Date Posted:14:38:39 10/06/07 Sat Author:Krytan Subject: (NE) "Fadol", A short Story Part 1
Fadol
“Whoa, look at all those islands. Which ones ours, dad?”
“None of these, Elijah. The one were going to is much smaller than these.”
“If it’s smaller than those little islands, can we land the plane?” I ask a little concerned.
“Yes boy.” The pilot says. “No problem. We land ok.”
“Kewl. Cause I don’t wanna have to jump.”
“There’s Pulau Fadol.” Our pilot announces.”
“Where, I can’t see it? Where is it?” I ask, straining my eyes out the side window to see my new home.”
“Right there in front of us.” The pilot says as we start dropping down toward the ocean.
“I don’t see nothing. You sure there’s a island there?”
Then I see this little bit of green in all that blue ocean below me.
“That’s it? That little thing? How we gonna land on that?” I ask.
“Ok, people. This is going to be a little rough. So hold on tight. They ain’t got no real airport, just a grass runway ” The pilot tells us.
After we get closer the island don’t look too small. We circle a village and then land the plane on the very little piece of grass that he called a runway.
“Ok, everyone, we’re here.” Our pilot announces.
As I climb out of the plane, a jeep pulls up and a man gets out and starts helping get our bags from the plane.
“Hello. I’m Jim, you must be the new school teachers?”
“Hello Jim, I’m Bill and this is Sarah and that boy over at the plane is Eli.”
I say goodbye to our pilot and run to meet my parents at the jeep.
“Oh boy, you better be getting back on the plane, your dad is about to take off and leave you."” The driver of the jeep tells me.
“Oh, No Jim, Eli here is our son. He’s with us.” My dad replies.
“Oh? Ok?” Jim says looking at me sorta weird.
“Well the Magistrate is waiting at the school so I’ll take you there to meet him.” Jim tells us.
So we all climb in and begin the drive to the village we just flew over a few minutes ago. As Jim drives he tells us that the village is excited to get a teacher again. The old one died 6 months ago and everyone is anxious to get their kids back in school and out of their hair. And they are really excited about getting two teachers instead of just one so the classes can be separated properly according to custom. He tells us the school sits on the very edge of the village so it’s the first building we will see and during our meeting with the Magistrate he will take our bags to the house we will be living in, that is right behind the school. Soon I can see an opening in the trees with a small white building standing right at the edge of the trees.
“Is that it?” I ask.
“Good eyes youngin. Yep that’s the school.” Jim answers.
As we pull up I see boys playing at the back of the schoolyard, most only wearing shorts, I guess because of the heat. It is very hot. But one of the boys looks to be naked. I’m wondering what’s with that?
“Mom? I thought you told me that this island wasn’t poor?”
“Eli, It isn’t honey, what makes you think it’s poor?”
“Well, out back there was a boy playing with no clothes on.”
“Really, I must have missed that.” She answers.
“Nope Eli, we on the island aren’t poor. We live very well as you and your parents will find out soon. We have all the modern conveniences of the outside world. We have electricity and modern plumbing and air conditioning and telephones. It’s all self contained here on the island with no connections to the outside.”
“Then why is that boy back there naked? I ask.
“Hmmmmmmmmmm. Your parents didn’t tell you about the customs of this island?” He asks.
“Tell him what customs? My dad asks.
“Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Oh, look, there’s the Magistrate. Mustn’t keep him waiting.”
And Jim jumps out of the jeep and runs up to the Magistrate who is waiting for us on the school steps and whispers something in his ear. Then Jim comes back and as he passes me, he whispers to me.
“The magistrate will answer your question for you.” And then looks me up and down sorta weirdly and jumps into the jeep and drives off.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Travis. Hope you had a nice flight.” The Magistrate says.
“Please call us Sarah and Bill and this is our son, Elijah.” My dad replies back.
“I’m Horace Turnbull, but everyone calls me Bull.”
