As soon as my brothers and I make it home, I rushed toward the house to greet my dearest wife. Most days are the same as far as my excitement to see her and to get that sweet kiss, but today had an extra boost of anticipation because I wanted to share the news about the offer JW made. My brothers tended to the horses and I went inside. Millie was in the kitchen preparing supper. A medley of aromas met my nose as soon as I step inside. With all her talents, it’s almost not fair for her to be such an amazing cook as well. As I cross the living room and make my way toward the kitchen, I am careful not to alert her that I am home. I love to steal moments where I can just watch her going about her business. It pleases me to see the amount of love and care she takes to make sure everything is perfect. As I approach the doorway of the kitchen, I can see her standing over the stove, fussing over some pots.
“Mmmm, that’s perfect,” she said as she sampled something out of one of the pots.
“It sure is!” I bellowed as my eye focused in on her waist and butt before I pinched it with both hands.
“Ben! You startled me. I had no idea it was you.”
“Well, who did you think it was, your boyfriend?” I teased at her.
“No, he knows you get home around this time every day, so he left an hour ago.” She jabbed back as she turned to face me.
I wrapped both arms around her waist and picked her up as she threw her arms up over my head and around my neck and kissed me deep. Kissing her was like kissing a lightning bolt. My whole body came alive and my hair stood on end.
“Where are the boys?” she asked after our lips broke contact.
“Putting the horses away in the stable. How was your day?”
“Lovely, my sweet. I cashed out three orders today and took in three more,” she said, looking pleased with herself as she went back to fussing over the pots and pans on the stove.
“How was yours? Did you bring up to JW that your contract was nearly over?”
“I sure did.”
“Well, how did he take it when you told him you would be leaving? What did he have to say?” she insisted.
“He said he would give me one hundred acres for staying on another year. He also offered to double Joshua’s salary since Bear turned him down cold. Joshua negotiated him up to quadruple the pay. He agreed without batting an eye other than to say Joshua’s deal was contingent upon my answer.”
She had begun setting the table, but now stood there frozen for a second with her back to me and both hands on the plate she had just sat down. I assumed she was digesting what I had just revealed to her. A few more seconds went by as she gathered her thoughts and then she finally spoke again.
“So what was your answer?”
“You know full well I would never make a decision that important without first talking it over with you. I told him we would have to discuss it first, so he gave us until a week from Friday to render our decision since Joshua said he needed time to think as well.”
“Gracious Ben, it is a mighty fine offer, but I know you were planning on leaving and putting more time in the day-to-day around Asante.”
“Yes, that is true, but the only reason I wanted to do that is because I wanted to help the town grow and allow people to be more prosperous. With this offer I can help the town grow beyond my wildest dreams. The opportunities are plentiful if we triple the amount land we have.”
“Well, it sounds like you have your mind made up.”
“I must say I am leaning toward saying yes.”
“Is it what you want to do?”
“It is a good move for us, all of us, and Asante.”
“Are there any reasons you wouldn’t say yes? Do you have any concerns?”
She knows me too well. That woman can read me like a book. I swear sometimes it’s like she can see my thoughts as they circle around and around my brain.
“Lamb, the truth is I can’t shake this feeling I have that there is something he is not telling me. It’s bad enough I got Bear in my ear saying don’t do it, then I have my gut doing flips and I don’t know why.”
Whenever he calls me Lamb, I know that means he is looking for me to guide him to the right answer. Lamb stands for “light and my beacon.” He told me that he came up with it when he was traveling after he escaped. He said that when he was faced with a difficult decision, he would think of me and I would have this aura around me as I guided him like a beacon of light toward the proper path to take. According to him, I always helped him make the right decision. I don’t know how true it is, but sometimes I think it’s just him buttering me up, but no matter the origin, the fact is, when he calls me, then he is looking to me for all the help and support he can get.
“Ben, I’m sure if you take some time and think it through, you will either discover why you feel this way or you will have grown more comfortable with the idea of staying.”
“Yeah, baby, but I wish I had the answer now.”
“I’m sure you do, but these things take time. You said he gave you a little over a week, so there is no need making yourself sick tonight trying to decide.”
“Well, I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am. So why don’t you call the boys in and yall get ready for dinner and we can all discuss this together like a family is suppose to do. After all, this will impact more than just you and I. I’m sure Joshua needs some support and guidance as well.”
“Woman, what would I do without you?”
“Starve and wear dirty worn-out clothes,” she teased as she kissed me on the cheek and patted my back in reassurance.
I went to retrieve my brothers from the stable house. We all washed up and sat down to the wonderful meal Millie had prepared. The conversation about JW’s offer continued over dinner with everyone voicing their opinion about the pros and cons of either decision.
