Love at Sukkot, page 13
“The smells. It smelled like you. Like honey and cinnamon. I’ve also felt so much happiness these last few days being here with you.” Issa’s eyes get so wide and bright. I can read clearly every emotion as it works across her face. Surprise, joy, overwhelming thoughts, and love.
“Is that why you started calling me honey?”
I nod at her. “Yeah, I think so. I didn’t even realize it until now. It just felt natural.”
Her eyes moisten.
“Hey, now. Don’t do that.”
Her full lips stretch into an impossibly wide smile. “I can’t help it. This makes me feel so happy.” She leans into me and I reach up to meet her lips. One thing about this starkly gorgeous woman is that she’s submissive in so many ways. Kissing is not one of those ways. She’s an easily lit match, and she begins to dominate the kiss quickly. Her tongue dances in my mouth with heated intensity. I’m at a disadvantage laying on my back, so I roll to gain the upper hand. The hammock jostles with the movement and throws us both onto the ground. I hold Issa to me and make sure to land on my back so that she doesn’t get hurt.
“Oof. Ouch.” Issa rolls off of me and begins to run her hands along me looking for damage.
“Oh, no! Dominik! Did I break you?”
My laugh is slow and breathless. “No, you didn’t break me.”
“Are you sure? Where do you hurt? How do I fix it?” This is just like my industrious woman. She’s never encountered a problem she didn’t want to solve.
“Yeah, my lips hurt pretty bad. Maybe you should look at them.”
She actually moves to examine my mouth and I laugh as I cover her lips with my own. I hold her still as I explore her mouth and tongue. She sighs and melts into me. I let the kiss settle down into a few sweet nips.
“Yeah, I need to make you mine sooner rather than later.” She bites her thick bottom lip and smiles shyly at me. I roll her to the side so that I can gain my feet.
“Come on. I have lunch duty today.” I pull her up and hold her slim hand in mine as we move back towards the more populated area of the grounds.
“What will you do while I help with lunch?” Issa leans into me.
“I’m not sure. I may come watch and see how well you batter and fry chicken.” We laugh together.
“I think I do a pretty good job. My mama taught me a thing or two.”
“I may try to hunt down Ashanti.” Issa’s mood drops a little bit.
“Has she been scarce still?”
“Yeah, I rarely see her. I know we be together a lot, but I’m worried about her.” Ashanti has been seeing one of Fletcher’s boys named Demetrius. I don’t know whether he’s good stock or not, but the fact that he runs with Fletcher makes me a bit wary. At the same time, they’re both young and trying to have a good time.
“Don’t worry about it, honey. Go find her. If you can’t, come hang out at the dining hall.”
Issa agrees and walks me to the door of the building. I kiss her and watch her walk off for a few moments before heading in.
I’m on duty with Issa’s boss Christian Tower and his wife. His wife AnnMariah is pretty handy in the kitchen. She directs us both like a conductor as we talk.
“So, you legit couldn’t see anything?” I inquire as I batter the chicken.
“Yeah, for a good three years or so. It was hard because I was a computer and software engineer.”
“More like a software hacker,” her husband mutters the words loud enough to be heard.
AnnMariah pauses in the browning of the beef to swat at him.
“I feel like there is a story here.”
AnnMariah talks fast to keep her husband from speaking. “I may have… freely given my expertise to a few tech companies to improve their social platforms. Without their consent.”
Her husband breaks down in laughter. AnnMariah gives him a death stare.
I enjoy getting to kick it with Christian and his wife. Issa works as his executive assistant and spends a lot of time with him. We talk while prepping fried chicken, spaghetti, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, potato salad, and coleslaw. It was hard work prepping this much food. A few of the other mothers from the AE have started coming over each day so they and their children have something to do. This has increased the amount of food that has to be made for each meal. The New Way TKs have welcomed the intrusion with open arms and smiling faces.
The defectors have been enjoying themselves. Talk about the TKs is taking over the AE camp. Of course the chatter stops when Fletcher comes around, but something has sparked over there. My mind drifts to Priya. She has been keeping to herself since the public fight. Her face is always drawn and sad the few times I’ve seen her. Even though some of the other women have been hanging out on the east side of the grounds daily, Priya hasn’t come back. Issa has been worrying about her since I told her the news.
“Maybe I should tell her what happened to me,” Issa had said. She’s been so much more open about working through what she experienced. She even had me go with her to thank Derrick for getting her out that night.
“Honey, I don’t know how to say this, but I’m pretty sure that she’s acquainted with Fletcher’s abusive side.” I held her as she cried for the young woman. We sat and prayed for her together. We asked that Yah keep her, protect her, and lead her to a place where she could be safe.
My mind drifts back from the memory. I look around the dining hall for Issa. I don’t see her which is surprising. Maybe she found Ashanti. I sit down to eat with Derrick, Kim, Christian, and AnnMariah. We talk and laugh. I look around again not seeing Issa or Ashanti.
“Yo, Kim. Have you seen Issa?”
She wipes sauce form her lips. “I saw her walking towards the cabins over an hour ago. I haven’t seen her since.”
