“Where here” Michael said shaking me softly. I woke up and looked out of the window in awe. There was a lot of green at first but it quickly turned into city and still it was pretty. “Wow” I said looking out at all of the nice buildings. It reminded me of New York but just a lot older. “We’re in London?” I asked expecting it to look a little different. “No, we’re in Germany” Michael said putting the seat belt on when the little light turned on. “I thought you said we were going to London” I said wondering how he could make that mistake. “I had a dumb moment. I thought that Germany was in London.” He said this a bit embarrassed. I stared at him for a good minute wondering whether or not I should say something but I just let it go. We arrived at the airport which was exciting for me. There were so many different cultures of people trying to find family, or just simply visiting. An older Spanish lady tapped me on the shoulder. I looked down at her as she began to speak. “¿Sabes cómo llegar a Frankfurt?” I looked over at Michael and asked him, “do you know how to get to Frankfurt?” He looked at me confused and said, “this is Frankfurt.” I turned back to the old lady and said, “estamos en el aeropuerto de Frankfurt.” She looked around and spotted her family. She smiled and thanked me and then walked away. “I’d forgotten you were part Latina, spicay” Michael said with a big smile. “There you are Mr. Jackson, how was your flight?” A man in a suit asked us while walking up. “Fine thank you, we had a lot of fun” Michael said shaking the guy’s hand. “Sr. Douglas is awaiting your arrival. Please follow me” the man was really formal which made me nervous. “We didn’t catch your name Sir” I said trying to be as polite as possible. “Nibbles, Sir Nibbles” Michael cut his eyes at me sharply and I held back my laughter. We were escorted in a limo to Sr. Douglas’ house. “What is your name young lady?” The man asked from his seat, I guess he was our escort. “Yahara Haul” I stated flashing him a smile but his face remained serious. “You’re not Mr. Jackson’s wife?” He asked a bit curious. “No I’m his girlfriend” I said a bit embarrassed. His facial expression dropped, it was as if I had said I was his prostitute. “Sr. Douglas is a very religious man. Fornication is not allowed in the manor. I will hold my tongue, but you will have to present yourself as a married couple.” Sr. Nibbles said while looking between the two of us for a response. “I can do that” Michael said shrugging his shoulders and looking over at me. I nodded my head in agreement but I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as it had sounded.

We approached the manor and might I say HOLY MOTHER OF EARTH that thing was big. I stared at it clenching my mouth so that it wouldn’t drop. Michael looked up as if it was just another house and turned his head away. Mr. Nibbles got out first and as I was stepping out Michael stopped me. “You have to pretend as if you aren’t gonna pee your pants. We have to be professional in order to impress him” I nodded my head understandingly and stepped out. “Welcome to my humble abode. I am Sr. Douglas. Mr. Jackson I am extremely excited to be doing business with you. Who is this?” He asked curiously taking my hand and kissing it. I fought off the urge to wipe my hand off and make a face. Instead I just smiled and Michael had a smile on his face as if he could see my disgust. “My name is Yahara” I said still trying to smile. “You look as if you’re of Latina heritage, very exotic and beautiful. Consider yourself lucky Mr. Jackson” Michael looked over at me still wearing his smile. “She is great” he said turning back to Sr. Douglas. “Let us go inside, Sr. Nibbles will show you to your rooms” he said escorting us inside. The entrance was really big. The floors were covered in black marble and the walls were from what I could see dark red. There were statues and vases everywhere. It was creepy and fantastic all in one. “We’ll meet again at supper” Mr. Douglas said disappearing down a dark hallway. “Do you have a nickname Sr. Nibbles?” I asked trying not to laugh. “No, we aren’t given nicknames” he said in a dead tone while walking down the long hallway. “But for a fine lady as yourself, I will accept a nickname”, he said flashing me the first smile since we got here which was hardly visible. “Then I shall call you Nibs” I announced giggling a bit. His smile grew a bit bigger which was kind of a laugh. “Very well” he said leading us down a the hallway. The light was pretty dim and the hallway was extremely long. At the end I could see a little girl peeking at me. “Who’s that?” I asked a bit frightened. “That is Sr. Douglas’ cousin. Her name is Ana; she has been awaiting your arrival for a week now.” Nibs said while opening our room door. “How many people live here?” I asked a bit curious. “Thirty of Mr. Douglas’ family members live here. They usually come out around supper time. So you’ll see them then.” We walked