“Wake up! You're having a nightmare.
Victoria opened her eyes with surprise and still with the dream images in her mind. Seeing him, she blushed and tried to recover.
"Oh, I was dreaming very strange things, thanks for waking me up.
"You moved a lot and talked," he said, his throat dry with desire.
Victoria blushed even more and hoped she had said nothing inconvenient.
"Does the image of the shooting keep tormenting you?" You grinned and moved as if trying to escape, "he inquired curiously.
"Yes," she said, relieved to see that he interpreted it that way.
She said no more and he attributed her silence to the pain she felt.
"You must recompose yourself and look forward." Your goal must be to survive and return to your old life, "he encouraged her.
"I know, but it's still early, The memories are very fresh," she said seriously.
It was true. She remembered her companions one after the other and wept for them.
“Concentrate in your day to day. Improve your language, keep busy. Time will pass faster and you will soon be with your own, if Allah so disposes.
"I will, I will," she answered fervently. You're right, let's improve my language.
They concentrated on a few hours of pure pronunciation and grammar. For both of them it was to defuse inconvenient thoughts. However, mutual attraction was increasing.
Seven
Three weeks went by and Victoria felt increasingly stronger and integrated into the community that she had inadvertently arrived.
In the beginning she was treated with some suspicion by the other women, but her humble posture and her constant improvement in communication showed them as a simple and cooperative woman, which was enough for all of them.
The only exception was Dassim, who looked at her with a certain disdain and endeavored to complicate tasks or generate conversations at such a speed that made it difficult for her to understand. She did not understand this animosity until Dure, which was the name of the one who had helped her the first few weeks, told her that she was jealous because she was Usem's mistress. This somewhat disillusioned Victoria.
"What were you hoping for fool?" She said to herself. "It makes sense that he has a relationship. A man is like that, in the middle of the desert and surrounded by women, do you think he would be alone? Besides, what do you have? Your only interest should be to recover and be ready to return to your life. This is just an impasse in itself, one that must end "
And in spite of this reasoning, she still felt the thorn of jealousy stuck in her throat. The antipathy between herself and Dassim only increased.
Merin went one afternoon to meet the girl and get a more complete image of her. He had heard that she integrated well and there were no problems at the moment, but he saw that his son spent a lot of time with her. Usem justified it with his lessons and the responsibility he had assumed, but his father easily deciphered it.
When he saw the young woman, he understood the enchantment of his son, and this worried him. This relationship was not meant to last, if it materialized it would only cause pains to both. Their lives were totally opposite.
On the other hand he knew that she could be a stone of discord if those who did not want Usem used it as an excuse to denigrate him. He hoped and asked Allah that they might soon be able to take her to a secure place and never see her again, for the sake of his tribe and his son.
In the evenings the music and the centenary poetry took place next to the fire. As she improved and integrated, Victoria began to enjoy those magical evenings under the black cloak of the night.
At some distance not stand out and have everything possible covered, I saw the Tuareg laugh and sing, dance. On several occasions, she saw Dassim approach Usem and took him to her tent. Her eyes were on her almost always, showing the man which trophy and strutting triumphantly before Victoria, all this in a silent mourning to which the man remained alien. Victoria lowered her eyes or looked to the side, trying to show indifference. She understood Dassim rationally: she was not going to allow anyone take away her tuareg and she was an intruder that was for a short time.
"Is it really yours?" Victoria thought as she again chatted with Usem. This explained the rules of courtesy between the different tribes and the different spaces that each one occupied. She shook her head and tried to concentrate, but she could not help asking,
"You came back here to stay?" Are you convinced that this is the life you want?
Usem was a little surprised because the conversation drifted into his own life. In answering he tried to be evasive, since he preferred to speak with her lighter subjects and not to undress her thoughts.
"Yes, I am here to stay and I am sure. As I was saying, traditional customs are ...
"Are you going to form your family life here?" Have you planned to marry Dassim yet? "She continued boldly.
He saw that it did not make much sense to evade the question since she seemed ready to know his affairs thoroughly, he did not know for what.
"I have my family here: my father, brothers, cousins. I have not planned to increase it for now, "he replied looking at her. Why do you think Dassim could be my wife?
"Well, it's obvious she likes you and you like her. I've seen you move together and it seemed to me a logical conclusion, "she said.
"I do not know how obvious it may be. I did not know you were so attentive to my actions, "he said wryly and still looking at her.
Victoria blushed as she had been exposed and could only say:
"There is not much else to see in this desolate desert. So you say that your affair is nothing more? How much modernity!
This last expression sounded sardonic.
"All that you are saying, the truth and the way you encroach into my intimacy is strange to me," he snapped, very annoyingly. I have tried to be nice since you are a woman helpless and alone, but you are overreaching limits.