“Great to meet you at last, Bull. It’s been frustrating dealing with your agent and not being able to talk with you personally.”
“Yes, yes, I can understand.” Looking over to me standing beside my dad with a weird look on his face. “I have had the same frustration. Please come in and I’ll show you the school and we can talk.”
Bull takes us on a little tour of the school. A really little tour, cause its only got 2 classrooms and one bathroom. We find chairs to sit on in the last classroom and bull says,
“Yes, dealing with agents in these matters is somewhat disconcerting for us as well. Sometimes misunderstandings arise.” As he looks at me again with a small smile on his face. “But we really didn’t have much choice. This island is cut off from outsiders. We have all the modern conveniences but nothing is connected to the outside world. Oh, we have a satellite hookup for emergencies in case someone gets really sick or storms coming our way, things like that, but the daily use phones and computers and such are not connected to the outside world.”
We all give him a curious look. Then dad asks,
“Why not be connected?”
Bull replies, “It’s because of the native peoples. They want to protect their culture and way of life. It’s very sacred to them. So much so that anyone coming to the island has to abide by their rules and customs or leave. I came here 20 years ago agreeing to live by their rules and married a native girl and have a son. They accepted modern stuff like electricity because it improved their lives, but they don’t want outside beliefs, customs and morals to destroy the way they have lived for generations on generations.”
Mom says. “That is very noble of them. I wish more peoples thought about protecting their way of life more and not pushing to see how much they can get away with. I assure you, we will do our very best to live in a manner that goes along with their culture.”
Bull replies, “ I am very glad you think that way. Otherwise I’d have to call the plane back and look for other candidates.”
“No, no.” Dad says. “We all have been looking forward to coming here and starting a new life. We are more than happy to learn all the customs and live by them.”
Then Bull looks at me. “What about you young man?” He asks.
“Sure. I’m the one that wanted to come here the most. I watch all the National Geographic shows about jungle islands and the people and everything. I’m a little disappointed in seeing a real village and school instead of grass huts. But least I did see a naked boy like on the shows.” I explode telling him, after being quiet so long.
“Ah” He says. “Yes.” “Yes.” “That brings us to something we need to talk about.”
“Elijah, how old are you?” He asks while looking deep into my eyes.
“I’m 10.” I say proudly. “Oh, and call me Eli, everyone dies.”
“Very well.” “Eli it is.”
“Well Eli,” He pauses for just a moment. “We didn’t know you were coming. Evidently our agent thought it a funny joke not telling us about your parents having a son.”
I start frowning, thinking he might make me go back.
He must have seen the sour look I was making because he said quickly,
“Oh No, Eli, don’t worry yourself about it. It’s perfectly ok for you to be here. Just an unexpected surprise for me, that’s all. I’m sure we can work this out with the Village Elders.”
“Kool, cause I can’t wait to get outside and start exploring.”
“Well Eli, I think we can let you do that in just a few minutes, if your parents don’t mind, but first I have to explain one custom that specifically deals with you.”
“Really, I can go out exploring? Mom. Please?”
“Yes, Eli, as long as Bull can find someone to show you around, I don’t want you getting lost.”
“Oh mom. I won’t get lost. It’s a island, how can I get lost?”
Everyone starts laughing. Bull walks over to the window and yells for Kwana to come inside.
“Ok, Eli, my son Kwana will show you the island while your parents and I finish up here, but there is still the matter of customs that you will have to agree to follow, before I can let you go outside.”
“Sure. What custom? I’ll do anything. I just want to go exploring. So what I gotta do?”
“Eli, one of the many new customs you will be learning here is this one.” Bull starts to explain.
“You see the two classrooms? We have two classrooms to separate our kids into two separate status groups. We have the Agottu and the Sogottu. Your mom will be teaching the Sogottu and your dad will be teaching the Agottu. That’s why we are particularily happy to have two teachers for the price of one.” He Laughs.
“You see, Eli,” He says as he looks at me intently.
“Sogottu boys,” He pauses.
