Chapter 13: Our best Italian chief - Cara

On the last Wednesday of July, I got up a little earlier to sort out my thoughts and plans for the days ahead. A few days later, on the last day of July, we wanted to celebrate Cara’s 14th birthday. She thus reached the usual minimum age for the mountain dwellers to get married and also to have children. This was actually only true for the people in the remote mountain villages. Since no one was more secluded than us for sure, from my point of view this also applied to us.

The day following the birthday, August 1st, was a particularly important day for me. It was the first anniversary of our banishment to the Valley of the Mountain Lions. I wanted to make this day very special. Priya really wanted to show me what she had prepared two days ago. I saw the pride in her eyes. So it was clear to me that this was going to be something particularly good.

“Please, Priya, leave me the surprise. I know I can rely on you one hundred percent. Look forward to the evening, to our faces, to our emotions. Enjoy it, it’s going to be great, I’m sure.”

First hesitantly, then completely enthusiastically, she lay in my arms, kissed me and thanked me in her own way with kind words and further kisses. “Great. Your trust deeply honours me. Thanks.” Priya was delighted and squeezed me very tightly.

But back to Wednesday morning. It was very cool outside in the morning. So, I sat in the seating area in the anteroom. Suddenly dishes rattled. A somewhat dark, well-sounding voice wished me “Good morning!” Cara brought me my favourite freshly filtered coffee, three cookies and a glass of juice. Surprised, I replied “Good morning, dear Cara!”

“Good morning, Mikel. I’ll be your partner soon, I’m very happy. May I ask myself a very special question?” My astonished nod was followed by “My dear darling, did you sleep well?” She kissed me on the cheek. The girls still had to learn how to flirt, but Cara was always particularly clumsy.

It all started crazy with my future partner. Laughing, I pulled her onto my lap, kissed her lips briefly and said, “Cara, thank you. I know you’ve been waiting a long time, but you won’t be 14 until tomorrow. After that, please be patient for another three or four days, maybe some days more. Too much work has been left undone.”

Cara tried to kiss harder, the tip of her tongue asked for an answer. “Of course, that’s fine. A week doesn’t matter anymore. But if you ever have a desire for a woman in the evening, please think of me.” I had to laugh again, but returned her kiss, better the touch of her lips. Luisa waved to us from afar.

“Aren’t you excited at all, Cara?”

“No, not at all. For weeks I’ve been thinking about you almost every night, about how you took me for the first time. Honestly, you might scold me, I damaged my hairbrush doing it, I’ve been practicing so hard.”

I smiled and grabbed her head with both hands. “Thank you for being so honest. I know how difficult it is for you. You drove each other crazy. If you were thirteen years old in Italy you would definitely have other things to do.”

Cara kissed me again. “What do you mean - thirteen? You just said it, on Monday is my fourteenth birthday, and then I’ll be of legal age according to mountain law, as Luisa explained to me, an adult so to speak. And besides, it is what it is and it’s nice that way. I can hardly wait.”

“Like I said, you should be patient. Do you really want to carry a child or is it about sex for you.”

“Both belong together. No child without sex, but no sex without the desire to have children. Our pastor explained and taught this to us in detail. You should only sleep with a man if you want a child together.”

““We’ll talk about that later, Cara, I have a slightly different opinion, but in our valley your pastor seems to be right. Thanks, Cara, for the excellent special service this morning. Luisa will definitely be waiting now.”

Cara rushed to the kitchen, chest swelled with pride, after one more loving caress on my cheek. Our kitchen miracle had blossomed so much. A shy little girl with a few extra pounds here and there had grown into a neat young woman. She proudly reported to me this week that she was already five centimetres taller than her mother, almost 1.70 meters tall. Like most young women in the valley, she was now in full physical development, had caught up in sports and was far from the last in endurance runs. She also spoke English and Spanish quite fluently, but sometimes cursed in Italian.

