Ebony

Ebony awoke the next morning after a night of little sleep. She was slightly groggy for a while, but then the faint whiff of smoke alerted her senses. She sat up and saw Carter tending the fire and getting breakfast ready. Ebony rubbed her eyes and yawned. Carter turned and smiled at her.

“Good morning,” he said to her.

“Good morning,” she said as she smiled back.

“There’s a stream nearby if you would like to wash up,” he told her. “I won’t look. I promise.”

He indicated the direction of the stream then went back to making breakfast. Ebony eagerly went to the stream and daringly stripped down and entered the water. It chilled her to the bone but after a while she adjusted. It felt nice to be able to bathe; she couldn’t remember the last time she had this opportunity, probably a week before her mother’s death, so about a week and a half ago.

Ebony took the time to scrub as much dirt and grime off herself as possible, especially after sleeping in the woods two nights in a row. At one point she felt as though she had eyes on her and she instantly became cautious. She looked around for the culprit, particularly Carter, but found no one. As she looked, Ebony was reminded of the night before and the deep kiss she had received from her travelling companion. She still couldn’t explain Carter’s actions, and at the same time she couldn’t explain her response. She wanted to enjoy it and know she enjoyed it but at the same time Ebony couldn’t let herself enjoy it. She didn’t want to be like her mother and end up abandoned and with a child.

After bathing, Ebony returned to the campsite and found Carter more or less in the same position she had left him in. He smiled at her and offered her some food before eating himself. Ebony decided that it was best not to confront him about watching her when he had promised he wouldn’t. She didn’t want to break his trust or friendship; he was trying to help her.

After the meal, they were on their way once more, walking in a surprisingly easy silence. Ebony was lost in her thoughts as she analyzed the forest. Unlike the dark, gloomy path she had walked with her mother a few days ago, this path was much brighter and livelier. The birds chirped happily and the remaining flowers were colorful. The forest even smelt nice. Ebony breathed in deeply and sighed; the forest filled her with happiness.

Ebony glanced over at Carter who seemed to be concerned with his thoughts as well. I wonder what he’s thinking about, Ebony wondered silently. Is he thinking about last night? Picturing my body? Or nothing of the sort? Ebony did not want to disrupt his thoughts by asking, so she remained silent as well.

At midday they reached the town. It is a much larger town than the one they had left behind, but it was nowhere near as big as some of the cities Ebony had seen. After eating, the two confidently entered the town walls. Once inside, Carter turned to face Ebony.

“I have business here that I need to attend to,” he said seriously.

Ebony did not know what kind of business a fugitive had within town like this, but she did not question him.

“I’m afraid we must part, Ebony. I regret it, but I do not think I can help you past here. And I have my own set of problems to take care of.” He paused. “Please take care, Ebony. I wish you luck.”

He hesitated before leaning down and kissing Ebony gently on her lips. Ebony closed her eyes and remained still, not knowing how to react. When she opened her eyes Carter was gone. She looked all around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ebony felt slightly heartbroken that he was gone, but she shook the feeling and tried to focus on herself. Now that she was in the next town she needed to figure out what to do next.

Ebony glanced around at the bustling people. No one paid her any mind, and for that she was grateful. But she had a big problem on her hands—she didn’t know where to do or what to do next.

Mother would know what to do…

Ebony felt like collapsing and crying. She was hopelessly lost.

What would mother do?

Ebony knew that her mother wouldn’t collapse in the middle of the street crying. She would look for a job or do something like that in order to survive. So that was what Ebony was going to do.

She decided to find the town’s market place first. Maybe someone there would be willing to hire her, even for a brief amount of time.

Ebony wandered about the market place in awe. There were so many vendors there, some even from Italy and France. Many things being sold were absolutely beautiful, like some of the wool. However, the market did have its downsides, for example the tavern, where a drunken middle aged man stumbled out of and grasped Ebony’s ass. She slapped him and continued on her way. But it wasn’t long before she was stopped by an older woman. Despite her age, the woman had evidence in her face, hands, and body that she was once beautiful and coveted by men.

“You have a beautiful body, dearie,” the old woman cooed. “And I saw you slap that man. You have spunk, too. The perfect combination to be one of my ladies.”

Although Ebony did not know what the woman was talking about, she was flattered and felt obliged to thank her.

“Oh it’s nothing, dear. Come to by home and I shall set you up with a room to start working immediately.”

However, when they arrived at the old woman’s home, Ebony understood everything. She was being hired to be a whore and this place was a brothel. She quickly declined the woman’s offer and hurried out the door only to collide with Carter, who seemed to be wanting to make his way into the brothel.

“Ebony,” he cried, blushing scarlet. “I did not expect to find you here.”

“Nor I,” Ebony said. “Is this the business you needed so badly?”

Ebony could not keep the bitter tone out of her voice. She watched as Carter flushed a deeper red.

“Actually, no, I…” he stammered. It took a minute but he finally composed himself. “I actually finished that important business, and it actually involves you, Ebony.”

Ebony was taken aback for a moment before letting him continue.

“You see, my friend lives here, and I needed to visit him for help, and I brought your name up. I said that you needed help too and that you had nowhere else to go. He offered to take you in and help you, but only if you want.”

“Oh… Thank you, Carter… So much… I don’t know what to say,” Ebony stammered.

Carter smiled as she got all flustered. “He lives a few streets over, on the rich side of town. His house is a couple over from the stables.”

“Thank you…”

They stood awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to do next. Carter looked as though he wanted to say something, but his lips remained shut. Ebony decided to make the first move. Glancing at her feet, she walked away without saying a word to him.