Chapter 18: Return to our loved ones

From Lima airport I called our dealer in Trujillo. Imram had two boxes of goods to deliver. It was mainly new shoes, women’s knee-highs, and raincoats, as well as waterproof boots in size 40 and above. We had found many pairs up to size 39, but our teenagers’ feet kept growing. Ramona had told me again and again how far our girls’ shoe sizes were from the European average.

Imram was waiting outside the airport with a half-laden van. Customs had checked Zarina very thoroughly. I was simply waved through. But I insisted on being there when they searched her luggage. I couldn’t help making a stupid comment when she had to go into a cabin with a woman for a body search. It was only in the car that I found out that Zarina’s body had been examined with an ultrasound. I wanted to complain about this at the first opportunity. After all, my companion was still considered a minor and I, as the responsible adult, should have been informed of the examination.

In Mersto I raided the two bakeries and bought two bags of forty buns each, ten loaves of bread, several bags of sweet buns, and four boxes of fresh cakes and the best pastries. Thus equipped, we set off to meet our loved ones, as we hadn’t been able to take any presents along the way. The journey moved at a snail’s pace, even though Imram managed to get everything out of his old van.

Just before the mountain village, the engine got too hot. We stopped at the entrance to the plateau. I was amazed at how new everything was. In the place where I had my first encounter with the Indios in April, a wooden shed for travellers had been built and a rather large tree had been planted. Apparently, the trucks that passed by almost every day had inspired the villagers to earn some money by selling their products or drinks.

While Zarina raided one of the cake boxes, I enjoyed a tomato salad prepared in front of me. The children and young people who had come over in the meantime all got a piece of cake. My Chinese companion’s eyes lit up with emotion. She seemed to take great pleasure in making the children happy. Without asking, she fetched the second box and went on to spoil the adults. The mountain farmers had obviously also harvested coffee because I was served a hot cup that made my heart beat faster with strength, but at the same time tasted utterly bitter.

Finally, Imram had the car running again and, like me, drank a black pick-me-up. Then the almost 100 kilometre descent began. Zarina, who was sitting next to me in the slightly wider passenger seat, became increasingly restless. She kept wiping her hands because they were so wet with excitement. Zarina just wanted to be with her children. I had never experienced such escalating maternal feelings before, but I found it exciting and beautiful. I hugged her tightly, said a few reassuring words, and kissed her hair and forehead.

Luca and Diego stood at the entrance to our valley, armed and saluting. They announced our arrival to everyone with a shot from the flare gun. Babette stood in front of the guesthouse and stopped our car. “Finally, Michael. Cara is crying. No one knows what pain she is in. Mrs Liebknecht couldn’t find anything.”

I took the time to give my deputy a quick kiss of greeting and washed my hands thoroughly. When I entered our delivery room after knocking politely, Cara screamed like mad, threw her arms around me and cried with joy. “You came back early for me, thank you Mitch, thank you”.

I lay down next to Cara, who showered me with kisses, stroked her plump body and asked in a whisper where it hurt so much. “You ... I missed you ... Please stay with me. I thought I wouldn’t make it through the birth without you. I cried every night when you weren’t around. Darling, please stay with me.”

She was right. It would have been the first birth of a child where I would not have been able to comfort or encourage the mother. I made up my mind to rule that out forever. The dear women and children were everything to me. So far, I had been too rational.

After a few minutes, regular breathing announced the calm and peace Cara had found. I carefully moved away from her. There were still so many dear people to greet. Olivia was waiting impatiently at the reception with her Michael. We had only been away for seven days but I felt, as I did now with Olivia, how much all my wives had missed me. While we were hugging and kissing, Carmen came over to say hello and then walked past with Sergio and Carlos. I called her back and asked her what was wrong.

“You chose me to be the future mayor. I should lead the valley, not a fifteen-year-old girl.”

I didn’t let myself be provoked, picked up the two boys, and whispered to them. The first “Papa!” since my return did me so much good. Little Michael pressed himself against my legs and shouted “Papa!” too, as if trying to drown out the twins. He also got a kiss on the forehead, but also wanted to be held in my arms for a moment.

“Carmen, bring me a report tonight on everything Babette did wrong and how you could have done it better. Yes, that’s what I want, no arguments.” Carmen should think about her own stupidity.

