Blood & Milk (18 page)

“I just collected the boys and shielded them. You ran into the wildebeests, so they didn’t trample us.” I looked from Damu to Kasisi. “He was braver than me.”

Kasisi nodded slowly, then he looked at Damu. “Tell me his dreams?”

Damu stared at his father. “What do you mean?”

Kasisi looked between us again. “You share house, you must see and hear.”

Damu swallowed hard. “Very troubled dreams at first. When he arrive, he would yell and fight in his dreams. Now he sleeps with peace.”

I stared at Damu. I didn’t know it was that bad in the beginning.

Damu looked straight ahead, not at me. “He would speak a name, but not anymore.”

I blinked and my heart hammered and felt it would break at the same time. I was too tired to go through this right now.

Kasisi asked, “Name?”

“Jarrod.”

I couldn’t swallow or even think. I sure as hell couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to talk of Jarrod. It was a personal matter I’d shared with Damu in private, and it hurt my heart to hear it now.

Damu looked at me. His eyes flashed with recognition, apology, and understanding. “His brother.”

Brother?

There was no way Damu could tell Kasisi the truth. A truth that could not ever be uttered to these men. If they knew Jarrod was my boyfriend, my lover, I could expect a rather unpleasant death. I guessed Damu wanted Kasisi to know I loved Jarrod, but not in the way he expected.

“What of Jarrod to send bad dreams?” Kasisi asked.

“He died,” I whispered. “He was murdered.”

“And you not dream to save him?”

I shook my head. “No dream.”

“You not see his danger? Not save him?”

“No.”

“And it troubles your mind and heart.”

I swallowed down my emotions. “Yes.”

The old man looked back to Damu. “But he’s not troubled dreams now?”

Damu paused before answering. “Not for many moons.”

Kasisi nodded thoughtfully. “Good it is here for you. The earth and sky, our God Enkai, heal your heart.”

I nodded, though truthfully, it was the man who sat beside me that had done most of that.

“You come here to save my sons,” Kasisi said. The gentleness of his voice surprised me, and there was a humbled gratefulness there now. “Your purpose for being here was not to learn our ways. Your purpose, your dreaming, was to save my sons.”

I bowed my head, in recognition of his kindness. “It was my duty, my honour. I’m very happy they were not harmed.” When I looked at up at him, I realised he wasn’t just talking of Momboa, but of Damu as well. It went unsaid, but it was in his eyes when he looked at us both.

Did he know? Had he seen something, had visions of mine and Damu’s relationship?

Surely not. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t be sitting there smiling at us if he knew…

Kasisi looked over the manyatta and smiled. I could tell by his eyes we was remembering something. “When Damu be born, his mother die. Yet I see, I dream, he be saved by Kafir. But Kafir was dead. It make no sense to me, until I see you. Eyes of Kafir, I knew you be here to save him.”

I didn’t know what to say. My heart was thundering in my chest, my mouth dry. I was so damn tired, my mind was foggy.

“Damu, leave us,” Kasisi said.

My blood ran cold, and I tried to steady my breathing as Damu silently got to his feet. Only when he’d walked a few yards did he glance over his shoulder at me, and the worry on his face told me his thoughts were the same as mine.

I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest while I waited for Kasisi to speak. Eventually he said, “I have many sons.”

I bowed my head. “You are a great leader. Your people are lucky you are their chief.”

“Yes,” he said without doubt. He also said it without a hint of arrogance. He
was
a good leader, and he knew it like he knew the sun would rise in the morning. He led with a fair mind and ruled with a level head. Which was more than I could say about his eldest son, Kijani.

“First son, Kijani be strong warrior.”

Even though I didn’t like the guy, I couldn’t deny the truth. “Yes, he is.”

“Second son…” Kasisi shook his head. “Damu born with two hearts.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I admitted quietly. Damu had mentioned this story of two hearts, but not even he knew what it meant. I took a guess. “He is very brave and very kind.”

Kasisi held up two gnarled fingers. “Two hearts. He not be warrior.”

I was so confused but wanted to see where this conversation was going without pushing. “No. But he has the courage of a warrior. He admires Kijani.”

Kasisi nodded thoughtfully. “He show bravery today.”

“Yes. I feared he would be killed.”

“You were afraid?”

I nodded quickly. “Very.”

He was quiet then for a long while. “I decide to do tourist money for taxes.”

I blinked back my surprise.
Why was he telling me this?
“I think this is wise and for the good of your people.”

Kasisi gave a nod, though a frown marred his brow. “We lose cattle, have no money.”

“We’ll get them back,” I said firmly. “And then we can start to build a house for the tourists to use. They can sleep separate. You don’t need to do anything else to accommodate them, no fancy beds, no white man lifestyle. Let them come and stay here as real Maasai do.”

Kasisi’s lips twisted in an almost smile. “Like you do.”

I assumed explaining my job with a travel company would be lost on him, so I stuck to the basics. “I know what people will pay money for when they travel,” I furthered. “Tourists will pay money to come here for a few days and learn your ways. Cook a feast for them, show them how you dance and sing and jump. Sell beads and bracelets. They will buy them.”

Kasisi nodded more enthusiastically now, but before he could say anything, Damu ran over with a smile. “Mbaya return with cattle!”

And sure enough, Mbaya, one of the junior elders, was walking back to the manyatta with four cows in front of him.

And by evening, three more had returned.

The next day, five more, and the day after that, another four. By the end of the week, all but three were returned. Whether those three cows became dinner for lion or crocodile, I could only guess, but the mood in the manyatta was high.

It was so high, in fact, Kasisi called for a feast. A celebration.

