Gypsy in Black: The Romance of Gypsy Travelers (37 page)

“
Six families.
”

It was a small kumpania, on
e that would be little, if any,
trouble to
Nicolae
as the
Rom Baro
.
  Sahara knew without combining
the two kumpan
ias
, certainly the A
frikaiya would die out.  No man
would promise his daughter to
a family of a dying kumpania. 
Without daughters, there would be
no children.  No children meant
no future.  Sahara lowered
her eyes, softly caressing her
stomach. 
“
I understand.
”
  One day, her child wou
ld be
Rom Baro
to the Machiwaya-Afrikaiya kumpania. 
“
And the rest of the people
here?
”
 

Nicolae
touched her arm. 
“
They
belong to their own kumpan
ia
. 
We gather for the cold months
then travel our separate roads
during the warmer weather.
”

Sahara looked at her ailing grandfather. 
“
This is where I
was
promised to
Nicolae
?
”
  A cou
ghing fit interrupted the man's
answer.  Two elderly women hurried to their
Rom Baro
's sid
e and
helped him into his tent.  Sahar
a watched without emotion.  The
man was a stranger to her but for
his name.  Glancing up at
Nicolae
,
Sahara noticed the concern on his
face.  Something was bothering
him. 
“
Nicolae
?  What will happen to the old man now?
”

Nicolae
tore his eyes away fro
m the tent and stared down into
his wife's face.  Her sun touche
d skin glowed from the slightly
chilly evening air.  There was so
mething about her eyes, perhaps
the
coldness, which
made him uneasy
. 
“
He will die.  There will be
mourning and then a celebration.
”
  Before she could ask him any
questions, he continued. 
“
A ce
lebration because the Afrikaiya
will live on with the Machiwaya.
They will not die
out
with the old
Rom Baro
as they had thoug
ht.
”
  He turned around, walking slowly
back through the thinning cro
wd of people.  Silently, Sahara
walked beside him.  As they neared
their own kumpania's camp,
Nicolae
noticed his own weak father s
itting alone by a fire.  He was
meditating, rocking back and forth
as his mind wandered far away. 
Nicolae
sighed,
“
There will be cele
brating, yes.  And soon another
mourning ceremony.
”

“
For our
Rom Baro
?
”

Nicolae
nodded and leaned agai
nst the corner of a wagon.  His
fingers picked at a piece of spli
ntery wood. 
“
The
Rom Baro
will
wait, yes.  He will wait for your child to be born.
”

“
Our child.
”
 

“
Our child, yes.  The
n he will die and I will be
Rom Baro
of
both kumpan
ias
.
”

Sahara caught her breath as sh
e felt the unborn child shift. 
A smile crossed her lips. 
“
He jus
t moved again.
”
  She raised her
eyes to meet
Nicolae
's.  He not
iced with satisfaction that the
coldness had vanished from her ey
es.  Sahara took
Nicolae
's hand and
laid it on her stomach. 
“
Feel?
”

It wasn't the first time
Nicolae
had felt his child kick from
within Sahara's stomach.  But each time excited him as i
f a new
experience. 
“
He will be strong, yes.
”

“
Strong like you.
”
  The gent
leness of her voice stirred his
insides.  Carelessly, he leaned
over and kissed her lips.  The
gesture brought a blush to Sahar
a's cheeks.  Lowering her eyes,
she smiled to herself.  The time f
or her child to be born was not
s
oon enough.  She needed to feel
Nicolae
's love again. 

“
I love you, Sahara.
”
  His
soft whisper startled her.  He
tilted her chin and gazed into
her eyes. 
“
I am worried about
you.  I fear I will lose the woman I
love.
”
  He thought back to
his first wife.  Certainly Sahar
a was stronger than Miquela had
been.  But he still remembere
d her screams and the blood.  A
shiver ran up his spine.  It had b
een stillborn, perhaps dead for
weeks inside Miquela's body. 
Nicolae
had
never felt her child kick
or heard Miquela catch her breath
like Sahara did every time the
child moved.  Even though
Nicolae
hadn't loved Miquela, he had
mourned for the pain her life had ended in.  The only comfort he
felt was that the
child had not been his but
Emilian
's. 

