Gabe
now?” I asked.
“Don’t rightly
know. He rang some months ago and said he was on his way home. I
believe he was in Pakistan at the time.”
“Pakistan! How
will he get home from there?”
Basil sighed,
“Don’t suppose he can.”
I didn’t ask
any more questions after that, but made a promise that I would pray
for Gabe and hoped he made it home safely.
Basil was too
old to labour in the gardens, so the tribe made him the official
record keeper. He recorded the weather, counted the days, and
reminded us when it was the weekend or when to celebrate a holiday.
He also kept track of the seeds, made sure we planted enough, saved
enough and used up the old seeds before the fresh. Organising the
tribe was Basil’s job and he did it well.
As a Christian,
Basil observed the regular holidays like Easter and Christmas, but
he also tracked the pagan days and kept the wheel of the year for
Libby. It meant we had lots of holidays and reasons to
celebrate.
“Hey,” Phoenix
said as he arrived. I could see Tahinah’s features reflected in his
face. “Ready for some fun?”
“Go on. We’re
done here anyway,” Libby said.
Phoenix took my
hand and led me away from Basil and the women toward the creek that
flowed behind the house.
“I thought you
weren’t coming,” I said to him.
“I live here,
why wouldn’t I come?”
The creek was
crystal clear and shallow with small stones and a sandy bottom. It
flowed into a series of pools that grew deeper and larger as the
creek ran past the house. A wooden platform sat on the bank above
the last waterhole, and in the centre of the platform was a
bathtub.
“Who baths out
here?”
“Anyone who
wants to. Dad built it for Mum because we were always out of hot
water. There was never enough for everyone to have showers and
still fill the tub. The water is heated by the fire, so as long as
the fire is going, there’s plenty of hot water.”
Phoenix
explained how the fire boiled the water in the drum, but he didn’t
explain why the tub was in the middle of the yard.
“You can use it
anytime you like.”
“Gee thanks,
Phoenix, but we have plenty of hot water and I usually prefer a bit
of privacy when I bath.”
“Well, you can
always wear swimmers. Mum says everyone should bath under a full
moon.” Well, that sounded like fun. Mum would have loved bathing in
the moonlight.
Phoenix gave me
a tour of the garden, explaining the names and uses of the trees
and plants as we wandered along the rows. Just like Libby’s garden,
everything had a purpose. He held my hand as if he were afraid he
would lose me amongst the trees. He was a gentle teacher compared
to Libby. With Phoenix, I wasn’t afraid to forget, so I
remembered.
The tour ended
at the house, which was made from timber and mud brick, much the
same as Libby’s, just a whole lot bigger. Three steps led to a
large veranda that flowed into the house through a doorway that
must have been over five metres wide. Timber doors folded open
against each other and created the feeling that the house and
veranda were one. It was the same on the other side of the
house.
There was a lot
of noise coming from the yard. “Dad and Navarre are back,” said
Phoenix. We walked through the house, but didn’t pause long enough
for me to notice anything else. Standing at the top of the front
stairs, I could see that Navarre looked a lot like his mother. The
boys shared the same dark hair and honey-coloured skin. We watched
the two men walk out of the forest. Ruben held a gun and Navarre
carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
Navarre also
carried an assortment of birds and small animals tied to a stick,
draped across his shoulders. The dead animals dripped blood and
coated him in every place imaginable. His smile was a contradiction
to the death that surrounded him, but I understood that hunting
provided essential protein. The only alternative was to butcher our
own animals, which were stock bred and kept to provide
now?” I asked.
“Don’t rightly
know. He rang some months ago and said he was on his way home. I
believe he was in Pakistan at the time.”
“Pakistan! How
will he get home from there?”
Basil sighed,
“Don’t suppose he can.”
I didn’t ask
any more questions after that, but made a promise that I would pray
for Gabe and hoped he made it home safely.
Basil was too
old to labour in the gardens, so the tribe made him the official
record keeper. He recorded the weather, counted the days, and
reminded us when it was the weekend or when to celebrate a holiday.
He also kept track of the seeds, made sure we planted enough, saved
enough and used up the old seeds before the fresh. Organising the
tribe was Basil’s job and he did it well.
As a Christian,
Basil observed the regular holidays like Easter and Christmas, but
he also tracked the pagan days and kept the wheel of the year for
Libby. It meant we had lots of holidays and reasons to
celebrate.
“Hey,” Phoenix
said as he arrived. I could see Tahinah’s features reflected in his
face. “Ready for some fun?”
“Go on. We’re
done here anyway,” Libby said.
Phoenix took my
hand and led me away from Basil and the women toward the creek that
flowed behind the house.
“I thought you
weren’t coming,” I said to him.
“I live here,
why wouldn’t I come?”
The creek was
crystal clear and shallow with small stones and a sandy bottom. It
flowed into a series of pools that grew deeper and larger as the
creek ran past the house. A wooden platform sat on the bank above
the last waterhole, and in the centre of the platform was a
bathtub.
“Who baths out
here?”
“Anyone who
wants to. Dad built it for Mum because we were always out of hot
water. There was never enough for everyone to have showers and
still fill the tub. The water is heated by the fire, so as long as
the fire is going, there’s plenty of hot water.”
Phoenix
explained how the fire boiled the water in the drum, but he didn’t
explain why the tub was in the middle of the yard.
“You can use it
anytime you like.”
“Gee thanks,
Phoenix, but we have plenty of hot water and I usually prefer a bit
of privacy when I bath.”
“Well, you can
always wear swimmers. Mum says everyone should bath under a full
moon.” Well, that sounded like fun. Mum would have loved bathing in
the moonlight.
Phoenix gave me
a tour of the garden, explaining the names and uses of the trees
and plants as we wandered along the rows. Just like Libby’s garden,
everything had a purpose. He held my hand as if he were afraid he
would lose me amongst the trees. He was a gentle teacher compared
to Libby. With Phoenix, I wasn’t afraid to forget, so I
remembered.
The tour ended
at the house, which was made from timber and mud brick, much the
same as Libby’s, just a whole lot bigger. Three steps led to a
large veranda that flowed into the house through a doorway that
must have been over five metres wide. Timber doors folded open
against each other and created the feeling that the house and
veranda were one. It was the same on the other side of the
house.
There was a lot
of noise coming from the yard. “Dad and Navarre are back,” said
Phoenix. We walked through the house, but didn’t pause long enough
for me to notice anything else. Standing at the top of the front
stairs, I could see that Navarre looked a lot like his mother. The
boys shared the same dark hair and honey-coloured skin. We watched
the two men walk out of the forest. Ruben held a gun and Navarre
carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
Navarre also
carried an assortment of birds and small animals tied to a stick,
draped across his shoulders. The dead animals dripped blood and
coated him in every place imaginable. His smile was a contradiction
to the death that surrounded him, but I understood that hunting
provided essential protein. The only alternative was to butcher our
own animals, which were stock bred and kept to provide
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