A Wife's Life Among Savages Ch. 01

Despite Jonathan's words, Kelly felt worried. She looked out of the tent to see any sign of the storm stopping. The night had come early due to the storm clouds, and she couldn't see the sky, except for the occasional lightning. A light came from the tree house and she knew, unhindered by the heavy rain, the tribe was cooking their dinner, separately as always.

The heavy rain went on through the whole night and till the mid of the next day. The tribe's women were kind enough to send breakfast to Kelly and Jonathan, knowing they couldn't make their own without a fire.

By afternoon, sun started shinning through the clouds. Kelly decided to leave the tent to join the women who were busy collecting earthworms that were emerging from the muddy soil. The worms looked very unappetizing, but from the enthusiasm of the women and children, she knew the tribe was preparing for a feast of worms. At that moment, Kelly thought she should hurry and make her own camp-fire or they would send her a portion of healthy worms next time.

While being busy building a fire, Kelly noticed, with her dictionary in hand, Jonathan was in a deep conversation with elderly men: the ones who made important decisions for the tribe. She felt kind of jealous of him since, women either didn't know or chose not to talk about important stuff without the consent of men; she wished she could directly communicate with the men as Jonathan does.

Because of this, Kelly taught all she learned about the tribe to Jonathan so he could use that information to properly communicate with them.

"I don't understand these people. I literally offered to give them even guns in exchange for the location of the gold, but they are not accepting," Jonathan said in frustration when he later joined Kelly in the tent.

"The location of the gold is a sacred place for them. From what you have told me so far, the warrior of the tribe carries a gold nugget on his neck to provide the tribe with the blessings of their god. Even though these people value modern things, they don't mix spiritual things with worldly things. Spiritual things can be only bought with spirits and souls," Kelly said, trying to shed some light and lessen Jonathan's frustration.

"Are you saying these people trade using ghosts?" Jonathan said while looking at Kelly as if she was crazy.

"No, no," Kelly said with a laugh "Things like, equally sacred items and people's souls."

"Souls?" Jonathan asked with the same look.

"These people believe the tribe gains a soul when a man marries a woman from another tribe." Kelly said.

"So what do you think we should do?" Jonathan asked.

"I think the best way is to find another thing that is sacred for these people and trade it with them. We'll have to wait for Kem to come back; he'll surely know how to get one. In the meantime, we should try to collect as much information as possible in order to know how much we'll need to make the trade possible," Kelly said.

Jonathan thought for a while and said, "This is taking too long. Finding another sacred thing could take even longer. What we don't have is time."

"I know, honey. But this is the only way I can see right now," Kelly said.

Jonathan was quiet for the rest of the night, and Kelly knew he was in deep thoughts, thinking and planning something.

**************

Next morning, even before breakfast, Jonathan grabbed the dictionary and went to meet the men.

After preparing the breakfast, Kelly went to call Jonathan and found him talking with most of the men in the tribe; she was surprised to find even Leopan among them. She wondered what they were talking about.

When Jonathan saw Kelly approaching, he said out loud, "I'll have breakfast with them," hinting her that she should stay away. Knowing how the men hated being listened by women when they are talking about important things, she also though it was best to leave them alone.

Seeing how most of the men are occupied with Jonathan, Kelly felt she doesn't have to go through burden of wearing less, but didn't want to upset her husband. She joined the women in more revealing attire and carried on with her own investigation.

Kelly was surprised to find that, by the evening, Jonathan got invited to the tree-house, and they were still deep in discussion about something. It was near to sleeping time when he finally came back to the tent, and when asked, she was told that they weren't talking about anything important. She felt as if he was hiding something, but decided to give him the benefit of doubt.

Jonathan's intense talking with men went on for few more days, and Kelly noticed that, even when she wasn't wearing revealing clothes, the men were starting to pay more attention to her and sometimes even greetings; even Leopan greeted her with a nod once. The atmosphere suddenly changed, and she started to feel as if the whole tribe was beginning to be very friendly to her.

One night while lying on their beds, Jonathan said, "Kelly, I have something very important to talk with you."

"Is it something to do with the tribe suddenly being very friendly to us?" Kelly asked, suspecting Jonathan's meetings had something to do with it.