“That’s boy under the age of 12,” He pauses again.
“Don’t wear clothes.” He pauses yet again and looks into my face.
“That’s why they are called Sogottu, which means, Unclothed Ones.” He pauses again and then says to me.
“You Eli are Sogottu.” He waits to see if what he says registers with me then continues.
“Now a boys’ 12th birthday is very special. The whole village turns out for a day of celebration and a huge ceremony installing the boy as an Agottu, which means Clothed One, with all of it’s particular responsibilities. At the end of this ceremony is when he is given his first outfit of clothing.”
“So Eli, what we have here is a small situation, that only you and your parents can decide what you are going to do. You being 10 years old, fall under the Unclothed Ones Status and for you to wear clothes on the island will be an insult to the customs and laws of the native villagers.”
Then looking at my dad he says,
“I assure you, if I had known, you had a son, Bill, I would have told you before you came all this way.”
Just then Kwana came walking into the room and he is totally naked. Standing at the door like he is perfectly normal. Which I guess he is, since this is his island and I’m the one that’s not normal sitting here wearing clothes.
“Ah! Eli this is my son Kwana. He just turned eleven. Kwana, this is Eli.”
I look at Kwana and he looks at me with a puzzled look on his face.
“I was just telling Eli about our customs.” Bull says to his son. “He didn’t know about our little dress code. He would like to go exploring and see the island. Would you like to show him around?”
He is still looking at me funny and I can’t figure out what’s wrong with me, causing him to look at me weird, then I get it.
“Oh, Ya.” I say as I stand up and start taking my shirt off.
“I’ll have these old clothes off in no time.” As I unfasten my pants and pull them down.
“Just gotta get these darn shoes off.” As I fight with my shoestrings.
“Almost got it.” As I pull my shoes and pants off together.
“Just one more thing and I’ll be ready.” As I jump up. Pull my underwear down and off.
“There now I’m ready to go exploring.” I proclaim as I stand naked in front of everyone, and they are all smiling at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing dear.” My mom says, trying not to laugh out loud.
“Well Eli, I guess that’s one custom you agree with.” Dad states.
“Heck Ya. On all the geographic shows, boys are naked and then I seen this school and the village and everything and thought heck I’m gonna have to wear clothes.”
Then everyone starts laughing out loud.
“What? You ain’t never seen a naked boy before?”
Looking over at Kwana, he’s smiling too.
“Well we going exploring or what?” I ask him.
“Come on Eli, I’ll show you everything.” Kwana tells me.
“Bye Mom, Bye Dad, Bye Bull.” I say as we leave the classroom.
As soon as I get outside I start jumping up and down yelling and laughing and running around. This is the bestest I have felt in all my life. Finally I can go naked and everyone is ok with it. Never told no one the real reason I wanted to come was to go naked with the native boys like on tv.
“Um Eli? You ok?”
“Sure Kwana, never been better. I just can’t believe I can run around naked like this. It’s so kewl.”
“Cool? You are crazy. It’s very hot.”
“No, not cool like cold. Cool like fun.”
“Oh. Then what does hot mean?”
“I laugh and say, see that girl over there. She’s hot.”
And Kwana and I both laugh.
“Eli, we need to go find some juju juice for your butt.”
“Why? What’s wrong with my butt? What’s juju juice.”
“Your butt is whiter than my teeth and it’s gonna burn bad if we don’t put juju juice on it.”
“Oh ya. That’s cause I couldn’t be naked where I used to live. I always had to wear shorts. Where we find juju juice?” I ask.
“Follow me and I’ll show you.”
As we head to the back of the schoolyard toward a path in the jungle, three Agottu boys wearing shorts stop us and start bad mouthing me.
“Hey look what we got. A Grongy. Look at that white butt. Better be careful grongy you gonna burn your white ass and that little worm of yours.” And they all start laughing.
“Don’t pick on him Garu. He’s not a grongy. He’s the new teachers son and gonna live here. See he’s already following our customs and going naked.” Kwana tells them.
