Chapter 8

I stumbled around, trying to say what I really felt without hurting any feelings. Finally, I could see Dove and Sunny start to get very impatient with me, so I said what I felt that I needed to say. "Dove, Sunny, if I really had my choice in the matter, I would take both women. I just cannot choose between them. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

Both women started to laugh and cry at the same time as they grabbed me in a big hug and kissed me all over my face. I wasn't sure what brought this on, but I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I hugged and kissed them back, but I waited for the other shoe to drop.

Dove eventually got control of herself and said, "Douglas, you are finally starting to learn how life works with us. You had seemed so reluctant to take a new wife that we did not dare suggest that you take two, but that would do wonders for the status of our family. Chief is the only man in the village to have four wives, and this would elevate you to very nearly his status. Yes, yes, yes, please accept both women! Sunny and I have been wondering if we dared to suggest that you take two wives. Now that you have reached that decision, we can both relax and enjoy our new status in the village. Isn't that correct, Sunny?"

"Oh, yes, Douglas. You could not make us happier, except by giving us more children. We are thrilled that you will take them both. We will make the arrangements tomorrow. You even have enough horses so that the bride price will not delay us. Do you think that you could give four horses for each of the brides, so that their status could be as high as mine?"

I had forgotten the bride price of a minimum of two horses for a bride, but I had set a new precedent by paying four horses for Sunny. It was fortunate for me that I had accumulated the horses as a result of my recent activities as a war chief and my great luck at wagering. It was no burden to me to spend eight horses to acquire two wives of the quality of the ones I was after. I did point out to Dove and Sunny that we were going to need a new house. This one was just too small to take in two more adults, but the women said that it was their worry and not mine, so I shut up.

It was time for Son's feeding, so Dove nursed him while I cuddled with my two wives. I guess I was catching on as to how to be a Mescalero Apache, but status still did not mean much to me. I just lay there and enjoyed the companionship. I could wait for the women to tell me what I should do to honor tradition and not insult somebody, especially my new in-laws.

The next day, the women were gone from the hut for most of the day. When they got back, I was informed that I would collect Amber tomorrow and Silver the next day. I admit to being as excited as a new groom should be—these were special women I was going to wed.

We got an early start the next morning. Right after breakfast, I went to collect four horses to use for the bride-price. Once that was done, I donned my two eagle feathers and led the procession to the home of Amber's parents. I knew them vaguely, just as one knows every person in a small community, but I had never interacted socially with her father.

My procession arrived, and it now included practically every adult and all of the children of the village. I scratched on the door and waited for the father to show up. Of course he knew that I was coming and why, but there was a certain formality to the routine that we had to go through to make the marriage official. I could tell that he was pleased to receive four horses for his daughter, rather than the conventional two, because it did wonders for his and her prestige.

We said the formal words and Amber came out of the house. I had to stifle a laugh the way her mother seemed to push her out the door before I could change my mind. We walked back to my hut in proper form, with Amber taking her place at the end of the line, as was proper for the third wife.

Once inside the house, though, I dropped all pretense at propriety and grabbed Amber into a big hug and kiss. She was somewhat taken aback by this show of affection, but she relaxed when Dove and Sunny were included in the family hug.

Dove, acting in her capacity as chief wife, said, "Now, Douglas, you must initiate Amber into our family. We women have a lot of work to do this afternoon, so you need to get on with your part of the job right away." I looked kind of blank, and Dove almost shouted, "Go ahead and fuck her, Silly!" OK, that I could handle, so that was what Amber and I did.

Amber and I rested while Dove and Sunny prepared lunch. It was a simple repast, the big celebratory meal would come tonight. I was supposed to go hunting and, hopefully, come home with something appropriate for the new wife to cook to show off her skills in that department. I collected Bear and Fox, and we went hunting while the women did whatever it was that they were going to do.

We got very lucky and found a small herd of elk not far from the village. I got lucky and nailed a young doe with my first atlatl cast. The other two men cooperated on another one, a little older, and we made travois to haul them back to the village after field dressing the carcasses. We had brought extra horses along just for the purpose of hauling the meat, so we were ready to return in what I thought of as a very short time.

We got back to the village and I bid goodbye to my hunting companions. I rode up to my hut and found that it was not there! What the hell!?! That's when I looked up and saw Amber pulling a load of furs to a spot close to Chief's hut. Uh-oh, Dove has been busy, again.

Amber had not seen me, so I didn't say anything when she stopped at the shell of a hut under construction. Dove and Sunny were working on it, and Amber joined them in lacing the furs to the inside of the framework. Upon careful examination, I saw Silver working on the outside of the structure, lacing skins to the frame from that side. The women were working so diligently that they had not noticed me, so I just sat on my horse watching the four women work on what had to be our new house. I did wonder where the extra skins had come from.

I was doing what any Mescalero warrior was expected to do—relaxing and watching his wives work, so they were not put out when they finally noticed me. Dove, Sunny, and Amber ran up to me for a hug, but Silver stayed back behind the hut. I was surprised at first, but then I realized that she was not yet officially my wife, so we were supposed to stay apart. I saw her looking at me and I nodded to her, but that was the limit of the contact between us. That was saved for tomorrow.

The women stepped back and I proudly showed off my kill for the day. It was actually larger than we would consume at supper, but it would be handy for tomorrow if I was not so lucky next time. Amber began to butcher the small elk, and the other women went back to work on assembling the hut. It had to be finished by supper, but that did not look like it would be a problem.

I went back to my arduous duty of watching the women work, and it dawned on me where the extra skins had come from. They had been supplied by the families of Amber and Silver, since it was obvious that a growing family like ours was going to need a larger home. Now I could see one of the virtues of being on good terms with your in-laws.

While I was lounging in the shade and watching the women work, Chief came out of his hut and joined me. "Douglas, I can see that you made a very wise choice in selecting Dove for your first wife. I was very lucky to do the same, and you can see what it has gotten me. I rose quickly, just as your are doing, at the urging of my wife, and now I am the leader of a large village of fine people. I expect that the same will happen to you!"