into the room and I tried my best to not get excited in front of Nibs. When he left I looked at Michael with the biggest smile. “This is crazy” I said looking around the big room. “Yea it is, but I have a bad feeling about this place.” He said looking around the room. “I’m trying to finish this painting in less than two weeks and then we’re out of here.” He said putting his bags down. I looked at him confused. “Why do you want to leave so badly?” I asked a bit curious. “It’s like medieval times here it’s creepy. Plus they keep to their culture whatever the hell that was to begin with. These people are weird, trust me you’ll see.” He said giving me a warning look. I threw my bag on the floor and sat on the bed looking around. Michael came up to me and rested his hands on my knees. He kissed me softly and pulled back with a smirk. “How about we make up for lost time” Michael said while pushing me back on the bed. “No I’m good” I said getting up and walking to a door curious of what was inside. He grabbed me by the waist and picked me up carrying me back to the bed. I laughed and kicked but it was really nothing I could do. He sat me down in front of the bed and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Why do you play these games?” He asked with a smile spreading across his face. “It’s pretty fun, plus it’s a good way to keep things spicy” I said tugging on his hair. “You’re crazy” he stated pushing me back a bit. “Not right now, let’s wait til tonight I don’t feel comfortable with people in other rooms that I don’t know.” I stated looking around at the walls as if they were listening. “Ugh I can’t wait” he said picking me up like a baby and putting me on the bed. I lay down on the bed for a minute noticing how soft it was. “This bed is like a cloud” I said sinking into it. Michael climbed on top of me which took me out of my trance. “You’re like a dog in heat” I said smooshing his face with my hand. “You’re like a gay cat lady” he responded which made my mouth fly open in shock. “Don’t make me embarrass you in front of your German friends.” I said getting serious. His smile grew and he began to kiss me and once again he got his way.

“It’s time for supper” Nibs said knocking on our door. Which brought me back to earth; I pushed Michael off of me and got up. “We’ll be out in a second” Michael said pulling the covers off of him. I picked up one of my bags and opened it. “How am I supposed to dress?” I asked completely new to the whole idea. “Just dress normally, you’re just going to eat dinner” Michael said while putting a T-Shirt on. I figured I’d just wear a sun dress and some sandals. I put my hair into a braid and looking into the mirror unsure of what I was wearing. I opened the door to find Nibs standing there which scared me a bit. “Oh gosh Nibs I didn’t know you were still out here” I said while holding my chest. He didn’t say anything but just simply nodded and started back down the hallway. Michael and I followed close behind and every once in a while I would look back to see that long empty hallway. We walked back out to the main entrance and there were two teenage girls standing out there. At first they were talking but when they saw us they stared as if they were fascinated. “Hello” I said as polite as possible. They just nodded their heads without a word being spoken. We entered the dining hall which looked as if it was a hundred years old. The dining table stretched across the entire room and consisted of at least forty chairs. Mr. Douglas was sitting at a chair all the way at the end. Every one’s eyes were glued on us and I became a bit uncomfortable. They weren’t dressed as I expected. I guess I pictured them in ballroom gowns and suits but they were dressed more casually. We sat in two chairs next to Mr. Douglas who smiled up at us warmly. “You two are late, might I ask why?” He asked a bit curious. I felt a bit embarrassed and kept my glare at my bowl of soup. “Couldn’t figure out what to wear, Yahara thought she would have to wear a gown” Michael said as everyone began to chuckle. “I guess I’ve watched too many movies” I said as the chuckles grew a bit louder. “Let us pray” Mr. Douglas said grabbing my hand and the woman beside him. “Lord please bless the food that we are about to consume, and may we see many more meals. We pray that you keep your protection over our family and our guest.  