"Rip" and Marylou

Untitled Part 10

                                                                                               Babies

As the weeks and months passed by Marylou had noticed a large increase in the amount of pregnant young women. She also noticed that during daylight hours the men stayed away from their partners, while as night fell they moved in and flirted shamelessly. She could see in their faces that love as they knew it was all around. There was no arranged marriages in the Embako system, each couple chose each other mostly from being together from a young age. The only exception was Chief Obasi who had four wives. They were young, around eighteen and the most beautiful in the Village, but they were token wives, after all the Chief was at least eighty years of age. They sat beside him at ceremonies, dressed him in the morning and undressed him at night. They brought him food and cleaned his thatched Hut, and there their requirements ended. Two of his wives were pregnant which told Marylou that they were allowed for the sake of the Tribe to have another partner. It all seemed very civilized, she wrote in her diary. As she analysed the Tribe she could see that everyone had a status, everyone had a function and like a swarm of ravaging Ants, every day ended around their Chief. Marylou decided to create a Parenting Club, she had observed that the young men and women watched every move each other made throughout the day, but men were men and women were women so they kept their distance. She gathered the pregnant women around her Hut and with the help of "Rip" outlined the way that the classes worked in the US. As they did so the young men became curious and one by one filed over and sat with their partner. It just looked like fun, but the seed was planted. Once a week the girls would gather with their partners and each time Marylou would show a different manoeuvre, and six weeks in the girls seemed more confident and less scared about what was about to happen. Cloe had a not so secret admirer, not so secret being that he from morning till night stuck to her like a Limpet. They sat together in class, climbed trees, swam in the River pool and taught each other each others language. The result being that Cloe was more affluent in Embako than "Rip" or Marylou, which allowed her to become an interpreter when required. "Rip's" roll in the Village was purely education on farming, raising livestock, making more sustainable tools, and at times teaching them some American Country Songs. Their education to him was mainly in the art of hunting for food, and to the Embako almost everything was food. On one occasion a group of six, including "Rip" set out into the river on a fishing expedition. What he tried to explain to the Embako was that they lived on the banks of one of the wonders of the world the Amazon River. The longest and in places the widest River known to man, but to the Embako it was their whole life. It gave them drinking water, it allowed them to wash their clothes, bathe and swim and on this occasion it would hopefully supply the evening meals for the whole tribe. They made their way to a narrow part of the river where the fish according to the Tribes men would be searching for food in the reads. All of a sudden there was a crash and the boat nearly capsized. It was a giant Amazon Crocodile and he was no more than two feet away. Mazumi the middle aged leader of the trip without any fuss took hold of his Machete and gently stabbed the huge beast on the back of its neck. At this it rolled over two or three times and disappeared under the water. Mazumi in his broken English explained to "Rip" that he did not intend to kill the beast only scare him off. "The River belongs to him" he explained "We only want a few of his fish "That night back in the Village "Rip" and Marylou were having a chat about the day. "We don't want to change these proud peoples lifestyle completely" said "Rip" They have survived for years in circumstances which we the more educated would find impossible. Our only aim is to help them sustain a longer life using natural methods. When I look around at the smiling faces I swear Marylou I am humbled" "I can only agree" said Marylou. "While you were gone I was having a meeting with the pregnant women of the Village when suddenly, you know the older one of the Chiefs wives went into labour. I began running around, getting towels and water and just panicking really, but the other ladies, without any fuss took her into one of the Huts and an hour later out she came carrying her own child, a baby boy. She calmly walked to the River and bathed the baby, turned to me and handed me the newly born with a large smile on her face. Now why on earth would anyone want to change that. And that at least beats your Crocodile story" They lay down beside Cloe and cuddled in for the night, "Are you happy here darling" asked "Rip" "Truly happy" answered Marylou. "Then lets ask Chief Obasi if he would marry us" he said. "Is that a proposal after all these years? asked Marylou. "I guess it is" answered "Rip" "Then I accept" she replied.