The Professor Ch. 13

Lissia and I left her parents' farm with a deep sigh of relief. Lissia said it best, "I can't wait to get home...that was so hard. I need to be in your arms Steven," she held onto my hand with both of hers, her feet pulled under her on the bucket seat, watching me as I drove. We stopped in Hockley to eat some lunch at a barbecue joint that Lissia knew about. We sat in the car for a little while so she could get her composure back.

"How're you doing baby," I needed to know. I could see she was on the verge of pouring out her tears as I pulled a handkerchief from my hip pocket, "Here sweetheart."

She took it and dabbed her eyes, "Thank you baby for being with me this morning. I'm sorry for the way they treated you – that was wrong...so wrong," she shook her head from side to side and pursed her lips with the corners turning down as she dabbed at her reddening eyes.

"Lissia I love you sweetheart more than I love life itself. I never want them to hurt you again. I hope I wasn't too hard on them," I offered.

She looked at me, "Oh Steven no one has ever defended me like that. Daddy is the most feared black man in Waller County and you backed him down and told him what I've felt all of my life but didn't have the guts to tell him and when you pulled that pea shooter outta your boot and lordy that room got quiet...you could of cut the silence with a knife...a dull one too. No baby you sealed our standing with my family. They won't fuck with you. The Major said that you're fearless – he's right...bravest man I've known. The Army's getting a good man who'll be fine leader."

"I just don't want your parents hating you or pushing you away because of me," I was truly worried. I was looking in her daddy's eyes when I showed him my pistol...he wasn't exactly thrilled that I brought a gun but he did yield a bit of respect to me for thinking that far in advance.

We talked for a while until she felt she could go inside. I got out and went around to her side of the car and opened the door, taking her hand in mine, "Thank you Steven. You treat me like a lady and not like the tramp who waved her panties at you," she teased me.

"You are a lady. I like it that you want me romantically and sexually," I kissed her cheek and she squeezed my hand.

We ordered our food at the counter and paid for it along with two ice-cold Barq's root beers in long neck bottles. We ate brisket and links on butcher paper with plastic forks and knives. No sauce just a couple of pieces of Mrs. Baird's white bread on the side. We were both hungry. I think that high pressure situations and the aftermath create a need to feed and we did. Lissia started laughing, "Here we are eating Texas comfort food again."

She is so beautiful when she laughs. I hadn't gotten to see her laugh very much. She is so relaxed and stunning when she enjoys herself. She smiled and talked more freely at this moment than at any time since we'd met. There was an enormous weight lifted off of her shoulders and well...mine too for that matter. We finished our lunch and got back in the car heading for her home. She sang and hummed songs of all sorts as we rode along enjoying the time together. "Steven?"

"Yes baby?"

"I know Dr. Andres said to wait on the sex but I need to be naked with you," she knew what she wanted with us and I had told her to let me know what she wanted and I would do that so...

"Okay but promise me if this is painful that we'll stop," I urged her.

"I'm not saying I will or won't but I just need my man right now," she whispered and stroked my forearm, staring at me...I felt very conspicuous.

The ride to her home went quickly. We went in and locked the door, turned on the overhead fans and held each other, kissing and professing our love. Each of her kisses was getting progressively hotter and wetter with her tongue and mine wrestling for lingual dominance...I think it was a draw that ended with us naked on her bed and me with a raging hard on. I was trying my best to take it easy but she is so wonderful and so loving that her sexuality broke down any resistance that may have been there. I had told her I was addicted to her loving – I am. Her body, like mine, has a unique aroma to it that draws me like a moth to a flame – pheromones are so subtle because they comingle with body odors – the good kind – the sexual aroma that drives me crazy. When we got on that bed I took a nosedive into her pubic hair and began licking my way down to her pussy...

"Uh...baby?" I looked up at her smiling face and she was pointing to her lips forming a kiss...I told you I was horny. I crawled up her gorgeous body and sank my tongue into her mouth and kissed her with all that I had, my dickhead was pressed against her pussy lips and she wiggled and rolled her pussy up to engulf my hard dick. She gasped, inhaling, "Ohhhh....yeah...oh Steven."

I froze, "Are you okay?"