"Yeah, kind of," Jonathan said.

Then after a long pause, he said, "You know? It has already taken too long. If I get on that plane without the location of gold, I'm sure I will not get another chance to come back here. The company will ask me to go back to States and send someone else who is eager to get a promotion; I had to fight hard to even get this opportunity. We have to get the secret before Kem comes back."

"I'm sorry, honey. I don't see a way to know it before Kem comes back. Even if you don't get this opportunity, it's not the end of world. There will be other chances," Kelly said, despite knowing that Jonathan wouldn't go through the operation if they fail.

"You still don't understand me well; once I see the bets, I never give-up. I will achieve my goal; I must!" Jonathan said in a tone that made Kelly shudder.

"Jonathan, calm down. Don't worry, I'll try to find another way," Kelly said, worried.

"Don't worry, you don't have to," Jonathan said, a little calmed down.

"What?" Kelly asked, puzzled.

"Ok, now listen to me and don't interrupt till I finish," Jonathan said while sitting on the cot.

Kelly also sat, knowing he was serious about something.

"I found a way to get the secret by the time Kem comes here. For that, I want you to go topless from tomorrow," Jonathan said, and before he could continue, Kelly cut in, "Are you crazy? I'm a civilized woman. I can't do that. Maybe you don't know; only the women who are single go topless in this tribe; it shows availability for marriage."

"I told you not to interrupt!" Jonathan said, "Yes, I know and that's exactly why I want you to do it."

"What?!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Listen. I learned a lot during past few days. For the tribe, we are essentially another tribe. Somehow, thanks to the little show you put on, couple of guys have taken fancy to you, and the elders agreed to accept us and in on their secret if I merge the two tribes through you," Jonathan said.

"Oh my god! You finally lost it didn't you? You finally went insane," Kelly said in a more serious manner that made even Jonathan doubt himself a little.

"Would you just stop interrupting me and listen, woman," Jonathan said irritated.

"No, I'm not crazy. I have everything planned. The marriage ceremony is a bit different in Waraka tribe. After the official marriage ceremony, there's a week of courting period. In this period, the husband seduces the new wife. Only after that week, they properly consummate the marriage. So I'm planning to get you married to one of the men a day before Kem return, learn the secret, and we leave with Kem the next day; you'll just have to bear with a guy trying to seduce you, for one night," Jonathan said, admiring his own clever plan.

Kelly had her head in her arms and was saying, "This is not right. This is so wrong in so many ways. You can't make me do this, Jonathan. You can't make your wife do this."

"You will because you are my wife. If you can't at least do this for me, say good bye to our marriage," Jonathan said firmly.

From Kelly's silence, Jonathan figured she has given up her resistance.

"The tribe first wants to see the proof of this deal by seeing you make yourself available. Only then, they will proceed and choose one of their own for the merge. Let go of your empty pride and show a little breast tomorrow. I've seen better looking women do much more for much less," Jonathan said in a cold tone and lay on the cot.

Kelly refused to say anything, and Jonathan went to sleep despite the sound of her sobbing.

Next morning, Jonathan woke up to find Kelly in a knee long skirt and her bra, with a shirt in her hands, looking at it while having a hard time making the decision.

Startling Kelly, Jonathan approached her from behind and unsnapped the bra that was keeping the big breasts supported. By instinct, she caught the bra before it falls down.

"First step is the hardest. Let it go, you can do it," Jonathan whispered from behind.

"You are playing with fire, Jonathan. Please think about it once more," Kelly pleaded her husband, hoping to bring him back to sanity.

"If you love me, please do this. I'll not let anyone harm you; you know that," Jonathan said while planting a kiss on the back of her neck.

Letting out a sigh, Kelly relaxed her arms and let go of the shirt she was holding onto. Jonathan slid the straps off her shoulders, letting the white bra join the shirt on the ground.

Looking at the bunch of clothes at her feet, Kelly thought that she won't be the same anymore. She turned around and looked deeply into Jonathan's eyes to make sure he was serious about it. They shared a long kiss, knowing that, the moment she leaves the tent, baring her magnificent breasts, they would cease to become husband and wife.

