CHAPTER 24

 IT WAS 1829. Ekimmu had lived in the States for several years exploring the new territories. During her travels, she heard rumors about a Canadian settlement called Montréal, a mecca for European immigrants. As a boomtown, it attracted large numbers of people from around the world, making it the cultural capital of Canada.

After living with farmers and explorers, Ekimmu felt a need to be with people of culture. The frontier folk were wonderful in their simplicity. Their daily struggles for survival made them alive and vibrant. It also made them old before their time.

Walking to the area she had first met Jeannette, Ekimmu looked around searching for something familiar. Sadly, everything had changed. Closing her eyes, she remembered that night long before.

 

*  *  *

A young woman leaned against a tree. Staring at the sky longingly, her eyes were filled with an unspeakable sadness. Not wishing to disturb her, Ekimmu watched from the darkness. She had intended on taking the woman, but the sadness was so tangible she could taste it.

Turning to leave, Ekimmu heard the faint rustle of leaves. Several feet behind the woman hidden in the shadows, a man crept stealthily toward his unsuspecting victim. The scent of lust was so strong. Ekimmu felt a rage welling up inside. Gliding quietly amongst the trees, she slipped behind him and tapped his shoulder. Startled, he jumped, swinging his arm in her direction. In his hand was a large knife.

“I think not,” Ekimmu said, keeping her voice low and controlled as she easily avoided the slicing motion.

Unable to make out her features, he snarled. “Well, now, missy. Ain’t you somethin’?”

Ekimmu stepped back, although not from fear. Rotting teeth and foul breath assailed her nostrils, repulsing her. His lack of hygiene made her wonder why she hadn’t noticed his smell before she heard him.

Encouraged by her retreat, the man straightened boldly. “Now, now, no need to be actin’ like that. I’m just lookin’ for a little fun. You’ll do nicely. Don’t often see darkies like you this fer north. If’n you just lays back and spreads those handsome legs of yours and lets me dip my dick in that wet pussy, I’m sure we’d both enjoy it.”

“You overestimate your prowess,” Ekimmu said calmly. “I don’t do dicks, and even if I did, I don’t do vermin like you.”

“Ah, now why’d you haf to go say that? You insulted me manhood,” he grumbled.

“I doubt it,” she sneered. “First, you’d have to be a man, which you’re not, and second, nothing I say could insult the likes of you.”

Ekimmu could sense the flush rushing up his neck to his cheeks and was prepared when he lunged.

“You need teachin’ a little respect, missy,” he snarled.

Laughing, she stepped aside and kicked him in the butt, sending him crashing into a tree. Furious, he spun around, slicing the empty air behind him. A slap behind the head caused him to stumble forward awkwardly. Again he turned and tried to cut her, and again Ekimmu kicked him.

“Fuckin’ bitch!”

“Perhaps but at least my women enjoy it, and it’s something you won’t be doing again.”

Hesitantly, he backed up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means dead men don’t fuck. They’re just plain fucked,” she said, reaching out to grab him by the throat. “And you’re a dead man.”

Reluctant to maintain contact with the filth in her grasp, Ekimmu ended the confrontation quickly. Before he could raise his knife, she grabbed his head and snapped it to the left, breaking his neck. For a split second, his eyes widened in horror, then he went limp. Releasing the body, Ekimmu stepped away, allowing it to fall to the ground.

“And feel lucky you died so easily,” she growled, rubbing her hands on her coat as if wiping away dirt. Only then was she aware of someone watching.

“Il est mort?”

“Oui,” Ekimmu said.

“Bon débarras!” Saying nothing more, the woman walked away.

Frowning, Ekimmu followed. “Mamselle, are you okay?” she asked, unconsciously switching to English because of her years in the States.

The woman stopped but didn’t answer. Ekimmu wondered if she understood the question or was just thinking about the answer.

“I will be,” she finally said. “I will be.”

Ekimmu sensed a hopelessness in her voice.

“Perhaps you would like to talk. I may be able to help.”