Sahara smiled and laid her
hand against his cheek. 
“
I am
blessed that you found me,
Nicolae
.  But let's not speak of such
horrible things.
”
  Her own mind
reeled every night as she laid
next to
Nicolae
about childbirth and her fears continued to gr
ow as
the time came closer.  If only sh
e knew what was going to happen
when the child was born.

Nicolae
lead her back toward th
e Machiwaya camp.  Sahara clung
to his arm, ignoring the shocked s
tares of the other gypsies.  It
pleased her that
Nicolae
did not seem
to notice either.  As they
neared their own people, someone c
alled for
Nicolae
.  Sahara stood by
the cooking fires, watching as
Nicolae
hurried away.  Soon he would
be
Rom Baro
and she a mother.  R
ubbing her stomach, she smiled.
“
You, my son, will be raised as gy
psy,
”
she whispered. 
“
One day,
you'll be a great
Rom Baro
and lea
d more men than your father and
grandfather ever will.
”
  As if in
respond, the child shifted its
weight again.  Sahara smiled aga
in, turning to go into her tent
to rest until
Nicolae
came to get her for the evening festivities.




   




When he realized that she was gone, he wanted to
seek
her
, find her and bring her back to the kumpan
ia
. 
But he had no idea where she had gone.  They were in the middle of nowhere, no big cities nearby, no places to hide.  He spent a few days searching for any clues of her whereabouts. 
But the trail went cold.  It was as if she had vanished into thin air.  He worried that she had perished.  He fretted all day and all night.  The rest of the kumpan
ia
saw the change in the Rom Baro and they worried for his health.  He refused to eat and rarely slept. 

When they finally moved on, he
discover
ed
her
whereabouts
.  It was a month after her disappearance and they were camped outside of a small town.  Am
aya had been through there just
weeks before the kumpan
ia
. 
Word spread quickly and he heard about the marriage of the gypsy woman with the Irish man through
the people at the
saloon.  She had ridden for two days to find a local town.  She beguiled the barkeep and convinced him to marry her and move far away.  They would open their own saloon and live, just the three of them. 

Married, he thought to himself. 
Untouchable, he realized.  Once married, she was out of his reach. 

With sorrow in his heart, he turned his
attention back to the kumpania.
From now on, he vowed, rather than follow his heart, he would follow tradition.

The loud wails echoed in
Sahara's ears.  Each shrill cry
brought a frown to her face an
d ache to her head as she stood
obediently
next to
Nicolae
.  Her leg
s ached and her back was sore. 
Shifting her overbearing weight
, Sahara felt more restless and
uncomfortable than ever.  A loud s
igh escaped from her lips. 
Nicolae
heard it and through his sorrow,
he nudged her disapprovingly. 
The
Rom Baro
had passed away two
nights before.  His illness had
been kept quiet until the fi
nal moments.  No one had seemed
overly shocked to learn their
Rom Baro
was dying.  Instead, they
knelt around his wagon, chantin
g softly in prayer until he had
passed away.  Sahara had tried to
act sorrowful but she had never
felt anything but hatred t
oward the man that won her in a
gambling match.  Out of r
espect, the entire camp mourned
together, even those who had no
t known the
Rom Baro
.  Everyone
wore black and trilled their tong
ues, wailing and crying as loud
as they could.  The noise bothered
Sahara as she chewed on her
bottom lip.  Her mind left the funeral. 
“
Nicolae
?
”

“
Ssh.
”
 