He moved closer and closer until he was only a few inches away and his face was somewhat disengaged. It infuriated him that she would take him to a part he did not want, which was personal. She had been under his skin for some weeks, and that was why he was trying to be absolutely objective. But she was provoking it, at least so he believed.
"What do you have to say about my relationship with Dassim?"
Are you not going to be jealous? Would you like to be in her place?
Victoria was frightened a little because she saw that she had moved him from his usual calm and indifference. But it seemed a rather unreasonable reaction to what had been her comment.
"Calm down, I just wanted to know a little more about you. I'm not jealous, of what? I am a woman who is passing through and I can not wait to return to my world. If you want to be with anyone, it's your life, of course.
All this she said trying to be affable and moving away from him. He had moved closer to her a lot, not to frightened her but because he was thinking that he would love to melt in her mouth and body.
Her speech defused the conflict and Usem left. She was restless. Those ideas she had few days ago had bothered her. She realized that they could only cause problems and bring headaches but they did not died down.
"What's happening to me? Can I not stay in a place and stop thinking about him? Loneliness is taking its toll. Surely this desire comes from the fact that I am alone and I see him as the only bulwark that cares for me. My need for affection and restraint is channeling through him. "
These minutes of psychoanalysis calmed her but at the same time she knew there was something else. She liked him as a man and wanted him.
"It's unbelievable that I have missed the limits this way. I've never had these crush on anyone before. I must put a brake in myself when I am in his presence. Focusing on my goal, which is to return which was carefully decided.
The situation having occurred this way, both were very formal the following days and their contacts were occasional and rather cold.
However, in
ternally the interest and desire for each other was growing. Inevitably their bodies were attracted to each other and their looks were looking for each other like magnets.
Eight
Days went by quickly and Usem was increasingly bewitched by Victoria. He knew it was something destined to fail, so he struggled to slow down his heart and keep it from his thoughts.
This made him retake his visits and try to concentrate on his relationship with Dassim. He could not, however, take his encounters to another level other than sexual, for though she was charming and beautiful, he felt nothing deep for her.
He spoke with his father trying to bring about a change of course that would allow him to leave her a little earlier in a village to which they were going to skirt, but Merin refused to approach as the riders had warned of the danger of deviating. In addition, and although it seemed contradictory, en route they had planned to participate in a ceremony of betrothal that would be celebrated by one of the tribes of the south.
So his mood only worsened and one could tell. Dassim herself reproached him and left his tent one night in an untimely manner. The Tuareg had a strong character and was not going to bear insolence. She had several interested parties and she saw with lucidity what was happening to the man.
"You can not do more than that woman's mark on you!" You are at her feet and that puts you in a situation of weakness! They have no future!”
Usem flatly denied that it was so, but internally he was not so sure.
Almost exactly two months after finding Victoria, the caravan stopped at an enormous oasis where there was already an established Tuareg settlement. The different tribes were gathered for the celebration of betrothal among members of the Tuareg aristocracy. The ceremony lasted eight days, but they came in the seventh. The next day would be the wedding, since all of the previous was preparatory to it.
Victoria felt herself in a dream as she peered out to see the panorama unfold before her eyes. Men and women tingled through the camp, riders came and went on ornate camels, elaborate shops adorned the landscape.
Duré had anticipated where they were going, but she did not imagine it would be so important. She had told her that she must be very discreet and not jeopardize the Merin clan, so it would be best to be as least exposed as possible. At least during the day this was the most convenient. This she did, dedicating herself to the task of observing.
But in the night of the big wedding she could not avoid getting out of her wagon to see the festivities better. She wandered aimlessly, trying not to get too close to the core of the festivities. The colors of the fabrics and characteristic jewelry, the catchy music, the dances and the shouts of joy, the hugs and kisses that could be seen and sensed in couples escaping to the tent, were all intoxicating.
He could see Usem something far away, courting some women and laughing with some men she assumed were family members. Stunned by such an explosion of color, smells and noises, she moved away a little and sat down in a solitary part, which allowed her to see without being seen. Everyone participated in the celebration except her. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the cool night air.
"Are not you afraid that some desert vermin will bother you?"
Feeling these words, she opened her eyes quickly. Beside him was Usem scrutinizing her with his eyes fixed. His voice was hoarse.
"Hi, I had not thought there would be anything but I am sure with all this noise animals must walk away," she replied trying to sound jovial.
They had not talk for days and she missed him.
He sat down beside her and looked at the sky.
"There is no sky as beautiful as the one of the desert. As a young man he longed to return to it.
"There's no sky like home, that's for sure," she sighed wistfully.
"You miss it, I know, it’s logical. But it remains little time left. I'll return you back to your world, I promise you, "he said firmly.
"I believe you, I hope you can do it and nothing stands in the way," she said, looking at him.
She shivered a little from the night's cold and another from the heat she saw in his eyes.
"Let's hope not," the man whispered. It caused her some confusion that in her mind she would fight the desire to keep the anxiety to make her happy when she returned to her home.
