Page 74 of No Questions Asked

“I was passable. Barely.” Slash finished his piece of fish and took another. “This fish is really good.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” As I said that, he got up from my left side and went to sit on my right.

“Why do you keep doing that?” I asked.

“Doing what?”

“Making sure you’re always on my right side.”

“I love how observant you are. I stay on your right side for a practical reason. I’m right handed, and I want to keep my right hand free in case I have to fight off any more warriors who want to challenge me for you.”

I thought he was kidding, but after studying his face, I wasn’t sure. Before I could ask, the shaman approached me and offered me a pipe.

“Oh, no, thank you,” I said, declining. “I don’t smoke.”

Slash took the pipe and bowed to the shaman. “You’ll smoke tonight. One puff is all it should take.” He took one before handing it to me. “It’s part of the ceremony. He’s offered it to all the other couples.”

I tried not to be grossed out, thinking of their mouths on it. “I don’t think that’s very sanitary. What’s in it?”

“My best guess is a mild hallucinogen.”

“Are you out of your mind?” I looked at him, stunned he even considered such a thing. “I’m not smoking drugs.”

“To refuse would be disrespectful and could possibly invalidate our union,” he replied calmly. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t breathe too deeply.”

Reluctantly, I took the pipe and inhaled as shallow a puff as I could manage. I handed the pipe back to the shaman who look satisfied and moved on. As soon as he left I started coughing. “Yuck. Whatever that was, it was strong.”

“We’ll survive.”

After the pipe, people largely left us alone except to bring us more food and a gourd filled with a warm spicy liquid.

“All of this food and drink is really delicious.” I lifted the gourd and took another large swallow. “I wonder what this drink is? It’s wonderful.”

He tasted it, considered. “It’s sweet. I suspect it contains sugar cane and water, along with some herbs and spices added for taste and relaxation purposes.”

I stopped with the gourd inches from my lips. “Define relaxation purposes. You mean more drugs?”

“Possibly.”

I immediately put the gourd down. Between the drink, the pipe, and the heat, I was already feeling way too relaxed. I didn’t want to fall face-first into the fire.

Someone started playing on the drums and the beat began to thump in time with my heart. My eyes began to droop from all the excitement and emotion I’d been through during the day.

“You know, I’m feeling reeeally good,” I said to Slash. My words slurred. I squeezed one eye shut to see if it would help me focus. It didn’t. “And definitely uninhibited. No more pipes and gourds for me.”

“Rest here.” He put an arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder. The flames had started to look like fiery figures, dancing around the blaze, waving their arms around wildly.

Finally one of the older women motioned to Slash and me to follow her. She led us to one of the huts where some furs had been laid out on the dirt floor. Compared to what I’d been sleeping on, which was nothing but dirt with my arm as a pillow, this was pure luxury.

“I presume this is the bridal suite,” he said.

I took a step and stumbled. Slash caught me before I fell.

“Wow, everything is spinning in here,” I said, pointing upward. “Is that a disco ball up there?”

Slash gently laid me down on the furs and joined me. He took my left hand and somehow put my engagement ring back on. It may have taken him a long time to get it over my knuckle...or maybe not. Time had somehow become quite fluid.

“The ring is no worse for the wear,” he said. “It needs a thorough cleaning, but it came through just fine. Nonna will love this story.”

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