“No, there’s nothing anyone can do. I made my bed a long time ago. Now I must lie in it.”

“Beds can be remade,” Ekimmu joked, wanting to lighten things up. Glimpsing the faintest hint of a smile, she chuckled. “All right, bad joke, but at least I have your attention. Talk to me. You never know, sometimes the future isn’t so dark if you can find someone with a light.”

“Ah, a philosopher! And have you a light, madame?”

“How will you know unless you tell me what saddens you?”

Shrugging, the woman leaned against a tree and stared at the stars.

“Do you think there’s a god?” she asked somberly. Chilled by the cool night air, she rubbed her arms unconsciously.

“I used to. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Neither am I. Would a god make people so cruel? Or create such misery?”

“If he did, he wouldn’t be much of a god, would he? He’d be the devil, I think.”

“Yes, he would be, but then that would make life hopeless, wouldn’t it?”

“Possibly. I believe we control our own destinies. If we think life is hopeless, it is. If we dare to hope, we do everything in our power to succeed.”

“And when everything we know, everything we feel tells us it’s hopeless?”

“Then we look beyond what we know and feel. There are things in the world we have never seen nor heard, but they’re real. Not knowing or believing doesn’t make them any less so. What is it that makes life so unbearable for you?”

“I’m with child,” she said as if the statement explained everything.

Ekimmu was stunned and confused. “But that’s wonderful,” she exclaimed. “To give life is what most women hope for.”

“To be pregnant and unwed is not. It’s a sin here. To kill this child’s father is murder and certain death.”

“Why would you kill the father of your child?”

“Because he was also my own, and no one would believe me. If the child is a girl, he would have taken my baby and raised her as his, and eventually, she would be forced to endure his filthy touch,” she whispered, revealing her shame.

Not sure what to say, Ekimmu stepped close to the woman and wrapped her arms around her. “Then you’ve done nothing wrong. When did this happen?”

“The rape or killing my father?”

“Killing your father.”

“This night! He came to my room while I slept. I told him I was with child, but he wouldn’t listen. All he could think of was satisfying his needs. When I fought him, he said he would give me to the church and take my baby as his own. He would tell everyone I was a whore, so I grabbed a knife and stabbed him. He would never get my baby. I would kill me and my child before letting him have her.” She sobbed.

“Where is he now?”

“Probably where I left him. We live alone. Someone will find him after the sun rises. He always goes into town to drink with his friends.”

“Good. Show me where you live. We must get rid of the body.”

“It’s too late.”

“Remember, madame... what is your name? Mine is Ekimmu.”

“Jeannette.”

“Remember, Jeannette. We make our destinies. Now where do you live?”

Hesitantly, Jeanette told her. Ekimmu took her hand and pulled her in the direction of her house. Once there, she sent Jeanette to get some blankets and told her to leave, giving her the key to her hotel room.

“Wait for me. I’ll take care of this.”

Jeannette started to argue but changed her mind. She had nothing to lose now.

After she was gone, Ekimmu lifted the body and carried it into the woods. Walking a considerable distance, she dropped it on the ground. If anyone found it, they’d think he was killed there.

After returning to the hotel, she quietly entered her room. Jeannette was sleeping soundly on the bed. Covering her with a blanket, Ekimmu sat in the chair next to the bed observing the woman.

With long blond hair and pale skin, Jeanette looked to be no more than nineteen or twenty. Ekimmu wouldn’t have described her as pretty, more like handsome and boyishly so. Soon the sun peeked through the window. Jeannette stirred, stretching slowly. Opening her eyes, she stared at Ekimmu in confusion until the night’s events came back.

“You sleep like a baby.”

“I haven’t slept so soundly in years,” Jeannette confessed.

“Good. It’s a beginning.”

“To what? When they find...”

“I’ve taken care of him. If they find him, they’ll think someone else killed him. The only thing you need to worry about is what you want to do now.”

Jeannette remained silent. For some reason, she didn’t doubt Ekimmu, but she couldn’t think about the future yet. Everything was happening too quickly.

