There is an old saying; you don't cheat the hang man. So, when my husband was convicted of assault and sentenced to hang, I felt like my whole world was crumbling at my feet. I had to get him out of the noose and the only way I saw this happening was to offer another body in his stead, my body. So the night before the hanging I waited until my husband was fast asleep before making my way to the edge of town. It was said that the hangman lived alone and that no one ever saw his face. I'm determined however even though I'm five months pregnant to change his mind. The walk is almost too much for me but I do make it.
I am an anomaly in the town because of my Creole heritage and my dark black husband. Most women with fair looks like me try to preserve their features when it comes to breeding. I had fallen for Jack though and there was no amount of stigma that was going to keep me away from his coal colored complexion. I loved him in a way that not many women can say they love their husbands and tonight I was willing to sacrifice it all to keep him safe.
I knock twice on the door before a gruff voice beckons me inside. A pair of eyes stares at me from next to the fireplace.
"Jack?" I say his name aloud but I still can't believe my eyes. My husband must have had the same thing in mind and tried to plead with the hangman. I look around but my husband is alone. There are a million things running through my mind as my face twists into a scowl.
"Don't scream baby," he says and I practically float to where he is standing.
"What are you doing here?"
"I needed to know that I could trust you," he says almost child-like.