Chapter 4

Once the girls were on their way, Uncle Don went over the reports with me, explaining that adding more milk cows would require a bigger pasture. Several of the college courses I took over the last two years were farming related. I suggested planting the pasture with alfalfa and Timothy grass and using portable fencing to section it off into five fields, rotating the cows through the fields for a year and then tilling everything under. The manure and alfalfa would increase the yield of whatever we planted next. By planting alfalfa, we could easily feed several more milk cows in the same area, although we only needed four more.

Adding to the chicken coop would be easy, although we’d have to turn the corner at the top of the raised area and make the current coop into an “L.”

If we finally bought the two properties the Parish wanted us to buy, we could easily double our one-hectare produce garden and add another hectare of rice. Rice produces far more food per hectare than our other crops, and we eat a lot of rice. Growing rice also requires a lot of labor. Fortunately, enough people in town work off what they owe us for meat and other things they “buy” from us. That additional hectare could provide almost three thousand more kilos of rice. That still left one entire property and most of the second property unused and we could grow more corn on one property and grow potatoes and sweet potatoes on the remainder of the second.

“I tried growing both potatoes and sweet potatoes before, but the ground gets too wet when it rains and the potatoes rot,” Uncle Don reminded me.

“Don’t grow them in the soil,” I replied, and then explained various techniques we could use to grow both crops above ground.

“You really did pay attention to your courses,” Uncle Don teased as he slapped me on the shoulder. “Any idea what the verdict is in there?” he asked, nodding towards the closed door of his study.

“No, but when I let my consciousness flow out, I noticed that everything seemed peaceful, and they all seemed content. I didn’t check closely because I didn’t want to possibly intrude on a private conversation,” I replied.

“There was probably still too much stress and unease in there for you to be able to get much detail,” he surmised. “Those women will need a lot of reassurance,” he warned. “The older ones will need constant reassurance that they’re sexy enough to compete with the younger women. They will all need continued reassurance that you don’t hold them responsible for what happened to them and won’t think less of them.”

I explained what I told them earlier. “That should go a long way towards helping them,” he replied. Then he scrutinized me for several seconds. “I talked to your mom last night. She remembers you having nightmares for a few months around the time that you saved Kristen. That can be a sign of PTSD. How are you doing now?” he asked, his tone of voice conveying his concern.

“The nightmares lasted about six months and eventually were fewer and farther between,” I replied. “I finally decided that, while not necessarily what I should have done, and that I can’t know for a fact that he would have tried to hurt Kristen or anyone else again, I’m comfortable with the belief that he would have, and that what I did saved someone else from the grief his actions would have caused.

“I don’t know how this morning will affect me, but this time, I know that he was a serial rapist. I don’t have to convince myself about that. Still, I’m not looking forward to sleeping tonight.”

“Let me know if the nightmares return. There are several quick and effective treatments available for PTSD and we can get a therapist who specializes in treating it to evaluate you,” he said. “I was proud to call you Nephew, and I’m prouder to call you Son,” he said emotionally as he hugged me.

Sally and Aunt Peggy came out just then and joined us. Aunt Peggy grinned at Uncle Don. “It looks like you get another concubine or wife. Carol Clark is uncomfortable about sleeping with the same man who is sleeping with her daughter,” she explained.

“Yeah, I can see the Clark girl as another of my wives,” he teased, earning a punch in the shoulder from Aunt Peggy. “See what you have to look forward to. All the abuse you have to put up with,” he mock complained to me.

“I have a feeling that he’s going to find out tonight what he really has to look forward to,” Aunt Peggy giggled. “I guess Jackie has had a terrible crush on Jim even before today.”

“Thank you for helping to straighten everything out in there,” I said to her. “I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do,” I admitted.

“Well, I’ve been through the process of adding a new wife a few times,” she said.

“That reminds me,” Uncle Don said. “The death notification detail was just over at the Vasquez house a short time ago,” he told Aunt Peggy.

“What? And you didn’t tell me!” she exclaimed.

“You were kind of busy already, and the older girls are already over there helping,” he assured her.

“You do remember the promise you made, don’t you?” she asked him.

“A promise to a fellow Marine that I intend to keep,” he replied. “I just felt that today wasn’t an appropriate time to tell her about it.”

“He promised Cezar that he’d take care of Juana and their children if anything happened to him. As you know, we already have you drop off extra food each week,” Aunt Peggy explained.

“Why don’t you take her over on my grav sled?” I asked Don. “The fan boat is already over there.”

“Good idea, that would be a lot faster,” he replied.