Luisa hugged Cara in front of the kitchen. She was happy with her kitchen help, maybe better to say our second cook. I also knew from Luisa how often Cara had helped her bathe our Uma. Almost every day she took our son for a walk in the garden and sang to him when she thought she wasn’t being watched. She already had a maternal instinct in her like no other. Although Cara was one of the smallest girls at the beginning, she had developed the womanliest. When I asked my ‘first wife’ Luisa about it, she admitted that she gave Cara some Coca in the traditional way. To do this, they smoked the roots of a bush to the ash and dipped the slightly moistened Coca leaves into the plant remains. The leaf wrapped around the ash was kept in the mouth as a roll for a period of time until the alkaloid-containing substances dissolved. Then it was carefully chewed.

But it was not yet time for Cara and our partnership. First task I would do today was visiting my twins in the guesthouse and to check with the help of Priya how we could keep the building warmer for next winter. I had the waste heat from the laundry in the basement in mind but had no solution yet. I also wanted to try to talk to Vittoria and Miguel together with Carmen. They had worked diligently for the past two Sundays to make amends. Unfortunately, there was no excuse up to now, but maybe that was partly due to a lack of opportunities due to my intensive engagement with Isabella last Sunday.

At breakfast I put my proposal up for discussion. What about cooperation with the village as before the revolt was my question? Our four ‘village workers’ were immediately in favour of it. However, Ramona and Babette said that Vittoria’s apology was still missing. We could lose all our respect in the village. So, we decided that Mayari should go to the village alone or with a companion and make the participation of all four helpers dependent on the apology of Miguel’s wife.

Immediately afterwards I praised Cara for the early coffee in the morning and for her patience, but on the weekend our partnership would begin. More approval could not be expected. At last, the girls surpassed themselves in trampling with their feet.

The four girls who wanted to work in the village today accompanied me to the casa. Kira and Daja went to Carmen while Mayari and Isabella wanted to bring their message to the village. To my surprise, Florence, Miguel, and Vittoria were sitting in the birthing room. The Indian couple were visibly embarrassed when we entered the room after Olivia announced us. Ignoring her visit, I rushed to Carmen, kissed her gently on the forehead and I asked Olivia how the young mom was doing.

Vittoria and Miguel wanted to sneak out of the room, but Olivia told them on my behalf to wait in the TV room. Florence then sent word to me through Olivia that her aunt and uncle wanted to make things right but were afraid to speak to me.

Of course, I let the two troublemakers stew a bit. I stayed with Carmen and our two sons for almost half an hour. I had sent Kira and Daja to the village because I was sure of the coming apology. Carmen was doing great, she stressed. “My two little ones just make me happy.” – “You me too, Carmen. It’s time for a first kiss after our problems.” I briefly put my lips on hers and smacked my lips like Luisa usually did. Carmen accompanied Olivia and me to the TV room. I deliberately wanted Carmen to moderate the conversation with the rebels. Olivia was only supposed to take part, but to give me her impression of how the three of them behaved. There was no long palaver. Vittoria apologized and promised to speak to us in the future before making any decisions against us.

I pulled the model I had used to explain to the students what the sun would look like in summer and winter. When I demonstrated the angles according to the position of the sun with the flashlight and explained that we therefore had much less energy in winter, they looked a bit perplexed. Carmen explained it with the shadows of the trees and apparently found understanding. Finally, I shook hands with Vittoria. She took them without hesitation. Miguel as my potential assassin didn’t get that honour.

Olivia told me that Carmen translated and explained well. Olivia had a good feeling about continuing to live together. I was additionally reassured. The young Peruvian woman often instinctively felt the right thing.

The day passed relatively calmly. Babette and Sula were working on the final stages of excavating a hollow for future irrigation of the village’s fields and gardens. The next day we wanted to build a dam with a closable drainage pipe out of stones and concrete. The pond was even bigger and deeper than I had planned. Babette had moved a lot of dirt with the excavator. Where did she get the energy?

The peasants had been moaning for days. There was simply no rain or running water. We would be prepared for the next dry season, I hoped, but at the moment there was no solution. Nevertheless, I was moved by the question of where the artificial watercourse in the upper valley led. We could use the water. In the afternoon I went on an excursion with Cara. Dynamically she marched with me to the waterfall. In the upper valley we first stopped at the footpath where Esther and I had met Leonie. Then the path moved away from the cliffs. But Cara found an overgrown path that always led along the slope. After a few meters we heard water rushing. In front of us, a considerable amount of water tumbled into a circular concrete pipe. This was probably the supply line for the ore processing, where no water has reached since the mine accident. There was even a gate valve, which unfortunately could not be moved. It used to be possible to regulate here how much water was fed to the mine or to the riverbed.

