The Free Republic of Texas 2015 (8 page)

A knock on the door brought 2 middle aged women who were wearing about what we were but also a wrap around the breast.

Jody and I stood still while they went to work with paint on our faces and then upper body’s and down the sides of the legs where the lion cloth left them bare, when they were finished they stood back and looked us over and the one who painted me said in only slightly accented English “ She’s a wonderful woman, please make her happy with many strong sons” after they left I looked in the full sized mirror in the bed room, I would never have known it was me looking back, I saw a white skinned taller version of what I saw when I looked at Song.

Song came in and put a wide head band on me and stepping back looked me over and said “well for a white boy you dress out pretty good!!”

Wonderful my new soon to be brother in Law was a smart ass!!! But we were all laughing.

When I got a closer look at Jody thru the paint I was very surprised to see the same upper body tattoos that song had, while none on the face the rest were the same, I raised an eyebrow and he said it was the only way the tribe would allow the kids to be taken when Jody left, he had to become a member of the clan.

Now I was worried, would I have to have this done too??? Jody saw my look and said no, you don’t have to. But it would please your bride to be… Some reprieve, like she never got anything she wanted including my pie and coffee!

It was time; Song led the way, Jody bringing up the rear, as if I might run for it. We walked out the door into something out of a movie set, there was a big fire burning in the middle of the front yard, there was some quiet drumming sounds coming from the night, the people were all gathered quietly waiting, for me it turned out, all of the locals who had come for the event to be my family and clan, without a word Song and Jody had disappeared and up walked John, dressed just like me!! Followed by two wild eyed African Warriors dressed as Asian Mountain tribesmen, it was the Brothers Jonas!! Now my family and clan… This was really turning into a Hollywierd movie.

With John leading me following and the Zulu kingdom behind me and followed by the locals we walked into the forest down a large new path toward the drumming sounds, I could hear some kind of flute sounding noise also.

We emerged into the clearing lit only by a fire, not a big one like at the house, it lit the clearing leaving the edges in shadow, John had stopped and the crowd behind us had quietly moved into the shadows around half the circle.

Across the way there was a ripple of motion in the darkness and Sing walked out wearing a sarong which I now realized was what the paint ladies were wearing, she too had a wrap around her breast and was painted as I was, the same design as mine. This was a clue I was sure, my heart was pounding so loud the drums were drowned out.

She looked so wild! And so beautiful at the same time. Who would look at her right now and expect to hear perfect English to come from her mouth? She was thousands of miles away from her native Mountains but right here, right now, she had never left them.

A voice sounded from the night in a language I did not understand and with her head held high Sing walked into the full fire light and stopped about 6 feet from the fire.

The voice once again called from the night and I felt a small nudge from behind so I walked forward and stopped the same distance from the fire.

The voice once again called from the night and talked on for a few minutes then when he stopped there was a pause and many voices from the dark area behind Sing made a sound not unlike the days in the army when we all went Hooraa !

He then talked some more and when he paused from behind me came the same sound, somebody had been instructing my Clan it seems, I wanted to laugh with the humor of it thinking about Miss Ellie and the whole bunch of East Texans all going Hooraa in the night and wondered what the staunch Baptists were thinking, if any had come.

The voice sounded again and a mans voice answered and Song walked into the clearing to the right of me stopping as Sing and I had, the voice called out again and another voice answered but I did not understand the word he spoke, and John Quick walked out and stopped, we were now at the four directions, one at each North, South, East and west as near as I could figure.

The voice again called out and when he stopped Song walked to Sing and John walked to me they then led us in opposite directions until I was standing where Sing had been and she was in my former spot, the voice called out again and the people behind me once again sounded out the Hooraa call and it was followed by the same words and voices from the other side of the fire.

Song now came to me and led me to a spot several feet to the side and John led Sing to my side.

Once again the voice called out and Jody walked into the clearing and stopped where Sing had first been, another call and John walked to the place where I had stood.

Then there was quiet, only the breeze in the trees and the moon shadows dancing around the clearing…

The drums stopped and it was so quiet you could hear the night, Then from the shadows walked the old man who was the tribal elder, he walked to Sing and I and stopped and looking into our eyes then said something and taking her hand he placed it in mine, he said some more stuff then separated our hands, he produced a small knife and gently took Sings hand and made a small cut, taking my hand he did the same, then he pressed the hands together and made a long speech, then he looked at Sing and asked her something, she said a word and then the English word yes, he looked at me and said the same speech or I think it was, when he stopped I said the word yes.

He then turned away and looking into the dark across the fire he raised his arms and said a few words and lowered his hands, and waited for something. When he didn’t hear it he turned to us and bowed three times, Sing with a tug at my hand returned the bow with me half a beat behind.

When we straightened up there was a loud yelling sound and everybody rushed into the clearing and congratulated us.

I quietly asked Sing if I got to kiss the bride, she leaned over and said oh yes, later!

I was married!! I never thought it would happen again, but I was as happy as I had ever been, I took a moment to look up at the moon and sent a thought to my wife and son, and I know I could feel their joy that I had come back to life.

What is there to say now, a wedding party is a wedding party, no matter where in the world it is, too much food, too much to drink and too much fun!

We were not allowed to leave as tradition allowed in our society, Oh no, we had to stay until the last bit of pig was eaten, the last drops of booze was drank, and people were staggering off to wherever they would sleep, the locals it turned out had come in cars driven by non drinkers who became the “DD” for the event.

Sing and I were at last allowed to leave and go to our room, the house was empty, thanks to Jody and Song giving us the privacy newly weds seemed to need even when we had been living in ”sin” for weeks.

The night was short, the paint washed off in the shower together, the rest you will have to Imagine.