Her face relaxed and that sensual smile crossed her lips as she whispered, "Oh yes baby...make love to me baby we've had the foreplay at the farm..."

I was learning what constituted foreplay and it's not all the stuff we've read in books, or heard in the boy's bathroom or the sexual experts tell us – foreplay starts when we get to that place mentally with one another where we admire, love and desire being with that person emotionally and physically and that events where our visceral strengths that are so attractive to one another get put on display. You begin making love to a woman mentally and emotionally before you ever lay hands on her and it can't be contrived or pretended – your pheromones reveal your desire.

I inhaled her scent and kissed her as she slid her long, brown legs around my waist locking them behind my knees. We hadn't had sex in a few days so we were both horny it didn't take long for my first orgasm to churn up my hard dick. She was grinding against me trying to get as much of me inside of her as she could and I was trying but failing to be careful – she has this amazing pussy that contracts and squeezes my dick that just tore me up. Our huffing and puffing sounded like a pair of racing locomotives trying to get that orgasm first. We were sweating like racehorses with a slap-slap-slap rhythm of my balls smacking against her sweet ass with every down stroke, she only added to the rhythmic calamity her grunting with each stroke and suddenly she cried out, "OH GAWD!"

She came like a burst reservoir and her orgasm triggered mine, "OH LISSIA...OH BABY! CUMMING!" My load and her flood joined forces and drenched her, me and the bed linens.

She relaxed her legs, panting out in hoarse whispers, "Okay...okay...okay...that's what I needed...it's burning now..."

I pulled out of her and she hugged me tightly, "Oh Steven Michael Edwards I love you so much...,"she whimpered.

I held onto her for dear life whispering back, "I love you sweet Lissia my sweetheart and love."

We held each other for a while until I brushed some hair away from her face and kissed her glowing nose and lips. She smiled, "Hi baby."

"Hi."

"I think I need to take two antibiotics just in case," she confided, "I'll be okay don't worry okay sweetie?"

That's like asking the sun not to shine, "Sure," I told her in a very unconvincing tone.

"Really, it just burns a little," she tried to convince me.

Lissia got up and went to the medicine cabinet and I followed her, "Okay is there anything else you can do to relieve the burning besides the antibiotic?"

She pointed to a jar on the shelf above the sink – 'Massengil', "I'll mix some with water and use the douche to at least take the immediate burn away – baby I promise you it only burns a little it's nothing like the other day – seriously – I wouldn't lie to you," she pleaded.

I kissed her and massaged her beautiful ass cheeks, "Okay. I'll take a shower while you take care of that...unless you need me to help you."

She hugged me and kissed me, "Steven baby there are certain things a woman needs to do alone and this is one of those and as much as I love you and want to be with you every minute that I can be – I got this one..." she winked.

I showered and got dressed then proceeded to pull the sheets off the bed along with the mattress pad and tossed them into the washer. Lissia came in while I was starting the laundry, "Steven, baby I would have done that." She hugged me from behind while I set the washer for its cycle, "You're spoiling me."

"You deserve to be spoiled you're my baby and I want you to feel loved beyond measure," I turned and looked at her as her eyes clouded with tears, "oh sweet Steven you keep doing these things to me that just steal me away from reality. Everything I was taught growing up flies in the face of how you treat me...I...well no one would believe this at all...men in our community expect women to be at their beck and call with food, laundry and babies and whatever else." She held me close and kissed my neck and began softly singing, 'At last my love has come along my lonely days are over and life is like a song...' – it had become our song, her sweet voice and profound love were mesmerizing me...she was beautiful, intelligent and talented...I mean what more could I ask for oh...and she loved me back.

After she showered, we picked up her suitcase and got into my car for the ride to my parents' house. I felt her watching me the whole way. At one point I smiled to her, "Hi beautiful," she made me happy.

"Hello my handsome Texas man, my fearless knight," she stroked my right hand and smiled as the afternoon air breezed through the open window of the Super Sport. We got a few stares at our small town stop lights. At one of the lights we saw my high school track coach who waved with his mouth hanging open. "You just keep smiling like this is normal," she laughed.

"It's normal for us isn't it," I pushed the point.

She slowly shook her head, "Steven, Steven, Steven what am I gonna do with you?"

