Silhouettes

Chapter 13

"If slavery is not wrong,
Then nothing is wrong."
~ Abraham Lincoln

After Chantal got more comfortable with the idea of staying with a total stranger she popped the question she had wanted to ask for quite some time.

"Ah... do you have any food? I'm really starving," she asked looking at her lap.

"Gosh! How stupid of me! Of course you would be hungry! What do you want to eat?" Kabe asked after slapping his forehead multiple times.

"I doubt you would be able to cook what I want. Ah what do you have?"

"Pancake mix, popcorn, cereal, am... eggs, bacon, bread, spaghetti..."

"Spaghetti!" Chantal shouted startling Kabe, "Sorry it's just that my mother loved cooking that for me," realising that she was going to burst into tears she stopped herself.

"Well I guess it's spaghetti then," Kabe said gently. He then headed off to the kitchen leaving Chantal to collect herself.

Having decided not to brother her until breakfast was ready he went into the living room to find her sleeping with her head resting on the hand rest of the couch.

He contemplated whether he should wake her or let her sleep. He decided on waking her. As he approached her, her eyes flew open.

"Is breakfast ready?" she asked tiredly.

"Yeah. I was just coming to wake you."

"I know," she said. She got up and then had a long stretch.

When she said this Kabe raised an eyebrow. He knew he wasn't a heavy walker and he also didn't make any sound while he was approaching her.

After they were seated to eat he asked her.

"What do you mean when you said you knew I was coming to wake you?"

A sad look seeped into her eyes.

"It's okay if you don't want to answer it," Kabe rushed out when he saw a change in her expression.

"No it's okay. Am... Well back at the house," she sighed. The memories were just too terrible for her.

"You know that, that... that place was like a brothel in someway. If you're somewhat lucky like me you... you get a room for yourself but it's also not a good thing." She took in a shuddering breathe.

"When Sam wants to... you know," she looked down at her plate, "sell your body to some man, he'd just send one of his men up to your room to get you out to do what he likes to call "getting acquainted with your client". If you were asleep when they bust in they, they... just whip you whether it's on you back or your belly - they don't care. They whipped me just once when I first came there."

She had stopped but she hadn't answered his question.

"What do they whip you with?" Kabe decided on asking.

"The same thing they whipped Jesus with," she then pushed back her chair and stood up. She pulled up her blouse exposing her belly.

Kabe drew in a sharp breathe. The marks on her stomach were deep although it was done two years ago. It obviously got no proper medical attention as there was a big scab that seemed to still bleed at times.