Then Lucia jumped up and kissed me as if she were one of my wives. I let her do it for a moment, but I still had a lot to teach her how to kiss properly. I caressed her and kissed her on the forehead. Every morning, Lucia took exemplary care of the children of the guesthouse and the village who were older than one year - six beautiful children in fact - and her own child, her six-month-old son Amaru.

The last stop was the palazzo. Zarina was sitting in the anteroom, having impatiently rushed ahead of me to see her children and her friend Fahsai. Zarah was just giving her daughter Quan a bottle of baby milk. Our Yemeni teenager rushed towards me and held out her pregnant belly. “Look Mitch, our Tarik is growing. The doctor has confirmed it, my second child will also be a boy.”

It was so nice to hold the pregnant woman in my arms. She took a kiss from my lips as a matter of course. “Mitch, I am so happy. And my dear Zarina is back happy and healthy. You have given her an unforgettable experience. Thank you for fulfilling her wish to come home as soon as possible.”

Soon after, Esther proudly told me that she, Lenya, Ananda, and Priya had given some of their breast milk so that Quan wasn’t just getting artificial milk. A kiss on the forehead wasn’t enough for her. She courted my lips fiercely, her body pressed against mine as if she wanted to make passionate love. Then came Ramona, her boss.

When I took Ramona in my arms, I could feel her deep emotions for me. Her pent-up longing seemed to surpass everything. Fortunately, with tender kisses and reassuring words, I was able to prevent her brief sobs from turning into tears. Later, when I felt the same way about Luisa, I enjoyed the feelings she showed me, but how was that possible? I had far too little time for each of my seventeen wives, and even less for our children. I was by no means an Adonis, quite the opposite in my eyes. My physique was not entirely unathletic, but not exactly well endowed in the area supposedly crucial for women, more like a run-of-the-mill guy. Had years of isolation and many shared successes brought us together like this? Was it our children? Or did the valley have an additional effect on our relationships, on our senses?

A little pensive, I walked into our large kitchen. Twelve-year-old Qesra greeted me. She snuggled her super-skinny body up against me, was happy to get a kiss on the forehead, and cuddled up to me as if she wanted to be properly kissed and caressed like a loving wife.

In the kindergarten upstairs, I was delighted to see Valentina, Adriana, and Willka looking after all our children with love and obvious devotion. Willka was looking after the older children, all of whom could walk more or less well. Some were sitting on little chairs and playing at a small table, some were crawling around on the floor, two were on the potty. My heart melted. It was such a joy to see my children so healthy and well cared for.

Valentina was feeding Ramona’s Martin and Adriana was changing Oliver’s nappy. Despite their work, I managed to greet the two Indio women and give them the expected kiss on the forehead. I took Willka in my arms, kissed her cheeks on both sides, and looked at the curve of her belly. Before my trip there was hardly anything to see, but today she showed ‘good hope’. She was happy to let me pet her. Her smile also seemed to express pride and joy. I had a special feeling for this brave young woman who had simply been abused by Claudio.

Then we went down to the basement. Amira was teaching Spanish to the sixth grade in the cinema. There was barely enough room for all the students, although Qesra was still missing because she had to help in the kitchen. We had to find a better solution, but Amira said she had deliberately switched rooms because she had planned to show four short videos in Spanish.

I didn’t want to favour a girl, of course, but I asked Heidy to come over to me. “Are you and your child all right, Heidy? Is everything OK?”

Suddenly, she started to cry and hugged me. I stroked her back and whispered the question again, this time in her own language. She answered in English. “I am very well, everyone is so nice to me, and everyone wants to help me. Thank you all”.

Then, just for me, in Dutch: “But I’m often very sad because I don’t have a loving father for my child. Please, Mr Berthier, I just want to experience a man’s true love once”.

Of course, I understood her feelings, but I didn’t know how to solve the problem. “Be nice, Heidy. I understand you, but please understand me, too. An exception has been made, there will soon be ten more requests for special treatment.”

Everyone looked at me questioningly, no one understood our language, but Heidy gave me a quick smack on the lips. The privilege of being spoken to in person seemed to have brought her a little happiness. Satisfied, she returned to her seat. I waved to everyone and the lesson resumed.

These extra lessons, offered by Amira to her students, were gladly accepted. Normally, this would have been a time for recreation or sports. The Spanish classes for the younger students had only started last week, so the ambitious teacher wanted to see some quick results.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by Mayari, Sula, Kira, and Ananda. Each wanted to give me a kiss of welcome and tell me some news. I promised to have ten minutes for each of them after dinner.