To no surprise, Bear weighed in heavily on the opposing side saying that he never really trusted JW and that accepting his offer was like being tempted by greed. This actually was a compelling point and something we all felt strongly about. We were unanimous in the thinking of greed being the root of all evil and the temptation of it could ruin all that we worked so hard to create. Making this point did a lot to make us ensure we were doing it for the right reasons. In the end, we all had to be certain it would be for the greater good of not only our family but all of the families of Asante, current and future. There was a shared belief that with growth also comes the possibility of sort of a watered-down effect on the core principles and beliefs that made Asante strong. We had to seriously consider the impact of being too big, and also if we did become bigger as a town, what would be the preventive measures to insure the principles did not degrade as they spread to the new families coming in. It was decided that it would be the responsibility of everyone to ensure our circle remained strong, neighbor looking after neighbor. Joshua came up with the idea of holding a town hall meeting and proposing the growth plans to the town. During the meeting, we would discuss and have people share what they thought were the best practices that got them to buy into the bartering system and what practices keep it working continuously.
Joshua also took this as the perfect time to share with us his plans with Chloe about going off to college. Millie and I fully supported the idea, and I especially felt the pride that I am sure my parents would have felt knowing they were going to have a college graduate. Bear wasn’t too thrilled about Josh being so far away and wasn’t too particularly thrilled about it being with a white woman. It wasn’t that he had anything against Chloe because we all knew she truly loved Josh and made him happy, but he knew that the taboo of a black man with a white woman was still a death sentence. So his concern was more for Josh’s safety than it was about opposing their union. Also something he would never admit openly is he didn’t want to part with his baby brother. They have had a bond ever since Joshua was born. Bear finally got to be the big brother, and it is a role he took very seriously. Anything that he learned growing up he wanted to be the one who taught Joshua. That has not changed to this day. When I was away, they grew even closer because they only had each other. So as big and as hard as Jeremiah can be, when it comes to his baby brother, he is the protector and a softy on the inside.
By the end of the discussion, Joshua knew he had all of our blessings, and we all knew what direction we were leaning toward. All that was left to do was to fine-tune our plan for growth and hold the meeting with the townsfolk. There were still a few business areas that we needed in Asante so one topic of discussion during the town hall would be recruiting. We needed to figure out a way to get the word out to attract the business professionals we needed, specifically a doctor and a banker. The best we could come up with that night was word of mouth, but we were hoping someone from town already knew someone or had a better idea of how to spread the word.
Later that evening, as Millie and I were preparing for bed, I watched her and thought about how talking to her always made things better. In a world of storms she was my calm, she knew how to put my mind at ease.
As we lay in bed, her back to me, I cuddled up behind her and with one arm pulled her close to me so that she could feel the length of my body against hers. She always complained about being cold and loved that my body was always so warm. I gently lay my head on hers with my mouth just above her ear. Not a night passes that I don’t tell her I love her and tonight my words were husky but low and my breath warm against her earlobe which made her purr. I have loved Amillia since we were kids and through our teenage years. When she was sold away, I thought my world had come to an end. I knew the possibilities of me seeing her again were slim. Reuniting with her gave me the confidence that we were meant to be together forever. The years since we have gotten married have done nothing but strengthened that confidence, so I know I have her full support behind me with this and any decision I make. I still choose to talk things over with her to gain confirmation of how she feels, plus I know she enjoys when I need her words to soothe me.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked me, sensing there was something.
“Just thinking.”
“I know that, about what?” She hounded with a slight bit of sarcasm because I didn’t answer her question.
“Us. Our lives together. All that we have been through. All that we have accomplished.”
“Are you pleased with it all?”
“Yes, I most certainly am, and I know my parents would be proud.”
“I’m sure they would be. You have done more than they could have ever have dreamed of. You have upheld every promise you made to them.”
“Not quite every promise. They still don’t have any grandchildren born in freedom yet.”
“Well, I’m sure you can wait another seven months to have that come true as well.” She giggled like a schoolgirl with a teenage crush.
“Millie, are you saying what I think you are saying?”
“Pappa Ben has a nice ring to it.”
“I did it!” I yelled as if I had done the deed all by myself.
“I think ‘we’ did it would be a more accurate statement, dear,” Millie said to me, mocking my excitement.
“I have to go tell my brothers!” I rambled on with enthusiasm as I attempted to get out of bed, but Millie stopped me.
“Oh no, you don’t. They can wait until in the morning. This is our news and our moment to share. I recommend that you use that excitement and enthusiasm to make passionate love to me.”
I knew not to say another word. Most of the time when she gives a recommendation it is more of an ultimatum with the “matum” part left to your imagination. I took this one to mean get it now or I will be sleep when you return and the “candy shop” will be closed. Although she has never held out on me before whether sleep or not, I wasn’t going to risk it not being a bluff. Besides, she knows that her needs always come first even above my own.
She knew that her demanding me to make love to her was a big turn on for me. There was no need for anymore words at this point. From our first kiss everything that was said was communicated through the reverberations of our bodies. I took my lovemaking to a whole new level. For the first time, I was not only making love to my wife but the mother of my child. I worshipped her body like a temple, kissing and caressing the vessel that harbored our unborn child. Our lovemaking was passionate but gentle, intense, and soothing. As our bodies relaxed, coming down from reaching ultimate pleasure, we held each other tightly, and the ripples that ran through our bodies rocked us to sleep.