Sahara stamped her foot
, impatient and unusually short
tempered. 
“
I refuse to stand here.  I'm tired and I want to lie
down!
”
  Several people
standing nearby glanced a
t her, frowning
at Sahara's disrespect toward
the deceased
Rom Baro
.  Several
gypsies, new to Sahara's disre
gard to gypsy custom, smiled to
themselves.  Everyone had heard stories about the gadjo-
gypsy. 
She was Amaya's daughter, they all said.  No one had
ever held a
candle to Amaya until Sahara had
appeared that winter at camp. 
Nicolae
ignored her.  Several min
utes later, he felt her tugging
at his arm.  Annoyed,
Nicolae
brushed
her off his sleeve and gave her
the attention she desired.  Her face looked pale an
d her eyes
angry.  With a shake of his hea
d, he took her arm and began to
lead her away from the mourn
ers.  No one would notice their
disappearance since his father
had already been buried and the
ceremony handing the
Rom Baro
's power down to
Nicolae
had been
performed the previous day. 
“
You are like a child, S'hara.
”

“
And you are cold hearted! 
Making me stand while all those
wailing women give me a headache
!  You should have enough sense
to allow me leave of such trivi
al affairs in my...
”
  Her voice
trailed off, leaving her sent
ence hanging in the air between
them.  Digging her nails into his a
rm, she froze where she stood. 
Something warm wetted her inner t
highs as a soaring wave of pain
tensed her body.  The pain grew
and she collapsed against
Nicolae
. 
Not now, she thought.  Clinging
to him, she began to cry, tears
streaming down her cheeks. 

“
S'hara!  You are alright,
yes?
”
  His own face paled.  His
dear Sahara was in pain.  O Del, he thought.  Please do not hurt her.  Pressing his hands gently against her
cheeks,
Nicolae
whispered,
“
The baby, yes?
”

She managed to nod once as th
e pain faded away. 
“
I think we
shall soon hold our child,
”
she w
hispered.  Catching her breath,
Sahara still clung to
Nicolae
for supp
ort.  She turned her face up to
his, silently pleading with him to help her. 
“
I must lie down.
”

Nicolae
helped her to the
ir tent and hurried back to the
mourners, searching for Duda.  He
found her standing next to the
burial mound.  Disregarding
custom,
Nicolae
grabbed her arm and
dragged her away from the others. 
Duda glanced at his face and
hurried toward the tent he shared
with Sahara, not having to ask
what had happened.  As she neared the tent, Duda could hear
Sahara crying out. 
Nicolae
bolted past the slower woman and
hurried
to Sahara's side.  Tears streamed down her face. 
“
You left me!
”

Startled,
Nicolae
tried to defend himself. 
“
I had to find
Duda!
”
 

Duda pushed the tent flap b
ack.  Her face tightened as she
saw Sahara laying on her bac
k, her chest rising and falling
quickly as she tried to breath normal. 
“
Nicolae
, get Rubbi.  Tell
her what is happening.
”

Unwillingly,
Nicolae
left Sa
hara's side again.  It took him
longer to locate Rubbi, an elder
ly women with many children and
grandchildren.  Pushing through t
he crowd,
Nicolae
finally found her
in the back, clutching a black ha
ndkerchief as she dabbed at her
eyes. 
Nicolae
quickly grabbed her arm, explaining that Duda needed
her
assistance to deliver Sahara's
baby.  No sooner had the words
passed through his lips than
Rubbi disappeared. 
Nicolae
decided
against following her.  Instead,
he found a bottle of rakiya and
took a couple swallows.  Clutching
the bottle's neck in his hand,
he started back to the tent, wi
shing he had anywhere to go but
there.  The closer he got, the louder her cries. 

By now, the mourning crowds, aware o
f Sahara's labor
, approached
Nicolae
, encouraging him
to drink more whiskey.  Without
hesitation,
Nicolae
lifted the bott
le to his lips.  His heart beat
inside his chest, frightened that
her cries would suddenly cease.
But they didn't.  Instead, they grew louder
and longer.  Minutes
turned into an hour.  An hour
turned into two.  The mourners
lingered near the tent, forgettin
g the deceased as they prepared
to welcome their new
Rom Baro
's first child. 

