Eyes stared up emptily at the ceiling, the room in a shade of black. It was so long ago and yet he felt as if he could still feel her skin beneath his fingers, smell the fragrance that lied there at her gate of heaven, his tongue eager to taste it once more. It was his price. Every creature of the sea… every soul damned to the dark murky waves had his own consequence. Closing his eyes, he turned onto his side and looked out of the window. He missed the conversations they had…the laughter they shared. He missed everything about her. Restless, he shoved the covers off of him and sat up, lifting a hand to scratch his head. Shaking his messy strands, he sighed and got up. On a night like this one he had to find something to keep him busy. Heading into the living room, he clicked on a light and sat down at his desk. Opening up his laptop, he began to work on his next lecture. 

*** 

    Fei-hua laid awake after about a good three hours of tossing and turning. Her brain was on overload from the past month. She’d gotten her wish to know more about Professor Yi…but in doing so… felt a deep sadness. She had never expected him to tell her that he was a mystical fabled merman. She hadn’t expected him to tell her that he was over 1320 years old. She’d never expected for him to have had so much misery and torment inside of him. Sighing, she turned onto her side and welcomed the snuggle of her cat Rui Shi. 

    It was a wonder that she was still able to turn in her assignments and conduct experiments and he be able to grade them. Her thoughts were consumed by his tale. She couldn’t stop thinking about the latest conversation they’d had at their usual spot. Her heart shattered into a million pieces the more she listened to him and at the end of the meet she wanted even more to take all of his pain away from him. He deserved to be happy again. He deserved to love again. 

*** 

    Standing in front of the courthouse, she felt her palms sweat. A gentle hand came up to take hold of hers. Miss Mable. 

    “The time has finally come. Are you excited?” She was at a loss for words, every fear running through her mind. 

    “Today you will be free. Today starts the first day of your life.” She felt tears well up in her eyes but by the grace of God held them back. Swallowing them back down her throat, she gripped Mable’s hand and the two began to ascend up the stairs. 

*** 

    Sweat dripped down his nose as he lifted the plow. His hair messily caressed his neck and framed the sides of his face. This was the last row. And then he’d be done. He had already set up his table in the town square and he was set to go there after planting these seeds. The dry desert dirt was difficult to plant in but with some persistence and attention, he was sure he could get the plants to grow. The Master of the farm he was tilling was due to return in the coming months and he wanted to make sure everything was appropriate. Striking the earth once more, he scattered the seeds in the trenches. As he covered them up, he heard a clearing of the throat.

     Lifting up, he wiped his brow, his straw hat providing circles of sunlight and shade to dance on his face. Bòhé. She stood there by the plot entrance, hands crossed. She appeared different. She wore a becoming dress, a lovely green gingham pattern, a delicate ruffle decorating each side from the collar to waist. Elegant bell sleeves fans out from her elbows. On her head, she wore a simple straw hat. 

    “You are beautiful bòhé.” He said with a grin as he approached, pleased in the blush that lit up her cheeks. 

    “Thank you…”

    “Is there a special event?” He asked, coming to slip hands around her waist. 

    “Yes. I believe there is.”

    “Oh?” The smile that graced her lips was the biggest one he’d ever seen on her face and she jumped up into his arms. 

    “I’m free Jie!” He blinked in shock as she jumped up and down against him, her laughter full of elation and joy. 

    “Free? You are free?” He asked confused. Stopping her jumping, she ran fingers across his cheongsam. 

    “Grace no longer owns me. My former Master doesn’t own me. I’m a freed woman now.”  Finally he understood and his shit eating grin matched hers. He grabbed her and twirled her around once or twice good. 

    “Bòhé! My God this is an amazing day!” Giggling, she nodded, letting his hands come up to caress her face. She couldn’t try to stop the tears from coming even if she wanted to and she hugged him, letting the tears of joy soak into his very heart. 

    “I never thought.. I never thought I would live to see this day.” She wept against him. He held her close, lifting a hand against her hat. 

    “All that you endured…the reward was worth it?” Pulling away from him, she nodded again with a huge smile. Lifting her hands to his face, she leaned up on her tip toes to kiss him. 

    “That’s not all.” She spoke against his mouth. Nuzzling his nose, she sighed happily. 

    “Miss Mable helped me purchase Grace’s inn.” 

    “That’s good?”

    “He hasn’t been managing it properly the past few months. Been spending all his money gambling and drinkin. I haven’t seen him in about a good couple weeks anyhow.”

