Chapter 18

“Jesus Christ,” says Danny. I can second that; I’ve never seen anything remotely like it. One second Hugo was standing with his back to that can from an impossibly long distance, and then he turned and hurled his spear so quickly the movement was almost a blur.

Hugo has his jacket back on, and Danny and I walk over with him. The spear’s gone completely through the mattress and Hugo simply pulls it the rest of the way out. Meantime Danny’s picked up the can, which is sliced in half on one side.

“Holy shit,” Danny says in the same awed tone.

Hugo looks at me and I burst out laughing. “It still means the same thing, wow, that was absolutely great,” I say and he, too, laughs. Danny looks at us. “Never mind, private joke,” I tell him.

I can’t believe I’ve been letting Danny make me doubt myself. The first thing I do is give Hugo a big kiss. Then I pull myself away, and the three of us go back inside.

“There’s more,” I tell Danny. I go over and pick up Hugo’s clothes and carry them back. “Here, look at these, he was wearing them when I found him. Ever see anything like them before? No lining, just soft animal skin, and here, look at the stitching.”

Danny studies it and then turns to Hugo. “How is this done, do you know?” It takes a few minutes, because Hugo doesn’t know some of the words, but he finally makes clear that first you make a hole in the skin and then you work the thread—sinew, I guess—carefully through it. Danny’s nodding his head.

“OK, sis, I admit it’s all pretty convincing,” he tells me. “But—”

I don’t let him go on. “And one more thing,” I say. I pick up the book of animals that’s still out on the coffee table. “Here,” I say, turning to the extinct animals section, “this is what he says he was hunting. What got him in the chest and broke his ribs.”

“Aurochs,” Danny reads. He turns to Hugo. “You hunted this?”

“Yes, when I am hurt,” says Hugo. He reaches over to turn the page to the mammoth drawing. “And this, other time. Many others, pictures here.”

Now Danny’s looking at Hugo a good deal closer, I think looking for something different about him. But there isn’t really anything, I’ve looked a lot closer than Danny ever will and I can’t see it either. Well, there’s that wonderful smell, but maybe that’s only me, and even if it’s not how do you put a meaning to that?

“I think I can use that drink now, Linda,” he says at last. I go over to the liquor cabinet and pour him a stiff one, adding a little ice but no water. Then I look at Hugo; I haven’t been drinking at all since I found him, so I haven’t offered him any before, but now I ask does he want one.

“I will try,” he says. I pour him a short one, and one for me, too.

Hugo takes one sip and laughs loudly. When I look at him he speaks. “This drink that make strange in head,” he says. “But very strong, I never taste such before, we cannot make so strong.” He sets it down. “I must drink very slow, not wish strange in head.”

“Christ almighty,” says Danny. He’s already had a big gulp, and he takes another one.

“Will you tell me what is cave?” Hugo asks out of the blue. “I hear you say but not know.”

“It’s where you live, bud, I guess,” says Danny. “Lived.”

Hugo looks puzzled, and I explain what a cave is. He shakes his head.

“Not live cave,” he says. “Live house. Not so fine this, not so big, one room not many, but house.”

This one takes really long, but finally it seems that Hugo’s people used some kind of mix of wood and dirt to build up thick walls. They used cured animal skin for the interior and roofed it over with more wood and then thatch. They left a hole in the center to vent the smoke from their fire, and the doorways were covered with furs that hung from the lintel.

By now it’s beginning to get dark, and Danny breaks away to get his suitcase. “I can doss down here on the couch, sis,” he begins, but then he sees me smiling and shaking my head. “Oh.”

“You get the bedroom, pal,” I say. “I just need to change the linens, Hugo was there when he first got here and I haven’t got around to the sheets.”

Danny’s grinning at me. “Do that, sis,” he says mockingly. “I’m glad you at least waited.”

“Oh, shut up, smartass,” I tease. “But what the hell did you think? I told you I love him.” I turn to Hugo, oblivious to Dan for a moment. “I love you, Hugo.”

He hesitates a moment. “Is it right that I say I love you also, Linda?” he asks.

Danny’s embarrassed. “Shit, guys, you get this settled between you while I go for my bag.” He gets up and walks out.

“I don’t know, do you? Love me?” I ask Hugo.

“Does this mean do I wish you to be my woman and for me to be your man?”

“That’s about it,” I say, kind of holding my breath. I think so, but—

“Then yes,” he answers immediately, “I wish this much.”

I can’t let it rest. Just like a woman, I suppose, but I can’t help myself. “What about your woman before?” I ask.

“Not same,” he says. “We together, mate, have children, but not...” He meshes his hands together, twining the fingers. “Not as I am with you. Not same feeling in me.”

I want to purr again. I walk over and sit down on his lap and put my arms around him and kiss him very thoroughly indeed. I wish we could keep going, but Dan will be back in a minute. As I get up I realize that he’s still got the bandage on his chest.

“Shall I take this off?” I ask.

“I think not now,” he says. “Yesterday I hurt a little, and then I throw spear today. I think best leave now, take off later for sleep.”

God, I never thought, he’s still recovering from broken ribs. And I’ve been letting him carry everything on top of it all. It’s like everything else, he just takes pain in his stride and keeps going. I’ve got to teach him to let me know when he’s hurting.

While I fix dinner for the three of us, and even while we’re eating, Danny’s peppering Hugo with questions. How did they hunt? Big animals in groups, smaller ones individually, it seems.