May they have a long life and marriage? Bless them with many many children to carry on the Jackson name.” My eyes popped open and I looked over at Michael who smiled at my reaction. He bit his lip trying not to laugh and I looked back down at my plate trying not to laugh. “We’re going to hell for this” I thought to myself while shutting my eyes once again. “Amen” he said pulling his head back up smiling at Michael and I. “This is my wife Amelia, she has been ecstatic about your arrival.” She smiled at the both of us and I just smiled back. “Are you two religious?” She asked picking her spoon up. “Uh yes mam, I’m Christian” I stated looking at her waiting for a reaction. “We’re Catholic here, but don’t be distraught, we except all cultures here” I felt intimidated by how proper they were. I hate speaking because I had to think about how it would sound first. “What is your first name Mr. Jackson?” A girl asked from across the table. “Michael” he simply responded while picking up his spoon. I spotted the girls at the other end giggling at Michael which made me smile a bit. It was kind of cute seeing that they were like nine years old. “What’s your name?” He asked looking up at the girl as she began to blush. “Uh Hailen” she responded a bit stutterish. “How old are you?” He asked not paying attention to her flaming red face. “I’m 14 years old” she responded quickly. “I’ll be a woman in two years” she added on which made the entire table laugh. I even laughed a bit at her attempt. “Now now Hailen we don’t want to scare away our guest” Mr. Douglas said teasingly. She just looked down at her plate completely embarrassed. When I finally tasted the soup I knew why Michael was playing in it. It was really bland and I fought the nerve to dump salt and pepper in it. It tasted like thick greasy water, which made me disgusted even more. “Now that we are done with the soup we will eat the meal” Mr. Douglas announced to one of the servers who quickly called in a few people to pick up our plates. They replaced them with plates filled with food that looked delicious. “What is your ethnic heritage?” A younger boy asked me from across the table. “Are you referring to me?” I asked unsure of h=who he was talking to. He nodded his head as a smile appeared on his face. “Oh my father is Brazilian and Black and my mother was Korean. Strange mix I know” I said while picking up a grape to eat it. “Fascinating” he said looking at me as if he was trying to peer into my soul. I quickly looked away uncomfortably. “You are obviously an attractive couple. You’ve gotten my entire family goggle eyed” Amelia said as the table once again began to giggle. Michael looked over at me and smiled but I was kind of freaked out by the idea.

“Would you like a tour of the house?” Amelia asked me after dinner. “Uh sure I’d love a tour.” I said a bit caught off guard by her request. “I figured it would be a good way for us to get to know one another.” She said while walking towards the main entrance door. She opened it and we stood outside. “First I wanted to show you the back yard, I think you’ll love it” she said while walking on a stone pathway that I assumed led to the back yard.  “When did you and Michael meet?” She asked me looking out at the scenery. The house was surrounded by trees and the breeze felt just right. “Well we officially met in tenth grade at our old high school. But we got back together about two months ago.” I responded noticing how complicated the answer was. “You’ve broken up before?” She asked a bit confused. “Uh yea we’ve broken up numerous times” I responded a bit embarrassed. “What do you think caused the division?” She asked stopping in her tracks to look at me now interested. “Uh well I don’t really know. I think it’s because our personalities clash. We’re pretty different in a way” I said trying to think of the best answer myself. “I don’t think that’s the problem. You two balance each other out, I can tell” she quickly responded flashing me a smile. “What are those little buildings over there?” I asked noticing six small buildings lined up. They were pretty old and weren’t bigger than a room. “Oh that’s where the Douglas family kept their slaves. The locals became baffled and forced them to release them. You know how demanding people can be” The mood changed at this very statement. She had seemed as if she was irritated at the fact that their family had to release slaves. At that moment I realized what Michael was talking about when he mentioned that they stuck to tradition. “It’s a shame what happened to the African Americans” I responded watching her reaction. I figured I had taken her statement the wrong way. “Well that’s ones opinion” she simply responded as she began to walk again. “You know what? I just realized that Michael wanted me to come to the room for our daily ritual…..of um….sex” I said trying to come up with a lie to get away from this awkward position. I know it was a inappropriate lie and not w very good one either but I figured it would work. “Do you want to borrow my fertility candles?” Amelia asked quickly walking me in the opposite direction. “Uh no I think that my uh mother’s um Korean stones…of uh pregnancy will do just fine.” I said a bit freaked out by this family. “Oh there’s no point in using any of that Asian mumbo jumbo, I’ll get Sr. Nibbles to send you a candle” she quickly cut me off. Once we got into the house I quickly made my way back to the room. “Do you need me to take you?” Amelia asked standing at the entrance. “I’ll manage, thank you though” I