Page 59 of Caveman Alien's Bride

Treti’ax pumps the handle, making water rush into his hand in big, noisy squirts. He sips the water from his hand and nods. “This is incredible. Get the Chief!”

Another caveman jogs away, and a few minutes later Korr’ax, Breti’ax, and the Tretter shaman come hurrying to see, closely followed by just about every man in the tribe.

“The water pump is finished.” I demonstrate the ridiculously rattly wooden contraption, suspecting that it might be the most advanced piece of technology on planet Xren.

“Another marvel!” Korr’ax exclaims so everyone hears it. “My wife is a blessing from the Ancestors!” He squeezes my shoulders hard.

The tribe cheers in a thunderous roar. Then everyone wants to try the pump, and I have to step away to not get my feet soaked in the mud.

“Magnificent,” Korr’ax says. “It looks so simple, but is so important.”

I wipe happy tears. The reception of my simple pump is better than I had ever expected. “Itissimple. But can make bigger ones. Pump water for whole village from the main creek. Can make in Borok village too.”

He squeezes me again. “Then we shall.”

We stand there and watch the Tretter tribesmen pump water, splashing each other and laughing.

I laugh, too.

In a flash I realize that I’mhappy.

I’m happy on Xren! I never thought that would happen. All my life on this planet I’ve been a breath away from panic, a second away from death. Now, I’m enjoying my life. I have food, I have friends, I have as much safety as it’s possible to have on this insane rock. So I can actually experience short flashes of true happiness. And isn’t that the most anyone can hope for, on Earth or here?

I look up at Korr'ax. He’s the reason any of this could happen. The safety, the food, the picture I made of Piper, this silly pump — it’s all because of him. Not only does he give me earth-shattering climaxes, he also makes me feel important.

Okay, he did force me to marry him. But maybe that was the only way to save me from that previous life of desperation.

It worked out, anyway. I long for him when he’s not around, and I only relax properly when he is. When I say I love him, that’s true. I do love him.

Piper is a constant worry for me. But once in a while, I want to enjoy my life without letting her many possible fates ruin my day. She chose to leave; she didn’t have to. And of the two of us, she was always the most capable at survival.

I stroke the outside of Korr’ax’s kilt. “Looks like they will be busy with the pump for long time. Let’s go to chief’s hut to rest.”

His bulge immediately starts to harden. “We do need some ‘rest’ about now.”

We turn our backs to the pump. “We ‘rested’ a lot last night. I still sore. But need more ‘rest’ now after much work. Very strange.”

“Rest follows work,” Korr'ax says as he drags me along, eager to get to the hut. “That’s natural. And we shall rest very thoroughly now.”

I squeeze his hand. “I love thorough rest.”

- - -

As we’re eating the common dinner with the tribe, a boy comes running. “Chief! The Lifegiver is opening!”

Most of the men don’t react much, having seen it many times before.

But I haven’t. I grab Korr'ax’s hand. “Can we go?”

“Of course.”

It’s darkening fast, but there are torches burning around the Lifegiver enclosure.

Tribesmen are standing around one of the Lifegivers, including the shaman. It does look round and ripe, and its tendrils are waving calmly back and forth.

“Every Lifegiver is different,” Korr'ax tells me. “Some show that they’re ready by waving a big leaf, some turn a different color, and some drop all their leaves. It’s important to know the signs. This one simply starts to open.”

Indeed some big, covering leaves on the plant-slash-animal-slash-cloning device have developed cracks and are slowly lifting away from the main round body of the Lifegiver.

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