The Prodigy Slave, Book Three: The Ultimate Grand Finale (Revised Edition 2020)

by Londyn Skye

  While Levi’s wife was out of town, Maya had taken over the duty of delivering lunch and drinks to Levi and the drifter as they worked. Unbeknownst to Levi, though, Maya was receiving unwanted tips for her service. For two days, Maya had put up with vulgar behavior, disgusting comments, and sexual advances from the filthy drifter. Every time she had delivered his food, he whispered graphic details about the sort of things he wanted to do to her body. When Levi was not watching, the unkempt drifter was constantly groping Maya’s posterior while rapidly flickering his tongue at her. Maya’s constant disgusting encounters with the man had her petrified and had drastically changed her usual joyful demeanor. After finally discovering why Maya’s jubilance was suddenly non-existent, Levi was more than happy to get rid of the problem. He now walked away from Maya in the chicken coop, hoping that that beautiful side of her would finally return. He had sincerely missed it.

  Hours after his confrontation with the drifter, Levi had cleaned up, changed his clothes, and was ready to eat and relax for the evening. Typically, he did not have a house slave. He could not afford one. He needed the few slaves he had working in the fields, so the household duties were usually handled by his wife, Emily. While she was out of town, Levi greatly appreciated the extra hours that Maya was putting in to help indoors. In all truthfulness, he wished that Maya could prepare his meals all the time. He felt his wife’s food was bland in comparison to hers. For that fact alone, Levi was happy to be plodding downstairs toward the wonderful aroma Maya had circulating in the house. He walked into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. “Smells good,” he said to her.

  “Steak, potatoes, cornbread, and green beans,” Maya replied as she sat his plate down on the table and wiped her hands on her apron. “Got an extra steak keepin’ warm in the oven if that one ain’t enough. I warmed up that left ova’ peach cobbla’ I made yesta’day too … if ya’ got room for it, of course,” she added shyly.

  “Now this is a true man’s meal,” Levi said, staring at the spread of food. “And don’t worry, I’ll certainly be savin’ room for that famous peach cobbla’ ‘a yours.” Levi turned to Maya and faintly smiled at her. “Thank you for all ‘a this Maya.”

  “You’re welcome,” Maya smiled back, feeling unusually nervous around him. She lowered her head quickly when Levi continued to stare at her the same way he had earlier in the day. “A-anything else before I go?” she stammered nervously.

  “No. Don’t think I could botha’ you for much more,” Levi replied.

  “It’s no botha’ at all.”

  “Thank you. But I think this will do.”

  “I’ll leave you to your meal then. Have a nice evenin’.” Maya headed toward the door, but suddenly stopped and turned back around. “Masta’ Lee, I-I wanted to say thank you … for what ya’ done for me today in the chicken coop,” she told him, still staring at the wooden planks of the kitchen floor. She heard the floorboards creaking as Levi made his way toward her. Her heartbeat became erratic as he approached, much like in the chicken coop.

  “You’re welcome,” Levi replied. For the second time that day, he placed his hand beneath Maya’s chin. He lifted her head and waited for her eyes to meet his. For a few seconds, he just gazed at her. “Please don’t look down when you speak to me,” he said, suddenly caressing Maya’s cheek with the back of his hand. “I can’t stand it when you hide this face from me,” he whispered. Without once blinking, he continued to admire her beauty. “Maya,” he said softly, still gazing at her. “Your name means the Goddess of spring.” He suddenly began gliding his fingertips softly and slowly down the sides of her face, like she was the most fragile, priceless sculpture he had ever laid his eyes on. “I can’t think of a more perfect name for someone as stunningly beautiful as you,” he said, looking straight into her eyes.

  Levi’s spellbinding statements seemed to hypnotize Maya and caused a flurry of butterflies to erupt in her stomach. Her enchanted mind suddenly could not conjure up a single appreciative thing to say in return after being warmed by the graciousness of Levi’s words. Her thoughts were completely lost while she stared unblinking into the innocent green eyes gazing captivatingly at her. “Masta’, I…”

  “Levi,” he interrupted, still unwilling to blink as he gazed at Maya. “Please … just call me Levi. I wanna hear you say it,” he whispered, insisting she defy slave etiquette.

