“Welcome to Julep Alley.” The actors welcomed them with a rousing rendition of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” Sam was elated. Raleigh stood back and watched her as she grew more and more animated. She motioned to him with a “come here” wave. He quickly moved toward her; he couldn’t get to her side fast enough.
Two actors who appeared to be the owners of the plantation approached them, each holding period clothing. Once they were face to face with Raleigh and Sam, they handed over the garments. The male actor told them that to receive the royal treatment at Julep Alley, they must become the new owners of the plantation. This, of course, Raleigh already knew as he had set up the entire day. He knew that this would be just what Sam would love, especially after he caught her in the hotel pretending to be a southern belle of the Old South. This trip would be her chance. She would be the lady of Julep Alley. She would love it; he knew it.
When the lady of the house handed Sam her gown, she crossed her arm in hers and showed her to the changing room where she would have women to assist her dressing. Sam skipped the entire way. When she walked in, a bevy of ladies were waiting to do her hair and makeup and help her into her dress, a beautiful recreated civil war ball gown. It was made of taffeta the color of violets, black lace, and ruffled at the hem. It lay off the shoulders, and each arm had black lace and puffed out caplet sleeves. It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. She had black silk gloves that went all the way up to her elbow and a black umbrella that would keep the hot southern sun off her shoulders. Her shoes were black lace up heeled boots and a large full underskirt. Not easily accessed for sure. He will definitely have to wait to see what’s underneath.
As she dressed, she told one lady she felt like Scarlett O’Hara getting ready for the ball at White Oaks. This was her greatest dream come true. She couldn’t wait to see what Raleigh was wearing.
It was getting toward lunchtime, and she was starving so she had the ladies hurry with her hair. They put her hair up, rolled in the back, with a black lace net, then topped it with a stunning hat of violet and black lace adorned with two blackened peacock feathers. They freshened her makeup and then walked her out to meet Raleigh. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she approached him. Will he like it?
As she approached him, his mouth fell open, and he could hardly put words together. A faint sound exited his throat like that of a roaring lion. At first she wasn’t sure what to make of it. He stood frozen just staring at her.
When their eyes met, a smiled escaped and he finally told her, “Baby, WOW! You look so beautiful. I never thought you could be more beautiful than you already are, but WOW, I was wrong. You belong down here with me, down in Alabama. We were destined to meet, and we are destined to be together.”
“You really think so?”
“Oh yes, darlin’. Without a doubt.”
“Well, you look very dapper yourself. Reminds me of the suit Rhett wore to the ball at White Oaks. Looks exquisite on you. I could get used to seeing you dressed like that.”
“Well, my darlin’, you will only get to see me one more time dressed like this.”
“And when is that?”
“That, my dear, is a secret for now, but I think you can figure it out. You’re a pretty smart filly.”
Raleigh crooked his arm in hers and they walked up the large front steps of the main house where lunch was waiting for them. As they walked, he almost sensed that Sam was skipping under all that taffeta, but he wasn’t sure. It was still adorable. Raleigh pulled the chair out for her and helped her closer to the table. One waitresses, acting as a slave, came to their table and poured them each a tall glass of chilled mint julep.
“Your first course will be out in just a moment. I hope you enjoy. If you need me, just ring this here bell.” She handed Sam the bell and headed inside the main house.
Sam was speechless for the first time in a long time. All she could do was stare and say, “Thank you” She had said it at least twenty times, and Raleigh continued to smile and tell her she was welcome and she deserved it. When the waitress returned, she brought a bottle of wine and two plates, each containing fried chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, and cornbread. Raleigh watched as both plates were placed in front of them and their wine was poured.
“Oh yeah, this is my favorite. Hope you know how to make all this, darlin’?”
“I can probably manage. I am a pretty good cook, I’m told.”
“So what do you think so far, darlin’?”
“Oh, Raleigh, this is amazing. It’s just beautiful here, nothing like I ever imagined. Thank you, baby.”
“Baby, you don’t have to keep thanking me. You deserve this and you deserve so much more.”