It was the new moon, the short rains were passing, and spring had finally settled over the Serengeti. There were baby goats, and the returned cows wouldn’t be long from calf.

It was almost like a Maasai version of New Year’s Eve. A time of new beginnings and a celebration of new things to come.

I knew changes were coming, my dreams for the last few nights had made that clear, but apart from that, my nights were blessedly dream free.

The gash on Damu’s side was healing nicely, though he acted like it was no bother at all. The truth was, he’d earned respect for saving the lives of Momboa and Jaali, and it had lifted his spirits tremendously.

He’d smiled more in the last few days than I remembered ever seeing. The village men, elders and warriors, only acknowledged him a nod, but that was more than he’d had his entire life.

And when Kasisi announced that Damu and I were to go with the warriors and help with the killing of the goat for the village dinner, Damu was so damn proud he could burst.

Kijani, on the other hand, wasn’t amused.

The celebration was a great opportunity for Kijani to reinforce his desire to take Razina for a wife. I assumed after tonight, there would be no more doubts and their intent to marry would be official. It was sweet really, knowing their forbidden love would be tolerated, forgiven even. It was also bitter, because I knew mine and Damu’s would
never
be allowed. But this new affection kept Kijani distracted, and for that I was grateful.

We still earned ourselves a hateful glare from him every chance he got, but for the most part, he only had eyes for Razina.

“We must hurry,” Damu said. His grin was wide and he buzzed with excitement. He ran to our hut and I followed quickly. Damu knelt at the extinguished stove and collected our bowls and two empty gourds. “We not be late.”

I knelt beside him. “Stop for one moment,” I murmured. He turned to me, and kneeling before him, I took his face in both my hands. “Your happiness makes you beautiful.” I leaned in and brought our lips together for a tender kiss. “I just needed to kiss you.”

He sat back and laughed, before giving me a quick peck of a kiss. “Come! We go now!”

I took the bowls from him and we ran to where the young warriors were leading an older goat out of the kraal. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about witnessing it being killed and butchered, but Damu’s excitement was contagious. He’d never been included with the warriors before, and he was beaming.

The killing of the goat was a profound moment, and one I was not expecting or prepared for. Each warrior touched the goat’s forehead and thanked the animal for giving its life so the men would be strong and women and children would have food in their bellies.

They bowed their heads and acknowledged the living creature was a gift from Enkai and how the goat’s life was not taken in vain. They acknowledged the earth and the sky and all living creatures and gave thanks to Enkai for being a merciful god.

One warrior held the goat’s head, someone else held its body and they stretched the animal’s neck. Not to harm it, just to have better access for the jugular. Then, with deft fingers, Kijani felt along the animal’s neck for a pulse and with a sharp stick and a quick jab, he pierced the skin. Dark red liquid streamed out like a jet stream, and gourds were quickly in place to collect the blood. The goat was let go, and it did no more than shake its head, seemingly unfazed by the bloodletting.

The gourds were passed around, everyone taking a sip. When it was my turn, I bowed my head in thanks and let the still-warm liquid pass my lips. I’d drank goat blood before, so at least I knew what to expect, but it didn’t make it any easier. The younger warriors laughed at me, and I handed the gourd onto the next person, wiping my mouth with a smile.

When it came time to kill the goat, Damu and I stood back. The warriors circled the animal, and I was glad not to be able to see. The men sang a song of praise and thanks to an otherwise silent affair.

Nothing was wasted. Everything would be eaten, used for soups, the skin turned to leathers, and the bones used as tools or left for other animals. Sections of meat where bundled up and taken back to the manyatta by the leading warriors.

Damu and I were left to bring back the remains and entrails, which wasn’t the most glamourous job, but when it was only he and I, he scooped the fat into a bowl. “For later.” He bit his lip and chuckled.

I groaned freely, knowing damn well what he wanted to use it for. And I couldn’t wait. “It’s been a long time. You better get double. I’ve missed you inside me.”

He swallowed hard. “You not speak of it to me, and you not make that noise, or we not do dinner.”

“Promise?”

He laughed now. He didn’t answer me, but he took as much fat as he could.

I burst out laughing, and had to give my dick a squeeze to keep it under control. “If we could miss dinner and spend the whole day in bed, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Heath Crowley, you tempt me,” he said, his voice a low rumble. His eyes were molten onyx, and my blood warmed at the promise of what the night held.

We carried our parcels of goat meat back to the manyatta, where the celebrations were already starting. Women danced and sang, the children played games, the men jumped, and the smell of roasting meat filled my nose. We drank some type of tea that gave me a pleasant, warm buzz.

It was the best I’d felt in a week.

I was still tired, but the excitement was contagious. I hadn’t stopped smiling yet.

Just before the meat was ready, Kasisi stood before the fire and called for his people to listen. He told them the manyatta would build a house for the white people to pay money to stay. It was a new direction for his people, he said. A new direction, for new times. Then he announced that Kijani would have Razina as his first wife, to which everyone clapped and sang, myself and Damu included.

But then Kasisi raised his hands, and a silence fell over the crowd. “We celebrate new life of the earth,” he said, referring to the seasons. “New life for Kijani, in which he will have many sons and cattle.” I raised my bowl of tea, all the while mumbling under my breath about the misogyny of it all, and when Damu eyed me, I realised I’d probably mumbled a little too loud.

I tried to speak quietly, but my head buzzed. “I think I shouldn’t drink this tea,” I said. “Feeling a little drunk.”

He laughed quietly, just as Kasisi called his name.

“Damu, come,” Kasisi ordered, and my heart suddenly pounded in my throat. I had no idea what was about to happen. Damu stared, frozen like a deer in headlights, before he handed me his drink of tea and walked through the silent crowd to his father.