I got quiet, "Love me Lissia that's all I want."

"Then you've got what you want because I love you forever," her voice got very quiet and assured, "there is no one like you anywhere – I want no other man and this isn't about your race or what happened to me it's about us Steven – you're my everything. I love who you are down to the last freckle on your chin."

As I pulled into my parents driveway I stopped and leaned over and kissed her, the lingering sweet and very emotional kiss of two star-crossed lovers whose destiny was being written as we kissed and dreamed, "My Lissia, my love thank you and thank God for you for coming into my life. I am so proud of you and your courage to be willing to love me so openly. I'm proud of how you went home today to face down the 'haints' of your life. I'm proud of your willingness to forgive what hurt you so deeply in the worst of all circumstances. I'm thrilled that you came to find me the other night and that my parents trust you and love you like their own flesh. You're my wife in spite of what Texas says..."

She inhaled a whimper, whispering, "Oh Steven you did it again baby...I can't go in your parents' house all blubbery and teary-eyed...that you regard me as your wife just salves my wounded heart...I love you my husband."

I looked up and saw the front door open with Mom and Dad standing in the doorway waiting for us.

LISSIA TALKS ABOUT 'GOING HOME'

You need to know that I was scared shitless about going home. I was scared for Steven no matter how brave he was nor how confident he or his parents were about his ability I was sure he was gonna die...there was no doubt in my mind...but I knew I'd be there with him if that happened. I was afraid he didn't know what he didn't know about my family...damn it. I should have trusted him but his actual age didn't really give him credit for his maturity – intellectually and emotionally. He was a 50 year old man in a 20 year old body...how the hell did that happen? Anyway the whole ride there was terrifying for me...Steven just took it in stride like it was what we had to do today so let's go get it done. My stomach churned over and over like I needed to retch. I had that bile taste in my mouth half the day. Watching Steven drive to our destiny I thought forward for him in the Army – I just knew he'd be a fine soldier. And that scared the shit out of me too.

When we got to the farm everything was familiar, the smells, the sounds and the emotions of fear and anger and betrayal. I could barely stifle what I was feeling. I was so upset and then I'd look at my baby - calm and confident knowing damn well it was all under control and I thought, 'if he only knew what the fuck he was driving into he'd turn and run.' But that ain't even in his makeup – the man doesn't run from shit. He told me one time it was because he couldn't outrun danger so he'd just stand and duke it out. My heart hurt so badly I had the flight instinct.

Steven opened the door for me and when I saw Momma on the porch holding her hands out to me telling me to come to her I ran to her open arms and she hugged me and patted my back...loving on me like everything was okay. Mom was rather chilly toward Steven almost mocking him. Then we went inside and it got worse when we sat to coffee – she embarrassed him with her comment about liking his coffee like he liked his women 'strong, black and hot' and Steven didn't miss a beat he smiled and agreed. I warned her not to fuck with him cause he's no kid when it comes to quick – she kept pushing it and asked him if he was bedding me. He very politely said that gentlemen don't talk about their ladies so don't ask and he stated as plain as day that we were getting married he didn't ask her permission he told her what we were doing. She tried that righteous indignation with him – that shit don't fly. Then she made the grievous mistake of trying to fake him out about the farm. He asked a few questions and Momma was running like hell. He found us out real quick. Great granddaddy was a free black man who was propertied and wealthy – he also financed a 'colored artillery unit' in Virginia. The other great granddaddy was a landowner in Louisiana - free black as well – no slave history in our family. That's one of the reasons our family was held in high regard in Waller County. Momma tried to bullshit Steven and he found her out and she tried a different approach with him.

Then Daddy came in and tried his best to push Steven around and Steven called his bluff too. So Steven jumped his ass about how he'd treated me after the rape and wouldn't let him up and flat-ass told him he wouldn't put up with his bullshit either. Steven was as calm as anyone I've ever known. The hotter it got in that kitchen the calmer he seemed to get. At one point Daddy told him he had a pistol and coulda shot him and with me sitting in his lap Steven pulled a .38 outta his boot and held it up and told Daddy with a sweet smile that he coulda, maybe, but that he carried too. Daddy liked that – I think he liked the fact that Steven has a pair of cast iron balls or cajones. Steven held me in his lap and let them know that I was his woman and that he was my man. I don't know if there was ever a time when I loved him more than in that moment. We left there, we didn't stay for lunch I didn't want to deal with the other part of the family – those assholes would have been laying for Steven so we went back to Hockley and had some barbecue – me shaking like a leaf the whole ride – Steven just calm as you please like this was a school project on his TO DO list. He told me that as long as he could stand in front of me he knew it would be okay. What about that y'all?