“Stay here,” Ekimmu offered. “When the time is right, you’ll know what you want.”

And stay she did. For three years, they remained together, the bond between them growing stronger each day. Ekimmu would have liked the relationship to be intimate but realized Jeannette needed a friend more than a lover. Aware that time was against them, she stayed only long enough to ensure the safety and security of the woman and her young son, Jean-Pierre. Jeannette had met a young French-Canadian by the name of Lambroux. They had fallen in love and married. Ekimmu moved on.

 

*  *  *

Several years later, she returned to Montréal for a short visit. Jeannette knew some of Ekimmu’s history and didn’t question her youthful looks. Pierre Lambroux had been killed in an Indian raid. Her son, Jean-Pierre, had traveled to the States as a trapper and fur trader but had recently returned to Montréal. He had grown into a handsome man, tall with dark brown hair and bright green eyes. When he smiled, dimples appeared, giving him a boyish charm, something he made excellent use of with the ladies.

The night before Ekimmu was to leave for Europe, the three of them dined together.

“You’ve had quite a life for so young a man, Jean-Pierre,” Ekimmu said. “Surely you’re ready to settle down now and raise a family.”

“Moi? Never,” he said. “What would the women say if I settled down? It would break their hearts,” he added, placing his right hand over his own heart dramatically.

“Ah, yes. I hadn’t thought of that. You certainly can’t let that happen, but I’m curious. Hasn’t there ever been even one woman who tempted you to the altar?”

Jean-Pierre sat back in his chair and looked longingly into the flames of the fireplace. “Once, a long time ago, but it wasn’t to be.”

“You sound like you loved her.”

“Perhaps I did, Aunty. She was a rather strange woman, you know.”

“Strange? In what way?”

Jean-Pierre laughed. “In every way. I met her when I was trapping the mountains in the States. She lived with Indians. They believed her to be a powerful Shaman. Even now I can still picture her. Long blond hair, green eyes, and wild as the mountain streams. The first time I saw her, she was running through the woods half-naked. You can imagine what I thought, mama,” he said, looking at Jeannette.

“I can well imagine.” His mother smirked.

“Well, the blood runs hot in my veins. You can’t blame me for wanting to bed a pretty young woman who was flaunting her attributes so openly, now can you?”

“I taught you better,” Jeannette scolded.

“Yes, you did, but you never told me about this type of woman,” he teased. “She was wild and wonderful and everything a man could want. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she actually seduced me,” he admitted. “But then I am quite handsome, am I not?” He struck a dignified pose.

Laughing, the two women looked fondly at the young peacock.

“Quite!” Ekimmu said sarcastically.

“I’m crushed. Have you no pity for my wounded pride?” Jean-Pierre pouted slightly.

“Forgive me. I jest!”

Perking up, he continued with his story. “Of course. Now where was I? Oh, yes. The seduction. As I was saying, I think she seduced me, and once she had her way with me, I was tossed aside like an old rag. Well, not exactly tossed, mind you. Actually, she had a few bucks kidnap me. Next thing I knew, I was drenched in a foul-smelling concoction, tied to my horse, and sent off with warnings not to return. I was damn lucky no one found me, although I have to admit, I smelled so badly, no one would have gotten near me.”

Ekimmu and Jeannette couldn’t help but laugh at the image of the handsome young man tied to his horse and chased from the village.

“I think you should consider yourself lucky you didn’t marry her,” his mother said. “I’m not sure I’d have liked her very much.”

“Maybe, mama. It certainly would have been interesting to see you two together. Anyway, that was long ago, and here I am still single and very available to the young ladies of Montréal. So, Aunty, where are you off to now and when are you coming back?”

“Europe, and I don’t know. It’ll be a few years I imagine.” She looked at Jeannette.

Both knew this would be the last time she came to Montréal. There would be too many questions if she returned in Jean-Pierre’s lifetime. Already the whispers had started amongst the people she and Jeannette had known. Her youthful appearance after thirty years was raising suspicions.