~~~~~
At this time Listeri was in the kitchen and the sisters were harvesting some vegetables in the garden behind the house. The family had brought Eko out to enjoy the fresh air on the porch and Bandri had his leg propped up to help the swelling go down; the men were once again deeply engrossed in a long conversation about snakes. Raharjo had been sent to collect some flat pebbles from the beach for the names of the snakes.
The boy saw the boats approaching, recognised Agung and ran to help pull the first boat onto the sand, staring with an open mouth at the lady seated in the bow. She smiled at him and asked softly:
“Are you Raharjo?”
Stunned into silence, he nodded quickly and smiled back. Agung steadied her hand as she stepped gracefully with bare feet onto the dry white sand. Raharjo led the way up the path, walking backwards much of the time; he had still not been able to say anything.
Listeri saw the visitors approaching up the path, went into the porch and touched her husband’s shoulder. Eko looked up and followed his wife’s eyes, and then Bandri stopped in mid-sentence to follow their wordless gaze.
Bandri had forgotten to foresee the impact Ayu could have - on himself as well as the others. The shining sun was behind her as she glided towards them. The swirling patterns on the simple sarong complimented her elegant moving figure as the sunrays shone though the fabric around her body. Her shaded bare neck and face were crowned by the native hat which accentuated the poise of the person below. Behind this apparition, was the bodyguard figure of Agung, followed by Joyah and Praba.
Bandri was still adjusting to this joyous sight, when Ayu gave him a gorgeous welcoming smile which sent him stumbling to his feet. Apparently unaware of the impression she was making, she stepped onto the porch, smiling first at Listeri and Eko, and then removing her hat so that she could kiss her husband on both cheeks. Agung reached out to receive the hat, as her hair fell free in cascades around her shoulders.
Seeing that Eko was unable to stand up, Ayu bent her knees to hold the hand he had reached out for her. Raharjo, who had just begun to recover from his surprise, provided a seat for her.
Bandri took charge of the introductions.
“Eko and Listeri - please meet Ayu.”
“Thank you for visiting us,” said Eko smiling naturally, politely avoiding looking at her for too long by welcoming the other strangers. “Thank you all for visiting us at our small place – please take a seat after your journey.”
As Joyah and Praba stepped into the porch, Bandri introduced them. At that moment, he felt rather glad that the two sisters had not yet appeared.
Everyone had been found a seat, except for Raharjo who stood beside Bandri. A conversation had begun about Bandri’s leg and how well it was healing, when Lyana and Lela appeared carrying newly dug root-vegetables. Ayu stood up, prompting the others to stand.
There was a perceptible pause in events as the young women looked at each other, thinking thoughts unfathomable to the men. Insofar as may be known, Lyana and Lela were conscious of their dirty hands and less than perfect attire, whereas Ayu was assessing their suitability for her brother. Agung was petrified, and everyone else was still adjusting when Ayu took the initiative, leaning forward to kiss each of them on the cheeks.
Bandri completed the introductions for everyone.
Raharjo provided seating for everyone. He received hats, a machete, a knife and two bows with their quivers of arrows for safe-keeping, which he placed against the side of the house inside the porch. Next he ran to the pond twice for drinking water. Unnoticed by the assembly, he then slipped away.
Lyana and Lela had made their excuses, withdrawing from the visitors to wash and put on their best sarongs, while Listeri started preparations for a meal. Ayu quietly indicated to Agung to join her as she went to help Listeri in the kitchen, giving her brother the task of peeling and chopping vegetables, which he did patiently and obediently, thus keeping him busy and out of the way of the delicate negotiations. Ayu chatted with Listeri about spices and native recipes, as they pulled apart cloves, ground peppers and chopped lemon grass.
Meanwhile Eko, Bandri, Praba and Joyah together started discussing the difficult matter of whether the family could realistically join the Likupang tribe. Bandri was looking for an opportunity to talk privately with Praba. In polite time, Bandri made an excuse that he needed to exercise his leg with a short walk; Praba helped to steady him, so leaving Joyah to talk with Eko.
“My leg is alright – but we needed to have a talk,” said Bandri once they were sufficient distance from the others.
“What’s going on with the two girls?!” demanded Praba. “And what’s wrong with Eko?!”
“Maybe Eko is dying – I don’t know how long he has to live – he is worried for the safety of his family.”
“Bandy – you know we need more men at Likupang – we have trouble defending the girls. What will happen if the tribesmen from Bahio see all these girls?”
“The boy, Raharjo will be a good man and -”
“He’s young!” Praba cut in dismissively.
“He would be a good companion for Harta.”
“Bandy – You’re forgetting this family is Java?!”
“They’re good people – they respect their women – you can see that. They left Bitung because of the bad customs of the tribesmen down there.. We can understand each other.”
“How do you know the girls don’t want Java men?!”
Bandri couldn’t find a clear answer, but stopped walking and stared speechless at his brother. Praba ran his hands through his hair.
“They’re still from Java!” Praba stated emphatically. “Java – You know what that means?!”
“Praba - What do you think could happen to the girls if they stay here?”
The question hung in the air. After a few moments Praba simply muttered:
“I don’t know.”
“I will tell you what will happen – I think Agung will come here to stay – he likes the girls a lot – he likes the family.”