Steven Baby I love you!!

BACK TO MOM AND DAD'S HOUSE

(I love you too Lissia Sweetheart!!)

I got out of the car and went around to Lissia's door and held it for her and then retrieved her overnight bag. She'd already gone to hug Mom and Dad. She and Mom were chattering away leaving Dad and me to fend for ourselves – he just looked at me and grinned, "Whatta you know about that?" He shook his head, "How'd it go Steven?"

"It was hard on Phylissia Dad. She's been pretty upset by it all. We've talked a lot about it – probably wouldn't hurt for you and Mom to ask us both some questions just to make sure we're understanding all that happened. I may have been rude Dad," I confessed.

"What did you say?" he turned to face me.

"Well Mr. Wright said he had a pistol and he coulda shot me so I showed him mine – told him I carried too," I sort of grimaced when I told him.

I could see the corners of his mouth turning up all the while trying to keep a calm demeanor, "Did you shoot him or anyone else?"

"No sir."

"Good." He patted my back and we went into the kitchen to join our ladies who were already sitting at the table talking with iced tea in front of them.

I went over and kissed Mom and then sat next to Lissia and kissed her, "Catch us up ladies, please?'

Mom shook her head, "Just girl talk. It's none of your business Steven."

I looked at Dad and he put his hands up palms facing me as if to say, 'Don't look at me.'

Dad started with the questions, "So Phylissia how'd everything go with your parents?"

Lissia took off at a dead run recounting everything blow by blow with Dad half smiling and Mom in shock. When she finished explaining it all she looked at me, "Did I tell everything?"

I shrugged, "Dad asked you to explain how it went from your perspective and you just told him. Personally I'd say you nailed it."

She patted my cheek, "Okay Mr. Logician." I love her soft touch – I get so excited around Lissia. She leaned against me and smiled to Mom, "You've raised a sweet man Mrs. Edwards."

Mom beamed, "We tried to raise him to be a gentleman and to respect women. I'm proud of him and his Daddy is too."

We sat and talked for a long while dealing with the challenges of being what is now called a biracial couple. Mom very openly asked Lissia questions about growing up black and Lissia fielded those questions beautifully. Mom shocked me when she told Lissia how wrong her attitude has been toward black people and she did something amazing, "Phylissia if I could take back every ugly thing I ever said about black people I would. I can't and I want you to know how sorry I am for the attitude I held toward you and other black folk. Momma and Poppa raised me better than that."

Lissia reached across the table and took her hands and squeezed them, "Mrs. Edwards you've blessed me with your Son – you've trusted me with your baby – he's my baby too we both love him passionately don't we?"

That scene choked Dad and me up he looked away and I looked down with burning eyes just holding onto my sweet Lissia.

Our evening was quiet, Mom had leftover pot roast that was outstanding. We ate our fill and then drove to Vicki's Drive-In for root beer floats. We were quite a treat for those who were there. Several of my buddies saw Lissia and me together and almost ran into one another's cars – this was the day of driving round and round the drive-in restaurant – cruisin' as we called it back then.

We got back home in time to watch the news. There were two stories about Vietnam that we all paid close attention to, especially Lissia as she squeezed my arm tightly – I patted her hand and she looked at me and I hugged her closely, whispering, "I won't tell you not to worry."

We watched another story of marches against segregation – I could feel my anger rising, I didn't know I was trembling, but Lissia sat up, "Are you okay?"

"No I'm not," I was furious. "There was no reason to let this go on – it was time to stop segregation and hate right now."

She stroked my face, "Easy baby give them a chance to get it right..."

"They've had two hundred years to get it right," I was angry partly because segregation was wrong and the other part because of the laws that kept us apart. We were going to have to go out of state to get married or be put in jail.