There's A Fine Line Between Coincidence & Fate ✓

Chapter 21

The weeks passed into months. The status of my residency among the Medjai hadn't been brought up since that first day. In fact, I had been given a tent just down from Ardeth's and right next to his parents to use while I was with them. Each day, at sundown, Ardeth would take me on a walk, and we'd talk about anything. I told him what it was like growing up in America, what living on a ranch was like, and growing up with many, many siblings and he'd, in turn, would tell me what it was like growing up in his tribe, training both with a sword and his father from a young age, a battle with a group of locals that left his father with a permanent limp from catching a stray bullet in his thigh that thankfully had been able to be removed which then caused his father to step down and Ardeth taking his place. We'd talk about the future, and what we would want from it, if given the choice. We talked about children and if either of us wanted children. Coming from a large family, I only wanted a few. He didn't have a particular number in mind. It was expected of him to have a son, to pass on the chiefdom to, but aside from that, he wasn't sure. Every now and then we'd sneak behind the outer most tents and share a kiss or two, but we hadn't gone much further than that. I was completely in love with him. I was certain he felt the same, but neither of us had braved saying the words out loud yet.

During the days, I spent time with Rahima, learning all I could about the Medjai and their way of life. Many aspects about their society were patriarchal but I could tell even after only a couple of days, that Ardeth's father practically worshipped the ground his wife walked on and she looked at him like he hung the moon and the stars. It was refreshing. My parents had lost that along the way. Somewhere in the thirty years and nine kids, they had grown too used to the other person, no longer having that glow of young love. Not that they didn't love each other, it just didn't manifest in that honeymoon phase like Asim and Rahima still had. She also taught me how to make some of her family's favorite meals. My mother used to tell me that I was a horrible cook, but under Rahima's teaching, I had to say that I was getting pretty good at it.

That's where I was currently, with Rahima in her tent, learning how to make another dish. "What is your family like? Do you have any siblings?" Rahima asked me, while we were sitting at her table, drinking tea while we waited for the evening meal to be done cooking.

"My family is..." I struggled to think of a way to describe them, "loud. There are nine of us kids, and anything we did as a family was utter chaos."

"Nine children? That does seem like chaos." She agreed with me.

"Well before we left there was only five of us at home still. I just got done with university before we left so I wasn't living there anymore." It still stung to think of my family, who I hadn't seen in months. They didn't know about Jack, and Jack still hurt way too much to think about.

"Your parents allowed you to live alone?" She seemed genuinely confused and I realized that it was just as unheard of in her society as it was in mine.

"My mother was very much against it. She was convinced that by continuing my education I was warding off potential spouses. My father was less concerned about it, and therefore I was able to attend university and even come on this trip with my brother and friends."

"Are any of your siblings married?" she asked.

"Three of my older brothers are. James, he's twenty-nine and the oldest, has three kids, two girls and a baby boy. Joseph is twenty-eight and has four kids, three boys and a girl. Jacob is twenty-seven and has been married for a little under two years. He has one baby and the last I heard from home, had one on the way."

"And there are still six more of you after those three?" she inquired.

"Oh yeah. There's Edward next, He's twenty-five and, to quote my mother, 'currently taking advantage of our parents' good will by staying home and not looking for a wife'. Then there was Jack and me, we're twenty-four," I had to stop there and compose myself. I was on the verge of tears again. Jack would never see our next niece or nephew be born, never get married, never see me or any of our other siblings married with kids. He was gone way too soon. I was never prepared to have to get through this life without him. Even when we were fighting, which was a lot, he was always there, doing something stupid to get back in my good graces. Rahima could see I was retreating within myself and gently covered her hand with my own.

"The ones we love never truly leave us. Jack is just as much of a part of you now as he was while he was alive. He lives in you." She gave me a smile and I did my best to return one.

Trying my best to move on with the conversation, I shook my head, focusing on the present. "After me and Jack there's Rose. She's twenty-one and just as bad as our mother when it comes to her opinions on what I should be doing with my life. Then there's Timothy. He's eleven and the most rebellious child. And lastly there's Susan who's nine. I would say she's the most like me. Always outside with the boys and animals. It drives my mother crazy that just as I grew up and became my own problem, she has another one who won't listen to her instructions on what a young lady is supposed to be." I laughed at this. So did Rahima.

By this point, the sun was going down and Ardeth, Asim and Aman had come back to the tent for dinner. We gathered around the table, each of us on a cushion. Asim sat at the head of the table, Ardeth at the other end. Rahima sat to Asim's right and I sat next to her, on Ardeth's left. Aman had the other side of the table to himself. Asim prayed a blessing over the food and him, Ardeth and Aman took the first servings. After they had had their fill, Rahima and I helped ourselves.

After the meal and Rahima and I had cleared and washed the dishes, Ardeth extended his arm to me, ready for our evening walk. We took our normal route, coming to the edge of the village in no time, taking a seat in the sand to enjoy how the sunset was painting the sky in brilliant pinks, purples and soft oranges. "As long as I live, I'll never see anything more beautiful than a desert sunset." I tell him. Out of the corner of my eye I see his smile grow at that. Once again there was a silence surrounding us and I couldn't help but notice that he was shifting kind of nervously. "Ardeth, what is it? I've never seen you like this before." I asked, worried.

"Nothing is wrong. Quite the opposite in fact. I had a meeting with the council today and certain aspects of the future were discussed."

"Am I being asked to leave? I know that I was only supposed to stay for a little while and it has been months now since your people were kind enough to take me in." I was rambling at this point, but I was getting nervous.

"No, it is not like that. I came before the council of elders to ask them for their blessing in asking for someone's hand in marriage. As chieftain, it is how things are done." He explained.

"Oh." I said, turning away. If I was going to cry because he was going to marry someone else, I didn't want him to see me. He placed a hand on my cheek, turning me back to face him.

"I think you misunderstood me." He whispered before turning me to face him completely.

"Oh, oh," I said, finally picking up on what was going on.

"Margaret, I knew when I first saw you in that room in Hamunaptra that you were going to be someone important to me. I just didn't know in what capacity. You put others before yourself, even if it means sacrificing yourself. You know, without having been raised in it, what it truly means to be a member of the Medjai. I know I couldn't ask your father for his blessing so I hope the council's will be enough. Will you marry me and be my wife?" he asked. I was in tears at this point. Some might say that this was moving too fast, but after experiencing the end of the world, almost, I didn't want to have any regrets. Through my tears, I nodded, and he stood us up and took me in his arms, twirling me around. He kissed me like he never had before. There was a passion there that I've never experienced before.

We walked back to his parents' tent and were met with congratulations. It seemed that everyone knew what Ardeth had had planned besides me. Rahima came up and hugged me, while Asim stood beside her with a proud smile on his face. Aman gave Ardeth a hug before giving me a nod and a smile. I was getting married!