Nicolae
paced, throwing the empty
bottle aside.  Half drunk,
Nicolae
cried out,
“
Enough of this!  I
am going in!
”
  No one tried to
stop him as he pushed aside the t
ent flap.  His eyes, resting on
Sahara's sweaty face, avoided w
hat the women were doing.  
Nicolae
hurried to her side, picked up her
hand and kissed it. 
“
S'hara? 
I am here.
”

Gasping for air, she glared
at him.  A sharper wave hit her
and she squeezed his hand, refusin
g to cry out. 
“
You did this to
me!
”
  She panted and tried to sh
ake her hand free of his. 
“
You
are causing me this pain!
”
 

Nicolae
's face twisted, ashamed and hating himself. 
“
S'hara?
”
  Another wave cut off anymor
e words from her mouth to
Nicolae
's
relief.  She lifted her shoulders
, biting down on her bottom lip
as she
suppressed
a scream.  Su
ddenly, she started laughing as
she clung to
Nicolae
's hand.  Nervou
sly, he leaned over and brushed
some of her sweaty black hair o
ff her forehead.  He raised his
eyes to meet Duda's.  The faint
est sign of a smile touched her
lips and she nodded,
“
Any minute,
Nicolae
.  You should leave now.
”

Nicolae
stared down into Sahara's exha
usted face.  She needed
him. 
“
No, I will stay with my wife.
”
 

Sahara hadn't heard the conv
ersation between
Nicolae
and Duda. 
The waves of pain were closer
together now and rose to higher
depths.  Each one threatened
to rip her apart, she thought. 
Barely could she hear
Nicolae
telling
her over and over again that he
loved her.  The pain took her
away until it didn't effect her
anymore.  Instead, she felt n
othing but a sudden relief from
having to rid her body of the
baby.  Faintly, she could hear
something crying.  My God, she t
hought.  It's over.  The crying
grew fainter and further aw
ay as she slowly drifted out of
consciousness. 

“
O Del!  Is she dead?
”
Nicolae
looked hopelessly at Duda,
frightened as he thought bac
k to another woman.  A woman he
hadn't loved, yet lost the same
way he feared he lost Sahara. 
His eyes travelled back to th
e pale and lifeless face of his
wife.  To his relief, he noti
ced her chest barely rising and
falling.  Wiping some sweat off her forehead,
Nicolae
asked,
“
Will she live?
”

Duda laughed softly, gently
wrapping the newborn in a soft,
clean blanket. 
“
That one
will live to bare you many more
children.  She's a strong one
.
”
  She waited for
Nicolae
to stare
inquisitively at her.  His dark
eyes showed his appreciation. 
“
S'hara will live, yes.  And so w
ill your daughter.  You wish to
see, yes?
”

It took
Nicolae
a moment to reali
ze that he was about to see his
child for the first time.  Hi
s heart beat rapidly inside his
chest as he stood and approa
ched Duda.  The small, unmoving
bundle in her arms frightened
him.  A daughter?  They hadn't
thought about a daughter.  Only a
son to inherit the title of
Rom Baro
.  Now he would have to
worry about finding a suitable
husband for her.  He would have
to worry about gadjo trying to
seduce her to their bed.  He woul
d have to worry about her being
like her mother. 
“
A daught
er, yes?
”
  His voice was barely
audible as Duda carefully placed
the sleeping, wrinkled baby in
Nicolae
's arms.  He glanced at Duda
before looking down at the pink
face of his daughter.  His eyes tim
idly stared down at his child. 
Her face, so round yet a perf
ect
resemblance
of her mother's
features, shocked him.  He held th
e bundle tightly, almost afraid
the baby would disappear or someo
ne would come to take it away. 
Smiling to himself,
Nicolae
realiz
ed no one was going to take the
baby away.  This was his own fle
sh and blood.  His child. 
“
You
will be named Lea after the
Rom Baro
.  O Del sent you to replace his spot in my heart.
”
  Gently,
Nicolae
touched the tender cheek. 
The skin felt smoother than sil
k. 
“
Ah, you will be like your
mother, yes?  Just as
feisty
and wild.
”