“As soon as you can walk, we will be leaving. My Titi is gathering supplies for us to have at the cabin,” he said.
“I’m hungry,” I said, my stomach grumbling, as if to agree with me.
“I’ll work on that,” he said, then walked out the door.
There was another door in the room, where I could see a toilet. I needed to use the restroom, and I surely wasn’t asking for his help with that. I sat up more and swung my legs off the bed. I let out a big sigh. I still felt weak, but much better than I had yesterday. I placed my palms on the bed next to me and gently pushed myself up. I turned carefully to hold the bed as I found my footing. My knees trembled under me.
I took a couple more breaths. I had this. I turned, leaving my left hand gripping the bed as I walked alongside it. After a few steps, I felt steadier. I continued walking to the bathroom, nice and slow.
Once inside the bathroom, there was a small sink and vanity. Above it was a mirror, and I turned to face myself. As soon as my eyes met my reflection, my hand instinctively moved to my right eye, gently rubbing it. It was deep purple and black from my eye socket to my nose. The right side of my face was still considerably puffy. The toilet was right next to the sink, and I moved to sitdown. I pulled the large underwear and pad down. There was light spotting on the pad, but compared to what had come out of me following the birth, it was nothing.
The door opened, and I froze on the toilet. Oh goodness. I hadn’t even shut the door.
“Zalayuh?” Quinnlyn’s voice carried through the room.
“I’m… um don’t come in here… Fixin’ to go to the bathroom,” I called out.
“Okay. I’ll be out here when you’re done,” he said.
I headed to the bathroom, and as I peed, everything down there burned. I gasped a couple of times, but by the end, the pain had subsided. I pulled my underwear back up, washed my hands, and then slowly walked back into the room.
I opened the door to let Quinnlyn back inside. In his hand, he had a glass plate that had eggs, bacon, and a bowl filled with steaming grits. I walked back to the bed and climbed into it. He handed me the plate. It was the first time I’d eaten on glassware since I’d been held captive.
“Not afraid of me breaking the plate on your head, stabbing you with a fork?” I asked.
“There’s always that possibility. Eat up. Since you can move, we will head out after you finish,” he said.
“Am I still a prisoner?” I asked.
“Um… I… um… no. You’re free to go wherever, but I’d highly recommend against that right now,” he said.
“Okay. Do I have to wear this?” I asked, pulling at the gown.
He let out a small laugh. “No, I’ll get you some other clothes while you eat.”
He left the room, and I started shoveling the food into my mouth. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until that first bite hit my tongue. The grits were so scalding hot, yet I couldn’t stopshoveling them into my mouth. The bacon was the perfect golden brown. The scrambled eggs were moist, not dry. This was probably one of the best meals I’d ever eaten. As I finished, Quinnlyn walked back in.
“I got you some comfortable clothes… given your… condition,” he said.
“Thanks,” I told him.
“Once you get dressed, come out here, and we can head out,” he said.
He handed me a grey sweatsuit outfit and a light pink sports bra. There was also a pair of black briefs and a thick pad folded in there. On top of the clothes were a pair of tennis shoes and socks. I went back into the bathroom, shutting the door this time. I slowly removed the gown and underwear that I’d been wearing. I hadn’t worn shoes in so long that it felt strange putting them on my feet and tying them. They were a tad big, but they would do.
My legs still felt weak, but it was getting better. Eating made me feel much better overall. I slowly walked to the door, gently pulling it open.
“Now, son, you need to be careful with her. You’re a black man. The white folks will think this was all you... They’ll have ya locked up for it, and Ravik wouldn’t—”
“Titi… stop. Don’t worry about me,” Quinnlyn said, cutting her off.
“Ya know people are weird about—”
I cleared my throat. I almost wanted to walk back into the room and pretend I wasn’t there. The room went silent; you could probably hear a mouse run across the floor.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Lina said.
“I… uh… yeah… just pretend I didn’t hear anything,” I said.