Somewhere in the mine the water had to seep away or accumulate. Hopefully there won’t be a new catastrophe if too much dammed water suddenly pours into our valley. Also, for this reason I really wanted to change the water flow. By blows with a large stone, I was able to half close the gate. The meagre trickle in the riverbed now became a fast-flowing stream, while only a small part spilled into the artificial drain. We sealed the drain with stones, twigs, and leaves, but that would come loose again over time. In any case, all the water now rushed in the direction of our ponds. In the next week I wanted to repair the slider and direct all water to the waterfall permanently.

Although we both got pretty wet, we sat down on the smooth-hewn side of the stream in the middle of the still-warming sun. Cara watched me curiously as I lit a cigarette. She really wanted to learn how to smoke, but, like other girls before, she gave up after the first coughing fit. What she did not give up was the effort to be physically close. She sat with her legs apart on my lap and guided my free hand to her cute breasts. I gladly allowed her to show me her needs. Soon we would share the bed, that’s why it was allowed to be an erotic opening credits.

After I stubbed out the cigarette, she took my second hand and placed it on her lap. She pulled herself into me, wanting a kiss, and cried out in horror. Her feet had landed fully in the cold water. She had to take off her soaking wet shoes and stockings. I rubbed the feet with some dried grass. She could not put her wet shoes and stockings back on. What else was there for me than to carry her home piggyback because the path was not to be walked barefoot with the countless sharp-edged and pointed stones.

However, we saw a result of our work shortly after descending into our part of the valley. The small trickle of the past few days had turned into a bubbling river. Even the fifth fishpond received a little fresh water again. The creek leading to the vegetable gardens from the last pond was still dry, but I was hoping for an inflow tomorrow.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I worked on the small concrete dam with an overflow and two different drainpipes. While the girls and young women were in class, Leonie helped me mix the concrete. Her manner was adorable. Again and again, she looked at me and uttered her few words in Spanish. When I felt her body under the wide cloak during a short break, I felt surprised at how far her pregnancy had progressed. Now the Indio woman beamed with joy. Maybe a direct Inca descendant grew in her, since like Nuria she was a descendant of a priestly family, although her future child contained some of my genes, maybe a Belgian Inca prince?

A small amount of water had already flowed into the newly created pond, but it was far from being used for irrigation. But the next time it rained, the pond would fill up. In this new body of water, I also wanted to raise juvenile fish for fish farming. Fish consumption would become more important in the future. The stock of chickens and ducks has already declined. For weeks we had had to reduce the meat dishes a lot.

Leonie invited me to her hut for lunch. There were broad beans with little meat, probably from an alpaca. We sat in the sun in front of her hut and enjoyed life. Apparently, my presence was enough to make Leonie happy. I didn’t like the food much, it lacked salt or seasoning, but at least I was full.

After school, Babette, Sula, and Fahsai came to help. They hacked two furrows, one to the top field, the other to the fields and vegetable beds a little lower down. Of course, Fahsai came for a reason. Zarina would often be sad and would cry almost every night. She asked me to visit her friend tonight. I gave it a quick press to agree. Fahsai took the opportunity to show me her increasing femininity. She smiled when she noticed my eyes examining her breasts. Yes, Fahsai was also on her way to become a woman.

In the evening it turned out that Zarina wanted to know how long a pregnant woman could still make love from time to time. “You know, Michael, immediately after conception my desire for sex was almost gone, today I want it almost every day. Can we have one more time, please?”

“So, you’re not doing badly, you just have longing.”

“Yes. Did Fahsai say something else?”

“Of course. You would feel really bad.”

“You could say that in this way.” she laughed. “But I wanted to show you the first picture of my daughter. Isn’t that nice?”

