Beyond the Cotton Fields

Chapter 4

Lucy sat on the ground near the river, braiding her freshly-washed hair into straight cornrows in the sewn pelt that one of the women made for her. It took almost an hour to wash and comb all of the dirt, knots, and dried blood out of her hair, and it took another 2 hours to braid all of her hair. As she wove the last braid, a twig snapped behind her. Startled, she turned around only to the torso of a man. She looked up and met Koi's eyes. She calmed down and turned back around, finishing her last braid.

"What are you doing to your hair, young slave girl?" Koi asked as he took a seat on the ground next to her.

"Lucy," She started, firmly, "and I'm braidin' my hair."

Koi looked at her hair, intrigued. Never had he seen such a way to style one's hair. He took one of the braids into the hand and ran his fingertips over it, feeling the strands of hair woven together.

"Please don't play with my hair." She demanded, rather than ask, and pulled her out of his hands.

"Your hair is different."

"I know it is, an' I hate it. The mastah said it's nappy an' that no man would ever want a wife with nappy hair." Lucy looked down at the river as she gave her solemnly-stated response.

"I think it is beautiful." Lucy looked over at Koi and turned away upon meeting his unwavering stare, a blush coming across her cheeks.

Once Lucy finished her hair, the two continued to sit along the river bank and watch the water flow. A butterfly flew around their heads and landed on the tip of Lucy's noise. She smiled, putting her finger up to her nose and allowing the butterfly to crawl onto it. The colors of the butterfly's wings lit up Lucy's face with happiness, which radiated off of her and onto Koi.

"You like butterflies?" He asked.

"I love 'em. They're so beautiful. I loved watchin' 'em fly 'round me while I was in tha fields." The smile on her face never fell. Soon, she blew lightly on the small creature and watched it fly away, still smiling.

The sun was setting, painting the sky an elaborate scheme of purples, pinks, and oranges.

"How long have you graced the land, young Lucy?" 

After realizing what he was asking, she answered. "I'm 17. What about you?"

"I have been living for 21 years. Do you think your family misses you?"

"I ain't got a family." She grabbed her braids and swung them behind her.

"Everyone has a family."

"Not me."

"What happened?"

"Neva knew my daddy, my mama died when I was 8, an' I was taken away from my olda brothas. See? I ain't got a family."

"Well, you have a family here. With us." He smiled at her, which she gladly returned.

"What 'bout your family? I mean, your birth family?"

"My mother is Shimasani," Lucy was about to ask who that was when she remembered the elderly woman healer from last night, "my sister married a man from another tribe and is now a part of his tribe, and my father is the chief of the tribe."

"Okay." She fixated her gaze onto the river. She perked up upon hearing a noise coming up the river. Koi saw the change in her body language and turned his head towards the noise. A steamboat was making its way towards them, releasing large stacks of smoke into the sky.

"Come, Lucy." Koi grabbed her hand and pulled her through the trees, staying out of sight from the white people aboard the steamboat.