by Emil Toth
“No, when a man loves a woman it does not make any difference what age she is.”
“Do widows get married?”
“If a man sees she can fill a role in his life he will marry a widow.”
“Have you seen any Kahali men you would want to marry?”
Mara chuckled. “Three men interested me. Only one was single.”
“Well, if you make your intentions known, they might consider taking you as their second wife.”
“Hmm, perhaps I should make an effort to talk to them.”
“You should, Mara, you are an attractive woman.”
“I am still an oddity to the Kahali.”
Mara gave Marie’s question some thought. The unmarried man she had thought about in terms of being with was Coloma. He was already in his twenties and should have already taken a wife. “Why is Coloma not married?”
Marie smiled. “Evidently, he was in love with Batu and has never gotten over her. Perhaps he is ready to find love again.”
It was Mara’s turn to smile.
“Why have you not married, Marie?”
“Hmm, I have been so busy learning how to heal people I have not given it much thought. You would think my mother would be concerned with me unmarried. She is not. I have questioned her about it and she says she wants me to enjoy my prestige as a healer. I think she keeps telling me to because she never felt appreciated as a woman. My father is still a traditionalist. I was young when Batu had revolutionized our village and set women free. It did not set well with my father. On occasion he still shows his prejudice. He is not as proud as my mother is about me being an apprentice Talker Healer.
“I take it you are proud you are a healer?”
“I am proud to serve people any way I can. The ability to help people regain their health through herbs, oils, gems, plants, affirmations, belief, love and prayer is fulfilling. I am comfortable with the healing side of being a Talker Healer. Those responsibilities have kept me from delving deeply into the talker side. I am acquainted with how to roam the Land of No Shadows. The problem is I am not comfortable meeting the strange conglomeration of beings.”
“Have you found any man interesting?”
“Of course. Taja comes to mind. His courage, character and devotion to Batu, Kaathi and Creator are reaching legendary proportions. Jacob is also interesting for different reasons. He is a protector whereas Taja was a dreamer and way-shower. As far as men whom I might marry, I have not met any. I am only sixteen and have not had a suitable man show interest in me. Until I meet a man having Taja and Jacob’s characteristics, I am unexcited.”
After their conversation, Mara was a regular at Coloma’s teaching sessions. Originally, she attended because she wanted him to notice her. Slowly her desire to know more about the Kahali culture kept growing. His ability to make stories exciting was a rare gift and helped him engage children in his teaching sessions. At some point, she noticed how eagerly she looked forward to his sessions. He was easy on the eye. She was quickly attracted to how he interacted with the children. Even when she lived in Uchakwa, she was drawn to men who got along with children. The fact she attended the sessions did not go unnoticed by Coloma. Mara asked intelligent questions and caught Coloma’s attention. She grew more comfortable being among the ones learning about Kahali traditions, laws, history and myths and decided to take the next step and talk to him after a session. The current session ended and the children and adults were scattering. She walked up to him.
“I am fascinated by your ability to recall so many stories. How in the world did you learn them?”
Coloma was pleased someone from another village had enough interest in what he was teaching to attend his sessions. Her lack of hair was disturbing at first. Over time he grew accustomed to it. With her repeated attendance, he noticed she was an attractive woman, with a great smile and an inquisitive mind. Her willingness to widen her intelligence was something he always admired. As they talked, he noticed her eyes sparkling. He wondered if it was due to her desire to acquire knowledge or her interest in him.
“When I was a boy attending the teaching sessions, Thomas, the previous Story Teller, felt I retained information well and was curious to know if I wanted to be his apprentice. He was married to Batu, whom you know, was vocal concerning women’s rights. Sadly, he was bitten by a snake and died before he could teach me all of the stories. Fortunately, he had taught Batu those stories and even though she faced expulsion, she taught them to me.”
“Expulsion? Why would they expel a member of their tribe?”
She sighed in recalling her own people expelled Kacy thinking she was possessed.
“Prior to Batu and Taja, creating the laws protecting women from expulsion, our tradition stated if a married woman lost her husband and did not have a child she would be expelled for lack of worth. Before the council could cast Batu from the village, she found she was pregnant and thus had worth. Tragically, her child died in childbirth and she was again vulnerable to expulsion. At the expulsion, Taja offered to marry her thus giving her worth. She refused thinking the council would connive to still eject her from the village. Batu gave a rousing, courageous speech, attacking the council and our traditions. In spite of her stirring speech, she was expelled. Taja conceived of a way to save her by making her his apprentice and thus gave her worth and saved her from banishment. He enlisted Jacob’s help and they went after Batu and brought her back. Her speech impressed Jacob, and he became her strongest ally. Taja, Jacob and I made an alliance and we controlled the council. When Batu and Taja proposed the set of laws to protect women and give them rights equal to men, the council passed it four votes to one. By passing those laws, it was the second time I actually felt good about anything I voted on.”
“Batu must have been a dynamic woman,” offered Mara.
“She was and also courageous, and she did not care what anyone said about her or what she did. She was the trailblazer for all women.”