“You should probably switch it back to civilian mode before using it,” I suggested.

“What? How did you...”

“‘PeggyJean’ is hardly a secure password,” I explained.

“That obvious, huh?” he asked, clearly embarrassed.

“Well, it took me six tries to guess it. I changed it to Pe99yJe4n instead.”

I snuck the grav sled out of the closet quietly so I wouldn’t wake Stephanie. Uncle Don thanked me and found Aunt Peggy. Mrs. Clark was with her and thanking her repeatedly. They led her to the kitchen and left her with the other wives and concubines, explaining that they were going over to help Mrs. Vasquez.

I knocked on the door to the study and opened it carefully. Sally motioned for me to come in. “Jackie’s mother...” she began before I held up my hand to stop her.

“Jackie’s mother will go to Uncle Don. He agreed. She’s in the kitchen right now helping with dinner. Uncle Don and Aunt Peggy just went across the bayou to the Vasquez house. The older girls have already been there for about half an hour. The death notification detail was still over there when the girls left.”

“That poor woman; she has four small children,” Mrs. Phillips said sadly.

“Uncle Don promised Mr. Vasquez to take care of his family if anything happened to him,” I told everyone.

“Did he promise to take care of the family or to marry her?” Sally asked.

“Don’t know,” I replied with a shrug. “Aunt Peggy said he promised to take care of the family.”

“I’ve seen you with her kids and they love you already. Maybe it would be easier on them if you were their new daddy,” she suggested. “Besides, she’s only a few years older than you are, and she’s a lot younger than your uncle is. I think Mrs. Clark’s main objection was that you’re so much younger than she is.”

“She said something about you being too young when the other women were talking. But I think I’m the only one that heard it,” Jackie said.

“I don’t care what her reason is. If she’s uncomfortable with me, I’m happy that Uncle Don will accept her. I hope that nobody in this room is here because they think they don’t have any alternative. While I will try to be as good a husband as I can, I don’t want anyone to come to resent me. If anyone feels now, or later, that they’d rather find someone else, I’ll continue to support you while you look. And I’m not saying that trying to get rid of you because of what you’ve been through.

“I’ll admit that I have rather limited sexual experience, but I don’t ever want to think that a woman feels pressured to have sex with me. In fact, I don’t want any of you to join us in bed until you’re positive that you want to be there. When you are sure, I’ll welcome each of you eagerly.” I went around the room and helped each woman stand, hugging her and giving her a rather chaste kiss.

At least until I reached Annette Phillips. I was new enough to sex that, by the time she finished kissing me, I wasn’t entirely positive that we hadn’t just had sex in front of everyone. “I’ll definitely be there tonight,” she purred seductively.

Dana Dunn gave me a similar greeting. “I’ll be there, too,” she cooed. Sally was almost laughing at me when Dana released me.

“They’re going to be shorthanded in the kitchen so we should go help,” Sally suggested.

“Not me, I’ve almost been trampled when I enter the kitchen near mealtimes,” I protested.

“That’s because you don’t know how to cook except over a campfire, and definitely not for as many people as there are in this family. You can’t anticipate what anyone has to do next because you don’t know what they’re doing,” Sally explained. “You just keep bringing meat home for us and let us take care of everything in the kitchen.”

“Do you really bring home as much meat from hunting and fishing as I’ve heard?” Jackie asked.

“I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but I keep our family and a few other people supplied. We always have enough extra on hand to last for at least a week.”

“I hope that you have time for me tonight,” she whispered suggestively as she pressed herself against me.

“So do I,” I whispered and then kissed her.

She scrutinized my face for several seconds. “Are you upset that I’m not a virgin?” she asked seriously.

“Let me answer that question two different ways,” I replied after thinking for a few seconds. “I’m not upset that your hymen isn’t intact. I hated hurting Sally our first time, even though I knew it had to happen, and fortunately, it didn’t hurt her very much.

“Secondly, as far as I’m concerned, a woman’s virginity must be given away, it can’t be taken by force. Virginity is giving herself willingly to a man for the first time and I get the feeling that you haven’t done that. Even if you have,” I added quickly, “the important thing is that you’re with me now. If you do give me that gift tonight or some other night, I hope that I make you happy with your choice.

It must have been the right thing to say because she plastered her face to my chest and cried, then reached up and pulled my face to hers to kiss me.

She was startled when we turned around and found Stephanie standing in the doorway. I had already sensed that she was there. “The kitchen is that way,” I told Jackie, sending her on her way with a light swat on her very swattable backside.

