Gypsy in Black: The Romance of Gypsy Travelers (5 page)

“
You are a gadjo and we are n
ot.  But you belong to us now. 
You must become one of us.
”
  He hesitated. 
“
Family, yes?
”

Sahara stared down at the n
ecklace.
“
I must become one of you?
”

“
If you wear the necklace, S’hara, you will become one of us, yes.  You will wear the necklace then, S’hara?
”
  He hesitated, 
“
You like the necklace, yes?
”

Sahara
wasn’t certain how to react.  He was giving her his mother’s
necklace
, telling her that, by wearing it, she would become one of the gypsies. 
Given the situation, she had no
where else to go.  With no money and no family, she was now just as nomadic as this man standing before her.  She knew what prospects laid ahead of her if she tried to leave and make her own way in the world.  Therefore, she knew she had no choice but to lower her eyes and
whisper
,
“
I like the necklace fine,
Nicolae
.
”

His excitement faded as he
heard her announcement. 
In its place was a
somber look
.  For a moment, he appeared to be deep in thought, reflecting on her words.  Sahara watched him, curious about the change to such seriousness.  But she didn’t say anything.  Instead, she waited for him.  Finally, he looked at her and nodded. 
“
The
n
it is settled.  T
he
re
will be a sla
va tonight!
 
You will wear it and we will dance, yes?
”

“
Slava?
”

His eyes glowed
as he stared down at her. 
He reached out and gently tugged at her hair. 
“
A feast, my bori.  A feast to celebrate, yes?
  Tonight, you will celebrate with your new family and hid no more in the tent.
”

She wondered if it was really that easy.  It was as though she was shutting a door on everything that she knew about her past.  She felt like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.  If she became part of this family, she would be protected.  She would have food and shelter and protection.  The thought of not worrying about her future anymore had a calming effect on her.  Yes, she thought.  It is as easy at that.  She would
do what Nicolae suggested and emerge from the cocoon.  She would spread her wings and join this family.  “Yes,” she replied, a strong sense of determination in her voice.  If she was shutting the one door, she thought, there was certainly another one opening.

He helped her through the narrow wagon door and down the two steps.  Outside, the air was cooling down and life was beginning to emerge.  Nicolae held her gaze for another long moment, long enough for Sahara to feel herself catch her breath.  She had never had any man pay attention to her before, not like this.  She broke the stare, diverting her eyes to look down at the ground.  She thought she heard him chuckle under his breath.  Without another word, he walked away.

She thought about following him, considered wandering into the cooking area where the women were beginning to gather.  Instead, she sat on the wagon stairs, her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched.  There was an organization to the chaos, a gentle orchestration of job responsibility.  Everyone seemed to know what they had to do.  They all moved as one, each independent from the other but connected and in harmony.  They were, indeed, a family. 

She saw the figure of a man approach the main area.  He
held up his ha
nd.  Every one stopped. 
The gypsies began to gather around the man. 
Sahara
squinted as she tried to see who
it was.  Her heart fluttered as
she recognized the old gypsy
: Rom Baro
. 
The camp grew silent as the
Rom Baro
slowly walked toward an old
woman.  He stopped in front of
her.  Obediently, she lowered her
eyes and waited for what seemed
an eternity to Sahara.
  In silence, t
h
e
Rom Baro
glanced at the eager
faces staring anxiously back. 
Another man stepped closer to the Rom Baro.  It was Nicolae.  Sahara stood up and, cautiously, walked toward them so that she could see better. 

Sahara
noticed
the Rom Baro say something to
Nicolae
who merely responded with a simple
nod
.
  If he spoke, she could not tell. However, w
hatever was said brought great joy to the Rom Baro. 
His face lit up and he smiled, raising
his
hand again as he announced, 
“
At last! 
It is done! 
W
e feast tonight!
A slava to celebrate the bori!
”
  A cheer rose
out of the crowd before they
dispersed, laughing and talking
eagerly as they began to prepare for the slava that evening.

Forgetting about the lovel
y n
ecklace she
wore and
the feeling of apprehension in her chest
, Sahara quickly descended
the steps and hurried toward the
Rom Baro
.  Several men stopped
talking as they watched her pa
ss them.  Their laughter slowly
subsided as they saw where sh
e was headed.  The
Rom Baro
was
talking with
Nicolae
and another m
an as they stood by one of the
brightly
colored wagon.  In the sunlight,
the
Rom Baro
looked older than
he had the previous night.  His
dark, gypsy eyes were tired and
sunken in his wrinkled face.  His
black
hair, dotted with grey strands, was thin and dull. 
It hung down his back, pulled back in a similar way as Nicolae’s but not as full. 
Sahara
saw him reach up with a
tremulous hand to squeeze
Nicolae
'
s shoulder as they talked.  The
pride the
Rom Baro
felt for his son was more than obvious. 