“Mayari and Ananda, how are our little ones? Is everything OK?”

They both gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. Mayari praised her Indian friend. “Ananda was very sweet. My milk wasn’t enough for my twins, but dear Ana always gave them some. My sons Renan and Lucas are doing very well.”

She kissed Ananda on the lips as if it were the most natural thing in the world and then visited my mouth.

Sula and Kira also snuggled up to me. Their pregnancies were already clearly visible. “Su, I heard that you are already well enough to practice shooting with the younger ones. You are so strong, my black pearl. Tomorrow, please tell me who you think is best for our defence. OK?”

Sula didn’t want to be outdone by the others and kissed me with a smacking sound. Kira interrupted the wet affair. “Michael, it’s clear now. We’re both going to have a baby girl. My daughter should be called Irena. Agreed?”

“You choose the name. Irena is beautiful. I’m looking forward to our daughter.”

“And Lupita?” Sula looked at me questioningly.

“That sounds unique, but I’ve never heard it before. Is it an African name?”

“Don’t you know Lupita Nyong’o? She’s the best Kenyan actress ever. She was even in Star Wars. I love her.”

“Then it’s especially good. Thank you for the beautiful name, Sula.”

Babette made little signs to me from a distance. She wanted to talk to me. I nodded and pointed to the door of the study. I hurried after her.

“Well, have you all had enough kissing?” she asked in a deliberately joking way, but I sensed her jealousy.

“You know, Babette, all the girls and women make me so happy, but kissing so quickly one after the other is actually unpleasant and unhygienic, but should I refuse someone? That would be rude, wouldn’t it?”

Babette nodded in agreement. “Before I show you my love, my dear Commander, I will wash thoroughly and brush my teeth. Will you come with me to the village after dinner?”

“Gladly, but all of a sudden more spit won’t do, will it?” She practically pulled me towards her and kissed me. She showed no mercy, almost wanted to suck my tongue into her. In between, she whispered words that I could barely understand.

“Do you know what you did with my brothers and my sister is unique. I am so infinitely grateful to you. Are they really coming to me for Christmas?”

“I can’t guarantee it. The chances are about 80 to 20.” Another passionate kiss followed.

“Now, enough of your favouritism. How was it, ‘Commandante Manciu’?”

“It was like a dream. I was so afraid before. Mrs Liebknecht helped me a lot. I could talk to her about every little thing. Luisa was also very supportive. You can’t imagine how seriously Heidy took her role as a counsellor. She asked me every day if I needed her help. She has become a wonderful young woman.”

“Have you told her?”

Babette looked at me a little timidly. “I’ll tell you a secret. She asked me so nicely, so I taught her how to kiss properly and also pampered her lap. Are you mad at me?”

“No, on the contrary. She deserves it. As long as it’s just for the experience, it’s especially good, but make sure Sula doesn’t get jealous.”

“Sula knows, Michael. Mrs. Liebknecht recommended that I discuss it with Sula beforehand.”

“You women are fantastic. I could hug the whole world for joy at how you did it again. Thank you, Babette.”

“I have to confess something to you. You must be angry with me. You left your notebook with all its pages, one for each woman, on the desk. My curiosity got the better of me. I read your notes about all the women and girls, including the ones about me. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself.”

Now I blushed with shame. They were my secret notes about each of the women I had had here in the valley; about their sexual preferences and how I could best satisfy them. I had no idea what I had written down over almost three years. Fortunately, I had written the first year in my mother tongue, I told my deputy.

Babette laughed. “What are online translators for? At least I had my part translated. I know it wasn’t right, but I was curious, especially about what you might think of me and what you thought of me from the beginning.”

“You are a very honest woman, Babette. I don’t know what to say right now. First, I have to read what I wrote that was bad about you. I hope I haven’t hurt you. It was only written as a reminder.”

“No, never. It was harsh what you wrote about one or the other, but I recognised myself, how easily I can be stimulated and what else you wanted to do with me.” She smiled, a little embarrassed.

“Did you tell anyone else about it or let them read about it?”

“Never, you know me. I had read that some men forget important things about their own wives. You have nineteen wives. You wanted to make it as perfect as possible with each one. Only now do I understand how difficult all this was and still is for you.”

We kissed briefly, and then it was time for dinner.