    “Hm.”

    “He sends some representative to the inn to survey it all but that’s it. That’s how I been able to see you so much lately.”

    “I see.” Leaning back, she lifted her small hands to wipe her tears. 

    “I’m a free woman. And I now got my own inn.”

    “This Maybell woman…is she a friend of yours?” Laughing softly at his pronunciation, she nodded. 

    “Miss Mable used to be a slave herself. But she came here to this land and worked in Grace’s inn. She earned enough to buy her freedom and start her own business too.”

    “Wah…” 

    “Yeah. She’s like a big sistah to me. She’s looked out for me all this time.” 

    “I’m glad you have her.” Biting her lip, she reached for her hand. He blushed, the heat from the sun growing hotter. 

    “I…I um…I want you to come see where I been workin. Where I been stayin.” Swallowing thickly, he allowed her to pull him away from the farm. When he took in the sight of the house, he gripped her hand tighter. It was a two story house there just a ways from the town square. It was in a strange style but oddly pretty. 

    “Come on.” She urged, pulling him towards the door. Upon entering, he was met with a handful of women, all dressed in revealing dresses. She let go of his hand and at his surprised expression, clutched the dress behind her. He still stared at the women, their eyes on him the same. 

    “Minty who this?”

    “He a cute Chinaman. Where’d you find him at?”

    “I ain’t seen one so attractive before.” Turning eyes back to her, he opened his mouth to speak but found that he couldn’t. 

    “He’s a really good friend of hers. Y’all know she been dodging Grace for a while just to go see him.” She took his hand. 

    “It’s a nice change of pace seeing one of his kind in here. Hell, we welcome every kind of cock as long as it brings money with it.” 

    “Come on.” She gently urged leading him upstairs. 

    “Have fun now!”

    “Make sure you get all his bills!” Biting her lip, she led him up further and down the hall, passing a couple women here and there. The sounds of sex drifted up from underneath some of the doors and still she brought him closer to one particular door. With a shaky hand, she opened it and stepped aside to let him in. Slowly, he entered in and found the door behind him closed. 

    “I was scared you know.” She spoke behind him. Turning, he clenched his jaw as she took off her hat. 

    “I didn’t want you to know…I ain’t want you to judge me…think me less of a woman for what I do.” 

    “I’d never think that bòhé.” She continued talking, going to sit at her small vanity. 

    “For a while I felt ashamed. Maybe if I was a laundress I’d feel better about showin you. Maybe a farm hand same as you. But,” Unlacing her boots, she slipped a foot out of one. 

    “Knowing how much you feared tellin me…showin me who you are…I couldn’t continue bein scared. It would not be fair to you.” Kicking the other boot off, she sighed. 

    “You can sit on the bed if you want. I promise it’s clean.” He licked his lips and lowered himself down, eyes watching her intensely. 

    “As much as I wish it were different… this is the life I been dealt. The the only option I been given.” She reached up to unbutton her dress. 

    “Sex is all I know. It’s the only skill I been good at. Havin it forced on me at 12 it should be.” Her fingers continued to unbutton and slowly she stood up. Lifting hands to her arms, she shrugged out of the dress and let it fall to the ground. 

    “I’ve carried child twice in my life.” She spoke quietly now, unlacing her stays. Tossing it away from her, she turned to look at him. 

    “Both times I aborted them…I didn’t… I couldn’t bring them into this world knowin what hell awaited them. I did not want to be that kinda mother…” Taking a shaky breath, she leaned down to pull the cotton leggings off of her legs and pulled the shoulders of her shift down to expose her shoulders. 

    “You deserve to be with a good woman Jie. A respectable one. One who doesn’t fuck like a bitch in the street. You shouldn’t be with a worthless cock stuffed nigger whore.” 

    “Stop it.” He spoke, cutting her pity party short. The entire time he had been gripping her pressed bedsheets as he listened to her talk. 

    “That’s enough.” He spoke firmly, eyes intense and glittering with emotion. Slowly he stood and without another word began to lift his cheongsam up over his head, exposing his chest and midsection. His cheeks were a shade of rose and a healthy color had spread to his upper chest, decorating his collarbones with kisses of pure love. 

    “I am not Grace.” He said vehemently, his name hissed like a cat. She swallowed as he crossed the room and took her hand. 

