Page 8 of Circle of Days
“Yes, I’ll look out for you.” This annoyed Seft. Who was thisEnwood, to promise to look out for Neen? Enwood went on: “I plan to be there early to get a good view. You should do the same.”
Enwood wanted a rendezvous. Neen said: “If I wake up in time.” It was neither agreement nor refusal. All the same, Seft was bothered by the tone of intimacy he detected in both their voices.
There was a moment of silence, and Neen said: “Seft has been helping me wash the dinnerware.”
Enwood gave Seft a cool look. “Nice,” he said. “See you tomorrow.” He strode away.
Seft was disturbed by the encounter. “Who was that?” he said as they resumed walking.
“Oh, just a friend.”
Seft suspected that Enwood was the man Joia had referred to when she had saidHe likes her, for sure. Whether she likes him, I couldn’t say.“He’s handsome,” he said.
“Not as handsome as you.”
Seft was surprised. He did not think he was handsome. But he did not really know. He hardly cared about it. He could not remember the last time he had looked at his reflection in a pond.
It was dark now, and the stars were out. Seft felt that Enwood had spoiled his intimacy with Neen. He said: “Well, what are we going to do now?” It came out more abrupt than he had intended.
She seemed not to notice. “What would you like to do?”
The answer came to him immediately. “It’s not cold. I’d like to sit with you under the stars, just the two of us. Would that be all right?”
“Yes,” she said.
He smiled. It’s all right again, he thought.
They reached the house. Han was inside, tying the dog up for the night. Pia and Stam had gone back to their family. Joia was already asleep. Ani was taking her shoes off.
Neen said to her mother: “We’re going to sleep out tonight.”
“I hope it doesn’t get cold,” Ani said.
“We’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Neen took Seft’s arm and they walked away.
He said: “Where shall we go?”
“I know a place.”
They went to the river, then turned along the bank until they left the houses behind. They came to a sheltered grove with leafy trees, and Neen said: “How’s this?”
“Perfect.”
They sat down close to a thicket.
Seft said: “Your life is perfect. All your family love you. You have plenty of food. The herders have so many cattle that no one could count them. You live like gods.”
“You’re right,” Neen replied. “The Sun God smiles on us.” She lay back.
It seemed like an invitation. Seft leaned over and kissed her.
He had not done much kissing and he was a bit vague about what was expected, but she led the way. She put her hands to his head and then kissed his lips and his cheek and his throat, stroking his hair at the same time. It was the most delightful thing that had ever happened to him.
Desperate to touch her body, he put his hand on her knee and moved it slowly up her leg.
