“A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea.” – Honore de Balzac
The alarm clock went off late that afternoon. It read April 20, 2013. I stroked her cheek and gently kissed the nap of her neck. She started to stir a little more than earlier. “Baby, are you awake?” we lay under the blanket and sheets of my new supersized bed. (At least it felt supersized compared to the twin bed I had before.)
“Hardly.” Waterfall mumbled as she stretched. “Squirt, its cold.” She rolled over and huddled into me.
“I’m sorry, would you like me to get another blanket?” I started to get up, but she pulled me back down.
“No, you’ll do fine.” a smile ran across her face. I kissed her forehead as I climbed back in the bed.
It was the day after her graduation. She had made me promise to get her one particular thing for her graduation, and I kept my word. She would be legally mine later that day anyway, so her father couldn’t say anything.
“Baby, what do you want for breakfast? I’ll fix you anything you want.” I kissed her lips in an attempt to coax her into getting up.
“Waffles, defiantly waffles.” She smiled and rolled back over.
“Okay, I’ll make you waffles. Go ahead and get dressed though, Babe. At least make it look like you had clothes on all night.” I kissed her shoulder blade and scrambled out of the bed.
Her breakfast was finished rather quickly. We sat on the couch for a while watching clouds change in the afternoon sky. “Squirt?”
“Yes gorgeous?” I taunted her with little puns and flirts every time she was serious nowadays.
“Are you glad we’re together?”
“What do you mean?” I sat up from my position on the couch and looked at her with horror.
“No, I just meant, we really didn’t have a choice. I was just wondering if you were happy being with me, you know what I mean?” she had been staring at her hands in her lap the entire time she spoke.
“Yeah, I know what you mean, but I wouldn’t choose anyone else if I could. I’ve been in love with you since the first night I met you, and you know that.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and held her close.
“Okay, I guess that’s true.”
“You know it is.” Kissing her forehead always made her feel better.
We had eight hours until the ritual. The ritual was called the mating ceremony, but it just meant we were officially becoming mates. The Council of Elders actually performed the ritual, so it’s really old fashioned.
“Squirt, I need to go get dressed. I have a doctor’s appointment today before the ceremony.” She stood from the couch and started to walk out of the room.
“Doctor?! I am your doctor!” I jumped in her way.
“Squirt, you know what I mean. I’m going to get a physical, I’m not going because I’m hurt.” She kissed my cheek and walked upstairs.
“Damn doctors, always trying to take her away from me.” I mumbled for a bit, but decided to go see Joe before I had to go to the Tribal Hall to prepare for the ritual.
Joe was fixing up one of his training instruments meant to simulate a hauntear attack. “Hey Squirt! Ready for your big night tonight?” his smile was as bright as I always remembered it.
“Yep, ready to be the sortcon for us?” he laughed whole heartedly because he hated old fashioned rituals. He was going to be our sortcon that night, which normally acts as the fatherly figure of the male mate. My father refused to do it, so Joe convinced the Council to let him.
“I’m not too thrilled about it, but you can bet I’ll be there.” He held out his hand, and I shook it without a blink. He was more my father than Mason was. Just because Mason was my biological father, doesn’t mean he’s my mental one.
It was time Joe and I head to the Tribal Hall to start getting dressed. As we walked, he started asking what he called ‘important’ questions. “Do you love her?” he wouldn’t look at me as he asked, but I knew he was more serious now than I had ever seen him.
“Of course.” I shoved my hands deep in my pockets because it was so cold out that day.
“I mean, it’s awful early to be taking a mate, especially at her age. If you think she’s your soul mate, that’s fine, but maybe you should wait before you take her for one. I’m just worried you haven’t thought this through.”
“Joe, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” I patted him on the back, quickly sticking my hand back in the warmth.
“Fine, fine. even if you are soul mates, why do you want to take her so early? She just graduated yesterday, give her some time.”
“It was actually her idea to do it the day after she got out of High School. She wants to leave here as soon as possible, but not without me. At least, that’s what she told me.”
“Well, I’m glad you two communicate. That’s a good start.” We walked up the steps of the Tribal Hall.