“But I haven’t done anything.”
“You, my darlin’, have done more than you will ever know.”
“Well, tell me then. I’d like to hear it.”
Sam picked up a piece of chicken and took a bite. Raleigh laughed as pieces fell into her lap.
“Darlin’, use your fork and pull it apart. I swear you are the cutest.”
“Ok,” she said, laughing. “No changing the subject. We are alone and we should get to know each other besides what’s under these clothes. That part I think we got covered.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right about that.”
“So, tell me what have I done?”
Raleigh sat back and thought for a moment. Here goes nothing. “Well, darlin’, it’s a bit of a long story.”
“Well, I got time, so shoot.”
“Most of it, you know already and then what you heard during Jared’s interrogation. So, I will start from the middle. He and I were part of a five-man team. We’d been on a lot of missions together, more than I can even count on both hands. We had been sent to the Takar Ghar mountains to find and engage a group of fighters hidden up in the caves. They hit our FOB a few times, and the Lieutenant Colonel was getting a little tired of dealing with it, so he sent us out. Things were fine until they ambushed us. Killed three of our guys. I was shot in the shoulder and Jared in the leg. We fought them for a while and we were surrounded, pinned down all sides. We took a lot of them out, but eventually they overran us and captured us. They took turns torturing us. At first they tortured us in front of each other, then I guess they decided that wasn’t working and would drag us off to another room. It killed me as I heard them torturing Jared. I would scream and tell them to take me, but that just enraged them and they would beat me ’til I was unconscious. When I would wake up, I could hear them at it still. The screams of pain I heard from Jared still haunt me. I heard later that they had recovered the bodies of the men they had killed and displayed them in the town. They cut their heads off and put them up on stakes as a message to all in the village to not help the Americans. When we escaped, I helped Jared down the mountain. His leg was infected and looked pretty bad. I thought he might lose it. My shoulder was infected too, but the docs were able to fix me right up. We then went to Germany for more treatment, then back to Bragg to recover. Ya know what kills me now?”
“No, darlin’,” she said as tears fell down her cheeks.
“It’s the fact that after all that, our escape was all a setup and at least some of Jared’s torturing was all an act. I had saved his life more than once, and he allowed those men to continue to torture me while he listened. And he doesn’t even care. That’s what kills me. The three men we lost that day were good men, great soldiers, and gave their lives for our country. And Jared of all people, aligned himself with the enemy. I hope that the Army orders the firing squad. And if I could, I want to be the one to put him down. He betrayed me, his country, and his fellow soldiers…and for what…MONEY.”
“I am so sorry, Raleigh. I know it is hard, and I wish I could say or do something to make it better.”
“That’s what I am saying, Sam, you have. Before I met you, my life was in a tailspin. I was drinking a lot and picking up women just to try and make the pain and the nightmares go away. But with you, since the day I met you and looked in your eyes, I haven’t had a nightmare or felt guilty about that day. I begged to die for years, hoping that this night of binge drinkin’ would be my last and I wouldn’t wake up. Then I met you, and all I’ve wanted to do is think about the future and what might be possible.”
“I don’t know what to say, Raleigh.”
“Darlin’, you don’t have to say anything right now. This is your day. I want you to enjoy it.”
“I am. This is just too much. It’s a dream come true for me. As a little girl, I always wanted to live down south. I love the whole concept of the south. Does that make sense?”
“Yep, sure does. We do things a bit different down here.”
“That’s what I love about it.” As she took the last bite of food on her plate, she leaned back in her chair and grabbed her stomach. “Oh my, I am so full, I couldn’t eat another bite.”
“Still got dessert, darlin’.”
“Oh Raleigh, I will explode. Can we save it for a little later?”
“Well, darlin’, we can go for a walk around the grounds. You ready to see more?” He stood up, holding his arm out to her.
She grabbed his arm and he helped her up from the chair. She moved her arm closer, and they headed towards the tree-lined walkway that took them to reconstructed slave quarters. Actors sat on the porches, singing old songs and playing homemade music instruments. They stood and watched them for a little while, then made their way to the sugar cane fields. They had actors recreating the harvest, and it almost seemed surreal to them.