“Just cause he’s naked don’t make him one of us. He’s white. He’s not like us.” Garu says.
“Well as soon as he meets the elders, they will make him one of us.” Kwana says back.
“Maybe, maybe not. My grandpa is one of the elders and he might not agree to let him be a part of our tribe. Course I could put in a good word if the grongy were nice to me.” He sneers at me.
“What you mean nice to you?” I ask.
“Well a boys got needs?” All three boys smile at me as they rub the front of their shorts.
“No way! You perverts. Go get you a monkey. I’m sure you know a few of them personally.”
The smiles go away and Garu pushes me and says, “Better watch that mouth grongy if you know what’s good for you.”
“Stop!” Yells Kwana. You can’t push Eli. He’s a youngin and you can’t push us or you’ll get in trouble with the elders.”
“I’m not afraid of the elders. He’s a grongy and you’re a halfbreed. They aint gonna do nothing to me for pushing the likes of you two.” He boasts.
“Well maybe we should go and find out. Elder Arturu is right over there.” Kwana states. As everyone turns to see an old man sitting on a chair under a tree in the center of the village. What seems to be important to the three boys accosting us is that he is looking our way.
“This ain’t finished grongy. We’ll meet again someplace not so open.” He threatens. And then the three of them walk away.
“Don’t worry about those three, Eli. They threaten me all the time, but can’t do nothing cause if they hurt me then they get punished by the elders. That’s the best part of the custom of Unclothed. We are protected from bullies like them three.” Kwana explains.
“Awesome. Then would he really get in trouble for pushing me?” I ask. As we start walking toward the jungle path again.
“Ya, he would, but not real bad punishment for just a push.” Kwana tells me.
No sooner than we step into the brush Kwana stops and shows me a plant with long fat stems with feathery leaves.
“This is it. This is the juju plant.” And Kwana bends down and breaks off a stem close to the root. Then he starts squeezing the stem and some thick, clear juice comes out the end into his other hand.
“Turn around” He says and then starts rubbing the juice on my butt, covering it completely.
“Ok, you can turn back around now. Hold out your hands.” Then he squeezes more of the juju juice in my hands.
“Go ahead and rub it on there.” As he points to my little dick. “You don’t want that to get burned. OUCH!” He says laughing.
I rub the juice all over my front side making sure I cover my important part very good, cause he’s right I don’t want that burned.
“Eli, look around. There’s juju plants all over. You see them?” I shake my head yes. “If you ever get cut or scraped or anything like that get some juju juice and put on it. It makes you heal really fast and keeps it from getting worse. Ok?” He explains to me.
“Sure. It’s my own drug store.” I laugh and Kwana looks at me funny but don’t say nothing.
“Ok, Now I better take you to meet Elder Arturu, since he has already seen you. We don’t wanna make him mad on the first day cause he’s one of the elders that decides if you stay here or not.”
As we walk across the grass towards the big tree in the center of town I ask,
“Then they can still make me leave even though I got naked and everything?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, they gonna like you.” He says flatly with a smile.”
As we approach the tree, Elder Arturu asks,
“Kwana, who’s your little friend?”
“This is Eli, Elder Arturu, he’s the new teachers son.”
“Hi, Elder Arturu.” I say looking him in the eyes.
“Hi Eli, I see you have already put juju juice on.”
“Oh ya, Kwana took me first thing after I got naked. Don’t want to get burned. Especially right here.” As I point to my little dick and smile.
Elder Arturu breaks out in a big laugh.
“So what you think about going naked?”
“Heck it’s the bestest thing ever. I had to wear shorts at home but now I can play naked all day. This is the best.” As I jump around a bit.
Elder Arturu laughs some more.
“How you like Kwana? Is he teaching you our ways?” He asks me.
