Then he turned and pointed at Domingo.“Gingo.”
Domingo shrugged, walking over to sit on the sand beside me.“Close enough.Good lad.”
“Goog bad.”
“Well, he’s a talkative thing, ain’t he?”I said.
“Mmm, smart too.”Domingo looked at me strangely.“What’s up with you?You look like you’re about to float up into the sky.I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this calm and content.”
I smiled.“Well…if you must know, I had the most incredible romp with Dinesh in a secluded tidal pool.”
“That would explain your mood.”
“And also, we’re getting married.”
Domingo laughed.“Well, that’s—wait a minute, what?What?”
“Well, the thing won’t be legal, of course.But Francis said marital bonds between people of the same sex aren’t uncommon among Jimena’s people.”
Domingo looked at Jimena, who was taking a break from preparing the cacao and nursing her baby again.He looked back at me.
“That is… I mean, I never… Are you sure you want to?”
“What?Marry Dinesh?”I asked, as if there had ever been any doubt.
“Well, he is an incredible man.But marriage, even a non-binding one, is rather a large statement to make.”
“Aye.But I feel we were always meant to be together, and he feels the same.”
“But you don’t need to get married to stay together as long as you like.You could go on as you are.We all know you’re both spoken for.”
“True.But we want to.Like Dinesh explained his reasoning, we want to declare our feelings before our friends and, well, family.”I smiled at Domingo.
“Am I your family, Simon?Truly?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, ’course you are.You’re part of the crew now, and the crew is our family.Every last one of you.”
“Even Hanes?”
I narrowed my eyes.Domingo well knew of my dislike for the man.
“Yes, even Hanes.Same as in a regular family, some are more likeable than others.”
***
Weelectednottotell the rest of the crew, and I swore Domingo to secrecy.Francis would make an announcement when Jimena was ready to begin our commitment ceremony.
After we’d had our fill of grilled fish, Francis and some of the men built a bonfire on the beach, then laid reed mats all around for the men to sit on.Jimena’s brothers placed a low table in front with eight ornately decorated earthen bowls that looked like they could hold two or three teacups full of liquid.
Once the sun went down over the mountains behind us, Jimena lit the fire at multiple spots whilst speaking ancient words of praise for Sibu, the Mother Goddess her people prayed to.Francis stood near her and explained to us what was happening.
José held the baby and made sure the infant was content and happy, whilst Mauricio sat with Alejandro in his lap and whispered in his ear things that made him smile and chuckle.
Soon the great fire blazed forth in the heat of the tropical night and a smaller fire beside Jimena warmed the cacao mixture she had prepared.Whilst the liquid warmed, she added pinches of various spices as she recited the words of the ritual.She gazed at the stars and spoke to the Mother Goddess, asking for blessings and giving praise to the deity who looked down upon Talamanca with the eyes of a million bright stars.
The spiritual weight of Jimena’s words, the crackling of the fire, and the scent of the cacao wafting up from the bowl, lulled me into a sense of ease and peace.The entire crew, and the children as well, were rapt as we watched Jimena take a great ladle and spoon portions of the cacao drink into the clay bowls.
Chapter Seven
