no desire to wed his
intended.  His affections belonged
to someone else.  When Sahara
confronted Finny, the girl broke d
own.  She hated Greggor and his
violent nature.  Sahara soothed th
e hysterical girl, promising to
speak to
Nicolae
about rearranging the marriages.  Finny had
protested at first, knowing arrange
d marriages were never broken. 
But Sahara was determined.

Nicolae
held her face between
his two hands.  Her tanned skin
warmed his touch. 
“
You are a lu
cky romni, S'hara.  If you only
knew how much.
”
 

Sahara threw herself
into his arms, clinging to him
with all her strength. 
“
Nicolae
, I do know how lucky I am!
”

The sunset glowed orange as
Nicolae
held the tent flap back for Sahara.  She ducked under his ar
m, waiting for him on the other
side.  She smoothed her black skir
t down, brushing the dust off. 
Nicolae
motioned for her to follow.
 
Obediently
, she walked a pace
behind him as
Nicolae
headed for the
fires.  Already the town people
mingled in the gypsy crowds.  The
town men shared rakiya they had
bought from the gypsies as their
wives bargained with the gypsy
women over silk cloths.  Sahara s
miled encouragingly to Finny as
they passed the anxious young gi
rl.  Finny stood behind a black
cauldron, stirring dinner for the gypsies. 

“
Finny!
”
  The masculine
voice that bellowed behind the
wagon sent a chill down Sahara's
spine.  She stopped walking and
watched as Greggor headed tow
ard his future wife. 
“
Have you finished?  I'm hungry as a
bear.
”

“
S'hara, are you coming?
”
 
Nicolae
touched her arm.  But she
didn't move.  He followed her ga
ze in time to see Greggor shove
Finny away from the cauldron.
The girl fell in the dirt, her
skirt flipping over her knees.
  Quickly, she pulled it down. 
Greggor leaned over, tasting the
papin.  His face scrunched into
a ball as he spat it out. 
“
This is overcooked!
”
  He turned
around, reaching over to grab Fi
nny by the front of her dress. 
He pulled her to her feet, draggi
ng her to the cauldron. 
“
Taste
that!  Tell me if you think it is fit for pigs!
”

Nicolae
turned away from the
scene, his hold on Sahara's arm
firm.  Quietly, he walked, lookin
g for his father over the heads
of the people.  When they had walked out of Greggor's earshot,
Nicolae
nodded his head slowly. 
“
Pe
rhaps Greggor is not a suitable
husband for Finny or any woman.
”

Most of the town people hud
dled around the fires, watching
the dancing with a bottle of ra
kiya in their hand as the gypsy
children snuck around them,
occasionally
picking an unsuspecting
pocket.  Sahara had learned to cl
ose her eyes to the mischievous
children long ago.  The gypsies us
ually stole for survival rather
than play.  Although she did no
t agree with cheating the gadjo
through unfair trades or fals
e fortunes, she knew it was the
gadjo
s choice to partake in su
ch activities.  Sahara felt
Nicolae
lightly touch her shoulder, b
reaking her thoughts.  When she
looked up at him, he said,
“
T
he
Rom Baro
is over there.
”
  He
nodded his head in the direction they were walking. 

Sahara tried to make out th
e
Rom Baro
from the several men
standing near a horse.  The
chestnut mare danced brightly,
lifting her head high as she neigh
ed, trying to rear up and break
free.  The gypsy man holding the m
are's bridle elbowed her in the
neck. 
“
Nicolae
?  Is your father s
elling that horse?
”
  Sahara had
never witnessed a horse trade.
Usually the gypsies took their
older horses into a nearby town an
d returned with young, spirited
horses.  Never had she thought
to question the methods used in
the trade.

“
See the stallion tied to t
he tree?  The
Rom Baro
wants to
trade the mare for the stallion.
”

A glimmer of the firelight shone on the mare's head, momentarily exposing the thin
streak of white down her nose. 
Gasping, Sahara grabbed
Nicolae
's arm. 
“
Nicolae
!  That horse is an
old
nag!
”

Nicolae
silenced her by squeezin
g her arm.  They approached the
group, listening as the
Rom Baro
f
inished bargaining.  Sahara and
Nicolae
stood on the outside of the c
ircle, watching as the
Rom Baro
nodded for the gypsy holding the mare to relinquish t
he reigns to
the gadjo, a local farmer. 
“
Y
ou will not be disappointed.  A
mare can bring you colts, somet
hing we have no time for on the
road.  As for your stallion, he
seems healthy enough.
”
  The
Rom Baro
casually motioned for
Nicolae
to join the men. 
“
He w
ill check
the stallion before I give you the money.
”

The stallion, a perfectly h
ealthy brown horse with a white
foreleg, stood patiently as
Nicolae
ran his hands over the horse's
back and sides.  Sahara frowne
d, watching him curiously. 
Nicolae
pried
the horse's mouth open, i
nspecting his teeth.  Next,
Nicolae
ran his hands down the horse's legs before
chec
king his hooves.  Finished with
his inspection,
Nicolae
returned to t
he group, speaking some strange
words.  Sahara lifted her head
, listening carefully.  But she
could understand nothing.  The
Rom Baro
nodded his head once,
obviously understanding what Sah
ara had not.  He turned back to
the farmer. 
“
I am sorry, my
friend.  I will not accept your
stallion.
”
  The
Rom Baro
chirped
through his teeth and the other
gypsy grabbed the mare's rei
ns, snatching her away from the
gadjo's grasp.  The
Rom Baro
started to walk away but the farmer laid his hand on the gypsy's shoul
der.  Impatiently, the
Rom Baro
turned around. 
“
What is it now?
”