After the meal, all the residents of the palazzo, even many mothers with their children, were naturally standing around the large table or sitting on the far too few chairs. They were probably expecting a few words from me.

“Hello dear women, dear girls. It was so great to arrive here, to find everything in perfect order, everyone busy studying or working. Thank you! You are the best women in the world.” Cheers and applause followed.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time for you today. Cara is only a few hours away from giving birth. She’s been crying; she needs me. I’ll spend the night with her. Is there anything really important?”

“No!” cried Sula. “Nothing is more important than a birth. Please say hello to Cara from all of us.”

Everyone clapped. Shouts of “Cara, Cara!” rang out through the house.

Esther had recorded the cheers and applause on her e-tablet and sent it to me so her friend could see how everyone felt about her. As I hugged Esther, she whispered to me that she would be in shortly after 6 a.m. to help Cara and relieve me. Ramona wanted to examine Cara again after breakfast and possibly induce labour.

A quick shower, more comfortable clothes, my tablet and off I went to the guesthouse. The young people were chatting on the terrace. Olivia sat at one table with Willka, Kantu, and Lucia, while at another table Amira and Antonio were talking to Olivia’s mother, Jimena. She had finally pulled herself together. At first, Alejandra and Olivia had problems with her. Jimena was collecting ‘riches’. She would hide anything she could get her hands on under the bed. She really had nerve damage, which was understandable given what she’d been through, but it took far too long to realise that she was home now and that she couldn’t do anything with the things she’d collected.

The first week at the guesthouse, she was totally clumsy, especially with the laundry, until Olivia scolded her. “Everything you don’t do, your old mother, my dear grandmother, has to do for you. Aren’t you ashamed? Grandma is old and you’re healthy again.”

That’s what Luisa, the only one who had a good relationship with Jimena in the beginning, told me later. From then on, Jimena’s work improved. She also made friends with Lia Condorcan and learned a little sewing and tailoring.

I called to my friends on the terrace, “Good night! I’m sleeping at Cara’s tonight. She is due to give birth tonight or tomorrow. Somehow, she needs me so close to the birth of our second child”.

Carmen was in the corridor. She was about to scuttle off to her room, but I called her over. “What’s wrong, Carmen? Did someone hurt you?”

She stood motionless. It was clear to me that after what I had said about her future role as mayor, she believed she was the only woman capable of leading the people of the valley.

“What weapons do you know how to use? How would you defend our people against all enemies?”

“No, I can’t, but you said yourself, I’m smart, I’m perfectly suited to be mayor.”

“Yes as mayor, I said. You speak three languages, even your Quechua isn’t enough, you can think, you can write. But I’m coming more and more to the conclusion that Olivia would be a better choice as mayor. She has the support of almost everyone; she has so many friends. Who do you have? Just you and our three beautiful children. Please, think it over, Carmen, and don’t overestimate yourself. If you do, you won’t be happy.”

There was no sign of understanding. She walked over to our children without saying a word. I called to her, “Good night, Carmen, and start looking at yourself critically.”

Cara, on the other hand, beamed at me as I entered the room. “Thank you for looking after me again. I’m very happy about it.”

“No, my dear Cara, I’m not checking on you, I’m sleeping next to you tonight so you can have a peaceful night before the birth.”

We lay in each other’s arms, overjoyed. After less than ten minutes, she was breathing evenly, snoring a little because she was on her back. Frankly, I enjoyed the inner peace I was able to give her. I made up my mind to give this feeling to as many expectant mothers as possible, including those who had to live in the valley without the father of their child.

As I listened to Cara’s breathing, I reflected on the results of my trip to Europe. What struck me most was how Zarina’s maternal feelings had completely overwhelmed her, almost knocking her off her feet. How had we managed to raise our children so well? Was it Ramona’s doing? Or had the young mothers encouraged each other in these deep feelings of motherly love? In any case, it was not my doing. Despite my love for all women, I was far too rational. I loved all my children, but it was unthinkable for me to cancel an important trip or other important activity just because of my feelings for a child or a woman.

When I fell asleep, I saw Georghe’s happy eyes. We had done something particularly good by meeting the two Manciu brothers. Smiling, I wondered if the teachers at the orphanage had any idea of my plan to keep the boys with us forever. In any case, it would be the best thing for the boys, and there would certainly be people in Class 6 who would be interested in a long-term partnership with them.