Well about 3 in the after noon we decided we might live, got up, showered, went back to bed, go up showered again, then my little darlin informed me she was starving so we headed up and out, and I discovered the wedding was still going on, most of the folks who were here last night had either not left or were back, most looked like death warmed over…

Sing stopped dead in her tracks and said Shit!!…So I said SHIT????? What means this bad word from the mouth of my sweet wife? She said “I forgot the naming ceremony!!! Damn!!”

Ah I said, so, when were you going to tell me about this one? She just gave out that 50 K watt smile and still smiling said come on, we have to do this…and walked toward the old man who married us, all her Clan and most of mine were there.

The Old guy started babbling along and shaking some kind of stick with feathers on it, Sing answered him then he talked some more, then looked at me. Well hell, I had no idea what he wanted but nodded and said yes, so he stood there and just looked at me, Sing spoke to him and turned to me and said “ You must now rename me ! BANG, just like that, I looked at her then him then Jody and Song both were standing there nodding, I was stunned, finely Song stepped in and spoke to the old man who looked put out and then nodded and walked away a short distance, Song and Jody joined Sing and me, Song then told me I had to rename Sing, I said hell no, I like her name,

All three tried to talk at once, but it was my lovely bride who said, “Sam my love, you have to give me my married name or we aren’t married” I just stood there and rocked back and forth on my heels and at last said, “Honey is this something you really want?” She said “oh yes Sam, I want my new name from you to me for all time…” Both the guys were nodding, so I asked for a few minutes and took Sing away a ways and said “ok baby, what you want it to be?” She teared up and said “Sam, “YOU” must give it to me, what you want for me to have.”

Well the tears got me and I stood looking down into her beautiful face with the soft green lines on it and said “well, I love your markings, and to me they always seemed like the color of emeralds , but that’s not a good name, so I here by name you…..Jade.

She threw her arms around me and said “oh my love thank you for the beautiful name “then dragged me over to the old man who was starting to get on my nerves a bit, when he saw we were ready he came back and my bride was whispering in my ear the word for Jade in her native tongue, when the old coot asked me again what I assumed was my brides new name I repeated the word she had given me, he looked at me for a bit and I thought he would get pissed off again but instead he smiled real big and shouted out a long bunch of words the last one was all I knew, the native clan members all shouted and started singing, the log that was the drum was being beat to death with gusto, and Jody turned to John and said something to him, he raised his arms and when it was quiet he announced to “MY” clan that the bride was “Jade” and the locals not to be outdone let out some loud Rebel yells and somebody started shooting in the air…and it was done.

Well no, the renaming was done, but now we had to kill and eat another hog which I found out had been done while we were sleeping…the feast started as soon as it was almost dark and lasted until the last person turned out the lights and crawled home.

Getting married is rough enough if it a plain old boring American wedding, being at a wedding of these people who were thousands of miles from their roots well it was a really wonderful thing, And it made them feel like this land was now their home, which I found out it was because they were all moving here in a few days, Jody said we would have much need for them in the times to come and god knows how right he was to be,

Me I didn’t care, I had Sin….er…Jade now and …..well for as long as we have together, I had learned the hard way that it’s all about the right now, here this minute, because in the next minute it could all be gone, so from this moment I would live each and every hour of every day as if it might be the last, with love and joy for the time we have.

By the next day things were getting back to normal, Jade and I cooked breakfast together for Jody and Song, who’s name didn’t change it seems.

After we had eaten we talked about the progress being made on the Mall and the other projects, Jody talked to me about going ahead with earth bagging the green houses but that for the rest of the barns and other buildings he wanted to change the plan to what looked like the old Quonset buildings , half round shells of metal, with earth covering them 3 ft deep and earth berm’s shielding the front and back ends where big heavy doors opened like garage doors only bigger, with room to drive around them and into the barns, I could see where this was going and agreed at once, also the job would be much faster.

I asked about the Clan as we came to call them, Jody said most , not all would be coming to the ranch to live, mostly the older ones who remembered their old way of life and they wanted to live in the forest around the ranch and use native materials to build their homes.

I said hell lets build them houses but Song said this was what they wanted so it looked like we would have a tribe of people living as they had for a thousand years right inside the woods.

I asked about food and he said they would grow gardens as always, and the men would hunt the forest as always, and seeing as they dearly loved their pork and seeing as Texas only had about 4 million hogs running wild and breeding faster then they could be killed it was a win - win for all concerned, but I also had come to know my new father in law and brother in law well enough to know there was more to this then I knew, but I would be told when I needed to know.

So life on the ranch moved along and the work was going fast, I was happy, Jade was happy, what more could a man ask for? Life is good!

A week later I was at the mall just watching the work going on, John asked me to go for coffee so we headed down the road to the Early Bird, there was a goodly bunch in the place and all gave big howdy’s and smiles, John was a regular now and several called out to him and bantered back and forth.

Miss Ellie asked if we’d like Pie with our coffee and of course we did, I also asked her to bring an extra piece and another cup of coffee, she did look at me sorta funny but I was learning real fast, well sir, I was into my second bite when the door flew open and , you got it, the bottomless pit flew thru the door to a loud course of laughter from the locals who were used to this by now, but this time I was ready, her pie and coffee was waiting, she never even slowed down, just kissed me and started eating, I heard the door open and turned to look and when I turned back my pie was going away as fast as hers did, John just sat there and then slid his half a piece of pie over to her, she rewarded him with a smile and dove into it, well half the country side was watching this and seemed to be enjoying it, at last she was done, drank her coffee , finished mine and was looking at Johns when he grabbed it and said MINE!! With a laugh and a kiss she was up and out the door.