After the twelfth week of pregnancy, Esther carried out the first ultrasound examination in the presence of our doctor. “That’s great. Are you happy?”

“And how. It’s not clear yet if it’s a boy or a girl, but I’m looking forward to Jinjin, my little daughter.”

We kissed with joy. “Congratulations, my love. What did the doctor say?”

“Everything is great. She praised me very much.”

“Up to the sixth month you can do love or take a bath without any problems. Would you like to go today?” Beaming, my dear Chinese woman nodded to me. We arranged to meet in my bathroom at 8 p.m.

Fahsai walked up just as we kissed longingly. “Is it my turn too?” I briefly touched my lips to hers. “Later, Fahsai, you little liar. The anticipation is perhaps the most beautiful thing.”

In the doctor’s office I asked Esther why she hadn’t shown me her ultrasound picture. “You’re interested in that?” she asked wryly. She has adopted many habits from our doctor, unfortunately not only the good things. I indicated a smack on her bottom.

“No. Ramona and I wanted to see if you would ask about it yourself.”

“You are devils. I have a hard time keeping track. I’m asking for your help.”

Together we were happy about the picture of Esther’s Attila. At least she hoped a boy was developing in her womb. At the next ultrasound, our doctor wanted to make statements about gender, Esther said happily. “You can also visit Mayari today. I just framed her picture.” – “Thank you, Esther, my sweetheart. Our sports teacher will be happy about that.”

“Esther, Zarina is coming to my place to take a bath today. Maybe all pregnant women want us to meet once a week for a bath. What do you think?”

“I’d rather be alone with you. But you’re right. We should start something like an ‘expectant mothers club’. We would have time to exchange ideas and compare our bellies. In general, said to you, we pregnant women are much nicer to each other all the time. There is always an extra greeting or a special smile. We should expand on that.”

I kissed Esther gratefully. “But I promised, Zarina will stay with me tonight. OK?”

“Of course. But you have a very large bed. I would also fit in there.”

“If you convince Zarina, I don’t mind. It’s definitely not about wild sex for her, but about closeness and well-being.”

Mayari was found quickly. She lay calmly on her bed and looked at her baby’s sonogram. We snuggled up on her bed while looking at the photo. “It’s a miracle.” Mayari marvelled. “Look at that little something. In six months, my baby will check for the first time whether I have milk for him or her. Nature is just great.” It was nice to dream together with Mayari and to exchange ideas. Since our partnership, it has been so easy for her to talk about everything, including her inner feelings. That made me very happy how our being together had positively changed our Brazilian.

Hardly in my room did Esther come to me with Zarina. We agreed on a bathing meeting at 7. Esther invited all pregnant young women. It really turned out to be a very special evening, completely unexpected. I had preheated the bathroom well. Babette had also brought me five camp chairs and two tables from storage. Cara provided us with fresh grapes, fruit juices, and some cake. Exquisite goods from the cellar stocks were given at my request. Our dear Italian cook assistant had prepared small plates with pieces of gherkin, canned fish, pretzel sticks, confectionery, and chocolate candy, selected food for pregnant women. Before seven most of my guests undressed in the bedroom. They were showered and bathed. The girls fed each other the treats. Some kissed for the first time from woman to woman. There was immense sexual tension in the air, but I stayed relaxed. It was just beautiful. When the girls fed me treats, there were funny remarks from all around.

Isabella then wanted more. Everyone welcomed that and asked them to show them what she was able to do. It was extremely embarrassing for me, but Isabella sat down on my lap as a matter of course and helped me a little with a caress. Soon she was riding into her pleasure at a trot. There was a hoot and cheers. Isabella was getting more and more demanding. Her kisses were lust. Eventually she reached her climax.

Priya gave her a high five for relief as if they were dancing, completing the Amazons’ work. As Priya showed the signs of her victory, there was a relentless applause. What I didn’t expect at all was the reaction from Mayari and Isabella. They nibbled on my member with the clear marks of intercourse. “Sorry, but I missed that, although Doctor Liebknecht had expressly recommended it to me,” Mayari apologized, half amused. After a short shower five pairs of hands massaged me. It was more pain than pleasure for me, but the young women found great joy in it.

