She Goes with Her Father, 12 and 13

Aruna was able, with intensive supportive care, to keep her mother alive for five more days. On the sixth day Aruna went to her bed place in the morning and found Lina dead. She had finely admitted to herself by day four, when the wind and sand storm had subsided, that her mother was not going to live. Since she had spoken to her mother she had reluctantly come to expect and accept this. That did not lessen her tears when it finally happened though. When the weather cleared the children went back outside under the supervision of Peta. The storm was past and the landscape around the home had changed with it. The children were off exploring as soon as the storm was past. Aruna spoke to Peta when the weather turned clear, she told her what she dreaded would happen. After some time spent sharing tears they both decided that they did not want to upset the younger children any sooner than necessary, they agreed to tell them that mother was sick again and nothing else. Peta was distressed, she was torn. She trusted Aruna's judgment but hoped that her sister's worst fears would not be realized.

When mother finely died, Peta and Aruna washed her with sage tea and wraped her in their custom as best they could. The two eldest sisters carried her remains outside and bid the children to gather the largest rocks they could find, the two older girls dug a shallow grave in the hardened sand. They dug the grave next to the spots where their grandparents were buried. Lina's parents had lived in this home before her, their graves were the first ones below the hill. Lina was their only daughter. All their sons, Lina's brothers, had gone to live with their wives families.

The five children laid their mother gently in her final resting place. They railed in their hearts and to each other against their loss. Only Boc did not understand that she would not be there anymore in the morning to take care of him. He went to her sleeping place the next morning to look for her. Peta sighed as she caught him in her lap and explained to him, with tears in her eyes, that mother had gone to the heavens and that she was watching them all from there. He protested, he was very upset with this sister and squirmed to get down. He ran to find Aruna. He still could not accept the loss of the woman who had loved him and cared for him for the entirety of his short life.

It took another turn of the moon before Rampa returned with Ren. Though the tears had subsided their hearts were not lightened at all by the turn of the moon. Aruna saw her father's camel train coming over the ridge and sighed, at last father was back. It would be good to have someone else take charge. If only she did not have to tell him of his wife's death first. She slumped against her seat where she was splitting beans. She realized than that it was her mother's seat.

Part thirteen

Rampa came up to the house and immediately sensed a change. Not only was his wife not at the door to greet him, but his family seemed somehow listless to him. Things felt wrong. Dread built in his chest as he approached his home. He hoped against hope that his instincts were wrong, that he would find everyone well and happy.

Aruna looked up at him when he came closer, they needed no words. He read her eyes articulately. He went to her and sobbed in her arms. After a while, when his storm of tears was quieting, Aruna pulled back gently she dried her own eyes and thought to look for Ren. He had gotten into the house unseen, an explosive argument had begun with Peta.

"No," they could hear him yelling,

"No." even louder.

"She can not be dead." he shrieked, demanding, "What did you do to her?"

"Where is she?" he demanded running to his mother and father's sleeping place. The reality was starting to raise a deeply rooted panic in the boy's chest. Peta was beside herself, though she desperately wanted to, she did not know what to do to help her brother. Rampa sighed, defeated, and went inside to intervene. He saw his son in total dismay, the child not knowing where to look or what to do. There were tears running freely, staining the boys cheeks, his face was wracked with grief. His fathers face mirrored the emotion. Father said nothing. He just held out his arms and gathered his son to him. They dropped to the floor in a heap of misery for their loss, leaning on each other for what little support each could offer the other. It was too sudden for them. Rampa's mind was racing, troubled, thinking; She had been better when they left. What had gone wrong? What could have changed that she left them so suddenly? What could have occurred to cause her to leave them so suddenly?

Rampa had not seen the sand storm that those at home had experienced. It had passed without touching his camel train.

Aruna came inside and told her father of the storm that she believed was the cause of her mother's death. She proceeded to tell him what had been done with her mother's remains. She explained that she did not know the proper words for her mother's leaving, she had needed to wait for her father to say the correct prayers to assuage the spirits of death. Father would now have to perform the necessary rituals for his wife. Father and Ren went outside to unburden the camels and care for them, giving them the most rudimentary care for now. The humans were too burdened to do anything more.

Aruna made a quick evening meal and tea to strengthen them for the solemn ceremony that was needed to complete her mother's funerary. She did not have the stamina to create a welcome home meal for her brother and father. Not that they would have had the stomach to eat it.

The next day the five children and Rampa stood at the clearing as the dawn broke over the day. They leaned on each other for support at their mother's graveside. Their mother had always been the glue that held them together. She was the fire in the hearth of their lives, sustaining them through the good and the bad of life as it all came and went.

Rampa recited the pleas for the dead that were customary for their times. Both he and Ren placed more rocks on the grave. Since they had not been there for the burial this was all they could do. Then they went back inside and sat in silence. Each was lost in their own thoughts.

By evening Aruna had managed to put a pot of vegetable stew with chickpeas on the hearth, they observed the custom of not eating meat on the day of a funeral. She served her stew with a heavy heart.

With the meal finished and put away she returned to the table where they were all still seated.

"What will come of us now father?" she addressed him wearily. She did not know if she expected an answer or not.

They all feared living without mother. Would Aruna be enough to keep the home running and the children fed and properly trained? Would father still be able to make his trading runs? Who would go with him? Would he be able to stay out as long with just Aruna at the helm? He would no longer have his wife's product of very fine, desirable cloth to trade on his runs. Though his daughter's fabric was equally wonderful, without his wife, even she would have less time to work at that task.

Father paused, gathering his thoughts and his courage before giving his answer to the children. Aruna, looking at him anew thought; He now seems so much older.

"We will go on." The statement was simple but profound.

When they continued to look to him for more he continued, "Aruna, you will be the head of the house with all the status attached, but with no husband as yet." He paused giving her a meaningful look.

"Ren, you will accompany me when I travel. You will learn from me how to navigate as I did from my father." He continued, "You will learn to read your customers as I do so you will be able, some day, to take over my routes." "They must be kept profitable."

The work of trader/peddler and been in the family for many generations, the trade routs were well guarded and would be lost to them if they were not maintained by regular visits.

Then to all of them he said, "I too will go to the heavens some day. When my time comes you will all be ready to take over and continue as our family has been doing for generations." His family looked shocked, the last statement disoriented them. Aruna was to act as their mother, this they expected. Father would be leaving them too? It was too much to digest now so soon after loosing their mother. They put the thought out of their minds, unable to accept the idea now. Ren just sat with tears running down his face.

It seemed to Peta that Ren had cried continuously since they had returned. He was very disturbed by something.

She found a moment outside with her father and spoke, "Father, please speak to Ren. There is something more than grief in his mind. If you could try to help him, I fear for his heart, he grieves too much."

Father observed; Peta, always the perceptive one while Aruna was the practical one, the two together made a great team.

"I will find a moment to allow him to speak and unburden himself." He replied.

"Thank You Father" was her reply.