“Kwana is awesome.” He looks at me strange. “That means I like him a lot. He’s teaching me lots of stuff already. I know about the juju plant and I know about being naked and being protected from bullies.” As I glance over to the side and see the same three boys watching me. Elder Arturu saw me glance and looked that way to but didn’t say anything. “We are going exploring but wanted to meet you first.”
“Well Eli, I am glad you came to meet me. You are a very nice boy.” Then he opened his arms wide. “Come let me give you a hug of welcome.”
I walked over and wrapped my arms around the elder and we hugged each other and he said. “Welcome to Fadol. I accept you into my family.”
Turning his head to Kwana, but not stopping hugging me, he asked,
“Kwana, do you like Eli?”
“Yes Elder, I like him a lot. He’s fun to be with.”
“Would you like to be his Bond Brother and teach him everything he needs to know?”
“Yes Elder, but I ain’t old enough. I’m still Unclothed.”
“Kwana, I see a bond already between you two, so if you wish it, I can make you Bond Brothers.”
“Yes elder I wish it.” Kwana says.
Releasing me from the hug just a little so he can look me in my eyes, he asks,
“Eli, do you wish Kwana as your Bond Brother?”
“Yes, but what is a Bond Brother?” I say.
He laughs again and says,
“Eli, a Bond Brother is the one responsible for your learning of our customs and ways. If you fail to learn then he gets punished.”
“I don’t want Kwana punished.” I say immediately.
“Do you want to learn our ways?” He asks me.
“Yes. I wanna learn everything.” I say.
“Then there shouldn’t be any reason to punish Kwana. So do you wish for Kwana to be your Bond Brother?” He asks again.
I look over at Kwana who is shaking his head yes, and I say,
“Ya, I want Kwana for my Bond Brother.”
Elder Arturu opened up his arm so Kwana could join us in our hug. Squeezing us both tightly, he proclaimed,
“I pronounce Kwana and Eli as Bond Brothers.” At which time he turned us facing each other and had us hug each other. “It is sealed with your hug.” He stated.
When we unhugged, there was lots of people watching us and started greeting me. Kwana introduced me to everyone. No way was I gonna remember all those names. But everyone was happy and friendly and liked me. Well everyone but three. They didn’t look happy at all. They never came close just stood away by themselves but they weren’t smiling.
Finally after hours of meeting everyone in the village. Kwana and I took off for the jungle to explore.
“Does that make me one of you now?” I ask Kwana as we enter the jungle.
“Not yet. All three elders have to approve you and then we have a big ceremony making you one of our tribe.”
“When’s that happen?” I ask.
“Probably tomorrow. The other two elders will be back from fishing then.” He says.
“Kwana, why those boys call you halfbreed?” I ask.
“Ummmmmmmm.” He hesitates.
“You ain’t gotta tell me if you don’t want to” I say in a hurry.
“That’s ok. You’re going to find out sooner or later anyways. You met my dad. He’s a outsider that came here way before I was born to be Magistrate over the island. He married my mom, who is a native here. That makes me a halfbreed.” He says flatly.
“Does everyone pick on you like those three boys?” I ask.
“No, only them. Garu is arrogant. He thinks his shit don’t stink. Just cause his grandpa is a elder he thinks he can do anything.”
“That’s not right. Does he ever get in trouble for picking on you?”
“Not yet. He’s very careful not to do it when he can be seen. Today is the closest he has come to getting caught. I don’t know how much Elder Arturu saw, but if he saw Garu push you, then he could be in big trouble. Course when he pushed you, you were still an outsider, but now you aren’t. Elder Arturu welcomed you, so now you are one of us, least until all the elders decide.”
Then all of a sudden the jungle path opens up on a huge pool of water with a small waterfall. I stop dead in my tracks gawking at the awesome swimming pool.
“WOW!” Is all I can say.
Kwana looks at me and smiles.
“You like?”
“Ya I like.”
“Wanna swim?”
“Sure.”
And Kwana ran to the edge and jumped in the pool with me right behind him. We splashed and played in the water for at least an hour before getting out all tired. Then we climb to the top of the waterfall and look down. It’s an awesome sight. It’s not real high up but looks high to me cause I’m little.
