fearful because he knew that the conflict to come was an unmatched and unfair bout, but he still stood tall, firm, his fists balled as he prepared to defend Liberty.
Ezekiel didn’t say one word as he loomed over A’shai. Without warning he issued a blow to A’shai’s chest that sent him flying backwards into the door. His twelve-year-old chest caved in, making it hard for him to breathe and causing stinging tears of shock to accumulate in his eyes.
“Shai!” Liberty called out.
“You want to be a man?! You want to barge in here like you are a man?!” Ezekiel shouted as he looked down on his son. “She is a whore! A Liberian whore! That is what she is here for!”
Ezekiel was enraged that his son had the gumption to go against the grain, and he was determined to beat him into submission. If A’shai was willing to buck against him over Liberty, he would eventually buck against the rebels in an attempt to have his own mind. Ezekiel was determined to teach A’shai a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.
“Stand up!” Ezekiel demanded with fiery anger burning in his menacing eyes.
A’shai staggered to his feet while Liberty looked on fearfully. As soon as A’shai planted both feet on the ground, Ezekiel leveled him once again… hitting his son so hard that it felt as if A’shai’s chest cavity had been broken. Tears threatened to spill, but A’shai refused to cry, especially in front of Liberty.
“Stand up!” Ezekiel yelled.
Panting on the floor, A’shai knew that he could not take much more of this. He glanced at Liberty who was crying and staring at him with worry in her eyes. He couldn’t let his father hurt Liberty. It was in that moment that he knew he had to make a choice between his father, a man who he had admired all his life, or Liberty, a girl he barely knew.
“I’m sorry,” A’shai whispered. Ezekiel smiled wickedly as he watched his son concede defeat. He turned to finish what he had started with Liberty but he didn’t take two steps in her direction before he felt the sharp blade of the axe split his back wide open. A’shai wasn’t apologizing for defending Liberty. He was apologizing for stabbing his own father in the back-literally. Ezekiel fell to his knees as he tried to reach behind him to remove the blade, but his arms were too short.
“Come on!” A’shai yelled as he grabbed Liberty’s hand before running out of the hut. They could hear Ezekiel’s screams as they darted through the village. A’shai knew that his father wasn’t dead and if he caught them there would be hell to pay. The beating would be so severe that it would be worse than death. They both understood this and it was that fear that caused their legs to keep flying as their hearts pumped furiously. They didn’t stop until they were on the outskirts of the village and Liberty could no longer keep up with A’shai’s pace. Out of breath, she called out, “Shai wait!”
His momentum slowed as he looked back. He stopped completely when he saw her panting from exhaustion.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, no… you came in before he could. Where are we going?” she asked. They had no food, no money, and no direction but the one thing that they did have was each other and for A’shai that was enough. He had no idea where they were headed but he wanted to seem like a man… like he knew exactly where to lead her. He wanted her to feel as if she could depend on him. So even though he had no plan and felt just as lost as Liberty, he grabbed her hand and asked, “Do you trust me?”
She hesitated before answering, but she knew that A’shai was all she had left and after what he had done for her today she couldn’t say no. Nodding her head yes she replied, “I trust you.”
They interlocked pinkies, sealing their faith in one another and took off in the opposite direction of what was once home.
They ran for hours, until the soles of their feet were so tender that they ached. As the leader of the rebels, Ezekiel was too powerful not to fear. His reach was long and if they stopped moving, undoubtedly they would be caught.
“Shai, I cannot run anymore. I’m tired and I’m hungry,” Liberty said as she nursed the cramp that had been building in her stomach.
Breathing heavily, A’shai looked at her. He could see her distress. They had traveled two towns over but were not far enough to feel safe. Traveling by foot would only be delaying their inevitable capture. They needed a ride and as A’shai looked around he formulated a plan in his head. The busy capital of Freetown was bustling with traffic, allowing A’shai and Liberty to go unnoticed. Noticing a man leave his car unattended, A’shai grabbed Liberty’s hand and ran to the back of the vehicle. Lifting the tarp he ushered her quickly inside before climbing in behind her.
“Where are we going?” she whispered.
“Wherever he takes us,” A’shai replied as he wrapped one arm around her shoulder while holding onto the side of the Jeep. They heard the car start and the relief that filled them made them optimistic, feeling as though they were home free.
As soon as the car stopped moving A’shai and Liberty hopped from the back and took off. They didn’t know where they were, but as long as they were far from Ezekiel they no longer cared. The smell of salt water filled the air as Liberty stared out at the single ship that was docked in the port. She was amazed at the sight. She had never seen so much water in her life. As she held onto A’shai’s hand she wondered how so much water could be in one place when it was so scarce in her old village.
“I’m going to get you some food,” A’shai said. “Stay here.”
“No I want to come with you,” Liberty said. A’shai was all she had left and despite how they had been brought together, she never wanted to be torn apart from him. He was the only friend she had and the only person who had ever made her heart’s pace pick up. The puppy love she had for him was one of loyalty and protection. He made her feel safe, and she trusted him without limits. They noticed a metal crate that sat open on the port that contained imported vegetables. Knowing that he didn’t have much time, A’shai ran over to the shipping crate to steal a snack. He lifted his foot and kicked through one of the wooden containers, causing tomatoes to spill out onto the crate floor.
“Hurry, Shai,” Liberty whispered as she shuffled her feet nervously.
“Here, wrap these in the bottom of your dress,” he instructed. He handed her five large tomatoes and then stuffed as many as he could into his own loose pockets. They were both running on empty and just the sight of the ripened fruit made their mouths water. Something as simple as a tomato was like a luxury dish for them. It was what the wealthy people in Sierra Leone had access to.
She was jarred from her thoughts when a firm hand grasped her shoulder.
“What are you two doing in here? You little port thieves!” a man yelled as he turned Liberty around forcefully, causing the tomatoes to fall out of the folds of her thin fabric dress.
A’shai immediately sprang into action. “Let her go,” he yelled, trying to force bass into his voice.
“You’re not supposed to be here. You’re…” before the man could finish his sentence A’shai had kicked the man square between his legs, causing him to double over in pain. Without needing instruction, A’shai and Liberty took off, running to the other side of the port.
“You see those kids?” A’shai asked as he looked in the near distance.
“Yeah!” Liberty shouted.
“Run to them… go… we can blend in with them,” A’shai shouted. He turned his head to look back at the man who had given chase and as he turned back around he collided head first into a woman, the impact sending him to the ground. He looked up into the eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Like a model on a TV screen, her blue eyes made her angelic and he was momentarily star struck by her magnificence.
Liberty stopped running and looked behind her. The man was coming up on them fast.
“Stop them… stop them!” he shouted as A’shai scrambled to his feet and grabbed Liberty’s hand as he looked around desperately for a way out.
“It’s okay,” the white woman said as she put her hands up. “Everything will be fine.”
The man came running up, breathing hard as he finally caught up to them. “These two… stealing… stealing fruit…” He was so exhausted from the chase that he could barely get the sentence out. He put both hands on his knees as he sucked in air.
“He’s lying!” A’shai shouted back defensively.