Two hours had passed in a moment. Three of my guests said goodbye while Esther and Zarina warmed my bed. We made love without haste and wild desire. Esther and Zarina were super affectionate towards each other. I stroked their bodies with joy as they caressed each other’s breasts with lips and tongues at the same time. Zarina indicated her desire to take her lying behind her. Eventually Esther crept deeper and both could smell her lust. I couldn’t see if they had done more, probably because Zarina came with immense power. Esther was soon lying on top of me while Zarina kissed us in turn. Eventually we fell asleep hugging each other.

In the morning we woke up to Cara’s birthday wake-up call. Her friends had started the congratulatory tour without the three of us. I was uncomfortable, felt a little guilty, but my nocturnal sleep mates were completely relaxed. We kissed each other. Zarina especially enjoyed Esther’s kisses. After a morning shower, Zarina would have liked to attack me again, but luckily Ramona came in. “Good morning lovelies. Was there any excess here? One heard bad things about the party of the violated virgins.”

“Everything is fine, dear Madame Doctor. I’m doing great.”

“As expected, right away with ‘Five in one go’. Is it true what people say about Isabella?”

“Only nasty rumours from the envious, Doctor Liebknecht,” I replied with a smile. So, it had already made the rounds that it wasn’t just about bathing. What the heck, we all only live once, and this was there under very special circumstances. I hoped that as many people as possible thought so.

Cara enjoyed being the centre of attention all day long. However, in the early morning the girls arrived too late for the usual wake-up. The birthday girl was already working in the kitchen early. So the singing and congratulation took place in front of the kitchen. I was happy to see how much everyone loved the nice Italian woman. The warm pressing and kisses did not want to end.

Luisa had already been the first to congratulate. Of course I had to smile, Luisa had given her helper and friend a wide-brimmed Inca hat made of sheep’s wool and alpaca hair, plus her hairbrush with the specially shaped handle. When I passed it over with a smile and looked at Cara, she turned bright red, but no one knew the reason that Cara had secretly told me.

My present was two Italian booklets that I had found in the study. Judging by the illustrations, they were erotic romance novels, but not porn. She squeezed me very hard, showed me again how womanly her bosom was, and would have liked to seduce me in the presence of everyone. But Ramona saved me by pulling Cara to her to congratulate her as well.

Cara wanted to be close to me. “Have you decided when we’re officially dating? After last night I would also like to be admitted to the pregnant women’s club.”

“Thank you for your kind service. You’re almost one of them. First, we’ll celebrate your birthday, then I’ll ask you to take a bath shortly afterwards, if you still want to.” I was completely unprepared, Cara kissed me passionately. “Thanks. I am very happy.”

The birthday party in the evening was a wonderful celebration. Cara, almost still a child in her way of thinking, physically an attractive, well-developed young woman, enjoyed her evening particularly emotionally. Three times she had Priya play her favourite song “Ti amo”, three times she lay in my arms in love and we enjoyed the dance together.

During her group dances, which are so typical for her, everyone made a special effort today, knowing how much joy it caused Cara. After each choreo dance there was cheering and clapping. Cara received lots of kisses but only offered her cheeks. Her mouth would only be reserved for true love. Exchanging saliva with girls would be an unsavoury sin, she proclaimed reproachfully when Priya tried it.

The atmosphere was great like it hasn’t been for a longer time. But there was one more highlight to come. Luisa took the microphone, had Cara sit in the middle of the hall and sang an indescribably beautiful Inca song. She sang of a ‘Quya’, a queen, who fathered and bore a ‘wawa’, a child, as Olivia later translated for us. I only understood the repeated word ‘Gabriela’. That’s when I realized that Cara wanted a little Gabriela, a girl with Cara’s favourite name. Of course, I promised Cara and her very best friend Luisa that I would do my best for the lovely Italian to get pregnant soon.

“This commitment is my greatest gift today,” Cara whispered to me enthusiastically, hugging me fiercely, trying to make herself even more desirable by rubbing her firm breasts against my chest. She would have loved to accompany me to my bed. She made that clear to everyone, but laughing I broke away from her lustful desire.

