The rest of the banquet wasn't nearly as eventful as the start. Kicking out Uchel's aunt only made people awkward for a little while. As the food and drinks came out, everyone focused more on having fun.
Chief Inti stayed close by as people came up and introduced themselves just in case anyone decided to cause another scene.
Eventually, she also found a seat and joined in the revelry. The drinks were sweet and refreshing. I think that some had alcohol in them, but the ones served to me were juice and water.
The food was amazing too. Ocello and Uchel went to get my food from the buffet that had been laid out for everyone. Roasted meats cut into small pieces, vegetable mixes that looked like coleslaw, sweet fruits, and crispy bite sized pieces of a breading that they fried and tossed in herbs and spices were among the offerings.
Chief Inti and her husbands had prepared most of the food, but some of the other women of the tribe had brought things for everyone to eat and drink,
I stayed on the chair of honor, and a few people came up and talked to Ocello, but no one came up to talk to Uchel. Ocello was good about starting with my introduction and then pulling Uchel into the conversations.
At first he was uncomfortable, but that didn't last for long. He didn't suddenly stop being a cute grumpy loner, but at least the village was trying. Uchel was mostly polite, though in growly wolfish way.
By the end of the night, I was stuffed with meat and vegetables. My head spun from the number of people who introduced themselves. No way would I be able to keep all of their names straight.
As we headed home, I could see the stars twinkling in the sky. I sighed. This was the kind of peace I wanted. Even though both Ocello and Uchel were kind and helpful, they didn't restrict me. Who I talked to and met with was my choice. It was freeing.
It was also another thing I had to acknowledge from my marriage to Danny. During our relationship, we started out going places and spending time together, but towards the end, any attempt that I made to plan dates, or time together was met with heavy resistance. But if I decided to go out on my own, he would pout and give me the silent treatment until I apologized and promised not to do that.
It was isolating. I ignored my friends and by the end of our relationship, he was all I had. Musing to myself, I realized the reason he did that was so I wouldn't discover the will or the kind of person he was before he had what he wanted.
At the same time, he seemed to have no problem hanging out with the woman on the ship. I never got her name. I couldn't even appropriately curse her for her misdeeds.
But he was fine going on a cruise with her. If their relationship was that close, I could guess that some of his other recent business trips were also with her.
I hated that I wanted to know just how deep his betrayal had been, but I was also scared to find out. Had it really all been a lie? As I stared at the sky, a meteor shot through the atmosphere. The blue-green light flared brightly as it fell. Should I make a wish.
"To be happy." Ocello and Uchel looked at me in confusion. "Where I come from, when you see a shooting star, you make a wish on it. They say it will come true."
"Your wish is to be happy?" Uchel asked.
"Yeah," I smiled sadly. "I don't think I was before. I was so caught up in a fantasy that I ignored what was right in front of me."
"We will help," Ocello told me. Uchel nodded.
"My whole life, I never thought that I would ever be able to have a wife, but I wished for one." He took my hand shyly. "And here you are, and you accept me. Your happiness is my happiness."
"You shouldn't rely on me to make you happy."
"That isn't what I meant." Uchel smiled and I think I melted a little. "Seeing you smile makes the day brighter. Watching you enjoy yourself makes life sweeter. I never knew what happiness was until you showed me."
"I spent a lot of time miserable and angry. But you showed me a light that drove it all away. I will always cherish that, no matter what happens."
His words filled my emptiness and made me yearn for him. Pulling him close, I kissed the corner of his mouth. When his lips parted, I pressed more firmly, my tongue darting out. At first, he didn't know what to do.
He froze like a statue and as our tongues touched, he groaned and held me tighter, ravishing my lips until I was dizzy. Desire shot through me until I heard someone clearing their throat.
I pulled away, blushing just as hard as Uchel. Ocello had a smirk on his face, enjoying our discomfort.
"One of these days," He said, taking a step closer to me, "I want to kiss you like that too. If you are willing." With a wink, he sauntered off. Uchel and I looked at each other and laughed before racing off to catch him.
Was it that easy in this world? My previous one, the two men would have been at each other's throats. I hoped I never had to experience that.
When we got back to the house, Ocello and Uchel decided to bunk down in the grand room and sent me up stairs to the clean bedchamber. As I walked up the steps, I could barely keep my eyes open, yawning several times before reaching the top and opening my door. I glanced down and waved at the two beastmen.
"Good night." I called. I walked into the room. The glow lights on the wall were open and I unclipped the latch and closed the wooden cover to the tiniest sliver. In the dull light, I walked over and laid on the bed. The covers were still a bit tousled from my earlier nap, but I pulled them over me.
As I lie there, I thought over the events of the evening. Meeting Uchel earlier had been a blessing. I really liked him. I also fiercely wanted to protect him. The way his aunt had treated him was infuriating. But he stood up for himself.
We would have so much to do in the morning, like cleaning the other bedrooms and organizing the kitchen. And I needed to figure out the best way to get resources so that we didn't starve. The Chief may be alright giving us a hand up now, but in the future, I wanted to be sure to support myself and my family.
"What do you think, little one. Are you happy that you met your dad?" I asked, rubbing my belly. A kick made me think that he was. Shifting around, it wasn't long until I fell asleep.
In the morning, I could smell the savory odors of meat wafting up into the room.