Chapter 76: Matrimonial Bliss

I was holding court and I was not amused.

Brin was at my side and I had managed to demand to be carried outside and sat in the sunlight. I was sat in the sun just outside of the lodge door. I had my saddle bags brought to me and managed to find my cigarettes. The smoke was good and the sunlight was good.

Petalesharo and Doc Banshee were in front of me and I wanted answers. But I also wanted coffee and Banshee just looked at me like I was babbling when I asked for coffee. I had seen a white woman working at a fire halfway down the camp, I asked Pete to have her come and make me coffee.

“She belongs to another”, Pete replied.

“Buy her”, I said and held up a pouch each of tobacco and gun powder. He grabbed the tobacco pouch and left to do the trade.

That left me, Brin, and Doc Banshee looking at each other.

“Sit”

Both Brin and Doc sat down on the ground.

Well f•©k, that was interesting. So I ignored them and watched Pete’s progress dragging the white woman back across the camp. My back hurt and I was starting to feel grumpy. It would be nap time soon. But first some coffee and some answers.

I centered myself and tried to consider that I had just purchased a woman so that I could have a cup of coffee. I could ply myself with do-good moral feelings about that, but the reason I had done so was a cup of coffee. How many other slaves were here in camp that I just couldn’t see because of their dress and skin color?

F•©k it. I wanted some coffee and it only cost me a bit of tobacco. My soul might burn in hell for my intentions, but that was gonna happen anyway. Give me my damn coffee.

Pete was back with the woman. She was middle-aged, non-descript, and filthy; her eyes were lifeless. This woman had been destroyed by circumstances and I had just made her my problem. Maybe it’s me that keeps shooting myself in the back all the time.

I pointed to my food pack and told her, “There’s coffee and a pot in there, make me some.” I looked at Doc and said, “Show her where to cook”.

Bang! Off they both went leaving Brin, Pete and me alone.

I pointed to the spot next to me on the bench and simply said, “Explain.”

Petalesharo took a seat next to me and started in. I knew this was going to be a sob story.

Pete tried to short sheet it, “We made trade, one child of warrior dog for beautiful sister. It’s a good trade and sister is very happy.”

Well, hell, I should have expected him to run some line like that at me. F•©ker was still trying to pull a fast one and pawn his sister off on me.

“Why no husband, Pete?”

“She had. He brave warrior. He die fighting for Army. Three winters now, he dead.”

Well that was pretty much what I expected. I knew that the epidemics and the internecine wars had thinned the ranks of all the tribes so much that the US Army had basically walked in with a dust mop and taken over vast swaths of land. Conquering heroes of a scattered remnant of 7,500 where once 350,000 had lived and prospered. Mother Nature was a bitch with her tiny little buggy friends.

“Pete, I was sick.”

“Trade was made, she will be good wife.”

F•©k, I was stuck. If I tried to unwind the deal no man would ever touch her again. Michelle would not be happy with the problems I was bringing home for her to deal with.

“Where is my magic pistol?”

Pete left to get my M1911, it had disappeared when I collapsed and I definitely needed that back. I tested my left arm while I waited, I could fully use the hand but the arm still needed to stay still. I’d get a full sling around the arm and stash the .45 in there, even if I were going to be a gimp for a few weeks I wanted to have something to fall back on.