responded flashing a smile while quickly moving down the long hallway. I didn’t even care that it was dark; the house no longer scared me. The people inside of it scared me. I Got into the room and quickly shut the door behind me. Michael had just gotten out of the shower and his hair was down which I LOVED. “What’s wrong?” He asked a bit concerned. “We have to get the hell up out of here” I quickly responded leaning up against the door. “What happened? May I remind you that I warned you” Michael added with a smile growing on his face. “Well she gave me a tour that ended short. They have slave houses in the back, and she sounded disappointed that they were freed. So I figured that I was taking it all wrong and I added that it was sad what happened to African Americans. She was like well I guess that’s one opinion” Michael mouth dropped at this, but still he wore his goofy smile. “She didn’t seem racist” he said while tightening his towel around his waist. “That’s because she doesn’t think that you’re black.” Before I could say anything else a knock came. I looked at the door and then back at Michael. “Open it” he whispered moving so that he wouldn’t be seen. I opened the door and there stood Nibs with two candles. “I brought your candles for your daily ritual of sex” he handed me the candles and I began to laugh. “Uh thanks Nibs” I said closing the door after receiving the candles. “Daily ritual of what?” Michael asked a bit confused. I began to laugh harder while putting the candles down on a table. “I kind of lied to get out of the awkward conversation of pro slavery, so I told her that I had to go have sex.” I became a bit embarrassed and my cheeks turned red. Michael began to laugh as he moved towards his bag. “That was your lie? You told her you had to go have sex” Michael looked up at me and began to laugh even harder. “Well yea I couldn’t think of anything. She gave us these fertility candles, should I spark one up so that she’ll think we used one?” I asked picking up the candle once more. “Hell no, we’re not using any of their voodoo. Look I’m thinking that we’ll just leave tomorrow and get a hotel. I can do his painting from there, and I’ll bring it back.” The thought of leaving made me feel much better. “Now for our daily ritual” Michael said moving closer to me with his towel still raped around his waist. “No are ritual was done before dinner Mr. Jackson” I said pushing him back. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me closer to him. “I don’t recall finishing which means that the ritual was not complete.” He looked down at me with his dark brown eyes looking deep into mine. “Have you thought about my question?” He asked caressing my cheek with his fingers. “Yea I have” I quickly responded which pleased him. He kissed me softly on my cheek and then began to gradually move to my lips. He pulled back and stared into my eyes intensely which cause me to look away. I still couldn’t share that intense stare with him after all of these years. He began to smile pleased with my reaction. It was like me being nervous turned him on in some strange way. “I love it when you do that” he said biting his bottom lip. “I’ve noticed” I responded looking down at the ground. “I promise I’ll get you out f here by tomorrow.” He said moving back to his bag as he began to get his underwear out.

“Your family has been so kind to us. But I’m afraid that my wife and I have to leave. See, I feel bad lying to you seeing that you’ve been so kind.” Michael said trying to think of a reason for our departure. I stared at him wondering where he was going with this. “I’ve come to know you as a religious man, a man that is under strict ruling of God. But you see me and Yahara don’t share the same views. We’re not married” Mr. Douglas’ smile dropped as he looked between the two of us. We were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast and I figured that this wasn’t really a good time to announce that. “Do you realize that this is a sin?” Mr. Douglas said looking up at the both of us as if he was concerned. “Well yes sir but we as humans sin everyday” I added trying to sooth the intense moment. “Ms. Yahara with all due respect it is not your place to speak on terms of fornication. It is a man’s place to repent, seeing as though you seduced such a man as Mr. Jackson.” I didn’t really know what he said but I did know that he had just called me a whore. “I’ll have you know Sr. Douglas that Michael has been the only man I’ve ever been with. So for you to imply that I’m loose is completely ignorant.” I could tell that I had said the wrong thing because the entire table started to whisper. “Damn straight” Michael added biting into his strawberry. “Mr. Jackson please discipline your wife” Sr. Douglas said while taking his glare off of me and onto Michael. “I couldn’t discipline her if I wanted to, trust me I’ve tried.” Michael commented while smiling. I could tell that this entire seen was about to go sour.