It was one of the oldest buildings in Swiston. It was one room cut in three different places by old leaf curtains and the only light inside was from the sun and ceremonial lighting of the fire. It had a tattered outside to go along with its damaged inside. The outside was made of stone and wood. It was painted in various shades of white and red, and the whole building was held up on stilts.
Elder Pebble sat in a wooden chair, twisting his cane around and around in the palm of his hand. Elder Pebble was the head of the wardrobe department of the rituals. He would tell the others what they were supposed to make me look like, making sure it was all traditional.
“Good evening Elder Pebble.” Joe and I bowed as we stopped in front of him. He nodded in acknowledgement.
“The wind will only blow one direction in one day, but it may blow another the next.” Elder Pebble stood to stare deep in my eyes.
“I don’t understand sir.”
“It means you may love someone one day, but another the next.” He had to lean on his cane for support while he talked.
“Oh. Sir, I will love her as long as I’m alive. She is my sunlight to brighten my day, she is the very air I breathe, and the ground I walk upon. Without her, I am nothing. I will feel like this as long as she will allow me too.”
“The grasshopper becomes the master, then, when he finds a woman to whip his ass in shape, yes?” he kept a straight face as he said this, catching Joe and me off guard.
“Excuse me sir?” I thought maybe I had heard him wrong.
“You think you will become a man by finding a woman who will, as kids today say, ‘whip you’. Or make you known as being ‘whipped’.” He smiled for a minute before I realized he was making a joke.
Joe and I laughed when he burst out in vigorous laughter. Joe spoke in between breaths, “I always heard you were a joker, but I didn’t think they meant it.”
“Well, I like to keep things traditional when it comes to rituals, but I still like to have a laugh every now and then. Come, come. Let’s begin preparations.” He motioned for us to follow him behind the curtain on the far side of the room.
I had to take my clothes off, and we rinsed in a wash bin with the holy water of Netterdan. Netterdan was the original town that was built after Moctanan’s children had children.
After I was dried off, they towel dried my hair with a white barnapper tree leaf. The barnapper tree is a special tree that Prof. Hess has studied for many years and still only finds it growing in Swiston. Its trunk can get up to nine feet wide, and it can be twenty-five feet tall. Its leaves are two feet wide and four feet long. The leaves can vary in color, but this time of year they bloom white.
My hair was spiked up in all directions like I had bed head or something. I had to wear a loin cloth skirt kind of thing, and white paint all over the upper part of my body in various swirls and lines.
The whole process of setting up took a little more than two hours. By the time we were finished, they had started on Joe. I could hear some commotion on the other side of the room, but I figured girls would be girls.
At exactly nine o’clock that night, Elder Nickel called everyone’s attention to the front of the room where he stood in an awkward manner. Elder Nickel was the oldest conlorton still living. He was five-hundred years old, clearly out living the average years of an Elder. He was also the head of the Council, so he took part in the rituals as well.
“Thank you everyone, for coming to tonight’s mating ritual. The son of Moctanan has chosen his female, in an attempt to find his mate. Tonight, we will see if he chose wisely.” He gestured for me to come out.
It was probably the most embarrassing moment in my life, when I had to step out in front of the entire town with only a loin cloth on. Everyone’s eyes were one me, even more so when Elder Nickel began to speak once more.
“Kanjort Jonathan has become a man in recent years, and has decided to claim a newly grown.” He threw his hands toward me, at least I thought so. Everyone stared at me, but a wave of shock swept the crowd, leaving me puzzled until I turned around.
Waterfall walked up behind me in a grass skirt and a bra. Her hair was in spiraled curls hanging for a loose bun. Her stomach, chest, and face were covered in black paint. She could pull anything off.
“You look beautiful.” I whispered to her as we walked up to Elder Nickel.
“Yeah well, I feel like a clown.” Her smile told me she was only playing, but I knew she hated this.
The whole town stared at us as Elder Nickel spoke in prophecies and scriptures, and Waterfall fidgeted the entire time. She hated all eyes being on her. No matter how beautiful she was, she hated being the center of attention.
I couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. We had always talked about being rebels and not going through with the mating ritual. Just as this thought ran through my head, she nudged my arm lightly.
Looking out if the corner of my eye, I noticed what she was pointing to. The was a fountain in the middle of the park, not fifteen feet away. (Btw, the Tribal Hall is in the middle of the park.)
I gave a slight nod. I didn’t want to upset the Elders after I had been accepted back into the community. “If you love me, then don’t make me.” She said it loud enough the whole town stopped to look at us.
Elder Nickel grabbed her by the arm and sternly shook her. “You will not speak unless you are spoken too!” Waterfall pulled out of his grip. Everyone in the square gasp with astonishment.
“Sorry, I have somewhere to be.” She turned to me with a longing stare. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do it. You know that.” Quickly turning away from me, she leapt off the stage and ran over to the fountain.
She quickly pulled off her skirt to reveal her Victoria’s Secret underwear I had bought her to match the pairs Trish and Monica had so they could all be twins. It made me remember how much fun we had when we were younger, but it also made me remember how much more fun we had when we broke the rules.
The Elders were screaming at her, some people were calling her a whore and skank. I smiled when she jumped into the fountain and began to wash off the paint. I was really glad I had insisted I keep my boxers on under my loin cloth.
I pulled it off, and ran over to her. By then, the whole town was freaking out. “Hey, looks like fun. Mind if I be a rebel with you?” I knew I was plenty welcome when she kissed my lips with an alluring taunt.
I climbed in and tackled her into the water. She let a playful laugh ring out as we started to wrestle. By the time Prof. Hess and Joe could get to us, we were soaked from head to toe.
“Well, are you two happy now?! The Council is about to banish you!” Prof. Hess helped us out as we tried to stifle our laughter.
I looked over at the entire town in the square, along with the Council who looked not pleased at all.
“Why should I care what the Council thinks?” a loud gasp ran through the square.
Joe grabbed my arm. “Squirt! How could you say that?!”
“Because I know how I feel about her. So I don’t get the Council’s approval saying she’s my mate, so what? I know I will never feel this way about anyone but her because I’ve tried to think about other girls the same way I do her and I end up feeling sick to my stomach. I know how I feel, and that’s all that matters to me. The only thing that matters more to me is how she feels.” I stood up on the edge of the fountain so I could talk to the whole town. “You all have told me over the years, the only person you will love is your soul mate. I may not know if she’s my soul mate or not, but I sure as hell know I love her. I’ve liked girls before, plenty of them. She’s the only one that I can never stay mad at, the only one who can turn my head in a second no matter what she looks like, the only one who I don’t get bored talking too, the only one I can be myself around and not be called a dork because she’s right next to me acting the same way, the only one I would die for, the only one I would give the very air
I need to stay alive just so she could have one more breath. She’s the only girl on my radar, and I know that’s how its going to be for the rest of my life. I don’t care if she publicly humiliates me, rejects me, or tries to kill me. I will always feel the same way. If that’s not love, then I don’t want to find out what is because this girl’s already almost gotten me killed six or seven times.” The square shook with laughter at my last comment.
The Council talked for a moment longer, then Elder Nickel silenced the crowd. “We have decided they are right. The ritual ceremonies are to express one’s claim of another, but it seems she is very much claimed whether she likes it or not.” The town erupted in fits of laughter once more.
Elder Nickel turned to me and spoke after the noise had died down. “Are you sure you will never love another?”
“Sir, the only way I could love someone else as much as I love her is if we had a child together. That’s the only possible way.” I put my arm around Waterfall, but she surprised me by pulling away.
“I’m glad you feel that way. Do you remember I had a doctor’s appointment today?” she looked at me with earnest.
“Yeah, what about it?” I glanced around to see everyone watching us.
“Well, its kind of hard to say.” Waterfall stared at my with apologetic eyes.
“Baby, what’s up?”
She fidgeted with her shirt for a minute before finally looking up at me. The whole town seemed to have leaned in as if to hear an important secret. What they heard almost knocked me off my feet from shock. “Squirt, I’m pregnant.”
Copyright © 2011 Amanda Woodson. All rights reserved.