On Tuesday, August 1, 2017, a very special day from my point of view, I invited everyone to the cinema hall. I also invited Olivia. Her son Michael was taken care of by great-grandmother Alejandra. Carmen brought our two sons Carlos and Sergio with her. She had volunteered to take care of the newborn children and played with Bruno, Uma, and her sons in the warm kitchen.

“Today there is a special feature film, ladies, something very intimate.” Everyone looked expectantly. Some nudged each other. Sula said there was probably a porn movie. “First I’ll tell you, I have a very special case with Priya...” Astonished whispers and confused looks showed in the long pause in my speech. I let it get even more exciting, then followed: “ ... planned and prepared. Priya, you can start.”

On the big white wall, the beamer illuminated the decisive date: August 1st, 2016. Then followed: August 1st, 2017. The date hardly played a role for almost everyone in the valley, but it was now clear that we celebrated the first anniversary of our get-together in the valley. There was whispering or louder discussion. Kira put it in a nutshell. “It can’t be. Have we been here a year already? I can’t believe that.”

“Kira, you, you’ll all be amazed at how we’ve all developed, how we looked a year ago. I couldn’t believe it either. But see for yourself.” Priya was in her flow.

The television lit up. Priya pressed ‘Start’. We saw fourteen girls on the stairs singing their song about being lost in the Andean country. Lenya got up first and hummed along. Soon we were all standing. Like a national anthem, we sang our song together. Again, I was completely amazed at how childlike many girls still looked at the New Year’s Eve party from which the video recording came. The reverberation in the cinema hall was great. It sounded like a big choir singing. Soon all of their neighbours had their arms around their shoulders. I could have screamed or even cried with joy, fortunately everyone had pure emotion.

“My dears, a year is a long time, but it is also a short time. We’ve known each other for a year now. Most of you I feel like we’ve known each other forever. You are all so close to me, so dear, so unique. Today is my reason to say thank you, thank you for your love, your trust, your hard work and your discipline. I would like to give each of you a firm kiss. Priya summarized the year for all of us and edited photos and videos together with great diligence, and in secret. It should be a surprise for you. Shall we start?”

Everyone cheered and whistled like in a real movie theatre. But before we got started, Cara handed out small baskets of freshly made popcorn. What followed was a storm of memories and feelings. The celebrations, the physical education classes, the bathing, the New Year’s Eve celebrations, the flooding, and the bike ride to the bathing lake with clips of the yellow-tailed monkeys, even every single woman in the village was shown at work. When a photo of Olivia with her new-born Michael appeared on the screen, cheers went wild. That tremendous vibe continued through the photos of Uma, Bruno, and Carmen’s twins. Finally, almost daily updated photos followed of the four girls smiling and holding their foetus’s sonogram for the camera. The Song of Paradise followed, sung lovingly by everyone in front of the villagers. Again, everyone sang along without shouting. Priya received thunderous applause. It was an incredibly beautiful film. All the pictures had been accompanied by nice music, a masterpiece from my point of view.

Before I could thank Priya, Lenya spoke up. “Priya, dear sister, thank you very much. The movie was great. If we think back to what we’ve accomplished in just one year, I feel like Michael, all I can say is I love you all. My thanks also go to Luisa and Doctor Liebknecht today, and of course to you, dear Michael. How do you think this is the right time?” She wrapped her arms around her two neighbours and began to sing, “We shall overcome.” It was so emotional; maybe many felt it as strongly as I did. Lenya let a self-composed verse follow:

We are friends for ever,
We are friends for ever,
We are friends for ever, for the life.

There were tears, there was applause, there were kisses. Everyone was so nice to each other, Ramona and Luisa pressed against me, but each of the young women also wanted a caress from me. I was finally able to wave Priya over. I gave her a particularly warm hug and personally thanked her for the uniquely beautiful film.

Gradually the entourage made its way upstairs, taking the extra chairs with them. Daja and Fahsai passed me with two vacuum cleaners running back to the cinema. It was amazing how our young ladies were. They saw leftover popcorn on the floor; they knew immediately what to do. I went downstairs again and gave them both a big hug and a kiss of appreciation on their lips.