  Again, Maya was too stunned to respond to his simple wish. She swallowed hard and just continued nervously holding his gaze.

  Levi softly caressed the side of her face with the back of his hand. “I lied. There is one otha’ thing I’s hopin’ you’d do before you go.”

  “Wh-what’s that?” Maya managed to reply.

  “Have dinna’ with me.”

  “I-I umm, really only made enough for just you.”

  “You said you made an extra steak. I’d be glad to let you have it and share whateva’ else you’ve made,” Levi replied, having yet to take his hand down from Maya’s face.

  “Thank ya’ kindly but…”

  “Please?” he begged.

  “I just really don’t think that’d be a good idea. ’Sides, it’s been a long day, and I really would like to get some rest. But thank you.”

  Levi felt his heart plummet over Maya’s decision and finally removed his hand from her face. “I unda’stand.” He then took a step back to help put to rest the intense emotions that the feel of Maya’s skin had instantaneously awakened.

  “I-I think I bes’ be gettin’ on back to the quarta’s.”

  Levi reluctantly nodded his head. “Goodnight.”

  “Night masa’.”

  It slightly stung Levi to hear Maya call him master after his request just moments before.

  Maya walked toward the exit, put her hand on the doorknob, and lingered there a moment. She hesitated to open it but refused to turn back around to look at Levi. She could feel his eyes on her and was shocked that she rather enjoyed that fact. But still, she refused to turn back around.

  When Maya finally departed, Levi went to the window and watched her keep walking without breaking stride or turning back to look at him. As she strolled into the darkness, Levi’s appetite vanished along with her.

  May 7th, 1831

  Today, my father-in-law gave us one of his slaves. Her name is Maya. Considering the definition of her name, it is so fitting that she has arrived here in this season. She has undoubtedly enhanced the beauty of spring. I never believed in love at first sight, but after what I felt when I first saw her, I’m starting to think that I can’t make that claim anymore…

  That was the first few sentences of a brand-new secret journal that Levi had started the day Maya moved onto the property years prior. He usually kept that secret journal in a hidden compartment beneath the ground in the barn. But while his wife was away, he had brought it into the house to add his daily entries. He had opened to that first page and read his first passage before finding an empty page to write about the incident with the drifter, as well as his bold statements to Maya in the kitchen.

  After finishing his entry, Levi blew out his oil lamp and laid back on the bed with his hands folded behind his head. The latter part of his journal entry had him wide awake staring at the ceiling. He was worried that he had offended Maya by his overt behaviors before dinner. He did not understand what had overcome him in that moment. He had gone from three years of successfully suppressing his emotions to letting them erupt all at once. Resisting the unrelenting urge to touch Maya with his hands and with his words suddenly felt like fighting off the urge to breathe. Before meeting Maya, Levi had never felt the sort of deep emotions for a woman that compelled him to act or speak in such a beautiful way without thinking. Not even his wife had ever motivated such boldness.

  Had it not been for Wyatt’s accidental conception, Levi never would have married Emily. Wyatt was conceived at a church retreat, of all places. While there, a group of teenagers had gotten a hold of some liquor. Inadequate supervision f
or two dozen immature, intoxicated brains proved to be a recipe for disaster. In fourteen-year-old Emily and Levi’s case, it was a recipe for a baby. Levi had always considered Emily pretty, but other than what he heard through usual church gossip, he did not know much about her. The following month, however, Levi learned that he was about to spend the rest of his life getting to know Emily extremely well. His knees nearly buckled when she came to him in tears about the fact that she was expecting.