"You'll get rid of a good weight when I leave." I know I've caused you some conflicts with your clan.
"You are not a burden to me. Rather, you have relieved and cheered me up for the weeks that we have shared-he was sincere.
Victoria was a little surprised but what was said pleased her. Not only had she clung to him.
"Thank you, Usem. I was afraid I would have pissed you off too much from what I asked you days ago. I did not mean to be nosy, just to know about you.
"I would also like to know more about you, but I'm afraid this road only leads to more intimacy. And you're leaving soon. What is the point of deepening our mutual feelings?
She remained silent. His extreme sincerity struck her, especially that she recognized that she made him develop feelings. The rational was to change the subject, but she could not resist the question.
"What feelings do you have for me?"
Immediately, she regretted. She sounded flirtatious and self-indulgent. And that was not what she felt. She was anxious to discover if her wish was shared.
Usem looked at her for a few seconds and then stood up.
"Yours is a game with fire." Do not tempt me ... I've been holding myself back for many weeks ...
“Of what...?
He left as lightning in complete silence. Victoria regretted again being such a hardheaded. But she liked provoking him.
"Deep down I expect his reaction," she said. "And what am I going to do when I get it?"
She has no answer for this.
Nine
Usem was upset.¡ Damned provocator! He resisted the best he could and she insisted on looking for him. He tried to distract himself and after a while he succeeded. He sank into the party, the dance and the drink. The excitement grew and enveloped him. When he looked for Dassim, he saw her in the arms of a suitor, and his haughty look convinced him that there was no place there any longer. He could have courted some other; several looked at him with interest.
But the bolt that he had put on his feelings had broken and the dam was overflowing. Determined, he headed for Victoria's wagon. If she sought truths he would give them to her.
The young woman had fallen asleep for quite a while, and the noise he made when he entered with a certain roughness woke her immediately. At first she looked at him with mute questioning, somewhat dazed, but something on his face told her that the wisest thing was to be silent.
She was not afraid of him, because despite the anger his face showed, she knew him to be gentle. Besides, he'd had enough time to behave badly since they'd bumped into each other and he had not done so. At least she begged her intuition to be true. She would never forgive a demeaning attitude.
"So you want to know what feelings I have for you. "All right, here," he snapped. You give me an intense desire to love you, to make you mine, to kiss all your corners and to possess you with intensity. What do you have to say to that?
Victoria tried to calm her raging heart. Knowing that she was so desired by the man who had given her many sleepless nights was a pampering to her pride. But caution had to prevail. It was evident that he was not totally in his right mind, otherwise he would not have entered like this or declared himself so openly.
"I do not mind you, Usem," she said calmly. Maybe you should rest and talk more calmly tomorrow.
He calmed down a little while and sat up trying not to stumble.
"You got me deep, sorceress. You're going to cause me pain, I know. But I can not help but love you.
With that he lay down beside her and fell asleep. The drink was taking its toll. She remained perfectly quiet beside him, still shocked by the weight of the declaration of love she had just received.
&n
bsp; "Look at where and when I come to find love," she said bitterly. "So much time alone and waiting for the carriage and it arrives like this. The right one for me could not be less ", she sneered mockingly.
But then she got serious. Beyond that the night would have affected him, the speech sounded very sincere. He said it almost with regret. She understood. The link between them could not be more inadequate. Two worlds that collided with the most pure chance.
And yet, she felt the same. She was not sure she could call the love her own. She was in such a unique position that perhaps she mixed gratitude, loneliness and sadness, with love. But this man was mobilizing her. And just as things were taking place, something had to be done about it. Give up the bond or sink into it.
She spent most of the night evaluating what to do. He slept noisily by her side, unaware of the storm he had provoked in her. Before the sun rose in the sky, she woke him up. She had made up her mind.
"Usem?" she said gently, touching his face.
He moved and opened his eyes.
"I do not know if I love you, Tuareg. But what I feel for you is strong and I want to it live entirely. I have had sufficient samples of how brief this life is.
The man heard her and immediately plunged his hand into her hair, pulling her against him. He kissed her mouth hard, ran his lips over her face and reached her ear.
"The moments that we live we will treasure them forever," he muttered.
This was enough for both of them to melt their bodies and the passion that was approaching them untied. They kissed fiercely and the caresses became faster and faster, as if urging them to reach the bottom of pleasure.
He circled her curves, awakening in her sleepy sensations. His body responded with ardor, as if he had waited years for someone to incite him that way. He kissed her breasts, weighing each one and sucking her nipples. Victoria was bursting with lust. She pushed him onto his back and climbed over him, caressing him. She rode on his pelvis causing him such lust that he pushed her gently and mounted her gently. Always embraced, the rhythm became frantic until both reached the maximum pleasure. Then the calm arrived and he laid by her side for a few minutes without speaking. Finally, he said:
Migrant Hearts Page 4