Before leaving the tent, Kelly hesitated for a while trying to gather enough courage and taking a deep breath, she opened the flaps and stepped outside. She was totally surprised to find the whole tribe in front of the tent, waiting for her to come out. By instinct, she wanted to cover her nipples, but Jonathan's hand that rested on her shoulder, reminded her of the duty he expected of her.

The women let out a high-pitched sound, announcing their approval and the men had hard time averting their eyes from her beautiful breasts and her puffy nipples. Among numerous eyes that drank the magnificence of her bare breasts, Kelly couldn't ignore the lust-filled eyes of Leopan that made her cringe. Her whole upper-body covered with Goosebumps and blush as she let a whole tribe see her topless.

The men, with Jonathan, once again went into the tree house to engage in another meeting, and the women started inspecting Kelly's breasts for an uncomfortably long amount of time. After spending some time with cheerful and curious women, she found it hard to fight against the shyness and retreated back to the refuge of the tent.

After some time, Jonathan came back, looking for Kelly.

"What are you doing here at this time of the day?" Jonathan asked almost accusingly.

"It's too much. I can't handle being topless in front of all these people," Kelly said.

"You'll get used to it after few hours. We are now committed and cannot turn back. So stop acting like a teenager and do what you must as a grown woman," Jonathan said.

Kelly looked away in obvious anger.

"Looks like you did well to make a good impression. There are two very eager candidates competing for you; can't blame them for being so eager after seeing your big knockers. So they are going to go on a hunt tomorrow and the winner is going to be the lucky guy," Jonathan said while laughing.

"Is this a joke to you? Using your wife as a poker chip in a perverted bet?" Kelly asked with disgust while looking at Jonathan.

Jonathan's laugh faded away and said, "As I said before, we are now committed. You don't want to piss-off these people while Kem is away," while leaving the tent.

Kelly finally managed to get used to being topless and ignoring the men's eyes. She hated it, but what she hated the most was realizing that Jonathan was actually amused by her discomfort.

Next day morning, Kelly saw the two candidates: Leopan and another young male, amidst celebrations, go into the jungle for the hunting competition. The other male looked less intimidating than Leopan, and she hoped he would win for her sake: it wouldn't do good to piss-off the strongest man in the tribe when she finally has to break the promise of being his wife, and she didn't like how hungry his eyes looked when he was looking at her breasts.

Nearing to mid-day, Kelly was mingling with the women as usual when she heard cheers; the winner has already comeback with a kill for the right to be her husband. Despite being forced to participate in the humiliating play, she wanted to know who she would have to betray in a couple of days.

Kelly slowly approached the gathering crowd and wasn't too happy about seeing the winner; it was Leopan. She knew things have gotten much harder, but thought to herself that she cannot expect everything to be a smooth sail.

That evening, the tribe was preparing a huge camp-fire on the ground, and a small hut was being built on the ground, far opposite side to the tent. Despite having a bad mood, curiously, Kelly documented everything as the men and women busied themselves.

"There's a small change of plans," Jonathan said while approaching Kelly.

"Did you change your mind?" Kelly asked hopefully.

"No, the elders want to do the ceremony today. Given how quickly Leopan has made a kill, they say today is an auspicious day," Jonathan said.

"No! Let alone a whole day, I don't want to play this game even a minute more. I'm mentally prepared to be groped and molested by another man for one night, but you can't ask me for more," Kelly said.

"You don't have a choice; I've already accepted; they expected me to give a decision, on the spot...Come on, it's just one more day. Don't be a cry-baby," Jonathan said.

"It not you who have to play wife with a man you barely know," Kelly complained with obvious displeasure.

Then after thinking for a while, Kelly asked, "Are you sure he's not going to expect more than a little flirting?"

"Yes, I'm sure of that. It's some mumbo jumbo about angering the gods if he does it within the first week," Jonathan said.

"Mumbo jumbo? Don't tell me you are gambling with your wife before understanding everything about these people. Jonathan, you better be sure of things. I'm the one in danger," Kelly said worriedly.