  Before Wyatt’s conception, Levi dreamt of going to music school and pursuing a career as a professional pianist. Such motivation was driven by a life-altering trip he had taken to New York to see a symphony live when he was twelve. As dirt poor as their family was, traveling to Manhattan for such an opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The unforgettable magical moments Levi experienced the night of that symphony solidified his desire to pursue a career in music. Three years later, however, Wyatt’s accidental conception completely changed Levi’s life path. Levi’s father had taught him well about dealing with the consequences of his poor choices. Levi, therefore, never once questioned what he had to do. Like an upstanding man, he confessed his sins to Emily’s father, begged his forgiveness, and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Levi then made the selfless decision to put his musical aspirations aside and dedicate his life to being a family man, instead of the esteemed musician he had dreamt of becoming.

  Though jolted by the fact that their son would now likely spend his life as a farmer, Levi’s family was supportive. His parents scraped together enough money to provide the youngsters with a small farm and a few slaves as a wedding gift. The next gift Levi would receive arrived a few months later on his birthday of all days: his firstborn son. At only fifteen years old, Levi then began his new life as an immature father and husband to a young woman who was essentially a stranger to him.

  The perils of two strangers marrying young and caring for a baby began to take its toll within the very first few months of the marriage. Levi quickly realized that he and Emily were not remotely compatible. Being an extremely God-fearing young man, though, divorce was not an option in his mind. He was determined to give Wyatt an upbringing guided by the Lord’s word, even if that meant staying in a relationship with a woman that he quickly began to hate with every fiber of his being. He coped with the tortures of his marriage by working long hours on the farm and spending every spare minute with the boys that the couple kept conceiving in the rare moments when they were not bickering.

  Emily, in turn, coped with the tortures of their marriage by secretly spending money … lots of it. Most of what she spent went toward liquor. Her first taste of alcohol at the church retreat had been her undoing. She never forgot the way it instantly relaxed and numbed her. She knew immediately it was the medicine she needed to cope with the perils of raising rowdy boys and living in an abysmal, loveless marriage. She was a functioning alcoholic, who consumed more alcohol daily than a man twice her size could handle. While thoroughly intoxicated, Emily would often spend the couple’s meager earnings on fancy dresses and purses. She felt she deserved such extravagant items as a reward for dealing with a family she loathed. The more she spent on her addictions, the less time she spent caring for her boys and paying the bills on time like she was charged with doing. Her selfish ways were often a source of massive arguments for the couple that maintained their level of disdain for one another. But still, for the sake of his sons, Levi endured every migraine Emily gave him. Like jagged rocks, he swallowed the nightmare of his life and continued to work hard to stay afloat financially and to put food in his children’s mouths.

  Four years into his tumultuous marriage, Maya was given to Levi by his father-in-law. The very first day she arrived at the plantation, she unknowingly became a source of calm in Levi’s emotionally turbulent world. On a daily basis, he and Maya quietly worked with one another in the barn, tending to the animals together like a well-rehearsed symphony. Levi admired the way Maya cared for the animals with such a quiet tenderness … and the way she quietly cared for him as well. Levi never spoke about the disasters of his marriage, but he could tell by Maya’s actions that she knew when he was feeling down. She never failed to calmly take over his chores during moments when she sensed his agitation. When the pair did speak, it was usually matters regarding the upkeep of the farm. But Maya’s way with words and her ideas to improve production made it clear to Levi that her mind was just as beautiful as her ability to read his emotions. In Levi’s opinion, Maya exuded an emotional and intellectual wisdom that far superseded the average eighteen-year-old. They were qualities he was extremely attracted to. The uniqueness of her overall being ignited intense feelings within him that he had never felt before.

  Ironically, Maya’s presence quickly made Levi understand his wife’s addiction to alcohol. He finally understood what it was like to have an insatiable craving for something. He understood what it was like to wake up thinking about something, to have it inundate one’s every thought every second of the day, to fall asleep with it drenching one’s mind, and to have it happily invading one’s dreams. He now knew how one’s drug of choice had the power to make the most horrible circumstances seem trite. He knew now how if felt to never want to give something up, no matter how wrong it might be. And much like with alcohol, the symptoms of withdrawals immediately set in without the presence of a woman whom Levi had become as helplessly addicted to as a drug.