“How sad.” She looked at Raleigh, her eyes welling up.
“Baby, its ok. They aren’t really doing anything. They are just acting.”
“I know, but it’s still so somber. Guess I never understood that part of the history…the why?”
“Well, darlin’, it’s a dark history for sure, but the good thing about it is we will never let it happen again.”
She leaned in closer to him as they strolled towards the main house. She wasn’t ready for dessert yet, but she was dying to see the inside of the big house. As they walked up the grand stairs, one actor came to the door and pulled it open. It was so big that they could both walk through together, side by side.
When they entered the house, a massive staircase greeted them, covered in red velvet carpeting. The windows were adorned with the same red velvet, and oak woodwork was everywhere she looked. As they strolled through the house, they entered the smoking room where a fireplace that stood at least eight-foot-tall sat in the middle of the room, leather chairs scattered sparsely throughout the room. They walked across the hallway, past the massive staircase to the sitting room. It was decorated with a more feminine feel. It was where the ladies would sew and read, and where the children might play games.
“Can we go upstairs, Raleigh?” she said as she pulled at his arm.
“Well, darlin’, actually we are staying here tonight.”
“Wait, what? Really? But we don’t have our bags.”
“They are already up in our room. I had the hotel deliver them today after we left. They will be here in the limo to pick us up in the morning.”
She leaped into his arms, kissing him. She couldn’t believe it was all real. She was going to stay at a plantation.
“The staff will deliver dinner to the room around eighteen hundred, is that okay? The room is more private and has a dining area. We will have our own personal staff, and once you are ready to take that dress off, your dresser will come up and help you.”
“But maybe I want you to help me off with it?”
“Well, that can also be arranged.” He winked at her and they started up the stairs.
When they reached the top, there were several doors all ornately decorated with brass fittings. The massive oak doors looked heavy, but she was excited to see their room.
“Which one is ours, Raleigh?”
“Darlin’, I got us the biggest and best room, of course, only the best for you. It’s the door at the end of the hall there.” He pointed to the left and Sam took off towards the door, turning the handle, but it was locked.
“It’s locked. We can’t get in.”
“Baby, I have the key. I got the key when I was getting into these sexy duds for ya.”
Raleigh put the key in the door and opened it. Sam stood for a moment, taking it all in. It looked just like Scarlett’s room in Gone with the Wind. The big, king size oak, four poster bed was the first thing that caught her eye. Across the room, another eight-foot-high fireplace sat in front of it. There was a lovely era couch of red velvet and beautiful oak woodwork, and on the floor—a woven rug.
“What time is it now?” she asked.
“It’s just now coming on fifteen hundred. What would you like to do now?”
“I saw a swing by the dock. Can we check it out? You can swing me in it, like men that courted women back in the old days used to.”
“That, my dear, would be my honor. Let’s go.”
The two raced down the stairs to the massive front door. They fought for access to the door; each wanted to be first out the door. Raleigh opened it and then let Sam go out first. She ran down the stairs then towards the swing. Raleigh let her win, and once she sat down in the swing he pulled her backward. Each time she swung upward to him, he caught her and kissed her, telling her how amazing she was and how much he wanted to get her back into their room.
“I will have them bring lunch dessert up with dinner, but I think the dinner dessert will be so much better.” He winked at her and grinned. She knew what he was referring to and she had been waiting all her life for someone like him.
“You think so?” she said.
“Oh yes, I think you will love it.”
“Well then, my dear, I look forward to the experience.”
“Me too, baby.” As he grabbed her on the upswing and kissed her deeply, his hands made their way to her breast—her dress made easy access. “You ready to get outta this dress, darlin?”
“Oh yes. More than ready, darlin.”
“Tell ya what, it's almost eighteen hundred now. So let’s have dinner, then we will get you outta that dress. I think I can handle it alone. Deal?”
“Deal, my darlin’.”