“Feeling better?” I asked Stephanie.

“Much better,” she replied, “and that was a beautiful thing you told her. Who is she?” she asked.

“That’s Jackie, a friend of Sally’s and mine. She and a few other women had a problem with a guy I dealt with this morning. They showed up this afternoon, explaining that they no longer feel safe alone. A few of them will be joining Sally and me when we get married tomorrow morning. I don’t know if the agreement was for them to be wives or concubines, not that it will make any difference in the way I treat them.

“One of them either felt I was too young or that she didn’t want to sleep with the same man sleeping with her daughter. Uncle Don and Aunt Peggy agreed to accept her. Again, I don’t think they’ve decided whether she’ll be a wife or a concubine.

“He’s replacing me already?” she gasped.

“No, he’s not replacing you. I could see his love for you in his eyes when we talked earlier. The only way you’ll get away from him is to leave or push him away and I hope you don’t do that,” I sighed.

“I just feel as if everything in my life is so tentative and unsettled right now,” she said emotionally.

“The only tentative thing right now is how many days it takes him to realize that you’re serious about changing. Other than that, you’ll end up back in his arms again,” I promised.

“Where is he, anyway?” she asked once she had her emotions back under control.

“He and Aunt Peggy are with the oldest girls across the bayou helping Mrs. Vasquez. The death notification detail just left there a while ago and they went over to help reassure her and to help with the kids. Evidently, Don promised her husband that he’d look after the family if he didn’t make it back. And no, she’s not more competition for you,” I reassured her forcefully.

“You are such a good man,” she sighed. “I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for the way I’ve treated you, especially with everything you’ve done for me today in spite of it.”

“Your actions have told me that you’re sorry, so you don’t need to keep apologizing. Just continue to be the loving woman that you are and everyone around you will be happy,” I assured her.

“I should probably help with dinner, too,” she sighed, looking through the open study door.

“Then get thee to yon kitchen. More wenches in the kitchen is good,” I said imperiously. I caught myself and stopped my hand centimeters before it would have connected with her butt for a playful swat like I gave Jackie. Despite what Uncle Don said, I felt that would have been too familiar. I’d never do it to Mom or Aunt Peggy, so I shouldn’t do it to Stephanie, either. In fact, I was going to have to start thinking of her again as Mother Stephanie.

“Is being considered an adult or nearly an adult always so difficult?” I wondered.

Since the older girls had all gone to help Mrs. Vasquez, I went out and started herding the cows into the dairy barn. I was grateful when Uncle Don used the fanboat and shuttled home the four youngest girls who had gone to the Vasquez house. “Uncle Don says to get Sally. He wants to take you two over to the Vasquez house,” Lacey told me with a big grin on her face.

I did as instructed, even making my way into and out of the kitchen without being trampled to collect Sally. “The kids are asking for you,” Uncle Don told me as he started the fan boat up again and shuttled us across the bayou. I jumped out and tied the boat up, fore, and aft, and then helped Sally out.

We’d barely crested the levee along the canal when the front screen door banged open, and a herd of little ones stampeded towards us screaming happily. I was surprised that the three-year-old was there too, although she lagged behind the rest as they surged forward. I knelt and caught each of the kids as they launched themselves at me, even little Zoe, the three-year-old who was shouting “Jim, Jim,” as she tried to mimic her older siblings.

“Up, up” she kept insisting, trying to jump up into the air with her hands raised high above her head.

“Is this what you want?” I asked, lifting her up as high as I could.

“Thwow, thwow,” she insisted, so I tossed her gently up into the air a few centimeters. She squealed in laughter.

“Mow, mow,” she insisted, so I tossed her higher several times before the other kids were clamoring for a turn. I’m claiming that they finally got tired of me tossing them, not the other way around, and I’m sticking to that story. Regardless, we finally went inside since everyone else was there.

The only empty chair in the living room was a large, overstuffed chair so I sat in it. Everyone was smiling and watching the kids as they streamed through the door and ran to Mrs. Vazquez. All four kids were talking excitedly, trying to tell her all about being tossed into the air. I thought Sally was coming over to sit in my lap when she got up, but she pulled Mrs. Vasquez up from her chair and nearly forced her into my lap. I don’t know which of the two of us blushed harder, but it was close either way.

“‘Nuf said?” Sally asked me, although she was smiling.

“That depends on what Mrs. Vasquez has to say about it,” I told Sally.

Mrs. Vasquez looked up at me shyly. “You are a good man and a caring man. You love children and my children love you. You are a good provider. I would be honored to call you husband,” she said quietly.