  Levi’s need for Maya strengthened when he saw that his sons were equally drawn to her warm exuberance. They seemed as instantly addicted to her as he was. Sensing her genuine compassion, they all instinctively flocked to her the first day she arrived. Maya was kind and patient with them as she showed them how to milk cows, brush horses, and collect eggs. Even with a toddler in the bunch, she showed the utmost patience. The boys woke up every morning eager to work with Maya, waddling behind her like little baby geese behind their mother. Even out of her presence, they constantly talked about “Miss Maya” and all the things she was teaching them. Levi certainly understood their extreme enthusiasm. Their mother’s alcoholism made her mean, cold, and dismissive. In stark contrast, Maya had a nurturing, loving nature and bathed Levi’s sons in it. It made Levi encourage their time with her as much as possible. He knew his boys were naturally desperate for the warm affections that a father could not offer and that their birth mother refused to give. More times than Levi could count, he had glanced over and fought back tears as he silently thanked Maya for filling such a precious significant role in his sons’ lives.

  Watching Maya with his boys was not the only reason Levi often glimpsed at her while she was not looking. Countless times, Maya felt the presence of Levi’s eyes on her, but she would turn only to find him concentrating on his work. Levi’s stolen glances made her feel as though her intuitions had gone haywire. Unbeknownst to her, though, they were in perfect working order. Levi had always secretly had an affinity for brown-skinned women, but he was utterly captivated by Maya’s unique features like no other. Maya never had any idea how hard Levi struggled to quickly pull his eyes away from her in moments he was nearly caught staring. She never knew how much he absolutely loved the unblemished milk-chocolate color of her skin and the way her light-brown eyes stood out against it. He longed to be trapped in the gaze of those bedroom eyes. He loved the way the tight curls of her afro peeked out of the top of her neatly wrapped scarf. He admired the way she seemed to carry herself like she was meant to be perched on an Egyptian throne with he as her loyal servant, far too unworthy of being her cherished Pharaoh. The way her full lips perfectly accentuated her face made him feel as though her profile was indeed worthy of painting on an Egyptian pyramid wall. Her perfect white teeth, strong jawline, and the evenness of her facial structure made him swear that God had called on his most renowned artist to painstakingly sculpt her. Maya would have been truly stunned to learn that all of her collective beautiful features had made Levi Collins inwardly deem her as a Nubian Goddess. Levi’s youngest t
wo sons may not have ever been conceived had it not been for that very Nubian goddess playing the lead character in his erotic fantasies while using his wife as an understudy. His fantasies were so powerful, it took an act of God not to moan the wrong name upon climax.

  There were far simpler things about Maya that captivated Levi as well. The happy sound of her voice and her laughter as she spoke to his sons would linger in his ears all day like beautiful music. He was especially fascinated by the way Maya would halt her duties altogether and stare out of the barn window in awe of heavy rainstorms, seemingly entranced. In those moments, it made Levi crave to know the secrets of her mind. Even more intriguing to him was the way Maya never failed to smile at the brilliance of the rainbows that often came after those storms. It was for that very reason that he, too, had learned to love the rain. It was not the storm itself that Levi loved but, rather, the clearing of the sky afterward that left a chance to reveal a spectrum of colors as lovely as the smile it would always bring to Maya’s face.

  Levi never realized how much Maya’s rainbow-induced smile had come to mean to him until he was on his way home from picking up supplies in town one day. He looked up and saw a rainbow in the distance after a summer storm had cleared. He immediately stopped his wagon in the middle of the road and stared up at it. He was certain that it stretched over the fields of his farm. He was just as certain that he had missed a rare opportunity to see the phenomenal smile that always lit up his world. He felt his heart sink a little over the thought of missing that beautiful sight. In that instance, Levi closed his eyes and mentally retrieved the perfectly preserved memory of Maya smiling at her precious rainbows. He then opened his eyes and gazed up at the sky again and thanked God for the mysterious wonder that brought such joy to a woman that he was beginning to care about more than even the strongest man’s heart could handle.