“How do you compare her with Kaathi?”
“I cannot. They are different. If Batu felt there was an injustice, she was in your face about it. Kaathi sees something needing to be rectified and quietly goes about correcting it by praying or convincing you to help her change it.”
“You are fortunate to have known history changers like Taja, Batu and Kaathi.”
Coloma nodded in acknowledging his good fortune. He also felt good about talking to Mara.
Mara smiled sweetly. “Would you be interested in having an Uchakwa meal?”
Coloma smiled at her invitation. “I think I would.” His heart still belonged to Batu, though this young woman stimulated something in him lying dormant since Batu’s death. Since the village lost their first heroine, he had not considered roaming the seas of love. His mother worried he would never see goodness and love in another woman. For a long time she had dedicated her life to finding a suitable woman for him to marry. He had accepted several invitations over the years from available women, knowing they were hoping to capture his heart. He had thrown himself into his teaching children the laws, traditions, myths, mathematics and history, burying the pain in his heart. It had filled his life until Mara appeared. Suddenly the pain was not so severe.
“If you are free for the evening meal, I would love to have you come.”
“I am free, and thank you for the invitation.”
“Do you know where I live?”
“You live with Kacy behind Jacob’s home.”
“Correct.” She impulsively gave him a hug and said goodbye.
He liked her warm embrace and watched her walk away. He noticed she walked with the confidence of someone knowing their body very well. Most people did not.
He smiled. It is nice to be surprised.
Mara saw Kacy lounging on the bench outside their home and walked toward her. She was thankful to have someone from her village living with her. It was comforting to have another person who looked like her in Kahali. Kacy’s face was slightly broader than he
rs and was more introspective looking. She was slow to smile, when she did, it lit up her face and transformed her, seemingly making everyone around her happier. While she had a close circle of new friends, Kacy was a distant relative and a reminder of her life in Uchakwa. Kacy was a significant part of her past.
Kacy looked up and noticed something new in Mara’s face and her aura was filled with crystalline pink color. She raised her eyebrows expectantly as Mara neared.
“There is a lot of love in your aura and you are filled with joy. What is going on?”
Mara smiled. “I have invited Coloma to our evening meal.”
“You never told me you were interested in him.”
“Marie and I were talking and she made me aware of my feelings for him.”
“Do you want me to eat elsewhere?”
“No, I would like you there to see what his colors are as he is talking to me.”
“Do you not have enough trust in yourself?”
“No. Yes. I do, but before I put my heart out there I would like to know if I should.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Mara took great care creating the sauce and kept tasting it. She used the sauce to baste the meat and potatoes and a handful of vegetables. It was a simple, tasty meal, as were most meals the Uchakwa prepared. She and Kacy kept up a steady chatter as she fussed over the meal and waited for Coloma.
Coloma arrived and peeked in the open entrance and called, “Mara?”
“Oh, Coloma, please come in. I think you have met Kacy.”
“Yes I have. Actually it was on the first day Kaathi came back from her adventure from seeing the Ancients. Hello Kacy, it is good to see you.”
A huge smile erupted from the early teen. “I am glad to see you again.”
“It must be reassuring to have left your village with someone you know.”
“I am thankful. Mara has made my transition to Kahali life much more pleasant,” Kacy informed him. “If she and the others had not taken me with them I would have been dead long ago. The jungle is a dangerous place.”
“I know. I am thankful I am the Story Teller and do not have to venture into the jungle and the plains to rid those places of predators. Is Kemp going to lose his arm? I cannot imagine how terrified he was confronting a leopard.”
“It is a day to day thing,” explained Mara. “Kaathi sees him twice a day to assess how his arm is doing. He was lucky Bork, Clive and Tabor were able to kill the leopard before it killed him.
“Why do leopards come close to our village?” Kacy wondered aloud.
Coloma answered from what he had learned from others, “If a leopard cannot find enough to eat in his old haunt, it keeps expanding its hunting territory. It is why we have many scouting parties in the forest and the savannah. We are the ones who have encroached on their territory. They do not know any better. Hunger drives them as much as it does us.
“Enough of this tragic talk.” He directed his question to Mara, “Why did you choose to follow Kaathi?”
“I did not have a man I loved in my village. I am an adventuresome person and Kaathi’s group of people intrigued me. I heard stories about the mutants, and I had never seen one. Leah and Isaac were nothing like I imagined mutants would be like. Gauri, the Stalker woman, was like looking into the past to see what we might have looked like before we lost our hair and grew in intelligence. Even so, I liked Gauri. She had fought for her independence and won and was going back to her clan on her terms with new understanding and intelligence. I hope she was able to present her ideas to her people.
“In the skirmish with the group, I was angry with Jacob at first. He personally killed two of my friends and broke my arm and put a gash in my head. When I got to know him, I saw how much integrity, courage and strength he had and he became my friend. Kaathi is another story. She inspires me to reach for the stars. Her love surpasses what I felt from my parents. I would follow her to Mother Earth’s unknown.”
“I find you an interesting person, Mara. Why are you attending my sessions?”