I nod my head. Something akin to anxiety tightens in my stomach. I move the food around my plate, but I can’t eat much more. The crowds begin to break up, and I move to clean up and store the food in the public fridge so people can come get more throughout the day if they get hungry. I’m wiping down the tables and trying to peep out the windows, hoping to see Issa flouncing up for a late lunch. She never does.
I rush through washing the dishes and help with the floor. I run out of the building towards the cabins. I nod at a few people as I pass them. When I make it to the cabins, I look around the buildings. When I pass by the building on the far end, I catch sight of the young lady with the three small children. I nod at her and move to head towards Issa’s room.
“Hey, are you looking for Issa?”
I stop and turn to her. “Yeah, I am actually. You seen her?”
She looks at me covertly. “Yeah, I saw her a while ago. Her and Ashanti. They were with some guys. They left with them.”
The hairs all over my body stand on end.
“They went with them? Where did they go?”
She wrings her hands together in a nervous gesture. “I couldn’t watch them. I had my babies. But I saw them head towards the other side.”
My blood runs cold. “Did anything look off?”
She looks back and forth. “I don’t know. Maybe. There were a lot of men.”
I pivot toward the AE camp. I know Issa well enough to know she wouldn’t have went over to that side willingly. I move to head back to the AE camp. I pause as I think through the information I was told. Fletcher likely has all his boys with him. There’s no way I can take all them on my own. I need help. I deviate back to the main camp area. I jog towards the conference center knowing that’s where I’m most likely to find people hanging out. I race up to the stairs only to pause. Priya stands there with the people I was looking for.
“There he is!” Kim points to me.
“Dominik! Hurry! It’s Issa!”
“I already heard. Sounds like Fletcher and his gang have her.” I look to Derrick. “I need help.”
He turns to his wife right away. “Baby, I need you to stay here out of the way.”
She nods her head at him.
“I’ll go with you. You may need extra hands,” Christian speaks up. I nod my head at him in gratitude. We turn to move away.
“Hey, there. How are you folks doing?” A few more men walk down the stairs. Brother Thomas and Magee are with them as well as Yahmarcus. Before I can say that nothing was happening Kim speaks up.
“It’s Issa and Ashanti. They were taken away by some men from the AE camp. They’re going to try and get them back.” Brother Thomas looks to us and I expect him to say something about waiting and calling the cops. I’m not going to wait to go get my girl. I hate to think what’s happening to her right now. My palms itch just waiting here.
“Well, we can go with you. We may be able to help the situation.”
My eyebrows rise. I wasn’t expecting to hear this from him. The men behind him move as one. Gratitude swells in my chest. With their added numbers we stand a much better chance if it comes down to a fight.
“I’m coming too.” Priya steps up.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Stay here with Kim.”
She shakes her head no at my suggestion. “My baby is over there. I left her sleeping to come here and warn you. I gotta go get my child.”
Kim steps up behind her. “Well, I can go with you. To make sure you get back here.”
Derrick moves to stop her.
“Hey!” I raise my voice over the group. “I need to go get my girl. We can’t wait here.”
Mr. Magee speaks up as well. “Let’s move. I can watch over the women and make sure they get away before joining up with ya’ll.”
I nod my head at him in gratitude before turning to jog toward the other campground.
I raise a prayer as I run. “Father, please protect her. Guard her with warring angels until I can make it.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Let There Be Trouble
ISSA
I hear Ashanti cry out next to me. I try to reach for her as we are herded, but the man next to me snatches me by the arm and continues to drag me. My friend cries out again.
“Ashanti!” I reach out an arm to grab at her. Demetrius is attached to her like an octopus. His hands grope her breasts and behind as he whispers in her ear. Ashanti pushes against him and latches onto my arm.
“Demetrius, you need to get your broad under control. If you can’t handle her, I’ve got room in my tent.” A disgusting human behind us reaches a long arm around Ashanti. His hand squeezes at her breast and she screams out again. The laughing around us causes my skin to crawl. Ashanti bawls like a small child. I can only imagine the hurt and betrayal she is feeling.
When I left Dominik at the kitchen, I wandered the camp towards where the cabins are situated. Ashanti had been spending more time near the cabins and parking lot to see Demetrius. There was a stark contrast between Dominik and Demetrius. Where Dom joined me in communing with the Most High at Sukkot, Demetrius began to draw Ashanti away. I found her in our room fixing her smudged lipstick and rumpled clothes.
“Did you just get out of bed?” I plopped down on the end of a bunk to watch her preen. Ashanti gave me a saucy smirk in return.
“No…” the word was playful and drawn out. “I just left Demetrius. He came to see me before going off for the AE assembly.” She continued to fluff her hair and straighten her clothing.
“Huh, Dominik said they hadn’t been doing anything over there. That’s why so many AE have joined us.”
Ashanti turned to me and shrugged. “I don’t know what they’re doing. He told me he wanted to see me later this afternoon. I’m going to grab lunch then come back here.” She moved to store her makeup bag with the rest of her things. I didn’t want to rain on her merry parade, but I was also aware that Ashanti tended to live in the clouds. She tended to be led more by her fleshly desires than her spiritual ones. She chattered away, but I couldn’t brush off the sense of warning that I still felt.