Then all of a sudden I hear a noise behind me and its Garu with his friends.
“Grongy, what you doing swimming in my pool?”
“I ain’t no grongy. I am one of you now.” I say back at him.”
“You ain’t never going to be one of us, you’re a grongy and always will be.”
“You wait and see. Elder Arturu has already welcomed me and I am one of you.”
Fire flashed from his eyes and he grabbed me by the arms pushing me closer to the edge of the waterfall.
“What you doing?” “Stop!” Kwana yells, as Garu’s two friends grab him and hold him back.
“How about I see you jump from here grongy?” Garu sneers at me.
“You don’t scare me. You hurt me and you going to get in lots of trouble.” I say right back at him.
That’s when he shoves me down and grabs my feet and lifts me up, upside down over the falls.
All I can see is water and rocks below me, and now I’m scared.
“Put him down.” Kwana yells.
Even both Garu’s friends start pleading with him to put me down.
Then it happened, all of a sudden, all at one time.
Garu turns his head to tell his friends to shut up, when I feel myself slip a bit, so I jerk upward to try and grab hold of Garu, who can’t hold me with me wiggling and I fall. I feel my feet sliding through his fingers and then nothing but air, then water and something very hard hitting me.
Next thing I remember is Kwana leaning over me looking into my eyes. I’m lying on the ground next to the pool. Kwana looks very scared. I try to sit up but the pain makes me lay back down.
“Garu?” I ask.
“They’re gone. They ran away. Didn’t even look to see if you were ok. They just ran.” Kwana says almost crying.
“By the time I climbed down the falls you were floating in the pool. I thought you were dead. I pulled you out and watched you.”
Now he is crying.
“I thought he killed you.” He said through tears.
I try sitting up again with better luck. I got scratches all over my chest where I must of hit rocks when I fell. I notice that I already got juju juice all over them and my other places.
“You put the juju juice on me as I look down between my legs.” I ask Kwana.
He turns a little red, and says, “Ya, Didn’t want your important parts getting burned.”
And we both laugh.
I slowly get up and we walk back to the village taking a different path than we came down on. When we came out of the jungle we were on the other side of the village and Kwana took me to the doctor with lots of people looking at me as we walked past.
The doctor pushed and pulled on everything I have and states,
“Well young man, you are lucky. Nothing broke. Just some scrapes and bruises. The juju juice will heal them ok. Just make sure you put fresh on every day.”
Then the door opens and mom, dad, Bull and Elder Arturu come in.
“How is he, Mom asks.”
“He’ll be fine. Just some minor scratches here and there. Boys will be boys.”
“Kwana, you were supposed to watch out for Eli.” Bull states firmly.
“It aint Kwana’s fault. He didn’t do it.” I say faster than I should have and without thinking first. But to late, Elder Arturu heard me.
“If not Kwana, then who?” Elder Arturu asks me.
“It wasn’t Kwana, he tried to stop them but they held him so he couldn’t get away.” I say.
“Who Eli?” Elder asks again.
“Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” I stammer, not wanting to rat anyone out, even when they did almost kill me.
Elder turns to Kwana and asks, “Have you taught Eli the Talimon yet?”
“Not yet Elder, There hasn’t been time.” Kwana says shyly.
“Eli.” Elder Arturu begins.
“The Talimon teaches that One must never do harm to another. That is why youngins go naked, so they can be protected by the adults of the community and to stop some of their violent behavior. Naked boys are less violent. It also teaches that harm must be dealt with swiftly so that it don’t spread. The Talimon teaches that it’s everyone’s responsibility, even youngins to point out those who do harm so they can be corrected. It is our duty as elders to see that all who do harm to others get that correction so they don’t grow up to be violent and cause much violence in the community. I saw a Clothed One, earlier today push you. That was wrong for him to do that. But under our law he wasn’t technically breaking the Talimon for you were not one of us. But he would have still been corrected for it, once the other elders arrived. But you are now one of us, I welcomed you personally into my family and the Clothed One that pushed you, saw me welcome you. What I want to know now, Is it he that did this harm to you? Remember I am an elder, and I have welcomed you into my family. To not tell me the truth is to damage our friendship and dishonor my welcome.”
