Chapter 4: Hibo Is Bold

The next day started as normal. Last night’s weird stuff was left there, something that didn’t happen. She told me to drop it, again. This time I pressed as it had escalated, however she was very clear, today was a new day. It was to be a day of no schedule, no rushing, just do what we want at the various facilities and the village. It was nice to just sit and watch the villagers busy doing their things, almost like a busy high-street or mall back home. I guessed around a hundred people all busy in their own world not paying us any attention. Right in front of us were people crafting, cooking, trading, playing, laughing, flirting, fixing, building and more. The only real difference is that everyone was black skinned, I couldn’t understand a word that they were saying and their clothes.

When we’d arrived, I thought this village next to the complex was a little tacky. It felt fake to put what looked like a backwards poor tribe right next to this modern complex for westerners to come show off their wealth. I even thought it was possibly all an act, like all the village people were actors and as soon as we’d leave the complex for the day their clothes would be back on and they’d all get their laptops out. I now understood though, that clearly wasn’t the case. Or if it was, it was the most elaborate ruse imaginable.

I still couldn’t quite get over the naked boobs. Somehow it took the sexuality off the table when every other woman in front of you had hers out as if it was normal, which of course it was for them.

Emily and I were walking hand in hand, stopping from time to time, to just take in everything. People smiled, trees swayed, monkeys called, it was lovely and easy. That was until I heard, “My Emily,” in his strong accent.

We stopped and turned to see Hibo striding towards us. Yup his muscles were again rippling, his shorts loose with their huge bulge his only clothing. He stopped close to my right, hovering a good half a foot taller than my 6 foot 1, this skinny toned body seriously imposing, teeth shining through a huge grin as he looked from me towards my wife.

I looked at Emily and saw her blush and move slightly closer to my left side. That felt good, my wife was with me and wanted my protection. I was about to be polite and say good morning to him when he simply put his left hand on my chest and took a step in front of me towards Emily. His hand squarely planted on me, with his free right hand he reached forward and took her left hand.

I felt him pull her arm as he pushed my body back a little, instantly separating us. Her other hand falling away from mine. I watched her face of shock and concern as she stepped across his body so that she stood to his right. He was now between us both. For a moment his face just looked at me, no smile, no challenge, nothing just a blank look. He then turned his head towards my scared wife and I think he smiled at her. His hand left my chest and they both simply started to walk away hand in hand.

There was no sound, no protest, no request, nothing. It was more that he dragged Emily, her feet shuffling to keep up with him. A quick look back at me with a concerned look on her face, before she looked ahead to wherever they were marching. I just stood there watching them both walking away from me.

I wanted to call and race up to them to stop this. But a giggle to my side had me turn to see what was going on. There were three young women, maybe in their 20s sitting a few feet away, one was heavily pregnant. They were all looking at me and giggling, they’d just seen what had happened. One of them stopped giggling and looked at me and simply said, “It ok,” a statement more than a question. I smiled and quickly turned back to find my wife.

There they were, some 30 feet away from me, still walking away. She was still being led by him, but led to what? She didn’t appear to be stumbling as much, more in their stride together. She looked so out of place in her shorts, t-shirt and her almost luminous white skin. In my line of sight there were maybe 20 people. Emily’s white skin made her look improper, like a mistake. He towered above her, their hands still held tightly together. They looked like a couple. Damn that hit me hard.

Eventually they both vanished and I realised that I couldn’t just stand here for the next however long. Without a plan, or place to go, I started to walk in the direction that they’d vanished. I wasn’t planning on trying to find them, I just ... I dunno. I ended up stopping at some point as a football came in my direction. I tapped it back and then walked towards some boys playing football. To my left I spotted a young mother sitting on a tree trunk breastfeeding a big baby. We made eye contact, smiled and I quickly walked on, feeling a little embarrassed.

I next found someone else replacing a post on a building. Somehow I ended up holding something for them. Then I took a seat at the stream for a while before I felt hungry and decided to walk back towards the complex. All the while wondering where Emily was and what they were doing. In my mind I kept hearing them at the tree yesterday, still unsure what that was about.

Just before I arrived at the complex I stumbled across a group of women huddled around laughing. Maybe 12 of them aged from maybe 16 to very old. They were loud and I wasn’t paying my attention to them until just as I drew up alongside them, one of them said my name. Stopping and turning to see what they wanted, they sort of parted and my wife stepped out from between them. They were now silent and she walked towards me.

Her eyes downcast, her breasts wobbling under her shirt, she was again in a bright yellow coloured skirt, about knee length and had no shoes on. I also noticed some drawings on her arm, half finished, I think that’s what they were doing before I appeared. My eyes were then drawn back to her chest. With shock I realised that she was braless under her loose shirt. My god, what on earth was going on, twice in two days.

She reached me within a few steps. “Emily, are you ok?”

Raising her head slowly, “Yup,” but she didn’t look ok.

“What the?” and I looked past her at the other women. They were all looking at me, all with huge smiles on their faces. Pretty much all of them had their boobs out, all sorts of different shapes and sizes. I quickly looked away, back at my wife after trying to return a smile to them. I asked her again, “What’s going on? Are you ok?”

She just looked at me. I couldn’t tell if it was worry, fright, or what, but she certainly didn’t look happy. I quickly put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me. Very aware of her boob pushing against my side. She then surprised me with a kiss on the cheek and a, “I’m good thanks, Chris.”