Saundra had just started to nod off on her couch when three sharp knocks on her apartment door roused her. She gathered herself and walked to answer it. When she squinted through the peephole, she saw a familiar face.
“Hey,” she said as she opened the door, a smile creeping onto her tan face.
“Hey, yourself. Can I come in?”
“I don’t know. Two hours ago I would’ve let you in without a problem.”
Isaac shook his head. He swabbed his tongue across his lips and grinned.
“I’m sorry I’m late. There was a car crash on the road that held up the bus.”
“And you couldn’t call because you’re the only person in the whole city that doesn’t have a cell-phone, right?”
“Absolutely,” Isaac replied flashing his golden eyes into Saundra’s.
“Okay. Come in. You’re lucky I’m a good Samaritan.”
Isaac walked through the door and past Saundra. He set his book-bag on the wooden floor.
“You’re lucky I agreed to do this for you,” he said as he removed his khaki skully, uncovering his thick black afro.
Saundra closed the door and walked to the small kitchen.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No. I’m good.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, pulling a soda out of her refrigerator.
“I’m positive. Thank you.”
Saundra popped the top and took a sip from the can.
“So, do you just want to go ahead and get this over with?”
“Yeah. Let’s just do it.”
“Okay,” Saundra said, setting her drink down on her coffee table. She picked up her black and gray Pentax K1000 camera and twisted the speed dial. “I’m ready when you are.”
Isaac began unbuttoning his shirt. Once he had finished, he dropped it to the floor and placed his white wife-beater on top of it. Soon, he was completely nude and turned to face Saundra.
“How do you want me to be?” he asked.
Saundra peered into the lens for several seconds.
“However you want to be. Just give me a pose.”
Isaac closed his eyes and stretched his chocolate arms above his head. He twisted his torso and bent his knees, almost resembling a brown, leafless tree.
“That’s perfect,” she breathed. She focused her lens on Isaac and was surprised at how chiseled his body was. His dark chest had a myriad of curly, onyx hairs on it. His abs stood out like tiny mountain peaks, and his arms and thighs looked like they had been sculpted.
She began pressing the shutter-release button and taking pictures. Isaac held his pose, and was so still that Saundra had to stare to make sure he was breathing.
“Give me another pose, Isaac,” she commanded, moving her eye from the viewfinder.
Saundra had known him for three years, and in that span of time, she had never seen him without a shirt on. Seeing Isaac nude was a definite change of pace, but it was a comfortable experience. They were best friends, and she saw nothing for either one to be ashamed of.
He bent his right arm and placed his fist under his shaved chin. He twisted his torso and Saundra repositioned her eyes behind the camera. When she focused again, she was shocked at what she saw.
“Oh my God,” she gasped. She didn’t even realize she had said it out loud until Isaac asked her what was wrong. He then realized what it was and broke his pose.
Saundra’s eyes stared at his lower back. It bore what had to have been hundreds of purple welts on top of one another. The skin looked like it had been split open in some places and had bubbled up to keep itself from peeling off altogether. When Saundra glanced up at Isaac, she was on the border of tears.
Isaac walked to his pile of clothes. He sighed deeply as he began to dress.
“When I was fourteen, I got kidnapped,” Isaac began. He turned so that his back wasn’t facing Saundra. “These rednecks kidnapped me when I was walking home from school. There were five of them. They got me in their van and drove to this house.”
Isaac slipped his wife-beater back over his head and sat on the blue couch. Saundra set her camera back onto the table and sat down with him.
“They … they beat me. They took turns beating me. When they were finished with that, two of them held me down on the grass while the others took turns beating me with belts.”
She thought of how hard and how many times they must have struck him; how sharp the edges and corners had to have been; how young and fragile he was, and suddenly the world didn’t make any sense.
Saundra couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm Isaac. She had never heard him say a bad word about anybody. Who could have possibly wounded the person she drank green tea with and who worked with three-year-olds at a daycare? Who could have done this to her best friend?
Her left hand reached out and found Isaac’s right. Tears began sliding out of her eyes and down her light-brown cheeks.
He tightened his grip on Saundra’s palm and gave her a slight, comforting smile.
“It’s okay. Cuts for luck, scars for freedom, right?”
Isaac’s left hand wiped the tears from her face, smearing them against her skin. She sniffed deeply several times and lowered her gaze.
Saundra leaned over and wrapped her tiny arms around his body. She clenched her eyes as one of Isaac’s hands lightly patted her back.
“And I am as free as they come,” Isaac whispered into her auburn hair. His words echoed in her head for a long time after they left his mouth. She thought of the South and its large trees with curly moss the color of ash; the strange fruit that left sour tastes in the mouths of families and friends, and she believed Isaac. He had liberated himself, and Saundra was thankful for the strength and warmth of his wealthy soul.