    “I don’t care what he has told you. None of it is true.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she found herself pulled back towards the bed. Taking a seat, he breathed through his nostrils, letting her hand go in favor of her waist. Pulling her closer, he pressed his head against her stomach. 

    “You are not a whore. You are not worthless. You are not a piece of property and you are not something only created to be violated.” His voice was hard and serious and her throat felt heavy and thick with tears. 

    “You are not a bad woman for having to choose survival. You are not a bad woman for deciding mercy and peace was better for your unborn than to know the horror of being in chains.” There, the tears started to fall and she began to sob. 

    “You are not an animal. You are not a beast that knows no conscience. You are not an uncivilized nigger.” Lifting his head, his nostrils flared and his eyes cut into her. 

    “You are kind. Gentle. Sometimes shy.” Leaning up, he kissed her sweetly. 

    “Intelligent. Passionate. You are worth more than the rarest pearl in the sea.” She sniffed and allowed him to pull her up onto his lap to sit. His hands didn’t move from her waist and she reached up to wipe her eyes. 

    “You are Eminta.You’re my little bòhé…the one I desire most in this life.” Her gaze met his. 

    “Jie-”

    “I love you.” Her heart felt like it was gonna beat its way out her poor chest and the weight of his words slammed into her like a locomotive. Caressing his cheek, she bit her lip. 

    “I want you.” His voice breathed against her, tone now throaty. Filled with that persistent desire she too felt. He leaned forward and kissed her neck once, again, making her sigh. 

    “I want to have you. I want to make you mine.” 

    “I want you to make me yours too.” She confessed, feeling him kiss her bared skin. Forcing him away hurt her but only for a moment as she stood in front of him. 

    “Today will be first day I really take what I want. Starting with you.” She pulled the shift down to expose her breasts, enjoying the way he feasted on the sight of them, his tongue rushing forward to lick his lips. Further down past her stomach. Down to her hips. And finally down her legs to her feet. She stood in front of him, allowing him to see her for all she was. 

    “Piàoliang…” He breathed, eating away at the full bush of hair nestled on her triangle. She could see that his excitement had formed a tent in his pants and she felt a rush of desire hit her belly. Slowly she came back into his arms with a gentle kiss, relieved as his hands left her face to drift across her shoulders. 

    “I wanna share a life with you Jie…” She breathed as his hands came further down to tenderly fondle her breasts, lips leaning down to press kisses against them both. 

    “I wanna be your woman and you…mmm…you be m-my man…” For a moment she lost her train of thought as the warm wetness of his tongue lapped at her nipples. Leaning her head back she moaned softly as he drew it into his mouth, running a soft thumb across the other. Another moan drifted into the room as he pinched gently. Slowly she began to grind against his lap. Letting of her nipple with a soft wet suck, he leaned up to kiss her before giving the same attention to the other. 

    “Mmm Jie…Mm.” Her sighs pleased him. The sounds of her pleasure made his member throb; filled with enough blood to make it erect. Letting go of her plump breast, he intended to take hold of her equally plump bottom but she pulled away from him. His breathing matched hers, their eyes filled with the same love and desire for one another. 

    “Today you and I shall marry.” He spoke, voice gruff with want. 

    “Yes…” She replied, kneeling in front of him. 

    “I shall take you as my wife.” His breath stopped for a moment as she began to pull at his pants and he lifted his hips, aiding in their removal. For a minute she just stared at it, watched it bob and twitch. He couldn’t resist the smirk that slid across his lips and he chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her. 

    “Surprised?” He teased, eyebrow lifted. 

    “No…” But he knew she was. The lies the mouth the men of this land told in an attempt to prevent interracial breeding, marriage and union. The last few hundred years had seen a falsehood presented. That those originating from the Asian continent were less endowed than their European counterparts. It was a stereotype he rather enjoyed disproving. She was to devour him. He could tell by the lick of her lips and the glossy eyes. Kissing her again, he pulled away only to shiver as her tongue softly licked up his shaft. Running the wet appendage alongside the veins made him jerk, his head now falling back against his shoulders. She gently grabbed hold of his genital sac and gently squeezed, bringing forth a tantalizing groan from his throat. Kissing and licking her way across and around his length, she let her breath fan across the top of him. 

    “I call this now mine. As we are now to be husband and wife.” She hushed, the heat from her mouth making him crush the sheets underneath them in his fingers. 

    “Yes ai di. All of me is yours. Have all you like.” Glancing up at him, she smiled to herself. Indeed, she’d exist in her freedom starting here and now.