“
Excuse me...
”
 

The
Rom Baro
turned
around slowly, his eyes meeting
Sahara's. 
His expression was hard and he narrowed his eyes as though angry. 
“
What is this?
”
  His voice
was sharp and harsh as he
looked at
Nicolae
, disapproval written
on his face. 
He said something to Nicolae that Sahara could not understand and she could hear the crowd mumbling behind her.  When he turned back to
Sahara, his eyes
fell on the necklace around her ne
ck. 
Suddenly, t
he frown disappeared from
his face as he repeated with a gl
eam in his eyes, 
“
Indeed, what
is this?
”
  His voice was softer
as he reached out to thumb the
gold necklace.  His eyes clouded
.
She wondered if he was thinking of Nicolae’s mother, of the moment when she received the necklace, most likely as a gift from the Rom Baro. 
“
Ah, the kapara.
”
  The
Rom Baro
blinked twice before he
smiled at the woman in front of him. 
“
You are
wearing the kapara.
”

Sahara lif
ted her chin
, hoping that the Rom Baro did not think she had stolen it
. 
“
If you mean the
necklace, Nicolae gave it to me.
”

The
Rom Baro
's face lit up
as he dropped his hand from the
necklace.  His eyes crinkled into half moons as he laughed to
himself.  Rubbing his hands together, the
Rom Baro
gla
nced at
Nicolae
. 
“
You gave it to her, yes?  And she wears it now, I see.
”
 
Nicolae
joi
ned his father's laughter.  The
Rom Baro
looked back at her, no
ticing the crowd of people that
had gathered close enough to hea
r the exchange. 
“
So, shey
-
bari,
the necklace is yours?  It is but a small price for such
a
beautiful woman.
”
  His words we
re stiff and heavily accented.

She narrowed her eyes,
her heart pounding inside her chest
. 
“
But larger
than my father's
lost wager
!
”

The
Rom Baro
nodded his h
ead at her, a mischievous smile
playing on his dried lips. 
“
You are gadjo, shey
-
bar
i.  There is
no question about that.
”
  His stea
dy gaze unnerved her. 
It was as if he knew her, the way he stared at her. 
“
Your father gambled away so much, yes?  But do we gamble with what is most dear to us?  Perhaps you were not his to gamble…just as another was not his to keep, too.
”

“
What do you mean?
”
  Sahara
demanded.

Nicolae
straightened his shoulde
rs
and lowered his voice
. 
“
It is mahrime for a woman
to question a man.
”

“
Mahrime?
”
 

“
Forbidden, S'hara.
”

Sahara sighed, frustrated
by the word games they played. 
“
Then yes, I'm gadjo.
But what exactly did you expect?
”
  She tur
ned toward the amused
Rom Baro
.
Angered by the smile on his face, Sa
hara spun around as she stormed
past the curious faces watchin
g her.  Children clung to their
mothers' skirts.  The older men
gaped at her audacity.  Younger
women watched her with wide, amaz
ed eyes.  Never had they seen a
woman speak in such a tone to
the
Rom Baro
or an
y other man.  It was unheard of
and certainly deserving of punishment. 

Sitting in the shadow of a wagon, Sahara lowered he
r head
into her hands.  The tears flowed
freely now that she was alone. 
She felt lost and empty.  Her father had gambled with gypsies and
sold her to wander
forever. 
Nicolae
h
ad been right.  She could never
go home.
  Sahara angrily wiped t
he tears away. 
There's no use crying, she thou
ght.  What's done is done.  Her
finger caressed the thick chai
n around her neck.  The
gem
felt cold under her touch.  She
lifted the necklace.  Her eyes
grew as she saw the
gem
again. 
“
What would you
have gambled
away for this, Papa?
”
  Suddenly,
she began to laugh.  For a gold
chain worth a penny compared to
what she wore around her neck,
her father had given her away.  No
w, a prisoner to these gypsies,
Sahara wore a piece of jewelry worth ten times wh
at her broken
father had gambled
for
her. 

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