pretty.”
“I remember,” she replied, her head cocked to one side. “You speak in riddles, don’t you?”
“Not riddles. Observations.”
Gifts from the Dreaming
.
“Blue, how many clans have arrived so far?” Paul crossed his arms lazily over his chest, hiding a wince that Blue suspected none but he could see. His shoulder still bothered him, but he wouldn’t let anyone, especially the woman, know it. Such pride could be a harmful thing.
“Almost all of them. Djuru’s bride arrived this morning.”
Djuru groaned. “Father, you know I’m not going to marry her. Why do you insist upon calling her that?”
“You will marry her.” How many times must he explain the process to his son? It was this same argument that had driven Djuru away in the first place, to the whitefellas’ world. He had fallen in love with one who could never be his.
“You can believe whatever you like, but I’m not going to marry some girl you’ve picked out for me a hundred bloody years ago. It’s not fair to her, and it’s not fair to me.”
“It is done.”
Helen cleared her throat. All eyes turned on her, and she blanched beneath the onslaught. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but shouldn’t I get back to work? Is there a place where the elderly or the infirm might be?”
“I’ll take her,” Djuru offered, a bit too quickly.
“We’ll finish this later, son. There is no escaping it.”
5
Y ou’ll have to pardon my father,” Djuru sighed while he escorted Helen across the campsite. “He refuses to understand that the world has changed.”
Helen transferred her bag from one hand to the other, the weight of it pulling on her shoulder. “It’s hard to believe the world has changed at all when one comes here. I’ve seen your father in Port Hedland, so I’m sure he must be familiar with the ways of things.”
“Oh, he’s aware. Too aware, most of the time.”
“What do you mean?”
“He is a mystic. A medicine man? I don’t know what you’d call him. Witch doctor, perhaps. He’s always been able to see things, to tell the future by looking at a sunrise, a sunset, a rock, or a tree. It’s strange, but he’s rarely wrong. I think he’s making up a story about my supposed marriage to Nanara just so I’ll go through with it.”
“You don’t like Nanara?” Helen couldn’t help the frown that pulled at her lips. Djuru looked far less opposed to the girl as he did to marriage in general. She’d found the same to be true among most men.
“Like her? Sure, I like her. We grew up together. But that has nothing to do with the fact our oldies decided we’d be married before either of us were even born.”
Helen gasped. “You must be joking. An arranged marriage? I didn’t think such a thing existed anymore.”
“Oh, it exists.”
“Obviously, some of you don’t like it.”
Djuru’s expression fell. “Some of us. Those of us who don’t like the old ways, leave.”
“Like you.”
“Too right. I’ve been living in Sydney for almost five years, since I was something like seventeen years old.”
“You left because you wouldn’t marry Nanara?”
“It’s not important.” Djuru waved one hand and squinted into the sun.
“It certainly seems important.”
“You’re a bit on the nosy side, aren’t you?” He smiled, removing most of the sting from his words.
Despite the good-natured tone of his voice, however, her stomach clenched. “I don’t mean to be. I was just curious. All of this is quite foreign to someone in my position, you see.” She paused. “So, the tribes still practice arranged marriages. I didn’t know that.”
“And polygamy. You’ll be pleased to know that Nanara is only the first of several girls I should marry before long, I reckon. The elders have it all worked out, like some mathematical conundrum. This clan marries that clan. The other clan bears the children who will marry that clan over there. It’s a bloody mess, is what it is.”
“It’s
“I remember,” she replied, her head cocked to one side. “You speak in riddles, don’t you?”
“Not riddles. Observations.”
Gifts from the Dreaming
.
“Blue, how many clans have arrived so far?” Paul crossed his arms lazily over his chest, hiding a wince that Blue suspected none but he could see. His shoulder still bothered him, but he wouldn’t let anyone, especially the woman, know it. Such pride could be a harmful thing.
“Almost all of them. Djuru’s bride arrived this morning.”
Djuru groaned. “Father, you know I’m not going to marry her. Why do you insist upon calling her that?”
“You will marry her.” How many times must he explain the process to his son? It was this same argument that had driven Djuru away in the first place, to the whitefellas’ world. He had fallen in love with one who could never be his.
“You can believe whatever you like, but I’m not going to marry some girl you’ve picked out for me a hundred bloody years ago. It’s not fair to her, and it’s not fair to me.”
“It is done.”
Helen cleared her throat. All eyes turned on her, and she blanched beneath the onslaught. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but shouldn’t I get back to work? Is there a place where the elderly or the infirm might be?”
“I’ll take her,” Djuru offered, a bit too quickly.
“We’ll finish this later, son. There is no escaping it.”
5
Y ou’ll have to pardon my father,” Djuru sighed while he escorted Helen across the campsite. “He refuses to understand that the world has changed.”
Helen transferred her bag from one hand to the other, the weight of it pulling on her shoulder. “It’s hard to believe the world has changed at all when one comes here. I’ve seen your father in Port Hedland, so I’m sure he must be familiar with the ways of things.”
“Oh, he’s aware. Too aware, most of the time.”
“What do you mean?”
“He is a mystic. A medicine man? I don’t know what you’d call him. Witch doctor, perhaps. He’s always been able to see things, to tell the future by looking at a sunrise, a sunset, a rock, or a tree. It’s strange, but he’s rarely wrong. I think he’s making up a story about my supposed marriage to Nanara just so I’ll go through with it.”
“You don’t like Nanara?” Helen couldn’t help the frown that pulled at her lips. Djuru looked far less opposed to the girl as he did to marriage in general. She’d found the same to be true among most men.
“Like her? Sure, I like her. We grew up together. But that has nothing to do with the fact our oldies decided we’d be married before either of us were even born.”
Helen gasped. “You must be joking. An arranged marriage? I didn’t think such a thing existed anymore.”
“Oh, it exists.”
“Obviously, some of you don’t like it.”
Djuru’s expression fell. “Some of us. Those of us who don’t like the old ways, leave.”
“Like you.”
“Too right. I’ve been living in Sydney for almost five years, since I was something like seventeen years old.”
“You left because you wouldn’t marry Nanara?”
“It’s not important.” Djuru waved one hand and squinted into the sun.
“It certainly seems important.”
“You’re a bit on the nosy side, aren’t you?” He smiled, removing most of the sting from his words.
Despite the good-natured tone of his voice, however, her stomach clenched. “I don’t mean to be. I was just curious. All of this is quite foreign to someone in my position, you see.” She paused. “So, the tribes still practice arranged marriages. I didn’t know that.”
“And polygamy. You’ll be pleased to know that Nanara is only the first of several girls I should marry before long, I reckon. The elders have it all worked out, like some mathematical conundrum. This clan marries that clan. The other clan bears the children who will marry that clan over there. It’s a bloody mess, is what it is.”
“It’s
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