T. Reeder - The Free Republic of Texas 2015 AD

Sing was a valuable “property” for the Family and the village and one that I would be “Buying”, uh huh… this was not a wedding the National org. of Women “ie” feminist movement would be going for!! I would have laughed at the thought but these two were very serious so I respected their words.

I asked when I had to have the water buffalo delivered which did earn a laugh from both, Jody waved it off. The other gifts had been taken care of by my bride to be… in my name of course

Sings brother talked kind of like her as if the Boarding school English class’s didn’t take too good, I also found out he had gone to a couple of very uptown collages, getting degrees In computer science which I had already figured out, when I asked where he lived and worked he laughed and said “I can tell you but“… you guessed it, he did say he lived back east, I was willing to bet it was maybe Virginia?? Somewhere around there…

It was now time for me to dress, which I found out meant undress! Jody handed me a bundle he had brought along and picking up his said come on “son”…Song headed for Sings former room.

The first thing Jody said was Strip! Well two could play this cool guy game so I took off everything down to my jockeys, he smiled and said, all of it Tex,

How often have you heard of the groom being striped by the bride’s father? Fine, I could play this game too, so there I stood in my first suit, watching Jody start striping, he then opened the bundles and took out two white rags…. Then it dawned on me, Loin Cloths!! Now I was really ready to bolt, but watching Jody as he put his on and how it worked I thought ok I can do this.

I didn’t feel stupid, I felt naked!! We then went back into the sitting room where I was greeted by a wild painted Mountain Tribesman from a time gone by, Song had dressed as we had and was applying thin lines of paint to his face and body.

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.