She Goes with Her Father, 6, 7 and 8

As soon as she saw them, all five, round the bend mother turned and went back into the kitchen, presumably to put final touches on the midday meal for her family and guests. They knew better than to tarry on the mountainside with their Mother having their midday meal ready. They sauntered down the side of the mountain as fast as they safely could, heading for the trough to wash up before sitting to eat.

When the meal was finished Rampa called his daughter out to the wagon ostensibly to help pack. There he presented her possibilities to her. He told her of the promised herd and how well started in life Lazeik and she would be were she to marry with him.

As Aruna listened patientl but she was bursting with her own ideas. When her Father had finished she stated respectfully but emphatically, "I have no wish to be a wife to Lazeik. I would be forever unhappy."

After letting her refusal sink in she followed with her preference; "Ozo is the brother that I would wed, were the offer to come for me."

Father answered her; "There is no offer for Ozo before us."

He explained patiently, "We were honored by an offer of the first son and an admirably affluent wedding gift." "It will be difficult enough to refuse with out making such a statement of preference."

He shook his head and thought, 'The words I speak mean nothing to the girl. She was as headstrong as her mother had been in her youth. Perhaps when we returned to our home camp her mother could make some sense of the situation.' 'If only she were here now,' he wished.

He finished the conversation with, "We will let this topic wait until we can discuss it further with your mother." He decided while he spoke, "We will tell them we are considering the offer. We will hope that we can resolve it all before our fall trip."

Reta and Rena had been hanging around the kitchen being unusually helpful, waiting for Aruna and her father to come back in, they knew something was going on and they thought they knew what. They had discussed Aruna's personality and virtues between themselves and decided that she would be wrong for Lazeik. His strutting and posturing would grate on her as it did on them. She was far too sincere and unpretentious for him. They both liked her and both agreed that she would be much better suited for the comfortable and unassuming Ozo.

When they went in the father explained that they would have to discuss this further with the child's mother. He could not have final say in such a matter before speaking to her. He expressed his pleasure and thanked them for their generous offer and said that they were considering it. After topping off their water supply at the homestead well, they left for their next customer.

Rampa was pleased with the ease of trade he encountered with Azekiel's family. He had done well with the other inhabitants of the settlement as well. Rita and Rena had two other older sisters who lived in the other houses with their husbands and young children. He wondered if his easy trades were part of a ploy to win his daughters hand for their firstborn. Than he dismissed the thought, they would not do such a thing with no promise of return profit.

Part seven

They traveled three more days before they arrived at the next collection of homes. It was first the home of two elderly couples the wives were sisters. It had been their mothers home before them. Their daughters, four between them, lived in adjacent houses with their famlies.

Rampa made his pitch and was again very successful. Aruna was polite and pleasant towards the young married women, sitting with the babies while their mothers did outdoor chores. She was also good at entertaining those who were just starting to walk. She helped the elders when she was in their homes doing the more difficult tasks that were too hard for the older women to do alone. Such behavior made Rampa reconsider his statement about Ozo. She really was mature, helpful and pleasant to be around, he never noticed before. How could he refuse her, her choice?

Aruna went about her days as she was expected to. She kept trying to find tasks that would keep her mind off of her father's choice for her, while not speaking of the matter to him. She almost wished they had never visited Azekiel's homestead, but how could she wish such a thing. If that were so, she would never have met Ozo. Ozo who visited her dreams, he left her feeling strangely ill when dreams of him went through her mind but she awoke feeling well.

Rampa was doing so well with this trading mission that he added two new and unplanned extra homesteads. He knew where they were but had not planned to visit them until the next trip. Prosperity followed him through both visits.

By the time they had wound their way back to their family, Aruna was in a quandary. She did not know what would come of her. She desperately did not want to marry Lazeik. The more she thought about it the more she was sure that he would never make her happy. He was far too self important to consider anyone but himself in any matter at all. She could see her entire life being miserable. Even if Ozo were not to make an offer, she would choose spinsterhood rather than to spend her life married to Lazeik.

She went in to her home with trepidation. Not knowing what her father would say to her mother. Not knowing how to present her side of the situation so her mother would understand, fearful that she would be pressured into an unhappy marriage. She was disheartened and degected.

Part eight

When she arrived home the older children greeted her enthusiastically. They were so happy to see her. While she was gone their mother had been far to busy with the essentials of living to bother to encourage play. The toddler Tarka, had been ill with a lung sickness. Peta, the nine year old, had all she could do to keep them fed, never mind play with the others. Ren at twelve had been an absolute rip. Not helping a stitch and making things worse more often than not. Her mother looked bedraggled, the baby had not been washed it would seem since forever. Aruna did have to admit, to her sister's goodness, that the baby's bottom did not show signs of neglect; Boc's skin was still baby soft. He just looked grimy about the hands, legs n face. While they were away he had taken to crawling and was into everything. Mica had tried to help but was just six years old. She was not old enough to master what was required of her. Peta hugged her with such might that Aruna thought she'd not be able to breath. Her mother welcomed her warmly but she looked frighteningly tired as she did, Aruna sensed something strangely wrong, she did not recognize what it was. Her father just walked in and sat down in his chair after greeting his wife and looking in on Boc. He was happy to be home and did not seem to notice that anything was out of order.

They had not been in the door for more than ten minuets when Lina started coughing hard. It was a deep wet rattle in her chest, a deep wracking cough. Aruna's head jerked up from her tea, even father looked hard at his wife. Mother rarely became ill, when she did it was never serious.

"Mother, how long have you been coughing like that?" Aruna asked, very concerned. "Let me put on some tea for you."

Rampa waited and when his wife did not answer Aruna he asked, "Lina, has that cough been with you for long?"

She replied when her husband asked, "I caught it from Tarka. He was ill for two weeks but has fought it off easily. I will too. I am just tired from nursing him through it." "I have been coughing for a little over a week now."

Rampa looked at Aruna, they had developed the ability to communicate effectively without words since they had been traveling together. Rampa was worried. Aruna was too.

Aruna said, "Mother why do you not go lie down and rest, let me finish preparing dinner. You have been carrying this load alone the whole time I was gone. You must be very tired."

Mother complied immediately which was very out of character for her. Normally Lina would have fo-foed the idea of resting in the middle of the day but she accepted the offer of help without protest now. This heightened Rampa and Aruna's concern about her as another glance passed between them. Lina fell asleep quickly and to goodness did not seem troubled by her illness as she slept. Aruna finished preparing the meal adding a quick soup to the menu for her mother's sake hoping that her Mother's prognosis about getting over the coughing sickness was correct and that she was just tired from nursing Tarka. When Rampa woke Lina for her evening meal she had been sleeping deeply for most of the afternoon. She awoke coughing again, this time she brought up a large wad of dark phlegm into a rag that she had tucked into her sleeve. She continued to cough several more times after bringing it up but nothing else was produced. She did not have a lot of strength left in Rampa's estimation.

Lina took soup and nothing else for her supper, she declined the rest of the simple meal. She looked gratefully at her eldest daughter for thinking to add the soup to the menu. She had not been eating right since she took ill and realized that in just cooking for the children's needs, she had neglected her own. She fell asleep again thinking to herself 'Now that I have help with the children I should be able to get myself better.'