“Bandy!” Praba glared at his brother with great agitation. “We have to talk frankly – you know the girls are wanted because they’re not married.. More – they’re wanted because they’re young - without children, healthy, pretty.. beautiful even – the Java tribes will be after them!”
Bandri took a deep breath. He knew the words to be true in the world in which they lived.
“Likupang has three wanted girls already!” Praba emphasised. “This would add two more!”
Bandri floundered as he thought about the whole idea of Eko’s family joining Likupang. With his brother’s words ringing in his ears, he glanced back at his beautiful young wife. He knew how important any decision would be.
“Mel and Suk are too young to marry,” stated Bandri, desperately striving for sense.
“Yes brother – I agree.. But that doesn’t stop them being wanted!.. And who will marry Lyana and Lela?!” Praba said, looking his brother squarely in the eye. “So they have children soon?!”
“Agung will decide,” said Bandri, as he searched for meaning and traction in this horrendous dilemma. “He’s getting to know the girls better – we need to give him time.”
“Bandy – I’m the oldest brother, and I have a duty to look after the village. He’ll need to decide soon if he wants to marry.. If we accept this family then we have to think about another thing – men could take a second wife.”
Praba was waiting for a response, but Bandri couldn’t give him one right now.
“As the oldest brother - it would be my duty to take another wife.”
Bandri hesitated as he thought about it. Why didn’t I see that coming!? I am a fool - any man can see how attractive the sisters are – my brother included! Trying to overlook Praba’s last statement, he tried a different tack.
“Last night I stayed in the second house here with Raharjo.. Agung could stay here for a while – I can paddle back today..It will give him a chance to get
to know them better.”
Just then Lyana and Lela returned onto the porch.
Bandri could see they wore the same sarongs as on his first visit, but this time the fabric was wrapped more closely around their figures, loose enough to show they were ladies but tight enough to show they were women; just tight enough to betray their high, pert breasts pushing at the material. On the shoulders were attached the shiny bronze brooches – the dolphin on the left shoulder of Lyana, and the bird on the right shoulder of Lela. Now immaculately groomed, both sisters had the ornate clasps in their hair. Indeed, their youthful feminine attractiveness was there for all to see.
Joyah and Ayu met the young women and were obviously complimenting them. The brothers watched as each of the sisters took a little walk along the porch, right to the end, where they demurely turned to walk back to the appreciative feminine remarks from Joyah and Ayu about the style of their sarongs. From the kitchen Agung was able to see the brief show, as each lady reached the end and turned to go back.
Although it was subtly done, Bandri perceived that the display by the young women was mainly for the benefit of the quiet awestruck man in the kitchen. Bandri turned to look at his older brother who had also witnessed the show. Praba was quiet, staring at the sisters and sucking his lip in contemplation.
The meal was ready.
Eko was propped up in his seat, with his wife on one side and Bandri on the other. Rubbed-up close next to Bandri sat Ayu, and then the two sisters, then Joyah, Praba and Agung – all crowded around the table in the porch, sitting on any available chair or log.
“Where’s Raharjo?” asked Eko.
Until that moment, everybody had been so involved that the absence of the boy had not been noticed. Listeri went to look around the house, and in a short while returned with her son who was squashed in between his sisters.
This was a problematic moment since the customs at the start of such a meal may be quite different, depending on the tribal background. No commitment had yet been established that Eko’s family would be accepted into the Likupang tribe. The delicate negotiations had reached a compromise agreement; Agung would stay at Pantai for a couple of days until everyone in Likupang had been given a say in deciding the outcome.
The Javanese spiritual customs differed from Malay ones. Eko and Bandri had talked about such things, and so they wanted to avoid a dispute about such matters.
“Kami mengucapkan terima kasih kepada tetamu untuk melawat kami.” - “We thank our guests for visiting us,” announced Eko. “Anda adalah dialu-alukan di meja kami - Mungkin semua nenek moyang kami gembira dengan kami.” – “You are welcome at our table – May all our ancestors be happy with us.”
The tension eased.
“Mungkin semua nenek moyang kami gembira dengan kami,” Bandri replied.
It was an idyllic setting in the mid-day shade, surrounded by the lushness of vegetation, the songs of wildlife and the pleasing beat of the gentle waves breaking on the small beach beyond. Everyone tucked into the diverse dishes that had been conjured up by Listeri and Ayu. The conversation however was restrained and formal. Many polite and fleeting glances, which spoke more than any words, were exchanged amongst the diners.
It was now mid-afternoon and the guests from Likupang were leaving. Agung remained on the porch with Eko, while the others walked down the path to the beach.
Praba prepared to launch the boat with Joyah sat in the bow, as Ayu and Bandri stood beside their boat saying goodbye to Listeri and her two daughters. Just at this point Raharjo stepped timidly up to the lady from Likupang. As the others watched, he held up a large Triton seashell as a gift. Inside the furled opening of the heavy ornate seashell were two freshly gathered golden honeycombs, carefully placed in side by side. It was a gift from the boy to the lady and gentleman from Likupang; a simple and beautiful gift from the land, sea and air.
Ayu was stunned motionless for a few moments. With tears in her eyes, she reverently crouched down and accepted the gift with both hands, kissing the boy on the cheek.