“Elder, I will never dishonor your welcome or you. It’s just where I come from a guy don’t rat on other guys no matter what they do.”
“Eli, that may be where you used to live, but you live here now. Do you want to live here or there?”
“Here. I wanna live here.”
“Then answer my question. Who did this to you?”
“Garu. I don’t think he meant to drop me, I think he just wanted to scare me but I sorta slipped.”
“That’s all I need to know from you. It’s up to Garu to tell me what he did and accept his correction. Tomorrow the other elders will be here and we will hold a Shabuti to welcome you as a full member of our community and to correct this harm done to you.”
Then he turns to Kwana.
“Kwana, you have a lot to teach Eli, before tomorrow. I suggest that you stay with him tonight and teach him everything he needs to know for the ceremony.”
“Yes, elder.” He replies, looking at me and smiling.
“My house or yours?” Bull asks my parents.
“What?” My dad asks.
“The boys. They staying over at my house or yours tonight?”
“Oh. Ours if you don’t mind. We want to be able to look after Eli in case something is wrong we don’t see right now.” Mom states.
“I can fully understand that.” He says.
“Kwana, you do what you’re told and be a honored guest while staying with Eli, you understand?” Bull says.
“Yes, Dad.” He replies.
And with that, we all get up and leave the doctor’s house. Lots of people are standing outside and looking at me with all my scratches and then whispering one to another. All I can make out is something about correction and someone in big trouble. When we get to my new house, Kwana and me look for my new bedroom. When we find it, we find my bag lying on a big full sized bed. I open the bag and look through it and see only clothes. I had to leave all my toys and stuff behind to be shipped later cause we weren’t allowed to carry but one bag each on the airplane. I look at the clothes and then at Kwana and say,
“If I knew I wasn’t going to wear clothes I could have packed all my stuff in here instead of wasting it on clothes I’ll never wear.”
We both laugh as I stuff the clothes back in my bag and throw it in the closet. Then we both throw ourselves on the bed and laugh. The rest of the afternoon and evening Kwana teaches me the customs and rites and stuff about the Shabuti, which I learn, means Ceremony. After supper mom tells us to take a bath so we head to the bathroom and there’s this huge tub but no shower. I asked about a shower and Kwana told me they don’t have anything like that except the waterfalls. So we fill the tub and both get in and Kwana washes me and I wash him and after our bath he goes and gets some juju plants and rubs me all over with it’s juice. I learn what I need to know about the Shabati and what to expect when it comes time to deal with Garu. Kwana tells me that they will welcome me first and my parents last. Although my parents will still be outsiders like his dad, they will be welcome to be in the community. But me, they will make me a member of the community and I will be a native just like everyone else, if the other elders agree with Elder Arturu and Kwana is sure they will agree. The whole time Kwana is teaching me, we lay around on the bed and on top of each other and holding each other and rubbing each other. The whole time I am thinking that this couldn’t happen where I used to live. Boys didn’t hang out naked with each other or lay around on each other or give each other baths. But here it’s natural. It’s normal. If I didn’t hang out naked with Kwana, then I would be insulting him and his family and my new tribe. This is the kewlest place on earth. Sometime while we are talking we fall asleep and wake up next morning holding each other like we been brothers forever. After breakfast we head outside and play with other kids in the village our age. No Clothed Ones come near us and we don’t see Garu and his friends no place. We all get very dirty kicking an old ball around in the dirt and just before lunch we go to the pool to swim and get clean. Still no Clothed Ones around, and no sign of Garu. Swimming is fun and cools me off. Then it’s to Kwana’s house for lunch and then it’s time for the Shabuti.