"Ya, ya, don't worry. I have everything under control," Jonathan said nonchalantly and walked back to the place where the men were preparing to roast the big boar Leopan had brought back.

Couple of elderly-women took Kelly to the river to give her a bath. Kelly insisted on being able to do it herself, but the women kept bathing her. She noticed that, during it, the women were actually inspecting her body. As the oldest looking one took great care to inspect her breasts and puffy nipples, she started to feel uncomfortable. Then their attention was on a small mole she had on her hip, and after some discussion they seemed to have accepted it as natural too.

Being an anthropologist, Kelly understood why they were doing it; being isolated in the jungle, the tribe had to be careful about bring in deceases through marriages. It was a health inspection.

After the bath, instead of offering Kelly her own skirt, they gave her a straw-skirt similar to ones the tribe-women wore. Being much taller than an average Waraka woman, the skirt ended up being the length of a mini-skirt length for her. Without the luxury of any underwear, she felt as if she was practically naked in that poor excuse of her skirt. Then, using a red colored dye made from some kind of leaves, they started painting dots on her skin in the same pattern of the scarifications they had on: alone the outside of her arms and around the base of her breasts.

The sun was setting by the time they went back and, instead of seeking the protection of the tree-house, the whole tribe was on the ground, merry-making and dancing around the large camp-fire, with other food and large pieces of bore meat being prepared around the fire.

Kelly was starting to feel nervous and shy; even without a beautiful white dress, with the atmosphere, she couldn't shake off the feeling of being a bride on her wedding day.

Leopan was sitting on a small platform near the fire, and Kelly knew that the empty space beside him was for her: the bride. The women guided her to the platform and, without any urging, she sat beside him.

Kelly tried her best to avoid looking at anyone. Despite the heat coming from the large fire, she couldn't ignore the body-heat coming from the man she was about to get married to. She discretely looked at him as he was busy laughing to something that was said by someone. With only a penis-sheath to cover his nudity, it wasn't hard to look at and evaluate his physique. Despite the facial features not being to her taste, she thought that he was an impressive specimen of a man. She felt bad about conning such a young man to marry her for the sake of getting a secret. With the reputation as a warrior, he could have gotten a beautiful young girl instead of getting a woman 12 years senior to him, who was about to betray and leave him before could even reap benefits of a marriage.

Then, with the help of elders, the customs for the wedding started. Someone who seemed to be a medicine man danced around the fire while praying to the spirits and asking for blessings. After that, Leopan tied another smaller straw-skirt above Kelly's breasts, as a sign of announcing that she was married and no longer available to other males. The tribe erupted in happiness, and the women started doing their high-pitched yelling to give blessings to the new couple. The thin, short layer of straws failed to properly cover her above average breasts, but she thought it was better than nothing.

For a wedding, the celebrations were simple, but wasn't lack of any genuine laughter and dancing. With plenty of roasted wild-boar meat, steamed wood larvae and fermented sago palm juice to go around, it was the party of the decade for the tribe.

The celebrations went till deep into the night, and finally, the tribe started to climb into the tree-house, leaving Jonathan, Leopan and Kelly on the ground. Kelly felt sick to her stomach, knowing and not knowing what was about to happen. Leopan stood up and offered Kelly his hand. She looked at his hand and then his face; happiness and desire were written all over it. She wished she could run away all the way back to home, but knew she has no choice.

For the first time since coming back from the river, Kelly looked at Jonathan, with fear, confusion and guilt was written all over her face. He slowly nodded, letting her know that it was alright; he was calmly sitting on the opposite side of the fire.

Kelly let out a defeated sigh and took Leopan's hand. Then, instead of leading her to the ladder, he led her towards the new, small hut that had been built on the other side of the clearing. She had thought that they would be spending the night in the tree-house which would have prevented him being overly-adventurous. Spending a night with Leopan in an isolated hut wasn't something she had expected. With every step, she felt as if she was being led towards a torture chamber. All the alarms of her womanly instincts were going off at once, urging her to run away, but knew she doesn't have the luxury of doing that.

As Leopan led Kelly into the small, dark hut, Kelly hoped that what Jonathan had told about Waraka people not consummating their marriage in the first week, better be the truth.