“Hey, Ashanti.” I moved to sit on her bed. “I umm…never told you about my experience being with the AE.”
She paused in her packing to look at me. “Yeah, I don’t think you ever told me that you used to be one of them.”
I nod my head at her. “I was. For about 2 years.”
She went back to organizing her things. “You probably should have stayed. You and Dominik would probably be married right now if you hadn’t left.”
I hummed noncommittally trying to find the words to say. “The AE camp is different. They believe very differently from the TKs. Most of the younger women aren’t allowed to stay single in that group for long.”
She gave me her attention as she leaned against the bunkbed. “What do you mean?”
I patted the bed beside me and she flounced down. I turned my body in her direction.
“I started going there when I was about twenty-one. It wasn’t strange to me at first, but all the younger women were married. Compared to the TKs, where there’s just as many or more younger women who are single. Some middle aged women are single, like the ones who have been coming here.” I paused for a few breaths. Ashanti sat quietly, which is unlike her, while I collected my thoughts.
“I started to be groomed by the leader. His name is Yahim. Well his government name is Fletcher. The men, and sometimes the women too, in that camp adopt a Hebraic name as a part of their initiation. He started coming around a lot. Taking me out places. I didn’t realize until too late that I was being groomed to be his second wife.”
“Wait a minute. His second wife?”
I nod my head at her. “Yes, that’s what I meant when I said that their doctrine is different. They believe that all women should be covered by a husband. They allow polygamy to make sure that all the women are married.”
A full body shiver covered Ashanti and she shook her arms, shoulders, and hands.
“Wow. I didn’t even know black people did that.”
“Yeah, it’s unusual in a way. It’s a distorted interpretation of Isaiah 4. They believe it’s their promise to have multiple wives, when that verse is actually a prophecy of Messiah Yahusha. Well, I found out that he was married and broke things off. I wasn’t really dating him, you know. I just let him buy my food and take me a few places. It didn’t go over well.”
Her small hand covered my thigh. “What happened?”
“He beat me. Him and a group of men from he camp. They called me terrible names as they took turns whipping me with belts like I was a child.” I clinched my hands and pressed them into the bed. This was the second time I had told the story. It was getting easier, but the emotions from the memory are still high.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She wrapped her arms around me in a hug. We embraced for a few minutes. “Is that why you freaked out when they all showed up the first day?”
“Thank you. Yeah, it was. I was surprised and scared to see them.” I cleared my throat. “I told you because I want you to be careful. Dominik tells me that Demetrius is one of the men that live on the teachings of Fletcher. I don’t want you to be in danger.”
She’s silent for a few moments. “Was Demetrius one of the ones who hurt you?”
I shook my head no. “No, he wasn’t there when I was.”
She nodded her head decisively. “Good. I think it’ll be fine.” She bounced off of the bed and I stood up after her.
“What? Ashanti, I’m being serious. You really need to be prayerful about this.”
“Dominik isn’t like them and you’re with him, right?”
I nodded my head shakily. “Yes, but…”
“I think Demetrius is a good person like Dominik. He wouldn’t do something crazy like what you went through.”
I stepped toward her wanting her to understand. “I don’t want you to take this lightly. He could be dangerous.”
She turned to me sharply. “Is Dominik dangerous?” Her eyebrow lifted in question.
“No, he isn’t, but…”
“Then Demetrius isn’t either.” She wouldn’t even hear what I was trying to say.
“Look, Ashanti. I just feel…”
She threw her head back and growled in anger. “Look, I’ve been nothing, but happy for you since you started fooling around with Dominik.” I wanted to open my mouth to argue, but she shook her head and continued. “I finally have my own chance to be happy. It’s wild to me that you won’t be happy for me right now. I thought you were better than that.”
I was so hurt by her words that I stood there mouth agape.
Ashanti went back to the mirror to put on a pair of hoop earrings. She didn’t say anything else and she wouldn’t look at me. I had nothing else to say either to be honest. I was hurt by her rejection of my advice, and I was stood worried for her well-being.
I didn’t believe that my feelings were jealous ones. My hairs were constantly on edge when I thought of her with one of Fletcher’s lackeys. My mind ran as I considered my motives in this. Finished making herself up, Ashanti turned.
“I’m going to go get lunch. Are you going to go with me?”
The energy between us was weird. My heart’s intent was to protect her and help her to be wise in dating. I was by no means an expert, but I did have experience in examining the fruit someone produced to see if it was good or rotten. How did this crash and burn so quickly? I nodded at her and followed her to the door. Ashanti began to ramble about the movie viewing planned for later that night. I didn’t contribute much because my heart was smarting. We moved to the walkway only to find our path blocked by Demetrius himself. Ashanti ran into his arms.
“Hey, babe. What are you doing here?” He smirked at her before looking me dead in the eyes.
“We came for you both.” My senses went immediately on alert. I stepped back and bumped into someone. I heard Ashanti asking questions as I turned. Three men crowded the way between the two buildings behind me.