“I thought it was obvious,” she smiled. “I want to learn more about you, Kahalis.”
Coloma raised his left eyebrow, as if to question her answer.
Mara avoided what she thought would be his next question with one of her own, “Are you ready to eat?”
“I thought you would never ask.”
Mara dished out the meal to each of them. Coloma tasted it gingerly. He liked it and dug in and ate all she put in front of him, which made Mara smile more.
“I have heard you were in love with Batu. Is it true?”
“I was. I even asked her to marry me and she refused.”
“Why?”
“I think she was not inclined to marry anyone after the death of her husband. I also believe being Taja’s apprentice was abundantly filling her life.”
“Are you over loving her?” Kacy wanted to know.
He did not answer immediately instead he pondered the questioned in earnest. “I believe I have grieved her death long enough, and I am ready to go on with my life.”
A good answer. I hope Mara felt his honesty.
“Life does present us with a constant barrage of challenges,” remarked Mara.
“Indeed,” Coloma agreed. “Was making this meal a challenge to your memory or do you make it often?”
“Often enough so it is not difficult to get the right taste.”
“Well I found it delicious. Would the two of you like to taste my specialty some evening?”
“I would,” hastily answered Kacy.
“It would be nice,” chimed in Mara.
“Consider yourselves invited four days from now. It should be enough time for me to practice and make it edible,” he said smiling.
They rose from the table and Mara took the liberty to hug him as she did the last time they were alone, which pleased him. Kacy seeing them embrace did the same and the women bid him goodbye.
“Well, what did you think of him and what colors did his aura contain?”
“His colors reflect a stable personality and his interest in you. There is some pink in it showing his growing love for you. As far as his physical appearance, I suppose he is good looking enough. He is courteous and has a distinguished position. Honestly, I want someone with more intensity.”
“Well I do not. My concern is did he speak truthfully?”
“He was telling the truth, when he said he was over Batu. It was hard to concentrate on his aura when he was talking. The colors clash with the words he spoke.” She smiled. “I can see you are romantically interested and it does not take someone able to see your aura.”
“I did not think I could hide it from you. Do you think he sensed how I felt about him?”
“An elephant could feel it.”
The next day Mara showed up at the story sessions. After the session, she walked up to Coloma, smiled in greeting. “I hope you had a good time yesterday.”
“I did. The food was marvelous and the company was delightful.”
“Kacy can be extremely interesting.”
“I was not talking about Kacy. I find you extraordinarily interesting. At first, I did not know how I felt about your bald head. Now I find it adds to your beauty.”
“My beauty?”
“I hope I am not too forward?”
“Not in the least, it has been far too long since a man has paid me much attention. I am glad the Uchakwa men did not interest me.”
“Are you saying I interest you?”
“Yes I am. I think we fascinate each other.”
Coloma laughed. “I think you are right. Shall we see where this fascination leads us?”
I am sorry he invited Kacy. Ah, there will be plenty of time I will be seeing him alone.
“Yes.” She reached for him and they embraced for a long while.
The meal Coloma had prepared was not nearly as spicy and tasty as Mara’s but well done. The evening was filled with questions, none of which touched on personal events
. The third meal Coloma and Mara shared was in his home as well. Kacy was not present and they had a chance to ask the questions they failed to with Kacy present.
“Did the parents of your young women dictate who they should marry?”
“Yes,” answered Coloma. “It was a trying time for our women.”
“Did Batu spearheaded the change in Kahali?”
“She did.”
“Why do you think no other women ever were courageous enough to complain?”
“In all honesty, I think they were beaten if they were too outspoken.”
“And Batu’s father did not beat her?”
“No, actually he encouraged her to be inquisitive and debate everything. She was a product of her father and mother and not of society.”
“Did you approve of her?”
“At first I had my reservations. I always thought she was one of the most beautiful women in Kahali. For reasons unknown, she came down with a rash, covering her whole body. It itched terribly and she scratched it until it became infected and she nearly died. She recovered, although her face breast and thigh were scarred from the infection. The scars detracted from her beauty yet added something to her character. Her personality changed. There was depth to her beyond her defiance and need for justice and respect. I imagine a good deal was due to her friendship with Taja and what he shared with her. As my love for her grew, I cast my old doubts aside. I became fully committed to her, after listening to her expulsion speech.”
“How do you feel about a man being able to be married to more than one woman?”
“I am not sure. Since it has not come to be my personal problem, I have not thought about it. It does seem to work for Jacob.”
She threw another question at him, “How do you feel about a woman having two or more husbands?”
Coloma chuckled. “If Jacob is allowed to do it, a woman should be able to do the same.”
“How do you feel about me?”
The question surprised him, and it took him a moment to gather himself and reply, “I have come to think you are a desirable and lovely woman.”
Mara smiled. She moved off her chair and sat in his lap. She put her arms around him and kissed him. Her tongue made its way into his mouth to his delight. He found his passion rising and found his hands undoing her clothes. Her hands slipped his clothes from his body and they moved to his bed. They made love excitedly the first time and passionately the next.